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JumpierPegasus · 01-08-2017, 03:46 PM

<div align="center">Sophomore Slump or a Silver Lining
Beau Bent's Shot Totals Leave Portland Executives Hopeful

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An offseason of elation followed Portland Admirals Beau Bent around. A high like no other off of a stellar rookie season of 23 points from Portland 3rd line, then being named captain and the first line centre of the young Portland team. This season was going to be the first season of the rest of his career. The one where he put the team on his back, led the team in scoring, gained accolades from fans and media alike, and kept Portland's young players from feeling the wrath of losing every game.

It didn't turn out like that.

A good start for Bent put Portland in an alright position to start the season. A good mix of goals and assists, Bent led the team in scoring and was in fact putting them on his back. But only a few games into the season one glaring issue arose; Bent couldn't score. Every game he'd place multiple shots on net (an average of 3 per game, easily the most on the entire Portland roster), but he couldn't seem to put it past the goalie. It wasn't for a lack of effort either, he worked hard on getting himself in front of the net, crashing to goalie, and finding good scoring opportunities. As the season progressed, Bent found himself scoring fewer and fewer points, and forcing more and more shots. By midseason, Bent had placed almost 100 shots on the net, but found himself stuck with only 5 goals. A paltry 5% shooting percentage in a league where most players -- stars and middle six players alike -- are shooting at a rate of 8-12% comfortably.

At this point, Bent went into a tailspin. By the end of the season he had luckily risen his shooting percentage to 6%, but the amount of shots Bent put on net went down drastically, to only 50 in the last half, effectively cutting his shooting production in half. This hurt the Admirals, as they continued to lose, but even more heavily, earning a grand total of seven -- Yes that's a single digit number -- wins on the season.

However, the silver lining in Bent's season is his shots on net. He may have had a low shooting percentage, he may have been forcing shots, but he was the biggest possession driver on the Admirals. He directed so many shots on net that became chances for Geronimo Otto, and he was making sure the the play stayed in the opposing teams zone. If he keeps up his shot production, next season he could be a 20 goal scorer, as long as things go his way. And that's where Portland management is happy with him. He was one of the most important players to the team this season, even if he finished fourth in team point production. Next season, if he is more lucky on some of his attempts, Bent could be the best player on the Admirals.

So Bent has stated that he isn't fretting. He isn't worried about this season, and how it was a step down from last season, despite being given more responsibility. He knows that he put lots of pucks on the net, and his luck is bound to change. A 5-6% shooting percentage can't be sustainable for a young player like Beau, and he is determined to change that stat next season.