Early favourites didn’t expect trouble
The St. Francis Xavier X-Men aren’t pushing the panic button yet.
But a pre-season favourite to contend for the Atlantic university hockey conference crown is hanging on to the final playoff spot by its collective fingernails.
With only five games remaining in their regular season, the X-Men (6-13-4) hold a slight one-point lead on the upstart Dalhousie Tigers (6-14-3) for the sixth and final playoff spot in the AUHC.
"This is definitely not what we were expecting," St. F.X. leading scorer Jason Bast said. "But we have taken some great strides in the last few weeks. We feel our effort and our compete level is where it needs to be. All we can do right now is stay positive and just wait for our opportunities.
"There’s definitely no panic right now. It’s frustrating but we know we have a good team and if we keep working, our chances will come."
Entering the 2011-12 campaign, expectations were high for the X-Men, who last season came achingly close to capturing the conference banner and fell a goal short of playing for a CIS championship.
Falling a goal short has been their Achilles heel this season. St. F.X. has dropped its last four games — all by one goal — and has won just two of 13 one-goal games this season.
"Moving forward, I think it’s good we’re getting experience in these one-goal games but we need to find a way to win these one-goal games down the stretch," said Bast, last season’s CIS rookie of the year.
"You can’t pinpoint or blame it on one thing. It’s just a lot of things that have come together and seemingly working against us. It might be something one game and it would be something else in another game. Regardless with what’s happening, we have to find a way that will help us overcome it and start putting two points together."
The X-Men hit the road this weekend for games at Moncton (16-7-0) on Friday and St. Thomas (4-15-4) on Saturday. The last-place Tommies are only four points back of X.
Next week, St. F.X. has three games in four days, including a crucial home-and-home set with Dalhousie — Feb. 8 in Antigonish and the regular-season finale Feb. 11 in Halifax — and a Feb. 10 tilt against Saint Mary’s.
Bast said the X-Men’s stretch run is taking on playoff-like pressures.
"Every game from here on in is definitely must-win," the Moose Jaw, Sask., native said. "Things are getting too tight for that last spot. We need the points this weekend because we need all we can get right now.
"We’re looking at our situation as if we’re in the playoffs and we have been like that for the past couple of games," Bast added. "We’re definitely in desperation mode and these are our playoffs and we won’t get there (to the post-season) if we don’t win these games."