Tag Archives: playoffs

Strength in the Face of Adversity

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Hearing bloodcurdling screams of pain and then watching your team captain get rolled off the ice on a gurney after suffering a season-ending leg injury is no way to start a championship game.  But that’s the exact situation the Devil and her teammates had to contend with this past weekend.

My better half, the hockey mom, will concur as she, in her role as team trainer, was tasked with assessing the situation, ordering an ambulance and huddling on the frozen rink to console the frightened victim of a crater in the ice. I believe she would much rather simply deal with the normal course bumps, bruises and missing hair-clips that befall a female hockey team. But hockey is a fast-paced game, which does bring with it the occasional more serious injury.

It was heart-warming to see both teams lined up together on the blue line tapping their sticks on the ice in unison as the fallen soldier was ushered off by paramedics. This was definitely a new set of circumstances for almost all of them.  Not a easy situation for any team to bounce back from, much less a group of 13-year old girls.

When the game finally resumed twenty five minutes later, the shell-shocked players were definitely off their game; their focus understandably shaken.  On the bench, we extolled the players to regain their composure.  We suggested they summon their strength and do it for their suddenly absent captain.  The opposing side took advantage of the situation, scoring two quick goals before the first period ended. At the break, we tried to rally the troops, reminding them again that they were in a final game.

The cobwebs faded in the second.  The team came out with a renewed commitment to winning; erasing the 2-0 deficit. They would have a brief lapse against a strong opponent and fall behind again 3-2, but would come storming back to take a 4-3 lead, which would last until less than two minutes left in the game. A quick, laser of a shot taken off a face-off in our end would find its way over the shoulder of an unsuspecting goaltender.  The championship contest would need to be settled in a five minute overtime or possibly a shootout — far too much drama and stress for several spectators.

The game would unfortunately end on a scramble in front of the Devil’s net with only 30 seconds left in the extra frame.  An opportunistic attacker danced around our keeper and slid the puck into the waiting net behind. The girls didn’t get the win, but they gained a world of experience in dealing with much more than just wins and losses. They rose above a tense situation that would have been pretty easy to just pack their bags on. They showed a fantastic resilience in the face trying circumstances.

Tonight they played game one of their opening provincial playoff series; hot on the heels of five weekend games and all of that drama. The effects of the weekend were evident in their sub-par play against a bitter rival, but they gutted out a 1-0 win and a 1-0 lead in the best of three showdown. Their injured comrade was able to attend; albeit on crutches as a scheduled surgery is in the offing to properly mend her injured limb. She led a team cheer before the game and in between each period, which no doubt buoyed a noticeably fatigued group. The team will miss their captain on the ice, but will continue to draw inspiration from her absence as they continue through to the end of the season.  Time will tell how far that inspiration, coupled with their ever-improving play, will take them. Regardless, it’s games like the final we witnessed on the weekend that make us proud of how far they’ve already come.

#imahockeydad

Tougher Tests on the Playoff Horizon

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The Boys finished their latest playoff series on the weekend in three less-than-noteworthy games by a combined score of 21-2 with lopsided 10-0, 6-1 and 5-1 victories. This first to six points series was a rematch with the winless league basement dwellers; a team that would finish their full season 0-36-0.  I believe they, like us, were happy to get the three games over with an behind them. Though it would seem a little odd if we were the ones to be done playing altogether in the first week of February.

Now our boys will wait to see who they will play in the next round. There is actually a good chance they will end up with a full week or two off. An uneven number of teams may prompt a second round bye; which no one really wants. In effect, our Boys will not have played a meaningful game in over three weeks by the time they go to play what will certainly be a much tougher opponent – rust is bound to set in.  The team will have a few practices in between, but that’s not the same as playing against stiffer competition.  Add to that the general feeling of malaise that sets in as we near the end of the season – for the boys and parents alike.  But there is still a regional championship to battle for; so we’ll see if our side is up for the challenge in the next few weeks.

The Devil’s playoffs kick in next week after a warm-up tourney this weekend. She and her teammates will hit the post-season ground running against their closest and fiercest rival, which should make for a few hard fought contests.  Hopefully without any actual fights. With the head coach called out of the country on business (because sometimes careers understandably trump hockey), I’ll likely have a front row seat as I fill in a spot behind the bench next to the team trainer a.k.a. my better half.  What better place to cheer on the good guys.  I’m fortunate for the opportunity.

#imahockeydad

Tougher Tests on the Playoff Horizon

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The Boys finished their latest playoff series on the weekend in three less-than-noteworthy games by a combined score of 21-2 with lopsided 10-0, 6-1 and 5-1 victories. This first to six points series was a rematch with the winless league basement dwellers; a team that would finish their full season 0-36-0.  I believe they, like us, were happy to get the three games over with an behind them. Though it would seem a little odd if we were the ones to be done playing altogether in the first week of February.

Now our boys will wait to see who they will play in the next round. There is actually a good chance they will end up with a full week or two off. An uneven number of teams may prompt a second round bye; which no one really wants. In effect, our Boys will not have played a meaningful game in over three weeks by the time they go to play what will certainly be a much tougher opponent – rust is bound to set in.  The team will have a few practices in between, but that’s not the same as playing against stiffer competition.  Add to that the general feeling of malaise that sets in as we near the end of the season – for the boys and parents alike.  But there is still a regional championship to battle for; so we’ll see if our side is up for the challenge in the next few weeks.

The Devil’s playoffs kick in next week after a warm-up tourney this weekend. She and her teammates will hit the post-season ground running against their closest and fiercest rival, which should make for a few hard fought contests.  Hopefully without any actual fights. With the head coach called out of the country on business (because sometimes careers understandably trump hockey), I’ll likely have a front row seat as I fill in a spot behind the bench next to the team trainer a.k.a. my better half.  What better place to cheer on the good guys.  I’m fortunate for the opportunity.

#imahockeydad

Every Game Has Its Hightlights

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Both the Devil and da Boy played today.

She had her last regular season game, which meant little in terms of final standings, but quite a bit in the general scheme of things as they played their closest rival, who are coincidentally expected to also be playing in the first round of the playoffs. I joked before the game started that the girls needed to “set the tone for the playoffs” with a win.  And a tone was certainly set before the game ended, but not quite the way anyone expected.  The girls started strong and really took the play to the other team.  A good majority of the play occurred in the opponent’s end of the ice. The Devil herself had several scoring chances in the match, though she failed to put one past the other team’s keeper who was solid between the pipes. The Sharks did, however, manage to open the scoring in the second period and held a one goal lead for most of the rest of the frame. The other team would knot the score at one.  But our side was relentless today and managed to pull ahead as one of our forwards managed to put a rebound in the back of the net through sheer determination.

And then the otherwise typical game got interesting.  With about five minutes left in the third period, there was a relatively lengthy battle on the boards between one of the Sharks’ forwards and an opposing defender.  Having lost the puck challenge, the frustrated defender decided to thrust her glove into the mask of our player. Not backing down, our player shoved back and from there it got a little ugly.  Keep in mind, these are 13 year old girls.  A couple of punches were thrown by both combatants, but did not really land. Then, as our player, attempted to back out of the situation, the rival defender threw a straight right that knocked her to the frozen surface. The referees quickly interceded.  The shocked forward made her way to the penalty box, while the one who delivered the extra punch was sent to the change room.  Our player received a two-minute roughing penalty, while the other was likewise assessed a two-minute minor, along with a five minute fighting major penalty and a match penalty.  A match penalty means she could end up missing up to four games; four games presumably against the Sharks in the playoffs which start in a couple of weeks or less.  Not too often we get to see punches thrown in girls hockey.  

The end result of all the hubbub was a lengthy delay in the game and a four on three situation for the Sharks.  Our girls would come away with a 2-1 victory as the ice time allotted ran out (the game was curfewed). The stage has certainly been set for an upcoming playoff series with this very same rival.

Hockey mom and I hustled back home to pick up the Boy to bring him back to the rink for game one of his new regional playoff series.  As chance would have it, this series is to be played against the same team the regular season ended against; a team who went winless during the entire season; a team who our boys defeated by a combined score of 33-3 in the final three games of the year.  Suffice it to say, this is not expected to be a pretty round.  But these games do need to be played.  The Boy opened the scoring tonight with a laser beam goal over the right arm of the goalie.  He added a second a few minutes later; only this time over the other shoulder and from a little closer in.  The rout was on.

Entering the third period, the coach decided to do a little tweaking of his bench; moving one of his defencemen up to left wing on a line with the Boy and another forward.  A few minutes into the final frame and at the beginning of a shift, the Boy fed a nice pass to his new winger who fired a shot through the opposing keeper, who to that point had played a pretty solid game in front of his shaky teammates. The Boy’s line stayed on the ice. Within a few seconds of the ensuing face off they were back in the offensive zone.  The Boy fed his defenceman-turned-winger another puck in front of the net, which he quickly deposited in the back of it.  Two goals in one shift is pretty impressive. But they weren’t done.  Another face-off at centre resulted in another surge into the visiting team’s end.  I quickly commented to the defenceman’s father in the stands that his son could get a hat trick in a shift, which would in turn prompt me to launch my ball cap onto the ice below. The Boy fed his line mate another pass in close which was turned away by a quick leg save. But the other winger, picked up the rebound, circled the net and again snuck the puck over to the erstwhile defenceman.  On cue, he deposited his third goal of the two-minute shift neatly behind the other team’s goaltender. Within moments, my “Hockey Dad” chapeau was hurling through the crisp arena air in celebration of the rare feat.  It was nice to have a highlight in an otherwise lacklustre match which ended with our boys on top 10-0. 

Post-game, the defenceman’s father, who helps during practices and played competitive hockey when he was younger, was ribbed by the team who said his son scored more goals in one shift than he scored in his career. He, of course, shot back claiming he scored at least four goals one season as he was considered more of a defensive, enforcer type of player. It all made for some good laughs following the disappointing loss the team suffered earlier in the week.

The boys are in another six-point series, meaning there are at least two more similar games on tap for tomorrow and later this week.  My hat may find the ice yet again, though only as a result of something at least as spectacular as three markers in a shift.

Our girls are expected to be fired up, finishing fourth overall in their 10-team league and getting ready to face their closest fifth-place rival both geographically and competitively. I believe every one of their five or six games this year has been a one goal affair. This trend will likely continue.

We hope the same fire can be summoned by the Boy and his mates in the next round, who cannot be faulted for becoming lackadaisical against questionable competition.  Management is actually looking to find a last minute tournament to enter as a tougher warm-up for the next series; a series which will certainly provide a greater challenge than the one they currently face.

Time will naturally tell what the fortunes of these two teams hold. And I’m sure each game from here on in will have its share of highlights.

#imahockeydad

Every Game Has Its Hightlights

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Both the Devil and da Boy played today.

She had her last regular season game, which meant little in terms of final standings, but quite a bit in the general scheme of things as they played their closest rival, who are coincidentally expected to also be playing in the first round of the playoffs. I joked before the game started that the girls needed to “set the tone for the playoffs” with a win.  And a tone was certainly set before the game ended, but not quite the way anyone expected.  The girls started strong and really took the play to the other team.  A good majority of the play occurred in the opponent’s end of the ice. The Devil herself had several scoring chances in the match, though she failed to put one past the other team’s keeper who was solid between the pipes. The Sharks did, however, manage to open the scoring in the second period and held a one goal lead for most of the rest of the frame. The other team would knot the score at one.  But our side was relentless today and managed to pull ahead as one of our forwards managed to put a rebound in the back of the net through sheer determination.

And then the otherwise typical game got interesting.  With about five minutes left in the third period, there was a relatively lengthy battle on the boards between one of the Sharks’ forwards and an opposing defender.  Having lost the puck challenge, the frustrated defender decided to thrust her glove into the mask of our player. Not backing down, our player shoved back and from there it got a little ugly.  Keep in mind, these are 13 year old girls.  A couple of punches were thrown by both combatants, but did not really land. Then, as our player, attempted to back out of the situation, the rival defender threw a straight right that knocked her to the frozen surface. The referees quickly interceded.  The shocked forward made her way to the penalty box, while the one who delivered the extra punch was sent to the change room.  Our player received a two-minute roughing penalty, while the other was likewise assessed a two-minute minor, along with a five minute fighting major penalty and a match penalty.  A match penalty means she could end up missing up to four games; four games presumably against the Sharks in the playoffs which start in a couple of weeks or less.  Not too often we get to see punches thrown in girls hockey.  

The end result of all the hubbub was a lengthy delay in the game and a four on three situation for the Sharks.  Our girls would come away with a 2-1 victory as the ice time allotted ran out (the game was curfewed). The stage has certainly been set for an upcoming playoff series with this very same rival.

Hockey mom and I hustled back home to pick up the Boy to bring him back to the rink for game one of his new regional playoff series.  As chance would have it, this series is to be played against the same team the regular season ended against; a team who went winless during the entire season; a team who our boys defeated by a combined score of 33-3 in the final three games of the year.  Suffice it to say, this is not expected to be a pretty round.  But these games do need to be played.  The Boy opened the scoring tonight with a laser beam goal over the right arm of the goalie.  He added a second a few minutes later; only this time over the other shoulder and from a little closer in.  The rout was on.

Entering the third period, the coach decided to do a little tweaking of his bench; moving one of his defencemen up to left wing on a line with the Boy and another forward.  A few minutes into the final frame and at the beginning of a shift, the Boy fed a nice pass to his new winger who fired a shot through the opposing keeper, who to that point had played a pretty solid game in front of his shaky teammates. The Boy’s line stayed on the ice. Within a few seconds of the ensuing face off they were back in the offensive zone.  The Boy fed his defenceman-turned-winger another puck in front of the net, which he quickly deposited in the back of it.  Two goals in one shift is pretty impressive. But they weren’t done.  Another face-off at centre resulted in another surge into the visiting team’s end.  I quickly commented to the defenceman’s father in the stands that his son could get a hat trick in a shift, which would in turn prompt me to launch my ball cap onto the ice below. The Boy fed his line mate another pass in close which was turned away by a quick leg save. But the other winger, picked up the rebound, circled the net and again snuck the puck over to the erstwhile defenceman.  On cue, he deposited his third goal of the two-minute shift neatly behind the other team’s goaltender. Within moments, my “Hockey Dad” chapeau was hurling through the crisp arena air in celebration of the rare feat.  It was nice to have a highlight in an otherwise lacklustre match which ended with our boys on top 10-0. 

Post-game, the defenceman’s father, who helps during practices and played competitive hockey when he was younger, was ribbed by the team who said his son scored more goals in one shift than he scored in his career. He, of course, shot back claiming he scored at least four goals one season as he was considered more of a defensive, enforcer type of player. It all made for some good laughs following the disappointing loss the team suffered earlier in the week.

The boys are in another six-point series, meaning there are at least two more similar games on tap for tomorrow and later this week.  My hat may find the ice yet again, though only as a result of something at least as spectacular as three markers in a shift.

Our girls are expected to be fired up, finishing fourth overall in their 10-team league and getting ready to face their closest fifth-place rival both geographically and competitively. I believe every one of their five or six games this year has been a one goal affair. This trend will likely continue.

We hope the same fire can be summoned by the Boy and his mates in the next round, who cannot be faulted for becoming lackadaisical against questionable competition.  Management is actually looking to find a last minute tournament to enter as a tougher warm-up for the next series; a series which will certainly provide a greater challenge than the one they currently face.

Time will naturally tell what the fortunes of these two teams hold. And I’m sure each game from here on in will have its share of highlights.

#imahockeydad

Falling Just Short

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After narrowly escaping a series sweep at home in Game 3 of their first round playoff series, the Boys returned to enemy territory for Game 4 last night.  A tightly contested match ended in another one goal game with the good guys claiming a 1-0 victory on a goal scored with just over two minutes left in the third period.  My personal highlight in this fourth game came in the dying moments when the Boy exhorted the already raucous visiting crowd to cheer louder.  As he approached the dot for the final face-off of the game, I noted a grin which spread from ear to ear. The Boy and his teammates tied the series at two games apiece and had certainly turned the momentum of the series in their favour.  That being said, they had merely claimed two one goal victories.  Game 5, scheduled for this evening, would likely be another tight affair.

True to its billing both teams came our raring to play. They exchanged goal scoring chances at both ends of the rink.  Both goaltenders also came prepared to play with each making his share of spectacular saves.  But the visitors would open the scoring in the first period on a bang-bang play on a pass from behind the net. The score would remain 1-0 until the middle of the second period when the Boy would bang in a rebound to knot the score at one apiece.  It felt again like the momentum had swung somewhat in the home team’s favour, but there was still plenty of hockey to play.

In the game within the game, I watched the opposing goaltender approach the Boy, who he knows quite well, and exchange some “pleasantries” during a stoppage in play when the net came off its moorings.  The Boy would report after the game that the goalie joked about the quality of the equipment in this town. The Boy for his part says he reminded the netminder about the equalizer he had recently scored as well as a shot he had rung off his helmet earlier in the contest.  The keeper retorted with a few choice names for the Boy. Gamesmanship; all in good fun.

Following a flood of the ice after the second period, the back and forth action continued with each team coming close to taking the lead.  Bothy would take a couple of penalties, which led to some nervous moments as they fought off one-man advantages.  Around the midway mark of the third period, the home side did appear to be a little fresher from my, perhaps biased perspective, but the visiting goalie continued to turn away their oncoming shots.

The tie was finally broken with just under four and a half minutes left in regulation time, when one of the bad guys battled for a puck on the sideboards.  He was eventually able to throw a pass towards the front of our net.  One of his teammates parked in the slot, about six feet in front of the goalie, was able to get his stick on the incoming pass, redirecting it quickly towards the goal.  Another bang-bang play resulted in the goal, which would ultimately end the hard-fought first round series.  Our boys would valiantly battle through the final four minutes of the game, including the final ninety seconds with no goalie and an extra attacker. They registered a couple more shots on goal, but were unable to get solid scoring chances or find the back of the net to re-tie the contest.

The game came to a inglorious conclusion for one team and a triumphant end for another. Sticks were raised at one end of the ice, while others were slammed down in frustration. But in a typical show of post-series good sportsmanship, the teams would line up at centre ice to shake hands; presumably wishing each other, sincerely or otherwise, good luck in their future paths.  The way the playoff system is structured, these two teams could conceivably face each other again down the road, should our boys win a round or two and the recent victors lose in one of their next couple of rounds.

The team is understandably disappointed going out in the first round, but they play in a very competitive division.  The Boy knows this all too well as he’s played in this same division against many of the same players and teams for five years; with each year being a struggle to reach the big finish line.  Hell, three of the four opening round series went to five or six games with several matches only being decided by one goal.

The Boys fought hard in this series. They are to be commended for having come back from two games down and trailing in game three; having lost a goal scorer in the process.  Nearly every league contest this year provided a challenge; save for a few games against a couple of lesser light teams.  All of the players on this team knew, or certainly should have known, the playoffs would bring more of the same. Playoff success would require their best efforts, combined with bounces and blessings from the ever-present hockey gods, in order for them to have a chance to advance through any round on their journey.  Perhaps a better start to this series would have made a difference, but that’s all woulda, coulda, shoulda at this point.

It’s now time to reset their focus on winning a new round against a new opponent on their way towards a regional league, rather than provincial, championship.  We get a few days off now as we wait and see who that next opponent will be.

As I say all too often, there is still plenty of hockey to play.

#imahockeydad

Falling Just Short

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After narrowly escaping a series sweep at home in Game 3 of their first round playoff series, the Boys returned to enemy territory for Game 4 last night.  A tightly contested match ended in another one goal game with the good guys claiming a 1-0 victory on a goal scored with just over two minutes left in the third period.  My personal highlight in this fourth game came in the dying moments when the Boy exhorted the already raucous visiting crowd to cheer louder.  As he approached the dot for the final face-off of the game, I noted a grin which spread from ear to ear. The Boy and his teammates tied the series at two games apiece and had certainly turned the momentum of the series in their favour.  That being said, they had merely claimed two one goal victories.  Game 5, scheduled for this evening, would likely be another tight affair.

True to its billing both teams came our raring to play. They exchanged goal scoring chances at both ends of the rink.  Both goaltenders also came prepared to play with each making his share of spectacular saves.  But the visitors would open the scoring in the first period on a bang-bang play on a pass from behind the net. The score would remain 1-0 until the middle of the second period when the Boy would bang in a rebound to knot the score at one apiece.  It felt again like the momentum had swung somewhat in the home team’s favour, but there was still plenty of hockey to play.

In the game within the game, I watched the opposing goaltender approach the Boy, who he knows quite well, and exchange some “pleasantries” during a stoppage in play when the net came off its moorings.  The Boy would report after the game that the goalie joked about the quality of the equipment in this town. The Boy for his part says he reminded the netminder about the equalizer he had recently scored as well as a shot he had rung off his helmet earlier in the contest.  The keeper retorted with a few choice names for the Boy. Gamesmanship; all in good fun.

Following a flood of the ice after the second period, the back and forth action continued with each team coming close to taking the lead.  Bothy would take a couple of penalties, which led to some nervous moments as they fought off one-man advantages.  Around the midway mark of the third period, the home side did appear to be a little fresher from my, perhaps biased perspective, but the visiting goalie continued to turn away their oncoming shots.

The tie was finally broken with just under four and a half minutes left in regulation time, when one of the bad guys battled for a puck on the sideboards.  He was eventually able to throw a pass towards the front of our net.  One of his teammates parked in the slot, about six feet in front of the goalie, was able to get his stick on the incoming pass, redirecting it quickly towards the goal.  Another bang-bang play resulted in the goal, which would ultimately end the hard-fought first round series.  Our boys would valiantly battle through the final four minutes of the game, including the final ninety seconds with no goalie and an extra attacker. They registered a couple more shots on goal, but were unable to get solid scoring chances or find the back of the net to re-tie the contest.

The game came to a inglorious conclusion for one team and a triumphant end for another. Sticks were raised at one end of the ice, while others were slammed down in frustration. But in a typical show of post-series good sportsmanship, the teams would line up at centre ice to shake hands; presumably wishing each other, sincerely or otherwise, good luck in their future paths.  The way the playoff system is structured, these two teams could conceivably face each other again down the road, should our boys win a round or two and the recent victors lose in one of their next couple of rounds.

The team is understandably disappointed going out in the first round, but they play in a very competitive division.  The Boy knows this all too well as he’s played in this same division against many of the same players and teams for five years; with each year being a struggle to reach the big finish line.  Hell, three of the four opening round series went to five or six games with several matches only being decided by one goal.

The Boys fought hard in this series. They are to be commended for having come back from two games down and trailing in game three; having lost a goal scorer in the process.  Nearly every league contest this year provided a challenge; save for a few games against a couple of lesser light teams.  All of the players on this team knew, or certainly should have known, the playoffs would bring more of the same. Playoff success would require their best efforts, combined with bounces and blessings from the ever-present hockey gods, in order for them to have a chance to advance through any round on their journey.  Perhaps a better start to this series would have made a difference, but that’s all woulda, coulda, shoulda at this point.

It’s now time to reset their focus on winning a new round against a new opponent on their way towards a regional league, rather than provincial, championship.  We get a few days off now as we wait and see who that next opponent will be.

As I say all too often, there is still plenty of hockey to play.

#imahockeydad

Alive to Play Another Day

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The boys came roaring back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to grasp a victory from the jaws of defeat with a 5-4 overtime win in game three.  The winning goal was a floater that caught the opposing goal keeper off guard; sneaking under his arm to the waiting cage behind him.  You could sense the “Hockey Gods” had a role to play in this one. The bench erupted, engulfing the goal scorer in traditional post-game jubilation.

The only downside to this nail-biter was the loss of a comrade to a suspected broken collarbone suffered on a freak play in the third period.  He was ushered from the arena by paramedics to a waiting ambulance after the game ended. We’ve yet to hear the actual extent of the injury, but he was in quite a bit of pain. He’s most likely out of commission for a little while. 

Onlookers hope his loss along with the sudden victory last night will serve as rallying calls to propel this team through the rest of this series.  Another must-win game four will be back in enemy territory in a couple of nights.

In the meantime, we’ll work on finishing the Devil’s season on a strong note with three games over the next two days with the first two being out-of-towners.  They’ve been playing very well of late and will, of course, be looking to continue their winning ways in anticipation of exciting playoffs of their own.

I know at least one invested fan who would settle for a little less drama from time to time – or would?  Cuz where would be the fun in that?

#imahockeydad

Alive to Play Another Day

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The boys came roaring back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to grasp a victory from the jaws of defeat with a 5-4 overtime win in game three.  The winning goal was a floater that caught the opposing goal keeper off guard; sneaking under his arm to the waiting cage behind him.  You could sense the “Hockey Gods” had a role to play in this one. The bench erupted, engulfing the goal scorer in traditional post-game jubilation.

The only downside to this nail-biter was the loss of a comrade to a suspected broken collarbone suffered on a freak play in the third period.  He was ushered from the arena by paramedics to a waiting ambulance after the game ended. We’ve yet to hear the actual extent of the injury, but he was in quite a bit of pain. He’s most likely out of commission for a little while. 

Onlookers hope his loss along with the sudden victory last night will serve as rallying calls to propel this team through the rest of this series.  Another must-win game four will be back in enemy territory in a couple of nights.

In the meantime, we’ll work on finishing the Devil’s season on a strong note with three games over the next two days with the first two being out-of-towners.  They’ve been playing very well of late and will, of course, be looking to continue their winning ways in anticipation of exciting playoffs of their own.

I know at least one invested fan who would settle for a little less drama from time to time – or would?  Cuz where would be the fun in that?

#imahockeydad

A Fine Line at Playoff Time

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The regular season gave way to the playoffs this week for the Boy’s team. They finished the season in third place in the league which netted them a series against the sixth place team.  In their league all the teams, save for the bottom two are pretty evenly matched.  From second place to sixth place there is only a seven point differential. The first place team has a sizeable lead on the pack, but even they are beatable as the Boy’s team proved earlier this year.  After a thirty game schedule good rivalries are established with pretty much every team.  A playoff series winner is the first team to record six points with a win counting for two points and one point awarded for a tie. 

From the Boy’s perspective, a series with this sixth place team is particularly intriguing because they represent a town where the Boy first started to play hockey. He’s even played with some of the boys on this team.  Off the ice, he considers many of them his friends.  Hell, they even play Call of Duty on XBox Live together.  But on the ice, this is the one team the Boy really wants to beat.

The team goal, in general, is to obviously proceed to the next round and one step closer to the finals. There are actually two levels of playoffs, with the primary goal being the provincial championship.  If a team is eliminated from the provincial playoffs they drop down into their regional playoffs, which some perjoratively refer to as “The Toilet Bowl.”  No one is particularly interested in dropping down before their time and without a good fight.

And so, I hesitated to begin this post as the Boy’s team has not fared well in their first two meetings with their sixth place rivals.

They lost game one at home 4-1 after coming out flat and falling behind 4-0 after two periods. The team looked much better in the third period, but were not able to muster enough scoring opportunities to get back in the game.  Before the series started, we all had some fear of how the boys would play after finishing their season with wins of 6-1, 18-0 and 9-2 against the lowly, winless last place team. Game one definitely felt and looked like a hangover.  We hoped a remedy would be in the offing for game two.

In the second match at the rival’s rink, our boys came out strong off of the initial puck drop. However, as fortune would have it, a wild shot thrown from behind the net in the first minute of play by an opponent would ricochet off the back of our unsuspecting goalie’s leg and into the net.  This one flukey goal lead would be upheld by a strong goaltending performance at the other end of the ice. The bad guys eventually scored a second goal with only a couple of minutes left in the third period. The Boy and his mates were arguably the better team in game two, though neither team was particularly sharp and the scoreboard told a different story. 

Game three is tomorrow night; one of those must-win affairs you always hear the pros talking about in pre-game interviews.  Down four points to none, the boys all know the task before them.  Win to stay alive.  Passes will need to be a little crisper.  Shots will need to find their mark.  Hustle will be tantamount. There’s no reason to think this series is over by any stretch of the imagination, as a win puts them right back in it, with momentum swinging back on their side. I am fairly confident the lads will give it their all, while we in the stands will also implore ye old Hockey Gods to come through with a couple preferable bounces.

To take this back to where we started and put it in some perspective, the second place team is also down and within a point of dropping their round-one series against the seventh place team. They lost both of their first two games and tied the third.  In short series like these, anything can, and usually does, happen. That’s at least part of what makes this game so much fun.

#imahockeydad