Featured in the paper every Thursday, Bracknell Bees head coach Doug Sheppard gives his latest views on the club’s season on and off the ice in an exclusive column.
WE’RE COMING to the end of the hockey season.
There are league places to fight for, the return match in a cup competition on the 20th of this month and, of course, the Final Four in Coventry in April. This is a time full of challenges.
Last weekend we were beaten by Swindon on their ice and then hosted the bottom-placed team, Invicta, at the Hive. This should have been an occasion for a confidence building performance.
Instead, our performance on Sunday was embarrassing.
I don’t want to take away from the achievement of Invicta who won the game in penalty shots. They were short-benched, defended well and simply wanted it more. They deserved their win.
But we need to hold our hands up and admit how poorly we played.
The scoresheet says we had 80 shots on goal. That means we probably had 100 attempts, from which we scored three times. Yes, their goal-tender had a good game, but not that good!
I hope the fans will see a different attitude this Sunday when we play Milton Keynes. They know how exciting ice hockey is and we expect the Hive to be packed for the Cup game which takes place the following week during half-term.
A big thank you and congratulations to the Under Nine teams who brought some much needed enjoyment and entertainment last Sunday during the first period break. Good luck to you as you start to learn what a wonderful sport ice hockey is, if played with the right attitude.
