I missed a Goaldiggers game simply by disorganization on my part. I forgot to write it down on my calendar. I hit the ice and I just didn't feel too much energy. I don't know why. I was sure to get plenty of sleep, I had a great lunch and a light dinner, but still I felt no jump in my game. As a result, I feel I wasn't that noticeable out there. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though.
I had done a decent job of getting the puck out of our own zone and into the neutral zone. What I did do well was work along the boards. I was able to work hard against the boards, and not give up any pucks easy. I didn't win every battle, but I'm not going to.
At the end of the first, I was just tired as hell. It was not acceptable in my book. It shows that I was unprepared for the game. As a result, the next shift I was able to take, I tried to fore check as hard as I could. When I do that, I force bad passes, generate scoring chances, and just generate a little bit of momentum. I was able to not only make the defensemen make a bad pass, but able to intercept it, and control it for a moment. While we didn't generate a scoring chance off it, it helped not only me to get going, but it helped the team as well. A couple of good shifts by our line and we started to play just a little bit better.
As the game went on, I realized that I wasn't covering the point very well. I kept coming down too low to help which is a habit I've been picking up. One of their stronger skaters tried to skate around their zone and just go around me like I was a pylon. It honestly surprised me off that he wouldn't respect me enough to protect the puck better. As a result, I worked extra hard to make his shift more difficult. As he tried to dangle around me, I knocked the puck out of the zone. He didn't like that and became frustrated with himself, as evident by him banging his stick against the glass. This put a big smile on my face. He still got to the puck in the neutral zone before me, but I didn't let up. He continued to skate around, and I stayed on him hard. It ended up getting clogged up by the boards on the opposite side, my work was done.
Overall, I played a solid defensive game. I had maybe one or two opportunities on offense. If anything needed to change, it is my mentality and preparation going into the game. Games during the week are tough because of work, but that is no excuse. I need to get into a pattern to come out flying with energy.
No one on the ice had a whole lot of energy. The Goaldiggers' bench was a little short, and the ice was very slow. We still played a solid team game, despite not getting a whole lot of shots. We won the game 1-0, and that is our first shut out that I know of.
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