Kenmore West coach Rob Roszak boasted about his team’s defense before the season even began. The Blue Devils’ six defensemen have lived up to Roszak’s expectations, allowing three goals in the first game of the season (Dec. 1) against Sweet Home but settling down to allow just one in each of their last two games.
And while the defense has been strong, Kenmore West’s offense has scored a total of 14 goals over those three games that included a 4-3 win over Sweet Home, a 4-1 win over Lew-Port on Saturday (Dec. 3), and a 6-1 win over North Tonawanda on Sunday (Dec. 4).
The Blue Devils know that if they keep “playing their game,” as several players have reiterated along with Roszak, that their success is likely to continue.
In Thursday’s win over Sweet Home, the Blue Devils came back from a 2-0 deficit and then a 3-2 deficit to defeat the Panthers 4-3. Fittingly, it was a defenseman, captain Adam Pray, who scored the game winner with 3:56 remaining in the third period.
“We just knew we had to turn it up a notch, keep playing our game, and we knew the goals would start falling,” Pray said after the game. “I just got it on the boards. I was just walking to the middle looking for that shooting lane, saw it was there, just fired it on net, just went in. Just a great feeling. Ecstatic. Unreal.”
“When we were down a couple goals, I just had to keep on going and telling my teammates, ‘Let’s go, it’s only two goals, just keep on pushing,'” added sophomore forward Mike Barker. “And we pushed and scored two goals and won.”
“Two-nothing down is a pretty big mountain in some of these games,” Roszak said Thursday night. “But we fought back, we came back, we tied the game. When we went down 3-2, we came back and fought. All season, we are going to fight for every 45 minutes out there. We’re not gonna stop playing until the game’s over with, and we showed that tonight.”
Saturday’s victory over Lew-Port came with its challenges, especially a penalty-riddled third period. But the Blue Devils kept playing their game and earned the win.
“We came out, we jumped on ’em, we maintained a lead, we had a little bit of a lull in the second period, we came back in the third period,” Roszak said. “And then in the third period, penalty after penalty. I think there was like 18 penalties total in the game, so there really was no flow in the third period. Lew-Port played us tough, but we played our game and we got the victory, which is what we’re really looking for.”
There was hardly any doubt in Sunday’s game. Kenmore West had a 4-0 lead before North Tonawanda scored its lone goal over halfway through the third. It was only then that the Blue Devils showed signs of tiredness from playing three games in four days.
“They were a little tired today, and it kinda showed in that four to six-minute gap in the second period where NT kinda had a little better play on us,” Roszak said. “But we challenged them in the third period. We told ’em, ‘You gotta be better than what you’re playing,’ and they came out and really played a very good third period. I’m happy with the third period today.”
Mike Barker added another goal and an assist, and his linemate, sophomore Ethan Yotter, scored twice for a total of four goals in his first three Fed games. Barker has two goals and four assists over that stretch, and senior Anthony Alvear completes the line with four assists.
“Yotter’s playing well,” Roszak said. “He has four goals this season already. Him and Mike have played together through travel since they were younger. They played on JV since eighth grade … They know what they’re doing, they play well, they’re in the right spots, and they communicate very well with each other. And Anthony Alvear’s playing very well with them as well. Ethan and Michael have very good hockey IQ’s, so it helps.”
Barker and Yotter do what they can to stay focused and prepared for every game.
“I felt good, just going out there and playing my game,” Barker said after the win over Sweet Home. “Kinda nervous, but I got over it and just played my game like usual.”
“We get focused in the locker room, go out there and have a good warmup, and we’re just ready to play when we get out there,” Yotter said Sunday.
And again on Sunday, Kenmore West’s defense was strong, allowing just 19 shots on goal.
“We’ve been working on breakouts in practice, like chipping ’em off the glass, and we’ve been contributing on offense a lot too,” said junior defenseman Owen Green after Sunday’s win. “I think that’s been helping us a lot too.”
“How many odd-man rushes did you see today? Not too many, right?” said Roszak. “They’re in the right spots, they’re all playing well. I can’t really complain about any of the six of them. They’ve all done what I’ve asked them to do. Josh Logan gets the puck, he skates down the ice, he makes plays. Adam is solid, Owen is solid, Patrick [Gourlay] is a bulldog back there. The two juniors, Glenn [Wirth] and Keenan [Kasperek], they’re just solid. They’re a solid group, so I don’t have anything but positive things to say about those guys.”
The Blue Devils have a week off before they’re scheduled to face Rush Henrietta in a non-league game on Saturday (Dec. 10).