It’s only the third week of the season and a second club has already issued an apology for their poor form. Winless through seven fixtures, the Glasgow Clan have stumbled out the blocks and are under pressure ahead of a daunting back-to-back against the Belfast Giants next weekend.
“Firstly, I want to acknowledge the anger and frustration that we are all experiencing following our disastrous start to the 2022/23 season,” wrote managing director Gareth Chalmers. “On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to apologise for the past three weeks: it simply hasn’t been good enough.
“To date our results and performances certainly haven’t met our expectations, we are already working tirelessly to rectify that moving forward.”
Glasgow started the season with three consecutive losses in the Challenge Cup, which they followed up with four straight defeats in the Elite League:
- Challenge Cup: Glasgow Clan 5-6 Fife Flyers
- Challenge Cup: Dundee Stars 4-3 Glasgow Clan
- Challenge Cup: Glasgow Clan 1-3 Dundee Stars
- Guildford Flames 2-1 Glasgow Clan
- Glasgow Clan 0-3 Sheffield Steelers
- Cardiff Devils 6-3 Glasgow Clan
- Manchester Storm 6-3 Glasgow Clan
The Clan’s worst performance of the season came on home ice against the Sheffield Steelers, who skated to a shutout win with minimal fuss.
While injuries are an important factor to consider in Glasgow, there is an admission from the franchise that they have fallen short of expectations this term.
Shawn Boutin injury an important factor in Glasgow’s ‘disastrous’ start to the season
In a message to the club’s supporters, Chalmers said: “Like you, we are very disappointed at the start to our season. There is no way myself or the club as whole will sit there without taking action to produce a team that reflects the efforts and commitment that everyone made to save this hockey club during the pandemic and while the future of Braehead Arena was uncertain…
“This is a team game, on the ice and off the ice it’s one big team, from myself, Gerry, Malcolm, the players, the staff – we are all accountable and collectively we’re fully focused on turning this corner together.”
As noted, the Clan haven’t enjoyed the best injury luck. They lost star defenceman Shawn Boutin to a broken collar bone in their second game and have been short on the blueline since.
“We’re playing really banged up in the back: we’ve got three defencemen and a forward playing back there and it’s been that way for three or four games,” head coach Malcolm Cameron said after his side was defeated 6-3 by Manchester.
Malcolm Cameron, Glasgow Clan (Image: Al Goold)
“We lost another defender halfway through tonight – so, some guys are playing too many minutes and it’s hurting us… It’s not that we didn’t work hard, we put 40-something shots on the net and had three powerplay goals, but we’re like a wounded animal and we have to try to get reinforcements and reload here.”
Injuries aside, Glasgow haven’t found their scoring touch this season. Nolan LaPorte is the only member of the Clan to have scored more than once in league play, while puck-moving defenceman Mitch Jones is yet to recapture his prolific form from last season.
Braehead Arena has also set the scene for patching goaltending. Zach Driscoll holds a .860 save percentage three games into the Challenge Cup, while backup Ty Taylor has struggled when called upon in the league.
Zach Driscoll, formerly of the Toledo Walleye (Image: ECHL)
If the Clan are to turn their season around, they must find a way to restore confidence, starting with next weekend’s games against Belfast.
“I have lived and breathed this hockey club 24-seven for the past nine years and have strived for us to be in a position off the ice to start competing for silverware,” Chalmers continued. “We expected this season to be the first of that new stage in the club’s progression. If we have to make changes to achieve those ambitions, rest assured difficult decisions will be made.”
With that said, Glasgow’s front office has thrown down the gauntlet to Cameron and his players. It’s time for them to deliver – or they could be shuffled out.
