U18s Open Season in Cincinnati By Trip Gintz, 08/22/17

For the U18 Blues, the Cincinnati Shootout: Jose Cerda Memorial Tournament was a good first test of the 2017 season. A 5:30 p.m. contest against a solid squad from Columbus meant the Blues would face some very stiff competition right out of the gate. Falling behind 0-4 in the 1st quarter en-route to a 2-10 halftime deficit, the Blues were never able to really find a rhythm, and ended up on the losing end of a 4-14 score line. Joe Addison led the Blues with 2 goals, but evidence of a lack of teamwork can be found in a stat sheet that reveals only 1 assist to 22 turnovers. “So much of this sport is mental,” Coach Kevin Heinrich explained. “We got behind early; started thinking we were overmatched, and then set about proving ourselves right. We have to develop the mindset that we belong in the pool with anybody, and we can only do that by continuing to face the best competition we can find.” The remaining matches of the tournament would offer a glimpse of improvement.

In their second match, the Blues would face the South Side Scrappers from Chicago. Perhaps still a bit discouraged from their first match, the Blues found themselves again in a hole after the 1st quarter, trailing the Scrappers 1-3. This time, however, the team responded to the challenge by holding the team from Chicago scoreless in quarter number 2 and clawing back to level terms 3-3. The teams traded goals throughout the 2nd half, until a late goal by the Scrappers put them up 9-10 as the clock ran out before the Blues could answer. Carter Phelan paced the Blues with 4 goals; Addison and Robert Straub added 2 apiece and Jacob McNeely contributed 1 in the losing effort. As a unit, the team showed marked improvement, notching 6 assists on 9 goals and collecting 16 steals. Coach Kevin was more upbeat after the match, “Yeah, there were a couple of breaks that didn’t go our way, but we were able to climb out of that pool knowing we gave it all we had. As a coach, that’s all I can ask.”

Going into day 2 of the tourney, the Blues looked to sustain the arc of improvement that was initiated on Saturday. They would achieve mixed results. First, the Blues took on the Wildcats from Georgia. Following a fairly even first half in which the Blues forged a hard-fought 7-5 advantage, the match was blown open in the 3rd quarter with a decisive 3-0 burst that put the Blues up by 5 goals. Addison led all scorers with 6 goals, and the team accumulated 6 assists and 11 steals in the 12-8 victory.

The final match of the tourney was not so celebratory. Playing their 4th match in 24-hours, the Blues looked lethargic against the Cincinnati Marlins. Shut out in both the 1st AND 3rd quarters, the team never got on track, committing 11 turnovers and only managing 3 goals and one assist for the match. McNeely tallied 2 goals in the 3-9 defeat.

The Blues finished the 2017 Cincinnati Shootout with a 1-3 record and a duffle bag full of tough lessons in what it takes to succeed against top competition. The team would only have a few days to absorb these lessons, as it was off to Chicago the very next weekend for the National State Challenge.