Photo Credit: Dan Brodie
Webster’s Dictionary defines consistency as: harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole. Ten games into the season the Stealth sit at 3-7 a full game back from Colorado for the third and final playoff spot. It is safe to say the number one thing holding them back is indeed their consistency, or lack there of.
The offense has not looked sharp all season, and stats do not lie. Sitting with only one point leader in the top 15 in Rhys Duch (second) there are only two other teams lacking this stat. Minnesota with one win, and Edmonton who is undefeated. Riding their No. 1 defense it is safe to say they do not need to put up big numbers on the offensive end to win games. Duch also holds the No. 2 spot for shots on goal, and with his ability to snipe it is not shock his stats coincide.
With the exception of their big win against Colorado Friday night there has been no dominating performance for more than a half a game all season long. One could speculate that Friday night’s victory was accomplished through dominating one-on-one matchups, and not team play. After Saturday’s debacle, it seemed that the Mammoth may have just laid an egg on Friday night, and the real Stealth showed up in Calgary. If it is not the lack of team play then it is very perplexing as to why the offense is struggling with all the talent they posses on their roster.
With the clear lack of true box offense lacking the Stealth, how has the rest of the team played? There is a clear lack of transition on the team, and when they do get a good opportunity on a break, the transition seems to force an off cage, or bad shot. If they even get a shot off, as many passes end up in turnovers. This area of the game has been an issue for quite some time. One could say it will not change anytime soon, without some personnel change(s).
With Tyler Richards leading the league in saves, you would think that it is solely the defense that is the problem with the Stealth. With only three of their seven losses by five or more points, it would be clear that the defense for the most part has held their own. There are times players are lost in the shuffle, let a cutter lose, or leave a man alone on crease. The biggest issue with the defense is the second chance shots, as well as the time spent killing penalties. The defense for the time spent on the turf as a unit and the time spent working a man down, is probably the most consistent unit on the roster, especially when their captain Kyle Sorenson is dressed to play.
Going into a couple of bye weeks, it is clear the Stealth have some things to figure out. Consistency, playing as a team with championship caliber play should not be hard for a team that has made three out of the last four NLL Champios Cup games.
