Keep Climbin' That Staircase

This weekend is our biggest series of the year. It's a series that could determine who gets home-ice advantage in the playoffs, and it will definitely be a confidence booster before the playoffs for one team. We need to come out and show that we are the better team, just pound them in every aspect of the game because we can. I still don't think the team has played to its full potential since I've been here, and I know I personally haven't played to my potential yet. Now would be a good time to start. We want to play our best, smartest hockey going into the playoffs. There are only 6 games left; it's coming down to the end, but we want to keep it going as long as we can.

Tomorrow we are driving up to McCall for two games against the Monsters, and then we will come back to Boise after Saturday night's game for a Sunday night matchup. It's going to be a fun weekend. I am so excited. I've been preparing myself for these games for 2 weeks now, and I'm just ready for the puck to drop tomorrow. Like I said earlier, it's time for me to step up and be the player I know I can be. I tend to either hold onto the puck just a split second too long or get rid of it too quick. I need to play with confidence and make smart decisions. That's all I need to do. I don't need to worry about scoring goals or getting points, I just need to do my job: get the puck to the forwards and manage the game, shoot the puck when I can. I feel like I'm ready to keep climbing this staircase this weekend.

It's been awesome being around a coach with so much knowledge and success. He draws from his experience to help us succeed, and I've really enjoyed learning as much as I can here, soaking in all I can. He knows what it takes to win, and he doesn't accept anything else. Today, a player from an ECHL championship team that he coached, came to talk to us briefly during our practice. He talked about what it takes for a good team to become a championship team. You don't have to be the most talented team, you just have to be the best team in terms of your will to win and what you'll do for your team to win. Our coach and this player shared stories about players getting cross-checked in the face during their playoff run and taking it without retaliating because they were so focused on one goal as a team. They came together as a team with one goal in mind and put the team in front of anything, even their dental bills. I don't remember every detail of the talk, but it was pretty inspiring to hear it. They came out every night and battled for each other and knew they would win. And they did win. There are a lot of lessons that we, as a team heading into playoffs, can take from that talk.

I'm excited for this weekend, and I'll keep you posted about what happens. Apparently our games are the talk of the town up in McCall.