Muse back!
January 23, 2009 / Friday
Burninating Las Vegas 2009 / Game 2: Phoenix WHOA Smokin' Aces
"I'm gonna go check on Chris," Liz said, "She locked her gear in the car."
For those of you who missed this little detail from the previous post, Chris is our goalie. It's kind of hard to play a hockey game without a goalie.
Fortunately, the rink was running behind schedule, and AAA got there just in time to liberate her gear for our game. PHEW.
We played some version of this team last year. This year, they look to have gained more skaters, skills, and organization. They were better, but fortunately, we played better too, as our tournament gelling continued.
Sharon scored first, putting us up 1-0. They answered, and then Murty scored on a breakaway. She made it look good, waiting for the goalie to commit and then sending one across her body into the far corner of the net. Murty had a great game, taking it down the ice several times.
The other team scored again, and we finished regulation tied 2-2. Overtime!
I had not been having a good game. Sometime early in the 2nd period, I totally ran out of gas. I was so tired I couldn't move my arms fast enough to do what I wanted to with the puck. Still, this was overtime. First to score wins. I knew everyone would be playing harder, and I really didn't want this neverending-to-me game's worth of effort to go to waste.
The puck dropped. Stuff I can't remember happened, and then Lucinda sent me a pass up the neutral zone. I brought it in, and for the second time ever in a game (I think), took it around the D one handed on my backhand. I had to; she was big, and big players have long sticks.
I turned back in toward the net, squared up a forehand, and shot it as hard as I could. I watched the back of the net, waited, and saw the puck hit.
First came the everyone-on-the-ice hug. I let out a huge "YEAHHHHH!!!" from the huddle, and then the rest of the team piled in. I don't think I've ever been in the middle of a giant huddle before. I ended up just lying there by the end of it. Wow. Awesome.
Final score: 3-2. Jodi found a little red puppy in her bag when we returned to the locker room. We named him Hugs, but I'm not sure I remembered to tell her that. Woops!
After the game, I saw the Polar Cats goalie. We're not playing them this year, but it was good to chat with her and meet her wee little one. We had a big team lunch at the Fiesta buffet, and returned to cheer on the Dolphins. My throat, it hurts from cheering. Eee-ee-eee!
Injuries: The groin is more strained than before, but still functional. I also blocked a puck with my left forearm, realizing upon impact that I am not a goalie and therefore should not be blocking pucks with my arm. Too late. Fortunately, I had brought my ice bag from Colorado with me (Thanks again, Jami's mom!). I iced it some, then gave the bag to Becky when I found out her shoulder was injured. Shoulders, way more important than forearms.
Improvement: I've been trying for well over a year to do a quick, sharp, 180 degree turn with the puck on my forehand. I could do it on the backhand side, but couldn't figure out how to get the stick and puck positioned quite right on the forehand side. During today's warmups, I finally figured it out. (Sorry Chris for not warming you up; I was having a Eureka! moment.)
Remember this picture from last weekend? I've been studying it, along with another picture of me turning the other way. They looked okay, but not great. What was missing? What did I need for those shots to be great? I needed to bend my knees more and increase the distance between my feet. I've known this, but haven't been able to make my body commit to doing it.
Well today, I finally did it. I bent my knees, spread those feet out, and swung easy 180s with the puck on my forehand. The backhand 180 is faster now, too. Hallelujah!
What made it finally click? Putting the 180 and the footwork together. I needed the legs and feet in the proper position so my upper body could get into the proper position so I could hold the stick in such a way that I could control the puck through the turn. (Boy, that's a mouthful.) On the flip side, I needed my upper body in the proper position to allow me to turn in that stance without falling over.
Now, to do it in a game. :)
11:56 PM | Burninators:Hockey:Injuries