Mama Said There'd be Days Like This

Well this wasn’t exactly the title I was hoping to have on the 25th edition of Cameron’s Corner, but I think it’s appropriate.

There really isn’t a whole lot to say about the weekend’s games in St. Louis. Other than a few glimpses of hope on Sunday night, the 5-1 scores pretty much speak for themselves.

Growing up, playing hockey my entire life, these situations obviously were never fun. Losing brought infinite frustration until you were able to go out the next game and, if only for 60 minutes, try to earn a measure of redemption. Even winning only brought a fleeting sense of satisfaction.

But as you grow older and more mature, you realize that despite what you used to hear, the fact is: winning isn’t fun. None of the ingredients it takes to win are fun – winning is hard work – bottom line. Only afterwards, only at the completion of your goal, is there fun.

Additionally, as you get older, you finally begin to realize that it is these trying times, the ebbs to the season, the adversity, and the way you overcome these obstacles that really shapes your character, defines your personality, and gives you confidence to strive to achieve goals that you used to consider outside your comfort zone.

Everyone falls, everyone loses, it’s a fact of life… but it’s the way you react to these challenges that determines how far you will go. Will you crumble in the face of adversity for the rest of your life? Or, will you be the person that everyone knows as someone who will always overcome?

So how does one overcome? First off – hard work. I think this team has that covered. The work ethic is there. The discipline to the game plan may not always be there, but the work ethic in practice definitively is.

Secondly – maintain positivity. What do you have going for you? Well, thanks to early season success and North Division parity, the Phantoms are still in second place. They control their own destiny; they are 10 points ahead of the U.S (in fifth). They have no games left against St. Louis. Nine of their last 11 games will be played at home. You have the talent, you have the work ethic, and you have the time. Every game is a chance to turn it all around, and the first chance is Friday against Alpena.

Alpena is struggling a bit themselves. The Ice Diggers are just 1-4-2 in their last seven games. This is after they were seemingly the hottest team in the league, going 13-1-2 between December 8 and January 26, which included an 11-0-1 span.

The Phantoms haven’t faced Alpena since December 1st, however, and the team they face this weekend will be one that is vastly improved from that weekend. One improvement that this team made is between the pipes. Goaltending had been the Ice Diggers’ Achilles heel, but with the acquisition of Nick Graves, it is now a strength.

Graves is 12-2-4 with two shutouts, a .910 save percentage, and a 2.48 goals-against average since coming to Alpena from Southern Minnesota. The Phantoms faced him in their first game of the season, a 4-3 overtime win against the Express at the NAHL Showcase. The coaching staff also got a chance to watch Graves in all four games he played at the Phantoms Hockey Showcase back in January.

In the season series, the Phantoms are 5-3-0 against Alpena. Derek Graham and Alden Hirschfeld have led the way, each scoring 11 points in the eight games. Nick Kenney, Kyle Bailey (who will hopefully be healthy) and Johnny Meo have been the most consistent contributors lately.

Speaking of injuries, Hirsch remains out of the lineup at this time. He is still rehabilitating the injury he suffered on January 25 at St. Louis… it remains to be seen if he is ready to go this weekend, or if he’ll be saved for the playoffs. Derek Carr was sidelined with a knee problem midway through Sunday’s game, his return is also indefinite.

With the Ice Diggers (26-17-5, 57 points) so close to the Phantoms (27-16-4, 58 points) in the standings, there is no need to overstate the importance of these games towards the standings. Fans at the Ice Zone will be privy to some early playoff-like intensity – as there are huge playoff implications in this one – as it will be for the rest of the way.

Be sure to come out for Saturday night’s game, as the Phantoms will be donning special edition, purple Relay for Life Phantoms jerseys that will be auctioned off to fans after the game to help support the cause.