Whitley Warriors do not have a fixture this weekend so David Longstaff and his squad are busy preparing for their next match up an away fixture against the Sutton Sting on Sunday the 18th October down at Ice Sheffield. Warriors have started the season in superb form and at the time of writing sit top of the NIHL North standings with a total of 11 points from the 6 games they have played in to date.
Warriors experienced forward Daniel Good shared his views on how the early weeks of the season have transpired.
“The team has gelled well, there is a good atmosphere in the changing room and everyone is on board with doing everything to get the team playing to its full potential
“Our new signings (Shaun Kippin, Andre Payette, Stu Tomlinson and Joe Stamp) are spot on, you would think they have been here for yrs. Joe has been impressive so far, for someone who hasn’t played regularly over the years, his skating looks good and he passes well and no one gets past him.”
Daniel went onto speak about his own form and how life is under new player/coach David Longstaff.
“Personally I haven’t been good enough this year. I struggled early on with bad knees and an old groin injury so I’m a bit slower and less agile. Hopefully getting a few games under my belt will help. I’m on the third line and having to play real defensive at times which can be frustrating but I’ve got two good hard working wingers and we play 3 lines so it doesn’t make much difference. I’m definitely looking to improve as the season goes on though and hopefully get a few more goals. I’ve got a point in each game so far but not contributed as much as I have in the past
“It’s interesting with Lobby (David Longstaff) he coaches a lot more like Simon Leach than I thought he would. He knows the game inside out and is very passionate about winning. I thought he would be more laid back and build players confidence by encouraging them and giving them a pat on the back. He is more the opposite, quite old school and very specific with what he wants players to do. It’s different for me where I normally want to skate with the puck and set up goals but I’ve got to dump it in and cycle it.
“Either way it is working for the team. If you look at how Shaun Kippin played on the weekend, I’ve not seen him play like that in years and a big part of that has to be down to the coach. If you look at every player, you can’t really find one that isn’t giving 100% and giving their all to win. We have also gone unbeaten which is a massive achievement. The standard is high and the games come down to one or two goals and we have that winning mentality, the belief that we should win every game and nothing else is acceptable. It’s great to be part of a team like that.”
Thanks to Daniel for taking the time to share his views on the opening weeks of the Warriors 2015/16 campaign. Whitley’s next home game is on Sunday 25th October for the first Tyne Tees derby of the season when the Billingham Stars visit Tyneside for what should be a feisty match up between 2 well matched sides. Face off is scheduled for 5pm with tickets priced at £8.50 for adults and £6.50 for juniors while a family ticket that admits 2 adults and 2 children can be bought for £24.