Well, that sucked
I haven't blogged much about rec league hockey lately... this season is my first one as a full-time goalie, and I got off to a bit of a rough start. In our first game we played the Blues (I referred to them as the best team last season) and got shellacked. In game 2 we faced the Desperados (probably the #2 team or #3 team) where (if I recall correctly) we blew a 2-0 lead and in any case went to a shootout with it tied 2-2, and I had two weird goals go in where the shot hit me in the chest but because of the angles it dribbled in. We then won the next 7 games and I've been pretty solid since then, if I do say so myself, now that I've more or less gotten my ice legs under me (the overwhelming majority of my previous goalie experience having been in roller hockey, save some minor spot duty here and there filling in for our ice goalie). This includes 3 shutouts, although 2 of those are against the weakest team in the league.
Tonight we played the Desperados again, minus two of our decent players due to spring break. We also had one of our decent forwards go down early on with a knee injury to make our bench even shorter, but with 6:30 left in the game I had an 18-save[1] shutout going and we were up 2-0. Then in an unfortunate 3-minute span we gave up 3 goals where I was completely screened. They were pretty much all the same pattern too -- play out of the corner, wall of bodies in front, all I can do is butterfly, and I don't see the puck until it's too late. The 2nd one went in off the post; 3rd one the puck comes out of the corner over my right shoulder to the point and I kinda guessed wrong, leaning to the center-ice side but the shot came back on the short side and actually hit my arm before sneaking into the top corner.
It's a funny thing being a goalie -- no matter how they went in, you always want to have stopped them all. If it was your fault, it sucks, and if there was nothing you can do, that feeling of impotence sucks. (Although, personally, the ones I hate the most are where I anticipate a quick pass, get across the crease, and the shot goes in anyway.) It's hard to blame anyone, really -- we were just undermanned and they wore us down. Oh well, good to lose once in a while to keep you humble and in perspective :-) I think we're still in first at 7-2-1.
[1] I count shots when I can, using the official definition.
Tonight we played the Desperados again, minus two of our decent players due to spring break. We also had one of our decent forwards go down early on with a knee injury to make our bench even shorter, but with 6:30 left in the game I had an 18-save[1] shutout going and we were up 2-0. Then in an unfortunate 3-minute span we gave up 3 goals where I was completely screened. They were pretty much all the same pattern too -- play out of the corner, wall of bodies in front, all I can do is butterfly, and I don't see the puck until it's too late. The 2nd one went in off the post; 3rd one the puck comes out of the corner over my right shoulder to the point and I kinda guessed wrong, leaning to the center-ice side but the shot came back on the short side and actually hit my arm before sneaking into the top corner.
It's a funny thing being a goalie -- no matter how they went in, you always want to have stopped them all. If it was your fault, it sucks, and if there was nothing you can do, that feeling of impotence sucks. (Although, personally, the ones I hate the most are where I anticipate a quick pass, get across the crease, and the shot goes in anyway.) It's hard to blame anyone, really -- we were just undermanned and they wore us down. Oh well, good to lose once in a while to keep you humble and in perspective :-) I think we're still in first at 7-2-1.
[1] I count shots when I can, using the official definition.