From Homework Night in Canada to Hockey Night in Fredericton
Well...I'm sore. First hockey game of the season was tonight. I was *very* nervous, since I ended up getting recruited by a competitive team - I think they just needed another warm body. As you may know, I have no car, so tonight at 9:15 I slung my hockey bag onto my back, picked up my two sticks and hopped on my bike. Now, I haven't detailed to bike route to school yet for my readers. It's not far - just a shade under 3kms. But it is almost entirely straight up. And I'm not talking a small little hill here. It makes the Gordon and Edinburgh hills in Guelph (for those that remember them) look downright puny.
So I dropped the bike into its easiest gear and started pedalling. Fifteen minutes later I pulled up at the arena with an aching back, shaky legs and very out of breath. Took me a while to find the change room too, so I was last one getting ready...but I was there long enough to hear that, at least as far as I could figure, several of the players on the team also play junior hockey in their hometowns. Not encouraging for me.
Got out on the ice early enough to get a little bit of a warmup in, watching the other players blast slapshots (yeah, I still don't know how to do that), while I struggle just skating backwards. The referee (yes, first time ever with a referee for me!) blew his whistle and I, quite wisely, started the game on the bench. This way I got to watch the game a bit before I dove in. It was pretty fast and some of the players were very talented. It is a non-contact league, but that seemed to mean a non-body-checking league, as there was lots of jostling in the corners and in front of the net.
Soon enough, my first shift came quickly and I hopped onto the ice (well, stepped - no way I was going to try and go over the boards first time out). Almost as soon as I set foot on the ice, an opposing player came my way with the puck. I lunged my stick at him, then watched him deftly step around me as my stick went fluttering off down the ice. So much for good first impressions.
Spent the rest of the first period trying to keep up with guys and get the flow of the game. I actually didn't do too badly. I'm just very aware I will never deke anyone out or wire a shot to the top corner or outskate anyone...but I'm determined and generally well-positioned. Then, a miracle happened. A goal mouth scramble at their end, the puck pops loose and I have the whole net to shoot at. I quite literally shovelled the puck towards the net and it barely slid across the line to tie the game at 1-1. I should retire now, with my 100% shooting percentage! This definitely made me feel more at ease.
The game continued and I did a decent job of keeping up with the play - always choosing the safe play and trying not to take any risks. A good game too - back and forth, lots of chances. With us nursing a 3-2 lead into the third, they stormed the net off a faceoff and tied it 3-3. Then, with 2 minutes to go, my true talent shone through. They made a nice little give and go around our net with me playing the role of swiveling pylon and they potted the game winning goal...
So we lost 4-3, I scored a goal and was responsible for one of theirs. Not too bad, but it was pretty clear I was the worst guy on our team. I'll have to check with the captain if they want me back - the recreational league is always there for me! But I kind of enjoyed it and think it might help me improve my game. Either way, I got a good workout! (Of course, I then had to crawl back on the bike for the ride home, which, fortunately, is entirely downhill, so I could just coast.)
So I dropped the bike into its easiest gear and started pedalling. Fifteen minutes later I pulled up at the arena with an aching back, shaky legs and very out of breath. Took me a while to find the change room too, so I was last one getting ready...but I was there long enough to hear that, at least as far as I could figure, several of the players on the team also play junior hockey in their hometowns. Not encouraging for me.
Got out on the ice early enough to get a little bit of a warmup in, watching the other players blast slapshots (yeah, I still don't know how to do that), while I struggle just skating backwards. The referee (yes, first time ever with a referee for me!) blew his whistle and I, quite wisely, started the game on the bench. This way I got to watch the game a bit before I dove in. It was pretty fast and some of the players were very talented. It is a non-contact league, but that seemed to mean a non-body-checking league, as there was lots of jostling in the corners and in front of the net.
Soon enough, my first shift came quickly and I hopped onto the ice (well, stepped - no way I was going to try and go over the boards first time out). Almost as soon as I set foot on the ice, an opposing player came my way with the puck. I lunged my stick at him, then watched him deftly step around me as my stick went fluttering off down the ice. So much for good first impressions.
Spent the rest of the first period trying to keep up with guys and get the flow of the game. I actually didn't do too badly. I'm just very aware I will never deke anyone out or wire a shot to the top corner or outskate anyone...but I'm determined and generally well-positioned. Then, a miracle happened. A goal mouth scramble at their end, the puck pops loose and I have the whole net to shoot at. I quite literally shovelled the puck towards the net and it barely slid across the line to tie the game at 1-1. I should retire now, with my 100% shooting percentage! This definitely made me feel more at ease.
The game continued and I did a decent job of keeping up with the play - always choosing the safe play and trying not to take any risks. A good game too - back and forth, lots of chances. With us nursing a 3-2 lead into the third, they stormed the net off a faceoff and tied it 3-3. Then, with 2 minutes to go, my true talent shone through. They made a nice little give and go around our net with me playing the role of swiveling pylon and they potted the game winning goal...
So we lost 4-3, I scored a goal and was responsible for one of theirs. Not too bad, but it was pretty clear I was the worst guy on our team. I'll have to check with the captain if they want me back - the recreational league is always there for me! But I kind of enjoyed it and think it might help me improve my game. Either way, I got a good workout! (Of course, I then had to crawl back on the bike for the ride home, which, fortunately, is entirely downhill, so I could just coast.)
posted by Mr. G. at 11:28 p.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home