The No. 4 Baton Rouge Zydeco is skating into Week 3 on the ice tonight, looking to bounce back from a loss and win its home opener.
After competing against the Monroe Moccasins for the second time last week, the Zydeco stumbled home with two losses, 3-6 and 4-5, resulting in the start of a losing streak.
“I just think we had to clean up our details,” head coach Chad Bailey said about last weekend’s games. “I don’t think that it was exactly us getting beat, but beating ourselves in some areas of the game that led to a tough uphill battle for us on the weekend, but we’ll learn from it.”
While the second week of play didn’t go the way Baton Rouge intended, there were still some standouts on the ice. Forward Dmitry Kuznetsov paved the way for the Zydeco’s offense with three goals and one assist.
“Those three games in Monroe gave us a little something to think about,” Kuznetsov said, “We’re trying to learn our habits and adjust to each other right now.”
When it comes to learning from each other as a team, captain and forward for the Baton Rouge Zydeco Tyler Larwood commented on last weekend’s back-to-back losses and how he and his teammates are working ahead of the home opener.
“I felt like we kind of beat ourselves on Saturday and gave that game away when we had it under control, [with] like less than ten minutes left, going into the third period,” Larwood said. “So we’ve just got to bounce back and make sure we play the full 60 this weekend, and I think we’ll be fine.”
With Halloween and hockey hitting the ice tonight, these bayou skaters have something to prove with the Columbus River Dragons swarming all the way in from Columbus, Georgia, aiming to snipe the Zydeco on its home ice.
The No. 7 River Dragons are calling Baton Rouge with three back-to-back losses, having only won its season opener.
With the puck dropping at 7:05 p.m, the Zydeco seems to have the upper hand in this game, and is looking to ensure that its slippery streak is short-lived.
“We obviously want to come out of it [this weekend] with two wins, but to play cleaner hockey as well,” Bailey said. “Not just to compete, but to win each battle like it’s our last and find ways to win games.”
As the team invites Baton Rouge residents to its home opener, the team is also encouraging fans to wear costumes — while following Raising Cane’s River Center’s rules — in the spirit of Halloween to add to the energy of the arena.
“It’s electric in here every time,” Larwood said about the home rink. “We love going out to Lafayette to practice, but would much rather be in Baton Rouge.”
If you can’t catch tonight’s game, the Zydeco offers two live streaming options on both YouTube and Sporfie and will also face the River Dragons again on Saturday.
“Having our fans back in the stands, being at home, and having all the energy and momentum on our side right now, we’re excited,” forward Narek Aleksanyan said. “We’re excited to get this building vibrating and get the crowd going.”
