Just a few quotes to think about while waiting for Travis to give a full recap - if one is even necessary.
As is typical after a demoralizing loss, players get asked a variety of questions. Here are just a few of them with one players' answers:
On where the team is a quarter of the way through the season: "A lot of the negative on our team right now is self-inflicted, it’s not because we’re going up against teams a lot better than us. We’re going against ourselves a lot of games."
On the meeting: "It was more along the line of we have to figure our (stuff) out."
On the frustration: "We’re still working on stuff we’ve been trying to work on since day one."
On whether the team is repeating it’s pattern from last season, when they dug a hole and had to rally to make the playoffs: "We’ve got to start playing better if we want to even see the playoffs this year."
On whether new coach, new systems had changed anything: "A little different… We’re pro athletes we should be able to adjust and do the things that make us successful."
Standard answers, but self-reflective ("we're going against ourselves a lot of games"), showing some anger ("we have to figure our shit out"), showing maturity ("We're pro athletes, we should be able to adjust"), and showing some honesty ("if we want to even see the playoffs this year.")
Now, would it surprise you at all that the player giving those answers didn't play in Philadelphia tonight? Probably not -- that guy is too mature to be on this team. Well, surprise! That's Jonathan Matsumoto. The center constantly overlooked by the Flyers organization in favor of Jared Ross, Andreas Nodl, and Jonathon Kalinski. He's not even the Captain of the Phantoms.
Since I blatantly ripped this from Tim McManus' post over at the Post-Star, I might as well post his intro:
I feel like a broken record. There isn’t much new I can add to the record after the Phantoms latest defeat, their sixth in their last seven. They can’t score, the intensity isn’t there, blah blah blah. You can read more of the bitter details in my game story.
Coach Greg Gilbert held a long meeting with the players after the game. The doors didn’t open for about 20 minutes. I didn’t have much to ask him: it’s been the same questions/answers for a month.
I turned to Jon Matsumoto, now in his third full season with the team, and the best player so far this year.
Any of this sound familiar?