On to Round Two and Beyond

The Devil’s team made it interesting, but prevailed over their closest and fiercest rivals for a round one victory in the league playoffs.  With their fallen Captain leading the pre-game and in between-period cheers of “Sharks on 3. 1,2,3 Sharks!”, the same Sharks held off the vaunted IceCats with by winning games one and three 1-0 and tying the game in between 0-0.  Not what you’d call an offensive battle by any means.  In fact, the goaltenders were the stars of this series as both teams had their fair share of chances, but were not able to get many by either keeper.  Our goalie had a shutout for the series – quite the feat.  A hot tender can take a team a long way.  I think the rest of the team would admit they did not play their best. The Devil for her part pitched in with a nice pass that led to the single goal the team was able to muster in game three today.  They’ll need to ratchet up their game a notch for the next round opponent; who has yet to be determined. The team will no doubt benefit from having their head coach back; who returned from business in time for today’s final round one game.

Oddly there is one more series to go against the IceCats as they also happen to be the team the girls need to get past in their provincial playdowns.  After a couple of exhibition games, four regular season games, three or four tournament games and three playoff games; they’re familiar.  This occurs some years as there are only so many female teams in certain divisions.

While there’s been plenty of hockey played and we’re late in the season; now’s the time to buckle down.  Now the fun really begins.

#imahockeydad

On to Round Two and Beyond

The Devil’s team made it interesting, but prevailed over their closest and fiercest rivals for a round one victory in the league playoffs.  With their fallen Captain leading the pre-game and in between-period cheers of “Sharks on 3. 1,2,3 Sharks!”, the same Sharks held off the vaunted IceCats with by winning games one and three 1-0 and tying the game in between 0-0.  Not what you’d call an offensive battle by any means.  In fact, the goaltenders were the stars of this series as both teams had their fair share of chances, but were not able to get many by either keeper.  Our goalie had a shutout for the series – quite the feat.  A hot tender can take a team a long way.  I think the rest of the team would admit they did not play their best. The Devil for her part pitched in with a nice pass that led to the single goal the team was able to muster in game three today.  They’ll need to ratchet up their game a notch for the next round opponent; who has yet to be determined. The team will no doubt benefit from having their head coach back; who returned from business in time for today’s final round one game.

Oddly there is one more series to go against the IceCats as they also happen to be the team the girls need to get past in their provincial playdowns.  After a couple of exhibition games, four regular season games, three or four tournament games and three playoff games; they’re familiar.  This occurs some years as there are only so many female teams in certain divisions.

While there’s been plenty of hockey played and we’re late in the season; now’s the time to buckle down.  Now the fun really begins.

#imahockeydad

Strength in the Face of Adversity

Hearing bloodcurdling screams of pain and then watching your team captain get rolled off the ice on a gurney after suffering a season-ending leg injury is no way to start a championship game.  But that’s the exact situation the Devil and her teammates had to contend with this past weekend.

My better half, the hockey mom, will concur as she, in her role as team trainer, was tasked with assessing the situation, ordering an ambulance and huddling on the frozen rink to console the frightened victim of a crater in the ice. I believe she would much rather simply deal with the normal course bumps, bruises and missing hair-clips that befall a female hockey team. But hockey is a fast-paced game, which does bring with it the occasional more serious injury.

It was heart-warming to see both teams lined up together on the blue line tapping their sticks on the ice in unison as the fallen soldier was ushered off by paramedics. This was definitely a new set of circumstances for almost all of them.  Not a easy situation for any team to bounce back from, much less a group of 13-year old girls.

When the game finally resumed twenty five minutes later, the shell-shocked players were definitely off their game; their focus understandably shaken.  On the bench, we extolled the players to regain their composure.  We suggested they summon their strength and do it for their suddenly absent captain.  The opposing side took advantage of the situation, scoring two quick goals before the first period ended. At the break, we tried to rally the troops, reminding them again that they were in a final game.

The cobwebs faded in the second.  The team came out with a renewed commitment to winning; erasing the 2-0 deficit. They would have a brief lapse against a strong opponent and fall behind again 3-2, but would come storming back to take a 4-3 lead, which would last until less than two minutes left in the game. A quick, laser of a shot taken off a face-off in our end would find its way over the shoulder of an unsuspecting goaltender.  The championship contest would need to be settled in a five minute overtime or possibly a shootout — far too much drama and stress for several spectators.

The game would unfortunately end on a scramble in front of the Devil’s net with only 30 seconds left in the extra frame.  An opportunistic attacker danced around our keeper and slid the puck into the waiting net behind. The girls didn’t get the win, but they gained a world of experience in dealing with much more than just wins and losses. They rose above a tense situation that would have been pretty easy to just pack their bags on. They showed a fantastic resilience in the face trying circumstances.

Tonight they played game one of their opening provincial playoff series; hot on the heels of five weekend games and all of that drama. The effects of the weekend were evident in their sub-par play against a bitter rival, but they gutted out a 1-0 win and a 1-0 lead in the best of three showdown. Their injured comrade was able to attend; albeit on crutches as a scheduled surgery is in the offing to properly mend her injured limb. She led a team cheer before the game and in between each period, which no doubt buoyed a noticeably fatigued group. The team will miss their captain on the ice, but will continue to draw inspiration from her absence as they continue through to the end of the season.  Time will tell how far that inspiration, coupled with their ever-improving play, will take them. Regardless, it’s games like the final we witnessed on the weekend that make us proud of how far they’ve already come.

#imahockeydad

Strength in the Face of Adversity

Hearing bloodcurdling screams of pain and then watching your team captain get rolled off the ice on a gurney after suffering a season-ending leg injury is no way to start a championship game.  But that’s the exact situation the Devil and her teammates had to contend with this past weekend.

My better half, the hockey mom, will concur as she, in her role as team trainer, was tasked with assessing the situation, ordering an ambulance and huddling on the frozen rink to console the frightened victim of a crater in the ice. I believe she would much rather simply deal with the normal course bumps, bruises and missing hair-clips that befall a female hockey team. But hockey is a fast-paced game, which does bring with it the occasional more serious injury.

It was heart-warming to see both teams lined up together on the blue line tapping their sticks on the ice in unison as the fallen soldier was ushered off by paramedics. This was definitely a new set of circumstances for almost all of them.  Not a easy situation for any team to bounce back from, much less a group of 13-year old girls.

When the game finally resumed twenty five minutes later, the shell-shocked players were definitely off their game; their focus understandably shaken.  On the bench, we extolled the players to regain their composure.  We suggested they summon their strength and do it for their suddenly absent captain.  The opposing side took advantage of the situation, scoring two quick goals before the first period ended. At the break, we tried to rally the troops, reminding them again that they were in a final game.

The cobwebs faded in the second.  The team came out with a renewed commitment to winning; erasing the 2-0 deficit. They would have a brief lapse against a strong opponent and fall behind again 3-2, but would come storming back to take a 4-3 lead, which would last until less than two minutes left in the game. A quick, laser of a shot taken off a face-off in our end would find its way over the shoulder of an unsuspecting goaltender.  The championship contest would need to be settled in a five minute overtime or possibly a shootout — far too much drama and stress for several spectators.

The game would unfortunately end on a scramble in front of the Devil’s net with only 30 seconds left in the extra frame.  An opportunistic attacker danced around our keeper and slid the puck into the waiting net behind. The girls didn’t get the win, but they gained a world of experience in dealing with much more than just wins and losses. They rose above a tense situation that would have been pretty easy to just pack their bags on. They showed a fantastic resilience in the face trying circumstances.

Tonight they played game one of their opening provincial playoff series; hot on the heels of five weekend games and all of that drama. The effects of the weekend were evident in their sub-par play against a bitter rival, but they gutted out a 1-0 win and a 1-0 lead in the best of three showdown. Their injured comrade was able to attend; albeit on crutches as a scheduled surgery is in the offing to properly mend her injured limb. She led a team cheer before the game and in between each period, which no doubt buoyed a noticeably fatigued group. The team will miss their captain on the ice, but will continue to draw inspiration from her absence as they continue through to the end of the season.  Time will tell how far that inspiration, coupled with their ever-improving play, will take them. Regardless, it’s games like the final we witnessed on the weekend that make us proud of how far they’ve already come.

#imahockeydad

We’re Number Two (But One in Our Hearts)!

The Devil and her Shark teammates certainly had an eventful tournament weekend.  After a slow start with a 1-0 loss followed by a 0-0 tie in round robin play, the girls just kept getting stronger with a 4-2 quarterfinal win, a 4-3 shootout win in the semi-finals. The rollercoaster three-day event ended with a heartbreaking, albeit inspiring, 5-4 overtime loss in a turbulent final.  A final that would have the team watch their captain leave the ice on a stretcher after suffering a season-ending injury, but still manage to come back from two 2-goal deficits and hold a lead going into the last two minutes of the game. More details to follow as the weekend wore this father/temporary assistant coach out.  For now I’ll let the smiles in the photo tell the story of an overall successful, team and character-building effort.

#imahockeydad