Again, I was fortunate enough to have a friend in the stands with a phone/camera and have put the three periods worth of highlights up on Youtube. Thanks Lizardking!
Both teams started with eleven skaters and their regular goalies. We lost Cam part way through the first period due strained abductor muscle, which meant we then were rotating through 3 D for the rest of the game. However, Cam was involved in our first goal with an assist, so at least he got on the board. The video shows our goalie having trouble with his straps. It doesn't show one of our players being called for not having a chin strap on his helmet. He was able to play out the game, but will have to have things fixed by the next game. We went into first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
The second period was gritty. Neither team scored in this period, still 1-0 after the second.
Final period saw a bit of blitz, with three goals going into their net. We managed to keep them out of ours. Tommy was shining in goal. With about a minute to go I was back in our zone and followed one of their wingers into the slot, thinking there's no way that I'm going to let them steal Tommy's shutout. So I gave her an opportune shove to clear the net. Had done so also in the second at one point, realised I'll have to work on this aspect of my game a bit (which we subsequently did in training). It was great to celebrate the win as a team and to have given Tommy his first shutout.
*
I was reasonably satisfied with my game, although lots of room for improvement. I think I had two hopeless shots towards goal, one being a backhand snap. Both got snarled up in front of the net. New aspects were my aforementioned clearing of the netfront, a couple times battling on the boards to hold the puck there, and a slightly more forward defence when trying to contain their breakouts. Several times I successfully used an active stick to disrupt a speeding forward's shot entirely, or at least hasten it before they were properly set.
My weakest points was being a bit late on the turn around to cover their breaking forwards, and several failures to block a contested puck. Also, not taking that extra second to look before making a clearing pass (or, indeed, after capturing the puck before it could leave their zone and passing it back in).
Overall, our team rocked, with continual searching for the shot and plenty of communication. I heard from the stands that we looked like a hockey team more than ever before, rather than a bunch of players. From their goalie, that we were the most aggressive team he's yet faced this season (and he's now faced them all). And, to me personally by a stranger spectator, that I seemed to have the opposition's playbook because I seemed to be always in the way. Which was a great compliment for this budding defender! Of the goals caught on video, I was on for two of them, and had literally just stepped on the ice when another went in. Which is +3 for the game!
This coming Sunday, schedule has changed so we will be playing the Redwings at 5pm.
GP 6 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 +4 4/1/1
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