The Knights played our 14th game of the season last night, going down 1-3 to the Redwings. They scored one goal in each period, including one in the second on the third of their four power plays for the game. We were outshot 20-14, and won less faceoffs than lost. We had eleven skaters (only Dan didn't show (again)), they had twelve. Both teams had their own goalies.
I was on the ice for their first goal, which almost immediately followed their winning a face off in our zone just over a minute in. I saw the shot coming from around the blue line, I think the puck had been passed to him from whomever their centre managed to tap it to. I was about two feet away from the puck as it whistled past me. Tommy said later that he saw it all the way and it somehow didn't get in his glove. I think it dipped. In any event, it was a hard shot. Justine reckoned it was offside (ie shot from beyond the blue line), but the ref didn't call it so ce la vie. Their second goal was deflected in from the goal mouth, had almost no pace on it but enough to sneak under Tom in time. Their third goal was also a close in number, which left out team looking obviously dejected. All reversed when Cam singlehandedly carried one in and planted it and we all played the game out with some style.
All things considered I was pretty happy with my game, if a bit dissatisfied at a couple bad things raring their heads. The first of these nasties was getting caught pinching down a couple of times. One of these came about through me committing the second nasty, not trapping a loose puck when receiving it, the other was a plain misjudgement resulting in a breakout. The third nasty that I committed, a couple of times, was passing the puck into open ice from the back right corner, across the face of the goal and in the face of opposition. On one of these two occasions it ended up on the stick of my opposite D for a point shot. The first and third of these nasties is poor decision making, the second is a matter of stick on ice and stop the puck whatever it takes, commitment.
I was pleased with the rest of my game. For defending our blue lines, besides the aforesaid failed pinches, I kept my station well on the offensive blue, staying alert in the neutral zone when on the weakside. A couple times I played support to a winger or centre battling midway along the boards in the zone, retreating to my station when the battle moved down or cleared in our favour. I managed to cut off several rushes along the boards, or at least slow them up at one of the blues to ensure a defence was mounted behind me. My weakness revealed itself in this game to be vulnerability to a chip and rush along the boards from an astute winger (Samara). My neatest clearance was from about a third of the way up along the boards from the left corner, cross ice to the opposing point and rebound softly into open ice in the neutral zone. If our winger had been there it could have been tape to tape and a rush home. I did a couple similar passes from neutral to a lurking forward at the offensive blue line.
In terms of keeping their forwards on the outside, generally successful This through consistently matching their forward speed and keeping an active stick out to disrupt the potential shot (successfully so on the one occasion one of them got off an early shot as we powered towards the corner). Interestingly, three times I ended up at the corner of the goal post facing outwards as their forward crashed under his own speed into the back wall after having released the puck in the hope of a crashing centre (didn't happen)). In these three instances I was moving backwards at high speed, having either commenced from a rolling start in the neutral zone (utilising techniques I was working on on Wednesday night) or matched their breakaway pace in a race, transiting to backwards once I was able to. The other time I shut out a breaking forward from the inside was the second of the four, when I raced forwards the whole way. Using my body blind to cut him off ended with him shoving me towards the backboards from the red line. At the speed we were traveling I hit the boards behind the goals at speed. It was a bit of a startle for me, and I grabbed his number (5) before continuing. A very minor sprain in my right wrist has resulted. Hopefully better by Sunday.
My most heroic moment came when a fast forward beat me to a deep puck, but I managed to stretch and interfere with his stick as he began to go behind the goal. I lost my footing and slid to the ice, but kept my stick moving and held him up until I was able to literally push him off the puck as I swatted it with my knees and stick to a team mate who skated it out of the danger zone. Probably my favorite clearance was when I rimmed it around from the right back to connect with our left winger on the opposing blue line. A perfect defensive pass resulting in a rush deep into their zone, resulting in itself from me winning the race for a dumped puck and thinking a moment before releasing my pass. Deep in our zone I kept station in front of the net many times, two or three times standing protectively over my goalie and shielding him from deadly poke shots or crashing bodies.
I played almost the whole game on the right side, I think I benefited from the consistent positioning. I played out the first PK, and a bit less than even time on the next three. The PK is the most offensive 'forecheck' style play I get to experience, resulting perhaps from being able to clear it from our zone without fear of icing and then using my speed to chase it into their zone.
As the season winds down and it becomes almost impossible for us to reach the playoffs I am beginning to approach it all as more of a developmental than competitive experience. This is good for my learning curve and I am actually looking forward to the off season!
Saturday night, Wheelers play Shufflers in Gawler. Then on Sunday, Knights v Predators. Both will be in heatwave conditions. They will be the fourth and fifth games in the space of nine days. Pretty excellent hothousing!
GP 13 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 -11 5/7/1
Ice 12
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