Piranhas (1-1) vs. Chaos

I got to the rink a few minutes later than I wanted, but I wasn't rushed at all. I've discovered when I can sit in the locker room for a few minutes before I take the ice, I feel calmer. Today, though, the high school game before us ran late. It was exciting to watch them play. There were some really solid contact, and some great skill out there. What really was neat was that there wasn't a seat anywhere to be found. We joked that everyone was here for our game.

By the time we took the ice, everyone was gone. I felt really good in warm ups. I got a good skate in, a few decent shots. I was more concerned with the Chaos. They had been undefeated to this point, and beat the Mastadons, who recently beat us. I couldn't see a whole lot of new skill on the team. I knew they were a very chippy team too, so I tried to pick out players I remember for such behavior.

From the first shift, my line was clicking. We spent probably the entire 75 seconds in their zone, cycling the puck, getting decent shots off, and battling in front of the net. What I like about my line mates is that they're both very confident players, and work very well together. They're also incredibly skilled and can turn up something from no where. This shift, I focused on taking my position in front of the net. Watching the two wingers skate on the outside as I stay in front with my stick on the ice. Sure enough I get two good shoves in my lower back. It was the goalie using his blocker on me. I know that when they're doing that to me, that I'm doing my job. I continued to do this all night, but eventually it was the defensemen who started to move me. It amazes me how much stick work they get away with regularly. Anyway, our first shift really set the tone for the rest of the Piranha team. all three forwards had shots and stuff attempts. I think we even scored on it, and I may have gotten an assist, but I'm not sure.

Very quickly the rest of the team started to remember who this team was and how they played. I think it resulted in a lot of heads up play, and looking for passes. Everyone was looking for passes, and trying to keep possession in the first. I would continue to try and set up my line mates, and keep with the mentality of keeping the puck. I caught a great pass from the other wall and brought the puck into the zone. I had no one defenseman in front of his goalie, but no pressure. I took the nicest snap shot I've ever had in a game, and I put it exactly where I wanted - right through the defenseman's legs, almost at the goalie's five hole. I was hoping to use the guy as a screen, but I hit the inside of the goalies pad, and he was able to freeze it.

At the end of the first I was real pleased with how I started off, and then I started to trail off a little bit. In one of my early second period shifts, I was on a 2 on 1 with my center. He made a move, forcing the goalie to dive for it, but instead it came over towards me. I have half of the net. All I have to do is put it in. The goalie dove back towards the post to make the save, and I pulled my shot. As a result, I put it right into his chest. He froze it and I was furious with myself. The entire team couldn't believe I missed that. I was furious myself, but wouldn't dwindle on it. I played a fairly flawless game so far for me. One of my next shifts, I had gotten the puck in the slot on a one on one with the defender and goalie. I was able to half way beat the defender so that he was just a random obstacle. I got a great shot off, got the rebound, shot again, and by the time I could get the rebound again, I was on the goal line. I saw a white jersey coming down the slot with some great speed, so I tried to just get it past the goalie who was just up and down in my direction. I got it past him, and into the slot. The center was able to put it home. The defensemen was pissed that he totally blew coverage of two players, and launched the puck down the ice. He instantly got a penalty for it. I did get an assist on this play.

I did a lot more grinding after this, and some penalty killing, and I did a fairly decent job in all areas of my game. We would score on that power play from before, and just outwork the Chaos. We had a 4-1 lead going into the third. Then our team just got a little lackadaisical  We weren't moving our feet. Despite telling everyone to keep working and digging hard, it just didn't sink into them. It was getting a bit chippy too. I tried to pick up my own intensity. I started hitting players every chance I could. I had two in one shift behind the net in their zone, and the Chaos didn't like it. I would later get another solid hit on a defenseman during the fore check. I didn't get away from him fast enough though, and he speared me in the back of the calf. Perhaps my favorite contact was during the race for a lose puck. There was a missed pass and the puck went into their zone deep. I was a stride or two away from the Chaos defenseman, and gaining on him. I started yelling to him, "I'm going to hit you! I'm going to hit you!" with no intention of hitting him. I was just trying to pressure him to make a bad pass. But he pulled up and turned into me. At that point, I had no choice but to make contact with him. He showed the patience, and kept the puck in close to his body, but he turned to make an outlet pass. I did feel bad about that one.

There was another play where I got a really bad cross check from behind into the corner. It should have been a penalty but was not called. I ignored it, but a few seconds later, going for the puck next to the boards, the same guy was coming at me and I hesitated. The guy scared me, and I hated that. I do not play well when I get intimidated.

I was on the ice for the last minute with one goal, and felt really good that I was out there. I moved my feet the whole time, and was careful not to get out of position, and just not give up chances. With about nine seconds left, the Chaos defenseman got the puck along the wall, right at the blue line. I tied him up so he couldn't move the puck. I tried to swat the puck just a few feet to my left, so it'd be out of the zone. I know i made contact with the puck, but I had no idea where it was. So I started to lean on that player to pin him along the boards. He leaned to reach for the puck and fell, and the puck went out of the zone. That is how the game ended.

The Piranhas earned a victory, but almost lost here. Not one player on our team didn't receive some sort of contact or bump or shove. It felt good to get that victory. It is a reminder that we have to play the full game, because when we stood around, we gave up easy goals. Myself, I played a really solid game. Aside from the missed half goal, and the part where I pulled up to not get hit, I was really pleased with my game. The Piranhas beat the Chaos 4-3, and I had an assist.

Center Ice Rat Hockey Session

The World Hockey Invite was going on in Chicago. That means for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, nearly every rink is taken. When this happens, kids who play during those days end up looking for ice. This was the only rat hockey session I could find in the area this weekend. There were many under 18 year old kids there who were all very good. For me, it had been a while since I had stepped onto Rat ice with a group of this skill level. Some of these guys would be better than anyone on the Goaldiggers to give you an idea of where I fit in.

Considering my lack of skill compared to the others, I did very well. On my second shift, I made an amazing rink wide pass to the other forward, who got a great scoring chance. When I have time, I've noticed that I'm able to thread the needle a lot more than I used to, and make a good pass.

I had one battle for a good 8-10 seconds along the wall in the corner against a much better skater than me. While he was able to turn, and just keep the puck away from me, I wasn't playing the puck. It kept him on the wall. Eventually he'd flub a pass to behind the net. I really like that I was able to do this. These battles are intense, and force you to play positionally, while rewarding the better skater.

Perhaps the best part of my night was the ability to handle a much more skilled player on a one on one. I was the only defenseman staying back. I read the play and saw what would be happening in two seconds, so I started going backwards. While we were in the center of the ice, I forced him to one side. I kept him on that side, and then made a good transition from backwards to going forwards. While he was much faster than me, I was able to use positioning and my stick to slow him down. I kept my stick out and close to the puck, taking away his shot. by the time he was able to get past me, he was at the goal line, and had to just go around the net.

I played defense most of the night, and it drove me nuts that no one passed or played position hockey, but what can you expect in a rat hockey session? I was pleased with how I performed. I also got a few shifts where I could skate hard the full length of the ice, so that's always nice for conditioning.

Coyotes (1-0) vs. Red Stars

The entire night was sloppy for me. I was exhausted from the Piranha game the night before, was unsure of how my defensive partner plays, and I was on the Olympic rink. It is a lot more different than I thought it was. I always remembered that the Olympic rink was a lot wider, but as defense man  that's a lot of ice to cover. It impacted angles greatly, and I can totally understand how it impacts goalies even worse.

I had a couple of times where I just messed up. I went to take a slap shot from the blue line and completely whiffed on it. I had another where I tried to kind of dangle around a player but I wasn't successful then either. There was one point where both defense men were on top of each other, and we miscommunicated who should go after the loose puck. It was just a tough night for us two to work together.

At one point there was a one on one play where the Red Star forward was coming down the ice on me. He didn't even make a move on me, and I just let him get by me. He wasn't fast or anything, but he eventually scored the goal. I felt like I let my goalie down because I just made a stupid error. It was the only goal we gave up. I think it was a result of just not being too into the game.

But the game wasn't all bad for me. I had a few instances where I carried the puck in and was aggressive. There was one play where I surprised myself. Players were stabbing at the puck, going to lift it and I was able to keep the puck away from my body, and use my leg to protect my stick and the puck. It always amazes me how effective that is.

I also had one play where it was a two on one, and I was on the rush with a slower winger. I went around the defender and kept one hand on my stick keeping it far away, and maintained speed. Once I got around the defender, I did a nice one handed pass to the other winger. He wasn't prepared for it, and didn't get as nice of a shot off as I would have liked.

It was incredibly hard to get into a rhythm this game for anyone who wasn't a forward. I had a ton of ice time, but I didn't skate much. The Red Stars had added skaters  in the off season, but are not in the same league as the Coyotes yet. A lot of the guys worked really hard battling against the wall, but the experience of the Coyotes, as well as the skating ability meant that the game would be played mostly in one zone. The Coyotes would win 9-1, while only giving up six shots.

Piranhas (0-1) vs. Knights

I watched the ice being resurfaced and just sat in awe as I watched the awful ice and puddles being left behind this giant machine. I told the players to wait to hit the ice since we still had plenty of time until the puck dropped. This would let the ice freeze over and make it just a tiny bit better. It is amazing how much it helps. But instead of waiting our player just took the ice like normal.

The first few shifts, I felt it was about even for both teams. But then the Piranhas started to just sort of take control. We maintained possession and it showed. I did a ton of work right in front of the net. The defense was doing their best to move me from in front, so much so that both forwards had seemingly infinite space. With 20 seconds left on the ice, we took a face off in their zone. We lost it, and it was cleared. Our defense men rushed down, and cleared the puck. I came down, and picked up the puck at the blue line. I felt like the period was over but I kept moving. I saw the center breaking down the middle. I stopped and passed through a Knight player and put it just on the end of his stick so he could keep skating full speed. He caught it, and put it top shelf just as the buzzer sounded. I thought it was too late but the ref counted it. We went up 2-0 at the end of the first, first assist of the season.

The second period resulted in increased possession, and strong domination of the game. We made good passes and even better line changes. I continued battling in front of the  net and racing to lose pucks. I would pick up the puck along the wall, turn and take it into the circle and hit the post. It bounced right into the slot, through the crease and allow me to get a great rebound chance. I would put another shot on net and then the center would pick it up, and cycle it while I sat in front of the net. There would be a shot from a bad angle, and I found the rebound and put it in. First goal of the year.

I had a couple more shifts where I was able to battle in the corners, and make some solid passes to keep possession. On one shift, the face off was in our zone. The center won the draw back to the defense men in the corner. I decided to break towards the center of the ice. I saw that there were multiple passing lanes open from the back corner to me and that the puck carrier had seen me. I continued to skate on the red line and wait for that pass. He made it and it was tipped by the Knight defense men  I stopped, went and picked it up and turned on the jets for a break away. Unfortunately I was tripped. It should have been a penalty shot, but I drew the penalty. The power play was garbage and there was no conversion.

I would later on be covering a defense man on the point. I would pick up the puck, walk it into the slot, and flub a shot. The goalie never saw it, and it went in for my second goal of the game.

When the team was up, they moved me back to defense for the final three shifts of the game. I liked it, because it was a better team than what I'm used to playing against, but it was hard to get out of the mindset of being a forward.

I would later have another assist according to the score sheet  but I'll be honest, I don't remember it. It would equate to my second assist. So a four point game in a 12-5 game is still very good for me, as I rarely ever have two point games. I'll definitely take it.  I felt like my game was average when I came off the ice despite the point totals. But overall, I can't think of a whole lot I would or should have done differently.

Coyotes vs. Bulldogs

So much happened this game that I don't even know where to start. The entire team had energy from the minute they stepped into the locker room, until the time they left the parking lot. Again it was a full bench, as I suspect it will be every game for the Coyotes this year. I will be plying defense. 

Right from my first shift, I focused on the things I worked on this off season, and it immediately paid off. The rink was still incredibly wet and trying to carry the puck or make a pass would not have predictable results. As a result, as soon as I got that puck, I put it on the glass and out the zone. I didn't even care that I didn't hit the winger with the pass. I iced it once, but again, we cleared the zone. Once the water was gone and frozen, I didn't have to do it any more.

After that, I had another shift or two where I was just kind of playing conservative. I didn't try anything, and I just kept it simple. There was one point where I was standing at their blue line, and had the chance to pick up the puck 10 feet in front of me, but saw that a Bulldog was close to it, so I let it go. I was then kicking myself. I knew that the team would work hard to fix the mistake if I made it. I knew my defensive partner would have covered for me. From then on, it was a different game. I carried the puck incredibly well, I got a few good shots off, joined the rush on more than one occasion, and I felt like I was never putting the team at risk for an odd man rush going in the other direction. The entire team built confidence in each other and it just snowballed. At the end of the first, it was tied at 2, but I felt like we were much better than them.

Once I got more confidence with the team, my goalie, my partner and looked at the situation, I wasn't afraid to fail. If I failed, it isn't a big deal. I took chances. I tried moves that I did in practice, and it paid off. Scoring chances, stuff attempts. Good quick shots all helped generate something for the Coyotes. I was thoroughly impressed with how the team moved the puck. I had at least three good shots on net, no assists, no goals, a decent hit, and I feel that I played as well as I could have asked. I did make some bad passes though, and I'm not worried about them. 

Confidence is so huge. Being able to take the skills I worked on this summer, and use them in the game means so much to me. So many little things happened this game that worked for me, and I can't write about them all. I don't think there was one shift that I would consider "bad". The next Coyote game is Monday. I'm excited.  The Coyotes would win this one 7-2.

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.

Stick and Puck - 2012-10-20

I hit the ice and for the first ten minutes I felt like garbage. It felt like no matter what I'd do, I'd just stop. I couldn't move well or turn at all. I tried to do a tight turn and then my skate just dug in and I fell. I had a feeling it was going to be a bad day on the ice. I went to another skater and asked if he wanted me to feed him some passes. That felt really good. I feel every pass I made was exactly where it needed to be. The last batch, I worked on a saucer pass.

From there I worked on just carrying the puck and making tight turns while carrying the puck. Keeping my knees bent, staying low, and keeping the stick away from my body so that I can actually handle the puck instead of just slap it around.

The goalie I work with was with was then ready to take some shots. I felt that the first 10 shots were very quick for me. I got into a good rhythm shooting, so much that he had to slow me down. I kept moving back, and from about 30 feet, I feel I'm fairly accurate. Forty feet is a different story. I felt that I did get better with accuracy as the session went on. The shots that were accurate weren't as hard, but accuracy is important to me.

My arms got tired, and then we split up, and I went back to working on my skating and stick handling. I fell down again later, but this time it was because there was a puck under my skate.

This was my last session on the ice before the season starts. This is the first season/session that I really have no nerves at all. I don't feel a big pressure on me to play well because I'm holding back the team, or concerns about just fitting in with the rest of the team. I suspect that the success of the Piranhas season last winter is the cause of it. It doesn't mean I can relax. The other teams are younger and getting better. I feel I'm already better than I was last year by how I worked this summer. I focused more on precision and intensity than endurance, and it shows. I've made changes to my skating, I've made changes to my positioning, and mindset. I feel more of a two way player than last year  where I felt more like a hack.

When I got home, I got a haircut, a clean shave (I considered starting a beard last week) put in a new visor, and packed up the Piranha jerseys for tomorrow night.  I caught a nap, and I'll get a great night of rest tonight. I know I'll play well tomorrow. I'm very excited.