Win Or Go Home Redux

It's been a hectic seven days for my ice hockey team. We began the playoffs last Tuesday night by facing off against the Rink Rats. Unfortunately, we lost that game by a score of 5-3 when our offense didn't exactly show up. Since the playoffs are Best of Three, Sunday afternoon's game was a must win.

Boy, did we show up for that one.

After taking an early lead, we soon lost it - thanks to a bonehead play by yours truly. Mental note: passing to your teammate is good. Passing to your opponent is bad. After that mistake, my Irish-Catholic guilt got the better of me - as did some choice words from The Badger - so I tried to make up for it. Not my best plan.

Our team threw the puck into the offensive zone, and I pursued. The opponent closest to me must have been drunk - or at least suffering from seizures - because I was beating him to the puck. The goaltender came out to try and pass it away, and I deftly attempted to score.

And after that, I received my first penalty of the season. We'll never speak of the incident again.

(Let's just say it had something to do with gently placing my hands - and stick - on my opponent's back to help him, um, clear the net. Oh, and I guess there was some unpleasantness after the opponent fell to the ice in a heap and broke my fall with his chest. The referee muttered something about cross-checking . . . well, I've said too much.)

Luckily for my health, the Rink Rats didn't score while I was spending time in sunny Sin Binnia, so I was off the hook. Actually, we started playing much better after "the incident," so you could say that I had everything to do with our 7-3 win, right? Right???

Okay, probably not, but in the interest of ratting out my fellow teammates, Vinnie spent a two-minute vacation in the penalty box after burying a guy behind the boards. I think the term used was "Boarding." Not to be outdone, Badger kept his goalie penalty streak alive by politely slashing an opponent. Heh, old time hockey!

Anyway, that leads us to tonight's game. It's the last game of the series, and the winner moves on to the finals. With Randal and Greer out, our chances don't improve with the loss of Donohue and Kirk. Kirk will be on a business trip, and Donohue has the lamest excuse ever: his wife's c-section is scheduled for today. Personally, I think he should play, since the missus will be doped up from the surgery and probably won't even know he's gone.

So boys, drink your Red Bull, put on your foil, and get to the rink early. It's the playoffs, baby!

And if that isn't enough to get the guys going, I give you this: