The Boy and the Devil have both been on the ice a bunch this week. Both have seen some team and personal success.
The Boy’s team won all three of their games bringing their record in the last ten games to 8 wins, two ties and only one loss. This week’s victories included one against the top team in the league, which is important as they’d lost their previous three to the same side. We’ve all a pretty good sense that any playoff run will have to go through this team, as it has the past three seasons, so you don’t want to have lost all of your games against them during the regular season. This loss marked only their second of the entire season to this point. Suffice it to say, they are strong. But now we all know they can and have been beaten.
The Boy, for his part, picked up a few points, a few big hits and a few shifts on defence, which is all fun for him and me alike; though I don’t poke fun at his unique backwards skating technique quite as much as I used to. To say he was unorthodox would be kind. At no point could you say he lacked effort, but he certainly wasn’t going to get any style points either. That being said, what he lacks in style, he generally makes up in hockey sense so he’s able to compensate and generally be well positioned. Going way back to his brief stint as a goalie, he’s always been somewhat defensive-minded, which has served him well. As they say, good defence breeds good offence. In fact, the team’s recent wins can be attributed to their stronger defensive play.
The Devil’s team for their part won two of their four games during the week, including two wins against a fairly strong rival who sit just behind them in the regular season standings. In one of their two losses, which I was unable to attend, I’m told they outplayed the other team for all but a few minutes in their third period which lead to their downfall. In all, they have managed to vault themselves up to third place in the ten team league.
Yesterday’s game, a 3-2 victory, saw the Devil score a pretty goal which would end up being the game winner. She and one of her teammates broke into the opposing team’s zone on a two on one rush with the Devil charging hard to the net without the puck. Her comrade to her left feathered a pass under the defender’s stick and to a spot that appeared to be beyond the Devil’s reach. But she lunged forward with her stick in one hand and was able to redirect the puck towards the net on her backhand. Lo and behold the frozen black disk made its way to the back of the waiting cage. I’m pretty sure the Devil was as surprised as we onlookers. Surprise turned to jubilation as we all realized it was indeed a goal making the score 3-1 with only a few minutes left in the game. The other team would come back to score another goal of their own. However, they ran out of time as the home team was able to secure the win.
After a hectic week, the Boy has the day off. The Devil was supposed to play, but poor weather forced their intended opponents from the south to cancel their trip and subsequently the game. So she is at practice now; which is likely fine with the coach who will always welcome a chance to hone skills and strategies. The same happened for the Boy earlier in the week. Winter weather certainly can play a factor in the scheduling and rescheduling of games.
A busy week now gives way to a couple of slow weeks as we hit the holidays. The boys have two games between now and Christmas while the girls only have one. The boys do have a tournament between Christmas and New Years before heading into the final regular season push before the playoffs. Still plenty of hockey to play for both as we’re really only about halfway through the season. It’s nice to see both teams rounding into shape and both kids enjoying the recent runs.
#imahockeydad