BARRHEAD - It was not the Barrhead Bombers' best performance.
On Friday, Jan. 6, the Calgary Amp Warriors defeated the hometown Bombers 5-0.
"There is nothing positive about our performance that we can take away from the game," said head coach Mario Haase. "From our defensive coverage to our effort, it was just a bad night all around."
What makes their performance at home more disappointing, he said, is the strides they had been making in recent weeks, which they demonstrated at the Canadian-American Junior Hockey League (CAJHL) Showcase event after the Christmas break.
Although the Bombers came away winless from the showcase with losses against the Hinton Timberwolves, the Vegreville Vipers and the Calgary Amp Warriors, Haase said overall they played very well (with the exception of a hiccup against Hinton in their first game) with a bit more puck luck, they could have walked away from the mini-tournament with their first win of the season.
"In the final two games of the showcase, we played with all the necessary intangibles, the heart, determination, will and drive, all of it was there, but just ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard," he said.
In the second game, against Vegreville, the Bombers lost a close 2-1 decision, in large part due to the goaltender Jace Berreth, who faced 62 shots against Barrhead's 17. In the third game, Barrhead lost 5-3 against Calgary.
"Realistically, it was a winnable game and one we should have taken it, but in the second period, we let that one slip away, but we owned up to our mistakes and got ready to face them again," Haase said. "That is why tonight's performance is so disappointing. I expected a whole lot more from the boys tonight."
However, he said, the good thing about this group is their ability to put things behind them and focus on the next task.
Going into the season, Haase said he told the group there would be several nights ahead of them as they had a younger roster with players with no previous junior hockey experience.
In the second game of the weekend, on Jan. 8, the Bombers lost a 5-2 road decision against the Vegreville Vipers.
Haase also noted that he would be contacting CAJHL commissioner Kelly Bruce about an incident that occurred during one of the extracurricular pushing and shoving incidents that took place late in the third period.
He said one of Calgary's most "talkative" players directed a racial slur at Bombers player Peyton Okemow.
"That is something that is unacceptable in sports and life and I will be making the league aware of the incident," Haase said.
The Barrhead Bombers go on an extended road trip with their next home game being at the Agrena on Jan. 27 against the Cold Lake Aeros. Puck drop is 8:30 p.m.
