Tales from the beer league part 2

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Originally Posted by Luc SkyBomba

That's awesome. One time I asked Darryl Evans if he'd play on my roller team and he just laughed.

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I asked Dave Taylor to come help out my team!!! (he was busy)


Speaking of my team....we lost last night in our second game of a best-of-three playoffs. First time we've ever had a best-of-three playoffs (4x4 league at Pano). We lost 6-1 last week - the makeup of the team we played had changed a lot since the beginning of the season. Let's just say, while they didn't bring in Terry Yake, they did have some players who don't belong in our division. Last night we had a 4-4 tie going with about 3 minutes left, but then Mr. Ringer turned up the juice and they took a 5-4 lead. Despite a valiant effort with our goalie pulled in the last 1:30ish, we just couldn't put another one away against Three Levels Up Goalie and they got an empty netter with about :20 left. Oh well...at least we get a week off before the new season starts. And my whole team seems to be returning, so we should do well if everyone can stay healthy this season.

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Originally Posted by beedee

Thanks. They are a classic 4-Roll style, I do like them, but often wonder if I'd like a more snug fit? Plus, I'm sure the cost of the repair wouldn't be that far off from a new low to mid end pair?

The Vapor feels good in the fingers but then gets really wide open in the hand/cuff area. Supreme fits more snug all around. On the CCM side, the JetSpeed fits similar to the Vapor and the Tacks to the Supreme. Pure Hockey has a much better variety than Hockey Monkey does (in my area).

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I use Warrior gloves and love them!! I have giant man-hands (seriously....my hands are almost as big as my husband's were!). I have 2 different pairs, but they are out in the car so I don't know the model #s ...let me know if you want the model #s . I actually have 1 pair that I don't really use if you want to try them, I can send them to you. I think they are only 13", though.

Game 4: 3-2 loss, now 0-4 on the season.

Maybe we should consider dropping down to Copper? I think we won 2 games last season, maybe 3?

Anyhow, I digress. On to the game. First period was a sloppy mess for us, for whatever reason no one on our team could get anything together. Our team definitely lacks structure, and anything that resembles a slight form of "system" or game plan. Not that many BHL teams do have one, but I've noticed that quite a few do seem to be more structured than ours. Sloppy passes, being stuck in our zone, you name it, it happened in the first period. That said, we were only down 1-0 at the end of it! Second period was a bit better, we tied it pretty quickly, and then went on to take a 2-1 lead into the third period. Nothing really eventful to report.

britt: Oh wait, one of the refs called a phantom penalty on me for "high-sticking". I was 110% baffled as my stick was never raised up past the top of the boards as I battled for the puck with their winger. The ref (im guessing was new) admitted that he didn't have a clear view as he was at the redline, and had their right defenseman partially blocking his view, as well as our winger. Me and the guy were battling along the half-wall boards adjacent to the face-off circle in our end. In fact, when he blew the whistle everyone was kind of standing around and asking what happened. I went as far as asking the guy I was battling with if I got him up high, he wasn't hesitant to say "no" for the obvious, but came up to me after the game and we shared a laugh about it as he said my stick was nowhere near being high. He actually lifted my stick as we both arrived at the puck at the same time, but again, it wasn't high. The ref actually reneged his call and we went on our merry way!

They ended up scoring about 2/3 the way through the third to tie it, and then scored another shortly after. Complete lapse on our end, with people standing around why their player skated through 4 out of 5 of us right to the crease and beat our rent-a-goalie 5 Hole. We pulled our goalie with a minute or so left and had some great chances with our extra attacker, we were in their zone that entire last minute of play. I had one final shot as the puck squirted out to me on my opposite side of the blue line (right D side), I fired off a slap-shot with 3 seconds left on the clock. It made it through the mass of humanity in the low slot area, but hit a skate and was redirected wide of the net. That was that, game over.

We are off this week for the super bowl but we do have a game monday night. Our last game was a battle for first place and we ended up pulling out the win 6-4. The game was a spirited affair but nothing too crazy. Their team had one of the players kids in goal since their normal goalie got hurt. Normally that would be a death sentence but the kid had thought he was skating out and had his regular skates and borrowed gear on instead of goalie skates. We definitely took advantage of that.
My knee's been acting up lately so that was a bit of a bummer, could not get a proper knee bend playing D and consequently felt one legged out there at times. I did get one rush up the ice and although I had a 2-1 opportunity I saw the goalie catch his edge as he set for me so I fired it at the open short side. The damned kid got his glove down on it as he was falling over. Oh well.

You mentioned structure beedee, i'll say that this teams been together long enough that we have definite habits. I have certain players I know I can toss an area pass without looking and they'll go get it. It's so much faster hockey when you can get that little bit of rhythm. In any case its always a weird melding of trying to get your head up to read plays vs taking the easy way out when you're anticipating. I know I get myself in trouble when I've got something like my knee slowing me down and I'm trying to catch up to where mentally I'm betting people are.

One other note, I've got a mid week skate that I might get to go back to at the end of february, and possibly a friday lunch skate at the end of the month that we've been told has been waiting for the mask mandates to lift. That one was great.

Game 5: 3-1 Win!!!

You read that right folks, we actually won! I must say, things weren't looking good though in the lockeroom when 5 minutes before game time we only had 7 skaters and a goalie. I wish our captain would do a group team text instead of an email, that way we can know ahead of time if we will be short, might sway some guys into coming that were on the fence. Anyhow, during warmies I was looking over at the other team and counting their players, looks like they were short as well, but you never know as people do trickle in later. Low and behold, they also only had 7 guys! Woooohooo!

We got off to a quick two goal lead in the first period, nothing fancy, just your typical beer league goals. They scored about halfway through the first on a juicy rebound that our goalie deflected the initial shot with his blocker right into the slot and I wasn't able to slap it out to the boards as it bounced over my stick. They had a guy coming up the gut following up his shot and he was able to hammer it home. We bounced back rather quickly and got another goal a couple minutes later. I snapped a shot in from the point and the goalie made the save but the rebound went right to my buddy and he quickly put the biscuit in the basket and that was all for the scoring for the rest of the game.

Second and third periods were pretty uneventful, but the ice was certainly tilted in our favor all night long. Scorekeeper wasn't keep track of shots, but we really out shot them. I must have had at least 10 SOG's alone, most from the point, but a couple came on some end to high-slot rushes that I had. Their goalie was really good and kept the score closer than what the game showed. Only one penalty was called all night long, mid-way through the 3rd. It was a tripping penalty on them because I toe-picked when chasing the puck along the boards in front of one of their players. I felt bad because the guy didn't trip me, I acknowledged that to him, and even the ref but he said he couldn't take it back, oh well. Everyone on our team played solid and we were connecting in upwards of 3 consecutive passes many times throughout the game.

It was a fun game even though both teams were short on players. I found that I tend to pace myself better and actually was not as exhausted as I though I would be considering how much ice time we got, and how we only had two subs. Which usually means, you get to rest for about 1 minute before the next guy that is sucking wind comes off for a change.

So we had a game on Monday night and I guess I'm over it enough to report how it went. We lost 4-3, against a team we'd previously beaten (the weird jerseys one) and while that game was weird as i'd mentioned this time they were just so bad, and we were even worse.
We started the game and it was a complete beer league **** show of people just one hacking pucks in any direction they could. No passing, just chip and no chase except for whoever was near where that puck went. Finally the puck came around me and I settled it down and started moving with it in the D zone for a breakout, I've got my head up and all I see are 3 slack jawed forwards wondering how I've invented stick handling and a wall of their team coming after me. I did get it out of the zone on that one and dumped it down there side for a change but I was getting hot already. We only had 4 D this game so I was out there again pretty quick and finally the game started to resemble something closer to not the bottom of the barrel beer league. We were still getting hemmed in a lot and not of traction on the offensive front but at least nothing seemed dangerous. Then their team started getting a little more confidence and all the sudden things were getting dangerous. Even when we were getting it out the other D pair was sagging so far back because of the other teams high floaters that the neutral zone was absolutely free. So it turned into rush after rush and by the end of the first we were down 3-0 and demoralized. I'm pretty sure we had like 2 shots on goal, one of which was me dumping the puck on the goalie on a rush trying to beat the dman to a rebound.

The second started and it was more of the same until I broke a puck out to a moving center (hallelujah) and they got a good zone entry but forced to the corner. The other team overpursued and he was able to move the puck up the boards to my point. I pulled the puck off the wall and glided back about 2 strides with if before taking a clapper and it hit one of their D on the way in for the old seeing eye shot. But hey we were on the board. This led to a little bit of giddy up and we finally started to tilt the ice back in on them even if we weren't getting great shots. I did manage to join our center on another rush 2-2, he threw one across ice behind me, I picked it up of the boards circling towards the blue and then the slot on my forehand and the center came across with a perfect pick, so I could free up and throw a wrister against the grain that popped the water bottle. Now it's 3-2 and we think we've got something going.

They did start taking a lot of deep shots to their high floaters though which backfired on them when one of them rimmed the puck in and around. I swooped from the other side with speed to catch their forechecker right as the puck came and was able to ramp it just over his stick and I was off with speed. Turned their last D man outside in and tried the same move across the slot but their goalie stayed patient and got their shoulder on it. So end of the second we're 3-2 but the team is getting some mojo.

Start of the third our first line finally wins a faceoff, they get in deep, work a low give and go to a pass across the crease and our winger buries it top corner short side on the goalie coming across on him. Great shot great goal. So now we got them on the ropes. We're finally playing well but we can't score. gets to be about 4 minutes left and they're coming in on me 2-2. No big deal, I'm pushing their winger wide, theres no danger to the slot. He throws one five hole looking to get the rebound to his backside winger who's tied up and I hear the dreaded sound of the puck hitting the padding in the back of the net and our goalie yell "****!". Their winger was astonished and yeah thats how it ended, 4-3 on a **** goal after coming back from 3-0.

am i dumb af?

Im taking a season off but after playing D all season and enjoying that side of the game a lot... It has me wanting to try goalie.

Quick someone talk me out of it? Or... Should I just ****ing do it? Im 35 and have terrible flexablitly lol but i figure itll force me to get my **** together and work on myself. Maybe im just missing the game.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/LZ3Gw...cEZj/giphy.gif

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Originally Posted by xLAxKingsx

am i dumb af?

Im taking a season off but after playing D all season and enjoying that side of the game a lot... It has me wanting to try goalie.

Quick someone talk me out of it? Or... Should I just ****ing do it? Im 35 and have terrible flexablitly lol but i figure itll force me to get my **** together and work on myself. Maybe im just missing the game.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/LZ3Gw...cEZj/giphy.gif

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Can't remember if I shared my goalie stories here or not. But I was in a similar boat. But I was tired of playing wing, getting screwed on ice time whenever we had too many players, and then double screwed when someone took a penalty. I thought to myself, its kind of now or never if I want to try goalie on ice at the age of 41. Unlimited ice time, no one to share or rotate on a line with, it was just ME ME ME in the crease, ALLLLLL GAAAAMMMEEE LOOONG! I had played it off and on over the years when playing street hockey with friends, and in organized roller leagues. It had always been a dream (for lack of better words) for me to play it on ice. F it, I'm in!

I acquired some of our goalies old gear (chestie, leg pads, blocker, glove), and was on my own for goalie pants, knee-guards, mask and skates. Luckily my buddy was a manager at Goalie Monkey, and he had a new pair of demo Graf Goalie Skates that were my size that he let me have for free, score! My training included creating an extensive YOUTUBE playlist on how to goalie. I then joined some skills clinics (for free) at Lakewood, as well as quite a few stick times with my friends. I brought my GoPro out and set it up in the low-slot to watch myself on video when I got home. Once I grew a sack, I started playing some pick-up, and then my friends rookie team needed a tendie. I took the plunge, it was tough because everyone was brand new, and I was a Silver level player, playing in ROOKIE. Talk about a mind-F!!! I was trying to help coach the team from the crease while I was learning a new position more or less. It was rough going to say the least. We were getting smoked, I'm going to toot my own horn, I was able to keep games respectable due to how many sandbaggers the other teams were carrying. I played two seasons of ROOKIE while subbing off and on in COPPER...eventually landing a full-time gig on a COPPER team at Lakewood. This lead me to some BRONZE subbing opportunities as well.

This position was great and not great all at the same time. It was really cool to make the "big save" and get props from everyone. It also sucked when the game was on the line and you let in a softie. It sucked when you bust your ass every game because you are the last resort, but your D and F were half-ass back-checking, or not even getting back at all. I can't tell you how many 2 on 0's I faced, it was insane! Another rough part was, if you weren't feeling good, you couldn't keep your shifts short and relax on the bench. Last but not least, IT IS AN INSANE WORKOUT if your team sucks. Being that you are in ROOKIE, expect to face a ton of shots! At one point in my early ROOKIE games, I had to call a time-out because I thought I was going to puke right there in the crease, that is how hard I was working.

All in all, it was tough. The mental aspect got to me, I was getting frustrated more than I was having fun. The nail in the coffin for me was the Richard-head that hit me in the collar bone during warm ups from the right side of the semi-circle as I was facing the far left shooter. Imagine your own teammate basically taking you out of the game before it even starts?!?! Crazy huh, but it happened. People are f'ing dumbasses and don't look up before shooting at the goal. There are quite a few beer league hockey goalie warm-up memes floating around that are all accurate as F! I decided after that game when I got plugged in warmies that I was done. I had fun, but I don't know, the pressure that I put on myself was rough, and it was hard for me not to get pissed at my team for giving up so many outnumbered attacks on me.

One last note, you really should be a great skater too. Don't think that you are just standing there all game, next time you watch an NHL game, focus solely on the goalies and how active they really care, it is insane!

Aren't there enough of us getting up there in years that we could have a legit "over 40" league in SoCal. Or over 50?? or an "I'm never getting any better" league??

My team lost our 1st game of the season 7-2 on Tuesday to a team we should be able to beat. Goal #7 was my fault....I didn't cover my guy, let him walk in from the point with 2 seconds left in the game and he scored. Played OK the rest of the game at forward. Had 2 good chances on goal at least.
Stayed after to watch the new "rookie" team in our division....which appears to be made up of Greek Gods who know how to skate really, really well. My male teammates are all terrified to play them next week. Seriously, every guy on this team is over 6'. And they are definitely NOT beginners.

We did take 2nd in the division, though, for last season. Had a bad loss in playoff game #1 , but kept it close in game #2 - I think we lost 6-4. It was a best of 3. So, at least I got to go to the Drew Doughty 1,000th game ceremony last week instead of having to play a 3rd game.

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Originally Posted by Nyssa42

Aren't there enough of us getting up there in years that we could have a legit "over 40" league in SoCal. Or over 50?? or an "I'm never getting any better" league??

My team lost our 1st game of the season 7-2 on Tuesday to a team we should be able to beat. Goal #7 was my fault....I didn't cover my guy, let him walk in from the point with 2 seconds left in the game and he scored. Played OK the rest of the game at forward. Had 2 good chances on goal at least.
Stayed after to watch the new "rookie" team in our division....which appears to be made up of Greek Gods who know how to skate really, really well. My male teammates are all terrified to play them next week. Seriously, every guy on this team is over 6'. And they are definitely NOT beginners.

We did take 2nd in the division, though, for last season. Had a bad loss in playoff game #1 , but kept it close in game #2 - I think we lost 6-4. It was a best of 3. So, at least I got to go to the Drew Doughty 1,000th game ceremony last week instead of having to play a 3rd game.

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Count me in for 40 plus and never getting better! Hell I need to get back in. Been like over two years now...