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.