“Surrender the ‘Me’ for the ‘We’”

Hi Hawks,
I wanted to take a day or so and let the dust settle after the tournament, providing time to gather my thoughts. And providing you time to gather yours.

Hawks, you should be very, very proud of your accomplishments. I am! Your other coaches are very proud of you also. You’ve come so far in such a short period of time, marching all the way to the semi-finals!

I also wonder if I made a strategic error in the way we prepared to play the Ravens. I suspect I underestimated their abilities. Perhaps we should have gone with four-deep in our zone from the start, rather than starting with three-deep. As I’ve said, there’s ample opportunity to learn in each and every defeat. I’m doing my best to do so.

That said, we can’t take anything away from the Ravens. They played a fantastic game, and they deserve our full respect and congratulations!

And congratulations to the tournament champions, the Falcons, who defeated the Ravens 3-2 in the final on Sunday evening. The final four teams all deserved the championship, and all deserve our respect. Both semi-finals were one goal games, as was the final.

Congratulations to SWO also, for running a fantastic tournament. Great job gents!

Hawks, I want you to know that it continues to be an incredible honour and privilege to go into battle with each and every one of you. There’s not a single player in the league that I would add to our team. I’m very happy with our line-up, and I’m glad I’m your head coach.

Individually...
Aaron – I’ve never seen anyone display more desire, heart or commitment. Keep leading!
Braden – You’re a team leader that does all a goalie should do, which is give your team a chance to win. We thank you!
Bradley – You have all the skills required to elevate the play of each of your teammates. Keep feeding those perfect passes!
Daniel – You play an incredibly strong positional game, always found exactly where you should be. Keep up the great work!
Devin – Your strength and tenacity down low in the opposition zone is very important to our team. Keep pressing harder and harder!
Jordan F. – Your defensive prowess combined with your point shots and rushes make you a two-way threat. Keep pumping them in!
Jordan S. – Your commitment to our team, in regular play and when handling special assignments, is second to none. Keep leading Jordan!
Kyle – We’ve missed you a few times, and our offensive threat has been weakened because you didn’t provide your added punch and presence. Be there!
Mackenzie – Your quick hands and feet have kept the ball in the opposition zone time and time again, and no one works harder than you. You’re an inspiration!
Mitchell N. – You also play a very strong positional game and have great sense of where to be on the floor. Keep playing smart ball hockey Mitchell!
Mitchell J. – Your speed is an incredible asset on defence, allowing us to press a little more than we could otherwise, knowing you’ll get back in time. Keep it up!
Nathan – You have fantastic hands and very strong ball (aka “puck”) sense, leading to scoring opportunities. Keep going!
Russell – You’ve really raised your game lately, playing some great games, and helping your team have more fun. Keep working hard Russell!
Tyler M. – You work very hard on your wing, and always seem to know your job, whether we’re playing three- or four-deep. Keep playing strong!
Tyler C. – What you give up in size you make up for in determination, especially when you make sure you’re in a strong position against the opposition players. Keep it going Tyler!
Zach – A few games ago you moved to our blue line, bringing us great strength both in their zone and down low in ours. Keep clearing that ball!

And as a team...
We’re so much more than the sum of our parts! We ARE the strongest team in this league. Do you BELIEVE?

"Commitment to the team - there is no such thing as in-between, you are either in or out." -Pat Riley

"Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the ‘me’ for the ‘we.’" -Phil Jackson

Now we start preparing for Friday night, to do battle with Harriers. The times is now!