Men's League Ice Hockey

[Yoke]

I had to wear a helmet when I was learning to skate, but I was in a sort of "hockey class", I guess you could call it, through a hockey association. I spend a lot of time on a chair, getting pushed by the older kids, and not skating. My parents didn't like that. I was 3 or 4, I don't remember. Eventually worked my way to pushing it, then skating really well while only striding with one leg.

They still tease me for playing in games, and only striding with one leg, when I was 4 and 5.

[JKidd]

Lost last night 5-3.

Tough one to swallow. Aside from one monsterous gaff, I played pretty well. The gaff... trying to back hand a pass - rink wide - at my own blue line. Their center was all ****ing over it, and it was all over the twine after that. I sat on the bench after and couldn't believe I just made the mistake. We mounted a comeback after that, which made it 3-0, making it 3-2 late into the 2nd, but, we just couldn't get the bounces we needed. Talked about the play after the game with the guys at the Stube, and had no explanation for it. Elementary mistake I'd normally be skating laps for. Skated back to fish the puck out of the net and couldn't even say anything to our tender. He was still on his ass and looking down - not much he could have done on the shot (other than stop like we pay him to do ). It was one of those wristers labeled for the top corner from about the hash marks.

Landed one solid hit in the game. Read the breakout from the red line, and made my pinch to try and keep the puck in, as the winger was reaching back for the pass and wall papered him. Didn't keep the puck in the zone, but, the hit seemed to help wake my team up. I was hacked and slashed most of the game for the hit, for which I expected and deserved, but, didn't bother me all that much.

Finished the game even, despite that gaff, and was out there enough to help the PK to a 1-5 effort.

Always sucks when the girl friends of your mates try saying "good game" and you can't even fathom how or why a human would tell you that, after making such a horrible play. Honestly felt like Martin Skoula... and my mates reminded me of how ugly it was by offering me sweater #41 for our next game.

Oh well. Good thing I have another game in a couple days to hopefully wash the taste of this game out of my mouth.

[Yoke]

Did the same thing in boot the other day, luckly it's boot and it got tipped to my D partner. **** my pants, but it turned out ok.


We have our first game for actual hockey tonight, and my other team starts on Thursday night. Looking forward to Thursday more, because that team is new, and has more of my friends.

[Yoke]

The game tonight didn't go as good as I would have hoped. I didn't get as tired as I thought I would get, which was nice, and I handled the puck well, but they had a hot goalie. We ended up losing 6-2. We hit a lot of posts, they had one puck get behind their goalie, but their D got it before it slid into the net.

They were up 4-0 after the first, and then we dominated the 2nd, but couldn't score. They were up 5-0 at the end of 2.

I think I finished even for the game, but I'm not sure. Hopefully Thursday night with the team I put together goes better.

[JKidd]

Lost a heart breaker yesterday. A goal from my end, but, we just couldn't finish the scramble late. Was a very wide open game, with maybe 3 penalties called all game (me picking up one of them). Started getting up early 1-0. We let'em back and went down by by one last into the 1st, ending the period 2-1.

A few minutes into the 2nd, my goal ties it up. We cycle the puck off the half wall, and I get a great feed from the boards. Couldn't one time it, but had the stick up to think about it. The on rusher took away the shot, so I gathered and drifted towards the middle, and let a wrister go - that really didn't have much to it. It dipped at the last second, and hoped over the goalies pads. It was about as ugly a shot as I've let go, and it worked great. I got a lot of **** for it while we all celebrated the goal. Then took my one penalty around 5 minutes left to play, still tied up. Go in the box for a tripping. Reached for the puck, instead of playing the body behind the net, and I took the feet right out - a good call from the ref. They had us under siege during the PP. At least 6 shots. With 2 seconds, Robby sends one high and hard, the defenseman jumps to keep the puck, and it hits his gloves and drops right at my feet as I'm getting out. Gather it, and in on the breakaway. For-to-back move and looking five hole, goalie makes the miracle save going post to post and gathers it with his thigh or crotch on the ice to deny me. I honestly thought it went in as there was nothing there to stop me as he went across. Raised my stick thinking I put it home, and the ref blows it dead with nothing behind him. He gets up and shakes it from his crotch area... and I damn near two handed him in the face for his efforts. I rarely get breakaways. I even more rarely get a decent move off - but this was a great move and an even better save. Story of the game.

Going into the 3rd, still tied, 2-2. We apply pressure like a bunch of dingos the first half of the period. I mean, we easily had to have had 6 minutes of zone time, and 10-13 shots. We just couldn't get one by. Then, they catch us on an ugly change, and go in 2-1. The perfect pass over E who laid down to take the pass, and a one time snipe job makes it 3-2. We get out there and turn it up even more looking for the tying goal. Everything went to the net. Every-****ing-thing went to the net. We knocked the goal off three times driving the net and being checked into it. With about 90 seconds left, we pull Dan in net, and we keep the puck in for the entire final minute. Shots are flying everywhere. I sink in from the point and take up camping in front of the crease, with two other teammates. I had a rebound on my stick for about half a second before getting cross checked to the ice, and sending it just wide of the net from my stomach. A few seconds later, the whistles go, and the game ends. A bitter, bitter, bitter game.

Shaking hands afterwards, I had to give their tender an extra nod for robbing me... as much as I wanted to just two hand him in the face. Off until Wednesday night.

[Yoke]

Had the goalie we played last night pull off a couple of those kind of saves, where you just kinda stare and wonder how that happened. We were down 4-2 going into the 3rd, and started to come back. Firing lots of shots instead of trying to make a good looking play like we did at the beginning of the game. I got an assist on a shot from the point (I was covering for the D) that was tipped in front, then off the post, then right back to the forward that had originally tipped it. Sort of odd, but they owed us a weird goal since our goalie gave them one to finish the 2nd.

Last Thursday, my other team had our first game of the season. It started out really fast, which was really surprising to me. It was it was 4-3 them at the end of one, with our goalie still shaking off some rust, since he hadn't played since May, plus he had a couple drinks before the game. He got back into it during the 2nd, and we started pouring it on. We ended up winning 10-5. They scored one with 25 seconds left when we had really quit caring. Only bad part of the game is that one of our smallest guys ran into one of their biggest and got a mild concussion.

Our next game is tonight.

[JKidd]

Played late last night, put up two helpers in a 6-1 ass whooping. Such an easy game, I was mad I played and missed the 3rd to the Wild/Nucks game.

Got hit with a very low hit on the knees, on the end wall. Soft chip, I went in first, rang the puck, and as the guy collided, it felt like knee to the outside of my knee and caused my legs to go numb for a few seconds. Got to the bench and took a shift off before the feeling came back.

I got denied on a break away. I was getting out of the box after a cross checking call, snagged the clearing attempt, and went in. Slowed down a bit, went fore-to-back and then reached back to the forehand - and the goalie's pad in the "A" frame was still out far enough and he stopped me. I thought I got it out far enough to put it past - but, wasn't the case. About the only good thing that bastard did all night was robbing me. Gave him a smack on the pads after he covered for the effort.

Even though the game's score got out of hand, the game itself didn't deteriorate. As you guys know is the norm, a lot of times teams get dirty when the game is decided early.

Did have a hilarious situation happen. We were pressuring on the PP, a few guys in front of the net as we're shooting away. Wally drills a point shot (one of our hardest shooters), the goalie thinks he has it covered, myself and Soupy are digging at a rebound that's loose, their defenseman clears it up the middle, right back to Wally. Soupy is getting worked over with the cross check as he's on his knees, near the edge of the crease. As he is getting up - back to the net, Wally bombs another shot and it smacks Soupy square on the cup. He went completely limp and down on the ice, then into the fetal position. The sound it made, was almost as if the shot hit the goalie in the mask. Refs blow it down as he isn't able to get up and we get the strange deflection. I don't think he went back out there for a good 5-10 minutes... he wasn't talking a whole lot in the parking lot after.

All I could do was laugh, and tell everyone I'm glad it was him, and not me... being about a foot away from him in the slot.

[JKidd]

Back to back games... early game last night as well. You can really get a feel for what pro's go through when you play back to back games, and don't have to travel with it.

Took some old lessons learned from tournament days of my younger years to warm up the legs. Some box jumps, dot drill and jump roping to get things warmed up, and it never has failed me.

No points, but a +3 on the evening with a 2-1 break up - in a 4-2 win.

Was able to land a big hit on the end wall that got me two for roughing (I didn't like the call, but, oh well). A soft chip, and I turned late, to get in second. He turned a bit, to get his shoulder square with me and try to nudge me. But, that didn't work out too well for him. I got my arms on his side and crushed him into the glass, he went down in a heap. I snagged the puck, and its blown down immediately. The entire skate to the box I was asking how I get the penalty for him trying to initiate contact. They didn't score on their PP, and I had a few more choice words for the zebra during a stoppage.

The 2-1... My mistake to begin with, so I'm glad I got back to break it up. Horrible break out pass. Normally pride myself on these, and I sent an ugly pass way behind Johan. Hits the boards behind him, and their winger snags it with another forward. I got back and made the turn, and waited to the middle of the circles before dropping to a knee and putting the stick on the ice. The pass came cross and got caught on my sick, got back up to my feet and high cleared it to center.

Good game though. Fast paced, with very few penalties (4 in the game total, I think).

[Yoke]

I get kind of jealous that you guys get to hit, although, I know I'd get smoked after all these years of no check leagues.

I hadn't updated since my Monday game. We ended up playing a lot of guys that went to the same HS as me, including one that was on my team back then. I'm still playing defense because our other defenseman doesn't know that we have games (nobody knows his phone number...oops).

Thought the game went really solid. I have gotten my puck handling skills and wind back, which has given me the confidence to start making some plays. Got the puck off the half boards in their zone, stick handled around 2 other guys coming out of there, 1 more towards the slot, and then went back against the grain for one of our guys to score a backdoor goal.

2nd assist I got was pretty similar. I pinched on an attempted breakout pass because the guy telegraphed it big time. The same guy I passed it to on the first assist was on the backdoor wideopen again. Passed it to him and he tapped it in.

We ended up winning 10-3, so that's 2 10 goal games on the season for us. I know the games are going to get more difficult soon, and we're going to need to get more contribution from one of our 2 forward lines. The 1st one has scored a lot of goals, and sets up a lot of plays, but they are more used to playing with each other. The 2nd line is new to each other, and are contributing somewhat, but will improve over time.

Hopefully we can get all 12 guys there soon, and I can move up to forward again. Games on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week between my 2 teams. Really excited to be back playing more regularly.

[Yoke]

Also surprised to not really see any posts from anyone else. Are nobody but Jkidd and me playing this winter? Not like you gotta write a news story, but how have you played?

[PilotsFan]

Originally Posted by Yoke

Also surprised to not really see any posts from anyone else. Are nobody but Jkidd and me playing this winter? Not like you gotta write a news story, but how have you played?

I went to a public skate and made it around the rink about a dozen times without suffering a bad injury, does that count for anything?

And Im going to do it again next Sunday too!

Im figuring at this rate the mens league will be calling within the next few weeks looking for a top line forward. ha ha

[NJDevils17]

If I had ice skates and if I'd skated somewhat freqently I'd definitely play Men's League. I haven't put on a pair of skates in over 7 or 8 years and I wasn't a strong skater to being with (I'd never really ice skated much either. I was more of roller hockey guy).

But anyway, I'm thinking of getting an inexpensive pair of skates in the spring and try to get back into skating. I would love to play Men's League (or any sort of hockey for that matter). I'm pretty sure I need another stick though as my old one broke in my last roller hockey game ever.

[Yoke]

It's too bad you guys are where you are, they have adult leagues around here for guys that can barely skate

[pramovich]

Currently serving 10 game suspension.

[Yoke]

What for?