Equipment Changes for Summer 2015

Evaluating new stick options.

This off season has been the most difficult one I’ve had. I believe it is probably the longest time wise, and there has been a lot going on away from the rink. It has been difficult to plan for anything really with so much in the air. The result is a lot of “day of” plans for preparation. Still, there is no excuse for not being prepared for the upcoming summer season. I like to use the off season to try out some new things and become more comfortable with changes.

Last season, I couldn’t be more pleased. I set a personal record for goals scored, I feel I helped my team defensively and stepped up in a variety of other areas. Toward the end of the season, I got sick. I lost a lot of weight. The last game of the season, my pants were too big, and I had to tuck my jersey in slightly different. I got my stick caught in my jersey at one point. These things never happened before. Additionally, over the course of the season, I broke a couple of sticks.

Lots of time spent on the bike.

I attribute a lot of my success last season to the added strength from previous seasons. I spent a lot of time in the gym and on the bike to make sure that I was in the best possible condition. This off season, I continued the work in the gym, and have focused on adding even more strength this off season. I needed to gain back the weight I lost during the season (18 total pounds, 12 just from the illness at the end). That is a high percentage of my body weight. I’m pleased to report that I’m putting up my own personal records in the gym regularly. People have noticed that I’m visually looking bigger, and I’m back to my target weight. The problem is that I do have some equipment that is still a bit loose. I’m making the adjustments still, and will continue to do so as needed, but I don’t anticipate any major changes in equipment I wear for the summer.

Left is my regular length. The right is my new experiment.

As I mentioned, I broke a couple of sticks over the course of the season. All of my sticks have been set up the same way. I really like the 2012 Easton Mako E7 65 flex stick. They’re incredibly durable, light weight, and couldn’t be more perfect for me.  I’ve used Easton sticks since before I made the transition to ice. I’ve tried Bauer, Warrior, and RBK sticks and I’ve always found something I did not like. Sticking with the stick is an easy choice, but Easton has not made a stick I like since 2013. They’ve seem to fallen in love with rocker patterns, and grip finishes. Easton discontinued my pattern, and I’m running out of backups. I’m considering making the jump now to the Bauer Nexus 8000, and just getting it over with.  I’m also experimenting with shorter sticks for better puck control. I’ve taken old back up sticks that I would never use them in a game, and used them in scrimmages.  It is forcing me to bend my knees more, stay lower, and that’s what I need to do anyway. The verdict is still out for what I do with the stick.

Summer 2015 Teams

This summer I will play on two teams, the Piranhas and the Moose. I prefer playing on two teams, but haven’t done it as much as I’d like in the recent years. Playing on two teams helps keep me building my endurance. When I’m on one team, it doesn’t happen as fast. And there is no substitute for competitive games.

There was never question about playing with the Piranhas this summer. I expect another fun season, with a handful of new players. We had a few players drop out at the last minute, but the majority of the team is returning, and that makes me happy. I’ve played with the Piranhas since January 2011, and 70% of the team is the same since then.

The Moose is a new team being formed by a few former Piranhas, and is targeted for a lower division. There is a lot that goes into forming a team, and placed in the right division. I was shaky about joining them because on paper, it isn’t exactly what I wanted in a second team. My reason for joining this team are the players I know on it already. There’s quite a few good guys in the locker room, and we’re anticipating a fun time as well without a lot of stress.

2014-2015 Season Review

It has been two weeks since my winter season has been completed. I’ve had time to clear my mind, and look at it with emotions cooled off and just to take it in. A lot of times I will write these posts a day or two later to reduce the adrenaline or kind of calm down and just look at things objectively. Surprisingly, in the two weeks that that the season has been over, I still feel the same way as I did the day after my last game.
I walked into the 2014-2015 season with the stars aligned to have an outstanding season as an individual. I was in the best physical conditioning of my life, I felt confident in my skills from competing in the higher divisions the previous 15 months. I put in a lot of time in the gym to be stronger than ever. I was very focused on the game, and wanted to have my best season ever.
I would be playing on two teams. The Piranhas who had a full calendar year of deservingly getting their butts kicked, and the Leperchauns, a team of free agents playing on a Saturday night. The Piranhas have become family to me. I get excited when I get to be on the ice with them, and I always seem to have a smile around them. The Leperchauns were a bit of a younger team, less talented, but showed signs of potential. I really felt I would fit in on the Leperchauns, based on age, proximity of the rink, and a few other things.
Starting out, every weekend I was playing two games. Saturday night then again Sunday night. It worked out really well because I could use that Monday to recover, and then work hard in the gym and be ready for the next weekend. The Lepers were in a league I was not too familiar with, but curious about. The first three games, I skated through the crease in the offensive zone and play had to stop and come out. I’ve had that called on me before, but no league had ever been such a stickler. I learned to make sure to be aware of my surroundings more and more, and it had not happened after that.
Despite feeling like I was in the top 1/3 of the roster skill wise for the Lepers, I could not produce. I had no chemistry with anyone on the team. Even the top skater on the team would not work out well with me. This really bothered me because he liked the way I played, and he knew exactly what I was doing. He even used me as an example for some of the newer players on what to do.
The lack of chemistry and production on the Lepers lead to me going back to being more physical like I had been 2-3 years ago. There had been a couple of times where I felt I should have gotten called for checking or roughing. I had a couple of open ice hits that Scott Stevens would have been proud of.  This did help create space for my team members, and allowed them to put the puck in the net, but I feel like a lot of the guys on the team looked at the stat sheet only. I really don’t feel the stat sheet does players like me justice. I’m more focused on shutting down opponents than putting up points. I started hearing a lot of negativity towards each other in the locker room, and started observing poor behaviors from the players which I could not respect. The fact that team was not winning any games did not help.
It really bothers me when the energy in the locker room is so toxic. It hurt my play. I know I wasn’t looking forward to games with the Lepers, and I started getting cold shoulders from players. One game I didn’t say more than 10-15 words the entire night. My wrist had started bothering me about 6 weeks into the season, but it was a playable injury. It just needed to be taped a bit. Around January, I had a game and saw some behaviors from my team mates that really made me not want to play with the team. There was no friendly banter, no respect for each other. It was like rat hockey where everyone was out there for themselves. I continue playing, and despite trying to tell myself that I’m going to bring some energy to the team, it didn’t work. This drained on me.

While this was all going on for the Lepers, my performance on the Piranhas was the opposite. I scored the team’s first goal this season, and I knew I was going to have a great season. I didn’t have to play strong on my stick, I didn’t have a problem with chemistry with any line mate ever. I knew what I needed to do, where I fit on the team every night. The vibe in the locker room was upbeat at all times, even after a 7-0 loss. It lead to my best season. I started on a solid goal scoring pace (for me it was outstanding), averaging a goal every other game. I honestly was tickled with how well I was playing.
So on a Saturday night, I could go from feeling down in the dumps with a bunch of strangers, to being in an awesome locker room, where I know each player and everyone is happy to be there.
In November, a lot of things started happening off the ice, and stole my focus. It just would not let up either. This string of very bad events and situations would continue until the season was over (as of this writing, we may not be out of the tunnel yet). I didn’t play as well once this stuff started happening, but I kept going and trying.
In January, the drain of the Lepers and the nagging injury of my wrist would be enough for me to walk from the team mid-season. My attendance was not solid anyway because they were constantly having games on Non-Saturdays that I had conflicts with. After I left the Lepers, I never had any regrets. It was the right decision. I would take the extra time (the Piranhas had gaps in their schedule) to heal up and just take care of the off ice issues.
The Piranhas started to slide a bit too. But that upbeat attitude was still there. Everyone was trying, and it was just a positive experience the whole time. I would come to the locker room with that smile on my face every time, despite us not playing our greatest hockey. Then we got a bit of a break. We had a string of games against teams below us in the standings, and the Piranhas went on a tear. Everyone knew it was necessary to just make the playoffs. We would finish the season winning 6 of our final 7 games.
In that stretch of 7 games, we had to play a compressed schedule because we missed some games because of vacations, byes in the schedule and so on. For me, the worst part of that compressed schedule was being sick. I had developed some problems that did not allow me to eat or drink comfortably. I finished the season 12 pounds lighter than when I started, and if you’ve seen me off the ice, you know 12 pounds is a lot for me. I was so sick at one point that I played a full game, but was so dehydrated that I did not sweat. This was the worst point of the season to get sick.
Going into the last game of the season, we still had a shot at making the playoffs against a rough team, who was favored to go to the championship game. The Piranhas had a shortened bench, but the team was in to win this game. Sick, I had my best game I ever played. I played strong on the opponents, protected the puck well, created a lot of space for my line mates, screened the goalie, cycled the puck – just about everything a winger can do. The team would win the game in overtime, but still be eliminated from the playoffs with an 11-9 record.

When I look back at the season as an individual, I’d say it was successful. I found a scoring touch with 9 goals in 19 games for The Piranhas, even though for the Lepers (a weaker league) I had 0 points in 14 games. I say it was successful as an individual because I grew significantly in maturity and appreciation for my team and showed that I’m capable of putting up a point or two compared to just making life difficult for my opponents.
I didn’t want the season to end. I felt like the team was getting into a groove. I wanted to play through being sick and keep skating and producing. The high of that final performance of the season from each of the Piranhas, and myself kept me up really late.
Now I have to figure out how to build upon this momentum within the last couple of years.

Stepping Away from the Coyotes

Early this morning, I informed the Coyotes that I decided to step away from the team. This was not an easy decision, but probably best for both parties. It hurts because I really wanted to help the Coyotes move forward. I did not do that. To call my only season as captain of the Coyotes a failure is an understatement. 

The truth is I cannot commit to the Coyotes, and give them what they need anymore. This season was tough because of a variety of reasons away from the ice. When I ask myself if those distractions are gone, the answer is no.

Playing on two teams is not possible for me at this time in life. I will continue skating with the Piranhas. Had I continued to play on two teams, I would not perform with the passion that I demand of myself. I chose the Piranhas because they're a significantly lower maintenance team, and can handle if in the probable scenario that I'm flaky. The Coyotes need a greater commitment, and more time away from the rink than I have.

However, that also means my expectations for the Piranhas are higher because I'm focused on just them. No double headers, no conflicts, no back to backs. Supplement my hockey requirement with my own skates, rat hockey, scheduled practices, Puck Pros, and others' scrimmages where I can pick and chose.

This is a step back for me, but will allow me to get back to having fun, and focusing on the game.

Squirrel's 2013-2014 Season Review

The 2013-2014 season for me was a disaster. Every year, I set a handful of goals for the year and I usually achieve about half of them. Last year, I hit each of them except one. This year, I didn’t hit any. These goals are not outrageous, but they do push me. Most are statistic based and I keep them to myself during the season. For example, this year a few of my goals were:

• Don't get hurt - Play in a minimum of 17 regular season games for both the Piranhas and Coyotes. It isn't a full 20 because of the overlapping schedules.
• Reduce Penalty minutes - I wanted to have less than 22 penalty minutes this year. While I did have less than 22, it is because I missed a lot of games.
• 8 points on the Piranhas, 20 points on the Coyotes. I really felt that I needed to step up on the Coyotes this year in the point producing department. I also realize that the Piranhas would be in a tough spot this year because of their new division.
• 3rd place overall for the Coyotes - It would be very difficult to take 2nd place in the division, but possible. I left it at 3rd because I knew that we'd have games where we were short handed, and we hadn't played in the summer. I expected to finish hot. The Coyotes finished second to last.

I had a total of one goal all year, and I did have quite a few assists. I didn't score my one goal until the last game of the Piranha season, but it was a beauty:

So why didn't the season go so well? As with anything, there is never just one reason. I do believe a lot of the reasons I struggled were because of off ice reasons. For example, I had family issues which created a big distraction for me. Normally, the game is my number one focus, but I can honestly say that I didn't have one game where I was fully focused. This year, I also took a leadership role with the Coyotes. That didn't go the way I wanted. I tried to believe that the reason the Coyotes were in the situation they were in was because they didn't have the leadership or opportunity to do the things they needed to. When I gave them the opportunity, or tried to inspire change, it didn't work. This created another distraction for me.

But there were distractions at the rink for me as well. One thing I tried to get the Coyotes to do was to be a little bit more self-organizing. I needed them to not have their hand held every step of the way, even if it meant growing pains. When problems would arise, I would often shortchange myself so that an individual would be happier. Probably not the smartest thing for me to do. I also feel the team didn't get to be self organizing the way I wanted them to be after 20 games.

The biggest barrier to my success though was my hip. I had a nagging hip injury that started early in October. I tried to play through it, but after a rough game in December, I needed time off. I saw a couple of doctors who gave me advice on what to do, and even though I followed their instructions, the hip is still not fully recovered. It impacted my mobility, my confidence, and my strength.

I tried to let it recover. Give it a month of no stress, I tried to skate less frequently later in the season. But this just lead to me never being in my peak condition.

I took on bigger roles on both teams this year. I'm happy about that, but the success wasn't there. The stress snowballed and it cause me to start doubting myself. I missed many easy chances on the Piranhas, including missing an empty net for a goal from five feet which I continue to get heat for.

This was by far the most difficult, and least successful season of hockey for me since I started playing. At the same time, my expectations were high as well. When I first started playing, my goal may have been to just get one shot on goal in a game in a level that is similar to what the Piranhas are in. Now I'm expecting to average a point per game from the blue line in a much lower level. 

Coyotes vs. Honey Badgers

I knew this was going to be a difficult game. The Coyotes had too many players dressed, many hadn't been on the ice in a while, and our opponents had been on the ice twice a week as a team. That said, I was 100% ready, focused, and prepared to get the win.

I was immediately strong and aggressive. I clogged up their entry into our zone. I had to actually hold back as I didn't want to take a roughing penalty. Playing on the Coyotes is difficult because our opponents' individual skill levels vary so greatly. I don't want to lean on a player who can barely stand on their skates.

That hesitation would come back to bite me later. I would pinch in, and the puck would come out of their zone for a 2 on 1. I came back as hard as I could. My defensive partner got beat but it was ok because I was there to put pressure on the puck carrier. I went to knock the puck away, missed and he scored. Had I played it the way I would at a higher level, I would have attempted to bump him off balance, and the puck would have just kept sliding. I was not happy with myself.

Later that period, I would get the puck on the blue line. There was no traffic in front of the net, no forward to pass to because they all had their backs to me. I skated in a bit looking for a shooting attempt. I would be cut off. I saw the winger  with his back to me wide open. I knew I could bounce it off the wall in front of him, have the puck come back to right in front of him. So I shot it against the wall as hard as I could right in front of him. He saw this, picked it up and shot. The rebound went to the other side, where the other winger was able to easily put it in. One assist for me down.

Because of having too many guys, I basically took most of the second period off. I would play center in the third. Playing with a full bench means extremely short shifts for me, which I did. I need to slow down with the puck. I think I will handle it much better. I didn't carry it in as well as I would like.

A few shifts into the period, I fore checked in, clogged the puck along the wall, and then kicked it into the corner. Allowing my winger to dig along the wall with it. He slid it behind the net, to the other corner. I went to chase it down, but saw the other winger there ready for it. I went to just between the circle and the crease. I saw it kicked out and I was able to circle, see that no one was between me and the goalie from about 8 feet out. I shot it up and beat him top near side. One goal down in addition to my previous assist.

I liked how I played. I played hard, I saw my players open for passes, and moved the puck well. I was able to read the play very well, and make a big difference for our team, especially on the scoreboard. I would like to start carrying the puck more, but I'll start working on that in my training sessions.

The Coyotes would lose 5-4. This is a tough loss for the Coyotes.

3 on 3 - Franklin Park

My one and only goal for the night was to have fun. I didn’t care if I scored a goal, played well, skated well, won, etc. If I had fun, the night would be successful for me. I had a great group that wanted to play, so I was fairly confident it’d work out.

I stepped on to the ice, which was soaked, and made sure that the things I focused on toward the end of the season were being done. Things such as bending my knees, staying low, and keeping my balance are were key to my improvement.

Surprisingly, I felt good when playing. I expected to be gassed, unstable, and slow. In reality, I felt as if I didn’t take any time off. This is strange because I have rust if I don’t play for a week, and not playing for a month I figured it would be exponential.

I think that my passing could have been better, and so could have my timing. Multiple times, I was told that I had more time than I realized. Thinking there’s pressure on you when there isn’t will cause you to make bad decisions. I find myself in those situations often. I believe it is a confidence issue.

Where I did well was putting pressure on others – especially if they had the puck. I was strong along the wall as I usually am, and I made sure no one got anything easy.

Anyway, everyone had a blast at the skate, including me. It was a success. I would like to set up another in the very near future.