An undermanned Quesnel Crossfire squad was pummelled 12-1 by the Prince George Assault on Thursday (May 9).
Dusty Cathcart scored the lone goal for the Crossfire who are now 0-3 to start the 2019 season.
The Assault had twice as many players as the Crossfire to start the game. In a contest where running full sprint from one end of an arena to another is common, that makes a big difference.
The Prince George squad was able to send in fresh players every 90 seconds or so, while the Crossfire were stuck with one or two people on the bench, with everyone sucking in air on the floor.
The contest almost did not happen, as many of the home town players were stuck at work during mill shut down or too injured to suit up. They were forced to bring up a couple Midget-level players, Keagan Loomis and Hayden Nicholson, just to have enough bodies to avoid being fined by the league.
Leading the Assault was Dave Jenkins, who scored twice and added six assists. The new team, which has replaced the Prince George Stylers, now holds a 1-1 record.
The Crossfire will need to do some soul searching before their next match-up against the Devils on May 13. So far this season they have been outscored 42-7 through three games. The pace they used so well against opponents last year has all but disappeared, leaving them tired and frustrated.
This is still a good team who have grown up playing together. If they are able to man a complete squad and fit in some extra training, they should be able to find their old form. It will just take commitment and a will to be better.
READ MORE: Crossfire fall to Bandits in first home game
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