Road Trip Audio

Main Entry:	killer instinct
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	an aggressive and ruthless determination to win or attain a goal

The Trail Smoke Eaters are playing better hockey right now than they were playing in September. I don't think a single fan out there can argue with that. In September Trail gave up the first goal in 7 out of 8 games. They were getting behind the eight ball early and unable to get back into games. Now in September they've scored the first goal in 6 out of 9 games and have had a lead in 8 out of 9 games. Unfortunately they only won 2 out of those 8 games, and got points in 3 of them. The Smokies are now putting themselves in a position to win games, but lacking the killer instinct to finish them. That's the kind of thing that you have to think will come with experience and confidence.

What the guys and the fans should know is that they're good enough to get ahead of teams right now... which means they ARE good enough to beat those teams. They just have to start believing it, being consistent and bouncing back when a couple of things go wrong. The positive strides are there if only they could put it all together over 60 minutes.

There were a lot of positive things coming out of that 1-3 trip. The defensive zone coverage got a whole lot better for the most part. In the two games on Vancouver Island and for most of the game in Surrey the team kept it simple and played as a cohesive unit. That's a good sign. They also truly seemed to bond while they were on the island. They won their first road game with a real blue collar effort. The power play had a very good week at 7 for 23 or over 30%. Both goaltenders showed the ability to make game saving stops at key times. Four players scored their first BCHL goals. They scored at least 4 goals in 3 out of the 4 games. Nick Sandor himself had a whole game's worth.

I know the bottom line for fans is victories. I can understand the frustration when they put themselves in a position to win and let it slip away with major defensive meltdowns. However, I've seen every game this team has played. They're getting better every day, and their mental game is starting to catch up with the ability we all know they have.

Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 5 at Burnaby 9

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Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 4 at Nanaimo 2

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Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 2 at Cowichan Valley 4

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Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 4 at Surrey 6

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Smoke Eaters Forward Nick Sandor

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Surrey Eagles Goalie Paul Barclay

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