The Dexter hockey team won another game on Saturday but it’s not the fact that they won that’s impressive. It’s the way they won.
Huron started the early game with three goals to take an early 3-0 lead. But the Dreadnaughts didn’t panic or lose confidence or head to the dressing room with their heads down. Instead, they got their act together, battled harder and quickly turned things around.
“We started out sluggish and weren’t prepared and because of that made a few mistakes and they took advantage,” said Dexter Coach Justin Young. “But we didn’t panic.”
The Dreads roared back and by the time they headed to the dressing room for the first intermission they had tied the game at 4-4.
Dexter led 8-5 after two periods and went on to a 10-5 victory over the River Rats, shutting them down in the final period to secure the win. And an impressive win!
“It’s not always easy for high school kids to keep their emotions in check,” said Young. “I’ve been trying to teach these kids that on any given night every game is going to be a series of peaks and valleys and you can’t get too high or too low. You need to play with a high level of consistency to avoid the lows.”
Ryan Kniesteadt led a balanced Dexter scoring attack with three goals. Having multiple players who can put the puck in the net is a definite advantage Dexter has this season.
“We like to have a lot of guys contributing and we have gotten outstanding production from our leadership this year,” Young said. “The wealth is spread around and they do a good job of moving the puck. One thing I’m proud of is that this is a very unselfish group.”
Dexter improved to 12-6 on the season with the win over Huron.
The Dreadnaughts had a big win over Chelsea early in the season and then hit a little rough stretch but are really playing well as of late. Dexter is 10-2 in its last 12 games as they continue to not only improve but shoot games into the win column.
“We had some bad habits early in the season but we’ve corrected them,” Young said. “We’ve done a good job of playing consistent hockey the last month or so and that’s what it’s all about.”
Dexter hosts Chelsea Tuesday night at the Vet (weather permitting). The Dreads then face Allen Park Cabrini on Wednesday in Allen Park.
