Theater of the absurd. OR Ouch! That looked like it hurt!
Five players and a goalie is just not the best roster for a hockey game, and four players and a goalie is pretty much a show-stopped.
And yet, there we were, playing the 2nd best team of from last season in the first game of this season, with 4 players, me, and a guy we borrowed from around the rink. The four guys we had were not exactly all-stars, but not exactly scrubs, either. The one defenseman we had is from the D league (we are playing mixed B-C), the other defenseman was a high C/low B winger. The three forwards were a high B league center, a solid B league winger, and a utility player that has mostly played D, but also played C as a defenseman. Like I said, decent guys, but not all-stars. Plus, all 5 guys skated the whole game.
The puck spent most of the game in our half of the ice, which is never fun. I never thought I'd be able to say I played well and "only" gave up 8 goals, but I guess I can say that now. Made lots of great saves, including a couple of huge glove saves that I wish I had on tape. First save of the game, they passed from the right boards to the back post, where a shooter one timed a high shot. I reached back and caught it behind my body while sliding accross. Honestly, it took as much effort to act like I had expected to catch that as it did to catch it.
Our center scored 5, basically netting one on every shot he took, and our guest player netted 3, including a penalty shot. We scored on about 3/4 of the shots we took, and spent the rest of the game in our zone. By the middle of the game, my guys were bent over after every whistle (one looked positively sick). I had to keep my water bottle extra full, since the only chance to drink they got was at my net, when we managed to ice the puck.
At one point, late in the game, I realized that 5 guys and me might actually hold our own against one of the better teams in the league. Then I started laughing. It was just silly looking, these 5 guys, skating with lead boots, me getting shelled, and the scoreboard, all tied up.
And yet, there we were, playing the 2nd best team of from last season in the first game of this season, with 4 players, me, and a guy we borrowed from around the rink. The four guys we had were not exactly all-stars, but not exactly scrubs, either. The one defenseman we had is from the D league (we are playing mixed B-C), the other defenseman was a high C/low B winger. The three forwards were a high B league center, a solid B league winger, and a utility player that has mostly played D, but also played C as a defenseman. Like I said, decent guys, but not all-stars. Plus, all 5 guys skated the whole game.
The puck spent most of the game in our half of the ice, which is never fun. I never thought I'd be able to say I played well and "only" gave up 8 goals, but I guess I can say that now. Made lots of great saves, including a couple of huge glove saves that I wish I had on tape. First save of the game, they passed from the right boards to the back post, where a shooter one timed a high shot. I reached back and caught it behind my body while sliding accross. Honestly, it took as much effort to act like I had expected to catch that as it did to catch it.
Our center scored 5, basically netting one on every shot he took, and our guest player netted 3, including a penalty shot. We scored on about 3/4 of the shots we took, and spent the rest of the game in our zone. By the middle of the game, my guys were bent over after every whistle (one looked positively sick). I had to keep my water bottle extra full, since the only chance to drink they got was at my net, when we managed to ice the puck.
At one point, late in the game, I realized that 5 guys and me might actually hold our own against one of the better teams in the league. Then I started laughing. It was just silly looking, these 5 guys, skating with lead boots, me getting shelled, and the scoreboard, all tied up.
posted by Micah at 12:03 AM
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