Well here we go…Round 1 of the playoffs and our opponent will be the Kingston Frontenacs, we know them well as we have already faced them four times this year.
The playoffs are known as the “Second Season" and properly named as such as your opposition doesn’t care about the record that got them there, just the fact it did. The Second Season is an opportunity for Players, Coaches and Parents to focus for a short period of time, a mere 35 days if you go the distance to be exact, on a single goal; this goal is to WIN OMHA GOLD on Sunday March 13, 2016 in Barrie Ontario.
In order for a Team to be successful in the Second Season it takes the entire “village to raise the child” or in hockey terms it takes the entire “team of Coaches & Parents to prepare the Players”. There isn’t any time to waste, there aren’t any second chances in the Second Season and it can be over as quickly as it began.
The Coaches will prepare the Players for their opposition’s tendencies, strengths, weaknesses and how to manipulate them to our team’s advantage. While the Coaches are preparing the plans & plays portion of the equation, the Players need to prepare themselves for the physical and mental journey of the Second Season as there isn’t time to ponder “what-ifs” and “I should have’s” at this juncture. Let’s remember these are young teenagers so the Parent-Family support mechanism has a vital role during the 35 day journey too.
The Parent-Family network will need to not only support their child; they will also need to support the other 16 players, the Coaching staff and all of the highs and lows that occur during the playoffs. Not an easy task at any time during the year and with life’s other interferences during these 35 days, it can be a challenge. When we face the challenge ahead as a team, it has a greater chance of being conquered, than it does if we were to face the challenge as individuals.
Our challenge ahead is Kingston.