BENNY WALCHUK:
Doug , I know it wasn’t the weekend you were looking for — one out of a possible four points. What were your biggest takeaways from those two games against Kindersley?
DOUG JOHNSON:
That’s a great question. My biggest takeaway is that sometimes things just aren’t fair — and there can be plenty of excuses for that. But at the end of the day, we need to be better on our special teams, and we need more consistent goaltending. It’s tough to win a hockey game when you don’t give yourself a chance to win. I’ll just leave it at that.
BENNY WALCHUK:
Yeah, absolutely. But still early in the season — plenty of time to bounce back. What’s the main focus this week in practice?
DOUG JOHNSON:
It’s not really a reset, it’s more about getting back to our principles.
On the power play, we need to move better without the puck and make cleaner passes.
On the penalty kill, it’s about good sticks, active bodies, and taking away seams. We’re really emphasizing the little details that make the X’s and O’s work — without those details, it’s hard to accomplish anything. We got away from that this weekend on special teams, so that’s been a major focus. We also need to finish our chances — we hit the goalie in the chest way too often. The guys score a lot in practice, and we just need that same mindset to translate into games.
BENNY WALCHUK:
Now you’re heading out on a three-game road trip through Warman and La Ronge — three games in three nights.
Maybe a good time to get away, regroup, and just focus on playing hockey.
I’m sure you and the guys are looking forward to hitting the road.
DOUG JOHNSON:
Yeah, absolutely. It’ll be nice to get up north — and, honestly, the officiating tends to be a bit better there, which we appreciate. We’ll be short a few bodies with injuries and suspensions, so it’s gut-check time for us. I’ve always liked the three-in-three weekends — by that third game, it’s all about heart and effort. You find out how badly the guys want it and how hard they’re willing to compete.
