After playing in the tournament, I drove back yesterday afternoon and had a good long nap and several hours before playing again at 11 with the Hawks. I wasn't going to come here and write about that game, because it sucked donkey balls so hard, but I think it's the only way to purge it from the goaliebrain.
We lost 9-3. I'll jump right in and start off with my biggest fear: that everyone on that bench was shaking their head and muttering that I shouldn't have gone to that tournament and it was affecting my play. Now I'll be logical: with a score like that it can't possibly be all on me. (Can it?) Unfortunately the logical side isn't winning in this bout of the blame game.
Fact: we were missing 4 forwards. That can't have helped matters at all.
Fact: we were actually completely off the board until midway through the 2nd period. That goal came on a 5 on 3.
Fact: this was my 5th game in 3 days. I'd be a moron to think that had no effect at all on my performance but I honestly didn't feel tired. Maybe I was mentally tired. I know for sure that a lot of those goals were complete garbage that I'd like to flog myself over for a while, but I have to get out of my head. I don't want to send myself into another tailspin.
Rehashing every goal in my head is not going to make anything any better so I have to activate goalie goldfish-brain and just forget about all of them and move on. Somehow no matter how many times I say that though, I'm still sitting here brooding. My biggest fear, as always, isn't playing poorly, it's playing poorly and having my team disappointed/disgusted with me for it.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tourney Time
I'm not a very social creature, so the thought of going off to a strange place 4 hours away for 3 days with a bunch of people I don't know very well (but am getting to know better and better) was pretty intimidating. However I forced myself out of my box, knowing that it would be a lot of fun, and it would be good for me, and I was right on both counts. This is really a great bunch of women I've become a part of. And they seem to really like me a lot too, so that feels nice and warm and fuzzy.
But let's get to the hockey. First game was Friday night, and after a long hot ride (my air conditioning gave out after about 40 minutes) some time chillin' in the hotel room was perfect for pre-game prep. We had a short bench; only 8 skaters. We gained 2 more the next day but not everyone could make it for the Friday night game. We also had no coach. But we've played without a coach before, so we made our own lines and dug down and gritted out a 2-0 win. Yes, we shut them out with only 8 skaters, and not only that but it was a (bullshit) penalty parade, including 2 separate 5 on 3's. Our PK rocked. It felt really great to come right out of the gate with a win like that.
Somehow, Little Miss Not-Social's room became the hub of the off-ice revelries. There were 3 of us sharing the room, and as soon as we got back from the game people showed up in our room with beer and snacks, and we sat around chatting and ordering wings and drinking beer. It was great. I think I might have drunk tweeted a few times too. Ooops. I was also deemed Deputy Mayor of Belchertown. Good times.
Saturday morning's game was a little less inspiring. We gained 2 more players and our coach, but we played the Ringer Team. This team wiped up all the other teams with scores like 4-0, 6-0, etc. You tell me they belonged in our division. I think not. Anyway... we didn't play that great against them, and they were a better team, and we lost 4-0. Some of their players were pretty dirty, including one #27 who boarded one of our girls pretty hard (no call, of course), which resulted in her being hurt and leaving the game. Funny. I thought the USA Hockey rule was that if a player was injured the offending party got a game misconduct? Oh wait... I guess that only applies if the player who was "hurt" is a whiny drama queen. I guess if you suck it up and just leave the ice and sit on the bench with an ice pack you don't get the call. After that I decided to let the mean out a little bit, and started hacking at some ankles.
I was completely dead after that game, and tired, hungry and cranky, so I headed back to the hotel on my own for a shower and a nap. By then I really needed some alone time. Thankfully no one questions it if the goalie goes off by herself for a while. (They do not, however, give a Goalie Exemption for sleeping with a stuffed animal. Yes, I sleep with one. Yes, I brought it with me. The first night, as we were turning in and I pulled it out of my suitcase, I self-consciously said "Ok don't make fun of me but I sleep with a stuffed animal." One roommate laughed and said "We won't make fun of you. But we will take pictures." The other said "Maalivahti! You are a grown woman!" What can I say. Goalies are weird. Deal.)
After the nap I dragged myself back to the rink for the 2nd game of the day. That was the hardest one to play, physically. Also, we knew if we didn't win that game, we wouldn't go on to the championship game on Sunday morning. I'm really proud of how we played. We played GREAT, we played like a team, and we won 2-1. In the locker room afterwards the coach told us not to have any margaritas, and to be in bed by 10pm. The two 19-yr olds who were with us as guests giggled and said they were going to come around and tape our doors at "lights out" to make sure we went to bed.
To that, all I have to say is: Yeah Right. Where'd we all end up again? My room. There was talk of a side excursion to the sex store around the corner but we were all starving and tired and room service shut down at 10. It was only 9pm, but as I learned this weekend, it takes 10 women roughly 45 minutes to make a decision about ANYTHING (and then another 20 minutes to actually execute said plan), so we didn't have much time. Food and beer were consumed, though there was no overkill on the imbibing, since we all wanted to kick some serious biotch ass the next morning. (The team was called the B's. We decided that stood for BI-OTCH). After some very bizarre turns of conversation that will not be shared here, we turned in around midnight like good little hockey players.
We were all pumped for the championship game the next day, and despite it being against the Ringer Team, I thought we might actually have a chance. And we did play a lot better. Fortunately, the injured girl was able to play. Also fortunately, I exacted my own little bit of revenge on #27. I got her with the most blatant trip a goalie ever threw. She went flying on her belly and turned around to glare at me. To which all I have to say is: That's what you get for skating through the paint, sweetheart. (And yes, MsConduct10, I think that would be a fantastic thing to have on my tombstone!)
Personal revenge aside, we lost the game 5-0 (one was an empty netter) despite playing MUCH better than last time. This team was simply a level higher and no one can say they didn't leave it all on the ice. We got a silver, and we worked damn hard for it. Pictures were taken so hopefully soon I will have one to share. The ride home was bliss, too. I've done a lot of road trips, but all have been with someone else. This was the first time I've driven any decent distance by myself (4 hours). I have to say I loved it. Windows open, tunes cranked, coffee in hand. It was awesome. Well, I had to have the windows open. My gear was all spread out in the back seat, where it had been stored all weekend. (Hey we were not about to bring 3 stinky hockey bags into the hotel room). I'm wondering if it will ever dry out. And if my hip and knee will ever stop aching. But holy crap it was worth it. Next tourney is in August. I'm ready.
But let's get to the hockey. First game was Friday night, and after a long hot ride (my air conditioning gave out after about 40 minutes) some time chillin' in the hotel room was perfect for pre-game prep. We had a short bench; only 8 skaters. We gained 2 more the next day but not everyone could make it for the Friday night game. We also had no coach. But we've played without a coach before, so we made our own lines and dug down and gritted out a 2-0 win. Yes, we shut them out with only 8 skaters, and not only that but it was a (bullshit) penalty parade, including 2 separate 5 on 3's. Our PK rocked. It felt really great to come right out of the gate with a win like that.
Somehow, Little Miss Not-Social's room became the hub of the off-ice revelries. There were 3 of us sharing the room, and as soon as we got back from the game people showed up in our room with beer and snacks, and we sat around chatting and ordering wings and drinking beer. It was great. I think I might have drunk tweeted a few times too. Ooops. I was also deemed Deputy Mayor of Belchertown. Good times.
Saturday morning's game was a little less inspiring. We gained 2 more players and our coach, but we played the Ringer Team. This team wiped up all the other teams with scores like 4-0, 6-0, etc. You tell me they belonged in our division. I think not. Anyway... we didn't play that great against them, and they were a better team, and we lost 4-0. Some of their players were pretty dirty, including one #27 who boarded one of our girls pretty hard (no call, of course), which resulted in her being hurt and leaving the game. Funny. I thought the USA Hockey rule was that if a player was injured the offending party got a game misconduct? Oh wait... I guess that only applies if the player who was "hurt" is a whiny drama queen. I guess if you suck it up and just leave the ice and sit on the bench with an ice pack you don't get the call. After that I decided to let the mean out a little bit, and started hacking at some ankles.
I was completely dead after that game, and tired, hungry and cranky, so I headed back to the hotel on my own for a shower and a nap. By then I really needed some alone time. Thankfully no one questions it if the goalie goes off by herself for a while. (They do not, however, give a Goalie Exemption for sleeping with a stuffed animal. Yes, I sleep with one. Yes, I brought it with me. The first night, as we were turning in and I pulled it out of my suitcase, I self-consciously said "Ok don't make fun of me but I sleep with a stuffed animal." One roommate laughed and said "We won't make fun of you. But we will take pictures." The other said "Maalivahti! You are a grown woman!" What can I say. Goalies are weird. Deal.)
After the nap I dragged myself back to the rink for the 2nd game of the day. That was the hardest one to play, physically. Also, we knew if we didn't win that game, we wouldn't go on to the championship game on Sunday morning. I'm really proud of how we played. We played GREAT, we played like a team, and we won 2-1. In the locker room afterwards the coach told us not to have any margaritas, and to be in bed by 10pm. The two 19-yr olds who were with us as guests giggled and said they were going to come around and tape our doors at "lights out" to make sure we went to bed.
To that, all I have to say is: Yeah Right. Where'd we all end up again? My room. There was talk of a side excursion to the sex store around the corner but we were all starving and tired and room service shut down at 10. It was only 9pm, but as I learned this weekend, it takes 10 women roughly 45 minutes to make a decision about ANYTHING (and then another 20 minutes to actually execute said plan), so we didn't have much time. Food and beer were consumed, though there was no overkill on the imbibing, since we all wanted to kick some serious biotch ass the next morning. (The team was called the B's. We decided that stood for BI-OTCH). After some very bizarre turns of conversation that will not be shared here, we turned in around midnight like good little hockey players.
We were all pumped for the championship game the next day, and despite it being against the Ringer Team, I thought we might actually have a chance. And we did play a lot better. Fortunately, the injured girl was able to play. Also fortunately, I exacted my own little bit of revenge on #27. I got her with the most blatant trip a goalie ever threw. She went flying on her belly and turned around to glare at me. To which all I have to say is: That's what you get for skating through the paint, sweetheart. (And yes, MsConduct10, I think that would be a fantastic thing to have on my tombstone!)
Personal revenge aside, we lost the game 5-0 (one was an empty netter) despite playing MUCH better than last time. This team was simply a level higher and no one can say they didn't leave it all on the ice. We got a silver, and we worked damn hard for it. Pictures were taken so hopefully soon I will have one to share. The ride home was bliss, too. I've done a lot of road trips, but all have been with someone else. This was the first time I've driven any decent distance by myself (4 hours). I have to say I loved it. Windows open, tunes cranked, coffee in hand. It was awesome. Well, I had to have the windows open. My gear was all spread out in the back seat, where it had been stored all weekend. (Hey we were not about to bring 3 stinky hockey bags into the hotel room). I'm wondering if it will ever dry out. And if my hip and knee will ever stop aching. But holy crap it was worth it. Next tourney is in August. I'm ready.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Maybe there is makeup in hockey, after all
When the hockey gods tap you on the shoulder, you listen. (Or if you don't, you're a dumbass). Only days after my post about the opposing chick with her wads of eyeliner and mascara, @MsConduct10 alerted me (and the rest of twitter) to this. Besides the fact that Tuukka's deadly goalie stare froze me in my tracks, I found this article fascinating reading. Not only did it say the opposite of what I thought it would say, it also mentioned the makeup factor. Now I know what that chick on the other team is up to. She plays defense- she's gotta be using the Eyeliner Effect (tm). Written from a guy's perspective about playing against a female goalie, the article reveals that guys actually try harder to score on chicks (hello, no-brainer haha), to avoid that whole "beaten by a girl" stigma. I figured they fell into two categories: a) the ones who don't give a crap or b) the ones who condescend and "go easy" on you. Actually there's a third category which thankfully I've only run into a handful of times: the "women don't belong on the ice" category. But they can go scratch.
I figured after the makeup discussion about our last opponent, and reading this article, that chick might actually be on to something. I have actually always wondered in the back of my mind if that split nanosecond where the forward does a mental double-take at the sight of kohl-lined eyes staring back at him would give me any advantage. Being of a scientific mindset, I decided to test the theory last night.
And we, as a team, kicked ass. The other team was chippy, and by the time they were down 5-0 were really angry and consequently easy to beat. Not happy with 4 goals against... but in review, I think 2 were deflections, one was a perfect shot to the top corner through a screen, and one was the fault of my gaping 5-hole as I dithered about whether to push laterally or just butterfly block (couldn't read what the shooter was about to do). However I'm pretty proud of the final minute and a half or so, when with the score at 6-4 we went down a man and the other team naturally pulled their goalie. It was an intense full minute or so; the other team was positioned perfectly with 2 guys staying high on the points and 2 guys on top of the crease at all times. We did a great job defending against them though. I had 3 or 4 quick saves in tight and was really active with my stick and I feel that was the best part of my game. Eyeliner-induced confidence? Who knows. That might become my signature now though. Well, mine and the other chick's. No makeup in hockey, my ass.
I figured after the makeup discussion about our last opponent, and reading this article, that chick might actually be on to something. I have actually always wondered in the back of my mind if that split nanosecond where the forward does a mental double-take at the sight of kohl-lined eyes staring back at him would give me any advantage. Being of a scientific mindset, I decided to test the theory last night.
And we, as a team, kicked ass. The other team was chippy, and by the time they were down 5-0 were really angry and consequently easy to beat. Not happy with 4 goals against... but in review, I think 2 were deflections, one was a perfect shot to the top corner through a screen, and one was the fault of my gaping 5-hole as I dithered about whether to push laterally or just butterfly block (couldn't read what the shooter was about to do). However I'm pretty proud of the final minute and a half or so, when with the score at 6-4 we went down a man and the other team naturally pulled their goalie. It was an intense full minute or so; the other team was positioned perfectly with 2 guys staying high on the points and 2 guys on top of the crease at all times. We did a great job defending against them though. I had 3 or 4 quick saves in tight and was really active with my stick and I feel that was the best part of my game. Eyeliner-induced confidence? Who knows. That might become my signature now though. Well, mine and the other chick's. No makeup in hockey, my ass.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
We are everywhere
There's a new guy at work. If I had to guess I'd say he's probably about 10 years older than I am. Today I had to set his computer up and add him to the network, which, since I don't have add workstation rights, took a long-ass time while I waited on hold with tech support so THEY could add him. This gave us ample time for small talk and bullshitting. (This guy talks A LOT.) Throughout the course of conversation he discovered that I 1) don't watch much tv or many movies and 2) don't have a Blackberry, and don't want one. He was incredulous. "What do you do then, read?" Um, yes, actually, I do. A lot. But his bigger conundrum was "how will I be able to bribe you then? What do you like? What do you do?" I threw the offhanded "well I play hockey" out there just to see how he'd react. (Trust me this is not a progressive-thinking man when it comes to females, I've learned this already in two short days).
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he too, used to play hockey. We talked about where/when he played for a bit and then he said the magic words. "I used to be a goalie". I practically squealed "Hey, I'm a goalie!" (Yeah, I know, not very hockey-player-like, the squealing. What can I say.)
Unfortunately there will be no goalie-geeking-out with this guy because he's too busy talking about himself and trying to impress you with everything to actually have a real conversation. I was actually interested in asking him about his style, because given his age I was thinking it probably wasn't butterfly. But he started off on a tangent about baseball, which like the actual sport itself, kinda put me to sleep.
Still pretty cool to run into not only someone in my office who used to play, but was a goalie to boot. There are only 2 other people I work with that ever played hockey, and roughly the same number of people who could hold an intelligent hockey conversation, so maybe he's not all that bad. As I left his office I said "So, now you know how to bribe me". He wrote a note on his pad and said "Yep, got it. Hockey tickets." Way to go, Goalie's Union.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he too, used to play hockey. We talked about where/when he played for a bit and then he said the magic words. "I used to be a goalie". I practically squealed "Hey, I'm a goalie!" (Yeah, I know, not very hockey-player-like, the squealing. What can I say.)
Unfortunately there will be no goalie-geeking-out with this guy because he's too busy talking about himself and trying to impress you with everything to actually have a real conversation. I was actually interested in asking him about his style, because given his age I was thinking it probably wasn't butterfly. But he started off on a tangent about baseball, which like the actual sport itself, kinda put me to sleep.
Still pretty cool to run into not only someone in my office who used to play, but was a goalie to boot. There are only 2 other people I work with that ever played hockey, and roughly the same number of people who could hold an intelligent hockey conversation, so maybe he's not all that bad. As I left his office I said "So, now you know how to bribe me". He wrote a note on his pad and said "Yep, got it. Hockey tickets." Way to go, Goalie's Union.
Monday, May 3, 2010
1 GAA: Now we're talkin'!
My enormous goals-against as of late had been quietly nibbling away at my confidence, like a small mouse in a dark corner of my brain. Numbers like 7, 8 have not been uncommon. Luckily, our team can also put up some pretty good numbers on the other side of the ice or I'd *really* feel like crap. But there must be mouse poison in that dark and dusty corner of my brain because my confidence is starting to come back. And winning 3-1 last night was a huge boost in that regard. I didn't face as many shots as I have in recent games but I still think I had a really good game. GoalieHusband said I looked very relaxed, which surprised me. I didn't feel relaxed, but I didn't feel geared-up or stressed out either.
Just as well, considering how incredibly chippy the game was. It was completley out of the refs' control by the third period, and I was glad we got out of there without an escalation to something like this. Of course, had that happened, I'd be visiting GoalieHusband in jail today.
Also somewhat humorous event to note. Of all the many (haha, 5) teams in this league, I am one of 2 female players. The other one is on the team we played last night and she has a habit of wearing EXTREME amounts of makeup, particularly eyeliner, for every game. Hey, I wear makeup when I play too, but it's usually a result of "hey this is the makeup I was wearing all day and I'm not bothering to take it off just 'cause I have a game". I'm not sure if that's the deal with this chick or she gets gussied up for games on purpose, but it's always a source of amusement to the boys in the locker room. Last night one of our guys was feeling particularly cheeky and said to her as he skated by "there's no MAKEUP in hockey!". I wish I'd heard her response. Heck, I wish he'd heard it, because I bet it was good. She was none too happy. Given my feminist leanings you'd think I'd be pissed off about this on her behalf. But I actually find it kind of funny, especially beacuse I've been known to rock the eyeliner myself on the ice now and then. (Again, never specifically FOR playing- that would be downright ridiculous).
It's just too bad that last night I actually wasn't wearing any makeup. She could have turned around and said "Fuck off asshole, look at your goalie". I might have to go with my own Cleopatra imitation when we play them again later this week, just to see what happens. So I guess there's a bit of solidarity there after all.
Just as well, considering how incredibly chippy the game was. It was completley out of the refs' control by the third period, and I was glad we got out of there without an escalation to something like this. Of course, had that happened, I'd be visiting GoalieHusband in jail today.
Also somewhat humorous event to note. Of all the many (haha, 5) teams in this league, I am one of 2 female players. The other one is on the team we played last night and she has a habit of wearing EXTREME amounts of makeup, particularly eyeliner, for every game. Hey, I wear makeup when I play too, but it's usually a result of "hey this is the makeup I was wearing all day and I'm not bothering to take it off just 'cause I have a game". I'm not sure if that's the deal with this chick or she gets gussied up for games on purpose, but it's always a source of amusement to the boys in the locker room. Last night one of our guys was feeling particularly cheeky and said to her as he skated by "there's no MAKEUP in hockey!". I wish I'd heard her response. Heck, I wish he'd heard it, because I bet it was good. She was none too happy. Given my feminist leanings you'd think I'd be pissed off about this on her behalf. But I actually find it kind of funny, especially beacuse I've been known to rock the eyeliner myself on the ice now and then. (Again, never specifically FOR playing- that would be downright ridiculous).
It's just too bad that last night I actually wasn't wearing any makeup. She could have turned around and said "Fuck off asshole, look at your goalie". I might have to go with my own Cleopatra imitation when we play them again later this week, just to see what happens. So I guess there's a bit of solidarity there after all.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Antsy
Ok, so not only was open hockey on Wednesday night a complete bust because of the FIVE GOALIES, but I skipped my usual Friday morning session today due to a work deadline, and GoalieHusband just informed that there were NO GOALIES there this morning. To make matters even more aggravating, I totally could have gone this morning, as the deadline I was worried about doesn't actually affect me all that much. Double grrrr.
So instead I'm wasting time playing around with last.fm, which a friend introduced me to. I can't wear headphones at my desk, but I do have an office, so listening to music isn't too disturbing to others around me. Until I start cranking up the metal that is, muahahaha. Actually it's rather distracting because now I'm getting a chance to listen to a bunch of bands I wanted to check out. Work? What work? Leave me alone, I'm headbanging.
Woops, back to hockey. Fortunately the Hawks have rented ice tonight for a practice. I usually do a pretty good job of remembering drills my coach used to run me through, and kick my own ass in his place. So I'm really looking forward to it, because my ass definitely needs some kicking. Then a nice scrimmage afterwards. BRING IT, BITCHES! (sorry that must be be the metal talking...)
So instead I'm wasting time playing around with last.fm, which a friend introduced me to. I can't wear headphones at my desk, but I do have an office, so listening to music isn't too disturbing to others around me. Until I start cranking up the metal that is, muahahaha. Actually it's rather distracting because now I'm getting a chance to listen to a bunch of bands I wanted to check out. Work? What work? Leave me alone, I'm headbanging.
Woops, back to hockey. Fortunately the Hawks have rented ice tonight for a practice. I usually do a pretty good job of remembering drills my coach used to run me through, and kick my own ass in his place. So I'm really looking forward to it, because my ass definitely needs some kicking. Then a nice scrimmage afterwards. BRING IT, BITCHES! (sorry that must be be the metal talking...)
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