Pretty Good Start

We won our first game against Park City 8-1, and then the next night we won 14-2.  Obviously, our quality of opponent was not very high.  But I really think we have a good team.  We have a lot of skilled players up front.  It wasn't a very tough test for us this weekend, but we had some fun on our first road trip, and it's always good to get the season started out like that.  We have some players that are starting to play better and better, and it's going to be fun to watch us gel together as a team.

I played well this weekend.  I got a lot of power play time, and made no major mistakes; however, there were a few things my coach pointed out to me that I can work on.  The biggest thing my coach wants me to work on is picking my head up and seeing the ice better.  I see the ice pretty well as it is, but I tend to get tunnel vision, where I use the first option I see, I don't scan the rest of the ice to find the best play to make.  It's not necessarily a bad thing if I make a smart play in the end, but my coach wants me to start looking for the best play; he wants me to get my head up and make plays, not just dump the puck in the corner or chip the puck off the glass--both good plays, sometimes the best option, but not always.  I can do that.  I know I can read the game better and always improve my decision making and composure with the puck.  Again, it's hard to tell how well you play when you're playing against such a bad opponent, but I felt good about my weekend.  I made some very good plays--there are just a few things I can work on, like always.

Fun fact:  my coach told me tonight that after this weekend, I am among the top 10 scorers in the league.  I have 4 assists.  I think that's pretty funny!  Then again, the top 10 scorers in the league are probably all Idaho Junior Steelheads after the weekend that we had, but I'll take it!  I'm going to keep working hard to get better and be the best I can be.  Our assistant coach, who coaches the defensemen, said on the bench during the second game, "Teddy's gonna learn to play offense this year."  I'm excited they're using me in different situations because it tells me that I am improving and that they have a lot of confidence in me to be a quarterback in the systems we run.