We're into the second half of the Ontario Hockey League season, and the head coach of the Sarnia Sting is optimistic about the club's chances to make the playoffs.
The Sting entered Friday's contest against London just six points behind Saginaw for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference.
They have an overall record of 13-24-4-1, including 7-11-0-1 since Mathieu Turcotte was hired to replace Alan Letang.
Turcotte said the energy around the club is high.
"Obviously, February will be a tough month in terms of opposition and our schedule as well but I think it's really in our control," said Turcotte. "We have five games left against Saginaw. Just in those games, if we can take care of business, we'll help each other out. Just the way we're playing, I think it's important to get better every week and that's what we've been doing. If we can continue on this progression, I don't see why we can't jump into a playoff spot in the second half."
Turcotte said they've turned a corner since their games in Erie and Niagara just before the new year.
"Most games we've played since, we feel like we should have had a better result just based on the way we played," he said. "We're really encouraged by the direction we're going in, whether it's generating scoring chances or minimizing chances against. On most nights, we're really happy with the difference between those two."
He's noticed a lot of improvement with the team since he's taken over.
"One of the biggest things we concentrated on was our overall discipline," he said. "I felt that as a team we were taking too many penalties and too many penalties in important moments. Another big thing for me coming in was giving up fewer high danger chances and just fewer chances overall."
Turcotte said there's a lot of emphasis on defensive zone coverage and fundamentals.
"So, one on ones down low, two on twos, and breaking down what we expect from every player," said Turcotte. "Then, we want to bring that into more of a collective look in our d-zone structure overall. We want to be tighter defensively and manage the puck a little better."
Turcotte has generally mixed up the lines game to game, with the exception of keeping Easton Walos, Beckham Edwards, and Jordan Bax on the same line.
He said it's about striking a balance between building chemistry and keeping players accountable.
"Playing top six minutes, you have to be good every night," he said. "If someone is better on the third or fourth line then there needs to be that accountability within the organization. If someone isn't having a good night or it's their second or third game in a row they aren't playing well, someone on the third or fourth line is going to take their spot."
Turcotte said a lot of the younger players are continuing to find their way in the league, including rookie Brenner Lammens, who has upped his offensive game as of late.
"I think he's playing very well," he said. "In order to play those top nine minutes, you need to be able to play with pace and a certain level of effort consistently. I think he's done that in the last month or so and I think he's being helped out stats wise as well. In terms of what he's doing on the ice, I'm really happy for him."
Turcotte said they're also looking for some consistency in net with three goaltenders: Patrick Quinlan, Evan Maillet, and Kale Osipenko.
"We're hoping and wanting somebody to take the lead, but it's been up and down there. We're creating that competition and hopefully someone takes the lead soon enough."
You can hear every Sting game on 103.9FM-1070AM CHOK.
