Game 1: Eugene Xtreme

Our first game was at 9:45pm tonight (well, technically yesterday now, since it's the wee hours of Saturday) against the Eugene Xtreme. After skating a couple shifts in the first period, I figured we should be able to take this team. They were about our level (except for two players who stood out as strong skaters and puckhandlers), so I thought we'd have a good shot against them.

We brought only 6 players with us from California (including our goalie), so we had to recruit some Canadian subs in order to have two full lines of forwards and D. Jocelyn came out from Regina again this year, and she brought her friend Marlene (who couldn't make it last year because she broke her arm days before the tournament). We also picked up three local players: Amber and Deb, who played on a line with Michele, and Sarah, who played D. Jocelyn also played D this time, along with Shauna and Sabrina. I Centered a line with Felicia at Left and Marlene at Right.

I wasn't particularly strong at the faceoffs, but I tried to bring whatever other talents I have to bear in playing Center. My main strengths: 1. speed (although Al rightly notes that I don't really have quickness), and 2. dogged forechecking. I think it's important to have both, because forechecking as a Center is no good if you can't also get back when the play turns around. (I almost didn't on a play toward the end of the 3rd period; luckily, Al yelled from the bench, "Lori, you're D!" to spur me on. I hadn't noticed that Sarah was still up at the blueline.)

As for the dogged forechecking, I just tried to slow down their strongest skaters (who were playing D), and to break up passes whenever possible (because usually, Felicia could capitalize on it). I knew that whatever I was doing was working pretty well against one of the fancy D skaters when she grabbed my stick at one point and tried to fling it out of the way. It felt good to get under her skin a little. :)

I felt strongest and most in control of my game when I was forechecking, and also when I had to get back on D once and start a breakout from behind the net. My skating was smooth, my pass fairly authoritative, and I had good speed; in short, I really felt like a hockey player. Playing with my new Synergy stick, which Al bought for me today at Cyclone Taylor, also made me feel powerful and capable. As I said to Al after the game, I never had to wonder if I could bring my stick around to get whack at the puck. It's so much lighter than my wooden stick that there's never any doubt that I have the arm strength to actually puckhandle.

Amber scored all three of our goals (all on breakaways); she's very fast when she sees a free puck and an open lane. I figure all we need to do to score is wear the other team down in the neutral zone, and wait for the puck to pop out to Amber. She got the MVP award, of course, but I actually think Felicia was probably the biggest go-getter on the ice for us. Her passing was great, she was really good at getting to the puck and turning up ice with it, she worked hard in the corners, and she rotated the triangle really well, too. It was great to really see her in her element.

Anyway, it was a fun game (that we won 3-1, btw), and one that used up about all the energy I had for the night. When the Sechelt Spiders came looking for a sub for their game right after ours, I had to pass. I still had a stitch in my side from my second-to-last shift, and I didn't want to completely wipe myself out for tomorrow (we have games at 3:45pm and 8:00pm). Al is now snoring beside me, and I'm about to doze off myself. More tomorrow, after the next game!

Posted by Lori in Vancouver Tournament 2003 | May 24, 2003·01:06 AM

Comments

Aww, thanks :)

Yeah, the tournament was a lot of fun and everyone on the team was great to have around. I suspect with a few more games under our belts that we would have really been a fighting force. I think Al had a good point; we were kinda all trying to carry the team but at least everyone was out there giving it 110%. All in all though, a nice city, a good group of girls and alot of fun on the ice. I do wish we'd gotten a team picture together, even if I do look like an 8 year old out there with everyone ;)

Posted by: Felicia at May 27, 2003 12:17 AM

:) I wish we'd gotten a team photo, too. Didn't occur to me to have Al take one, since the professional guy usually does it.

Re: the 110%, there's something about playing with the Spitfire, with its mixed levels and tons of subs (and all-women squad, perhaps?), that seems to bring out a different level of play in me than my weekly league games do. I thought it might just be me until I saw the same thing in you -- it was a different Felicia out there in Vancouver than I usually see with Gang Green. It's exciting to know that we can be confident and aggressive and fast, no?

Posted by: Lori at May 27, 2003 11:36 AM