The Airdrie Xtreme hasn’t won a league game this month, but head coach Terry Keogh isn’t ringing the alarm bells just yet.
Its third consecutive loss, a 2-1 defeat to the Calgary Royals at the Ron Ebbesen Arena on Oct. 15, was a result of special teams play, as all three goals were scored while Airdrie was shorthanded.
The Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League club showed strong resolve against the league’s top team, however, Keogh said.
“We certainly showed that we can play at the Royals’ level, we just need to work on our finish,” he said. “We started off strong and took it to them in the first 10 minutes. It was a good game back and forth and it could have gone either way.”
The Xtreme, now 3W-4L-1T on the season, were outshot 13-7 in the scoreless first period before captain Marshall Burr scored on the penalty kill 6:50 into the middle frame. The 1-0 lead was short-lived though, as the Royals scored twice on the power play, two minutes apart, less than three minutes later.
The game-winning goal bounced off a pair of legs and took a ricochet in front of the net, leaving Xtreme goaltender Ryan Ternes no chance at making the save.
Keogh said a string of penalties in the second period disrupted his regular lines.
“There were three penalties we shouldn’t have taken,” he said. “We’re still trying to adjust to the new rules, and we couldn’t control those ones, but we can on the other ones.”
Airdrie will look to get back in the win column when it hosts the Red Deer Rebels White on Oct. 22 at the Ron Ebbesen Arena. Game time is 7:15 p.m.
“There is no panic, but we’re certainly concerned from a confidence standpoint,” Keogh said. “It’s not our play that’s created our record. We just need to be ready around the net, keep creating opportunities and work on the finish.”
