In sports, adversity never defines a team. It instead serves as the ultimatum that forces a group of players and coaches to decide what they want to be and where they want their season to go. It can arise at any time during a season and creates the moments where teams are either remembered for rising to the occasion, or faltering.
The Whaler boys hockey team is facing adversity right now after suffering a disappointing 3-2 loss in overtime Wednesday night to the Nauset Warriors. This team came into this season with plenty of promise, returning six of their top nine forwards and five of their top six defensemen from last year’s team, a group that went 12-3-1 and outscored their opponents 53-32.
Expectations were high for a team filled with talent and experience, but the Whalers suddenly find themselves with a 2-3 record through the first five games of the season. They have scored only 10 goals so far while allowing 17. They face a must-win situation on Saturday when they travel to take on the St. John Paul II Lions on New Year’s Day.
“I believe in this group of guys,” head coach Scott Corbett said. “I know what this team is capable of. When they play the system and execute it they are a dominant team. I want them to know that. There is a lot of leadership in that locker room. Things may seem tough now but we can turn this around, but it needs to start with SJP on Saturday.”
The Whalers got off to a promising start against Nauset. They peppered the Warrior’s goaltender Matt Swanson but were unable to finish off any chances until senior forward Camden Knapp ripped a shot through the Warrior goalie to give the Whalers a 1-0 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first period.
The Whalers had a scoring chance in the final seconds of the opening period to make it 2-0, but Swanson made an incredible save moving from right to left in the crease to keep it a one goal game.
“The first period was one of the best periods of hockey we played all year,” Corbett said. “I thought we started out great. But then we started playing pick-up hockey. We started playing undisciplined. We weren’t executing the forecheck and we were chasing. We would have two or three guys in the same corner and Nauset was getting easy exits out of their zone. We had guys trying to make individual plays.”
The Warriors scored a power play goal to make it a 1-1 game with six minutes to go in the second period. The Whalers gave the Warriors four power plays in the second period, which gave Nauset an opportunity to tie the game and Nantucket very few opportunities to produce consistent offensive pressure. The 1-1 score would stand going into the final period of play.
“It is hard to score goals and maintain pressure when you are committing penalties and going to the penalty box for half of a period,” Corbett said.
The Whalers appeared to be on the cusp of escaping this one with a win after Whaler center Cosmo Tedeschi buried a cross-ice feed on the power play from Cole Evens to make it a 2-1 game with five minutes to play.
Cosmo Tedeschi’s Go Ahead Goal
The goal was scored on a five-minute major power play, so the Whalers remained a man up on the Warriors even after scoring the go-ahead goal.
But Nauset didn’t let that faze them. The Warriors took advantage of an odd man rush and scored a shorthanded goal with 2:55 to go in the game to make it 2-2 and forced the game into overtime. It was the Warriors second special team’s goal of the game, an area where they excelled while Nantucket struggled.
“That was us not being smart with our entries on the power play, forcing pucks,” Corbett said. “We have been telling them to go to one area but instead they did something different. We told them after the game ‘look you can do it that way. We will win some games on talent and probably do enough to make the tournament, but we can be more than that.’ I know this group can have a special season.”
The Warriors were able to score the game-winner on forward Dan Deering’s second goal of the game to complete the upset and send the Whalers home with their second straight home loss.
“We told them after the game we are kind of at a crossroads right now and we need to decide what we want to do,” Corbett said. “This was a game we should have won and we are walking out of here with a loss because we played pick up hockey and were undisciplined tonight. This team can be a dominant team and play with anybody. I know they can.”
The Whalers are scheduled to drop the puck with St. John Paul II at the Hyannis Community Center Rink at 4 p.m. on New Years Day. Current Sports will be in attendance providing in-game updates and insight, just go follow our Instagram page by clicking here.
