The Spring/Summer 2011 hockey season ended last night. It was a delayed end as these games should’ve been played August 27, but Hurricane Irene had the city shut down. The results for my teams were mixed as the Boxers made the playoffs for Division 7B, seeded in 7th position, while the Bombers ended with a loss and no playoff hopes.
It was a double header for me last night, starting with the Bombers. The bench was short, with six forwards and three D against a full bench on the Velocity Sports side. With some solid play though we kept the score to 3-1. This is quite good given our short-handed bench and the fact we’re the last place team playing the first. Three D was exhausting, especially in the third period where my defensive teammates each took penalties, which meant playing through the kills and then looking for a good moment to change.
I enjoyed playing with this team for the summer. All my teammates had a great enthusiasm and played with a huge desire to win even if they were trying to come from behind. It was a good team to spend the summer with.
Fifteen minutes after I got done with the Bombers game, it was time to play with the Boxers. I was not ready for this game. I ended up with a pounding headache–a very unwelcome visitor. This game was critical for us to lock up a playoff slot and the team came through, beating the Rampaging Moose 5-3. My play was spotty in this game, but I don’t recall making any super critical mistakes. Happily there were some very solid plays too, including one offensive rush where I got through a few of the Moose (which, of course, was pretty fun).
I did take a double minor penalty that, thankfully, the team killed. Early in the third period I was cross-checked from behind by a Moose player I’d been fighting for a puck in the corner with. The play itself was clean, but he didn’t appreciate that I won that battle, so he took me down. The ref either didn’t see it or chose to ignore it (which I think is the case). Later we were playing the scene out in the corner again and while working for the puck I did take him down. I don’t think the double minor was an appropriate call since I don’t believe there was checking involved–I will freely admit to a trip, however. After my four minutes, this player took another shot, taking me down just before the game’s closing buzzer. Unfortunately the ref didn’t see that (in this case, I believe him because it was the other ref who was closest and this is a ref I respect quite a lot). It’s rare that I look to retaliate. I’m not proud of it, but players who generally play dirty do flare my need to make a point that I won’t be pushed around in an inappropriate way.
Anyway, the Boxers head to the playoffs in their first season, which is awesome. I’m away for Braking the Cycle next weekend, but I’m confident that the team will succeed and I’ll get to play in round two.