So this season started rough for us at Providence Hockey. Real rough. We kept choking in big games—playoffs, rivalries, the works. Felt like we’d never figure it out. But man, did we turn it around. Here’s exactly how we did it.
The wake-up call
Got absolutely steamrolled by St. Ignatius back in November. 5-1 loss. Total embarrassment. They carved us up like a turkey. After the game, Coach went full Sherlock Holmes. Locked himself in the film room for like 48 hours straight. Came out looking like he’d seen a ghost. “We’re playing like a bunch of stiffs,” he said. “No plan. Just chasing pucks and hoping.” Ouch. Truth hurt.
What actually changed
We stopped trying to be fancy. Period. Here’s the ugly, sweaty details:
- Parked the damn bus: Seriously. We stopped letting guys waltz into our zone. Started clogging the middle like crazy. Made every inch feel like a traffic jam. If they wanted to shoot, they had to do it from way downtown. And our goalies? Suddenly looked like brick walls.
- Special teams boot camp: Got real obsessed with penalty kills and power plays. Watched film until our eyes bled. Found their favorite moves—like that drop-pass crap on the power play. Started aggressively shutting it down before it even started. Started winning those battles, game after game.
- Playing like jerks (the good kind): Not dirty—just annoying. Finished every single check. If their top scorer touched the puck, someone was instantly breathing down his neck. We got heavier. They got rattled. You could see them flinch.
- Goalie vibe session: Told our goalies straight up: “We trust you. No more panic when the puck’s behind the net.” Built them up like crazy. Small stuff matters. When they started feeling like legends, they played like legends.
The proof was in the playoffs
Faced those same St. Ignatius clowns in the conference finals. Totally different story. Executed the bus-parking perfectly. Smothered their power play every single time. Our goalie made ridiculous saves look easy because he wasn’t freaking out. And that grinding physical play? Their star player practically quit by the third period. Won it 2-1 in OT. Pure grinding, ugly, beautiful hockey.
Yeah, it ain’t highlight-reel stuff. Just disciplined, hard-nosed work. Made all the difference. Sometimes being boring wins games.
