The Whaler boys hockey team split a pair of games this weekend. They tied Bishop Stang 3-3 on Saturday while losing to the Norwell Clippers 5-0 on Sunday. The Whalers are currently 4-5-1 this season but find themselves in the upper half of the MIAA’s Div. 4 state tournament bracket because of the strength of schedule they have played so far this season.
The Whalers carried the play for much of the game against Norwell and forced them to commit several penalties while trying to match the Whaler’s team speed, but Nantucket was unable to convert on any of their eight power play opportunities.
“When you play good teams you have to take advantage of your scoring chances,” head coach Scott Corbett said. “We didn’t do that today. I think we needed a couple of goals early to keep our confidence and momentum going in a game like this.”
Corbett said he was very proud of his team’s effort in the second game of the back-to-back.
“I kept telling our guys this team isn’t any better than we are,” he said. “They are just burying their opportunities and we aren’t. We are continuing to play more consistent hockey. We are getting better every game.”
On Saturday, the Whalers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period against Stang. Corbett said it may have been the best period of hockey his team played all year.
“We just came out and we were absolutely flying,” Corbett said. “Their goalie hadn’t given up many goals this year and their top line has scored more goals than any line in the state going into that game (37 goals combined in six games). So after we score the three goals they put their back up in and he played great. We told the guys in the locker room between periods we need to treat this like it is a 0-0 game. That is how we have to play this game.”
The Whalers came out in the second period and had an equally as impressive performance. They outshot Stang 11-3 in the period, including seven or eight shots that were point-blank opportunities and high danger scoring chances.
“We had two breakaways but couldn’t put the puck in the back of the net,” Corbett said. “We needed to get that fourth goal. We needed that next goal to put the game away but never got it. Stang’s back up played well and made the saves he needed to make. They got one late in the second period to make it 3-1 after two periods.”
The Whalers were unable to hold the lead, giving up a second goal with six minutes left in the period and the equalizer a few minutes later. Stang was able to take advantage of Nantucket’s defensemen pinching in the offensive end, which allowed for open ice and quality scoring chances for Stang in transition after a pair of those pinches went wrong for Nantucket.
Corbett said they told the players in between periods to ease off the pinching into the offensive zone and that they began the third period following that instruction. It wasn’t until the second half of the period where a couple of mental mistakes cost the Whalers.
Corbett said his team will grow from these two games. He said it is a group that cares deeply about the team’s overall success and referenced the senior leadership. He has no worries about the character of this team as they enter the second half of the season. He believes they have a great opportunity to enter the state tournament while on a gradual incline.
“These seniors are always talking on the bench and now we have a lot of the younger guys buying in,” Corbett said. “And we need to play those guys so that is good.”
The Whalers will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Hyannis to take on Barnstable at 5 p.m.
