Tag Archives: tournament

Sometimes Ya Gotta Lose to Win

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The Sharks continued their strong league play as they faced one of their toughest foes to date a few days ago. Their opponent came into their match undefeated and trailing them in the standings only by virtue of having played fewer games. A quick look at the standings revealed only two goals against in their first five games….a test for our ladies to be sure.  Our side was thankfully up to the challenge turning in probably their best performance to date in a rough and tumble affair.  The referee for this particular game was someone I had not seen before and I was told he had only just started officiating girls hockey after having spent 10+ years reffing Jr. A boys games. It seemed as the game went on that he may have thought he was still reffing those older lads as his whistle never parted his lips to flag down what were a couple of the biggest hits I’ve seen all year. The girls’ game, of course, does not allow body checking, but this referee was letting pretty much everything go. In facing a slightly larger team, it would not have been surprising to see the Sharks back down. Instead they fought through to a 5-2 win – more than doubling their surprised opponents’ goals against on the year. And so they solidified their early season hold on the number one position in the league with a couple of teams on their tail with games in hand.

The success they had in the league game bode well for an anticipated strong showing in their home tourney, Sharkfest, this weekend. A quick check of their schedule revealed three teams ranked in the middle of their respective divisions; three teams you’d our side would presumably be able to excel against.

However, game one, though closely fought, ended with the Sharks on the short end of a 1-0 loss with the winning goal being scored on a late powerplay; the result of a retaliatory penalty. As is too often the case, one of the Devil’s teammates responded to a punch in the head with a shot of her own. The referee apparently only saw the latter.

In game two the next morning, the girls struck quickly, apparently sensing the need for a victory in a three-game round robin format. They dominated play for the first half of the game, scored two quick goals and carried the two-point cushion into the final frame. Unfortunately, their killer instinct seemed to give way to some lackadaisical play half-way through the second. A goal partway into the third cut the lead to one, which then evaporated to nil when an errant pass in the defensive zone found an opponents stick and the back of the good guys’ goal shortly thereafter. A 2-2 tie would demand a victory in the final match.

Between games two and three, Devil would require a visit to a clinic to check on a wonky, swelled-up knee, which had her hobbling around pretty good. Prospects for her participation in game three, only a few hours later, did not look good. The doc decided there was no major damage; prescribing ice and rest.  Three hours later she would wrap it up and suck it up for an hour to help her mates.  We’d have been fine had she decided to heed the good physician’s advice, but we followed her lead. Must get her toughness from her Momma.

Unfortunately, the girls would find out just before taking to the ice for their third challenge that even a win would not be enough to advance to the playoff round.  The goal for the last skate of the weekend would be to simply salvage a winning record at 1-1-1. But this game would go much the same as the ones before it and end the same way game one did, with a 1-0 score in the wrong direction.  This was not the team’s weekend; leaving the coaching staff and a few other onlookers a little bedeviled after having witnessed such an impressive showing only a few days prior.  In the squad’s defence, they were two players short; one lost to concussion and the other to a wonky wrist. Further, though they have demonstrated a higher level of play, they did compete in three one-goal games. The goaltenders, as all three scores attest, played very well; more than giving their teammates the opportunity to compete and win.

The team now has four practices to work out some apparent kinks before their next league game. In the grand scheme of things, if you are going to have some stinker games, as the girls collaborated on this weekend, a tournament is the best time to have them.  Would have been nice not to do it in the home tournament, but no matter. These games will presumably allow the coaches to reinforce the need to give full effort in each and every game; to not underestimate any opponent. A few hard skating practices are likely in order as well.

I and I think many believe in order to win the big games, you have to lose a few along the way. Champions across all sports have proved this time and time again. Of course last year, my own team took a whole regular season of losing and turned it into a successful playoff run; not that I would necessarily recommend this as a preferred approach.

In a week’s time and thereafter, we’ll see how the Sharks respond to this bit of adversity. Good teams, which this group feels like early on, generally come back with renewed focus and determination. Get focused, get better ladies.

#imahockeydad

 

Music City Midget Major Hockey Marathon

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The Boy and I, along with 17 teammates, sundry parents, siblings and even a couple of grandparents in tow, embarked on what was sure to be a memorable journey to the hotbed of country music for the Nashville Fall Classic.  Our enthusiasm tempered only by the absence of our Hockey Momma who had to stay behind with work and the Devil’s hockey commitments.

We met a slightly bleary-eyed crew for a midnight Tuesday departure.  Most, if not all, were fuelled by the excitement of the trip ahead as we jammed suitcases, hockey bags, pillows, blankets, bags o’ snacks and refreshment-laden coolers into a waiting bus.  A 15 hour bus ride pretty much mandates the inclusion of the final item on the list and more than a couple of us would make sure we took full advantage of their presence.  As has been stated here previously, a significant portion of all tournaments should be focused on parental enjoyment. There would be plenty more opportunity for the same over the next five days.

With the tourney starting on Friday, the coaching staff’s well-constructed plan was to arrive in Nashville (or more specifically the suburb of Franklin, Tennessee) early to give the team a chance to experience the Music City and get acclimated to their new surroundings well in advance of their first game. We would all have the better part of two days to take in the sites, sounds and eats of Kentucky.  Much of this, you will note, has little to do with hockey, but the experiences this hockey tournament afforded our Boys will last them a lifetime, as away tournaments have so often been wont to do.

After the night-long journey, which for most included little, if any, sleep we were free to check in to our hotel, grab a snooze, some dinner and whatever else we wanted to do with our evening.  Most of the Boys retired to rooms while several of us gravitated towards the hotel lobby bar.  A coincidental, Canadian song singing lounge act and a few local brews kept us entertained beyond the midnight hour.

Our itinerary for day two took us into Nashville on the same days as the Country Music Awards for two spectacular meals, self-guided tours of the local country bars, shopping and even some line-dancing lessons.

Colts Team Pic with The Bro

Team Pic with The Bro – Darrell Breaux

Our first stop, Bro’s Cajun Cuisine, (featured on FoodTV’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) was one of the highlights of the trip for me, though others to come would certainly rival it.  My only disappointment was being limited to one appetizer (Spicy Catfish Bites), one entrée (a mouth-watering Crawfish PoBoy) and a few libations (served in a tin bucket – “Ohhh those bad buckets” as one father was oft heard saying) only due to the capacity of my stomach. Had the opportunity presented itself, I would have gladly stayed and tried each menu item in due course.  Prior to leaving this temple of exceptional eats, the team presented the proprietor, Darrell Breaux, with a jersey signed by each player for which he was visibly grateful.

After lunch, we headed downtown.  Most everyone, including the players, went off in all directions to see what they could see and do.  A couple of hours and a few bars in my bar-hopping partner and I bumped into the Boy who had already acquired a cowboy hat and was raving about all of the live music he’d encountered.  His relatively sheltered suburban life to this point had not exposed him to live musicians, taking requests and playing for tips or, more importantly, exposure. He had quickly developed an appreciation for the whole scene.  Now, I’m not what you’d call a Country music fan, though I readily admit listening to a lot of Western, Folk and Blues inspired bands.  I likewise found myself gladly immersed in the atmosphere and spirit of the city.

Line Dancing

Some should stick to hockey….

Next stop, the Wild Horse Saloon for a Bronco Buster Buffet, the aforementioned line-dancing lessons and more general merriment.  We were scheduled to leave at 10pm, but after two large meals and full day’s worth of bar…I mean…sight seeing, it was decided that a 9:30 departure made sense for some revelers and the players who would be hitting the ice for their first game on Friday. Of course, back at the hotel, a few more late-night parental hijinks would ensue.

The next morning appeared to come early for some as we gathered in the lobby to head out for the last of our planned team meals.  Puckett’s Grocery in eclectic downtown Franklin provided an opportunity to try more traditional southern fare including pulled pork, fried catfish or chicken, sides of fries, beans, onion rings or mashed potatoes with a lemonade or sweet tea.  Maybe not the best pre-game meal, but what the hell.  Our finely tuned athletes would just have to work it off.

Following our couple of touristy days, it was time for the team to get down to business against a highly touted local high school team. By all accounts, they had been at the top of their division for the last three years running and generally manhandled all of their opponents. From previous experience over the years, you never know what level of competition you will run into when you venture into the US or play a team from there.  What our boys initially encountered was an aggressive, hitting team. To their credit, the players took the body checks (some of which were of the elevated variety) in stride. They stuck instead to a speed and puck-control oriented game to eventually wear down their opponents in a 6-1 win.  Another mom and I competed to keep Hockey Momma informed and somewhat part of the experience with rapid-fire texts.  The host team was noticeably shaken, shocked or disappointed by this unfamiliar situation.  Our guys left the ice with decided Canadian hockey swagger, which bode well for them moving into two more round robin games on Saturday.

Bucket of BeerBefore we could get to Saturday, we had to have a Friday night post-game celebration.  Well, maybe we didn’t have to, but we were certainly going to.  Many of us landed in a raucous wing joint, which in time featured one of the best live 80s bands any of us had ever encountered.  The Boys, who followed along for the wings,  chose to disagree with our assessment of the on-stage talent and left us to enjoy the retro tunes.  Suffice it to say, some (yours truly included) took full advantage of the Boys’ absence to let their hair down on the dance floor. Ohhh, those bad buckets!

Saturday would find the squad returning to the ice against teams from Atlanta and Kentucky.  The Atlanta team was said to be a AAA team with players a year older than ours, while the Kentucky group apparently represented the entire neighbouring state; facts which again could be taken as good or bad. Regardless the opponents, the team came out with all cylinders firing. They brought a combination of speed, patience and teamwork to both games, thereby securing 3-0 and 4-0  back-to-back shutout wins for a first place round robin finish and a rematch in the semi-finals against their game one opponent from Ravenwood. Watching the two Saturday games somewhat anonymously from the sidelines, I could overhear reverent comments from American onlookers like “That’s the team from Canada.”  There was some buzz in the air about how the team was playing.  Our final round robin game started at 10:00pm on Saturday so post-game was pretty tame for Boys and parents alike.  Semis and a Championship game were calling on Sunday.

The on and off-ice events of our final day in Tennessee probably deserve a post of their own, but I’ll do my best to summarize here.

Game day started like any other with breakfast in the hotel lobby. The team would then load up and make their way to the rink an hour early as they had for previous games. The bus would then come back to the hotel where we would be checking out and loading up for the eventual 15-hour drive back to the homeland (which no one was looking forward to).  However, shortly after the bus departed we received a message saying the bus had broken down….on a Sunday morning….in Tennessee. Prospects for fixing a bus….on a Sunday morning…in Tennessee…were not the brightest.  Moods were understandably shaken.

In the short term, without wheels, parents and siblings were forced to march 20 minutes to the rink; arriving just in time for the puck drop in the semi-final game.

walking to the hockey rink

Who needs a bus?

Within four minutes of the game starting, moods were buoyed by a 3-0 lead for the good guys.  The Colts had definitely come to play.  Their determination to win and send a message to their championship opponent resulted in a 9-0 final.   We’d find out shortly thereafter the last opponent of the tournament would be the “other team from Canada” who snuck out a 3-2 win over Atlanta.

Almost miraculously…on a Sunday morning…in Tennessee, our driver was able to get the bus back up and running cueing a giant, combined sigh of relief.  The players were virtually unaffected by the whole bus drama.

The few hours of waiting for the gold medal match were spent between a mall food court and the bus where many of the players snoozed or otherwise bided their time in quiet anticipation.

Entering the last match of the weekend, we were all aware of the fact we would be playing a relatively local Canadian, albeit lower level, opponent.  The coaching staff no doubt told their charges to take nothing for granted.  The good guys would open the scoring to set the tone for the game.  Yet it would be a back and forth affair for much of the first two periods with our side getting the balance of scoring opportunities. The game was still relatively close at 3-1 entering the third period.

Then events took another fateful turn as an opposing player launched a puck up over the boards at our bench.  The puck ricocheted up off the back wall then found its way to the top of the head of one of the assistant coaches. The trainer, along with several others, rushed the coach and his now blood-gushing cranium to the dressing room.  After the application of pressure and several towels, it was quickly decided that medical attention was required. A local gentleman, with whom I had just been chatting and who had too coincidentally been instructing his young son who was manning the penalty box to beware of flying pucks, was good enough to drive our unlucky brother to the nearest Emergency Room. You can probably sense where this is going.

Back on the ice, the team took care of business in the third, capturing the Championship trophy with a 7-2 victory. Medals were presented, the trophy/plaque was handed over, onlookers applauded and many pictures were snapped to preserve the moment in time. This group of young men had represented themselves, their hometown and in a small way good old Canadian hockey very admirably.  In fact, we’ve since heard from tournament officials this team was indeed considered the “toast” of the tourney for their classy, sportsmanlike play. This is really something you hope and love to hear as a parent; no matter the age of your kids, though particularly as they enter adulthood. Some validation of proper parenting methinks.

Barrie Colts win Nashville Fall Classic

Nashville Fall Classic Champions (including the Spirit of Coach Clayton….Far Left)

Now we, of course, had one last piece of unfinished business to take care of before we could hit the road for home.  It involved hanging in and out of the local ER as we waited for our fallen comrade.  As with any ER, the wait was longer than anyone wanted it to be, though we all wanted to be sure coach was fit for travel. About four hours and eight stitches later, the coach boarded the coach with a fully-bandaged noggin.  Once everyone knew he was okay, concern turned to playful ribbing.  If only he’d paid more attention to the game and less to his blackberry.  While my trip home was pretty uncomfortable, I’m sure his was even more so.

On the road home, some of us were a little concerned about our driver’s ability to stay awake and alert having been up since Sunday morning…..in Tennessee and having to still be up…in the middle of the night…through Tennessee, Ohio and a wee bit o’ Michigan.  He held on with the help of some conversation from the front seats.  After a driver change just across the US border, we were delivered safely back home with a bucket full of stories to tell share with those who had not been as fortunate as us to have had the experience.  Hockey Momma was surely left owed with an upcoming trip to Sudbury a pale consolation.

I’ve likely missed a fair share of stories or personal memories others took away via their own perspective.  I welcome your comments should you happen upon my faint and biased recollections here.

For me, the full value of the weekend bore itself out when the Boy remarked to me when we were alone on Friday night, before he’d played a single game “Thanks Dad. This is the best hockey trip we’ve ever been on.”  I believe there were 17 other grateful young men who owe a debt of gratitude to those who organized an unforgettable hockey adventure.

#imahockeydad

Colts Win in Music City

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Just a coupla pics for now….more to come from our Tennessee hockey, food and frivolous adventures to come!

Right now I must sleep off the effects of a 15 hour bus ride.

#imahockeydad

A Full Minor Hockey Schedule Indeed

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The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy for the Boy, the Devil, Momma Hockey and yours truly between practices, regular season games and two out-of-town tournaments in back-to-back weekends.  Add in the rigours of putting food on the table 9 to 5 (or 8 to 6 in the case of some) and you simply don’t have much left in the way of free time – not even to record a few thoughts online as I’m here typing beyond the midnight hour. What free time we’ve been afforded has been better spent face down on a mattress. All of that being said, the last 14+ days has provided a ton of entertaining hockey; certainly a lot more than a bunch of, what some would call, greedy professionals have been able to see their way fit to offer their starving fans.  As such, I easily declared to someone who asked my opinion recently, “I don’t really care if we don’t see any NHL hockey this year.”  Hell, I don’t know where I’d fit it in anyway.

So flash back a weekend to the Boy’s tourney/early season test down in the Big Smoke.

Momma and I were able to play a little hooky for hockey on Friday to catch the first mid-afternoon contest.  The squad opened the festivities on a high note with a 6-3 victory over a depleted home side. A good start, but you really should be able to beat a team with only 8 players when you dress 15.  Such is Midget hockey where suspensions, injuries, school and jobs can get in the way.  Game two, a full 8 hours later at 9:45 (again typical of Midget hockey, but much preferred to 6:45am games) the Colts were faced with a stiffer test against a strong skating team from just outside of Buffalo.  They would go into day two with a 1-1 record after falling 4-3.  In a relatively small schedule tournament a 1-2 record would severely limit playoff hopes so game three the following afternoon would become a must-win.  With the Devil having a game back home on Saturday, I would have to miss their positive effort in game three, which resulted in a 5-2 score against a representative from the nation’s capital.

However, the Devil’s first of two weekend games was also not to be missed as it was her team’s best undertaking to date; stomping on their visiting foe 4-1. This game was reportedly a marked improvement over a match the night before, their first game of the regular season, which they dropped by the same 4-1 mark. I say reportedly because I, of course, was down in the city with the Boy.

I must add here that the Devil was noticeably missing from game one also as her chosen priority lay in a rock concert for which she’d received tickets from an unnamed source on her birthday back in August. Yes…I took a shot at her not having a game on that particular Friday night in October and lost my misguided wager miserably.  You’re probably noting a repeating Midget hockey theme creeping in.

Sunday provided one more game each for my progeny, which meant Momma and I would again go our separate ways. In looking at our packed schedule ahead there are surprisingly few game conflicts.

The Boys had another must-win on their hands with another team in their division (the one they’d lost to) sporting an identical record of two wins and one loss.  Unfortunately, the “must” part of the equation was apparently lost on more than a couple of them as they closed the door on this tourney with a 5-3 loss.

Meanwhile, back at home, the Sharks would play their third regular season game in three days; certainly a  grueling start to a season and not necessarily a recipe for success. They would be playing a team they had dominated in a tournament a few weeks prior.  Pleasantly and perhaps a litte surprisingly this trend would continue. The girls would storm out to a 3-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. It looked like a rout was in order.  While their pressure on the visitors did not discernibly change, the final score would only read 4-1.  Two wins in three games to start the season is a more than respectable start. I need only reflect on my troops from last season who were only able to muster three wins over a 30 game regular season schedule. But enough of ancient history. The Devil’s current team would have another chance to establish their competition level at a tournament this past weekend.

The weekend challenge in question, creatively named the Hocktoberfest International Female Hockey Festival, found the team traveling just under five hours to play a minimum of four games with a stretch goal of playing six in three days.  A 6:00am Friday departure would have us arriving with plenty of time for the girls’ first game just past noon against a team from Rochester – hence the International.  Momma Hockey was unable to get this Friday off work so it was just the Devil and I hitching a ride down and splitting gas costs with another father/daughter duo.

Hocktoberfest

It’s worth noting there is an important adult social aspect to an away tournament; something I was less able or willing to engage in during my stint as head coach a year ago.  Arriving at a foreign arena upwards of an hour before game time allows some enthusiastic parents (the majority of which are admittedly fathers) to exercise their social rights, which from time-to-time manifest themselves in the minor hockey version of tailgating. Suffice it to say, this past weekend saw its fair share of pre and post-game exercising. During the very first post-game workout, which is naturally deemed mandatory to celebrate a victory or mourn a loss, one father was noted to jokingly mention to a player/daughter, “These tournaments are really all about us parents having fun you know.”  I can confidently say we had a lot of fun in and out of the rink.

Pre-game tailgaiting complete with a bedazzled cooler.

In between the tailgating, the Sharks went to work demonstrating their ever-improving individual and team skills posting impressive scores of 3-1, 6-2, 7-0 and 4-0. For those keeping score, they dominated and outnumbered their opponents by a combined tally of 20-3, including back-to-back shutouts for the goaltenders. With Momma back home, my texting fingers got a major workout of their own as I tried, feverishly at times, to keep her abreast of the action.  Five goals per game in girls hockey is nothing short of astonishing. For most teams this would equal a month or, in some cases, two-month’s worth of goals. I’ve personally witnessed more 0-0, 1-0 and 2-1 games than you can shake a stick at.

The team would literally breeze into the semi-finals on Sunday morning, which after two nights in a hotel with not easily enforceable curfews, represented a dangerous proposition. Add to this recipe the fact they would have a rematch against their game one opponents who had thus far provided the stiffest competition. We all hoped their strong showing would continue, but watched a much different team play the first two periods of their semi-final leading to an unfamiliar one goal deficit after two periods. However, a fortuitous delay of game penalty by the other side led to a momentum-changing powerplay goal.  A minute later the Sharks would ride their new found momentum to a 2-1 lead, which they would maintain to earn a berth in the championship game; the sixth game in three days.

Momma Hockey actually made me call her so she could listen in on the last 30 seconds of the tense semi – texting would not be sufficient.  She has actually, on more than one occasion, suggested a business model which includes closed circuit TVs streaming kids hockey games online for parents who are unable to attend.  I believe something similar is being done in large centres like Toronto for games at slightly higher levels, but I’m not sure sufficient demand exists for Bantam BB action. I shouldn’t even mention it, but perhaps this is an application for Facetime on an iPad.  Yup, I’ll be the Dad up in the corner of the arena doing play-by-play at a future game a la Danny Gallivan.

Back to the Championship game where physical, if not mental, fatigue would presumably be a factor for both sides. The championship opponent took a similar path through the tournament’s other division with convincing wins in the round robin followed by a close call 2-0 last minute victory in their semi. If either side was tired they didn’t show it. Both teams came out with their guns blazing. Good scoring opportunities were had and turned away at both ends of the ice. Tension mounted as a scoreless first period gave way to a carbon copy second.  Nerves were severely frayed as time wound down to end regulation time with nary a puck finding the back of either net; both keepers making their share of game-preserving saves.  Overtime would be a five-minute 4 on 4 affair. With more ice available to skate on, the expected signs of tired legs and battered spirits started to show.  A couple of end-to-end rushes were noticeably laboured; ending in faint scoring opportunities. Fans on both sides hoped for a break, but none would come; leaving the determination of the winner to a dreaded shootout, which in many minds is no way to decide a Champion.  Unfortunately, the Sharks who had battled so hard through six games succumbed to a couple of shootout goals while not answering with markers of their own.  Shooters and our goalie were naturally disappointed in the end result, but should have been buoyed by the knowledge of what they’d accomplished to arrive at the shootout situation. The coaching staff is no doubt pleased with the effort and teamwork displayed at Hocktoberfest.

Sharks Hocktoberfest Finalists

Proud and deserving Hocktoberfest Finalists

The reward for finishing in second place after six games in three days was a 4 1/2 hour ride home. Now as chance, or more so probability, would have it, the Boy happened to have an away game on the Sunday night of our return. Almost absurdly I was trying to calculate the possibility of my arriving home and then leaving again to drive over an hour to watch him. Had it just been the Devil and I, we may have very well found ourselves going out of our way to watch a seventh game in six days; a decision my exhausted little warrior would probably not have been a big fan of.  When we arrived home this was confirmed by her immediate immersion in a hot bathtub. It had been a long weekend to say the least. The Boys won their game, which I kept tabs on via texts from Momma Hockey. If only she had a damned iPad.

Two days removed from the weekend I’ve already attended a practice for her and a game for him with one more practice for each tomorrow night, though he’ll be able to do his own driving to and from the rink, much to my relief.

The Boys are actually on a bit of a roll bringing their current record to 4-2-3 including the salvaging of last minute ties against two of the strongest teams in their division.  Seems with this squad we are getting hot and cold with a splash of fortuitous, which can be a little frustrating to watch at times, but still much better than the alternative of not watching hockey.

Following a couple of practices and games for each kid over the next few days, the Boy and I will prepare to embark on yet another hockey adventure; this time involving a 15 hour bus ride to Music City, USA.  Something of a swan song for this team of players in their final year of minor hockey.  I can’t imagine there will be much exercising of social rights on that trip (he says with tongue firmly planted in cheek). And yes, we’ll hopefully get to watch plenty of hockey as well.  I may just end up with a story or two to tell.

#imahockeydad

Early Bird Gets the Puck

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The Devil’s team played in an early bird tournament last weekend as a warm up for the regular season and to get a sense of what level they are at in relation to other teams.  Her coach has said he has high expectations for this group. They had already competed well in two exhibition tilts which ended in a 2-1 loss and a 4-4 tie.  There’s always plenty to work on in the pre-season; like simply getting to know each other, a challenge on a Midget girls team exacerbated by a three year age difference.  For instance, our first year girls were struck by the fact one of their teammates is finished high school.  Now, she apparently completed her schooling in the UK over the Summer, but regarless….she is no longer in high school.  Alarming to those who still have three years left. Though, from afar, this team does seem to have a bunch of players who are getting along.

Game one of the tournament was at 7:30 on a Friday night, not ideal after a full school day (which for some reason the Devil was able to weasel her way out of with the excuse of having to rest up for her game – mom’s decision, not mine) and an hour long car ride. But the visitors (i.e. the Devil’s squad) came out like gangbusters. They held the balance of play for most of the contest.  A 3-1 final could have just as easily been 7-1 if not for some good goaltending at the other end.  A pretty good start to say the least.  After leaving the rink around 9:30, grabbing a couple of Harvey’s chicken strip combos at the Drive-Thru and dropping off a teammate, the Devil hit the hay around 11:30 with a 7am wake up call to head back down for games 2 and 3.

7am came early, as anticipated, but a 9:30 game requires being at the rink by 8:30 and the drive was just over an hour. The next opponent looked to be a bigger team.  Once the game got going this proved to be the case. The Devil found that out all too well when she was met in the crease by a punch to the head towards the middle of the third period.  The girls were also up against some bad fortune as a puck found its way under our goalie early in the game. The referee, who wasn’t well positioned back near the red line (i.e. centre ice) blew the play dead. But when he and the linesmen arrived at the net they found the puck in it and decided to declare a goal for the opponents.  A little later on in the game, following a scramble in front of the other team’s net, one of the Devil’s teammates was able to jam a puck in, but this time the same referee was not so accommodating in ruling No Goal. Long story short, the game ended with the Sharks on the wrong end of a 2-0 score.

With a big tournament and several divisions, the scheduling can be a little uneven and such was the case this weekend as our next game was at 5:30pm meaning we had five hours to kill before the girls needed to be back at the rink. Going home was not really an option as that would involve two and a half hours in the car. And so we started with an extended two hour lunch. Some girls then decided to go shopping while some fathers, yours truly included, decided to simply hang back in the the next arenas parking lot; enjoying the nice end of Summer weather and a couple of beverages. Having no regular coaching duties this season, I look forward to some of the friendly tailgating I missed last year.

The Sharks 1-1 record meant they would need to win game three in order to advance to the playoff round of the tournament. Game three was a back and forth affair, which saw our side take a 4-3 lead in the third period. Also needing a win, the opposing coach opted to pull his goalie with a minute and half left in the game.  At about the 30 second mark, one of our players broke out of the defensive zone with the puck and looked up to see the empty net. The heat of the moment grabbed her and she shot the puck towards the net before hitting the red line. The puck sailed wide which led to a whistle for icing; creating a face-off to the right of our goaltender with 23 seconds to go.  That fateful faceoff was the Sharks undoing as a quick draw led to a quick shot, which found its way past our unsuspecting keeper. We would find out shortly thereafter a tie was not quite good enough to advance (in fact the girls missed in a tiebreaker by a single goal to the team they had just tied).  The upside was we would not have to come back tomorrow.  The downside was a meaningless consolation game at 9:30pm, a full 12 hours after their first game of the day – not a great recipe for success.

More than half the team decided to try what looked to be a nice new steak joint; while the Devil, Hockey Momma and I were gracefully treated to dinner at another local restaurant by momma’s uncle and aunt who lived relatively close by and came to see game three.  It turned out we made the better choice as the rest of the team waited for over two hours and didn’t actually get to eat. Seems the steak joint was not prepared for the onslaught of a girls hockey tournament…seriously?

So, you can likely guess the type of game that transpired after 12 hours, no dinner for most and nothing to really play for.  The girls didn’t give up by any means, but had little left in the tank in a 5-2 loss against a team they’d compete much better against with fresher legs and spirits. Everyone was pretty much ready to call it a day before the game even started.

An early bird tourney holding some initial promise from game one took a decided turn for the worse.  Yet, it was not without purpose or meaning as the girls on the still relatively new team got to know each other a little better through some trying circumstances and the coaching staff no doubt picked up on some stuff they need to work on.  This is why you enter these tournaments. A hard day’s worth of games and some adversity will no doubt pay dividends down the road.  The girls have a few more pre-season games and a handful of practices to prepare for a regular season just around the corner.  There was lots of good stuff mixed in with the bad last weekend; plenty to look forward to with the right guidance and, as always, a bit o’ help from the hockey gods.

#imahockeydad

 

 

On the Backs of Our Youth…Once Again

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Last weekend provided the third opportunity for the Boy and I to don the same uniform at the annual Walter Gretzky Street Hockey tournament in the hometown of arguably the most famous father/son hockey combo in the World.  It seems fitting for us to make our yearly pilgrimage to Gretzky’s stomping grounds, which originally began as another tourney for me and my “older” buddies to use as an excuse to get together under our beloved STICK U banner.

STICK U logo

I say originally began because this year, and last for that matter, witnessed a decided shift to younger team members. One of my fellow hockey dads (a former hockey dad in actual fact) and his son joined the fold last year.  This year we added a friend’s 21 year old, with some recent Junior B ice hockey experience, between the pipes.  The effect of said younger players has had a decidedly positive effect on STICK U and its ability to compete in the Adult Rec division. Previous STICK U forays into ball hockey and/or slo pitch baseball tournaments have ended with less than stellar records.  In fact, it has not been uncommon for our ragtag group of late 30 and early 40 somethings who only get organized a couple of times a year to record an unflattering goose egg in the W column.  And then, all of a sudden, particularly on the ball hockey front STICK U received an infusion of youth in the form of the Boy and a couple of buddies who began to turn our competitive fortunes around.  Funny how much fresher, 17-year old-legs and lungs that retain ample amounts of oxygen can buoy a team. I’m thoroughly convinced the young lads actually make us all feel younger; not wanting to be stood up by our junior comrades. The same is true when we play younger teams (and there tend to be many of those even in the Adult Rec Division); almost like there is some sort of lesson needing to be taught to these upstarts. All the while proving to ourselves we still have what it takes.

And so, this past weekend in very un-STICK U-like fashion, our side was able to complete the round robin portion of the tournament with a 3-0 record; including two victories over teams comprised of much younger players and with a limited roster of 7 in a 4-on-4 format.  Our combination of youthful exuberance and aged experience proved to be a lethal combination.  However, and almost as if the Hockey Gods knew better, a clerical error on the part of tournament coordinators accidentally stripped us of our last win; temporarily removing us from the second round of the competition.  The egrigious mistake was partially addressed and we retained a berth in round two, but we were relegated to 26th rather than our deserved 5th place ranking. We would consequently play the 6th ranked team. Of course, as our luck would have it, our protested 6th place foe had more young uns than we did; a dozen to be exact – our run to glory came to an abrupt, unceremonious halt on the back end of a 7-3 loss. We’d ultimately settle for 19th out of 81 teams. We weren’t particularly pleased with the our fated path and we let tournament officials know about it; though to be honest the elders on our team would likely be hard-pressed to play in a fifth or possibly sixth match over those two days. For my own part, I was admittedly and I’m guessing noticeably hobbled by leg and back muscles screaming at me in defiance of my boyish weekend exploits; exploits which may have included a couple of late night, post-game, celebratory beverages.  I was pretty sure I could hear my older comrades’ muscles doing their own vociferous pleading.  Later in the day those same muscles stiffened into seemingly untenable knots soothed only by a hot bath and copious epsom salts.  So it seems next year’s incarnation of STICK U might continue to push the youthful envelope in search of Adult Recreational Street Hockey dominance.  Yet, this elder will continue to play on as long as these noisy limbs will allow.

#STICK U
#imahockeydad

team STICK U

2012 Summer Edition of Team STICK U with the traditional, albeit slightly offensive, STICK U Salute (Yeah, some traditions maybe shouldn't be so quickly passed on)

A Banner Weekend

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The Devil and her Shark teammates turned a corner at their home tournament this past weekend treating we, the coaching staff, and their biggest fans, their parents, to four of the best hockey games they’ve played all year culminating in an all-important victory in the Championship game.

2011-Sharkfest-Champions

2011 Sharkfest Champions

They started the tourney by shattering their scoring woes with a five-goal performance. Which they desperately needed because as quickly as they scored a goal they would turn around and give one up – except for after the last one. The odd thing is we seem to have found a favorite venue as this five net-bulging outburst occurred on the same ice where they last scored a full handful of goals.

Game two presented its own challenges in that our teenage, beauty-sleep craving girls were presented with the first pre-8am ice time they’d seen in a couple of years.  Early morning games are generally reserved for the younger kids, but in tournaments you never know what schedule you might get.  On the way to the rink, the Devil complained, “I feel like a Timbit,” referring to the four and five year old minor hockey players across Canada who are graciously sponsored by the country’s largest coffee shop chain.  In the pre-game warm up our troops looked anything but ready to play.  I implored them to get focused when they gathered at the bench for final instructions.  And then, at the drop of the puck to start the game it was like a switch was turned on. They would only win game two by a score of 1-0, but they were full measure for the effort. For a second game in a row, they played as a solid collective rather than a loosely connected group of individuals.  They looked for and called for passes.  They supported each other at both ends of the ice. Our manager helping out of the bench commented, “We’re starting to see a real team come together.”

Going into game three we were pretty confident we had a playoff spot secured, however a decisive win could propel the team directly into the Final.  I certainly let them all know that in case there should be any question as to the level of effort required.  And so, in the third game they did not disappoint, in a dominant 3-1 win, which could have easily been more lopsided with a few more accurate shots. With the victory we did gain direct entry to the Championship game; awaiting an opponent from a semi-final match between the second and third place squads.

As it turned out we would play our game two opponent again. From my perpective this was not a preferred scenario as it’s generally difficult to beat a team twice in a row.  I knew we had only beaten them 1-0 in our first meeting and they would come out looking for revenge.  Before the final match I reminded our charges how they felt after finishing second in a tournament only a couple of weekends previous.  In trying to raise their emotion level in the dressing room before the game, I was surprised by a muted reaction. They were either quietly focused or unsure of the task at hand.  My bench staff also felt an uneasiness at the mood in the room.  We all hoped for the former mindset. As in game two, we were pleased to watch as the initial puck drop acted as a virtual ON switch.  The Sharks came out hard; dominating the play for the first half of the game. The first goal of the contest came on a breakaway capped by a pretty, patient deke move past a helpless, flailing goalie.

The slim one-goal lead would stand until about five minutes left in the third period when our opponents buried a rebound to make it 1-1.  We did fall back on our heels for the back half of the second and a good part of the third period.  Many teams would have folded up their tents at that point with momentum potentially headed in the other direction. Yet, our girls re-focused their efforts and re-dominated play; finding a way to take a 2-1 lead with just over a minute left in the game.  Of course the story couldn’t just end there as the slim 2-1 lead was put in peril by a tripping penalty taken in our defensive zone with only 50 seconds left.  A quick timeout was taken to again refocus the troops; to remind them to play smart and get the puck out of our end at all costs. With the opposing goaltender on the bench, we faced a shorthanded four on six situation.  Continuing to battle, our four were able to clear the zone as requested, ultimately depositing the puck in the empty net at the other end of the ice. To put icing on the proverbial cake, the ensuing face-off saw our winger streak forward with the puck and fire a laser shot top shelf where Grandma keeps the peanut butter. The final 4-1 score did not do the much closer game justice.

Our jubilant girls streamed onto the ice for the traditional mauling of the goalie followed by a quick presentation to our Captain and Assistants and then finally a series of photos of the victors.

Now we’ll look to carry the momentum of this victory into our next string of regular season games as we look to make our way out of the league’s basement.  This weekend again proved that when we play aggressive, smart hockey as a team we can compete with any team at our level.  A good part of the battle in any sport is gaining the confidence in yourself and your teammates to do whatever is required to win.  It feels like our ladies took some big steps in that direction with some shiny gold medals and a much deserved Championship banner to show for it.

#imahockeydad

Not Quite the Right Colour

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The weekend unfortunately ended on a semi-sour note with a 3-0 loss and a silver medal in the championship game versus the host team.  As in previous games, our players came out with guns a-blazin’ registering several good scoring opportunities in close.  We were literally all over them for the first half of the first period, but our scoring woes continued.  Looking back we were able to win two games and tie one other with only three tallies in total.  To their credit, at the other end of the ice, our goalkeepers kept us in each one of our five games holding the opposition to a total of only five goals. Yet the opposition would bounce one past us near the end of the first and another partway through the second period.  Press as they may, our shooters would come up empty…on at least a couple of occasions inexplicably.

Silver Tournament Medal

I believe there were a few contributing factors to our loss in the final game including having to play the home team (who got to sleep in their own beds last night as well as play a meaningless game as a warm-up this morning) and perhaps a hangover from last night’s tumultuous victory.  No matter I contend the loss was only semi-sour because the girls get full credit for the effort they gave this weekend. Though the players’ post-game faces would tell a different story. I’m selfishly happy they were disappointed at the loss.  Someone along the way has said you have to lose before you can really learn how to win.  Losing in a final like we did today may benefit us down the road.

If tournaments are about growing as a team, practicing team tactics against some different competition and having a little fun, I believe I can successfully say, “Mission Accomplished”.  At the same time, I’m confident the girls themselves recognize there is still much work to do to get this team to next level.  While there was no lack of effort, there was still some questionable decision making, and some selfish play with the puck – stuff we will continue to address in practices and games.  While both are important to success,  you can teach skills or systems to follow, but you can’t instruct desire or effort – that has to already be flickering inside just waiting to be ignited.  We certainly saw some flames burning over the last three days.

#imahockeycoach #imahockeydad

Period by Period

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Yesterday was one long, but ultimately very satisfying day of hockey. We started with a 7:30am wake up call in a foreign hotel room.  We were actually fortunate to get a relatively quiet hotel room, which could not be said for one of the Devil’s teammates who apparently listened to Moose Calls and barking dogs (yup, in a hotel) until 5am.  Still the Devil, like most teenagers has a deep-rooted appreciation for her weekend beauty sleep, so 7:30 was not welcomed.  I don’t think the shower actually shut off until 8:15, which left just enough time for a light breakfast before heading to the rink for the first of three games spread out over 12 hours.

sharks girls hockey team

My plan of attack for the day was presented in the pre-game talk of the Sharks’ first match. “There’s lots of hockey to play, so let’s just try to focus on one period at a time.”  Clichéd I know, but in order for these girls to succeed I thought bite-sized chunks made sense. I’m trying hard to remember not to overload the message – keep it simple just like I would want it delivered to me.

Game one found us dominant from the start against a team from our regular league. The game began with a tic-tac-toe passing play ending in a scoring opportunity.  Several other scoring chances would follow, however, as is too often the case in girls hockey, the red lamp would not be lit.  They would remain merely unconverted chances.  Between missing the net on point blank shots, the opposing keeper making some brilliant stops and in at least two cases the puck simply not finding a way to reach the mythical mesh, the first contest would end in a 0-0 tie. One particularly spectacular play featuring a pass from the point, a shot and a great deflection struck a startled goalie in the shoulder. She had no idea where the puck came from or where it was headed. Some would say she was in the right position.  In this case she just got hit by the puck. There was no actual save made. That’s the way it goes sometimes.  Our own keeper was given full marks for her shutout effort as well.

After an incredibly well organized team lunch (all team lunches have the potential to go sideways depending on the preparedness of the establishment, which is a topic for another day), we headed to rink two to tangle with team from the city hosting the tourney.  We watched them play earlier in the day and knew we would be in a battle.

The arena we arrived at was a charming old venue somewhere between anywhere and nowhere. It brought me back again to some of the rinks I played in many moons ago.  The ice surface appeared to be quite a bit smaller than a standard rink, which would require a specific game plan against a fairly big team. Even the player bench configuration was unusual as the two teams would face each other across the ice instead of being side by side. And finally, the girls were presented with a new and novel experience of jumping over the boards and down onto the ice as the doors to enter the bench from the ice were situated in a fashion which would not allow for an easy exit. After one of the first shifts, I heard one of our players quip to another “How was your first trip over the boards?” to which she replied “It was a lot of fun, but a long way down.”  Priceless.

Before the fourth period of the day, I told the girls their tournament destiny was in their hands.  A couple of victories would place them in a one-game, winner-take-all final on Sunday. But the focus (and there’s that word again) would be on period four to start.  Focus and fight they did.  They used their superior speed to cause turnovers by their opponent. They battled hard along the boards and in the corners for loose pucks. They won the first period, if only from a moral perspective.  About halfway through the second period  a large, labouring forward from the opposing side would wind up for a slap shot just outside of our blue line. A seemingly harmless salvo would suddenly dip and dive under our netminder’s glove. Our goalie had played so well in this and the previous tournament game that I implored our troops before the start of the third period to continue to fight; to pull even as reward to her.  However, we would remain scoreless for a second consecutive contest only this time it would result in our first loss at 1-0, setting up some good potential drama in our third and final game of the day.

In order to advance, the girls would need to dig down a little deeper to defeat an opponent near and dear to my heart; the oft aforementioned arch rivals including a couple of post-tryout “defectors”.  We knew they hadn’t played since the early morning and hoped a long layoff in their hotel pool (maybe even the hot tub or sauna) would provide something of an advantage.  Our side, on the other hand, needed to get through periods 7, 8 and 9 in that order.

As the game began, we were the decidedly more aggressive, dominant team.  Our players were putting their exhaustion behind them; pushing forward with a tangible determination. Yet, it still felt like goal scoring would be at a premium as shots zinged by the net or found their way into the glove of the animated backstop of the other team (her antics along with those of other goals are perhaps another topic to be explored down the line). The scoreboard screamed out 0-0 at the start the third (or for us, the ninth) period.  I told the team we had made it to the end. We now just needed to win a single 12 minute contest.  Halfway through the third our opponents did us a favour taking two consecutive penalties to give us a two-player advantage.  While we again had opportunities, we were not able to convert. It looked and felt like a second 0-0 tie would be our fate, making a trip to the Finals a little bit more of a dicey proposition requiring other positive outcomes in other games we could not control. Then, will a little over a minute left in the game, our young charges decided to turn their intensity up one more notch; an impressive feat some 15 hours after this day of hockey began.  An end-to-end rush by one of our defenceman culminated in a mad scramble in front of the cage holding our fate. I didn’t actually see who made the final poke at the puck, but I clearly saw it resting victoriously at the back of the net. The bench, parents in the stands and conquering players on the ice erupted.  Five seconds later I was down in front of the next three forwards to take the ice shouting “FOCUS!”. The Devil reports that my eyes were a little wild, if not bulging out of my head, with excitement. Thirty seconds can be a lifetime in a hockey game. I wanted to be sure we spent that lifetime out of our defensive zone, far away from any potential tying goal.  Indeed we did as the final five successfully defended our suddenly slim, but oh so welcomed 1-0 lead. The game unfortunately ended with the increasingly incensed little goalie darting out of her net and launching herself inexplicably into one of our players trying to pin the puck on the boards to finalize the proceedings. I am hopeful there are no lasting effects from that contact. The buzzer would sound  bringing with it one more small off-the-bench, on-ice eruption.

In a few hours we have another date with the host squad, only this time on a bigger, more familiar rink. Regardless the outcome, our team has had success here this weekend.  It will no doubt be a hotly contested affair where goals will be at a premium.  I think we’ll just plan to take it one period at a time.

#imahockeydad

Sometimes the Hockey is Pleasantly Secondary

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This past weekend was a great example of how hockey can be an excellent backdrop and excuse to simply get away to have some fun.  Our family spent the weekend in Niagara Falls where the Boy took part in a Summer tournament. Where else would you expect me to spend Father’s Day?  You naturally go into any tournament wanting to win, but the emphasis in this case, as it should be in the majority of situations, was on having fun – both for the Boys and their families in tow.

Upon dropping our Boy off at the front door of the first arena on Friday afternoon, we made our way to the back of the parking lot to join several other hockey moms and dads in some Summer hockey tail-gating.  As I scanned the parking lot I could see pop-up trailers, RVs, bbq-flavoured smoke rising from well-prepared grills and multi-colored, ice-filled coolers.  The general rule is to arrive one-hour before game-time, which leaves plenty of time to pop open the back door of the van, turn on some music, sit back in a lawn chair, sip a cold beverage and wonder what the unfortunate working people are doing.  It was almost difficult to rise up and head to the rink to watch the game as puck-drop drew near.  And such would be the case over the next few days as the temperatures rose and the beverages seemingly got colder or at least certainly more refreshing.

The rest of the weekend included a surprisingly efficient and affordable team dinner, a customary trip to see one of the Wonders of the World, a pre-game round for a few fathers including yours truly on a phenomenal golf course, purposely missed late-night curfews and two white-knuckled walks for me and the Devil thru a couple of Niagara Falls’ finest haunted houses. I’m confident the feeling should come back to my over-gripped hand any day now.

And oh yeah, there was a little hockey mixed in there too.  The hockey portion of the weekend saw the Boys play to a 1-1-1 round robin record putting them firmly in 5th place entering the playoff round.  All of the games were close and they could have just as easily been 3-0.  They would fall 3-1 in their first playoff game, which relegated them to battle it out for 7th, which they were able to secure with a 4-0 victory to end on a high note. It may have just been me, but it seemed the fun had outside the rink found its way onto the ice – win or lose.

The original plan in putting this team together was to enter two tournaments, with Niagara being the second. But at the end of day two Boys and parents alike were talking about looking for a third opportunity to hang out and maybe play/watch some hockey.  And to be clear, a few more wins than losses will certainly be welcomed. For some this will perhaps become more of a priority as the real season draws near.  I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in hoping the fun stays the primary focus.

#imahockeydad