It's been a long time off the skates; with my beloved on two business trips that spanned hockey practice days, and a team BBQ instead of a game last week, it was two weeks with no skating. To make matters worse, I danced a little too hard at a concert with Freezepop and 8 Bit Weapon, and hurt my neck. But with the power of non-prescription naproxen sodium, I rendered myself able to participate meaningfully in this final game of the regular season.
The game-winning goal was scored with about 10 seconds left in the game. I had done all I could in my wounded state to stop the attacker, but it was not enough. Perhaps if I had been at 100% the disaster could have been averted. I was, of course, furious about that goal, because I was right next to it when it happened. It was the final note in a 6-7 loss against the most talented (note I didn't say "best") team in our league. It's too bad we don't get a handicap for consistently playing with a short bench -- we only had 9 skaters to their dozen or more.
What have I learned?
Our team of rookies (self included, of course) developed into a team that is at least not a pushover. When you kick us down, we get back up. Multiple times if need be.
Gambling on defense is for those with better skating and puck-handling abilities than I.
Playing wounded really stinks. All I could manage was stupid-simple defense, which I think I did reasonably well.
I've been doing well enough on defense that others on my team are starting to trust in my ability. I see no reason why I shouldn't stick with the position.
I will definitely be back for next season.
I hear the playoff schedule is up, and that we're meeting the Enforcers in the first round. The only team we have legitimately beaten. The team we tied in the final seconds of the previous game.
The usual plug: If you feel like following the team, look for the Bay Area Bulldogs in Conference D of the Pacific Hockey Association.