We're playing well, no question.

We're due. We really need one heading into the break.

It becomes a real grind in January.

Thomas is a solid hockey player; always has been. But his confidence is really high right now.

Another thing we've tried to do is lighten practice a little bit. We're on the ice 22 times this month (for games) so we're trying to make it fun.

Our young guys, they're getting better every time out. And (assistant) coach (Bill) York and I have already been talking about the Bantam and (junior varsity) kids we'll be bringing up next season. I think we have some exciting years coming up.

We tried flipping our lines a little bit to lend maybe a little more balance. We're just trying to blend our experience, skills and youth a little better.

The two Hilliard games are crucial. If we can win out and get to 25 points, we'll be right there. It's still an uphill battle, though.

I thought our players did a great job in their roles. They did what we expected. Athens is just a very, very good team. They always seem to play well against us (winning the season series 3-0-1 while outscoring the Generals 12-2).