Bozeman battles inconsistency

December 17, 2004 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bozeman Icedogs News Release

It's becoming more and more apparent to the Bozeman ICEDOGS that nothing will come easy for them this season.

Fighting to work their way out of the conference basement, the team headed into last week anticipating three wins that would help them notch a couple of points...and once again, fell short of expectations. On Wednesday, the ICEDOGS marched into Billings and built up a 4-2 lead after two periods, only to surrender five goals to the Bulls in the third for a 7-4 loss.

The team then boarded a plane for Fairbanks, Alaska for two games against the Fairbanks IceDogs, where they won 5-2 on Friday followed by a 3-1 loss on Saturday.

"It's all mental," said ICEDOGS head coach John LaFontaine. "We let that first goal in, and we begin to question if we can do it. We start gripping our sticks a little tight and we get too nervous."

Nonetheless, LaFontaine sees a team that is relentless in its pursuit to improve their record. "As a team we had a little meeting after the weekend, and the talk is still all positive," LaFontaine said. "The things we need to work on are handling the puck on the boards and breakout passes."

Those elements will be vital this weekend when the team faces the conference-leading Helena Bighorns. Helena is 4-2 against the ICEDOGS this year, and has out shot the ICEDOGS 256-189 in head-to-head play. However, the weekend match up is the last before the Christmas break, and LaFontaine's team is hoping to catch the Bighorns in a giving mood.

"The break will be positive for us," LaFontaine said, "but by no means are we looking towards the future right now. The focus is on the present."

North American Hockey League Stories from December 17, 2004

• MacNicol earns Defensive Player of the Week honors - Cleveland Barons
• Jets promotion to benefit local organizations - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
• Colin Kingston: Jr. Blues king of the hill - Springfield Jr. Blues
• IceDiggers hope to hold off Cleveland - Alpena IceDiggers
• Kraemer takes weekly honors - Wichita Falls Wildcats
• Bobcats split on the road with Helena - Bismarck Bobcats
• Maine recruit leads Tornado to two road wins - Texas Tornado
• U-18s top Toledo, U-17s swept by Soo - U.S. National Team
• Indians leave the past, now living in the present - Soo Indians
• Bozeman battles inconsistency - Bozeman Icedogs
• Bulls soar in five-goal third period - Billings Bulls
• Phantoms hold first place despite losses - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
• NAHL announces first All-Star Festival - NAHL
• Blizzard top Bobcats, 5-2 - Alexandria Blizzard

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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