The men’s hockey team could be patting itself on the back for collecting its 10th win of the season, the first time the program has done so since the 1988-89 season.
But that’s not the way head coach Brett Gibson feels about the team’s two games in Windsor against the Lancers.
“That’s not the way we’re thinking,” he said.
“It was a disappointing weekend. There’s no other way to put it.”
The team started the weekend off in fine fashion, exploding for an 8-3 win. Forward Brady Olsen scored a hat-trick, putting him second in the country in goal-scoring with 14, and added an assist.
The team also received two goals from forward Jon Lawrance, one goal and two assists from forward Jon Asselstine and three assists from forward Pat Doyle.
Captain Jeff Ovens and Mike Brisebois rounded out the scoring for Queen’s, while Ryan Gibb collected his eighth win of the season.
The Gaels led 4-0 after the first period and never looked back.
Olsen said he tries not to get too excited about blowout games.
“When I have games like that I don’t look into them too much,” he said. “It doesn’t mean anything unless we do the same thing Saturday.”
But a different Gaels team showed up the following night: the Lancers played a much more defensive style and emerged with a 4-1 victory.
Brisebois scored his second goal of the season for the Gaels, who were 0-5 on the power play.
Olsen had difficulty describing his disappointment.
“I’m stuck for words. I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell happened but I just don’t know.
“It was quite frustrating to beat a team so badly and then lose to them,” he said, adding the Gaels still need an added killer instinct.
“The team’s still learning how to win. … We’re not quite where we want to be yet,” he said.
Olsen said the team’s power play needs to get better for them to win the OUA Mid-East Division, which it currently leads by three points with a record of 10-9-0-2. The University of Toronto sits in second place.
“I think it comes down to work ethic. People think playing the power play is sometimes a guaranteed easy shift, but we just need to get back to basics,” he said.
Gibson said the Windsor coaching staff deserve credit for Saturday’s result.
“The second game they came out completely differently,” he said. “They played a trap and just bored us to death.”
Gibson added that he thinks Olsen can still play at a higher level.
“He’s still got another gear to go. I push him more than I do most just because I see his potential. … I need him to be one of the best players in the league.”
The men play RMC tomorrow in Napanee in the first of three games this term between the cross-town rivals. Gibson said he expects a full effort from his team despite the short week.
“If you can’t get up for this game, you’re pretty much screwed,” he said.
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