LIONS DROP THIRD STRAIGHT

Sunday, October 23, 2011

THE PSU ALTOONA LIONS HAVE HAD A TOUGH 2 WEEKS AND DROPPED THEIR THIRD STRAIGHT GAME THIS PAST WEEKEND.  THE LIONS OPENED THEIR LOSING STREAK AGAINST UPJ ICECATS.  PSU WOULD BE OUTSHOT IN THE FIRST PERIOD 18-6  AND WOULD TRAIL 3-0.  THE FINAL TWO PERIODS WOULD NOT GET ANY BETTER AS THE LIONS FAILED TO TEST UPJ'S GOALTENDER DAVE DUNKLEBERGER AND WERE SHUTOUT 7-0. 

THE LIONS WOULD RETURN HOME TO FACE FREDONIA BLUE DEVILS  AND AFTER A GOOD WEEKS PRACTICE EMOTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS  RAN HIGH.  HOWEVER, ANOTHER SLOW START, UNDISCIPLINED PENALITIES, AND LACK OF BACKCHECKING WOULD DOOM THE LIONS IN A 6-2 LOSS.  FREDONIA WOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE AND SCORE TWO POWER PLAY GOALS ON TWELVE ATTEMPTS WHILE THE LIONS WENT 0-7.  PSU WAS ALSO OUTSHOT 15-6 IN THE FIRST PERIOD AND 38-20 FOR THE GAME.  THE THIRD LINE OF ANDREW "BEAR" PATTERSON, TREVOR FISK, AND ALEX TRIER WOULD BE THE LOAN BRIGHT SPOT OF THE GAME.  FISK AND TRIER WOULD BOTH HAVE A GOAL AND AN ASSIST.  KEVIN KANDETZKE MAKING HIS FIRST START WOULD GIVE UP 5 GOALS ON 21 SHOTS, BUT DID NOT HAVE A LOT OF HELP FROM HIS DEFENSE OR FORWARDS.  DAVE ROBERTS WOULD ENTER THE GAME WITH ABOUT TEN MINUTES LEFT IN THE THIRD AND WOULD STOP 16 OF 17 SHOTS.  

PSU'S NEXT TEST WOULD COME TODAY AGAINST A FAMILIAR FOE THE COLONIALS OF ROBERT MORRIS.  THE LIONS WOULD FALL BEHIND EARLY 3-0 AS DAVE WINEGARDEN WOULD GIVE UP 3 GOALS ON 6 SHOTS AND WOULD BE PULLED 8:41 IN THE FIRST PERIOD.  KEVIN KANDETZKE WOULD REPLACE WINEGARDEN AND WOULD PLAY SOLID UNTIL BEING REPLACED BY DAVE ROBERTS IN THE THIRD.  THE LIONS WOULD GO 2 FOR 4 ON THE POWER PLAY WHILE HOLDING RMU 1 FOR 7.  DESPITE THE 12-4 LOSS COACH LANTZ HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT THE LIONS PERFORMANCE.  THIS WAS THE MOST COMPLETE GAME THE TEAM HAS PLAYED THIS YEAR.  THE TEAM SKATED FOR A FULL 60 MINUTES AND GAVE MORE EFFORT TODAY THAN THE PREVIOUS 3 GAMES COMBINED.  I THINK WE FOUND SOME GOOD LINE COMBINATIONS TODAY.  WE STILL NEED A LOT OF WORK ON DEFENSE,  WE HAD TO MANY SLOPPY MISTAKES.  HOWEVER, WITH THE TEAMS HUSTLE AND PERFORMANCE TODAY I THINK WE WILL BE A MUCH BETTER TEAM IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.    THE LINE OF MATT KELLEY, JASON DIEHL, AND PETER REVEILLE WOULD ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE LIONS SCORING.  KELLEY AND DIEHL WOULD  HAVE 2 GOALS AND AN ASSIST A PIECE.  REVEILLE WOULD ALSO ADD AN ASSIST.

THE LIONS NEXT GAME IS FRIDAY NIGHT AGAINST CAL AT BETHEL PARK.