The Winkler Flyers believe they have turned a bit of a corner, and Head Coach Matt Melo likes where his team is at, as well as looking forward to a good stretch of games the rest of the month.
Flyers hockey
Over the last couple of weeks, Melo says that his group has started to find their way and is getting closer to what he calls ‘Flyers hockey’. “I think we’re getting closer and closer,” he says with a grin. “I think certainly there’s been some steady growth and improvement in our group. I really like the attitude of our group and just the desire to keep working and keep getting better. I feel like we’ve seen some better results in terms of the process. We’ve liked our game of late. Maybe the results aren’t always there yet, but we’re getting over that hump, and for the most part, we’re pretty happy with how we’ve been playing.”
Special teams
The Flyers are strong in the special teams department, sitting fourth in the MJHL in power play percentage and second on the penalty kill, things Melo believes will translate to five-on-five. “I think as a whole, our game needed a lot of maturing. I think it’s starting to come. There’s certainly, I think, a matter of taking pride in the D side of the puck, that’s been a huge area of focus for us. I think we limited the first-place team in the league to 16 shots the other night, so we’re happy with how that’s taken stride. I think the offensive side of our game, that’s probably an area where we need to continue to grow. We’re pretty perimeter. I don’t know that we’re generating a whole lot ourselves, but that’s been OK, not necessarily where we want those to be either. I think there’s a lot of growth, but as a whole, our game is maturing. Like I said, we are seeing growth and steady improvement, and so that’s definitely positive.”
Standings watch
Melo isn’t afraid to say that he’s well aware of where the group is in the standings, and knowing what the team will need to do to track down the teams they are chasing. “You’d be lying if you said you weren’t aware of what’s going on and where we’re at, the challenge that we are presented with this early in the year. Quite clear, some teams have distanced themselves from us quite a bit here. But, the choice for us is just continuing to focus on what we can control and embracing the opportunity to do something really special as a group. Digging ourselves out of what we’ve created and also just continuing to buy into the process that we’re chipping away at, and we are seeing results. I think our group has seen success when we play the game the way that we know we have to play it, and I think we’re a really competitive team right now. We’re nowhere close to being a team that’s I would say a championship contender, but I do believe our group is heading in that direction. You really just need to get in, and you see Norman of last year, I think they finished sixth overall, and then you get hot at the right time, and so that’s kind of the narrative we’re embracing. We’re focusing on ourselves and continuing to get better every day, and I like where our group is at today.”
Western All-Star Challenge
A pair of Flyers were in Saskatchewan representing Winkler and the MJHL, something Melo is very proud of, and happy to have the guys get a boost of confidence. “I think it’s always really cool, both for the organization to be represented as well as for those individuals and in Kaeson Fisher and Graham Pickering, very well-deserved for them. They are both elite people, I would say, and they both have a ton of potential. So they’ve been a huge part of our team as they’ve come in and added to our back end, and so, yeah, really well-deserving, really cool experience for them. I know they were really excited to go and have that opportunity, and they both had an incredible time, so I’ve definitely seen them come back with a little bit of confidence since that experience as well. Really positive and really excited for them to have that opportunity, very well-deserving.”
Tuesday vs Portage
With a busy rest of November, nine games the rest of the month, Melo says they’re focused on one at a time, and that starts with Tuesday’s game against Portage. “I think obviously it looks like Portage is turning a corner, as well. I think it seems like the week off really did well for them, and they seem to be playing really well right now. So I think for us, you know, whenever you play Portage, you’ve got to match the physical intensity. You’ve got to push back, and you can’t get beat in that area. I think the second part of it is just focusing on what we continue to build on. I think we’re a really good group. We’re starting to find our way a little bit, and I’m really confident in how our guys have grown here. So for us, it’s just focus on what we can control, do the little things that, you know, at the level we can, and I think things take care of themselves. So that’s kind of the game plan moving forward.”
