HNA Finals - Piranhas - 2013

I drove into Toronto Thursday. I never left the US, so driving across the border myself was exciting for me, but it turned out to be really uneventful. I was the first Piranha in Toronto Thursday evening because of delayed flights. I stretched my legs, got a bite to eat and relaxed in bed until some others got in. A few of them wanted to go out right as they got in because they were hungry. I joined them, and got to bed at about 2:00. I had breakfast in the hotel, and a lunch at a Greek place. The first game was early Friday evening.

It was decided earlier in the day because of a lack of bodies, that someone would have to jump back to play defense. I was that guy. I was more nervous than anything because I had only a couple of games at this level playing defense, and these were the best teams of this level.  I was going to play with Jimmy, a good friend, and a player I've watched play defense regularly for a while now.

Game 1 - Toronto

I had started out very nervous but acted just as if I was playing on the Coyotes. I made sure to keep my shifts very short, and would do so all weekend. I think it worked out better because my forwards were more talented than the Coyote forwards. I could trust them a little bit more, and not have to worry about a turnover. At about the middle of the second period, I was playing very well, and said to myself that I was playing well, and I should capitalize on it. I tried carrying the puck more, pinched a few times, and it seemed to work out for the best. I was able to get the puck deep, get a scoring chance, and join the rush. I had to be aware because this team had their two best players hanging out at the red line for an easy break away. They got no one on one chances. There was one where I was caught flat footed, and he skated right past me at my blue line. I hooked him to the ice as hard as I could, hauled him to the ice, and got called for a penalty. I'll take it.

I was reading the play well as it is much more predictable than a Coyote game. It lead to multiple keep ins, and shots/passes from the point. One actually tipped off my center's stick, so I had an assist. We would win 6-5.

That night we went out for a team dinner, then I went right to bed. It sounded as if my roommate was amused with how fast I fall asleep once my head hits the pillow. I was up the next morning getting my normal walks in, went out and grabbed some things for the team and breakfast from some coffee place.

The second game was Saturday at 1:00. An hour before the game, I grabbed my stick to retape it. I inspected it and noticed a small crack in it. I put a little stress on it, and it snapped at the crack... And just a few days after the warranty was void! I played with my backup stick, and played defense again as the team really liked me back there. It was more of the same, but less chippy and cherry picking. I continued to keep the puck in their zone, and put pucks on net. I had two goals this game - all because of traffic in front of the net. I don't have a hard wrist shot, nor were they good shots. They just were quick, quiet, and in an area of traffic. I was reminded to watch the score as I was trying to get too aggressive with a multi-goal lead. We would win again, but I can't remember the score off the top of my head.

I bought a new stick that was very close to my old one (I hated my back up). I cut it down, got it ready and tried to get ready for game 3 at 7:00 Saturday night. I couldn't do it. There wasn't enough time to eat, sleep, get a new stick, and travel.

The third game I was just exhausted. Our opponents seemed fresher, they wanted it more, and knowing we were in for Sunday, I don't think we wanted the victory as much as they did. I tried to battle my hardest, and played mediocre. Jimmy and I had had multiple miscommunications, were conflicting with each other, and so forth. Mostly because I didn't have the energy to think. We would lose this game.

I got back to the hotel, ate something and went right to bed because game 4 was at 9:00 am Sunday. I didn't sleep well. I woke up angry, unrested, and just sluggish.  I felt better once the game got going. I felt this team was just as good as the Piranhas, minus one player. I tried to focus on him, but he was deceivingly good. I'd try to knock him off the puck, tie him up, or take away his pass and didn't do so successfully. We were saved by goal posts a lot, and we had a couple of ugly goals, to be up 2-0 after the first. Then we were up 3-0. Then I made a huge mistake. Their top player came down the middle of the ice. I went to take the puck from him, and tripped him. Our opponents would score on their resulting power play. They didn't let up after that, and I became more stupid with my aggression, and didn't have the success I needed to make a difference. I felt I still played above average for me, but the other team was just more skilled. We would lose, and be eliminated from the tournament, in the semi-finals.

The team went back to the hotel, cleaned up, and some of us went to lunch before I started my drive home. What was funny was I drove home, while others were going to fly. I still made it home before them - but they got to spend more time in Toronto than me.

The tournament was a blast, and I obviously left out a lot. I can't wait until next year. Pictures to be posted later.

Piranhas vs. Mastodons

The Piranhas were short on defense. Knowing our position in the standings, and the need for help back there, I wanted to jump back and get some experience with them. There may be a day down the road when it is needed. My freshly sharpened skates felt absolutely amazing, and I could tell I had wheels that night.

As the puck dropped, I felt really strong. I had made a point to have good communication with everyone on the ice at all times.  I felt it was working. I was able to move quickly up and down the ice without the puck, making myself a good option. I had enough speed to get back at times when I was burned. Unfortunately, I am still very green in my own zone. There was a pass from the corner to the guy in the high slot that I could have picked up but did not, and ended up screening the goalie. There was another play in the second where I had a 2 on 2, and did not pick up my man, and as a result, he received a pass and had half of the net.

It wasn't all bad though. My speed and recognition for the game came into play. I saw an official's arm go up in their zone signaling a penalty. I made sure I was as aggressive as I could be. I jumped in, and picked up a loose puck. I walked around one guy to get a clear shot of the net. As that was happening, I saw a speedy forward on my left side coming up. I passed around another defense men  putting it on the tape of that winger who was able to put it top shelf. Not surprising, I play with that winger regularly. It was a beautiful play by both of us.

I did take a hooking penalty but I felt it was a little grey. I of course didn't argue, but had I known I was going to get a penalty for it, I would have made sure I earned it and hauled the skater down to disrupt the odd man rush. The Mastodons scored on the power play.

One play that I still can't get my head around is as I was trying to keep the puck in the zone, I saw it basically slide into my stick and go out of the zone. However - it must have been just inches off the ice because it made NO contact with my stick. The goalie came out to play it, and I told him to leave it, but he hesitated. He left it, but little to my knowledge, there was a skater with more momentum than me on my tail.

I kept my game simple, made a few ok passes, and just put the puck on the wall. I should carry it more though. I'm really going to need to work on my confidence carrying the puck if I want to improve my effectiveness as a defense men at any level.

The Piranhas would lose 4-2. I believe the game was lost because we were out worked, and our defense just did not click. It'll happen when your defensive core cannot make it. I'm neutral on how I played. I think the mistakes I did make were capitalized on, making it seem worse than it really was. I think the areas I did well were a lot of the same skill set that you'd have as a winger, so that isn't too shocking.

Piranhas vs. Mastodons

First game of the season for the Piranhas, and I'm really not nervous about it. The Mastodons though were the worst possible opponent for us. I know they play hard at all times, and they practice regularly. There is no way that this team would not be in shape and prepared for the game.

The Piranhas would have as full of a bench as I'd have ever seen. Warm ups were a huge problem as it was difficult to find space to actually warm up. I tried doing some passing drills with another skater at the red line, but still no space.

My first shift was not a good one. One of the d-men pinched,, and I went to the other side to cover for him. Sure enough the puck comes to that side, and the winger has more speed than I do and I knew I wouldn't catch him. I'd try to put a shoulder into him and stop him, but instead I missed and grabbed him. I took the interference penalty. First shift of the game. We'd take a couple more penalties, and end up being down 4-0 just 12 minutes into the game.

Despite the full bench, I was fairly tired. It has been about two months since I had any sort of real scrimmage on a full sheet of ice, let alone a full game. I still had speed at some points. I did handle the puck well a few times, and looked for some great passes despite not connecting. I had physically beaten a much bigger player in the corner, which caused not only a solid scoring chance, but we maintained possession of the puck and eventually scored a goal. I wasn't aggressive as I would have liked, and as a result, I felt as if I was ineffective. I wasn't covering points, I wasn't helping the defense men out. I was doing a crappy job of taking away passing lanes.

I'm going to focus on being in better shape and having targeted aggression next game.

The Mastodons would beat the Piranhas 6-3.

Piranhas vs. Sharks - 5-4 OTL

As I sat in the locker room half dressed, hearing the Zamboni starting to resurface the ice, I felt myself tapping on my pants. I thought about all of the factors that were going to impact my performance as well as  how I felt at the time. I leaned over to the guy sitting on my left and said, "I'm going to have a really good game tonight."

I was really unfamiliar with my line mates. One had never played forward before, and the other I didn't know his tendencies, or how he plays. I knew their skill levels, speeds and strengths from when they play defense, but positioning was a big concern of mine. I was playing center, as I really want to be an experienced option in the middle come winter time.

The entire night, I felt that I was skating faster the Sharks' entire defense. I can't tell you how many times a shark player had 10 feet on me to a loose puck, and yet I was still able to either get the puck or tie up the opponent. What I did from there wasn't as great. Either I'd drop the puck, or get my skate cut in a rut, or the puck would be in a puddle of water and not move. It is something that everyone deals with and I just have to get used to it.

In the defensive zone, I felt a bit lost though. I felt like the forwards were bunching up on each other. I  felt that when the defenceman would go and cover someone, that I had to come lower and cover for him. It is a positioning aspect that I need to learn to get better with. Feeling more comfortable, and more prepared for pucks to come through the slot and deflect them out of the zone.

I do think I back checked fairly well.  At one point in the game, I had done a great job tying up one of their top players on the rush. I put my stick over his and it was strange in that I almost felt like I could impact where he was going to go. Once he realized that I was doing that and he was skating under my guidance, he tried to turn, but then he just fell flat on his face. There was another time where I was covering for a d-man who pinched. The puck carrier beat me, but I was able to turn, and grab his arm to slow him down.  I figure  if I can slow down players a bit, it throws them off their game and gives my goalie a better chance at seeing the puck. I know how it impacts me. I did take a tripping penalty on a back check. It was a definite penalty, but I didn't want to give up a chance as I thought the d-man was beat.

I had a few good shots. One went off his blocker on the rush. Another chance I had I was on a two on two rush. The other winger was able to slide it over to me on the rush. I picked up from my side, settled it down and got it in front of me. I shot through the two defencemen, and tried to fire it through his five hole, but he was able to kick it out. There was a really good stuff attempt right from the goal line where a winger and I tried to hammer it home all alone, but we could not lift the puck over his leg pad. We were in too close and eventually the goalie froze it. I had another great chance where the goalie was out of his crease, but I had the puck behind the goal line. I made a great pass past the goalie to the winger who was standing on the top of the crease, but he wasn't ready. It went through his legs, and he immediately got tied up before he could kick it to his stick.

We would end up losing in OT. It wasn't a good feeling, but I had a hell of a fun time out there tonight. I do think there are a few things I need to work on. The positioning and  puck handling were the weak points of my game today, but I don't feel they were that weak. I do think that my energy and passing were very good though.

Coyotes vs. Chaos 2011-12-11

I haven't been too excited over the past month about hockey. The fact is, I've been playing a lot, and I've felt a little bit exhausted. When you play 4 times in 5 nights, you just kind of burn out and when you don't play as well either, I guess you get discouraged. Compare that to sitting at home, getting some reading done, playing with the dog and you can probably see why.

Still, I was moderately excited to play with the Coyotes this Sunday. I hadn't been on the ice in over a week, and as a result, I felt rusty. Playing the blue line again, I wasn't sure of a lot of things. Early on, my defensive partner took a roughing penalty after he and an opponent were pushing each other all the way down the ice. The whole time this was going on, our team had the puck, going down in their end. I would have loved to been more aggressive then, but I wasn't sure what would happen there. He did play well though, a lot better than I did. If I would pinch, he'd come back a bit just in case so I wouldn't get burned. He would make good passes across the ice if he had pressure on him in the defensive zone. When I dropped a puck along the boards, he was there to pick up a scrambled pass.

Once or twice, I flat out dropped the puck along the boards with no pressure. I was just going too fast, and didn't have my stick flat on the ice. The puck would roll off, or just stay there. I did take one penalty, as the dman was coming across the blue line, I took a slashing penalty, trying to get him to drop the puck. He did, but the whistle blew as I picked it up. It was a good call.

I had a good rush up the ice from my own end, where I did not pass. Once I got low in their zone, I did make a pass, and as soon as it left my stick, I bolted back to the blue line. This went against my mentality of being a stay at home d-man, but if I have the speed to go down, and around players, I should use it once in a while.

I think I was on ice for one goal against in the 8-2 loss, and I don't think I played well or felt comfortable until 10:00 left in the third. Let this be testimony that I need to play regularly.

Piranhas vs. Grizzlies - 2011-09-07

Last game, I lost my temper. I wasn’t happy with how I was playing, I wasn’t happy with our team work, or how our team was playing. For a game that really has no meaning (I’m never going to play at a high level, so who cares), I took it way to seriously. Earlier in the day before this game, I was reminded of that. I didn’t think about the game at all during the day. In fact, I gave serious consideration to skipping it.
I went, and I’m glad I did. Playing helped relieve stress that I had acquired since the last game. I was thinking about how I can mess with the other team rather than all of the bad things that happened throughout the day.
The Grizzlies had some big guys and good skaters. They also had some weaker skaters who were more like pylons, and did a lot of stick work. In the first period, I gained the puck in the neutral zone. As I was skating through the neutral zone, I felt one of their sticks in between my legs. As it was bouncing around, I felt that was an opportunity to either get his stick out of his hands, or draw a penalty. I made a hard left turn and pumped my legs to move forward as fast as I can and get the stick out of his hands. I couldn't keep my balance, but I drew the penalty. In second period, after a battle down low, with the puck in the neutral zone, they tripped me. I felt that was a weak call, but we’ll take it.
I had chased down the puck several times into the corner, but kept getting out muscled, and not getting control of the puck. At one point, I did gain control and had plenty of time to look and make a pass. I looked at my team mates, and didn’t see any options. I didn’t want to create an oddman rush going the other way so the pass to a d-man was out. I made a quick pass right into the crease, hoping that my center would pick it up and get a rebound, but it didn’t work out.
I had a couple of good forechecks where I was able to disrupt a pass, and put a lot of pressure on players. Once or twice, I was a bit too patient and didn’t get the puck out of our own zone, but it was better than just a blind pass.
In the third, we were up and wanted to make sure we put pressure on the other team. The rink was wide open, and that allowed me to put a lot of pressure on the d-men. It really caused them to make poor decisions. Bad passes were made, I was able to deflect a pass near the net. In the neutral zone, I was able to pick off a pass and I had a breakaway from the red line in. I could feel the players behind me, and I was more focused on them than the goalie. I was focused on moving forward as fast as I could, and I was lightning down the ice. I think a lot of the Piranhas didn’t know I had that speed. But 10 feet in, I realized I wasn’t going to get tripped like I thought I would, so I had to do what I had to. The goalie was all over, and shaky. His legs were wide, so I just gave a tap forward to go through the 5-hole, and he was able to get his stick on it and knock it away.
I needed this game. I played well, and with the last game as well as things away from the ice, It really helped me stay positive. I’m glad that the Piranhas got a victory. We deserved a lot more than what we got last game, and deserved this victory as well.

Piranhas vs. Knights/Chaos - 2011-09-01

I was more prepared for this game than any game in the past 2 months. It is the nice part of late night games. You get to spend time with the dog, get a nap in, eat correctly. With 12 skaters, I knew I was ready to have a big game.

Unfortunately, I can't remember specifics of how badly the rest of the night went. I know that I had a great scoring chance in the first few minutes of the game. I had the puck below the goal line, walked in front, and slipped it right past the goalie. I don't see it for a moment and then I do, in between the goalie's legs. I push it forward without touching the goalie and lost it again. I see it on edge right on that line, but some how it didn't cross. Perhaps I wasn't strong enough in my attempts to get it to cross the line, but I'm not going to hit the goalie with my stick for a goal.

From then on, not a lot of good happened. While backchecking, I got lacidazical and let a player score uncontested 5 feet from me. I had a hard time getting the puck out of the zone. I tried to bump up the intensity a little bit for myself because of how I was playing. I had a solid forecheck, but they were easily able to clear the zone. I had jumped back on D while the dman pinched in. I recognized play coming back, and moved back. At the blue line, I tried to force him off sides, but he went around me. I continued to pressure him down into the corner, where I eventually started to lose steam. So I leaned on him a little to lose his balance and slow him down. He went down to his knees and I got a checking/roughing penalty. The opponents scored.

A couple of team mates noticed I was upset after the game, but haven't had a chance to talk to them yet. I'll talk to them tonight. I know I was very upset last night, but when I have all of that energy, and nothing I do works, and we're a better team and more talented, it becomes a problem for me and I get angry.

The positives are that I did move really well - a lot better than I have in the past. I got a decent scoring chance, and we as a team came back and tied the game in the last few minutes, despite losing by two.

Piranhas vs. Sharks 2011-07-21

The day was hot, the air stunk, I had a bad day at work, and I had to pee the entire game. It wasn't a good mix. The team wasn't really ready for the game either it felt like. No one had any jump or was excited to play it felt like, but I'm wondering if that is just how the Piranhas are even when things go well.

The ice was awful. We played the entire game, and there were spots that were still wet at the end. Everyone had a difficult time skating, and it was just slow out there. At one point, we were lining up for the faceoff, and the guy I was lining up next to came skating over and fell on his own because he hit a hole. The referee looked at me like I tripped him.

For the past month, I've been playing right wing. I've been playing well there, and tonight I wanted to try my luck on the left again, as that's where I usually play. The first few shifts felt like a disaster to me. I wasn't moving my feet, no backchecking, and when I did get a chance to shoot, right into a skater's pads.

The Piranhas did an excellent job of keeping the puck inside their zone, but our forwards just could not get the puck off the boards. When we would, the Sharks would just throw it out. They had two solid skaters who would pick it up and figure in on all of their goals. I was getting frustrated because not only was I not playing well, the team just seemed disinterested. I knew that for me to make an impact, I'd have to work hard and earn a scoring chance. I picked up a rebound on the goal line, with no chance to put it back into the crease or slot. I took my time, and went behind the net. While I was, a defensemen followed me back there. I was faster than him, and I got in front, and used him to lean on, and turn back in front. His stick came up, and I would lean even harder so that the ref could see he was hooking me. I kept moving my feet and pushing into him. The referee saw the hook, his arm went up, and I turned the other way to get away from him and get a little bit more time.

Later on in the game, I'd draw another penalty. The puck came out into the neutral zone to a player going for the change. I knew his style well, knowing he was going to pass to me. I skated hard into the zone, but I felt I had to slow down as there was no pass, and the blue line was coming quick. I thought I had crossed it when I look and there is the puck to my left. I pick it up one handed and before I know it, there is another dman chasing me down. I attempt to lean on him as I drive as hard as I can to the net, using my body to protect the puck. I saw the goalie go down with an opening inbetween his legs. I one handed it in the direction of the gap, and in the process, I got tripped up, and hit the ice. I hear cheering from the bench area, so I wasn't sure if it went in, or the goalie made the save while I crashed into him. I knew it couldn't be goaltender interference as I was tripped, and the arm went up before I made contact with the keeper. But that pass that was made that generated that opportunity was outstanding. I couldn't believe I wasn't offside.

But the game wasn't all great moments. It had a lot of stinkers too. I had multiple opportunities where I shot it right into the defensmen's skates on a scoring chance instead of going around him. I had a shot right in the slot, didn't get enough stick on it, and put it dead into the goalies chest. I had multiple scrambles where I could have put the puck in, but was just out of energy, outworked, or flat out missed the puck. There were a few times where I tried to use my body to stop the puck from leaving their zone, and it just went right through me.

However, the best shift was me on the penalty kill for a little over a minute. I had a significant part on 3 clearing attempts. One, I was just skating in the neutral zone with no pressure. Instinct usually kicks in and tells me to dump it, but when I didn't feel pressured, I held on for a few more seconds to kill time. The best was when I was able to eat up about 10 seconds in our own zone. The puck went into the corner, and the defensmen down. I hustled in, and kept it along the wall for quite a bit working against two other players, while slowly moving it up the boards. I saw the other forward near the blue line, so I would try and lift the stick, and kick it past him. It worked, and it was cleared. After that, I was tired and came off.

We lost 6-2, and although after the game I wasn't happy with my performance, it really wasn't that bad. I'm not going to blame the ice. I'm not going to blame the weather. I did make solid plays, and work hard. I noticed an improvement in that I was able to protect the puck with my body. Just need to work on my focus.

Goaldiggers Game - 2011-07-17

I got into the locker room and noticed right away that everyone was fired up. I wasn't surprised. I cannot think of anyone who didn't know someone who was sitting watching the game. Summer time, early Sunday game, no rain, and a barbeque after the game will do that. I even had my sister and brother in law watching.

Right from the get go, everyone was skating hard. We scored 30 seconds into the game. My own first shift was a very good one for me. I had gotten a few good chances in the crease, and was able to outwork a couple of opponents along the boards. The entire night, everyone on our team was determined to help the team get the win. A couple of dumb mistakes would cause us to give up a few chances, but we kept playing. I was pleased with how I was playing. I was not panicking with the puck, I was making good choices.

I could have stayed on my point a little better, but not doing so did help us draw a penalty. As I was going below the dot, trying to tie up the skater's stick he would lift my stick and eventually grab it. Once he no longer had the puck, and I tried to get back up high but he grabbed my stick. Luckily the ref saw it and called the penalty.

The worst feeling though was when our d-man was bringing the puck up through the neutral zone and I just couldn't get out of his way. That was really frustrating to me. What's worse was that it directly caused a goal against. The team though kept playing extremely well. We'd go back and forth for a little bit.

I was able to read into the play a little bit and got myself set up for a nice breakaway. Unfortunately, their quickest skater was able to disrupt the shot before I could get it off. The fact that I was able to recognize that I had the opportunity to create that chance though made me very pleased. We'd then score a goal in close that would tie the game. I would try and keep up some speed through the neutral zone. I was able to catch the pass and have an odd man rush. I'd take my shot as hard as I could and it snuck past to give us another quick goal and the lead. I know I didn't get all of it, but I thought it had been a decent shot for me at least. Even if it wasn't, I'll take it. Sometimes the ones that should go in don't, and the ones that should go in do. Hopefully it evens out in the end.

Through the entire game we said just get shots. I try and do that every game. When I don't, I lose opportunities, and just get frustrated. I always try and put the puck into key areas. Being able to skate with the puck a few seconds more is making a huge difference for me.

The two quick goals our team scored brought a big boost to us, and really deflated the other team. While on the forecheck, I was able to break up a pass and my center was able to come down, pick up the puck and get a solid shot on goal.

We'd end up getting the winning goal with about 90 seconds left. It was an exciting finish. From my angle, the guy who would end up scoring the goal from about 7 feet from the net, took his time and was able to just put it past the goalie in an incredible display of patience. To see our bench get excited, as well as hear our family and friends cheer just added to the victory.

Goaldiggers 2010-09-19

This was the first game of the season for the Goaldiggers. After about six weeks of not seeing each other, we were finally on the ice together again. Most of the team had not skated since then, so I expected the team to be rusty.

We were playing a team who was playing together for the first time. It is evident by the poor passes, guys who aren’t necessarily very talented, and a few miscommunications.

I was ready for the game. I got a good nap in, had a decent meal before hand and was fairly hydrated. This was a good game for me. They did have some talent, and they weren’t so good that they could dance circles around me. During one of their break outs, the player dropped the pass at the red line. I was able to come back, and give it to my d-man, who gave it right back to me to bring up the wing. I knew if I hustled, I could get around on him – especially since he was right handed and I was going on the left wing boards. I was right next to him with control of the puck and he just hammered me into the boards. I ended up with my feet in front and me sitting up, much like you would sit against the wall. But since I kept moving my feet, our team got the power play.

Over the course of the game, we had our chances. Their goalie was outstanding. I had approximately 5 shots, and one one-timer that went wide. I did my job. I worked as hard as I could, back checked and broke up plays. That’s what I do. I don’t score goals, and I can make a nice pass, but pressure is where I’m strongest.

At one point in the third, we were on a 3 on 2 and I was the second man in. I went hard to the net with my stick down, waiting for the puck to be fired or a pass. I was being pushed by one of their bigger guys, at which point my goal was balance myself and I’ll be set. But when I met the other d-man who gave me a good knock down to the ground, I definitely felt it right in front of the slot, but I had my chances.

We eventually one 2-1, but out shot them something like 35-10. The score was not a good indicator of the game.

High Sticks are becoming more frequent

Over the past handful of months, I've taken a lot more high sticks than normal. I know part is that I'm playing with players that are less advanced skaters, but there are times when I get them playing with more advanced players.

With the recent improvement in my skating and balance, I wonder if I'm putting my self lower to the ice. I'm already a shorter guy compared to other players, so when I get lower is it possible I'm putting myself too low?

I do wear a full cage, so for the most part, high sticks aren't a big deal. They're just a good wake up call. I get very pissed when I do receive them though because there are very few reasons I can think of where the player isn't being reckless with their stick. I believe that you should be in control of your stick at all times. Now if someone comes around and lifts your stick, of course it is going to go up, but very rarely have I seen players lift the blade of their stick up to the level of my head.