After the highs of the tournament I spent a day or so feeling like the worst goalie on the planet (don't ask, the mind of a goalie is a strange thing) and decided that the cure for this malaise was: more hockey. GoalieHusband is off from work this week so we decided to hit our rink's open hockey session from 11:30pm-1am. We'd never been on a Wednesday night and weren't sure what to expect, but it sure wasn't what we got.
When I hit the ice to warm up I thought I was seeing double. But no, my eyes did not deceive me, there were indeed FOUR other goalies besides myself out there. Five goalies! For an hour and a half time slot! Not to mention the rink has a 4 goalie max rule for open hockey, which is why I always get there really early. I guess they didn't feel like enforcing it tonight. Or maybe it was College Night and no one bothered to make the open hockey session a private one. The entire hockey team from a local college descended on the rink. That alone wouldn't have bothered me, it was more the 5 goalie fiasco that really annoyed the hell out of me. I was actually getting a kick out of the college kids. They were skating like bats out of hell, with hands I didn't have a prayer of stopping, and yet it was obvious that they were goofing off. Like greyhounds let out to run for a while.
I had to literally bite the inside of my cheeks to not start giggling at the bench chatter, too. Classify it under "Things I Don't Expect To Hear From Hockey Players", like laughing over everyone's "fun panties". These guys went on at length about different girls' facebook status messages and who was stealing whose girlfriend and who was writing "your girlfriend's a bitch" on whose facebook wall. I thought I might have been transported to the women's U16 team for a bit there. Good stuff.
Unfortunately the dopey bench chatter didn't make up for the fact that I played for a grand total of 16, yes count 'em, 16 minutes. Two 8 minute shifts and then it was time to pack it in. Total. Waste. Of Time. I'm a big proponent of saying no ice time is ever a waste of time, blah blah blah, but jumpin jesus on a pogo stick, I don't need to be up at 2:20 a.m. for having 16 minutes on the ice. So not worth the zombie-state I'll be in tomorrow at work. Grrrr.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Verdict: Tournaments rule
I honestly thought I'd be coming here and posting at least once a day during the tournament, because I was so excited about it. But I was way busier than I expected and just came home and fell into bed each night. (By "busier" I mean "drunker".) So here's the wrap-up.
Day 1 - Friday night, game-time 7:40
I didn't have to work during the day, but GoalieHusband did, and we cut it pretty close, racing out the door as soon as he got home. Route 80 decided to throw us a curveball with two lanes closed for construction and consequently I got to the rink about 10 minutes before game time. NOT my usual pre-game routine! I was buzzing on adrenaline though and so were the rest of the girls, most of whom hadn't skated since the end of our season a few weeks ago.
I'll spare you the gruesome details and just say we lost 5-0 to a squad that was about half D players and half C players. Due to all kinds of politics and stupidity I don't want to get into, (women's hockey = drama) the visiting teams all expected that we were going to stack our roster, so they stacked theirs. I have no idea how many shots I faced but it was a lot. I was a little hung up on the 5 goals against afterwards but honestly it could have been a lot worse. Unfortunately we lost one of our players to a shoulder injury, and she had to sit out the rest of the tournament. She wasn't the only one to have to stand by and watch either, as it turned out.
The atmosphere in the locker room afterwards wasn't bad though, we were just happy to be playing together and having a good time with the tournament ahead of us. I inadvertently provided comic relief for the night though; I left a souvenir behind for the head coach. I'd stuffed all my clothes into a cubby above the bench after I got out of the shower and though I thought I'd grabbed them all and put them into my bag, apparently I left my underwear behind. An unsuspecting coach just saw that there was something there, and picked them up, and went WHOA! and held them out in front of him with his fingers, and handed them off to one of the girls to return to me. GoalieHusband got a kick out of this story and had a grand time teasing Coach about playing with my panties. At least they were just plain black and not "fun panties"...
Day 2 - Saturday, game-time 1:30pm
Saturday morning I was at the rink, Dunkin coffee in hand, by 11 to man the raffle/t-shirt table for an hour. Selling stuff is not my strong suit. Luckily the other woman at the table had no qualms about yelling out to people and guilting them into buying raffle tickets. (We did have some kick-ass prizes, including a Ryan Miller signed jersey). This was when the whirlwind really began. The lobby of the rink was insanely busy, as usual for a weekend day, and time just flew and before I knew it, it was time to head to the locker room again and hit the ice.
We were out-manned (womanned?) once again and lost this one 3-0. The locker room wasn't quite as peppy after this game, as we'd lost another player, this time to a call I still can't quite get my head around. It was initially going to be an interference minor- we think. When the player asked why the ref sent her to the box he said "I don't know yet". Great officiating. Why the delay? The player she'd hit was on the ice moaning and saying over and over "she hit me really hard!" I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound cold and unfeeling, but if you're hurt, you're not going to spend more time complaining about the hit than actually telling the people trying to help you what it is that hurts. She eventually got up and was escorted off the ice, and because she was injured apparently the rule is that whatever the call was going to be, it was now a game misconduct. And, according to USA Hockey that means our player had to sit out the next game as well. As you can imagine this didn't sit well with her, or with many of us.
Though the incident cast a pall over the game, that afternoon is when the party really started. As hosts, we had planned to have a BBQ for all participating teams, but that wasn't scheduled to start until 6. That didn't deter us from getting the party started a little early out in the parking lot on an absolutely gorgeous day. As the afternoon/evening/night wore on, players from other teams would wander out after their games and partake in our offerings and hang around and socialize. I even chatted with some of the girls from the game the night before, and they gave me what might be the best compliment I've ever had: they said that once they were in the locker room after the game they were saying I had been a brick wall and they should have had 10 goals instead of 5. I wasn't sure how to take a compliment like that so I just thanked them.
It was at the tail end of the BBQ that the idea that was responsible for our great play the next day was spawned: the "fun panties" theme. Yes, our esteemed Captain sent out a text to everyone saying that we all had to wear "fun panties" to our game the next day. I was surprised to see that everyone complied quite enthusiastically, but apparently this team has "themes" quite regularly. Ah yes, the difference between men's and women's hockey....
Day 3 - Sunday morning, game-time 10:00
Arriving at the rink with Dunks' in hand was a bit more difficult that morning, as the crazy day of hockey and craziness and standing in the parking lot drinking for 7 hours caught up with me. But I was there, with my fun panties on. And each girl who came in showed off her contribution to the theme, to much hooting and hollering and applause. The girl with the skull and crossbones on the front and the word "SCURVY" on the back won best panties in an impromptu unanimous vote.
Oh yeah, there was a game too. We faced yet another stacked team but guess what? We hung right in there with them and played an awesome game. After three hard fought periods we were tied 2-2 (and you should have heard the eruption of cheering and screaming when we scored that first goal, our first goal after 7 periods of hockey). Unfortunately the rules didn't call for OT in preliminary games, so we had to settle for the tie.
And although GoalieHusband and I went to a diner for breakfast afterward with a friend who came to watch the game, I desperately didn't want it to end and we headed back to the rink after stuffing our very hungry faces. We stuck around for the raffle (I won a Lundqvist signed picture, SA-WEET!) and then for the championship game. We had quite the little cheering section going, too. One of the teams had left a bad taste in our mouths with their 12 yr old looking ringer, so we were very vocally supporting the other team. Probably not the most sportsmanlike thing to do, as hosts of the tournament, but what the hell, we were tired, and full of beer. (Notice a theme here?)
Once it was all over, GoalieHusband and I came back home, showered, and passed out. And I felt like a zombie all the next day, but in a good way. I had a fantastic time with some really good people, and can't wait to head up to Ithaca in a few weeks for the next one. "Cats on 3! ONE - TWO - THREE - CATS!!!"
Day 1 - Friday night, game-time 7:40
I didn't have to work during the day, but GoalieHusband did, and we cut it pretty close, racing out the door as soon as he got home. Route 80 decided to throw us a curveball with two lanes closed for construction and consequently I got to the rink about 10 minutes before game time. NOT my usual pre-game routine! I was buzzing on adrenaline though and so were the rest of the girls, most of whom hadn't skated since the end of our season a few weeks ago.
I'll spare you the gruesome details and just say we lost 5-0 to a squad that was about half D players and half C players. Due to all kinds of politics and stupidity I don't want to get into, (women's hockey = drama) the visiting teams all expected that we were going to stack our roster, so they stacked theirs. I have no idea how many shots I faced but it was a lot. I was a little hung up on the 5 goals against afterwards but honestly it could have been a lot worse. Unfortunately we lost one of our players to a shoulder injury, and she had to sit out the rest of the tournament. She wasn't the only one to have to stand by and watch either, as it turned out.
The atmosphere in the locker room afterwards wasn't bad though, we were just happy to be playing together and having a good time with the tournament ahead of us. I inadvertently provided comic relief for the night though; I left a souvenir behind for the head coach. I'd stuffed all my clothes into a cubby above the bench after I got out of the shower and though I thought I'd grabbed them all and put them into my bag, apparently I left my underwear behind. An unsuspecting coach just saw that there was something there, and picked them up, and went WHOA! and held them out in front of him with his fingers, and handed them off to one of the girls to return to me. GoalieHusband got a kick out of this story and had a grand time teasing Coach about playing with my panties. At least they were just plain black and not "fun panties"...
Day 2 - Saturday, game-time 1:30pm
Saturday morning I was at the rink, Dunkin coffee in hand, by 11 to man the raffle/t-shirt table for an hour. Selling stuff is not my strong suit. Luckily the other woman at the table had no qualms about yelling out to people and guilting them into buying raffle tickets. (We did have some kick-ass prizes, including a Ryan Miller signed jersey). This was when the whirlwind really began. The lobby of the rink was insanely busy, as usual for a weekend day, and time just flew and before I knew it, it was time to head to the locker room again and hit the ice.
We were out-manned (womanned?) once again and lost this one 3-0. The locker room wasn't quite as peppy after this game, as we'd lost another player, this time to a call I still can't quite get my head around. It was initially going to be an interference minor- we think. When the player asked why the ref sent her to the box he said "I don't know yet". Great officiating. Why the delay? The player she'd hit was on the ice moaning and saying over and over "she hit me really hard!" I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound cold and unfeeling, but if you're hurt, you're not going to spend more time complaining about the hit than actually telling the people trying to help you what it is that hurts. She eventually got up and was escorted off the ice, and because she was injured apparently the rule is that whatever the call was going to be, it was now a game misconduct. And, according to USA Hockey that means our player had to sit out the next game as well. As you can imagine this didn't sit well with her, or with many of us.
Though the incident cast a pall over the game, that afternoon is when the party really started. As hosts, we had planned to have a BBQ for all participating teams, but that wasn't scheduled to start until 6. That didn't deter us from getting the party started a little early out in the parking lot on an absolutely gorgeous day. As the afternoon/evening/night wore on, players from other teams would wander out after their games and partake in our offerings and hang around and socialize. I even chatted with some of the girls from the game the night before, and they gave me what might be the best compliment I've ever had: they said that once they were in the locker room after the game they were saying I had been a brick wall and they should have had 10 goals instead of 5. I wasn't sure how to take a compliment like that so I just thanked them.
It was at the tail end of the BBQ that the idea that was responsible for our great play the next day was spawned: the "fun panties" theme. Yes, our esteemed Captain sent out a text to everyone saying that we all had to wear "fun panties" to our game the next day. I was surprised to see that everyone complied quite enthusiastically, but apparently this team has "themes" quite regularly. Ah yes, the difference between men's and women's hockey....
Day 3 - Sunday morning, game-time 10:00
Arriving at the rink with Dunks' in hand was a bit more difficult that morning, as the crazy day of hockey and craziness and standing in the parking lot drinking for 7 hours caught up with me. But I was there, with my fun panties on. And each girl who came in showed off her contribution to the theme, to much hooting and hollering and applause. The girl with the skull and crossbones on the front and the word "SCURVY" on the back won best panties in an impromptu unanimous vote.
Oh yeah, there was a game too. We faced yet another stacked team but guess what? We hung right in there with them and played an awesome game. After three hard fought periods we were tied 2-2 (and you should have heard the eruption of cheering and screaming when we scored that first goal, our first goal after 7 periods of hockey). Unfortunately the rules didn't call for OT in preliminary games, so we had to settle for the tie.
And although GoalieHusband and I went to a diner for breakfast afterward with a friend who came to watch the game, I desperately didn't want it to end and we headed back to the rink after stuffing our very hungry faces. We stuck around for the raffle (I won a Lundqvist signed picture, SA-WEET!) and then for the championship game. We had quite the little cheering section going, too. One of the teams had left a bad taste in our mouths with their 12 yr old looking ringer, so we were very vocally supporting the other team. Probably not the most sportsmanlike thing to do, as hosts of the tournament, but what the hell, we were tired, and full of beer. (Notice a theme here?)
Once it was all over, GoalieHusband and I came back home, showered, and passed out. And I felt like a zombie all the next day, but in a good way. I had a fantastic time with some really good people, and can't wait to head up to Ithaca in a few weeks for the next one. "Cats on 3! ONE - TWO - THREE - CATS!!!"
Thursday, April 22, 2010
I smell, and no one wants to sit next to me
Since I'm buzzing with excitement over the tournament (which starts tomorrow!!!), even though I don't have much to say, here I am. I have however made the discovery that hockey gear really doesn't smell so great when it doesn't have a chance to air/dry out. Sometimes my bag doesn't get packed right away out of necessity; like when I play open hockey and go straight to work. It sits in my car and festers all day. Now that's a pleasant car to get into at the end of the day! And unfortunately last Friday I had a practice after work. I had posted something on facebook about how my stinky gear was festering in my car and I was going to have to put it all back on soon, and one of my teammates posted a comment saying she wasn't going to sit next to me in the locker room. Ha! As if it mattered where she sat! Apparently I was so ripe that during a break in practice one gal said "wow someone really smells, I just got a whiff". I told her it was probably me, and when she made a face I jumped her and gave her a huge hug. HAHAHA.
Yesterday I played open hockey in the morning and since I'm off work, had a chance to lay out my gear during the day. Didn't matter. It was still soaking wet when I put it on at practice last night. I don't imagine it'll be any better with the tournament coming up either. I'll be at the rink for most of the weekend so that stuff is just going to have to sit in my bag after we play. Hahaha. I think I'll sit right next to Christine for every game.
Crap. I can't do that. She sits in a totally different place in the locker room than I do, and I can't not sit in "my" spot. Maybe I'll just lob a wadded up hockey sock in her general direction.
Yesterday I played open hockey in the morning and since I'm off work, had a chance to lay out my gear during the day. Didn't matter. It was still soaking wet when I put it on at practice last night. I don't imagine it'll be any better with the tournament coming up either. I'll be at the rink for most of the weekend so that stuff is just going to have to sit in my bag after we play. Hahaha. I think I'll sit right next to Christine for every game.
Crap. I can't do that. She sits in a totally different place in the locker room than I do, and I can't not sit in "my" spot. Maybe I'll just lob a wadded up hockey sock in her general direction.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
I don't care how much yoga you do, your knee's not supposed to bend like that
Day 1 of my 3 days off. Ahhhhh. Got up early (grumble grumble) and went to open hockey. It was pretty packed, but only 1 other goalie. I wasn't sure who I'd run into on a Wednesday morning, as I usually go on Fridays, but I recognized most of the guys there. I don't know what it is lately but all the Super Awesome Guys have been showing up for open. Doesn't do a whole lot for my confidence. But I have to tell my brain to shut the f*** up and just play.
I let in a TON of goals, but come on, its not like I have much of a chance against these guys. I did actually do something right though, which I'm pretty proud of given how incredibly wrong I usually do it. Puck came down to my end and there were 2 dark team guys pursuing it and nary a white team guy in sight. I went out to get it and planned on winging it around the boards behind the net to get it away from the dark guys. Oh did I say I was going to "wing it"? On what planet do I think I can wing a puck around the boards? It moved all of about 2 feet. But I didn't give up on it, I just tried it again, even though a dark guy was closing in on me. I moved it pretty far, to a white team guy, and not only that but as the dark guy went past me I oh so casually turned my stick over and tied his up on his way by. Muahaha.
Also had a beauty of a "oh look my leg and glove are over here now" save on the douchebag who insisted on dangling and dipshitting around and basically showing me up. Dude. You're like really awesome at hockey. Do you need to fart around with the puck in front of me, just out of poke-check range and make me look like a complete ass? Is that what makes you feel good about yourself? I've been playing on ice for three whole years asshat. Congratulations. (I'm not saying take it easy on me. I HATE when people do that. But have some fucking class).
At the very end when there was about a minute left to play and my D decided they'd rather hang around the bench than be out on the ice, a guy came flying in and crashed the net. I let him get close, then went down because didn't think at that point he'd lift it, and I stopped it alright but it apparently didn't occur to him to even attempt to stop and just ran me right over. Literally landed on top of me, pushing my torso back and bending my right knee even further (was already in the butterfly) and landing hard right on top of it. I yelped. I'm not proud of it, but I yelped.
No one gave him any shit about it either, and with just borrowed time left to play until the zamboni kicked us off, I decided to pack it in. Screw that, I don't need to be out there for 3 on 0's and 4 on 1's at the ass end of the session when everyone's screwing around instead of actually playing. I was really worried about the knee because of the upcoming tournament this weekend, but now that I've iced it I can see that the pain when I bend it isn't coming from inside, it's coming from the extremely tight skin around the goose-egg that developed just above my kneecap. So I'm good.
....annnd just as I was typing that my boss called. Anyone care to place bets on how many phone calls I'll get over the next few days?
I let in a TON of goals, but come on, its not like I have much of a chance against these guys. I did actually do something right though, which I'm pretty proud of given how incredibly wrong I usually do it. Puck came down to my end and there were 2 dark team guys pursuing it and nary a white team guy in sight. I went out to get it and planned on winging it around the boards behind the net to get it away from the dark guys. Oh did I say I was going to "wing it"? On what planet do I think I can wing a puck around the boards? It moved all of about 2 feet. But I didn't give up on it, I just tried it again, even though a dark guy was closing in on me. I moved it pretty far, to a white team guy, and not only that but as the dark guy went past me I oh so casually turned my stick over and tied his up on his way by. Muahaha.
Also had a beauty of a "oh look my leg and glove are over here now" save on the douchebag who insisted on dangling and dipshitting around and basically showing me up. Dude. You're like really awesome at hockey. Do you need to fart around with the puck in front of me, just out of poke-check range and make me look like a complete ass? Is that what makes you feel good about yourself? I've been playing on ice for three whole years asshat. Congratulations. (I'm not saying take it easy on me. I HATE when people do that. But have some fucking class).
At the very end when there was about a minute left to play and my D decided they'd rather hang around the bench than be out on the ice, a guy came flying in and crashed the net. I let him get close, then went down because didn't think at that point he'd lift it, and I stopped it alright but it apparently didn't occur to him to even attempt to stop and just ran me right over. Literally landed on top of me, pushing my torso back and bending my right knee even further (was already in the butterfly) and landing hard right on top of it. I yelped. I'm not proud of it, but I yelped.
No one gave him any shit about it either, and with just borrowed time left to play until the zamboni kicked us off, I decided to pack it in. Screw that, I don't need to be out there for 3 on 0's and 4 on 1's at the ass end of the session when everyone's screwing around instead of actually playing. I was really worried about the knee because of the upcoming tournament this weekend, but now that I've iced it I can see that the pain when I bend it isn't coming from inside, it's coming from the extremely tight skin around the goose-egg that developed just above my kneecap. So I'm good.
....annnd just as I was typing that my boss called. Anyone care to place bets on how many phone calls I'll get over the next few days?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Vacation Days = More Hockey = Happy Goalie
Back in February I took a week's vacation at work so I could indulge in the nirvana of playing hockey every morning and watching Olympic hockey every afternoon. It didn't quite work out that way, and I had to come in to work after all. (Fortunately I was able to leave early a few days so I could still catch some Olympic games). The economic stress that everyone's feeling coupled with that disappointment just keeps adding up and after snapping at a few co-workers recently I realized I really need to make use of the vacation time I have. I have the next 3 days off, and while I'm not going anywhere, I'm really looking forward to the time off. I'll be able to hit a few open hockey sessions, and that alone will reduce the stress factor (unless I continue the trend of doing my best impression of a sieve, in which case I'll just stay grumpy and snarky).
In addition to the time spent (hopefully) relaxing, I also have a tournament coming up. I'm actually really excited about it, because not only is it my first tournament, but it is the same exact tournament I witnessed 4 years ago that transfixed me and cemented my resolve to go from roller to ice. So I'm kind of coming full circle in a way, which is pretty neat.
I never pursued playing for that team, because frankly, I never liked the idea of playing on a womens' team, thanks to the roller hockey experience. However, I did a lot of subbing for the Quarry Cats toward the end of their season this year, and I found that I really like this bunch of gals a lot. There is none of the cattiness (haha! pun!) I expected based on my prior experience, which is awesome. I'll probably be playing for them on a pretty regular basis in the future. I know for sure I'm doing three tournaments, and that this one is the first one seems to be a good omen.
So stay posted, because I'm sure the tournament will provide lots of fodder for frequent (and perhaps buzzed) updates.
In addition to the time spent (hopefully) relaxing, I also have a tournament coming up. I'm actually really excited about it, because not only is it my first tournament, but it is the same exact tournament I witnessed 4 years ago that transfixed me and cemented my resolve to go from roller to ice. So I'm kind of coming full circle in a way, which is pretty neat.
I never pursued playing for that team, because frankly, I never liked the idea of playing on a womens' team, thanks to the roller hockey experience. However, I did a lot of subbing for the Quarry Cats toward the end of their season this year, and I found that I really like this bunch of gals a lot. There is none of the cattiness (haha! pun!) I expected based on my prior experience, which is awesome. I'll probably be playing for them on a pretty regular basis in the future. I know for sure I'm doing three tournaments, and that this one is the first one seems to be a good omen.
So stay posted, because I'm sure the tournament will provide lots of fodder for frequent (and perhaps buzzed) updates.
Monday, April 19, 2010
More Frustration
Another loss last night. This makes us 0-3 on the season. I didn't write about the last game but it was against a team who was "demoted" from the league above us and they'd been spanked 5-0 in their game before ours, so I guess they figured they needed to bring in an assload of ringers to make themselves feel better. We hung in there with them until the middle of the second, when a short bench and lots of penalties got the better of us. Final score was 7-2.
Last night we played the team that beat those guys 5-0 and I was expecting a thorough shellacking because I'd heard *they'd* brought in ringers too. Turns out it was just their usual team, and the game was actually pretty even skill wise. They had a guy who shouldn't really be there but then so do we. This time I felt I played pretty well. Two of the goals were on blatant blown coverages, which is really frustrating, but then I'm sure it's really frustrating for them when your goalie puts it in her own net too. (Thankfully I didn't do that last night. Much better angle on the stick.)
At any rate, yeah 2 goals were pretty impossible, but there were 2 on breakaway rushes that I should have had. I feel like if it's a breakaway, and it's just me and the other guy, I should make that save every time. And the other one was a weird bounce/fluke. So yep, that's 5 goals against. Not good, but still a hell of a lot better than 7 or 8. Would be nice to get a W soon though.
But to end on a positive note I'll bring you "Locker Room Tidbit of the Night". We have an 18 yr old on the team; his dad plays with us too, it's kind of cool. Unfortunately GoalieHusband loves to give this kid a hard time and rags on him like a younger brother. I told the kid now that he's 18 he can legally beat up GH. Anyway, after the game we'd just come back to the locker room and people were starting to peel their layers off, and one guy noticed that the kid was sitting there with his phone before he'd even taken any gear off.
Senator (that'll be his nickname here): Hey, look at Kid, he's already texting his girlfriend about his two goals.*
Guy Next to Me: He's 18. He's not texting, he's tweeting. Texting is sooooo 2009!
Indeed. So is blogging about your games probably.
*the comment was slightly different, about 1000 times more off color, so I cleaned it up a bit. the sentiment is the same.
Last night we played the team that beat those guys 5-0 and I was expecting a thorough shellacking because I'd heard *they'd* brought in ringers too. Turns out it was just their usual team, and the game was actually pretty even skill wise. They had a guy who shouldn't really be there but then so do we. This time I felt I played pretty well. Two of the goals were on blatant blown coverages, which is really frustrating, but then I'm sure it's really frustrating for them when your goalie puts it in her own net too. (Thankfully I didn't do that last night. Much better angle on the stick.)
At any rate, yeah 2 goals were pretty impossible, but there were 2 on breakaway rushes that I should have had. I feel like if it's a breakaway, and it's just me and the other guy, I should make that save every time. And the other one was a weird bounce/fluke. So yep, that's 5 goals against. Not good, but still a hell of a lot better than 7 or 8. Would be nice to get a W soon though.
But to end on a positive note I'll bring you "Locker Room Tidbit of the Night". We have an 18 yr old on the team; his dad plays with us too, it's kind of cool. Unfortunately GoalieHusband loves to give this kid a hard time and rags on him like a younger brother. I told the kid now that he's 18 he can legally beat up GH. Anyway, after the game we'd just come back to the locker room and people were starting to peel their layers off, and one guy noticed that the kid was sitting there with his phone before he'd even taken any gear off.
Senator (that'll be his nickname here): Hey, look at Kid, he's already texting his girlfriend about his two goals.*
Guy Next to Me: He's 18. He's not texting, he's tweeting. Texting is sooooo 2009!
Indeed. So is blogging about your games probably.
*the comment was slightly different, about 1000 times more off color, so I cleaned it up a bit. the sentiment is the same.
Friday, April 9, 2010
That's How We Roll
First game in a few weeks last night as the Hawks took to the ice to defend our basement level league championship. I think everyone needed a little break, and the energy in the room was pretty good. The energy on the ice was even better- we were up 5-2 by the end of the 2nd period.
And.... that's when it all fell apart. I don't know what it is but we have a terrible time holding on to leads in the 3rd period. Lack of focus, probably, on all our parts. We played the 3rd period like we were up by 10, not three. I had a feeling it was going to slip away when at the bench before the 3rd, guys were saying "come on, we have a three goal lead". While I made a lot of what I feel were very good saves, especially the ones through traffic that I *just* got a look at and got to in time, I also didn't help the team out all that much by giving up two goals on what has become my absolute Achilles heel: an angled stick.
I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to fix this. I was trained to hold the stick blade at an angle to the ice while in my stance. When I drop into the butterfly though, I have a habit of not bringing it flush against my pads (i.e. perpendicular to the ice), and the puck hits the blade or the shaft and goes winging off over my shoulder- sometimes right into the net. I know this frustrates my teammates- it frustrates the hell out of me. The only way I can think of to fix it is to take a zillion shots aimed right at the stick and just keep dropping down correctly over and over until it becomes muscle memory. Unfortunately I don't really think I have the opportunity (ice time) to do that. Maybe GoalieHusband and I can work on it in the basement using cat toys instead of pucks. The only thing that's going to make it better is repetition.
A teammate on the IR was there and took a slew of photos of the game, and looking through them afterwards I only cringed at about 60% of them. In the others I actually saw that I was doing some stuff right. Its really neat to have that perspective, so you know what little adjustments you need to make. So thanks, 44, for the shots.
And on a totally unrelated note, I discovered Practical Application for Yoga #432 today: Chair Pose is fantastic for hovering over public toilets and peeing. Doesn't even phase me to do that anymore. Somehow though, I don't think my instructor would be as excited to hear about that as she was to hear about how one of the breathing techniques got me through the last minute of our championship game. I might just tell her anyway.
And.... that's when it all fell apart. I don't know what it is but we have a terrible time holding on to leads in the 3rd period. Lack of focus, probably, on all our parts. We played the 3rd period like we were up by 10, not three. I had a feeling it was going to slip away when at the bench before the 3rd, guys were saying "come on, we have a three goal lead". While I made a lot of what I feel were very good saves, especially the ones through traffic that I *just* got a look at and got to in time, I also didn't help the team out all that much by giving up two goals on what has become my absolute Achilles heel: an angled stick.
I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to fix this. I was trained to hold the stick blade at an angle to the ice while in my stance. When I drop into the butterfly though, I have a habit of not bringing it flush against my pads (i.e. perpendicular to the ice), and the puck hits the blade or the shaft and goes winging off over my shoulder- sometimes right into the net. I know this frustrates my teammates- it frustrates the hell out of me. The only way I can think of to fix it is to take a zillion shots aimed right at the stick and just keep dropping down correctly over and over until it becomes muscle memory. Unfortunately I don't really think I have the opportunity (ice time) to do that. Maybe GoalieHusband and I can work on it in the basement using cat toys instead of pucks. The only thing that's going to make it better is repetition.
A teammate on the IR was there and took a slew of photos of the game, and looking through them afterwards I only cringed at about 60% of them. In the others I actually saw that I was doing some stuff right. Its really neat to have that perspective, so you know what little adjustments you need to make. So thanks, 44, for the shots.
And on a totally unrelated note, I discovered Practical Application for Yoga #432 today: Chair Pose is fantastic for hovering over public toilets and peeing. Doesn't even phase me to do that anymore. Somehow though, I don't think my instructor would be as excited to hear about that as she was to hear about how one of the breathing techniques got me through the last minute of our championship game. I might just tell her anyway.
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