Jinxed Indeed…

Ok, I will take a little responsibility for having written the last post.  I had a feeling an 11-0 win in game one would not be a good start.  Oh ye cruel hockey gods.

Game two found the Colts up against a stronger, hungrier opponent who took it to them physically and handed out a 3-1 loss.  With much less time to think and react, the passes weren’t as crisp, the shots didn’t find the necessary openings.  This was not one of their better performances.  The Boy, for his part, left game two with a fair-sized bump on the knee that he would ice for the remainder of the day and night.

The team did battle back in game three, literally, as it was a bit of a chippier game. The Boy himself was on the wrong end of said chippiness as a taller defenceman dropped him with a well-place elbow to the head.  The Boy hit the ice and hockey mom popped to her feet as he lay face down while the trainer rushed out to his side.  We would find out later that while the blow did some damage, the Boy did spend a little more time on the ice in an effort to milk a bigger penalty for the offender.  Two minutes for elbowing was the ref’s call.  This would be one of many power plays the team would have over the weekend, but like the others this one would end up fruitless, that is to say, goalless. Something to work on the next time they hit the ice to practice.  The team did, however, manage to score five goals in a 5-1 win that would earn them a berth in the semi-finals.

The Colts came out fast in the semi-final this morning, but were turned away by a few good saves from the opposing keeper.  Before the end of the first period the other team would score a goal on a scramble in the slot. They would then score two more goals in the second period.  Further, they would remove a Colts player from the game on a nasty hit that only resulted in an interference call; a hit that left the recipient with a separated shoulder, a trip to the hospital and most likely a month on the shelf.  The team would only manage to scrape out a single goal in the third as the other goalie made a few more solid stops.  After one spectacular glove save about half-way through the last frame I had the sense the game was all but lost.  Bounces were just not going the right way again — ala game two.  A trip to their third tourney final in three chances was not in the cards.

So we almost had the rest of the weekend off…almost. The Devil had yet to play a Sunday night game here in town; “here in town” being the operative phrase.  We were glad to not be the team driving an hour on a Sunday night to get here.

The Devil’s team is also not without its drama as they’ve lost their one and only goaltender to a non-hockey related ankle injury; which has left the coaching staff scrambling to find a replacement.  Tonight the replacement was a player from an age group down, but her presence was certainly welcomed and she would perform admirably despite some admitted nerves.  At the same time, this will be used as a rallying call to have all of the players step up to compensate for the loss of their regular backstop. And step up they did tonight as they defeated the visiting team 6-1; marking their largest goal output and margin of victory to date.  This was admittedly a weaker side, but served as a good boost of confidence under the latest circumstances.

These are the ups and downs of a hockey season that make it all the more interesting.  Most teams have to fight through these trials and tribulations that the hockey gods put before them in order to grow as a team and to reach their goals.

As for me, I’m done with prognostication — I should know better.  I’m sure hockey mom will remind me of the same before I go spouting off again.

#imahockeydad

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