Tough loss provides a teaching moment

In this week's 'Making of a Royal' blog, Long Island Royals Under-16 National coach Pat LaFontaine recalls the team's play in the Bauer International Invite in Chicago, Ill., two weeks ago. The Bauer International is one of the largest amateur hockey tournaments in the world. After earning victories against the Toronto Eagles, Ice Jets Academy (Texas), Detroit Warriors, Indiana Ice and Team Wisconsin, the Royals suffered a shootout loss to Honeybaked Hockey Club (Detroit) in the tournament semifinals. LaFontaine discusses that dramatic setback and his thoughts on coaching players in the shootout.

So Honeybaked and the Royals each were 5-0 and playing in the semifinal; it was a classic meeting. We prepared the kids to come out quick and try to dictate the game early because one goal or power-play chance could change the momentum in a short game. Really, when you get to the quarterfinal or semifinal round, the kids, mentally, know what's at stake.
 

You don't have to say too much and might just want to go over a few details. The kids actually played one of their better games in the quarterfinal against Illinois. They were hitting on all cylinders in that game, and once they're doing that, you don't have to do or say too much because they know what to do and what’s expected of them. As coaches, we just prepare them for the team we're facing.
 
We started Matt Atwell (Freeport, N.Y.) in net and we knew the Honeybaked goalie had been playing pretty strong, so it was one of those back-and-forth games. Nobody could get that little momentum swing for a goal. We got a few power plays, and had a 5-on-3, in fact. If we executed or capitalized on it, it would have changed the momentum and we probably would have won the game. Matt was making big saves for us and their goalie was making big saves. I felt our team had more quality chances and probably outplayed them for the most part, but in a game like that, when you get good goaltending, you must find a way to win and find a way to execute. We just weren't able to get that goal, and neither were they.
 
So here we go into an overtime game in a 0-0 tie. We play five minutes of 4-on-4, five minutes of 3-on-3, and then went to the shootout. We actually had a power-play to start the 4-on-4 and we had four or five shots, but their goalie made a couple of big saves when they needed them.
 
The 3-on-3 was even for five minutes, so after a 40-minute game, it's still 0-0. I told the kids that I was proud of them and no matter what happened, the guys played a heck of a game. But we wanted to win this thing and find a way to score goals in the shootout.
 
I asked the referee, since we were the home team, if we could have the choice of whether or not to shoot first. I really wanted to go first, but we couldn't. It's in the rulebook that the visiting team goes first. Most NHL teams like to go first to get that momentum, but despite the fact we were the home team, we didn't get that edge.
 
Entering the shootout, you kind of feel who is having a game or having chances and getting shots. I did almost put one of younger guys in there, but thought otherwise. Maybe further along he'll be ready. I just went with guys on the team who had been scoring for us. Sometimes you go with a hunch and sometimes a hot player. I went to the coaching staff and we had our lists and tweaked them a little. No matter what, we win and lose as a team and the game is based on momentum swings. At the end of the day, there are lots of opportunities over the course of a game.
 
So in the shootout, Matty Atwell tried to pokecheck the first player and just missed him; the skater made a nice move and scored. We were up next and Mike Marnell went in and made a nice move, but it was poke-checked off his stick.
 
The next Honeybaked player came down and made a similar move. Matt tried to poke check and the player put it upstairs so now we're down 2-0. You try and keep the kids positive. If we can get one, we'll have some momentum. Up next for us was Joey Fallon. He skated in and made a tremendous move; he's a right-handed player but made that (Pavel) Datsyuk move and I thought he was a little too tight but he still popped it in and the kids were fired up.
 
They then came down and scored their third goal to go up 3-1. We had a chance to still come back since the shootout lasts five rounds, but their goalie pokechecked another one of our players and before you know it, it's over. We just couldn't get that second goal to keep the shootout going and Honeybaked won. We played so well in the tournament, and if you replicate that, you're going to win more often than not.
 
I really felt good about the way the kids played. They gave it everything they had. Sometimes, you lose in a shootout, but you live and learn from it. I was proud of the effort, I was proud of the way they competed and let this be a learning lesson because we'll probably face these guys down the road. The next time we get our chances, we need to execute. If there's anything we stressed, it was that if we execute some power plays better and get that one goal, it may have been a different game. Their goalie only gave up one goal in his team's last three games and they went on to win the championship with a 4-1 win against the New Jersey Avalanche.
 
We know you learn from your mistakes and we'll become stronger mentally. I've told the kids, if you leave everything on the table and the compete level is there, it's hard to be upset.
 
I don't have a problem with shootouts on any level. I think it's an entertaining part of the game. Before we left for that tournament, each player had four or five rounds of practice shootouts, so we did it just in case we might come across it and we did.
 
I've been a proponent of shootouts the last 13 years. When I retired, I remember saying during the clutch-and-grab era that we needed to accentuate the skill in our game. In my first year of retirement, I remember saying that if Michael Jordan and the guys in the NBA weren't allowed to get to the net and slam dunk, where would basketball be today? I wanted to see a shootout, which would force the skill back into the game. Whether we like it or not, the breakaway and the shootout are exciting moments.