What’s Wrong With The Chatham Maroons?

It didn’t feel right to simply write a story about the score of the Chatham Maroons’ 4-1 loss to the London Nationals Sunday night. A loss that put them down 3-0 in their opening round GOJHL series against the 7th ranked Nationals.

The Maroons are in deep; they have their backs against the wall. Luckily, if any team can come back four straight, they definitely have the talent to do so. But what is actually wrong with the Maroons? What could have them on the brink of upset? Here’s how we see it; if the Maroons are going to overcome the odds, there are a few things that need to change.

1. Goaltending – Obviously we can’t blame each of those losses on Jake Patterson, but Justin Tugwell was spectacular at the other end for London. His tracking was impressive, and he was obviously focused, directing rebounds to help his defenseman all night. Chatham outshot London 40-26 and the Nationals appeared to have a clear scouting report on Patterson, as they continued to bombard him with high shots. I would have bet a significant amount of money Chatham was going to start Bo Bessette Thursday. Now, I don’t even think it’s an option, the team must switch it up and start Bessette this weekend.

2. First pass – Who would have thought Chatham would miss 16-year-old defenseman Levi Tetrault as much as they do, but that’s exactly the case as the rearguard recovers from a broken finger. Tetrault, along with Nate Pietens have been Chatham’s best defensemen night in and night out all season. Chatham has struggled to make a clean first pass, something Pietens and Tetrault excel at, as London’s forecheck is taking away space, and when they’re up, their trap is putting sticks and bodies in lanes, clogging up the ice. Less flips, chips, and clears off the glass, and more tape to tape. To do that, Chatham’s offensive stars will also need a stronger back check to be outlet options for their blueliners. Giveaways are leading to goals.

3. No compete from stars – Flat out, Chatham is getting out worked everywhere. London is beating the Maroons to every loose puck, and winning one-on-one battles on the wall in all both zones. If you walked Memorial Arena, you would hear people asking where Chatham’s desperation was. It’s a valid question. With 10 players facing their potential final Junior hockey games, their compete level is not acceptable, starting with their stars. Chatham’s best players Thursday were Mark Fratarcangeli, Ian Faubert, and Matt Clark. While it’s great to see those players earning time, Chatham had 7 players with 20 goals or more, many of whom look almost invisible.

4. Discipline – Highlighted by Connor Annett’s trip of London goalie Justin Tugwell during intermission, and Gus Ford’s late third period spearing call, Chatham was undisciplined Thursday, and needs this to change to have a chance. This is especially true because London’s penalty kills has been spectacular, and their powerplay has scored each game. The discipline doesn’t stop with penalties however, the team also needs to make better decisions. While it’s clear captain Steven Szekesy was trying to spark his team’s offense, ill timed pinches all over the ice, and the fact he was Chatham’s first forechecker in on many plays, put the Maroons in a scramble more times than not. Chatham needs to remain calm and remember they are the favourite in this series, and beat London handily all season. They could have very well swept London and no one would have batted an eye, so be calm, be disciplined, and take it one game at a time.

5. Back to basics – Sometimes when the dipsy doodle, the drop pass, the saucer, or that one timers don’t work, it’s time to go back to basics. London is winning with hard work, and Chatham needs to take a note from their page, and do the same. When Chatham dumped the puck in and forechecked, they were able to pin London in their zone. When Chatham tried to make that extra pass, or carry the puck, London’s dogged puck pursuit won. Chatham needs to get dirty. Tugwell is seeing every puck. From the stands, we could clearly see every shot, and so could he. Big bodies like Richardson, Beenackers, and Dennis need to play big out front. Be the traffic, and then the rest of the team just needs to shoot. This is where the Maroons are truly missing Alex Morgan. Get the puck deep, and get pucks on the net. Simple.

Right now the Maroons seem to be waiting for things to click, but they can’t wait any longer. As we said, if there is one team with the talent to complete a comeback, it’s the Maroons…but it will take hard work.