GOAL-SHY Joe Cardarelli is at the lowest point in his eight-year professional ice hockey career.
The 24-year-old forward joined Manchester Storm from Bracknell in the summer having finished as the Superleague's top points-scorer last season with a staggering 75 points from only 62 games.
Head coach Daryl Lipsey had envisaged him forming a dream first forward line partnership with Trevor Gallant, Storm's player of the year last season, and ex-NHL man Russ Romaniuk, that would terrorise opposing defences.
But that dream is still far from realisation.
Player and assistant coach Gallant and Romaniuk have barely reached double figures with nearly half of the season gone while Cardarelli has only managed seven points.
And the team is suffering as a result.
Storm are bottom of the table having only found the net only 43 times in their 23 games so far.
By contrast Bracknell, who they visit on Sunday having lost 4-0 in the Beehive last Sunday, are averaging over three goals a game.
Storm have now not won in Bracknell for the past three years.
Resolve
But Cardarelli refuses to be disheartened and is determined to drag himself out of a rut that is costing his team dear.
''This is the lowest it has ever been for me but I'm keeping positive,'' said British-Columbia-born Cardarelli.
''Obviously I'm very frustrated that the puck is not going in the net but I'll come through this.
''You've got to stay positive and keep smiling. If I didn't I would probably have gone crazy by now.
''Winning is contagious but so is losing.
''We have just got to find a way to burst this bubble.
''The way our goaltending is going we're generally not going to concede more than three goals a game so if we can start scoring, then I'm sure we will win a lot of games.
He added: ''I haven't changed anything from last year.
''My approach to games is still the same as it has been in the past.
''Hockey is a game of ups and downs.
''We've been down a lot this year but it's important not to get too down just as you can't get too high when you're doing well.
''Hopefully in the second half of the season there will be a lot more ups.''
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