Ward's Power-Play Production Key to Early Success
Oct 21, 2021 | Hockey
Omaha, Neb. – While there have been many factors that have contributed to Omaha's 5-1 start this season, Taylor Ward's production on the power play has played a significant role in the team's early success.
The senior forward from Kelowna, B.C., has scored four times when the Mavericks have a man advantage, a total that ranks second in the nation. He has four of Omaha's seven power-play goals.
The Mavericks have gone 4-0 in games in which Ward has one. In Omaha's sweep of Alaska last weekend, he scored a power-play goal each night. He has four in the last five games he's played.
That's efficient. But Ward believes the Mavericks can be even better on the power play moving forward.
"We're real close," he said. "I think that sometimes we still aren't executing perfectly or to the standard that we want to. It's not bad. It's looking pretty good for so early in the season. We're just going to keep going on that and, hopefully, be able to get one or two every game, which obviously would help us."
Ward's power-play scoring has him tied with linemate Chayse Primeau as Omaha's top point-producer through six games with eight points. Primeau has four goals and four assists, three of which have come on power-play goals by Ward. He also has a power-play goal of his own, on which Ward had an assist.
Tyler Weiss, who teams with Ward and Primeau on an all-senior line, paces the Mavericks with six assists through six games. That trio has combined for 39 percent of Omaha's point production to date.
"It's important that your top guys are a) your hardest workers and b) live your core values the best," Maverick coach Mike Gabinet said. "When those guys are doing those little things, what does everybody else have a choice to do? It's very, very important for those guys [to] continue to not only be our leaders scoring-wise but our leaders in play away from the puck, our details and our structure."
The senior forward from Kelowna, B.C., has scored four times when the Mavericks have a man advantage, a total that ranks second in the nation. He has four of Omaha's seven power-play goals.
The Mavericks have gone 4-0 in games in which Ward has one. In Omaha's sweep of Alaska last weekend, he scored a power-play goal each night. He has four in the last five games he's played.
That's efficient. But Ward believes the Mavericks can be even better on the power play moving forward.
"We're real close," he said. "I think that sometimes we still aren't executing perfectly or to the standard that we want to. It's not bad. It's looking pretty good for so early in the season. We're just going to keep going on that and, hopefully, be able to get one or two every game, which obviously would help us."
Ward's power-play scoring has him tied with linemate Chayse Primeau as Omaha's top point-producer through six games with eight points. Primeau has four goals and four assists, three of which have come on power-play goals by Ward. He also has a power-play goal of his own, on which Ward had an assist.
Tyler Weiss, who teams with Ward and Primeau on an all-senior line, paces the Mavericks with six assists through six games. That trio has combined for 39 percent of Omaha's point production to date.
"It's important that your top guys are a) your hardest workers and b) live your core values the best," Maverick coach Mike Gabinet said. "When those guys are doing those little things, what does everybody else have a choice to do? It's very, very important for those guys [to] continue to not only be our leaders scoring-wise but our leaders in play away from the puck, our details and our structure."
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