Around The Rink: What happened at #ManCamp
The London Nationals cruised
through the end of October on a
five-game winning streak.
Throughout the month, the
Nationals won seven of 11 games.
You wouldn't expect anything less of the defending Western Conference Champions, but starting the season 3-4, maybe they weren't bidding for a repeat as Conference Champions.
London assistant captain Jonathan Sims said once the team's new motto, 'Man Camp,' was introduced, the team started their winning ways. "Basically, at the very beginning, Kelly (Thomson, head coach) introduced it to us, and the rest was history."
Thompson put the meaning in black and white: on October 17, @KellyThomson85 tweeted, "...reg season will now be referred to as 'Man Camp'."
The next night, after the Nationals' 4-2 win over the Sarnia Legionnaires, Thomson tweeted, "Webster's defines #ManCamp as a process of self sacrifice for the good of the group he belongs to by way of imposing shear (sic) will on opponents."
Like Sims said, "the rest was history," and the Nationals finished October on a tear. "We've been out-working teams, nothing too out of the ordinary; it's really all about keeping it simple and just out-battling the other team we're playing."
The turning point — in Sims' mind — was losing to the St. Thomas Stars early in October, 4- 2. Not only did London lose the night the Nationals unveiled their 2011/12 Western Conference Championship banner, they lost to a team that that the Nationals beat six out of six times in that championship run, they also lost to their natural rivals. It's worth noting that the Nationals waited almost a month to unveil the banner against a Stars team that had given the Nationals a lot of heartache in previous playoff series.
It was a beautifully symbolic way for a team to realize that it was a new year, despite what was accomplished in the previous season.
Sims still remembered that loss, and he even recalled some of the things he told the other players on the bench. "Last year was out of the question, it's already happened, it's about buckling down and focusing on what's important and that's this game."
The London Nationals did extend their winning streak into November, pushing it to six games. It did end, however, by the only team that would seem fitting to end something so positive for the London Nationals. Guess who, the St. Thomas Stars.
All good things come to an end, that includes the London Nationals' consecutive winning ways, but the Nats have turned things around in practice. Their team discipline during games and even how they play as a team, "a process of self-sacrifice for the good of the group he belongs to by way of imposing sheer will on opponents." Perhaps that's something better than an unbeaten streak.
You wouldn't expect anything less of the defending Western Conference Champions, but starting the season 3-4, maybe they weren't bidding for a repeat as Conference Champions.
London assistant captain Jonathan Sims said once the team's new motto, 'Man Camp,' was introduced, the team started their winning ways. "Basically, at the very beginning, Kelly (Thomson, head coach) introduced it to us, and the rest was history."
Thompson put the meaning in black and white: on October 17, @KellyThomson85 tweeted, "...reg season will now be referred to as 'Man Camp'."
The next night, after the Nationals' 4-2 win over the Sarnia Legionnaires, Thomson tweeted, "Webster's defines #ManCamp as a process of self sacrifice for the good of the group he belongs to by way of imposing shear (sic) will on opponents."
Like Sims said, "the rest was history," and the Nationals finished October on a tear. "We've been out-working teams, nothing too out of the ordinary; it's really all about keeping it simple and just out-battling the other team we're playing."
The turning point — in Sims' mind — was losing to the St. Thomas Stars early in October, 4- 2. Not only did London lose the night the Nationals unveiled their 2011/12 Western Conference Championship banner, they lost to a team that that the Nationals beat six out of six times in that championship run, they also lost to their natural rivals. It's worth noting that the Nationals waited almost a month to unveil the banner against a Stars team that had given the Nationals a lot of heartache in previous playoff series.
It was a beautifully symbolic way for a team to realize that it was a new year, despite what was accomplished in the previous season.
Sims still remembered that loss, and he even recalled some of the things he told the other players on the bench. "Last year was out of the question, it's already happened, it's about buckling down and focusing on what's important and that's this game."
The London Nationals did extend their winning streak into November, pushing it to six games. It did end, however, by the only team that would seem fitting to end something so positive for the London Nationals. Guess who, the St. Thomas Stars.
All good things come to an end, that includes the London Nationals' consecutive winning ways, but the Nats have turned things around in practice. Their team discipline during games and even how they play as a team, "a process of self-sacrifice for the good of the group he belongs to by way of imposing sheer will on opponents." Perhaps that's something better than an unbeaten streak.
