Don't Wash It Out: Shut It Out

Yesterday started out like the day from hell. Internet Explorer 7 was giving me fits, the blog template was all askew, and a lack of sleep left me reeling. I was more worn out than Lindsay Lohan after a night at the VFW. POW! Thankfully, after work I was able to go to my Happy Place: the ice rink.

We were playing Doc's Inn, the team we played last month while only suiting seven players. We lost that game, and even after I steamrolled one of their players in front of the net, we lost, 5-4. Last night, we were ready for some vengeance.

We got it.

Instead of the seven guys that showed up for the first game, we had thirteen on the bench for this one. Vinnie and I were on a line together - always a good time - while Fish and Badger The Birthday Boy played defense. Randal played the right wing on the top line, because unlike me, he has talent.

Did you ever have the feeling that you were destined to win a game? That feeling overcame me in the first period. Badger took a puck from our zone and charged up the ice. He maneuvered past two opponents into the offensive zone and was heading for the net, when he was hooked from behind. Badger sprawled onto the ice in a heap, but at the last second pushed the puck forward with his stick. The puck slid past the goaltender for our first goal. Badger didn't even see it go in.

Neither did Randal. He skated over to the referee and shouted, "Where's the penalty? He got off a shot!" The ref turned to him and replied, "It went in." Randal gave him a look of "Um, okay," and skated back to the bench. The rest of the game proceeded much the same way. Many of our offensive players had decent scoring chances, but their tender was excellent. On the other hand, our goalie Boris was shutting down everything that came his way. We notched two more goals during the contest for a 3-0 victory; something we can carry with us until after the Christmas break. We don't play again until January 7th.

As far as my friends go, Randal played well, despite not finding the net this week. Fish and Badger played steady defense after Badger scored that amazing goal. Vinnie and I played okay. We didn't score any points, but we were even in the plus-minus category, which is always a good sign. And after the game, we headed to the bar for birthday shots of Jameson and pints of Guinness.

Life is good.