PLAYERS BLOG: JACK CAMPBELL
PLAYERS BLOG by JACK CAMPBELL – JANUARY 26TH, 2011
The decision to make another run at the Memorial Cup has changed many things within our dressing room.
We’ve been learning new systems and practicing longer than usual with several new faces on our team. The addition of Taylor Carnevale, Adrian Robertson, Jake Carrick, Jeff Brown, Kerby Rychel and John Cullen is already paying off. These players have shown why they are among some of the league’s best, helping us take 11 of 12 points in the last two weekends.
The Ottawa trip was a big test for our club, as we took on two very solid teams as well as the young Belleville Bulls. After making a great comeback to beat the 67’s, we really used that game as momentum heading into our final two games of the weekend.
We played a good 60 minutes against the Bulls in a 10-2 victory to reach four points on the weekend.
However, as a team that expects to win every game, whether at home or on the road, we knew we still had one more game to go in order for the weekend to be considered a success. Kingston came out strong and scored an early goal on the power play. But the character in our locker room shined through in the final two periods, as we were able to hold a two-goal lead for the majority of the third.
Earning six points on the weekend was huge for our team.
The following week consisted of a couple high tempo practices as we prepared to go into battle against a very well-coached Brampton Battalion team. They came out strong as we expected. After two periods we held a 3-1 lead. However, Brampton came out flying in the third and was able to control the play early on in the period. The guys fought hard to tie the game late and we were able to force overtime. After an exciting five minutes, it was time for the shootout. Taylor Carnevele made a nice shot to put us on the board. After eight shootout rounds, Jake Carrick ended the game with an unbelievable move that brought the fans to their feet. It wasn’t the way we would have drawn up the victory, but two points in this league is very difficult to earn. So we will take it and learn from our mistakes.
Cullen made his first start against the Barrie Colts on Saturday night in Barrie. Barrie battled hard all game long and did everything they could to try and beat Cully. However, he turned away shot after shot and just refused to give them anything. The final score ended up being 5-2 for us. It was exciting to see Cully play because not only is he a stud goaltending prospect, but he is also one of the greatest roommates I have ever had. We learn from each other every day and both try to do everything we can to help the team win. He’s a real team guy. It’s a lot of fun to be on the same team as him.
Our final game of the weekend took place against the Owen Sound Attack and was a battle for the second spot in the West. We needed a win to earn six points on the weekend. Owen Sound came out flying the first two periods. After 40 minutes they held a 3-0 lead. We changed our strategy for the third period and our character really showed. We tied the game at 3-3 and forced overtime. But they managed to score off a 3-on-2 rush with just a few minutes to go in the extra frame. Although it was not the result we wanted, we learned a lot from this weekend and it will only make us better.
