The team is 0-2 on the young season so far, and while our last loss was a team effort, I felt that I in particular had a poor game. It started with a goal basically off the opening faceoff, where an opponent walked in, got me to bite on a deke, and put it effortlessly around me. The D probably should have had him, but I should have been more prepared for the shot as well. Things did get better though, and I did play well in some spots, but I’m not happy with any of the goals really. One was a screen that I had absolutely no clue on, but other than that, I should have had the others. I’m not here to beat myself up over that though (I spent most of Monday night doing that already and now I’m over it), but to report a curious incident in the third period.
I had a really good focus going, especially at one point in the second on a shorthanded breakaway of sorts where I just got the “no f-in’ way, man” feeling and totally challenged and turned away the shot, but strangely, in the third period it was gone. I was doing fine until for some reason I missed a delayed penalty in the other end. It wasn’t until I heard the bench screaming to get my attention that I realized what was going on. I hauled ass to the bench, but got there just as the other team got the puck and the ref blew the play dead. I heard one of my teammates grouse about me not having my head in the game, which I totally deserved. But when I got back to the net I felt strangely exposed. My focus was totally gone. I could practically hear the wind echoing through my empty head. No Andrei, singing to me in Russian. GoalieBrain? Nowhere to be found. Not a peep from Steve. I could feel it happening (my loss of focus) but try as I might, I couldn’t get it back. Though we were already down 1 goal at that point, I feel partially responsible for the 3 that followed, being that I wasn’t in my zone. It rattled me- the fact that I could lose focus like that and not get it back. So now I have to find a trick to summon all those voices back into my head when they decide to bail on me. My pledge to my team: that will NOT happen again. You can count on it.
Hmmmm…. Why is it that I’m more concerned about admitting that I lost focus, than admitting that NOT having voices in my head was a problem?
2 comments:
Goalie brains are complex creatures, so I wouldn't know where to begin regarding getting your focus back, but my suggestion is to just try to get your body-memory of goaltending back - while waiting for a faceoff do a practice move or skate out and skate back, or something that gets you in the mindframe of "hockey time"... or y'know, "check the oil" on some guy.
Hey, quit beating yourself up. Team effort!
And about the end of the game, I'm pretty sure I totally screened you on goal #6.
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