We've fallen and we can't get up...

Well, season is done for the Snack Stand crew. Deprived of Ringer's services, we played a very lack-luster 2 1/2 periods of hockey, building a lovely 0-5 hole for ourselves, before coming back to a more respectable 4-5 loss.

Right off the bat, they shot one across the goal line, it was going to totally miss me and net, and my D kicked at it and knocked it in. We were down 0-1 just a couple minutes into the game. A pass from behind the net to a late man (who was uncovered) made it 0-2, and a giveaway to their best player (ok move, pulling me across the crease), made it 0-3. That was the first 8 minutes of the game. :-(

Second period, I made a lot of big saves. They scored on a second chance by someone left open behind me (0-4), and then they beat me on a shot in close (0-5). I made some great saves, including a number of beautiful, point blank shots, and shut them out for the second half of the game, but it just wasn't gonna happen.

At 10:40something to go in the third, I remember thinking, "Ok, if anyone could score 5 goals in 10 minutes, it's my guys." They almost did. 4 goals in less than 10 minutes, plus a couple that got waved off that (honestly) I think were bad calls.

But, bad officiating, missing a key player, whatever... we still lost, and are out of the playoffs. All that's left is to cheer for Baboon and his team, and hope they can upset the top team to win it.

Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!

Following my game in net for the Good Sports, I found out that they called the league manager to make sure they have my phone number. League guy told me that they were impressed, and wanted to make sure they could get ahold of me in the future. It was a nice compliment.

And then my team faced the number one team in the league, the Beer Bears, for the last regular season game. Going in, they only had 2 losses, one of which was to my backup, and good buddy, Carp. Prior to game time, someone actually said, "You know, Carp beat these guys." As if I was going to forget.

I finally pulled my game out of my ass and played the way I should. I had them shut out through one until our Big Ringer scored one on me. It was a long slapper that was destined for the middle of my gut, which is generally a great black hole for pucks. Ringer knocked it down with his stick and bounced it in. (Doh!)

Second period, the Bears started getting mad about losing (they never led, all game). They ran me a couple of times, gave me some hacks after the whistle. I put a stick under someone's chin on one play (not hard enough to hurt him), and threw a few soft punches to move people back. We gave them a lot more odd man rushes, and they picked up one on a breakaway. They also got one on a rebound (someone let the guys in the low slot loose, and I didn't cover in time). Period ended at 3's.

We got one early in the fourth, and that was it. They pounded away, including some great passing and great screen plays, but I finally held one for my guys. Late in the period, one of their young punks came in, made some high-school fake, and shot. He threw his hands in the air, threw his helmet back off his head and was celebrating... meanwhile I had batted the puck away to my defenseman. Cute celebration kid. Trust me, we all enjoyed it.

I can't say enough about how much my guys stepped up their game. We faced a team that should be a league up from us, and we beat them. Every guy held his own. The number one team has only 3 losses for the regular season, and two of them are to us: one for Carp, and one for me. That makes my day.

Double Header

I got a call yesterday that the Good Sports were without a goalie. After finding that no one else could play for them, I agreed to play their game, which was immediately after ours.

Our game sucked. Defense didn't hold up well against cross ice passing, so I got burned by 4 goals that way. Add in at least one mistake of my own, maybe two, and that gave them 6 goals. We only came up with 5. The game was also ugly and poorly officiated.

The manager from the Good Sports helped get my night turned around. A guy came and grabbed me after my game, before I even got off the ice, and told me what room they were in, and to bring my gear on down there. Their manager had a large Gatorade, a large Coke, and a bottle of water, all ice cold, wating for me. I don't think I've ever been thanked so many times for playing for a team.

We totally monkey stomped our opponents. Final was 7-2 (one goal was my fault, the other wasn't). It was amazing how many great saves I made. I made a glove save on a one timer, sliding from full right to full left, and another stop on a one timer going the other way that was actually shot through a screen. I got compliments from everybody, team mates, opponents, and refs.

Good defense, positive attitudes, and a little work really pay off. I'd go back and play for those guys anytime.

Only downer of the night - the big guy I mentioned in the last post got dumped hard in front of our net in the late third period, hit hsi head, and was knocked unconscious. If I'd have seen it and had a chance, I'd have gone after the guy that did it. It was a cheap thing to do in a game that was 6-1 late in the third.

good sports

Last game I played was against a team that has existed as long as the rink we play at. They started out as one team, their sponsor was bought out, they changed names, then were bought and changed again. We used to joke that no matter what their name was, they smelled the same.

We won, 7-4. I played well (believe it or not, with 4 goals against). I chatted with their manager walking in from the parking lot. He's a decent guy, though I blank on his name sometimes. They had a kid playing for them that is just out of high school, and was coached by our top player just a few years ago. They had fun with each other all night.

The highlight of the game was the big fella screening me. He would get the pass, move it to a defenseman with a good slapper, and then head to the net to screen me. The guy is a little shorter than me, but a solid 250lbs at least, and when he's in front of you, wide as a house. He has the perfect tripod setup for screen and tip work, and with his big, stocky build, he's impossible to move. He was there all night, but never once slashed at my glove when I froze one.

Late in the second, he and his D of choice ran his play, and he just barely moved out of the way of the shot. I stopped it, and it was one of my best saves of the night (mostly just done with positioning, since the screen was great). After the whistle, the guy turns to me and asks, "Could you see that all the way?"

I think it made his day when I had to concede that, no, I hadn't seen it.