WCF Game 3 vs Lake Erie: Bus Texts with Stothers

After a short hiatus, Bus Texts with Stothers is back after its absence during the San Diego series. Here’s a short recap followed by some reactions from head coach Mike Stothers via text in Cleveland after a 4-0 loss that put his team down three games to none in the Western Conference Finals.

Monsters 4, Reign 0
Lake Erie scored three goals in a 4:27 span of the first period and rode that lead into a commanding win. Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring 6 minutes in on a backhander that beat Reign goalie Peter Budaj and the Monsters didn’t slow from there. Sonny Milano scored 1:50 later on a deflection and Josh Anderson finished a breakaway chance 2:37 after that. The scoring spree put the Reign combined with second period goal by Markus Hannikainen was too much for the Reign to overcome.

ORI: Turnovers have been a bit of an issue and their goals come that way. What needs to be better for you to cut that off?
Stothers: We need to stop trying to beat guys one on one or passing into coverage. We are trying to FORCE plays instead of making the right play. Advance the puck with speed to keep your speed.

ORI: Was this one of the more frustrating losses of the series? Facing this deficit what’s the right way to go about hitting the reset button both on the ice and off it?
Stothers: A loss is a loss. Never like to lose but just get ready for the next one. Win one that’s all we have to concentrate on at this point.

ORI: Who need to be better? Are you looking for any certain guys that the team can lean on in a situation like this?
Stothers: We all, as a collective group, need to be better and bring more to the table. That is how we got this far this season, every one of us count on each other to be better, and we will.

Also, below are more quotes from Stothers provided via video from the Ontario Reign:

Stothers, on how to dig out of the series hole:
Win a game. That’s it. Just win a game. Can’t concentrate on trying to win four, just gotta win one. Take it from there.

Stothers, on what was said after the team went down 3-0 in the first period:
There’s still lots of time. They’ve got to regroup, refocus, get our act together and continue to play. That’s all you can do.

Stothers, on what happened that made the Reign be on their heels in the first:
The same things that have troubled us throughout the series is we turn the puck over. We turn the puck over, they score a goal. We turn the puck over, they score a goal. We turn the puck over, they score a goal. I counted six times that I could count where their players just kept their speed, laid it in, picked it up on the other side or got a forecheck going. We turn the puck over, their transition’s good and it ends up in the back of your net. If you keep doing it, it’s just going to keep biting ya.

Stothers, on any positives he took away from the loss:
Yeah, our PK. So, there you go. There’s something positive.

Stothers, on what he said to the players after the loss:
We’ve got a meal back at the hotel, practice tomorrow. Tomorrow’s a new day.