Tag Archives: playoffs

And Then There Was One

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Just two days and technically 45 minutes after an epic win to salvage their series, the Boy’s team’s season came to less than dramatic halt on the backside of a 4-2 loss. Momentum from the previous game certainly carried the visiting team through the first two and a half periods of the game. A tied series felt like a real possibility as the boys opened a 2-0 lead with some very dominant play.  A two-nil lead could have just as easily been four-nil as the visiting side was firing on all cylinders.

Then the middle of the came turned out to be a virtual crest in the road. Aggressive play tuned into timid play; particularly in the defensive zone. The entire team seemed to collapse back into their goaltender. The home team became the aggressor after scoring their first goal. While the Boy and his teammates never gave up, they certainly seemed to back down (or at least back up).  The home team, already up four points to two in the six point series, finished the second period with a 3-2 lead. The boys had 15 minutes to square the score, which would have kept their season dimly alive. But another goal by the home side, quickly deflated already fragile spirits.  Play in the rest of the period was noticeably desperate and panicked. The crowd got quiet as we too could feel the game, series and season slipping away.

An opposing penalty and resulting power play opportunity in the last two minutes of the game provided one last ray of hope. The goalie would be pulled to create a six on four player advantage, which would in turn provide a couple of scoring chances. However, the soon-to-be victors keeper held strong to preserve the win. 

The game/series, which had its fair share of animosity, unfortunately ended on a sour note with a late penalty then a game ending skirmish. The refs, to their credit, were quick to dissipate the situation. At the end of any series, good or bad, a time-honoured tradition has the combatants shake hands in a show of good sportsmanship. In a show of poor sportsmanship, one of the victorious coaches chose to not shake hands with his counterparts – not the right message to be sending to a group of 15 and 16 year old boys. 

In quick retrospect, our group of boys had a pretty good yet that provided a lot of unique tests of individual and team character.  While they didn’t achieve all of their goals, I think some of them learned and grew – most of them enjoyed their time with this team. They and we all have a substantial store of good and bad memories.

Now the focus turns back to the Devil, who is still wrapped tightly in two exciting series – the first of which resumes in a couple of days. Just enough time to take a breath and ease some shaky nerves. With all the talk of two long seasons, I’m still not ready to see them both end.

#imahockeydad

Must Win Thrillers

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The last three games, in the last three nights, all must-wins for the Devil and the Boy, have provided as much drama for the players, coaches and especially we spectators in the stands as nearly the whole year combined.  Ya just gotta love playoff hockey.

Two nights ago the Devil and her mates played their latest game against their closest rivals, having already lost the first game in a best-out-of three series which will determine who gets to go on to play in the provincial championships.  The girls played what could best be described as a bend-but-don’t-break game that saw them score the first and only goal half-way through the second period. Our goalie, not unlike other games this year, “stood on her head”; pushing away several good scoring chances from the other side.  On one shot in particular that had its sights on the bottom stick side of the net, she instinctively threw out her right leg, just barely getting her toe in the way of the oncoming puck. On the bench for this game, I watched a great deal of it behind splayed fingers, as did many of the onlookers in the stands I’m sure. But in the end the girls prevailed, sending the series to a game three back at the same foreign rink in exactly one week’s time.

Cut to last night, where the Boy’s team turned the drama up a few notches. I almost don’t know where to start describing this third game of a six point series, which had our team facing elimination with a loss.  To start, the team would be dressing only ten out of 15 skaters as they dealt with two season-ending injuries, one two-game suspension from earlier in the series, one player on a family vacation in Florida and one competing in the provincial high school cross-country skiing championships. One of the ten dressed skaters had injured his wrist lifting weights in gym class earlier in the day and the other had injured his shoulder in the previous match.  The player with the injured shoulder would only sit on the bench as an emergency backup should someone be needed to serve a ten minute misconduct penalty (crafty little coaching move, indeed). The team was shorthanded to say the least.

But it gets worse. The hockey gods seemed to be frowning.  One on the nine players who was capable of skating realized just before the game started that he had a broken skate. He was lucky to be able to borrow a pair from a team coming off the ice from a previous game.  So we started the game with a hodge podge of forwards and defencemen.  The opponents, with a full bench, no doubt salivated at their prospects for a win.

The Boy and his rag-tag side had other ideas. They came out aggressive right off the hop. The Boy was able to split the D on a rush in the first couple of minutes. He was hauled down, crashing into the net with the puck in tow. At first, we in the crowd thought we witnessed a quick goal, but instead the ref called a tripping penalty; giving the Boys their first powerplay opportunity. They would not score early, but would dominate play for much of the game.  As the other team scrambled, their goalie and defence were forced to knock the net off its moorings on at least four occasions. On the last of these, the Boy threw the puck into a dislodged net – another goal disallowed, but the Boy and his mates mock-celebrated to let the visitors know they were going to keep coming.

Then the break came as the home team was fighting off a penalty. The Boy pressured an opposing defenceman into turning over the puck.  He scooted in behind him and broke towards the goalie with the startled defenceman in hot pursuit.  He was able to throw the puck up an over the goalie’s left shoulder to establish a one-goal lead.  Now the challenge would be squarely on the nine, exhausted skaters for the remainder of the second and the entire third period. Hockey mom did her part, by ordering in a round of energy drinks to boost the psychological, if not, the physical spirits of the young warriors.

With all the adversity they’d faced to this point, what else could possibly go wrong? How about another broken skate at the start of the third period; this time on the foot of a different defenceman.  The only option, it seemed, was on the foot of the tenth penalty emergency player. His skate was subsequently transferred to where is was needed more. The newly equipped defencemen was able to rejoin the team after a quick “pit stop”.

The final event in this multi-act play was a collision between the Boy and an opposing player in the corner of the rink. The Boy went down in a heap. The trainer was summoned to do a quick assessment; before calling on a couple of other players to pick the Boy up and escort him back to the bench, reportedly with a fair stream of drool running out of his cage. All the while, the crowd looked on as both teams got something of a rest prior to finishing the last half of the final frame. The Boy would shake off the hit and return a couple of shifts later.

Scoring chances would be exchanged in the dying minutes. The Boy’s goaltender came up big on more than one occasion. The good guys held on to their painfully slim margin for the victory. Victorious, nine players and a backup goalie poured onto the ice to celebrate.  Another must-win game four is tomorrow night;  back in the bad guys’ playground.

Finally, cut to tonight and the last of three consecutive critical games. This time the Devil’s team was taking on the first-place squad from the regular season who had already won game one 2-0 at home. A first-place squad who only lost 4 out of 22 regular season games. The home side certainly had their work cut out for them.  But they’ve proven in the past that they can play against strong opponents.  And play they did. They battled hard the entire contest. Without looking at the stats, I would guess that they were outshot; our goalie shone again in behind her embattled crew.

As in the past two evenings, the game would be decided by a single goal coming on a seemingly harmless shot by the Devil towards the end of the second period, followed by a scramble for the puck in front of the goalie.  One of the Devil’s line-mates was able to poke the puck past, through, over and/or under the sprawling goalie. It was difficult to determine how exactly the puck found its way into the net, but that’s where it ended up; delivering an early death knell to the visitors. Once again, the home team would fight tooth and nail to preserve a win and to play another day. Another victory huddle would form around the winning tender.  This series will end, one way or another, this coming weekend. Both teams now know it’s anybody’s game.

There you have it. Three identical 1-0 decisions in three nights have sprouted a few more gray hairs on my aging noggin. These kids and their teams may have very well knocked a couple of days off my life expectancy. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. The post-game jubilation I’ve witnessed on the ice is worth every chewed fingernail. The high-fives and fist-bumps I see other parents exchanging tells the same story.  We’re all proud of the efforts our players are putting in; particularly when their backs have been against the wall.  Keep it up all ye young hockey soldiers.  We’re gonna keep cheering you on as best we can.

#imahockeydad 

Must Win Thrillers

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The last three games, in the last three nights, all must-wins for the Devil and the Boy, have provided as much drama for the players, coaches and especially we spectators in the stands as nearly the whole year combined.  Ya just gotta love playoff hockey.

Two nights ago the Devil and her mates played their latest game against their closest rivals, having already lost the first game in a best-out-of three series which will determine who gets to go on to play in the provincial championships.  The girls played what could best be described as a bend-but-don’t-break game that saw them score the first and only goal half-way through the second period. Our goalie, not unlike other games this year, “stood on her head”; pushing away several good scoring chances from the other side.  On one shot in particular that had its sights on the bottom stick side of the net, she instinctively threw out her right leg, just barely getting her toe in the way of the oncoming puck. On the bench for this game, I watched a great deal of it behind splayed fingers, as did many of the onlookers in the stands I’m sure. But in the end the girls prevailed, sending the series to a game three back at the same foreign rink in exactly one week’s time.

Cut to last night, where the Boy’s team turned the drama up a few notches. I almost don’t know where to start describing this third game of a six point series, which had our team facing elimination with a loss.  To start, the team would be dressing only ten out of 15 skaters as they dealt with two season-ending injuries, one two-game suspension from earlier in the series, one player on a family vacation in Florida and one competing in the provincial high school cross-country skiing championships. One of the ten dressed skaters had injured his wrist lifting weights in gym class earlier in the day and the other had injured his shoulder in the previous match.  The player with the injured shoulder would only sit on the bench as an emergency backup should someone be needed to serve a ten minute misconduct penalty (crafty little coaching move, indeed). The team was shorthanded to say the least.

But it gets worse. The hockey gods seemed to be frowning.  One on the nine players who was capable of skating realized just before the game started that he had a broken skate. He was lucky to be able to borrow a pair from a team coming off the ice from a previous game.  So we started the game with a hodge podge of forwards and defencemen.  The opponents, with a full bench, no doubt salivated at their prospects for a win.

The Boy and his rag-tag side had other ideas. They came out aggressive right off the hop. The Boy was able to split the D on a rush in the first couple of minutes. He was hauled down, crashing into the net with the puck in tow. At first, we in the crowd thought we witnessed a quick goal, but instead the ref called a tripping penalty; giving the Boys their first powerplay opportunity. They would not score early, but would dominate play for much of the game.  As the other team scrambled, their goalie and defence were forced to knock the net off its moorings on at least four occasions. On the last of these, the Boy threw the puck into a dislodged net – another goal disallowed, but the Boy and his mates mock-celebrated to let the visitors know they were going to keep coming.

Then the break came as the home team was fighting off a penalty. The Boy pressured an opposing defenceman into turning over the puck.  He scooted in behind him and broke towards the goalie with the startled defenceman in hot pursuit.  He was able to throw the puck up an over the goalie’s left shoulder to establish a one-goal lead.  Now the challenge would be squarely on the nine, exhausted skaters for the remainder of the second and the entire third period. Hockey mom did her part, by ordering in a round of energy drinks to boost the psychological, if not, the physical spirits of the young warriors.

With all the adversity they’d faced to this point, what else could possibly go wrong? How about another broken skate at the start of the third period; this time on the foot of a different defenceman.  The only option, it seemed, was on the foot of the tenth penalty emergency player. His skate was subsequently transferred to where is was needed more. The newly equipped defencemen was able to rejoin the team after a quick “pit stop”.

The final event in this multi-act play was a collision between the Boy and an opposing player in the corner of the rink. The Boy went down in a heap. The trainer was summoned to do a quick assessment; before calling on a couple of other players to pick the Boy up and escort him back to the bench, reportedly with a fair stream of drool running out of his cage. All the while, the crowd looked on as both teams got something of a rest prior to finishing the last half of the final frame. The Boy would shake off the hit and return a couple of shifts later.

Scoring chances would be exchanged in the dying minutes. The Boy’s goaltender came up big on more than one occasion. The good guys held on to their painfully slim margin for the victory. Victorious, nine players and a backup goalie poured onto the ice to celebrate.  Another must-win game four is tomorrow night;  back in the bad guys’ playground.

Finally, cut to tonight and the last of three consecutive critical games. This time the Devil’s team was taking on the first-place squad from the regular season who had already won game one 2-0 at home. A first-place squad who only lost 4 out of 22 regular season games. The home side certainly had their work cut out for them.  But they’ve proven in the past that they can play against strong opponents.  And play they did. They battled hard the entire contest. Without looking at the stats, I would guess that they were outshot; our goalie shone again in behind her embattled crew.

As in the past two evenings, the game would be decided by a single goal coming on a seemingly harmless shot by the Devil towards the end of the second period, followed by a scramble for the puck in front of the goalie.  One of the Devil’s line-mates was able to poke the puck past, through, over and/or under the sprawling goalie. It was difficult to determine how exactly the puck found its way into the net, but that’s where it ended up; delivering an early death knell to the visitors. Once again, the home team would fight tooth and nail to preserve a win and to play another day. Another victory huddle would form around the winning tender.  This series will end, one way or another, this coming weekend. Both teams now know it’s anybody’s game.

There you have it. Three identical 1-0 decisions in three nights have sprouted a few more gray hairs on my aging noggin. These kids and their teams may have very well knocked a couple of days off my life expectancy. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. The post-game jubilation I’ve witnessed on the ice is worth every chewed fingernail. The high-fives and fist-bumps I see other parents exchanging tells the same story.  We’re all proud of the efforts our players are putting in; particularly when their backs have been against the wall.  Keep it up all ye young hockey soldiers.  We’re gonna keep cheering you on as best we can.

#imahockeydad 

Up Against It

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The Devil’s team somewhat oddly began two separate playoff series for two different regional and provincial championships this weekend.  Both series will be determined by the first team to reach four points with victories counting for two points and ties counting for one. As such, there are pretty slim margins of error between continuing on to the next/final series and having the hockey season end altogether.  Par for the course this year, the girls played two very close matches, but fell 2-1 and 2-0 (with the second goal finding an empty net) in each; thereby putting them behind the eight ball in the next game of both series. Both games could have just as easily gone the other way.  Just the incentive they need to come back and win game two in each.  I have every confidence they will because we, the spectators/parents, need more heart-stopping action.  While many would claim to be “hockeyed-out”, none can truly say they want to see it end.

Similarly the Boy is finally in a playoff series again, after a bye-induced, three-week layoff. He decided to play after spending the past few days nursing flu and then cold symptoms that kept him from one day of school.  Nothing a couple of Tylenol and a Sudafed couldn’t cure long enough for him to play.  Game one, which I missed in attending the Devil’s game this aft, was apparently a poorly refereed affair that saw our boys on the wrong end of a 3-1 score, with an empty-netter of its own and a couple of ejections, including a frustrated coach at the end. But this is a six-point series, with game two as soon as tomorrow night, back on home ice, which should see the boys come back with a vengeance.

Suffice it to say, we have an exciting week and hopefully a few with several important games ahead.

#imahockeydad

Up Against It

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The Devil’s team somewhat oddly began two separate playoff series for two different regional and provincial championships this weekend.  Both series will be determined by the first team to reach four points with victories counting for two points and ties counting for one. As such, there are pretty slim margins of error between continuing on to the next/final series and having the hockey season end altogether.  Par for the course this year, the girls played two very close matches, but fell 2-1 and 2-0 (with the second goal finding an empty net) in each; thereby putting them behind the eight ball in the next game of both series. Both games could have just as easily gone the other way.  Just the incentive they need to come back and win game two in each.  I have every confidence they will because we, the spectators/parents, need more heart-stopping action.  While many would claim to be “hockeyed-out”, none can truly say they want to see it end.

Similarly the Boy is finally in a playoff series again, after a bye-induced, three-week layoff. He decided to play after spending the past few days nursing flu and then cold symptoms that kept him from one day of school.  Nothing a couple of Tylenol and a Sudafed couldn’t cure long enough for him to play.  Game one, which I missed in attending the Devil’s game this aft, was apparently a poorly refereed affair that saw our boys on the wrong end of a 3-1 score, with an empty-netter of its own and a couple of ejections, including a frustrated coach at the end. But this is a six-point series, with game two as soon as tomorrow night, back on home ice, which should see the boys come back with a vengeance.

Suffice it to say, we have an exciting week and hopefully a few with several important games ahead.

#imahockeydad

On to Round Two and Beyond

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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

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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

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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