I talked to Willick in Halifax after the game. He was "fine". He didn't get hit in the head ... it was hard to tell from my seat near the UNB bench.
McIvor has a flu bug or something. He didn't play against SMU. Hopefully they are not concussion symptoms.
UNB's power play is not good at all right now, but I believe it is part of a bigger issue - UNB forwards are not finishing. They had a ton of chances they didn't cash in versus both X and Dal. Same thing last weekend at home. The young guys, especially Boland, are not executing. Nerves? Youth? Inexperience at this level? I don't know.
Especially on the power play there aren't enough quick releases, and what likes like too much overthinking going on. Guys aren't getting into the rebound areas well, or on the rush the trailer isn't stopping in the slot to pounce on a rebound.
The good news is that all of the players are working really, really hard. They are moving their feet and pressing hard. You have to think that the new guys will find more scoring consistency eventually. Based on who left, I did not think UNB would be battling for first place going into the exam break. So they have overachieved on that front for me.
My gut feeling is that Parenteau is wrestling with staying focused when he is not very busy .... until a turnover. I haven't talked to him about it, but Dubeau told me his first year that it was a big adjustment for him.
UNB could have used some puck luck on the weekend. Late in the third period against X, Stephen Anderson knocked down a long clearing pass and looked to go on a break. Linesman blew it down for icing. Bad call. It was after the ensuing icing faceoff that UNB was under pressure and Suelentrop accidentally put the puck over the glass, which caused the power play that X score on in OT. Also late, either before or after the Anderson bad call, Willick had a near break that was called offside. It wasn't.
In the first period of the Dal game, Kris Bennett fired a shot into the top corner that hit the rear netting and popped back out. The goal judge and refs missed it. I could see the goal clearly from where I sat, as could other fans and the UNB bench.
Despite all of this, UNB came away with 3 points on the weekend, so I think fans should just chill a bit. This team is still a work in progress, so enjoy the journey.