Chilliwack Chiefs head coach Jason Tatarnic knew there was a degree of risk heading into the season with two 17 year olds in net, and early results haven’t been promising.
After a rough trip through Trail on Friday (7-3 loss) and West Kelowna on Saturday (6-0 loss), Coach T’s team has surrendered 41 goals against in just eight outings. Only Cowichan Valley has been lit up more times than Chilliwack.
The numbers for young goalies Daniel Chenard and Mathieu Caron are predictably bad.
Chenard sports a 4.84 goals-against average and .846 save percentage, Caron a 4.15 GAA and .869 SP.
With Chilliwack sitting at 1-6-1-1, fourth in the five team Mainland division standings, they are a clear area of concern.
But Tatarnic believes that with a little more support the netminders would be fine, and it was on the rest of the team that he focused his ire Monday morning.
“The first goal in West Kelowna was a breakaway while we’re on the power play, and their second was a 2-on-0 where two of their guys got behind our penalty killers,” Tatarnic said. “There’s not much any goalie can do about those.
“I’m usually a big defender of my players, but when you’re letting guys behind you for 2-on-0’s or leaving two guys alone in front of your net, that’s on you.
“I don’t think you need Jason Tatarnic to teach you to not do that.”
Question is, can the Chiefs get this cleaned up before the young goalies lose all confidence and become shell-shocked shadows of their former selves?
“We’ve got lots of work to do this week,” Tatarnic said.
Chilliwack hosts Wenatchee Friday and Trail Sunday, with 7 p.m. starts for both games.
See bchl.ca