The St. John’s Senior Caps put in a solid effort, winning 6-3 over the CBN Ceebees on November 30th, but they fell 5-2 to the Southern Shore Breakers on December 1st.
It was the first couple of games for the Caps after a week off, but barring a few injuries and the team running into a hot goaltender Sunday night, Mike Dyke, Senior Caps Head Coach, said there were positive takeaways from both weekend games.
“We came out of the gate strong in the first game. I think, personally, it was probably the best opening period we played all season. Kyle Downer was back between the pipes this weekend; you can tell he was dialled in immediately. And from our defense and forwards, it seemed like everyone came out of the gate hot.”
In the CeeBees game, the Senior Caps had to make a couple of lineup changes because of injuries to team Captain Kyle McGrath and defenseman Roger Pender. Ryan Costello filled in for McGrath, while Mike Maloney and Ryan Walsh stepped up on defence.
In the first period, the senior caps dominated the CeeBees, with goals from Costello, Michael Cole, and Mark Rumsey, who took a 3-0 lead into the dressing room. The CeeBees Braedon Carlson broke the shutout in the second period. Still, Tanner Humber-Dredge and Mark Rumsey added some cushion to their lead to end the second period and maintain a 5-1 lead. In the third, the CeeBees tried to mount a comeback with Brett Shute's unassisted goal and even a strength marker by Luke Akerman. The Senior Caps keep their attack at bay with an unassisted goal by Joel Bishop, ending the game with a 6-3 win.
Dyke said the Senior Cap's depth added to their win on Saturday.
“We have many guys willing to step in and fill those voids when we're missing guys. Luckily, we had Ryan Costello. He was filling McGrath's spot on the top line with Joel Bishop and Matthew McKim, and I think on his first shift, he scored his first Senior Hockey League goal. So, having the depth we have and guys who cannot only fill the spot but also have an impact are among our strengths.
In their second game against the Southern Shore Breakers, the Senior Caps were kept off the scoreboard until late in the third on a pair of fast powerplay goals by Curtis Heffernan at the 17th mark. Joel Bishop and Humber-Dredge assisted on both goals in the 5-2 loss.
Dyke said if Saturday’s game was his team's best start, Sunday was the complete opposite.
“They were beating us to pucks off the start, we were giving up a lot of rebounds, and we weren't tying up sticks in front of the net. We also were not picking up men in our zone, which led to some quick goals that kept us back on our heels. But after that, we found our legs a little bit in the second period.”
The problem for the senior caps was that the momentum gained in the second and third periods was halted by the Breaker's brick wall in the net, Mark Yetman.
“It seemed like when we had momentum, he would shut the door, and they would come down the other way, catch a break, and the puck would end up in our net. When that happened, it was deflating, and getting that momentum back was hard.”
Dyke also admits the Breakers are a tough team to beat in their rink.
“It's a small rink, and they know how to play in it. It’s an advantage. And they have a solid defensive core where they don't give up much. When we do get our chances, it's on us to make the most of them. Unfortunately, we couldn't do that on Sunday.”
The Senior Caps hope to get back into the win column when they take on the CBN CeeBees at the Mary Brown’s Centre on Sunday, December 8th. The game will start at 4 p.m.
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