Thunder droops in final 10 minutes of loss to Alaska
There were about 50 minutes of hockey that Thunder players probably wouldn’t mind reliving.
The final 10, though, will be seared into their minds.
After a 6-4 loss to Alaska on Sunday afternoon, in which Alaska scored four goals in the final 10-plus minutes, Thunder coach Malcolm Cameron asked for video of the third period to be delivered to the office immediately.
Cameron saw a lack of aggressiveness near the goal, where Alaska scored three third-period goals, all on rebounds for which they outhustled and outmuscled the Thunder.
“I’m absolutely sick of watching teams score within a foot in front of our net,” Cameron said. “I’ve never coached a team in 19 years that has surrendered that many goals, this early in the season, one foot in front of the net.”
The Thunder (7-5) was wiped out 5-0 by Alaska on Saturday night, when Wichita was worn down by a precise offense that allowed the Aces to overmatch the Thunder with their speed.
Wichita neutralized those strengths over the first 2 1/2 periods, taking a 3-2 lead into the third period and holding off Alaska to start the third.
“I was happy with most of the game,” Cameron said. “But when it got tight and tough, we folded like a cheap suit. You don’t need to be experienced – everybody has battled in front of their net, you’ve been doing it since you were five years old. That just comes with grit and a compete level.
“You’ve got to hate to get scored on. We don’t hate it.”
It may be difficult for Wichita players to match their coach’s passion, and they haven’t yet quieted his complaints. After Saturday’s loss, Cameron decried the Thunder’s effort and suggested that roster changes could be coming.
That suggestion intensified after Sunday’s loss. Alaska, Cameron believes, exposed Wichita’s lack of toughness by scoring directly in front of the Thunder’s goal, an area Cameron feels the Thunder should control.
The Thunder briefly tied the game 4-4 in the final five minutes on a deflected goal, but Alaska scored 36 seconds later and added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.
“That’s soft hockey and I’m making changes,” Cameron said. “That’s not a threat, that’s reality. I can’t take it anymore. Twelve games into the season, if I don’t do it and I expect different, shame on me. That’s insanity. Guys are showing me that they just can’t do it.”
Alaska | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | 6 |
Wichita | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 |
First period
Scoring — 1. Wichita, Trecapelli (DeBlouw, Grant), 10:40; 2. Alaska, Moynihan (Levesque, Garteig), 13:01; 3. Wichita, Loiseau (Melindy, Gagne), 19:22. Penalties — Wichita, Marcotte (boarding), 11:01; Alaska, Lauwers (removing the helmet, fighting major), 15:47; Wichita, Dunn (removing the helmet, fighting major), 15:47.
Second period
Scoring — 4. Wichita, Loiseau (Lowe, Nelson), 3:31; 5. Alaska, Olczyk (Tarasuk, Coffman), 10:29. Penalties — Alaska, Lake (hooking), 6:39; Alaska, Hunt (slashing), 11:29; Wichita, DeBlouw (kneeing), 19:17.
Third period
Scoring — 6. Alaska, Perfetto (Lauwers, Sivak), 9:43; 7. Alaska, Wallace (Tarasuk, Sivak), 15:41; 8. Wichita, Moon (Holmberg, Trecapelli), 16:17; 9. Alaska, Hunt (Breton, Lauwers), 16:53; 10. Alaska, Sivak empty-net (Wallace, Perfetto), 19:32. Penalties — None.
Power play—Alaska 0-2, Wichita 0-2. Shots—Alaska 7-13-18—38, Wichita 13-17-14—44. Saves—Alaska, Garteig 40-44; Wichita, Greenham 32-37.
T—2:26. A—5,084.
This story was originally published November 20, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Thunder droops in final 10 minutes of loss to Alaska."