The Cowichan Valley Capitals seem to be stuck in a loop.
Including overtime defeats, the B.C. Hockey League team’s losing streak stretched to nine games with a pair of losses to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs last weekend. Just one victory might be enough to pull them out of it, head coach Brian Passmore suggested.
“They’re thinking too much,” he said. “As soon as something negative happens, they’re thinking, ‘Here we go again.’”
The Caps saw a 1-0 lead disappear late in Friday’s game at the Island Savings Centre, and they eventually fell 2-1 in overtime. They opened the scoring the following night in Port Alberni, but were doomed when the Bulldogs scored twice in the middle frame on their way to a 4-1 win.
The Caps and Bulldogs played through a scoreless first period on Friday before Cowichan defenceman Alexandre Drapeau scored midway through the second. Alberni tied the game with four and a half minutes left in regulation, and Mill Bay’s Isaac Tonkin-Palmer notched the winner for the ‘Dogs just after the two-minute mark of the first overtime.
Tonkin-Palmer wasn’t the only local product to figure into Alberni’s win: former Shawnigan Lake School star Jackson Doucet helped set up the decisive goal, and Chemainus’s John Hawthorne made 32 saves to earn the win in net. Adam Marcoux stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced in the Cowichan net.
“I thought we played a pretty good game,” Passmore said. “We missed some assignments, and two mistakes cost us the game.”
Ethan Scardina opened the scoring for the Caps at 6:05 of the first period on Saturday. Alberni tied it up midway through the first, then scored twice in the second and once more in the third. Hawthorne got another win with 31 saves, while Marcoux made 29 stops.
Missed assignments were the Caps’ downfall once again.
“There was a timeout halfway through the first period, and we talked to the guys about assignments,” Passmore said. “They go back out, and nine seconds after that, they score off the draw. Some things aren’t being grasped out there, and it’s hurting us.”
While the Caps have made strides in terms of discipline, killing penalties and cutting down the number of shots they face, they aren’t scoring enough goals, Passmore acknowledges.
“One thing has been costing us each game,” he said. “We need to focus on getting more offence. One week, it’s discipline. One week, our penalty kill isn’t good. The next week we’re not good in our own end.”
The Caps remain last in the BCHL with one win, nine losses, two overtime losses and no ties, but Passmore believes his team is better than that.
“I don’t think we’re as bad as our record shows,” he said. “We’ve had five one-goal losses.”
The team does have the personnel to win games, but injuries have hurt. Forward Azzaro Tinling is expected back this weekend after missing seven games. Veteran defenceman Nii Noi Tetteh remains on the sidelines, and leading scorer David Laroche is also out.
“There are a couple of guys out of our lineup we’d like to have in there,” the coach said.
The team did add forward Brendan Cherwalk to the fold this week. The Michigan product has played one game this year with the North American Hockey League’s Shreveport (Louisiana) Mudbugs. He also played 10 games last year in the NAHL with the Aston (Pennsylvania) Rebels, recording four points and four penalty minutes, and 16 games with the St. Thomas Stars of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, putting up eight points and a remarkable 62 penalty minutes.
“He’s not a goal-scorer,” Passmore noted. “He’s not going to be our saviour. But he’s a nice skater and he’ll be a hard kid to play against. He can play centre or wing, which is a nice thing to have, too.”
The Caps will head off on a three-game road-trip this weekend, visiting the Trail Smoke Eaters (9-3-1-0), West Kelowna Warriors (9-4-0-0) and Langley Rivermen (5-2-6-0).
“We’re looking forward to getting on the road and having a better road trip,” Passmore said.
kevin.rothbauer@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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