Thunder suffer first loss

The best way to describe the Borderland Thunder before they headed into last weekend’s two-game series here against the K&A Variety Golden Hawks would be like this.
They were in a bubble, folks—a bubble that kept growing with every win and every lopsided decision. Sheltered from any hardships.
They were undefeated. Making history with every game. One win led to another, which led to another, and yet another.
Before they knew it, almost a quarter of the regular season was behind them and the locker-room was filled with music and smiles after every game.
Nine games passed, still no losses. Ten games, and then 11.
On Friday night against the lowly Golden Hawks, who entered the game sporting a 3-7-1 record, the Thunder kept right on track—cruising to an easy 7-1 win after firing 47 shots on goal.
And then the unthinkable, or at least the unexpected, happened. The Golden Hawks scored three unanswered goals in the third period Saturday for a 5-3 win and hand the Thunder (11-1-1) their first league loss of the season.
“I think we got too carried away with our winning,” said Thunder forward Aaron Boyer. “Every time we showed up to the rink, we just thought, ‘Come out, have some fun, and maybe pop some points.’
“Guys weren’t taking it seriously enough and it showed in our effort,” he added.
They were simply outworked in the game, and they knew it.
No one was more disappointed than head coach Dave Allison, who could hear the cheers from the Golden Hawks’ dressing room down the hall as he was being interviewed.
“We just got plain outworked,” he remarked. “You can expect a letdown, but it was pretty poor all over the ice. They just outworked us.
“And that’s the great thing about athletics. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, if the other team’s willing to work harder and willing to help each other out more, you’re not going to win,” Allison added.
“We beat them and every other team with a big score, so we just figured that we’d walk all over them,” agreed Thunder defenceman Kurt Hogard. “[But] they wanted to play hockey and we didn’t.”
Hurting the Thunder was the absence of defensive pillars Clayton Windigo, still feeling the effects of a concussion, and David Gooch, who has had knee problems since the beginning of the season.
“You got ‘Gooch’ and ‘Beef’ out, and that’s two defenceman, and [so] these other guys get a chance to play,” said Allison. “Eventually, if it comes down to it, they won’t be able to say that I never got a chance.
“Now guys get the chance to play and they can’t have it both ways,” he stressed. “They can’t sit there and complain about not getting enough ice time and when they do get that ice time, not produce.
“The opportunities are there so take advantage of them.”
But while some didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, others did.
“I thought Shaun Egan was probably one of our best defenceman, along with ‘Mayzer’ [Ryan Mayman], but other guys have got to step up and make consistent, easy plays,” Allison said.
As he walked to his second-period class on Friday, Egan, who plays for the Muskies, got asked by Thunder general manager Brent Tookenay, who also is a vice-principal at Fort High, to play that night.
The 17-year-old didn’t hesitate with his response.
“I said, ‘I’ll go play for sure,’” Egan recalled. “I had to work things out with work, and I got out an hour before, so it worked out pretty good.
“I had 15 minutes to dress and went out for warm-ups,” he added as he unloaded his bag in the Muskies’ dressing room after Saturday’s loss.
Egan, who has a cousin on the team in Andrew Perrault, enjoyed every minute of the experience. He now is affiliated with the team and hopes to play for the Thunder when their games don’t conflict with those of the Muskies.
“They’re a team. They’re actually a team,” Egan remarked. “It’s not individuals, it’s not groups. They’re actually a team, and it’s nice.
“The coaches make you feel welcome and it’s really good.”
While the players, who were dressed in suits after the game, conveyed a body language that made it feel like they had just come from a wake, Saturday’s loss will help the team in the long run.
“I think it’s a good reality check because the guys know that we can be beaten, and guys have to show up and work harder,” said Boyer. “They outworked us out there.
“I have no doubt that we’re more skilled, but we just got to bring that effort every night,” he stressed.
The Thunder will look to get back on track when they host the Dryden Ice Dogs (4-9-0) this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
“Excluding the New England Patriots, a winning streak is hard to put together because there are a lot of factors involved,” said Allison. “We’re disappointed, but I don’t think it’s a reason to panic.
“It’s just an opportunity to get better.”
If it’s any consolation, the Patriots also lost last weekend to see their streak of 18-straight wins snapped. But even with the loss, they still are the best team in the NFL.
The same holds true with the Thunder—they may have lost, but they’re still tops in the SIJHL.