It was a rollercoaster night as one team won big and another faced a huge loss.
The Blizzard made a great comeback after the season opening defeat by the Sled Dogs by getting a shut out against the B-17s. This time out we had a full bench, along with some tweaks to the lineup and we came out strong getting the first goal early in the first period and ultimately racking up a score of 5-0.
I centered the second line and had a blast. I haven’t played center in a game in months and it felt great doing it. I’d never played with Andrew and Craig before and we clicked well from the beginning and generated a lot of offensive opportunities. We were even cycling in the zone and that was a rarity for a D8 game. We never converted on our opportunities, but it was still good pressure. I had my own scoring opportunities as well with a few shots on net, including one off a face off that I clanked off the post.
The second game of the night did not go so well. The Wizards went up against the Thundercats and lost by 13-3 (maybe by a bit more, I’m not 100% sure, but it was at least that). It was a rough game as the goals against kept piling up. It was disheartening to see some teammates give up on the game rather than to keep putting out the best game we had. I was back on defense for this one and am proud that the D unit never gave up until the final buzzer sounded.
I felt pretty good in this game, despite being on the ice for at least half the goals. I did make some solid clears, stood up to their guys more than once and got the puck off crazy good #11 twice (and that’s a stat I’m quite happy with because this player is really good). There were certainly some foul ups on my part–pinching when I probably shouldn’t and some wiffed passes, but all things considered I think okay.
With two games each under their belts, the Wizards and Blizzard now both have a 1-1 record. Next week both teams play again and hopefully it can be a winning week for all.