There is no more sugar coating it.
There is no room for "bad bounces," "tough breaks" or "we were the better team" answers.
The nightmare start to the season for the Guelph Storm, which is no longer just a "start," given that they are 10 games in, continued Tuesday night in Kitchener.
The Rangers scored 51 seconds into the game and never looked back, cruising to a 7-1 victory for Guelph's ninth loss in those 10 games. It was also their sixth loss in a row.
The frustration on coach Chad Wiseman's face was palpable after the game and he wasn't pulling any punches in describing what happened. And, all too often, keeps happening.
A lack of execution. A lack of goaltending. A lack of leadership.
"I don't know what to say," said Wiseman, before saying plenty about a team that on paper should be in the top four in the conference, not the second worse team out of 60 junior clubs in the entire country.
"Paper doesn't come to the rink every day and work and compete and put the time in, care and do all the right things on the ice. The guy's on the paper do," Wiseman said.
"There was nothing. Turnovers in the first period, one-man forecheck, no pressure, no attention to detail ... and I thought there was a lack of leadership. Our top guys have to be better. Their top guys were on the scoresheet, competing and playing the right way and I don't think our top guys were."
Guelph trailed 3-0 before Sasha Pastujov got them on the board with a power play marker.
But despite playing against a Rangers team down to just four defenceman, and outshooting their hosts 32-30, there wasn't a lot of sustained pressure outside of power plays from Guelph.
And the goaltending was again sub-par, with Jacob Oster allowing the first four goals before getting the hook and Dixon Grimes allowing the other three.
"We need to make some saves when saves are needed," Wiseman said. "I thought for the most part we defended okay. They (Kitchener) did a nice job off the rush, but I think until the final three or four minutes of the game they only had 23 shots. That's not a bad night in the OHL and we need to make some saves.
The goaltending needs to be better?
"Every single person needs to be better," was Wiseman's response.
Guelph is home to Mississauga Friday and North Bay on Sunday. They play in Owen Sound Saturday.
