BLUES NOTES: December 19, 2021
Weekend Wrap
Blues’ Record: 0-1-1 (2-1 L @ WAY, 5-4 SOL vs WAY)
The Winnipeg Blues picked up one point in their final game of 2021 to bring them to a 17-11-0-2 record at the Christmas break.
On a rare Thursday night game, the Blues lost a heartbreaker in Waywayseecappo, giving up the game winning goal with 20 seconds left in the match. On Saturday, the team crawled out of a three-goal hole in the third to force the game past 60 minutes, where the Blues lost to the Wolverines in a four-round shootout.
Upcoming Week
Winnipeg won’t play again until January 7, 2022. The begin the second half of their schedule with back-to-back road games against the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Keys to the Break
1st Key: Rest and Relax
There’s only one key at Christmas time for the Blues: get healthy and be happy.
The break comes at a perfect time for Winnipeg. It will allow their healthy players to get some time to shape themselves back into playing form, while resting in a stress-free environment. There’s no pressure for any of them to return to help out now.
Brayden Foreman, Joe Kraus, Mathieu Moreira, and Jayden Michaels are all expected to be back in the new year, and Caden Zaplitny is expected to return from Everett in the second week after the pause. Winnipeg could have a fully healthy lineup for the first time since October.
For the players and the coaches, it gives a chance for much needed family time with friends and family, a break from the grind of the first full MJHL season in two years. Most of the Blues played less than ten games of hockey last season, so this pause gives them the respite they need before the stretch drive.