The Halifax Mooseheads don’t need any reminders about how a slow start can sink a season.
As the young club takes its 0-2 record on the road for the next six games starting Friday night in Bathurst, N.B., the memory of last season’s ghastly, playoff-sabotaging 1-18-1 start isn’t far from their veterans’ minds.
“I can’t see that happening this year,” said defenceman Garrett Clarke, soon to be 18 years old.
“We have a great group of guys, a lot of skill, a lot of hard workers. We can’t get down, we have to keep our heads high and keep plugging away.”
Despite copious amounts of pre-season optimism, it’s no surprise a team with 10 rookies coming off back-to-back last-place finishes lost its first two games.
That said, the performance of first-year players such as Martin Frk, Luca Ciampini, Darcy Ashley, Alex Souligny and Simon Desmarais was perhaps the brightest aspect of opening weekend at the Metro Centre.
“It’s going to be fun to experience a road trip,” said Ciampini, the club’s second overall pick in June’s draft.
“It should build us as a team and that’s where character comes in. We’re going to work hard (to get) through this.”
The Mooseheads out-shot their opponents on opening weekend and felt they outplayed them, except for a couple of costly lapses.
The setbacks appear to have done nothing to burst their bubble.
“Personally, I think we’re a hidden contender if we get everything straightened out,” Clarke said.
“Offence is showing (what it can do) right now. All we have to do is tighten up our defence and we’re going to be flying.”
