Week 5: Mark It Zero vs. The Green Hornets
My ankle was probable for this game too. I decided to wear inserts in my skates for the first time since squirts and it seemed to help significantly reduce any pain, but I’m still playing at like 65% which is frustrating. This won’t be a post about my ankle though. We had an interesting game Thursday.
We switched our line around so Steve and I would be on the wings and Darren would center us. The last time we played the Hornets we were shorthanded, so I figured with the added help (Derek, Miller) we’d get out to a comfortable lead and just take care of business.
VS THE GREEN HORNETS
Turns out we are a horrible first period team. We dug ourselves into a hole with a couple of early penalties. I remember we were on the penalty kill for our first two shifts. They got out to quick 2-0, then 3-0 leads before we knew what was happening. What’s worse, we know these guys aren’t a particularly good team (although not as abysmal as Lebowski).
On the second penalty kill, they found the high right point man (my guy) and he telegraphed that he was taking the shot. I kept the shin pads together, blocked it, poked it behind him off the boards, and it sent me and Miller in on a shorthanded 2-on-1. After gaining the blue line, I saucered him a pass across, and he took a low shot on net. The rebound came across to me, I kicked it off my left skate, it ricocheted off my right skate towards the open net. The next action might’ve been cause for dispute, but I made the motion that I then shot it into the open net. I’m not even sure if I touched it with my stick (goal) or didn’t (no-goal), but the ref saw me touch it so I’m down. Goal. 3-1 Hornets.
Shorties are excellent because they are a momentum changer more often than not. This was not one of those cases. The Hornets ended up notching a 4th tally and we were in a 4-1 hole for most of the game. I remember looking up at the clock with 16 minutes* remaining in the 3rd and thinking that we had to get something going NOW.
The 2nd and 3rd goals were scored by Ben and Juke. The former came on a Miller-inspired backhander over the goaltender’s left shoulder (I hear Ben has an illustrious history with his backhander as well). The latter came on a slap shot top corner where momma keeps the peanut butter, so to speak.
This is around the time of Miller’s coming-out party. It seems like since the 3rd period began, The Hornets were playing safe/conservative/not-to-lose hockey, not playing much offense, and tried to keep it away, wasting time off the clock. I remember one time the stickhandling gal they have circled back, basically daring me to come in and forecheck - so I came in. She started to panic, passed it back to her teammate, who was overwhelmed as well, and I was able to turn it into a scoring chance.
We kept the puck in their zone almost the whole 3rd period. On one chance, Derek slapped a low shot-pass (he said it was on purpose, I believe him) to Miller, who artfully provided a deflection in the high slot that beat the goalie 5-hole. Tie game with about 3 minutes to go…in regulation.
There’s the R word! I thought we were doomed to tie this team but the league allows a 5 minute overtime session to our delight. On our first shift we hopped the boards and one of our fine defensemen threaded a pass to me in the neutral zone. They’re finding me on a constant basis and I’m enjoying it. Waiting for the pass to arrive, I thought I accounted for everyone and figured they were all behind me, but as I turned around, I was met by some fool wearing a San Jose Sharks jersey, who had been playing me fairly well all game. He contested my rush, and even had possession of the puck at one point, but I jarred it loose, used the boards to get it around him, and stole it back. Crashing the net I threw it across, and the rebound popped out to the right side. My view was obstructed, but I was hoping that the guy who reached the puck was Miller. It was, and he got enough of a stick on it to poke it underneath the goaltender. MILLLERRRRRRRRR! It’s a little extra satisfying thinking that maybe the SJ Sharks dude blames himself for the teams ultimate collapse.
5-4 (OT), The Good Guys
CLOSE CALLS: I mentioned the Sharks jersey fellow earlier. He was a smart player. He’d never be out of position, and when I’d be ready to tip/redirect/finish a play he’d slash me at the exact right time the puck would arrive, and make it invisible to the refs. That’s a skill. One time I was against someone else for a change who was having trouble skating backwards. I turned him inside out but was already in the slot so I shot it through him instead. The goaltender did a nice job handling screens. On another opportunity, Gregg Gorski shot it wide to the right of the net but it served as an excellent back-door pass (I asked him after the game, it was accidental) that I almost finished off. The puck just hopped over my stick.
We mounted a fine comeback, and showed some serious heart in the waning moments of that game, but we can’t get in a hole like this against Da Bulls next week. We only won that one by 1 goal. But of course, we didn’t have Miller & Derek then.
*They mostly implement running time in these games. I’m unsure when they go to stop-time. I think it’s in the last 2 minutes of every period but it went to stop time earlier in the 3rd period, like in the last 5 minutes or so.
stats (season)
