Colts Fall to McKniney

The Colts lost their first game on the road with a 6-3 fall to McKinney on Sunday, Oct. 11.

With a final score of 6-3, it may sound as though the Colts were out-matched, but in reality, the team hung tough for two and a half periods, and with just seven minutes to go and a three to three tie, the McKinney team outshot and outscored the Colts.

"We hung tough and the boys all played well together. This was a fast team and we stayed with them most of the game," Coach Dennis Hall said after the game.

The McKinney loss stops the new coach's winning streak, which had stood at 4-0 including the pre-season tournament sweep.

"We really beat ourselves tonight. We can beat this team next time," Coach Hall said.

Team captain Ethan Fox showed his leadership on the ice with one goal and two assists. Fox played a physical contest, as well, taking McKinney out of play on numerous occasions with solid checks and a couple tangles that landed him in the penalty box.

McKinney started off strong and never let up. Two early goals put them up 2-0, before Cody Hanson took a pass from Fox to end the first at 2-1. The Colts came back to the ice for the second determined to catch up, and catch they did, as Fox took a pass from Adrian Newbern to tie the score at two less than two minutes into the second.

McKinney answered back during a miscue on line change by the Colts that left the D in a 5 on 2 situation and opened up a perfect scoring opportunity for the McKinney team. That goal by McKinney's Mason Smith put that team up 3-2, but the Colts were un-phased, coming back with a battle near the McKinney goal that had Fox fending off at least three McKinney Players before centering a pass that Brian Hall shot with a perfect wrister, tying the game again at 3-3.

The Colts rookie goalie, 8th grader John Wayne Seitzler, had a stellar performance in net, including some phenomenal grabs that were hard flung by McKinney's offense. Early in the third, however, he was rattled a bit by a puck that tipped off his own shoulder to land in net and put the McKinney team up 4-3. That goal seemed to renew the McKinney team, which went on to score two more unanswered goals to end the game at 6-3.

"I think we learned tonight that every game is going to be played hard until the end and we can never let up. McKinney wanted this win and they fought hard until the end. We had some trouble on line change and a few times our defense underestimated the speed of this team and played too far up for our own protection, but we learned something here," Coach Hall said.

The Colts will be back on the ice Sunday, Oct. 18 with a 6:30 game against Frisco in Farmer's Branch.