So close...

Exhaustion set in this morning, and I went anyways. Hockey was a tight game today, with many more talented players than usual on Fridays. A gentleman that played for the LA Kings played with us today.
My buddy Jimmy isn't the greatest hockey player, but he does well enough to be respected, and is usually an assist man. His son is good, and so he plays, I think, more to help him out, and to expand his abilities. Today, after an hour and 29 minutes, with one to go before the shut-out was final, Jimmy got the puck. Another drive, like he'd done a hundred times today already, came up on my blocker side (my right, his left). A horrible angle. I set up, good positioning, and crouched for my pre-shot stance. He fired, a rocket of a wrist shot, and the damned puck beat me GLOVE side high... the FAR side that he had maybe a .003% chance to hit. He hit it, top shelf, the opposite side of the net. He was on my right side, only about 2 feet from the crease line leading to the boards. I couldn't believe it!

The man who'd been supportive with his calls all game, and tactics help for the new guy scored! It was something I hadn't seen him pull out of his bag of tricks EVER. In fact, he looked surprised when he made it. Couldn't believe it.

Argh! So close!

Great day today. I was exhausted, but couldn't fall asleep, so I stayed awake all night to just survive until hockey. 1030, hockey started. My blood sugar went low, I managed to chug on a gatorade, and I made it through, only allowing 4 goals in an hour and a half of pick-up.

Amazing game. I had several good stops, with one timers, and an awesome stop on a 2 v 0. I'm very happy with the way I played today, though I still suck at catching myself when I go down and slide, and the puck goes back the OTHER way, I can't seem to grip the ice with my push leg, and shove back the other way.

Just isn't happening.

Regardless, I'm tired, but must stay up until 9 or 10. That was an awesome game.

Alright, having worked my butt off all week on my glove hand, throwing balls with people, playing 'catch the bouncing object off of the wall 2 feet in front of me' games, and all manner of gibberish: I'm excited.

My new glove and blocker will be a fun experience, and my LEG pads are scheduled to come in tomorrow (or later today, technically) and I'll be rockin' with those on!

Woo!

Very ecstatic right now. Just debating one thing: I can go play hockey in the AM with my old pads, and then come home to the new ones, or skip hockey, to get the new ones immediately.

Hmm...

Woo-frickin-hoo!

Taking a few days off was JUST what I needed. My drops into the 'fly were quicker, more responsive, and I was actually WILLING to pop back up to negate my complete lack of butterfly slide ability. The few times they scored today was because of a total lack of defense (4 rebound shots all alone against three forwards... I'll let that one slide off my back) and not because of my horrible play!

I'm improving!

Several of the guys at the rink told me I've been improving steadily over my 25 days of ice skating, and I sure hope so! If NOT, it isn't worth it, haha.

Got my new glove and blocker today, pro quality, so I won't be feeling the shots to my hands any more. New leg pads in about a week or week and a half, also pro quality. Upgrading from street hockey garbage is going to be nice :)

ANYBODY with Butterfly slide tips, send 'em this way, and don't just send youtube video links, I've seen them ALL. I'm not exaggerating.

Thanks guys!

Day off...

Took the day of from protecting the area between the posts. My legs were killing me. 2 Games yesterday, and they absolutely broke my legs. Thats the thing about pickup games: we're free with our big pads, but we're absolutely tortured all game! Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, shoot. All with unmolested forwards right in front of the net. Talk about practice on my (terrible) butterfly slides!

Though I did piss a couple off with how quickly I was moving, because I caught the down low shots quite often. The rebounds (again, unmolested) tended to go in, but I figure thats a part of pick-up hockey.

Anyways, found this link, thought it was freakin' hilarious:
http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=18730&version=1

Check it out. Shows you anybody can do it! Haha...

Ouch

Today was a day that hurt. Not physically, no I feel just fine (besides the usual exhaustion). No, today hurt the pride.

Freakin' OUCH!

The first five, count 'em, FIVE shots I took were 5 goals. Yup, I said it, five for freakin' five. It didn't really bother me at the time, because I get in a weird zone when I'm between the pipes where I really don't give a rip if goals go in. I figure it happens, ESPECIALLY to players with less than 30 days on the ice in their entire life!

Nonetheless, now, sitting at home, it stings a bit. I'm trying to over-analyze the saves I didn't make, and I realize THAT is a slippery slope to start sliding down, so I'm not going to anymore...

Nope...

Not any more...

Alright FINE, I'm still dwelling! What the hell, man!? I mean, granted, my first five shots were three breakaways, a 2 on 0, and one 3 on zero, but still man, even fate should have helped me there!

Blah, regardless, I'll figure it out eventually. One BIG flaw I've noticed that I have is on breakaways, often I'll skate out between the face-off circles, to challenge the shooter, that much I've gotten good at. Skating backwards with them, I'm alright. However, where I get beat are the quick dekes, and the snapshots through the five hole. What happens is I'm skating backwards quickly, matching their speed, but I'm SO close to them that if they cut outside of me, I open my legs to move, and they snap it through before I can drop to my butterfly.

Any tips on this? Its killing me, and letting in (no exaggeration) 65% of all the goals I allow. Any help at all?

Ouch, the legs of a dead guy...

My legs hurt after today. We played a nice little pickup game with only one goalie today... Me. It was a painful experience in what 'half-ice' hockey is.

We had 10 players, split them into two teams, and they played 4 on 4 hockey, in which they only had to take the puck to the red line, then they could come and attempt to score. What this accomplished is allowing both teams to shoot at a goalie (again: me) with only 1 goalie total available.

Now, although this may sound great, these little bastards can skate! I mean I was facing 2, 3, sometimes even 4 passes RIGHT in front of my net. Poking at them to stop the passes only stopped maybe one out of every 5 or 6, but I was getting better at it (even though I knocked one into my own net!). Sliding side to side in the butterfly, attempting to keep a full body in front of it in case of a deflection or shot turned out to be WAAAAY too exhausting, because I was constantly going up and down, up and down, pushing off of my weakside leg repeatedly to move. T pushes were what I settled on, but they left my 5-hole wide open for a few easy chip ins, and I paid the price with exhausted legs.

I'm thinking of a new strategy for the weight lifting: butt-loads of endurance lifting.

Perhaps 15-20 reps per set, 5-8 sets for each workout, no matter what I do...? I sort of do this already with my 10 sets of 10 German powersquat workout, but I think more reps will train my muscle fibers to be able to endure repeated exercises more, which I need. I seem to have trouble standing or skating quickly an hour into any hockey session.

Anyways, not a bad day, again. I don't let goals get to me, I just try to learn from them. Any info is appreciated!