The Red Barons are always a challenge, even more so when they bring down one of their "promoted" players from Conference C. Sunday night's 6-5 victory was hard-fought and hard-won.
We started out in a hole. We may have earned the first goal (I think?) but by midway through the second period we found ourselves two goals down. After two quick goals against us on my shifts I was getting very frustrated, and I shortened my shift a bit to contemplate improvement (i.e. forget what I had done wrong and start doing things right). Another goal against when I had to come off the bench and join the play from behind to defend against it. Yet another goal against as I was defending a breakaway on the weak side; the puck never came over to my side of the ice. Nothing could be done about those.
It was very stinky being down by three goals.
We had beaten these guys before, and we could do it again. I remembered my basic strategy against their #66, a notorious cherry-picking forward who likes to park in the crease: stay with him, between him and the goal, and irritate him. Let him know I'm there. Little hindrances. Oh, and that applied to anyone else seeking to park themselves in the slot. Good thing I usually have a partner out on defense; I so couldn't do it alone.
The second period ended in a tie, 4-4. This was encouraging.
That I had not been on the ice in nearly two weeks was all too apparent to me; I had been on puppy patrol for the past week and so my evenings were taken. I had been almost sedentary as well, getting very little exercise. During the first period, I was having trouble keeping up with the fast-paced play. But by the third period, my body remembered how to play this demanding sport.
We got the jump on the Barons in the third period, scoring our fifth goal. But they soon got it back for the tie. We scored number six, and they pulled their goalie. We couldn't take advantage of their open net, but we stonewalled their final flurry for a clawing, biting, scratching victory in a skilled, fast-paced game that really needed all three periods to resolve.
This was a good 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.