After a day of loading up on water and as many carbs as I could find (including the apparent good luck charm: a Snickers bar), I had another double header on Wednesday. Practice at 10 with the girls, and game at 11 with the boys. If you read my last post, you know that if there was ever a time for a win, it was now, and fortunately, we got it. We had one of the old Hawks back, and I think that made a difference. As Senator put it in the locker room later, Guido is glue. (No that's not a blog name, that's what we really call him). I share Senator's view in that I don't think you can ever say one person makes or breaks a team. But when Guido and one of our two other higher skilled guys play, it's a totally different game. The game opens up more and the rest of the team can play the positional roles they're supposed to, because everyone is more where they are expecting each other to be. Guido also sees the game well and sets up plays; he's a great passer. As GoalieHusband has put it in the past, we're a great support team. We just need those 2 or 3 guys to support. I also think it has a lot to do with the fact that we just keep pushing and do not give up. We work hard and grind away and maybe it's finally starting to pay off.
The score was 5-3, but that seems totally irrelevant in the face of the fact that WE WON!!! I personally had a great game, with the exception of the first goal. I had a great look at the shot, but I guess my stick wasn't down when I dropped and it went through my knees. Yuck. But otherwise? I was kickin' ass and takin' names. Somehow, I seem to have grown balls. Maybe watching all MsConduct's footage of Barry Brust is rubbing off on me, but I was poke checking, aggressive and doing whatever the hell it took to keep the puck out of the net. There was a play right at the very end of the game, where I know at least one of my D saved my ass, but I also know I made about 3 saves in the scramble, including a barrel roll of some kind. When I finally snagged the puck to freeze it the ref said "Wow". I asked him if he liked my Hasek impression. ;)
I mentioned playing the puck. I saw you cringe, you know. But like I said, I was in my groove and being all ballsy. It was actually the same exact kind of play that got me in trouble a few games ago, but this time, I nailed it. The puck was coming back into the zone right down the middle, and one of my D was in pursuit with an opponent right on him. I went right out to get it, no hesitation, and he gave me the ever so slightest indication with one finger to put it over to his left, which I did fluidly and he went and got it. The bench cheered. Yes, my bench cheered me for successfully playing a puck. That cracked me up... but also made me feel really good. I'm glad they can see I'm making a little bit of progress.
The win also made it a little easier to think about ordering jerseys. If we want to stay in this league we have to all have matching ones, so Senator has been working on a mock-up of something that everyone can agree on. We're sticking with the obnoxious yellow, since no one else would dare wear it, but the design keeps the gold/blue theme going. I personally love it. I think the funky borders are slightly reminiscent of feathers/wings. I hope we get these suckers a lot faster than I got my QCat ones. Check it out:
Speaking of jerseys, my excitement to finally wear a "real" QCat jersey for a game will have to wait. I'm on the IR for tomorrow's game, a fact about which I am NOT HAPPY. Yesterday morning I slipped on ice in my driveway and fell forward and landed square on my left kneecap. Yes, I'm aware of the irony there. Perhaps I should just wear my skates all winter. My first thought as my knee smashed into the pavement was "NO NO NO NO I HAVE A GAME ON SUNDAY OH SHIT OH SHIT". I dragged myself into the car and called GoalieHusband right away, but calmed down after realizing I had not felt or heard a pop or crack. (My second instinct was to tweet it. God help me.) Grabbed an ice pack and some Aleve from the house, and made my way to work, where I ultimately wanted to hang a sign around my neck that said "NO I DID NOT GET HURT PLAYING HOCKEY, I FELL IN MY DRIVEWAY". It wasn't even any fun. Jeez. But limping around the office did at least get me several offers for painkillers. The real kind. I should have taken a few people up on that but I'm not really a pill-taker. I'll stick with my wine. (Though painkillers and wine... hmmmm.... lol)
I'm banking on the fact that the pain and inflexibility is a result of the swelling, and just keep icing it and have it wrapped. I decided to have it checked out today though, just in case, and was greatly amused by the Russian doctor who saw me. He walked into the room, took one look at me in my Ranger jersey, looked down at the chart and said "So... you get hurt skating with Rangers?" I wish! We had quite the conversation about hockey in general, but the best part was when I asked him how soon I could play and he said "You are goalie. You have good defense, you don't have to do anything." Ha! I like this guy. (Interestingly, his last name is the same as an NHLer. I got a kick out of that). The doc thinks it's probably just a contusion, but when he tried to straighten my leg and I yelped in pain, he decided perhaps an x-ray to make sure would be in order. I'll have that done on Monday morning. Which means I'm on the sidelines tomorrow. At least I won't be alone; one of my D sprained/partially tore a ligament in her ankle, so we'll at least have each other. I texted her this morning and told her she'll have company in the stands and we can cry in our beer together. But I'm still going to be wearing my jersey, dammit.
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