Division I

Hockey Notebook: Bishop Guertin boys looking to bounce back after rough stretch

After dropping its third game in a row, the Bishop Guertin High School boys hockey team is regrouping. The Cardinals (5-3-1) did several things well in Monday night's 4-3 loss to out-of-state St. John's Prep. Ben Peterson scored twice, the team speed was strong up the boards and the middle of the ic

After dropping its third game in a row, the Bishop Guertin High School boys hockey team is regrouping.

The Cardinals (5-3-1) did several things well in Monday night's 4-3 loss to out-of-state St. John's Prep. Ben Peterson scored twice, the team speed was strong up the boards and the middle of the ice, but defense lacked on the long stretch passes.

Playing a team you haven’t faced in 24 years always takes time to adjust. The Cardinals weren’t able to use their patented speed and offense-first approach against one of the best teams from Massachusetts, but also took a tremendous amount of penalties.

Bishop Guertin has lost three games in a row, two of them against Massachusetts-based squads, and after going the first six games without a loss, there’s a lot of inward looking for the Cardinals to do.

The competition has gotten better, and it’s challenging the Cardinals. With multiple nine- and eight-goal victories early on in the season, as the Cardinals competition has improved, their goal total has gone down.

In their first six contests, BG scored more than seven goals a game four times. In the Cardinals' next three, they’ve scored a combined five times. There’s plenty of explosive players on the team, from Peterson to senior Liam Nye, who had a snipe on Monday night.

The concern now isn’t if the Cardinals peaked early, but simply if their early season schedule didn’t prepare them for the end of the season gauntlet against strong teams heading into the playoffs.

The Cardinals have a lot of talent on their roster, from the seniors to the underclassmen. It’s a bump in the road around the midway point, but if anyone can turn it around in time for the postseason, it’s the squad behind 26-year head coach Gary Bishop.

Returning to contests in-state, where the Cardinals have lost just once, to a good Hanover team, might turn the Cardinals around.

They have the talent to be there, now it’s about building up to being ready for those big games.