Tim Ruhnke – Recorder & Times
It’s about coming together as a team, even this early in the season.
As they prepare to host the Nepean Raiders on Friday night, the Braves (6-3-0-1) lead the CCHL’s Robinson Division by one point over Renfrew. Brockville has the fourth-best record in the 12-team Jr. A league; the top eight teams advance to the playoffs.
The Braves are coming off a three-point weekend. They got by Cornwall 4-3 in overtime at home Friday night and were then edged by the Bears 5-4 in a shootout in Smiths Falls on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m very pleased with the boys’ effort over the weekend,” Brockville head coach Randy Jones said in an interview.
“I thought Friday night, from start to finish, was a true dominant win,” the bench boss commented. “Yes, it went into overtime, but I felt we controlled the play from the first period and carried it all the way through.
The Braves outshot the Colts by a margin of more than two to one Friday.
“I thought the boys wanted those two points and they came ready to play for a full 60 minutes plus,” said Jones, who added that he is “very proud” of the Braves’ effort.
The bench boss was also happy with Brockville’s play on Sunday; missing from the lineup included Luke Tchor and captain Jackson Hay.
“It was a battle. Obviously, we’ve got a little bit of an injury bug right now and we were missing some key guys,” noted Jones, who went on say that the Braves “truly showed their character, stepped up as a team unit and found a way to get at least one point.”
The coach also remarked that shootout endings are sometimes like flipping a coin.
In special teams play, Brockville went a respectable 87.5 per cent on the penalty kill on the weekend. The Braves’ power-play success rate of 21.4 per cent was higher than the season average.
Looking forward, Jones is hoping the team will continue to put in a strong effort, including when injuries occur.
“We always look to the team coming together,” the coach stated. “Certain personnel need to step up and take charge and fill certain roles that are lacking.”
It’s the usual 7:30 puck drop for the Friday night home game at the Memorial Centre. Brockville does not have a road game this weekend.
The CCHL All-Stars (including Evan Boucher and Michael Palandra of the Braves) will play the Ottawa U Gee-Gees in Ottawa Saturday night.
The lone CCHL game on Thursday night, Kemptville defeated Cornwall 5-1.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
