Hockey :: Burninators
August 31, 2008 / Sunday
Coors Cup 2008 Semifinal: Tomorrow We Get To Sleep In
Played the Crazy Cougars again this afternoon in a semifinal matchup. While for the most part a friendly group, this team's physical style on the ice makes them the least favorite of all the opponents we faced this weekend. I'm relatively little, and a lot of them are relatively not, and that was a recipe for repeated unplanned flights with rough launches and even rougher landings. Or maybe they were trying to balance out yesterday's whiplash. Oh, but that's how tournaments go. Not everyone plays as gently as they do in my league back home.
For the most part, we skated hard, and when we didn't, I pulled my hair out over it. I guess I really did want to play tomorrow morning. My line had some good shifts, decent shots, nice plays, and one really pretty rush at the net, but their goalie did her job and made some great saves. Props for her, boohoo for us. Final score: 0-3.
After the game, I noticed I wasn't tired, and realized that I hadn't felt tired all tournament, even in the 3rd period of our games. Amazing! I'm usually dead by the 3rd period, and wear out faster with each subsequent game. What made this tournament different?
Two possibilities, non-exclusive: (1) Electrolytes. I brought some CamelBak Elixir tablets and dropped one in my water bottle for each game. I chose this over Gatorade because I squirt water all over myself through my face mask, and I didn't want anything with sugar. It has a nice light lemony taste. (2) I remembered to eat fairly decent foods, and more of it than usual. My habit is to eat only when hungry, and only enough to feel *just* a wee bit full. I realized this was probably not giving me enough fuel to skate hard game after tournament game, so this weekend, eat eat eat. Well, except for Saturday afternoon, when I ate what I thought was a decent amount that turned out to be not enough
Overall, this was a fun tournament. It was well organized, the teams were friendly (in our division, at least), and there was a nice party on Sunday night. Even better, the champions of each division get to pick a charity to which $750 is donated. Hockey for a good cause! Way to go, folks who made this tournament happen, and thanks!
06:59 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
Coors Cup 2008 Game 3: Snipers Practice
Played the Arizona Snipers this morning. After seeing this team listed in the second highest division of the Vegas tournament a couple years back, I expected a pretty fast-paced game. They had a different roster from Vegas, but we still got a fast game. I'm pretty sure they didn't skate at full speed, either. But then, they didn't need to, as their throttled down speed (along with their passing and positioning) was enough to win the game handily. It felt a bit like they were using us for practice, setting up plays and taking beautiful one timer slapshots shift after shift. Afterward, we noted how clean this game was. And why? Because when you're *that* much better than the team you're playing against, you can do whatever you want without touching them.
Final score: 0-7. I had to ask for the score after the game because I lost count. Still, good job us, for skating hard until the final buzzer.
I wore the new helmet today, and it felt great. It's nice to have something that fits my head well. The cage sticks out farther than I'm used to, which created a bit of a drinking problem, but that can be remedied with a different water bottle. I'm thinking it's time for one of those tall ones with the pointy spout.
The new stick saw action today also. Aside from the newly taped sticky handle, I couldn't tell the difference between it and my old stick. As it should be!
The hamstring started to stiffen up last night, and I'm trying hard to keep it happy. I've been keeping up my regimen of stretching and icing, and added a heat patch before games. It was noticeably tight during the game. Not a good feeling.
We have a playoff this afternoon against the Crazy Cougars, whom we played yesterday (and who gave me whiplash off a killer trip). Winner goes to the final tomorrow morning at 8 AM.
Gosh, that's early, but it's too early now to be thinking about it. One game at a time. That's been my gimpy mantra all weekend.
12:25 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
August 30, 2008 / Saturday
Coors Cup 2008 Game 2: Momentum Swings Are A Bitch
Woke up way earlier than is proper for a Saturday morning, grubbed on some hotel breakfast oatmeal, and headed to the rink for our 9:15 game against the California Crazy Cougars, a.k.a. Shella's team. This game was a step up from last night in terms of speed and skill, but we managed to keep it even for most of the game with some decent skating and great saves by Mary, a.k.a. Chris's stunt double. ;)
We scored first; my center took a shot, the goalie stopped it, I poked at the puck between the goalies pads, then looked behind the goalie, and found the puck all alone in the crease, inches from the goal line. Must... get... stick... on... puck!!! Fortunately, I was able to, and this slow motion moment ended with the puck in the net.
They answered soon after, and after a scoreless 2nd period, we entered the 3rd tied 1-1.
The 3rd period did not go so well for us. They kept moving their feet, and we did not. There was definitely a momentum swing early in the period, and they scored three quick ones on us. We were never able to make it up. Final score: 1-4.
This afternoon, hockey shopping!
10:59 AM | Burninators| Comments (0)
August 29, 2008 / Friday
Coors Cup 2008 Game 1: Chillin'
Arrived at the Toyota Sports Center for game one of the 2008 Coors Cup tournament. This place is pretty nice. We went upstairs, signed in, and were handed a fabulous schwag bag containing (and this list is not complete) a Roxy dog leash, a strip of Durex condoms, two bottles of lube, an ID Glide branded water bottle, Propel powder, pink hockey tape, an LA Kings cap, and a Coors Cup 2008 trucker cap. We also got tournament shirts and a fluorescent green rubber bracelet from Ice Magazine that says "PLAY LIKE A GIRL". Sweet! I was liking this tournament already.
And now, the game. We weren't sure what to expect; if you haven't played a tournament before you really don't know what the level of play is, no matter what adjectives or labels are used to describe it. Fortunately, our two teams were fairly evenly matched. Most importantly, it was a friendly game. The Chill, well, they're pretty chill. I always say hello to my opposing wing before the first puck drop, and their response is often a good predictor of the game to come. I got a stick tap and a glove bump from this one. Hoorays.
We scored a couple early, one from Kim and another from a pass that bounced off my skate. The second one, definitely a fluke. After that, their goalie warmed up or something, because she then turned away the rest of our shots. Final score: 2-0. Way to go, Burninators!
The hamstring held up (I wrapped it up tight), but the right glute is unhappy again. Not sure how to wrap that one. Do they make such a thing as butt wrap?
Next game is tomorrow at 9:15 in the morning. Gotta clean up and go to sleep now!
10:46 PM | Burninators:Injuries| Comments (2)
February 09, 2008 / Saturday
A Burninator Haiku
Saturday night at
Belmont for Burnination
against Lady Sharks
we played pretty well
evened it up 3-to-3
with minutes to go
but then Gina scored
yet another goal. darn it!
four for her tonight
that Gina, on fire!
I kept missing by inches
almost goals don't count :(
oh, emoticons
and dashes, they are silent
final score: 3-4
10:23 PM | Burninators:Haikus| Comments (0)
January 29, 2008 / Tuesday
We Forgot About The Towels
On my way off the ice after Sunday's loss, I noticed a white hand towel on the floor behind the bench. Suddenly, it all made sense. We'd forgotten to PACK EVERY TOWELS, TRUCK-O.
Not wanting to make the same mistake again, we made Becky our official towel packer. From now on, there shall be no towel left unpacked! And we shall Burninate the countryside without hindrance.
10:21 AM | Burninators| Comments (2)
January 28, 2008 / Monday
Burninator Traditions
This stuff needs documentation.
*thump thump thump* - The stick-banging version of our "Burn-in-ate!" chant. It gets mighty loud when we get a good thump going, and often rattles hungover Vegas refs. If I remember correctly, we started this tradition in our 5 period plus shuutout semifinal in Vegas three years ago, thumping our way into our first ever championship game.
The Golden Brush - It's a hairbrush, painted gold, and it's handed off to the player with the worst hair in the locker room after each game. Mary started the tradition in Vegas last year, and we've been trying to hide our post-game helmet heads ever since.
PACK EVERY TOWELS, TRUCK-O - That was the magical game plan waiting for us on a white board in the locker room before a big game at the 2007 Vegas tournament. We declared that our game plan and squeaked out just enough goals to go to the finals and win it all. In 2008, and unpacked towel caused us to lose the championship game. We must be more diligent about our towel packing from now on.
Trogdor the Knitted - For the 2008 Vegas tournament, Jennie knit us a Trogdor (thanks Jennie!), complete with beefy arm. We pass him around before games; touch the Troggie, score a goal! Or something like that. :)
Hannah Montana - Meredith had a bout of Hannah Montana sticker vending machine tourrettes before our first Vegas game this year, and as a result, Lucinda skates with Hannah Montana on her left shinguard. (I think it offers extra protection.) Before each game, Hannah makes her rounds in the locker room, and we all rub her for good luck. Hrm, that sounds kind of wrong.
Random hockey bag prizes - I don't know yet if this will become a tradition, but we sure had a lot of random prizes show up in people's bags after each game at the 2008 Vegas tournament. The list so far:
- a butternut squash in Ellen's bag Thursday (Gordo)
- a pineapple in Sharon's bag Friday (Bandit)
- a broken donkey head in Becky's bag Saturday (woops)
- an apple in my bag Saturday (Adam)
- an eskimo in Becky's bag Sunday (intact!)
- a stuffed lion in Meredith's bag Sunday
Will there be prizes at our next tournament? We shall see...
[ This post will be updated as I remember or as we add more traditions. ]
12:24 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
January 27, 2008 / Sunday
Burninating the 2008 LVWHC / Luxor Division Championship: San Diego Heartbreakers II
By winning all three of our games with a total goal differential of 11-4, we secured a bye into the finals by a single point. The 2nd and 3rd place teams squared off Saturday night, and on Sunday morning we played the winner.
I'd been pretty worried after feeling so crappy during and after yesterday's game, so I took a nice hot bath and went to bed at 9 PM. Ten hours later, I woke up, ate breakfast, and headed to the rink. All that rest did a bit of good; I could at least skate without falling in the first period. The second and thirds periods were not so good, as I was once again out of juice. As I write this, I'm sneezing sneezing sneezing and battling an increasingly stuffy nose, so perhaps my lack of hockey legs was related to my impending cold.
In any case, my one period's worth of okay legs was not enough to do anything. The other team even scored in that period, not because of my lack of legs, but because of my flat footedness. G had gone in on offense, as she very rightfully should have, and I had dropped back to cover for her. When one of their speedier players came charging down with the puck, I tried to close the gap on her going backward, when I really should have just skated forward and tried to take the puck from her that way. Too late. She got by me, got by Cara, and put the puck in the back of the net. Bah!
We scored, then they scored, then we scored again, with only minutes left in the final period. We now had a game again, or so we thought, until we deflected a rebound into our own net. Down 2-3 with a little over a minute remaining, we pulled Cara and fought hard to score, but ended up with a puck in our own net again. Final score: 2-4. Sigh.
On the upside, I like the team we played today; we were evenly matched, everyone was friendly, and their D was nice to Jean (any team that is mean to Jean is on my shit list forever). They were gracious winners and we were gracious, er, runner-ups. Congrats to the Heartbreakers II, and a big thank you to everyone who came to watch and cheer us on! We very much appreciate it!
We all got little 2nd place trophies, and we picked up a couple All Tournament team awards as well. Ellen was awarded All Tournament forward and Becky All Tournament defense, both of which were very, very well deserved. Those two did a phenomenal job out there game after game. They made a huge difference for us in terms of goals for and against, and I'm really glad that their efforts were recognized.
After the game, Becky found an Eskimo doll in her bag. Okay, I confess, I had something to do with it, but I absolutely did NOT put it in her bag, as many of you contend. I will say that it was put there to make up for the broken donkey head from the day before, which, for the record, was a happily intact donkey until it had an unfortunate accident between the car and the locker room. Poor donkey!
I'm going to bed now. This stuffy head thing is getting the best of me.
09:30 PM | Burninators| Comments (4)
January 26, 2008 / Saturday
Burninating the 2008 LVWHC / Game 3: WHOA Arizona
This morning's game was, in a word, crappy. More accurately, it was, in three words, crappy for me. I simply didn't have my legs under me. I could skate hard for about ten seconds every shift, and then, nothing. At one point, I tried to get to the bench and fell flat on my stomach. My legs were so tired that I considered crawling the final ten feet to the bench. Oof.
Fortunately, the Ellen-Sharon-Lindsay (in order of LW-C-RW) line was not crappy, and they each scored a goal to give us a 3-2 win.
The other team had a short bench and a couple younger players who would try to skate the puck all the way through. Their strategy seemed to be (1) younger players take the puck and try to score and (2) everyone else try to body the opponent. I got hip checked in the 3rd period and went flying, doing a 360 midair before landing. Fortunately, it was more spectacular than painful, and at least the girl who sent me flying asked if I was okay afterward. Wasn't too happy with the refs, though, who didn't take this game seriously at all. Hello, you get paid to take this seriously. I know it's Vegas and all, but you're a ref; your job is to be serious.
After the game, Becky found a broken donkey head in her bag, and I found an apple in mine. I gave Becky the apple so she would have something whole. She had Gerald draw a face on it and then named it Adam. That reminds me, Sharon didn't end up eating the pineapple last night. Instead, she made a face for it with masking tape and named it Bandit. What hockey bag prize will tomorrow's game bring? Only time will tell.
Right now, I feel like ass. I am tired as all hell and I don't know why. I really hope I feel good enough to play in the championship game tomorrow. I want to help win that big trophy!
01:48 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
January 25, 2008 / Friday
Burninating the 2008 LVWHC / Game 2: California Polar Cats
These days, no Vegas tournament is complete without a game against the Polar Cats, and today we played that game. To my relief, the team that showed was a lot like their fun Vegas teams from previous years and not like the Phoenix team we almost had a fight with last May. As usual, we played a close game, with the score tied 2-2 until the final couple minutes. Fortunately, we were the ones who scored to break that tie. Final score: 3-2.
Ellen continued her scoring streak with a goal in the first period. I put another one in in the second period. I chopped a clearing pass out of the air (!), deked around the skater coming at me, took a shot, got my own rebound, and then banked the puck off the goalie's shoulder/back and over the goal line. Craziness, yes, but we needed a little craziness because their goalie stopped every single first shot this game. I'm just glad I managed to lift the puck. That hasn't happened much this weekend; my achy wrist feels pretty useless.
Our line pulled off goal number three, also. I got the puck near the corner in their zone, had the presence of mind (that thing I don't usually have) to skate it toward the blue line and curl back in to shake my defender, then sent a backhand toward the goal, where Meredith and Lucinda were parked. The rebound squirted out to Lucinda's side, and she put it away for our game winner. Whoo, Top Gun line!
They pulled their goalie, but we managed to weather the rest of the game, rallying in the final seconds with a *thump thump thump* chorus. Phew, and whoo!
The best part, though, is that I get to push that yucky Phoenix encounter down on the list of mental notes for this team and add to the list exchanges like this:
PC: Are you okay?? I landed on your head!
Me: You flipped over me! Are YOU okay??
And yes, we're both okay. :)
After the game, Sharon found a pineapple in her bag. It may not live a happy a life like the one Ellen has decided to give Gordo; Sharon declared that she liked pineapples and was going to eat it. I hope she shares...
06:03 PM | Burninators| Comments (4)
Burninating the 2008 LVWHC / Game 1: Alaska Ambush
Played our first game at the annual Vegas tournament last night. I'm always a little apprehensive about the first game of a tournament; we don't play together much, so it often takes us a few periods to come together as a team. This time, however, we hit the ice ready to rock, and pulled off a convincing first game victory. Finally! I'm hoping for more of the same (or better, actually; gotta aim high!) the rest of the weekend.
But before I launch into the game, I have to (yes, HAVE to) tell you about sign in. On the sign in sheet, next to my name, were the words "GIVE TROPHY". I got a trophy just for showing up. Woohoo!
Okay, not really. It was my All Tournament trophy from the Arizona tournament back in May. Since we didn't make the final, I wasn't around to receive it. I'd never won one of those before, so I e-mailed the tournament organizer about getting one. I didn't hear anything back, but I guess the message got to him. I'm totally stoked that he remembered. :)
Now, on to the game recap!
We all played really well. We skated hard and beat the other team to the puck. We were scrappy, we passed, we covered for each other. We had a lot of opportunities and we capitalized on many of them. We had a longer bench and we took advantage of that, too. The other team definitely had some good players who posed a threat, but, fortunately for us, not enough to get anything going. Final score: 5-0. A great start to the tournament!
Ellen is skating with us this year, on a line with Lindsay and Sharon. They were an amazing trio, combining for four of our five goals. I love watching Ellen and Lindsay on breakaways; they have such patience with the puck. I would really love to have the presence of mind to do that someday...
I did do a few good things this game, though. For one, I was fighting on the boards for a puck with three (yes, three) of the other team's players. I figured that meant we had someone open, so I just kicked the puck behind me. And who was there? Meredith! My best pass of the game. ;)
The other team also had a D who was pretty good all around, and I spent a good part of the night trying to get by her. The cool thing? It forced me to try deke left, something I never do, and you know what? I can actually do it! That felt really nice.
Speaking of deking, on one of my breakaways I finally remembered to deke the goalie. You know what there? It works! I went flying, but I scored. Wahoo!
After the game, Ellen found a butternut squash in her bag. She had no idea where it came from, and neither did anyone else. Totally funny! She kept it, named it Gordo (or maybe Gourdo?), and Gerald drew a face on it the next day. It's coming to the rest of our games with us.
*thump thump thump*
09:43 AM | Burninators| Comments (2)
December 15, 2007 / Saturday
This Jersey's Worth Five Horsepowah!
Scrimmaged against the Lady Sharks C last night for the third time in two weeks, this time with the Burninators. Didn't score, but had a much better game than usual against them, despite the sucky cold I'm fighting. I really think it all comes down to mindset. There's something about putting on my Burninators jersey that makes me skate faster, play harder, and attempt to do things I may take a more conservative approach on in other circumstances.
Final score: 0-2. Coulda been worse. Now, how do I bring this mindset with me to my Blue game tomorrow?
11:37 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
July 28, 2007 / Saturday
White List?
The Burninators were supposed to scrimmage against Black List today, but for some reason the other team showed up in white, which confused me a bit. Also confusing was the Black List roster, which seems to have undergone something of an upgrade since I last saw them play in Vegas. At first, I had a bit of Piggy déjà vu, but it's no big deal; it's better for us to practice against stronger teams anyhow.
The game was scoreless into the second period, when I tried to take the puck in, had it poked away from me, and watched as the other team took it into our end and scored. That REALLY pissed me off, because I felt I should have hung on to the puck. But I didn't. Rarr.
That got me really riled up. I immediately skated faster, played harder, and retweaked my right tricep, which was still healing from last night's game. At that moment, I didn't care. I got my chance at redemption toward the end of the shift, when Lucinda sent me yet another beautiful clearing pass. I skated my ass off, took a shot, and as I slid into the boards I watched the puck trickle in. "YEAH! YEAH!!" I shouted, "FUCK YEAH!!!" I didn't say it to be rude; I was simply excited (and relieved) about having just made up for my puck gaffe moments earlier.
We put in a couple more, and they put in three more. Final score: 3-4. I really wanted to win, and tried hard to score again, but just couldn't get the puck past the goalie. I even had my shot back today; I tried to sneak several shots by Amy along the post, and she stopped every one of them. Good for her. Boo for me.
Writing this has settled me down some. I was fairly perturbed about not being able to push that extra little bit for a win today, but oh well. There's always next time.
07:20 PM | Burninators:Injuries| Comments (5)
June 30, 2007 / Saturday
Bacon Scrimmage
The Burninators reserved some ice time and invited The Big Fat Flying Pigs for a scrimmage. They look to have upgraded some of their players since we faced them in April. Fortunately for us, the crazy good ones played down to match scrimmage level. I am highly appreciative of that.
Cara did a great job for us in net today, recording a shutout despite having to stop more shots than we took. Final score: 2-0. Ellaine put a nice rebound in for the first and I got a breakaway in off a nice pass from her for the second.
In all, good fun, and a nice change of pace from Maroon. The other team shared brownies with us afterward. Thanks, hooray, and yum!
07:31 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
June 13, 2007 / Wednesday
That's A Lot Of Secret Weapons
Ryuuen10: after laminating they look really nice
SoopahViv: oh goodie!
Ryuuen10: I'm pleased
SoopahViv: who did you laminate?
Ryuuen10: Andrea!
SoopahViv: oh!
Ryuuen10: 8 andreas
SoopahViv: andrea army!
Ryuuen10: yes!
Lam-in-ate! Lam-in-ate!
*thump thump thump*
11:13 AM | Burninators| Comments (7)
May 27, 2007 / Sunday
Arizona Hockey Classic Game 3: Burninators vs. California Polar Cats
Dear Polar Cats,
The players who came to the Vegas tournament in January were awesome. We were hoping to face those fun folks again. I know some of you were there, but there was that chick who clearly belongs several divisions up, and that other chick with the red helmet who spent a good part of the game in the penalty box and then greeted everyone with "You suck" in the handshake line afterward. The fight that almost resulted from the "You suck"s didn't happen because we have positive prior history with most of you. We like you, but not your new additions. How'd they end up on your team?
Really hoping I'll feel better about you guys the next time we play,
Viv
• • •
The Burninators played their 3rd and final game tonight against the California Polar Cats. I'd really been looking forward to this game since our previous games against this team have for the most part been friendly and evenly matched. Unfortunately, they brought a slightly different set of players to this tournament. Some of the new players were still friendly and fun, but others, not so much. There was also a fresh face on the ice tonight with skills worthy of top level competition, who scored all three goals for their team, all unassisted. I have no idea what she was doing on the ice with a team in our division. Picture me skating against a bunch of Green Division players. And then talking trash to them. And then taking the puck and shooting into their open net after the final buzzer. Classy.
Still, it wasn't all bad. I enjoyed my random conversations with their goalie and wings, and appreciated that at least one of their players apologized for the actions of her red helmeted teammate, a.k.a. Ms. Suck. But wow, seriously, where the hell did they find her, and can they toss her back? She is doing some serious damage to their reputation!
Final score: 3-2. It was my turn (Lucinda went yesterday), so I scored as per our line's goal rotation agreement. Then I scored another one even though it was Gina's turn. Woops, sorry Gina! Now she has to score two before she can hand it off to Lucinda. ;)
Goal 1, I'm told, was a shorthanded breakaway. I was also told that their really good player was on the ice at the time, which was great right up until Gina said, "She had dropped her stick and was trying to pick it back up when you scored." That's okay, I'll take what I can get.
Goal 2 was on a power play. We won the faceoff, I skated the puck in, passed to the high slot, and got the rebound as the puck squirted out to me near the post. I don't do well in traffic, and generally am not effective with rebounds, so it was nice to score on something different.
As scripted, I remembered to hug my linemates and skate by the bench for high fives after both goals. :)
No championship game for us tomorrow. We'll have to sleep in and hang out by the pool instead. Poor us!
11:18 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
May 26, 2007 / Saturday
Arizona Hockey Classic Game 2: Burninators vs. Colorado Springs Old School
Game 2 went much better! We played a team that was pretty friendly and well matched for the most part. Lots of fun, and it was really nice to finally start clicking again. Bye bye, game 1 out of sorts-ness!
Final score: 3-1. Karolyn had a great game, scoring 2 for us. Lucinda also had a nice goal, taking the puck in through two defenders and sneaking it by the goalie and into the corner of the net. We realized before game 2 that no one on our line scored in the previous game because we forgot to determine whose turn it was. Once we figured out that it was Lucinda's turn, she delivered as scheduled. It's my turn tomorrow. Oh, the pressure!
And since I complained about the rink yesterday, today's rink was much nicer.
Tomorrow's game is against the California Polar Cats. Should be fun!
11:19 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
Arizona Hockey Classic Game 1: Burninators vs. Tucson Chilly Peppers
The Burninators flew into toasty Phoenix, AZ Friday afternoon for the 2007 Arizona Hockey Classic, put on by the same folks who organize the Vegas tournament every year. We opened with a game against the Tucson Chilly Peppers, a team we had never faced before. We played like we usually play the first game of a tournament: a little out of sorts, probably because we don't get to practice together on a regular basis. The Chilly Peppers started the game playing like us, but got it together in the 2nd period, scoring a string of goals in quick succession. Final score: 1-3. Chris scored one for us from D. (Go Chris!) I'm not too worried; we'll just have to beat the next two teams we face. I was happy that the game was fun, clean, and friendly. Short of a win, I don't ask for much more than that. Looking forward to our next game, tomorrow at 5 PM. Also looking forward to a different rink; tonight's was old, small, and stank of Zamboni exhaust, which made me want to blech. Yuck!
Hey, did you notice that the other team's name is a pun? :)
01:24 AM | Burninators| Comments (6)
April 28, 2007 / Saturday
Burninating The Eva Bash
Hockey, hockey, and more hockey! Friday and Saturday the Burninators played a fun little "tournament" at Logitech, facing off against 3 different pink and purple teams. Eva did a great job of organizing, gave us coolerfuls of Gatorade and water (which I much prefer over beer and soda), and handed out cute little sock awards stuffed with candy and tape and a pink Go Girl energy drink. Thank you Eva!
Friday Night: Santa Rosa Storm
Played what felt like a pretty even game against the purple Storm. Our team felt a bit out of sorts, though, not having played together since Vegas in January. We skated hard, but just couldn't come up with the goals we needed to win. Final score: 1-2. Really nice bunch of gals. A little rough, but I think that's just what they're used to; they normally have to play co-ed, and I'm used to the cushy NCWHL.
Saturday Afternoon: Big Fat Flying Pigs
Fun bunch of local folks with pink jerseys and a bubble blowing piggy toy. It was great to play against them; I was laughing and joking on the ice the whole time. Managed to score a goal off a beautiful faceoff win by Gina; hooray, the streak is alive! Thanks Gina for the puck, and thanks Aaron for the magic pancakes before the game!
We hired April to take pictures of our Burnination. Burninator trading cards, here we come!
I ran into Keisha after the game (or, more accurately, she pointed at me and told me to sit) and she gave me something new to work on: Now that I know how to fall (and, amusingly, how to play the puck on my stomach, back, or butt), I should learn how to get up. She's right; when I fall I spend way more time down than is necessary. I remember having a similar thought at a Sharks game earlier this season. "Wow, look at how they just bounce right back up!" I thought, "I wish I could do that." I don't know why I left it at wishing, but hearing this from Keisha makes me think that I can learn to do it if I work on it.
Oh, I almost forgot, I won our team's PMS (Player Most Sportswomanlike) award for this game. As I received my sock of goodies I was congratulated for being "all up in everyone's faces". In a good way, I hope? Maybe it was for waving at Val through the glass and almost missing yet another a faceoff. I can't resist, though! She always smiles and reaches for the glass, which is just so darned cute.
[ Update: Woops, I did forget, we won! Final score: 3-2. Thanks Jennie for the catch! ]
Saturday Evening: Hollyburn Hotties
These gals came down from British Columbia to play with us. They sported whitish jerseys with hot pink numbers, which made my eyes wig out when I stared for too long. Like the Storm, they were quite nice, but more physical than I'm used to. Out of town teams hurt!
Toward the end of the game, we were up 2-1 and they pulled their goalie for a 6-on-5. I kind of clobbered one of their players going for the puck (I had intended to squeeze between her and the boards but I guess she was already against the boards?) and got thrown in the penalty box. Fortunately, our 4 skaters were able to hold off their 6 for the final 20 seconds, and we came away with the win. Phew!
At the post game handshake, the players on the other team gave us these neat little Canada keychains. I'm told it's something of a Canadian tradition? I think it's totally neat! I'd love to see the Burninators do something like that in future tournaments. Hrm, what to give?
Most memorable game moment: Everyone on the ice got mooned by one of the Tremors players. Oh goodness.
Things To Heal
I hurt. Here's the inventory:
- gigantic left knee bruise - from getting shoved in the back repeatedly Friday night and landing right where the shinguard padding ends
- left calf - from the clobbering I got called for; I guess I deserve that one
- left elbow - from the Saturday evening game; the very tip is very sore and I have no idea how I managed to bruise it through my elbow pad
- gigantic bruise on right quad - from an opponent's stick in the Saturday evening game; at least we got a power play out of it :)
- left wrist - it's sore and a little swollen and I don't know why
- left hip bruise - landed with my hip bone slipping between the padding in my pants, d'oh
- everything from the right side of my neck down to my lower back - no clue about this one either
Rest tonight, Maroon game tomorrow!
09:04 PM | Burninators| Comments (4)
January 30, 2007 / Tuesday
Was I Not Paying Attention, Or What?
Everyone I've talked to on both sides of the glass at Saturday's game says it was fairly fast and rough. I thought it was just like every other game we played. Was I just used to it by then, or did I somehow play in an alternate dimension that evening?
10:17 PM | Burninators| Comments (1)
Wiped Out
Last night, I went home, ate something, and fell asleep at 6:30. My mom called and woke me up just before 8. I did some schoolwork, ate a little more, set my alarm for 8, and went to sleep around 11. This morning, my alarm went off and beeped for 10 minutes before I heard it and turned it off, after which I slept for another hour.
Eat. Sleep. Hockey.
10:36 AM | Burninators| Comments (0)
January 28, 2007 / Sunday
We Are The Champions!
I can't get that song out of my head.
We played the California Polar Cats again this morning, this time for the championship, and won the big trophy. As with our previous meetings, it was a fun and competitive game, but instead of coming up one goal short we came away with the win.
Our team had been steadily improving with each game this tournament, skating faster and making better passes and plays. It culminated in our best game yet this morning. What a pleasure it was to watch that progression. Imagine what we could do if we played together more often!
Although our previous games against the Polar Cats have been nailbitingly close, we won today's game 3-0. Mary scored our first goal, rushing in for a rebound and sending a hard shot neatly into the back of the net. I scored our second on a breakaway, thanks to a great pass from Lucinda. Unlike the last time, when I didn't see my shot, I picked a gap between the goalie and the post and watched as the puck sailed through and hit the center of the net.
I realized something after the game. I no longer have to look at where the puck is before I shoot, or think much about what I'm doing. I know it's on my stick and I can handle it by feel. I don't know how long it's been since I've been able to do that, but whoo, that's damned cool.
Our third and final goal of the game was a show of amazing stickwork by Lindsay. She carried the puck from one end of the ice to the other, deking three defenders along the way, before finally deking the goalie and sliding the puck over the line. A quadruple deke goal! Words cannot convey how pretty that was. I wish we had it on video.
For her efforts, Lindsay won MVP honors for the game. In addition, Cara won all-tournament goalie, Gina all-tournament defense (she did a great job all over the ice as center), and Lucinda all-tournament forward (she had a point or two in every game, which, on a couple occasions, meant the difference between winning and tying). Yes, that's right, I was on an all-tournament line (except for me; I was just along for the ride ;), and boy was it fun.
Post-game, I dropped and broke my trophy à la Mary in 2005. Fortunately, I was able to reassemble it. I also won the Golden Brush, a new post-game tradition started by Mary this past Thursday in which the Brush is passed on to the player with the worst hair at the end of the game. That's what I get for being too lazy to do pigtails this morning. I get to keep the Brush until our next tournament, whenever that may be.
I am happy to report that I did not spill half my beer all over my stuff like I did after the last two games.
The Polar Cats were very gracious during the awards ceremony, cheering for us with sincerity and enthusiasm. I'm pretty sure we would have done the same for them, had the outcome been different. It's been a great tournament for us, not just because we won the championship, but also because of how well balanced our division was and how friendly our opponents were (for the most part). I hope for more of the same in the future.
08:35 PM | Burninators| Comments (3)
January 27, 2007 / Saturday
Burninators Game 3: University Of Arizona Icers
Schwew, what a game! We played a fast paced team tonight, evenly matched and a fun opponent. The other team scored first, but we answered with a goal by Lucinda, who scored her third goal in as many games. The puck squirted loose near the other team's net, we both skated for it, and when I saw that she had the better angle I tied up an opponent and watched her put it away. We took a 2-1 lead on the very next shift on a goal by Lindsay.
With seconds to go in the game, the other team rushed the net, created a gigantic pile of bodies up front (with our goalie at the bottom), and snuck the puck in on the other side. We went into overtime, and Sharon (a.k.a. Clutch) put one in to win the game. I jumped onto the ice, gave her a huge hug, and didn't let go until our gigantic midice team huddle was over. Wow, what a finish!
When we lined up for the first faceoff, I looked up at my opposing wing and said hello. She answered with, "Burninating the countryside?" "Burninating the peasants!" I replied, with a huge grin. I love when people get the reference.
A lot of our friends from Black List showed up to cheer us on. It meant a lot to us that they came. Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming, and for all that loud cheering! :-D
It's really nice to see Lindsay and Sharon finally clicking again. They hadn't played together in a while, and were trying to make plays but missing by a few feet in the first two games. Tonight, their passes were dead on, and they connected numerous times, as evidenced by their two goals this game. Looking forward to more of that tomorrow.
We are playing better as a team, too. We have definitely improved with each game this tournament. I hope that improvement will continue through tomorrow's game.
Speaking of tomorrow's game, whoo, we're in the finals! As I'd hoped, we get to play the Polar Cats again. I'm thinking the third time will be the charm for us.
*thump* *thump* *thump*
08:32 PM | Burninators| Comments (5)
January 26, 2007 / Friday
Burninators Game 2: California Polar Cats
As I'd hoped, we had a friendly and competitive game against the California Polar Cats. They went up early with 2 goals, and we answered with 2 of our own. They managed to score a third goal, though, and won the game 3-2.
Lucinda had another goal today. I started off with the puck, and as I fell and slid into the boards behind the net, I pushed the puck up toward the crease. Gina and Lucinda both got a piece of it, with Lucinda finally pushing it over the goal line. Yeah!
Lucinda also had an assist. She passed the puck up to me in open ice, and I was able to take the puck in and score. I shot it as hard as I could, and actually had no idea where the puck went. I did, however, hear a "ping". "Goalie's don't ping," I thought, and when I saw dejected opponents staring at the goal, I knew it had gone in. Hooray, my tournament goal streak is alive.
Despite the loss, I'm happy about how everyone played, and hope we both win tomorrow so we get to meet again in the finals on Sunday.
My body is not holding up well to tournament play. My hip flexors and right shoulder are sore, left groin is starting to strain, right hamstring is tight, and left calf is bruised (thanks to a crash along the boards where my leg ended up as cushioning for the other player, who asked if I was okay immediately afterward, which instantly made it more okay than if she hadn't).
Come on, Advil, kick in already!
05:58 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
Josepi Would Appreciate This
The tournament T-shirt this year has a green space alien on it, decked out in hockey gear, wearing number 51.
01:23 AM | Burninators| Comments (6)
January 25, 2007 / Thursday
Burninators Game 1: Seattle Teen Girl Squad
It's that time of year again. It's time for the annual Vegas tournament! We got to kick things off with a game against Teen Girl Squad. I found this matchup particularly amusing, since both teams got their names from Homestar Runner cartoons.
The game was pretty even. We felt a little slow and disorganized, but we had some nice plays and managed to squeeze by with a 1-0 win, thanks to a great backhand goal by Lucinda.
I finally executed something I've been mulling over in my head for months. When I take the puck down toward the other team's goal, I usually shoot as I near the faceoff dot. What better players (like Lindsay) do when they get there is they will curl around their defender and in toward the net. Last night, I did this for the first time. I only did it once, but I was totally happy that I had the presence of mind to do it, and it paid off, because taking the extra time to curl around meant that when I looked up I saw Lucinda coming in right in front of the net, and was able to send her a pass with three defenders and the goalie focusing their attention on me. She put a really nice shot on goal, too. And the amusing part: All the way down the ice after I entered the other team's zone, I repeated to myself in my head, "Think like Lindsay! Think like Lindsay!" Maybe if I do that more often I'll be able to dance the puck up, down, and around the ice too.
I liked most of the players on the other team, except for this one who seemed to find joy in taking out our players, slashing, tripping, hurling the puck through the air from one end of the ice to the other, mouthing off to both our skaters and the refs, and punching Sharon in the chest. After a period and a half of this the refs tired of it and started calling penalties on her. She finished the game with 4 minors.
Before the game, we got to the rink in time to watch the final period of the Black List game. It was great getting to cheer our friends on, and some of them returned the favor by staying for our game. I hope they make it to their final, so we can catch some of that game after game 3 on Saturday. Oh, and they won in overtime, finishing 1-0.
Next up, the California Polar Cats. We played them last year and I remember thinking they were pretty cool. I hope for a similarly positive experience with them tomorrow, although this time I hope to finish game with a win.
Off to midnight $2.99 steak and eggs. Viva Las Vegas!
11:44 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
January 29, 2006 / Sunday
Burninators Game 3: California Polar Cats
I forgot to mention after game 2 that Christy's mostly okay. She came back and played game 2, hurting leg and all, felt a little better today, and played game 3 also. Phew!
We had 4 goals this game, thanks to a hat trick from Lindsay and a sweet over-the-goalie shot from Jill. 4 goals, however, was not enough. We went into overtime tied 4-4, pulled Cara toward the final seconds, and lost when they put the puck into our open net with 10 seconds to go. Final score: 4-5.
It was a bummer to lose, but we played a decent game, and the other team was cool. No complaints.
Well, except for that one shot that I totally should have scored on. I had the puck on a rebound in front of the net, I knew the goalie would be down, I told myself to turn and lift a forehand over her, I turned and lifted a forehand over her, and missed the wide open net by six inches. Six inches! Totally lame!
I also had another almostgoal in that same period. I came on the ice and saw three of them in their zone, one of them behind the net with the puck. I skated my ass off on the forecheck, stole the puck from her behind the net, went for the wraparound ... and got the puck within an inch of the goal line. One inch! Aurgh!
We had some great chances during overtime, but just couldn't get the split seconds and inches quite right.
Out in three. Ouch. But hey, it was fun. We had a team dinner (minus G, unfortunately) afterward at a teppan yaki place, where Gerald and Heather (thank you other G and H!) bought me a Long Island Iced Tea. No, I didn't finish it (thank you Barb and Becky), but the portion of it that I did drink made for a very amusing evening.
I love this team.
*thump thump thump*
12:44 AM | Burninators| Comments (0)
January 27, 2006 / Friday
Burninators Game 2: Phoenix Strange Brew
So many things to write about! Where to start? I'll make a list.
1. I'm drunk. On half a Miller Lite. They give us beer after the games, and I was so worked up I decided I needed a beer to calm down. I'm such a lightweight.
2. I was worked up because we entered OT tied 1-1, and I had a 1 on 1, and I could have won the game, and instead of winning the game I just slid the puck into the goalie's pads.
3. The non-gamewinner led to me yelling DAMMIT! over and over when I got back to the bench, and me yelling DAMMIT! over and over in the locker room.
4. I think it was the DAMMIT!s that made me decide I needed a beer.
5. Okay, I didn't actually need a beer.
6. I bang really hard on my keyboard when I'm drunk. I hope I don't break this thing.
7. I should be doing schoolwork, but I'd probably do more harm than good right now.
8. The other team was fun to play against. They all had beer names on the back of their jerseys. St. Pauli Girl ruuuled. So funny.
9. It was awesome watching Sharon and Lindsay work their magic thing. Sharon gave Lindsay a no-look pass at the blue line, it went back to Sharon, back to Lindsay, and in the net.
10. Cara stood on her head again.
11. We stopped at Sonic and I had a really yummy Blue Coconut CreamSlush.
12. Final score: 1-1
13. We need to light up the board tomorrow to get enough goal diff to make the final.
14. It's time for a shower. And dinner.
15. Bye.
16. P.S. DAMMIT!
06:33 PM | Burninators| Comments (5)
Burninators Game 1: Los Angeles Dragons
8:30 AM is way too early to be playing hockey. I think it took us 2 periods to wake up.
Or maybe it was 'cause the other team was *fast*. Fast, as in, I started at the far blue line with nothing but the puck and open ice between me and their goalie, reached full speed, and one of their skaters blew by from behind and skated off with the puck. Ouch!
Fortunately, I managed to score on my next open ice opportunity, thanks to a great lead pass from Sharon. My tournament goal streak lives on! Huzzah!
Totally sucky: we lost one of our players. Christy went slamming into the boards and we had to drag her back to the bench. She's at urgent care right now getting X-rays. I sure hope nothing's broken.
Cara was huge today, stopping impossible shots left and right. I think she's got some sort of special reserve for Vegas. It was amazing to watch.
Final score: 1-4. We didn't win, but at least we didn't get shut out.
Next game at 3 PM.
10:38 AM | Burninators| Comments (3)
January 26, 2006 / Thursday
Time to Burninate!
Las Vegas, here we come!
*thump thump thump*
10:53 AM | Burninators| Comments (1)
January 18, 2006 / Wednesday
Happy Belated Trogday, Troggie!
I'm five days late, but better late than never. Last Friday was Trogdor's third birthday!
And now, my five favorite things about Trogdor's third birthday Flash, in order of appearance:
- The BRNIN8R license plate.
- The Trogdor hockey player.
- Three year old Trogdor and his birthday noisemaker.
- Stinkoman! Yes, that's him in the banner up top.
- Trogdor, Chinese New Year style. ;)
If you're wondering who Trogdor is, watch this.
Thanks bubka^4 for the Trogday link. :)
08:49 PM | Burninators| Comments (1)
June 01, 2005 / Wednesday
Revisiting The FRFO
This may be of interest to the Burninators and Burninator fans (we love you, fans! :) who read (I love you, readers! :) my blog. We got a couple new comments on the Northern Lights game from one of the NL(W) players. If you want to go read them and/or respond, here are links to the posts:
Burninators FRFO Game 3: Northern Lights (White)
Logitech Hockey Is Mild By Comparison
Hey Red, any word on the video?
10:33 AM | Burninators| Comments (10)
May 10, 2005 / Tuesday
Rubbed Out By Eraser Girl
As promised, here is a picture of the player who tried to squish me off the puck during my really pissed off shift in Saturday night's game. I don't even think she knows where the puck is; she's devoting all her energies to squishing me. Seriously. Look at her skates, body position, and head.
That's okay, 'cause here we are a few moments later.
Take that, Eraser Girl!
04:43 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
May 08, 2005 / Sunday
Logitech Hockey Is Mild By Comparison
My chin hurts. It's bruised, but not enough to see.
My forehead hurts. It's also bruised, but not enough to see.
They both hurt right where my head meets my helmet, which, on more than one occasion, met the elbows of various Colorado players this weekend.
I have whiplash, too.
Waah.
• • •
Took a shower just now and noticed a bruise on my shin (yes, my shin, which is covered by shinguard plastic) in the shape of a stick, right where I was slashed by a NL(W) player yesterday for no reason other than the fact that I happened to be nearby. I forgot to mention, slashing was apparently legal at all our games this weekend, but no one remembered to tell our team. I hate when that happens.
As for the NL(W) player who delivered that slash hard enough to give me a bruise *through* my shinguards, whatever, I scored on you guys.
Twice.
11:59 PM | Burninators:Injuries| Comments (16)
Denvernation Wrapup
A few more things I left out from our game recaps the last few days.
Thing 1: Skating at altitude
Playing hockey at 5,300 feet (just a *bit* over a mile high) takes some getting used to. Your legs don't burn. You just do everything more slowly. Skating as hard as you can produces 70% of sea level top speed. And then, at some point in the middle of your shift, your body suddenly runs out of oxygen, and it's all you can do to get back to the bench. Still, no leg burn. Weird.
Thing 2: Heather McJedi's new mind trick
Heather, master of "this is not the puck you want", showed us her latest trick yesterday. While she denies any role in Andrea's newfound "you will crash yourself into the boards" abilities, she seems to have mastered a similar trick, "you will skate full speed and take out your teammate". She demonstrated this in typical Heather fashion in Saturday's CH2 game, taking possession of the puck, leading a player behind the net, stopping as the player crumpled into a little pile with her teammate on the other side of the net, and calmly skating it back out the other way.
Thing 3: I Heart My Regular Hockey Leagues
I don't play hockey to be an aggressive dipshit, and I don't play to get slashed, elbowed, rubbed out along the boards or otherwise brutalized. My concussion-prone self doesn't like that I had my bell rung several times this weekend. Did all the Colorado teams have PMS this weekend, or is this kind of rough play normal here in the mountains? It wasn't just against us; from what I'm aware of (and I'm sure there are incidents I've missed) two goalies had to be helped off the ice in yesterday's games. I'm looking forward to returning to my much cleaner NCWHL and Ice Oasis leagues next week.
08:48 AM | Burninators| Comments (2)
May 07, 2005 / Saturday
Burninators FRFO Game 3: Northern Lights (White)
The Burninators played their 3rd FRFO game tonight.
I'd really been looking forward to this game. We played against one of the two Denver Northern Lights teams in our division. We played a single team incarnation of them in Vegas back in January, and they were much fun both on and off the ice.
Tonight was different. The Vegas team holdovers were still pretty cool (I thought), but overall the team was much rougher. Penalties, penalties. Some called, some not.
On the upside, we finally broke the seal on goals tonight. We sent a puck down the ice, Julie chased it into the right corner, and, knowing exactly where Julie would send it and when, I timed my entrance to the area in front of the net *just* right, getting my stick on the totally perfect pass and sending the puck into the back of the net. Go Julie! Go me! Go us! Just like we used to do all the time in Red. :)
With about 6 minutes remaining in the game, something really, really shitty happened. Heather went for a puck in the corner of our zone and got crosschecked in the back, sending her headfirst into the boards. Her neck bent, she fell, and she didn't move. Did. Not. Move.
Our bench was about ready to kill the player who hit her. I had one leg over the boards before Julie stopped me. Yes, of course, Mary too (ready to go kill someone, not to stop me ;). We yelled, we cursed. I was so pissed I had tears in my eyes. Weird reaction I have when I get really angry.
Finally, Heather came off and a 5 minute major penalty was called. Mary's line was out next, and holy shit she skated 3 times faster than I've seen all weekend. "Let's make these 5 minutes count!" I yelled. We swarmed and swarmed, and a minute or two into the penalty, G scored. The score became 2-3.
The nice thing about a major penalty is it doesn't end when the other team scores. My line came out next. I was still pissed, but fortunately, since the offending player was in the penalty box, I directed my energies at the game. We won the faceoff, and for the first time all game, I won a blue line scramble for the puck against two of their players. I chased it down the side, getting rubbed out by one of their D (I'll have a picture to show you in a few days), but fought my darndest and managed to get the puck out to Julie. The rest was kind of a blur, but there was a wild hyperspeed (to me) mess in their zone, which ended with me shooting harder than I may ever have shot in a game, and the puck hitting the back of their net yet again.
I yelled my fool head off, and then, in a very uncharacteristic move, I skated a slow arc back to the bench, staring down the player inside the penalty box. I love that she actually bothered to stare back.
And then I looked up and there was an entire bench of teammates to high-five. I didn't even realize they'd been waiting there, 'cause I'd been completely focused on making that player pay (in goals) for what she'd done, and making sure she knew that she was the reason why the game was suddenly tied.
So that's how we finished the game, tied 3-3. We played some amazing hockey in those few minutes after the goonish takedown. I'm glad we proved to ourselves that we could do it, but I'm sad that it took something so goonish to piss us off enough first.
The good news is, Heather is mostly okay. She went to the ER and got checked out. Nothing's broken, and with a lot of painkillers and time, she will heal. As for the player, we were lucky enough to have Shelly in the stands with her video camera, and when we showed the tournament coordinator/officials what exactly said player had done, she was removed from the rest of the tournament. So, tonight's team will go on to play again tomorrow, but without their best player.
I really wish that player could see a clip of that video. From her reaction, she didn't seem to think she'd done anything wrong. I realize that the first person perspective can be a lot different from what everyone else sees. Perhaps if she saw what transpired from a different angle she'd understand how dangerous it was to do what she did. People break necks that way. And, with less behaved opponents, people get the shit kicked out of them that way.
Okay, we didn't really need that last sentence. That was unsportsmanlike.
Unsportsmanlike, kinda like staring down a player in the penalty box.
Sometimes I just can't help myself.
10:50 PM | Burninators| Comments (16)
Burninators FRFO Game 2: Cliffhangers 2
The Burninators played their 2nd FRFO game earlier today.
Strangely, I don't have too much to say. We played well, but we lost again. Siiigh. Final score: 0-2.
I had a couple breakaways this game. I guess, on the bright side, I was finally able to purposely pull the Ingrid move. Ingrid has more than one move, but this was one I saw that I really wanted to learn. I've been working on it in my head for a few months, and today, I actually managed to skate in, look up, plan the spot where I'd be close enough to the defender to shake her, and, when I got to the spot, I did it! I faked left, drew her to that side, put the brakes on *just* a bit, pulled right, and had nothing but open ice between me and their goalie.
And then, go me, I took another couple steps and shot 2 feet wide. *#(*&@^(!!!
To my credit, I got to the puck before anyone else did and put it on net.
And then the goalie stopped it. (*&#&^&@!!!
Penalties galore from both sides. There were more that should have been called, but weren't.
I have so many things to say about that right now, but is ranting going to do me any good? No. Let me just finish with this, then ...
Pfft.
02:30 PM | Burninators| Comments (4)
May 06, 2005 / Friday
Burninators FRFO Game 1: Freebies
The Burninators played their first game at the Front Range Face Off tonight. We played well, despite our lack of altitude legs, outshooting the other team 32-10.
Unfortunately, their goalie managed to stop all 32 shots, and we lost 0-1. We all played hard. That's just how it goes sometimes.
I got to play on a line with Ellaine and Julie. It's been many months since I've played with Julie, and I've been looking forward to this for weeks. Our line played very well together, as I'd expected. We cycled and kept the puck in, chasing, passing, shooting, cycling some more. What more could we have done, short of getting that puck over the goal line? I don't know.
Tomorrow, I hope that what we throw at the other team will be enough.
More than enough.
08:40 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
February 10, 2005 / Thursday
Trogdor Week At Homestar Runner!
This week's Weekly Fanstuff from the HSR site:
Flames vs. majesty!
06:12 PM | Burninators| Comments (3)
Burnination Trailer
So I came back from my meeeeeting to this ...
Liz2D2: why must you be away sooo long when the trogdor movie trailer is released?
*** Auto-response sent to Liz2D2: In a meeting.
So I said ...
SoopahViv: THE WHAT??
Liz2D2: look at my blog
Liz2D2: RIGHT NOW
So I looked at her blog, and I saw this post.
Which led to this trailer.
Which led to these screenshots ...
Trogdor, burninating the countryside!
And ...
Trogdor, burninating a peasant!
What's that I see burning on the edge of the countryside image?
A THATCHED ROOF COTTAGE!
Come on, sing it with me!
12:43 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
February 04, 2005 / Friday
SJBotinate!
Since the Burninators's domain name is going to be sjburninators.net, I figured it would make more sense to rename the AIM bot to SJBotinator. So, no more AIMBotinator. Please IM SJBotinator with your wordination requests.
AIMBotinator, thanks. It's been fun.
SoopahViv: goodnight
aimbotinator: snorinate!
aimbotinator: shutting down ...
*** aimbotinator signed off at Fri Feb 04 17:41:43 2005.
05:41 PM | Burninators:Geek| Comments (0)
Vroominate!
Vinny came by just now and whiteboard markered a picture of my car, complete with stubby black antenna and a spikey red haired Vivo in the front seat.
I checked with AIMBotinator to make sure "vroominate" was valid.
SoopahViv: vroom!
aimbotinator: vroominate!
03:56 PM | Burninators:GTI| Comments (1)
February 03, 2005 / Thursday
This Method Right Here
... right here right here.
SoopahViv: earlier i was gonna ask for your help with aimbotinator
SoopahViv: i wasn't sure how to handle 'y's
SoopahViv: i figured it was something a programming linguist should tackle
etathik: eh?
etathik: heh
etathik: it's called "don't use java"
etathik: haha
SoopahViv: hahaha
SoopahViv: well it was more of a language rule / english quirks / programming logic type problem
SoopahViv: but then i figured out something that should work for most cases
etathik: oh oh wait
etathik: just do:
etathik: java.methods.big.library.what.if.somebody.uses.a.lowercase.y.oh.shit.what.do.we.do.now.
i.think.we.need.to.use.this.methodRightHere()
SoopahViv: oh, of course
SoopahViv: yup!
SoopahViv: i did
Yeah, so, uh, AIMBotinator should handle 'y's a little better now than it did this morning.
10:45 PM | Burninators:Geek| Comments (0)
AIMBotinate!
I wrote an AIM bot to automatically burninate words. Why? 'Cause I could. There are probably tons of bugs; this is just a late-night hack.
Go ahead, try it. If you use AIM (as opposed to Trillian, etc.) you can just click on this: aimbotinator
01:55 AM | Burninators:Geek| Comments (2)
February 02, 2005 / Wednesday
Bloginate
*thump* *thump* *thump*!
11:00 AM | Burninators| Comments (0)
February 01, 2005 / Tuesday
Dancinate Some More
I made a little AIM icon for my dancing linemate, too.
Liz! Look at Liz! She has red pants!
10:29 PM | Burninators| Comments (1)
Dancinate
I wasn't kidding when I said I was dancing during the game.
Meet my new AIM icon.
02:05 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
January 31, 2005 / Monday
The Burninators Need A Website
Other teams from this weekend have websites, so we should too!
So what if they're established hockey teams that play year round?
I want a website for our 3 shared practices and 1 weekend tournament!
Lookie, websites for some of the teams I wrote about:
- Vail Twin Peaks - The team we played for the championship. They have sponsors. Yes, sponsors. Can someone please sponsor us to Burninate?
- Denver Northern Lights - The great buncha gals we played Saturday morning. Amusingly, most of them attended the same showing of Thunder From Down Under with most of us the night before. Jena saw them before the show started and offered to send them lots of drinks.
- Houston Harpies - We didn't play them, but we like them, because they cheered for us during our 2OT + shuutout game. We returned the favor when they got on the ice. Well, that is, until we ran out of the last few calories we had left in our bodies and had to go eat dinner. Thanks for cheering, Harpies!
Burn-in-ate!
08:07 PM | Burninators| Comments (9)
Whifffff!
I attempted a one-timer slapshot in the 3rd period (or maybe it was one of the OTs) of Saturday night's 2OT + shuutout game.
I completely whiffed.
I spun, the puck scooted out of the zone, and everyone laughed.
Okay, I don't actually know that everyone laughed. I heard laughing, but that was me, in my helmet. I assume it was laugh worthy outside of my helmet, too.
And no, they did not run away with the puck. I chased it and dumped it back in. We all had to clear, but there was no major harm done.
I'm sure there will be more whiffing before I learn to do it right, but hey, I'll never learn it if I don't at least try.
03:08 PM | Burninators:Hockey| Comments (7)
January 30, 2005 / Sunday
Confused?
Still don't know why we're called the Burninators? Watch this.
Trogdorrr!
If you watched that last link you'll know how to shriek it.
Amusingly, there was another team in our division named after a Homestar Runner creation: Teen Girl Squad. They had some great uniforms, complete with player names like "Cheerleader" and "The Cheat". Too bad they were the one team we didn't get to play. We would love to have faced them in the Championship Game. :)
11:25 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
Shuutout
The San Jose Burninators in the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. This needs a frame!
Even better is what's written in red on the side. If you look closely, you'll see that it doesn't say either "shootout" or "shutout". It says, "(2-OT + Shuutout)".
That damned fine 5 full period + shuutout performance earned Cara all-tournament goalie honors. Go Cara!
"Go Cara!" ... that's what the crowd said last night, too. :)
11:13 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
I Never Sleep On Planes
... except when I'm exhausted from hockey and (slightly) sleep deprived from an unfamiliar hotel bed.
It's funny to see online pictures of yourself you didn't know existed.
Hrmm, that didn't come out quite right.
09:02 PM | Burninators:Trips| Comments (4)
Burninators Championship Game: Vail Twin Peaks
Played the top team in the division today. They came into today's game undefeated. We, on the other hand, had eeked out three wins to get there (all one point margin games). We had heart, and, today, tired legs. They had better rested legs and an overall more experienced team. Again, we played hard, we banged our sticks, and our wonderful fans made some good noise, but in the end, they came away with the trophy.
Final score: 0-4. They got the big team trophy, but we did all get individual mini trophies, so it was cool.
What a fun weekend! Glad to be going home, though. The legs need a rest!
Burninate! Tssst!
02:37 PM | Burninators| Comments (2)
Bruises Galore
Last week at yoga I noticed that my right leg looked like a mess: I had a huge purple bruise just above the inside of my knee from taking a puck (in that one unpadded spot, go figure) a few days prior and a greenish one on my shin from a fight (which I lost) with my bathtub.
I now have 3 times as many bruises below my knees. I've been playing D all tournament. No one told me that was part of the job description!
I suppose it's worth it if it keeps the puck from getting to the net.
Me sport pretty legs. Not. Good thing my swimsuit photo shoot's not for another 2 weeks. ;-)
06:42 AM | Burninators:Hockey:Injuries| Comments (8)
Advil & Diet Mountain Dew
Breakfast of champions.
06:37 AM | Burninators:Drinks:Hockey| Comments (0)
January 29, 2005 / Saturday
Burninators Semi-Final: Alaska Local Lynx
Played our semi-final game against the team that beat us 0-4 last time. Game time was 5:15, but the game probably started a little closer to 5:30. We got off the ice around 7:30.
Yes, 2 solid hours of gametime. Oh boy, what a game! We played with so much spirit and enthusiasm and heart it was unbelievable. We were banging our sticks and chanting, "Burninate!" through much of the game. We had fun, too. They played music before all the faceoffs, and Liz and I danced our little D butts off before the puckdrops. We danced on the ice, we danced from the bench, we danced and yelled and cheered and banged our sticks the entire game.
End of 14 minute 1st period score: 0-0
End of 14 minute 2nd period score: 0-0
End of 14 minute 3rd period score: 0-0
End of 14 minute OT1 score: 0-0
End of 14 minute OT2 score: 0-0
Yes, we had full 14 minute overtimes. Partway through OT1, the team that was supposed to play from our bench next all came out to watch. Soon, they were Burninating with us in spirit, banging on the boards and cheering, chanting "Burninate!" when we did. By OT2, enough people were waiting that our entire half of the rink had spectators behind the glass, and they were all cheering ... for us. It was awesome.
After OT2 we had a shootout. I went first. I skated it in, saw a small opening by the goalie's right foot, shot, and sent the puck through the wrong side of the post. D'oh! Then they went, and missed. Mary went, and missed. They went, and missed on a outer post ping. Phew! Heidi went, and missed. They went, and missed. Sharon went, hit the goalie, the puck trickled back, slowly, slowly, and baaarely crossed the goal line. 1-0. They sent red pants, who shot straight into Cara. Liz went, and missed. They sent orange gloves, who missed, and I don't remember how, because ...
We rushed out and mobbed Cara out on the ice. She got the game puck, which had the name of the other team written on it. She totally deserved it, too. I mean, heck, she shut out a 5 period plus shootout game! Go Cara!
Final score: 1-0. What a way to do it!
Sharon's new nickname should be Clutch. Sharon the Clutchinator!
I spent the rest of the evening walking around with a huge grin on my face. I grinned to dinner, through dinner, and all the way back.
Jena looked at me just now and said, "You're still grinning, Viv."
Yes I am! :-D
10:55 PM | Burninators| Comments (8)
Burninators Game 3: Denver Northern Lights
Whoo, what a game! Another nailbiter! Played a great bunch of gals today. Win or lose it would have been a fun game. That said, I'm much happier that we won. :)
Final score: 5-4. They got two quick goals on us early, and things didn't look good. We got it back, though. I came out right after their third goal made the game 1-3 and decided it was time. Oh how I miss that feeling! Felt like last season in Red! I did a little pre-faceoff dance (I was having fun and staying loose, despite the score) from my blue line D spot, and on that shift, took the puck in and scored. Yeah!
A little later on, I got my first ever point from a slapshot. Okay, I have to qualify that. The slapshot did not lift, and my point was for an assist, but still, I got that thing squarely on net from the blue line. Yeah again!
When the rebound on that one went in, I was so excited I fell over (or maybe the blue line tripped me). I did a little on-my-face celebration on the ice. Someone told me later that the ref skated by and looked down with a funny expression on his face. :-D
We went into overtime tied 4-4. I had a breakaway ... well, I created a breakaway. I skated around their wing in the neutral zone, took it in, got past their D, and shot it ... into the side of the net. Drat!
Fortunately, the Sharonator came in a couple shifts later and won it for us. Go Sharon! Whoo!
Playoff game later? We'll see!
11:21 AM | Burninators| Comments (2)
January 28, 2005 / Friday
Burninators Game 2: Alaska Local Lynx
Today we played a better team than the one last night. We'd expected that from watching them play yesterday. Still, we had a good game, skated hard, and held them scoreless for 2 periods. Going into the 3rd period, the score was 0-0.
Final score was 0-4. 3rd period came and their two top players scored: 2 for orange gloves and 1 for red pants. They got a penalty after that, we pulled our goalie, and they cleared one into our net from their end of the ice. Oh well, it was worth a shot.
I'd like to have won, but I can't complain about how we played. We did our best, and had fun.
I skated it in and got a bunch of shots on net this game. More of that planned for tomorrow.
Time to eat and get ready for some Thunder From Down Under. :-D
06:10 PM | Burninators| Comments (0)
Burninators Game 1: Vancouver Lady Sharks
Played our first game tonight, against a very evenly matched team. Both teams played hard, and ours eeked out a win. Final score: 2-1.
For over half the game it seemed like no one was going to score. Then we got a goal at the end of the 2nd, and another at the beginning of the 3rd.
We had a penalty with 2 or so minutes to go. They pulled their goalie and scored on a 6 on 4 shift in our zone. We had a nailbiter final minute, and phew, we came away with the win.
I played D tonight with Liz. Did all right, and ran the puck in a couple times. They had enough decent players that I couldn't do it much. Oh well. At least I tried, and got it into the other team's zone.
There are 6 teams in our division. I wondered how we'd stack up. We got to do a bit of scouting both before and after our game, and it looks like we're midpack. Tomorrow's game will be tough. Saturday's game I hope will be not so tough. We'll see.
01:00 AM | Burninators| Comments (1)
January 27, 2005 / Thursday
Countdown To Burnination
12 hours from now, I'll be Burninating on ice.
Yes! :-D
09:27 AM | Burninators| Comments (0)
January 26, 2005 / Wednesday
Tournament Calorie Quandry
A lot of you know that I can't eat much solid food before I exercise (and especially before I play hockey). My preferred food is a Jamba Juice 60-90 minutes before gametime. Chocolate pudding 30 minutes prior is good, too.
But in Las Vegas, It's all buffets, right?
Right.
I looked to see if there were any Jamba Juices near the ice rink ...
SoopahViv: uhhh
SoopahViv: the closest jamba juice to the ice center is
SoopahViv: 13 miles away
SoopahViv: okay forget that
More searching ...
SoopahViv: the closest smoothie is 3 miles away
SoopahViv: maybe i'll just go to one of those frozen margarita bars
SoopahViv: those are kinda like smoothies right?
SoopahViv: and they're everywhere!
Hrmm, probably not a good idea. Perhaps I'll bring some chocolate pudding packs with me. I love how they're so artificial that they don't need refrigeration.
Googles "pudding packs" ...
Ooh! Aseptic pudding packs! Just what I need!
Puddings are formulated without preservatives in six flavors.
Even better! Now I just need to go find some, so I can be all rad like that cow on the box!
03:46 PM | Burninators:Drinks| Comments (0)
December 01, 2004 / Wednesday
Fat Burn(inate)s Better, Right?
Liz2D2: we're gonna be a lean mean burninating machine
SoopahViv: i'd better stop eating all this junk, then
SoopahViv: *puts down junk*
SoopahViv: *grabs apple*
Liz2D2: word!
Liz2D2: though it's not your leanness i'm worried about
SoopahViv: oh, i thought maybe you had some sort of "viv is eating junk at work again" alarm go off
Liz2D2: nope
SoopahViv: *resumes eating junk*
