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Ice Hawks limp into holiday break

With 12 games left post-season no certainly after rough stretch of sub .500 hockey
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Delta Ice Hawks Kyle Robinson battles for the puck in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Mission City Outlaws at the Ladner Leisure Centre.

The Delta Ice Hawks will enter the stretch run of the Pacific Junior Hockey League regular season fighting for their playoff lives.

The Hawks closed out their pre-Christmas schedule with a lacklustre 5-2 defeat to the Mission City Outlaws on Tuesday night at the Ladner Leisure Centre. The result leaves them with a 14-13-3-2 record and in fifth place in the Tom Shaw Conference. A CFL-type crossover rule could give them the final post-season berth in the Harold Brittain Conference but that is hardly a guarantee with Aldergrove just three points back and enjoying two games in hand.

The Hawks have 12 games remaining and that number will quickly be down to eight after a hectic stretch to start 2020 — playing four times in six days.

It looked as if they might have turned the corner after posting back-to-back victories including a 2-1 thriller at second place Grandview on Sunday night thanks to the brilliant play of goaltender Jordy Engleson. Instead, they reverted back to the form that had produced nine losses in their last 12 games and may have their season over by early February if it continues.

Delta was dominated through 40 minutes by the Outlaws with the 4-1 score actually flattering the hosts.

“It’s hard to explain it. I kind of felt our vibe was: we didn’t play great in Grandview on Sunday but to go in there and get a win was something to get some momentum from,” said Ice Hawks GM and head coach Steve Robinson.

“I felt like we would have good energy from it and Mission would be a hands full kind of an opponent but at the same token I totally expected us to win. For us to be as flat as we were, just turning over pucks and just kind of being the second most engaged team on the ice. Under these circumstances, you wouldn’t have expected it to happen. It’s super disappointing for sure.”

Robinson and his coaching staff are also learning they need to be careful with what at times can be a fragile group dealing with adversity.

“In the first period, I was getting infuriated watching the play and I knew I just had to park it because I would be bringing negatively to the bench,” continued Robinson. “I can feel guys getting tighter which will only make it worse and get us further away from our game. At the same time it’s hard to say ‘good job’ too when you are watching them play like that.”

The hope is the two-week holiday break will provide the opportunity to re-set for the task at hand. Robinson believes it will take in the neighbourhood of 20 points in the final dozen games to safely advance to the post-season. The team, however, is now in the precarious position of playing well and not being rewarded in the standings thanks to a league that does have a lot of parity. There is just no more room for performances like Tuesday night.

“We can’t control what other teams do. We just have to take care of business ourselves. The danger would be assuming we could just play .500 hockey and mosey into that cross-over spot. I haven’t heard anybody talk about it but you can understand not wanting to catch White Rock for fourth (and face powerhouse North Vancouver in the opening round),” added Robinson. “But to me that is a dangerous game to play.

“Coming off that rough patch it would have been nice to win the last three but it is what it is and we can’t change it.  We need to use the time of separation to re-set our minds and take a few days off. We will practice three times before Winter Classic. It will be like a mini-training camp and with us trying to come out positively.”

Icing…

Leo Li’s goal with just five seconds remaining lifted the Hawks past Grandview. Engelson made 32 saves with the hosts enjoying a 38-20 advantage in the shot department.

Delta will face Grandview on Saturday, Jan. 4 (4 p.m.) at the PJHL Winter Classic in Richmond then take on Langley (10 a.m.) on the Sunday.