The Wheelers opened our account for Summer Season with a good come-from-behind win against the Rockers in the 'late' game at Gawler. The core of our team remained Merrilyn, Brenton and me. Craig returned to play with us after a season with the Rockers. Young Natasha played her first game (and it was a good one at that!). And in goal, we welcomed Jordyn, who despite the numbers (< 70%) kept us in the game through the second half.
I played in the first line, had the misfortune of being crashed by the biggest player on the ice behind our goal within the first minute. My knee went very soft on me but I stayed on after shaking it out as I was a long way from our bench. Less than a minute later I was crashed into the side boards and the knee went weak again. I was skating off for the resultant face off when I gathered that I'd got my first ever penalty. No complaint, as I had held the person that crashed me on the shoulder to get to my feet.
I found my way into the penalty box and confirmed with the time keeper at what time I could return. I had just returned my attention to the game when everyone started shouting at me to get back on. I kept saying 'I'm serving my penalty!' until someone realised that I hadn't seen that the Rockers had scored off the faceoff, ending the penalty. So much for a rest! 0-1. Thirty seconds later, they blitzed us from the centre and exposed half of Jordyn's goal leaving an easy shot for Mal. 0-2. Three minutes later, another similar goal. 0-3.
It was starting to look bad. We were not connecting with each other, not a lot of talking. Merrilyn scored a few minutes later to give us some hope, and the sense of grim determination on our bench appeared justified. Alas, it was shortly answered back and we were out to 1-4.
During this passage of play I had spent a bit more time on the bench than my breathing required, letting the knee return to normal. I returned to take up my mainly defensive role. At one point I swooped in front of one of the Rocker tyro skaters to snatch the puck from in front of her near the boards. She had little control over her skating and collided into me as I decelerated, ramming me into the boards with a cross checking motion. She was penalised (in her first game) for Boarding, a source of great amusement to all! We didn't convert on the powerplay, but added some respectibility to the scoreline with a late period goal by Brenton. We went into half time 2-4.
We didn't chat a lot in half time, just a lot of heavy breathing and getting fluids in mixed with comments that we had started to turn the momentum with our passing game and needed to keep it going. I went out for the opening face off.
Turns out, the second period was amongst the best I've played in. There was a lot of two and fro in the first five minutes, no clear shots on goal. We were outshooting them by a large degree, but their young goalie kept us out as he had for much of the first half. In our own net, Jordyn spotted and stopped a couple of accurate hard slapshots from the point that went through to traffic. Well done to her!
I noticed a couple aspects of our team's play that were ensuring we couldn't convert scoring chances. Firstly, we were hanging back too much, often leaving a sole attacker while two of us covered defence. At times this was because we were wary leaving our own tyro skater, Natasha, alone to face their top line on the rush, at others I thought it was because we were on the back foot. The other thing we weren't doing is getting to the net for the cross-crease passes that were regularly finding their way there, nor for the soft rebounds which their goalie was having time to gather in.
The stalemate was broken about eight minutes into the period when Merrilyn put another shot on goal which again was deflected downwards by their goalie. I had glided to within five metres of the crease and was unchecked, there were Rockers behind their goal, one coming from behind me, and the goalie looking for the puck. I could see it clear, shielded from his view under his body. Three steps forward with an extended stick and I just pushed it under him and over the line. I don't think I even touched the goalie. He made sure the referee knew it was a goal. 3-4.
Merrilyn scored the game equaliser about four minutes later after a sequence of passing play between her, Craig and myself. It had started with Craig passing to me on the breakout. As two Rockers swooped in towards me I could hear Merrilyn calling "centre!" somewhere to my left. Without looking (no time before my opponent's stick would cut off the angle) I backhand passed towards where I believed she was. She was unchecked in the slot with time to line up and fire the puck past the scrambling goalie. We left them flat footed and their goalie stranded. It was a good goal, tied the game 4-4.
Four minutes later and I put the game winning goal into the net on an unassisted play. As best as I can recall I had swooped forward on my own, loosing a wrist shot from just past centre. The puck was deflected to the left of the goal and I glided in towards it, aware I was being gained on by their largest player. Keeping my cool, I actually slowed down to gather the puck and change my direction to loop back towards the goal. I could hear my opponent behind me, aiming to shepherd me behind the goal. Keeping my head up, I could see the goalie over my right shoulder a bit out from his net. Without thinking much more than that, I put the puck onto my backhand, spun and shot. Good Goal! 5-4!
Merrilyn wrapped it up a couple minutes later with another unassisted goal (she was short shifting to keep her breath happening). Both her and I were on the bench through the final minute, with our guys keeping the Rockers out of easy scoring range and Jordyn knocking aside a couple more desperately hard (but accurate) slapshots. A good 6-4 victory the result.
Merrilyn got a hat trick and an assist. Craig was credited with three assists. I had two goals and an assist. Brenton contributed with a goal and strong defensive play. Natasha shone by showing that awareness and courage can make up for lack of speed on the defence. Jordyn recovered from a tough first half to shut them out in the second. Go Wheelers!
My own game was good. I had three occasions when the knee limited me, and I sat out the end of the game once we had a two goal lead. My muscles and breath were up to the task of the twenty minute periods. I had my first penalty (finally!). I was brought to the ice by other's crashing into me at least three times. The most spectacular was when I was tripped near the boards, was airborne as someone else's stick struck my face cage, and ended landing on the floor in a rolling ball (zero shock or pain, would have looked spectacular I'm sure). I think I had a total of four shots on goal for my two scores. I took five face offs, won one with my feet, tied up their stick on the others (which I'd call neutral results).
Good start to the season. Ready now to play on Sunday night on the ice. Will need to continue to measure my effort with the knee, but am beginning to feel more confident on it (despite its occasional spasm, the muscles are regaining definition now).
GP 1 G 2 A 1 Pts 3 +3 1/0/0
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