On Sunday I headed down to Noarlunga for a two hour shinny on the small ice. I got there a little late, there being already about six on the ice and what looked to me like a helluva lot of players in the final stages of kitting up. They were putting themselves through some simple 2 on 1 drills with our one goalie (John) as I got dressed. I managed to play a couple times as the '1' (D) before it was time to break into teams and get the game going.
We had a total of fifteen skaters, which broke down into 'darks' (8) and 'lights' (7) plus the goalie. I had a choice of sweaters, wore my (white) Canadian one to make the teams roughly even. It sure was nice on this occasion to have a rotating bench with enough time to gather one's breath before heading back out, especially compared to last time when my team had only had a bench of one (!) which made it hard yards by the end.
I combined the decent sized bench with short shifting (between one and two minutes a shift) so that I was still firing on all cylinders in the final period. I noticed that by then quite a few of my fellow players were slowing right down. I don't think I was.
An innovation from the last occasion I was there was the use of the electronic score board. We played three periods of twenty minutes, and about ten minutes at the end for everyone who was still willing to get on and go for it.
Basically, good match training.
At the end of the first period the Darks led 3-2. This was surprisingly good as it seemed to me that they basically outsized and outskilled us (they had a couple of seriously proficient C graders who played to win), although our mosquito tactics ensured that we scored two goals to stay in touch close to the end of the period. I spent much of my ice time trying to make position on the ice, chasing dumped pucks, racing opponents towards the boards. I was on the ice for at least one of their goals.
The second period was great, scoreline at the end being tied 6-6. I scored one of the goals on the play which followed one where I put the initial assist out of the slot to Ben(?) the playmaker on the boards, who passed it to the eventual scorer at point. The goal I scored, I again had passed it to Ben in the corner, who passed it up the boards to our third player who in turn shot it across the goal to me who had drifted to the far post and I just had to tap it in. Which I did. The goal drew some applause. It was a seriously good section of play in its teamwork. It's ephemera such as this that make shinnys so magical.
The third period was their runaway one, skating out victors 13-7. Matt with the Darks scored five goals in the period and seemed to have been the difference for the first ten minutes. After that, our lot were a bit demoralised, though we closed the hemorrhage in front of the net at least. I did note that I wasn't on the ice for many of their goals and I was on for ours, which was something.
It was a fun day, played at a higher level than previously. This was partly due the incremental improvement in the play of the 'originals', also the injection of fresh faces after an invitation was posted on the C Grade page (which is more likely to be read by premium c graders than the more casual variety).
There was quite a bit of physicality through the day, no mercy being shown to size or gender. I was monstered on the boards a couple times before I got my own chance to dominate one of my tormentors. I did it by immobilising his stick with mine, braced by one leg and using the other to kick the puck where I wanted it to go. He took it a bit more cautiously against me in future.
Footwork was actually quite an important part of the repertoire for in-close puckhandling under pressure I noticed, from one of our premium whites' habit of kicking the puck as he carried it through traffic, to Ben using foot skills with the puck and his stick to go through a whole line to crash the net and force what I thought was the most gutsy goal of the game. I should have known it would be like this (ie physical) when I had a visceral reaction against a big black bruins sweater someone was wearing during the pregame. I've never really had a reaction like that. No wonder Bruins fans love their Bruinness if it causes such a reaction more generally! Maybe I watched too much NHL this year lol.
When I got home for another meal I had to admit it was a most magnificent way to spend a sSunday evening.
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