Winter Season started for Vikings inline hockey at Gawler today. My team (Wheelers) played against last season's fourth place getters, the Bumpers. Our team had changed a bit, with the loss of the two Dylans to Division 1 and the addition of Alex (from the Shufflers) and a newbie, Matt. Matt Vickery remains our goal tender. Me, Merrilyn and Brenton remained the old 'core' from last season.
Bumpers opened the scoring with a blitz goal at 40s, followed by another about a minute later. This seemed familiar (two goals in a minute against us at start of grand final). I was on for this goal, it came off of a face-off where I won the draw but didn't skate on to support Alex who was wrong footed. They stole it off him and broke in. It became 3-0 half way through the period.
I played in a role in our both our goals in the first period. With six minutes remaining, I backhanded the puck from right point to Alex who in the left slot who made sure of it. Five minutes later, similar play except this time I did I forehand pass after skating it up from our defence, to Merrilyn who dropped it in. Half time, 3-2 their way.
In the second period we were having lots of shots and crushes on the net without a score for about five minutes, before they scored one against the run of play. We scored two more and it was tied at 4-4. By this point I had taken about four shots and tried to jam it through the goalie's legs, to no avail. She'd made one very good high glove save on the nicest shot I did all game.
This changed when I received a nice pass from Merrilyn behind the red line, I was backing across goal with stick on ice and just held my wrist shot until I had some space. This turned out to be the game winning goal. We scored two more (with the last less than a second before the final siren).
Our team gelled really nicely. Merrilyn and I fed each other goals, and it was nice to know Alex is lurking their with his strong shot. Our rookie scored two goals, he'll be pleased. I think we'll be a pretty cool unit this season (no superstars, lots of teamwork, good triangle work).
My game was pretty good. I didn't run out of puff despite my recent head cold and double shifting it several times (once even triple shifting mid way through the second as I was only one with any puff left). A lot of things I drilled a few weeks ago were of use, from backhands and gliding in for rebounds, to keeping the head up and assessing a situation, heel to heel protected pickups of the puck, backhand pickups off the boards. I even chipped the puck up the boards on one occasion, chasing it down and carrying the puck into the offence zone.
I could benefit from remembering to skate the extra stride to the puck rather than reaching early with the stick and to watch the torso not the puck with someone coming in on me.
Great opening to the season, tremendous fun and both and actual and a moral victory at the same time!
I'm now #34. Is good.
GP 1 G 1 A 2 +2 1-0-0
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