My game against the Sharks

This is a bit late, but I did say a week and a half ago that I would (eventually) get around to posting up my own game experience in the Knights' 5-1 final round victory against the Sharks.  Sadly, the details tend to blur when it's been over a week, so what follows will be even more subjective than is usual, as well as less comprehensive.

The most significant feature of the game for me was my time on the ice.  We ran with only three defence for the whole game, played as evenly between ourselves as we could, resulting in me being on the ice for over half an hour.  That's a lot of time, even with the clock continuing to run though most game stoppages.  My leg power dropped off markedly in the first half of the third period, but had found itself again for the end.

We had to dig deep to keep the changes happening through the latter part of the game, sometimes being drawing deep breaths when it was time to go out again, sometimes pleading with a gasping team mate to get ready to come out.  Sometimes the skater just had to stick it out a minute more than they possibly thought they could until his team mate was able to come out again.  The pleasures of C Grade!

The game was physical, without descending into violence at any point.  Highlights on this front for me included several contested races towards the boards to secure an icing or control of the puck, at least three 'swooping challenges' along the boards where I carried the puck away, at least one board battle in the corner to tie down the game and stop my opponent disposing of the puck until a team mate could plunder from up the boards.

Keeping the crease clear was a challenge at times, especially when a fairly feisty six footer planted himself there.  Never the less, I managed to harrass him (without moving him) in the first period at one point so that he couldn't do anything useful with the puck when it did come in, and to push him out entirely on two occasions in the third.

Perhaps another 'physical' angle is the backchecking move where one either rides a flanking forward into the boards behind or grind them to a halt by closing the gap and holding central ice, often against considerable pressure as they attempt to drive around or through.

I deflected at least three hard shots away from goal, stick checked, took a puck on the face cage.  Collected quite a few face off passes, started several breakouts.  In my last play of the game, and therefore of my season, I started by passing through to a breaking forward who was on the rush.  I had a lot of momentum and followed through, so that he and I both crossed the offensive blue line together.  I raced towards net to give him an option, he took the shot which deflected to the corner, I chased it down against a swarming Shark and forced it up the board to our player on point, at which time one of the Sharks touched it and the whistle sounded.  The ref called a hooking penalty for the tall defender who had tried to immobilise me to the board in the corner.  Chuffed with my first and last offensive play for the season, I went back to the bench for the final minute of the game.

I'd been on ice for four of our goals as well as their solitary goal.

Great Game!