It seemed like a good idea at the time
Playing hockey lately, I've felt like I was just about to climb out of a plateau. I could feel it, see it - that combination of awareness, patience, timing and control that I dream of as a goalie. If only I could reach it! So I thought maybe a change of scenery might help, and I went to drop in tonight.
Drop in hockey is like an open practice. Whoever shows up and pays their money gets to play. Some days, it's slow and shaky. Somedays it's wicked fast. Usually, it's a step below the top line I face in the mornings, by just a hair, so it's a lot of fun. I thought maybe facing some fresh players might help my brain make the leap.
I got my ass kicked.
As in, totally eaten alive. Orderves ala goalie. Look, it's a five-hole, let's fill it. Or maybe a few hard cut ins and a three-on-none, with a triple salchow backflip on the end. Roman, the big Czech defenseman, was 4 or 5 steps below some of these guys. But there was only one other goalie so I got lots of ice time, and lots of exercise. I also got a shot to the head, a really nasty puck bite on my bad shoulder AND I broke a nail on my glove hand! :( The puck bite should be a stunning shade of purple and green by the time I get my massage in a week. It's a pretty epic welt already.
Still, it's fun, and I did have some good plays. I stopped one of the guys on a breakaway. He did a hard cut in glove slide with a backhand break, and I managed to snag him with a butterfly slide to the post. I had a couple of good scrambles, and a nice gut trap thru traffic. But mostly I was a speedbump.
In the locker room after, there were 3 little girls taking off their gear after their practice. All chattery and loving hockey. They asked how long I'd been playing. I told them. "Wow!" said the big-eyed blond, "you've been playing 3 years longer than I've been alive!"
Old AND eaten alive.
I talked with one of the shooters as I was leaving. It seems several of the guys don't usually come to drop in. Usually they play for OSU. D1. Yeah, that explains it. I guess no one ever told them about rule 47.8.7.6, which states "if the goalie is old enough to have given birth to you, you may not score on her."
I'm going to have to do that drop in again. It totally rocked getting munched like that!
Drop in hockey is like an open practice. Whoever shows up and pays their money gets to play. Some days, it's slow and shaky. Somedays it's wicked fast. Usually, it's a step below the top line I face in the mornings, by just a hair, so it's a lot of fun. I thought maybe facing some fresh players might help my brain make the leap.
I got my ass kicked.
As in, totally eaten alive. Orderves ala goalie. Look, it's a five-hole, let's fill it. Or maybe a few hard cut ins and a three-on-none, with a triple salchow backflip on the end. Roman, the big Czech defenseman, was 4 or 5 steps below some of these guys. But there was only one other goalie so I got lots of ice time, and lots of exercise. I also got a shot to the head, a really nasty puck bite on my bad shoulder AND I broke a nail on my glove hand! :( The puck bite should be a stunning shade of purple and green by the time I get my massage in a week. It's a pretty epic welt already.
Still, it's fun, and I did have some good plays. I stopped one of the guys on a breakaway. He did a hard cut in glove slide with a backhand break, and I managed to snag him with a butterfly slide to the post. I had a couple of good scrambles, and a nice gut trap thru traffic. But mostly I was a speedbump.
In the locker room after, there were 3 little girls taking off their gear after their practice. All chattery and loving hockey. They asked how long I'd been playing. I told them. "Wow!" said the big-eyed blond, "you've been playing 3 years longer than I've been alive!"
Old AND eaten alive.
I talked with one of the shooters as I was leaving. It seems several of the guys don't usually come to drop in. Usually they play for OSU. D1. Yeah, that explains it. I guess no one ever told them about rule 47.8.7.6, which states "if the goalie is old enough to have given birth to you, you may not score on her."
I'm going to have to do that drop in again. It totally rocked getting munched like that!