Neepawa Natives coach Bryant Perrier was of the firm belief that his club was ready to compete head to head with the league leading Dauphin Kings on Wednesday night.

 

 "I really believed we had enough momentum from last night, and that we would be ready," Perrier said. "Obviously, we we were not ready as a collective unit."

 

A five goal first period by Dauphin, followed by six more over the next forty minutes, in an 11-1 Kings' rout, was the proof of that.

 

Perrier, whose team had just come off of two emotionally charged victories, says that he still believes completely in his team.

 

"We talk about unconditional commitment to the team and to teammates," he said. "Obviously, I am not going to abandon that philosophy despite a rough night."

 

"We had a tough night, but they happen. We are obviously very upset about our lack of a cohesive effort, but these guys are not robots. They are going to have a night or two where things don't go very well."

 

The Natives, whose record sits at 28-23-3 on the season, have been one of the league's hottest teams since Christmas - a fact that made tonight's lopsided loss a difficult one to have predicted for the coach.

 

"It would have been hard to believe last night, that a night like this was even in the realm of possibility after our effort last night."

 

However, the coach makes no excuses.

 

"We were not ready to go as a collective unit. We had some great jump and some great energy, but we dug a hole early and they really fed upon the fact that they were up early. It was a tough one."

 

Perrier believes that his groups has operated at a very high rate of intensity and work ethic all season, and deserve his support.

 

"These guys have given everything they have almost every single night. They block shots, hit, take hits and play with passion and a complete resolve to represent the organization and town. They are warriors. They have been great competitors and they certainly have my respect for their work this year."

 

"It was a tough loss, but our group is resilient and these guys will bounce back."

 

In the meantime, Perrier says he and the staff will remain positive and work through the issues that need to be addressed.

 

"As a coach, you have to distance yourself from being emotionally affected by the loss, and look clearly at what just happened. The guys are good people and they want to get better. When we get together tomorrow, I better have answers to help them do that. Ranting and raving is not what we need. We need solutions."

 

"Our players need leadership from our staff that helps them get better and lets them know that we believe in them. And we do."