Cougars struggling to buy into new ‘system’

After being outscored 11-3 in two one-sided losses this weekend, Marc Berniqué was quick to pinpoint what he thinks the main problem is.

"Our players seem to think that they can just turn it on and off whenever they want to," said the team's head coach. "As the game progresses, they seem to get away from the system that we, the coaches, have been teaching them."

The Cougars were in Cumberland on Saturday, October 22 to face the undefeated Bandits and quickly fell behind 2-0 before the end of the opening frame.

"We appeared to be caught off guard when they scored two quick goals," said Berniqué. "However, we seemed to settle in after a slow start and we dominated the second period."

Still, the Cougars were only able to muster a single goal and trailed 3-1 heading into the final 20 minutes. Cumberland would add another two goals in the final frame, handing the Cougars a 5-1 loss.

"Things really fell apart for us in the third period," he continued. "We got into penalty trouble and spent most of the period short-handed.

"[Goalie] Jonathan Martel played a strong game once he got settled in. He had very little support from the rest of the team, although Alexis Girard and Karl Walcott both had strong performances."

On Sunday night, the Cougars visited nearby St-Isidore for a 7:30 p.m. start against the rival Aigles. Much like the night before, Vankleek Hill would find itself down by two goals at the end of the first period.

The second period wouldn't prove any easier for the struggling Cougars; their opponents added another two goals, widening the deficit to 4-0 after the middle frame.

"St-Isidore really took the play to us," said Berniqué. "We were always playing catch up. They beat us to the puck every time. They out-hit us, they out-shot us, and they out-played us."

The Cougars managed to show some improvement as the third period progressed. After surrendering two more goals and finding themselves trailing 6-0 on the scoreboard, the Cougars shifted their play into a higher gear.

Matthew Lalonde notched the Cougars first goal of the game with less than five minutes to play. Defenseman Carl Desjardins scored his first of the season with 2:20 left in the game when he rocketed a slap shot over the shoulder of the St-Isidore goaltender.

The Cougars inevitably suffered a 6-2 loss, the team's fifth in six games this season.

"We were able to end the game on a high note. We dominated the last five minutes, but it was too little too late," noted Berniqué.

Despite the loss, a strong effort put forth by goaltender Maxime Bédard did not go unnoticed by the coach. "If it wasn't for Maxime, the score would have been a lot worse," he said after the game.

The Cougars have a lot of work to do if they want to turn their season around. Currently on a four-game losing streak, the Cougars have only been able to put together one victory this season.

"When our guys follow the game plan they dominate," said Berniqué. "For some reason, they seem to have difficulty maintaining a level of consistency. We also need to work on our power play. We had a lot of opportunities this weekend but were unable to capitalize on them."

The Cougars will welcome the Rockland Nationals this Saturday, October 29 at the Vankleek Hill Arena, but will need to make some serious changes if they hope to compete with the second-place team.

"Our guys need to play a full 60-minute game and maintain a high level of discipline," concluded the coach. "However, as the head coach I take full responsibility for the way our team is performing and it is my job to make sure that our players are prepared and perform at their best each and every night."