Piranhas vs. Vipers

My hips were tight and I didn't get as long of a nap as I wanted before the game. I knew it was going to be a difficult game as a result. I did my best to stretch as much as I could as long as I could before the game but it wasn't helping much. My back felt great though.

I had different line mates than I usually do, but that's expected when you have a short bench like the Piranhas have all year. I started off on center, and for a change, I was actually winning faceoffs. I had won a few the game before, and I was winning them cleanly and with control tonight. At the very worst, I was tying up the opponent and the puck would just sit there.

My line had a lot of speed, and it showed on the first shift. We had a couple of shots, but not great ones. We were in the offensive zone nearly the entire time we were on the ice for the first period. But eventually the short bench would come back and bite us. Wingers would go to low to help out tired defensemen and centers weren't getting low enough. 

There was a lot of board work, and it seemed this team was made of giants. They moved the puck well, lifted sticks, and made it difficult to move out there. I made some ok passes, but a few were too hard. Others were off the ice.

I really tried to focus on possession of the puck this game. The team had discussed a few things openly that we could change. I get a lot rushes because of my speed. I shoot, and have no one there for the rebound. I need to figure out something else to do with the puck because the shots are being seen clearly. I tried carrying the puck low and coming back up, gaining some time, drifting a little bit wider, and even driving to the net once. I didn't let that distract me from when I had the puck in a high scoring area, I was getting it to the net.

The Piranhas lost 3-1, with the empty net against. A close game, but still a loss.

Piranhas vs. Arsenal

I didn't get anything resembling a warm up. It was my own fault. I spent a lot of time at home stretching before coming to the rink.

The first few shifts of the game, my line did really well. We got the puck deep, and kept possession. I was playing with two players I normally never get to play with, and one was usually a d-man. I had a really good jump to my game early on. Our team would dump the puck in for a change, and their defense man would slowly go back to get it. I'd bet him to the puck and gain possession, but before I could get a handle, I'd stumble  and not much would happen. This continued, and it forced the goalie to make some bad decisions that lead to scoring chances. Early on, I noticed I was able to control a few faceoffs. In a draw in our own end, I was able to have my wingers line up in the slot, and I shot right as the puck was dropped.  The goalie was beatable.

At the end of the first we were down 4-1. In the second we really started to click. There was a good 90 seconds where our team was able to cycle the puck, and get scoring chances. It was exhausting for both sides. We were able to get a goal after I won a faceoff to the winger in the middle. He shot, I tapped at it to put it in but it got deflected somehow and went in from the rebound from my shot. The official gave me credit for the goal, but I think it was the winger. That same shift, he and I had a 2 on 2. I acted like I was going to pass to him, but used the defense man as a screen, and silently slid the puck through his legs, and the goalie barely saw it and it went in. Two goals in one shift. I'm really liking that play where I have the option to pass and I do the no look shot.

I had a battle in the corner in the offensive zone, where as I was falling to the ice, I saw a forward in blue right in front of the goalie. I made a very lucky pass and got it to him, but he fanned on the shot. I also had a couple of good passes to my defense man in the offensive zone, but not many solid outlet passes. Defensively, I didn't do much, but I didn't make mistakes. Overall, one of the better games I've played this season. The team played very well, but we lost 5-3. We didn't get enough quality shots in my opinion.

Three months off

I haven’t played hockey in three months. It wasn’t intentional, it just worked out that way. It was nice to have a break from hockey.

At the end of the winter season, I was happy it was over. Some seasons I’m ready for a small break, but this winter was different. The season was disappointing in a variety of areas for me. I wasn’t happy about my performance on the ice. I started whining towards the officials. All of these and more were just evidence and/or consequences of me not wanting to be around hockey.

The three months without hockey were actually productive. I started recognizing how bad my diet had become and made steps to change it. I got back into the gym enough so that I spent more time there in these three months than I did all season. I rediscovered old hobbies and found new ones as well. I did quite a bit.

When it came time to put the skates on again, I wasn’t that thrilled. I knew if I didn’t do it though, I’d probably not play for another year. Still, I committed to playing and I know how bad it is to have people fall short on commitments. I’m going to put forth my effort like I normally do. I’m going to follow through on my commitment. But I’m doing this season for myself. I want to just have fun. I’m not going to focus on making things go smoothly for everyone.

Summer 2015 Playoffs Review

It’s ova’! The summer is done, playoffs are over and it is time to start preparing for winter. The winter season is just a few short weeks away.
“But Squirrel! What happened in the summer playoffs?”

Settle down there, and I’ll tell you. The Piranhas (2nd seed) would play the Shooters (3rd) to get to the championship. The Piranha line up is out on the ice, taking warm ups, and there’s only two Shooters on the ice. The fish start hearing that they have no goalie.

The referee came up with these rules on the fly that neither side fully understood, allowing the Shooters to put one of their 8 skaters into the net and cover the puck. Oh, and the Shooters are missing their top center.

It was brutal. The Piranhas played down, and the Shooters played desperate. It made it into a difficult game. I could not get anything going. I would try to use my wingers to help break out of the zone, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the endurance to skate the puck down, I didn’t have the patience to look. The Shooters played outstanding, and it threw me off. My frustration grew and grew. I would put one into the net, and it would go around the bottom so fast, that the official would not see it go in and out, and not count it. Even Shooter players admitted it went in, but obviously aren’t going to admit it. Piranhas win ugly, 6-5.

The very next night, the Moose would play the Force for the championship. I would jump onto the wing for the first time with that team, playing with an old team mate from the Coyotes. I kept making mistakes in the first period. I wouldn’t play my “safe” hockey. I would stumble, drop the puck, make bad passes, pretty much anything I could do poorly in the first two periods. Going into the third we were down by a couple of goals, and I knew I had to play better. I had to carry the puck, and dig quite a bit deeper. The entire team had to carry the puck – especially me. I would eventually pick it up and try to take it end to end. I did a lot of work below the goal line, and stayed strong on my skates. I would kick a backhand pass out to the slot, allowing my center to put one home. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough and the Moose lost.

I wasn’t frustrated or angry after the Moose lost. I spent more time focusing on the next steps. The winter moose, the Piranhas next game, and that was about it. I wasn’t playing well, and there’s little you can do to play better in the short term. Just mentally prepare.

The Piranhas would have a full bench against the Mastodons (1st). I would pop the goalie’s water bottle in warm ups, something I had never done before. I had my time to get my skates right – which is nice because they had felt off for a month or two. We shook up the lines a little bit, and gave me a little bit stronger of a winger as my line had been struggling a lot lately. Dividends would immediately pay off. My line’s first shift, I would poke check the puck away from the puck carrier in the neutral zone, and my new winger would cut across, pick up the puck and score on a break away. It set the tone. Each shift from every line was hard. The Piranhas didn’t give up anything easy, and that helped me out and play my best. It is easier to dig deeper when you’re surrounded by guys who are digging deep as well. A couple of penalty kills, a few solid defensive plays, and the Piranhas would win the championship.

I finished the summer on a down note performance wise. When I was rolling fairly well, I hit a dry patch. I now know why. I stopped working to get better, and as a result, I got worse. My conditioning didn’t improve, I lost battles, and I lost confidence. I’m fortunate to have had the team to pick up slack. Now it is just time to get ready for the winter.

Summer 2015 Regular Season Review

When I look back at the summer season, there wasn’t that much growth for me. I had a lot of problems off the ice, and I still haven’t regained my focus from that. It never ceases to amaze me how mentally prepared for the game I need to be to perform at my best.

At the start of the season, I questioned if I would be able to handle a second team in addition to the Piranhas. I joined the Moose with the knowledge that I have already played with a few of those players. If I had to take time away for a bit, I knew they would understand. I also knew I needed to be on the ice a lot this summer to have something to look forward to.

I started off the season thinking, “Man, this is going to continue how I left off last season…” playing well. The moose to me looked completely dominant, and the Piranhas were solid.  I scored an important and pretty goal for the Piranhas against the Aces that would draw some attention from quite a few players on both sides. By flipping it gently over the goalies leg pad and having it come down in the goal but without hitting the back of the net.

I would then miss a long string of Moose games because of injuries, personal problems, and one even because of the weather. I stopped my training, my diet was poor, and I generally just stopped taking care of myself.  I would make it worse two days before with the Piranhas, and then not be ready for The Moose. It was not a good pattern. I hit that skid, and just did my best to not be a liability on the ice. Normally in a scenario such as this, I would force myself to be disciplined and get back on the right track, but instead, I gave myself a break.

My typical fire and jump in my step would come and go for about a month, then would come back. I rejoined the Moose. I had a two goal game against the Shooters, where one I was skating full speed, batted the puck out of the air and into the goal, without hitting the back of the net, and another no look, fast shot along the ice that the goalie never saw coming because I used his own defensemen as a screen. I’d have another goal against the Shooters where I walk from the corner, through three of their skaters, across the slot, and then score that I will never forget. I was feeling really positive about my play, despite not being in my best physical condition. I started playing with confidence – carrying the puck into the slot, successfully performing moves that that I had only tried in practices. But I hit a small slump the last few games, playing with hands of stone, and still not being conditioned as well as I’d like.

Aside from a few highlight worthy goals, this summer regular season didn’t do much for me. The Moose would finish first in their division, and the Piranhas would finish second in their division.  Both teams have an excellent shot at their championships. But for the playoffs, I’m going to focus more on mental preparation than physical. I don’t think the conditioning will improve enough to make a difference, but if I have my focus, I can be a difference maker.

Piranhas vs. Mastodons 2015-06-23

During warm ups, I felt like I was moving better than ever. I was low, quick, going left and right well. I couldn’t handle the puck at all, but that’s nothing new. My mind was so focused on the game, and I was so well prepared, I knew I would have a solid effort. I was going to be the third line out. The first two lines were dominated on the ice. It made me a little concerned that the two stronger lines were not controlling the play better. I jump out onto the ice, receive a great breakout pass from my winger. I bring it in, and end up going into the corner with the puck. I had the puck on the wall for a good 10 seconds. Going left, look up, I have nothing. Back to the right, and I look, another opponent. Can I go backwards and into the slot? That crosscheck from behind tells me nope. 

The game went on a lot more like that. I played extremely well on the wall. I was very strong on my stick and played the body well along the wall. The Mastodons are a big team who play a more physical style of hockey, so they’re prepared for that sort of play. That though drains you a lot faster. It definitely impacted me in the second and third periods. In the defensive zone, I found it harder to go into the corners and put pressure on the puck carrier. I had a few shots on goal. One was on a power play where I carried it through the middle, used the defense men as a screen, kept going as fast as I could, got around the defense men, picked up my rebound and shot again.  I would up with four shots I think, but only one that was really solid.

I liked my game. Conditioning needs to come back, but it will quickly.  I only made maybe one or two mistakes, such as a softer pass to enter the zone that got picked off, or miscommunication with my line mates. 

The Piranhas would win 4-3 in overtime.

Grim Reapers and Aces scrimmage

The Reapers and Aces invited me out to a scrimmage to help evaluate a newly formed team. I was asked to play defense, which is something I haven’t done much of in almost two years. New skates, and just a new mindset would make it very different for me. But I did it, not knowing about the team I was playing against. I recognized a few players but not all of them.

I started out a little shaky. I broke the chin strap on my helmet, which threw me off my first shift. But as the night went on, I felt much more comfortable attacking as a defensemen. I had this speed and trust from my forwards that I could take it in, get the puck to the net, and then come back to the blue line before the opponents could regain possession.  I think it is because all night the forwards kept giving up the blue line and coming back when I’m used to a more aggressive fore check.

My positioning needed work. I need to remind myself as I play on the blue line that I need to stay within the dots, and that there isn’t a third guy in the middle to help cover it. I need to push players to the outside, and not give so much space towards the middle of the ice. I did better with that as the night went on.

I am happy with how I played. I had a little rust but it came off quick.