It looked like our recent tactical changes were paying early dividends. In addition to Anatoli's first goal, the Courtnall brothers each had a two-point game against the Montreal Canadiens. Geoff led the way with a pair of assists en route to being named the game's first star, while younger brother Russ chalked up a pair of goals to earn 3rd star honors. The two awards made it even more exciting as our second line racked up four points and went +5 for the evening.
As a coach, you always do your best to get to know your players, and learn what motivates them and what they may or may not respond to. It's really more of an art-form than a science, as there's no sure-fire method to spark the right guy at the right time. So it can become a case of tinkering and adjusting to see what sticks.
On this night, even though it was still a small sample-size, we were very happy with our latest round of adjustments, and even if they were only partially responsible, we were hoping they'd help spark more of the same.
Player in the Spotlight: Geoff Courtnall | GR 72 | G 0 | A 2 | HT 2 | TOT 13:07 |
1st Star