I was sort of ambivalent about whether I wanted to play in this tournament, mostly because I was too lazy to find a team, but also because I wasn't sure whether it would end up conflicting with a ScrumMaster training course I wanted to take on Thursday and Friday. I decided to continue being lazy and leave it up to the fates.

As it turns out, the fates (or rather, Tina) asked me if I wanted to play for the Senators, and since I knew Nielle and Shelly and Katrin were already playing for them, I said yes. The fates stayed with me tonight, as my ScrumMaster training let out early, and I didn't hit any rush hour traffic between King of Prussia and Bristol. I actually arrived at the rink a bit early instead of halfway through our 5:45 game.

Tina isn't playing this weekend, so it turns out that there are only 3 or 4 actual Senators on our team. Some of us knew each other from our regular teams or pickup games, but overall we're a pretty random crew. We figured out lines about 30 seconds before the game started; Leanne and I were one wing pair, and Lily and... someone whose name I need to learn tomorrow made up the other.

There were three centers, including Shelly, whom I thought Leanne and I played our best with. I think it was Karen who was out there with us when we scored our first (and only) goal, however. It was fairly early in the first period, and there was a scrum in front of the net. The rebound squirted out to my side, and I was able to poke at it until it went in. (I poked like three times, and almost didn't bother continuing because I thought for sure the ref was going to whistle it dead, but it was never covered—just blocked by the goalie's stick the first couple times.)

I think it was between the second and third periods that Lily moved back to D and one of the D took her spot at left wing. I came off after my first or second shift and yelled "LEFT WING! That's YOU... whose name I don't know!" (I later learned it was Kristin, and that I should probably take the time to learn EVERYONE'S name before we play our next game.) A couple things happened as a result of this change: Lily obviously felt more comfortable, Kristin turned out to be a fast and amazingly tenacious forechecking forward, and I missed several breakout passes up the boards in a row. (Lily turned out to be very good at winging the puck right up the boards, hard, and I couldn't seem to catch it with my stick or my skates.)

I also managed to trip over Lily at one point, causing a spectacular fall and a declaration from Shelly that I'd already used up my one ride to the emergency room with her. I think I had intercepted a pass by reaching my stick out, and the puck had bounced off it and was headed toward the blue line. Since I was already fully extended, I couldn't quite get to it in time before it slid over the line.

I was very focused on GETTING THAT DAMN ELUSIVE PUCK, and had just knocked it back into the zone at an awkward angle when I skated into Lily. I hadn't seen her in position just behind the blue line, and I tripped over her right skate with mine, landing hard on my left hip with my still-injured-from-the-April-tournament-in-Greenfield-that-I-never-got-around-to-writing-about shoulder and arm extended past my head. I looked like I was swimming the side stroke on the ice. (Judging from the sore red mark on my hip, there will be a bruise tomorrow.)

There were some spectacular plays on D, and a few more chances in front of Queenston's net, but the game ended with Queenston up 2-1. Nielle will be joining us at forward tomorrow, and Michelle (one of the D) will not be able to make it, so I think we'll have 13 again. I think Al and the Beaner are going to come watch, too.

Posted by Lori at 8:25 PM