Game five

Played Game 5 last night. Here’s how it went down:

Home – It’s a special night. The kid is coming and I’m excited for her to watch us play. I check my gear early in the afternoon. My eyes water on unzipping my bag. Clearly it needs some airing out. I spray a liberal amount of disinfectant on it and get it in the sunshine. It should smell pretty good by game time.

Change Room – I roll in and sit down to get dressed. My bench mate’s gear reeks like something’s rotting. We all know what hockey stink is. It’s rich and pure, borne over time, and it smells like hard work and effort. But this? No, this is a special kind of foul. I practice breathing through my mouth. The room is relatively subdued at this point. We have 10 guys tonight – two full lines. It’s enough, but on a team where the average age is north of 40, having more is better.

Warm-up – We take to the ice and stretch. This is when everyone starts complaining about their ailments. Sore backs, tight shoulders, bad knees, upset tummies, sore hair, and hangnails. It sounds like a Canadian Association for Retired Persons meeting. We notice the other team has shown up with 15 skaters. Super. It’s going to be a long game.

1st Period – We take an early lead and go up 1-0 in the first minutes of the period. They answer back. Okay, game on. Our passing is on point tonight. We’re connecting shots, cycling well in their zone. Puck possession is strong, and we’re taking lots of shots on their net. The first period goes fast. We’re 4-1 heading into the 2nd period, but we still have 30 minutes of hockey and a lot can happen in that time. We start to question our ability to keep up this pace knowing we’re playing 2 lines against their 3.

2nd Period – The other team starts to get frustrated. We’re seeing more and more of their skilled players (aka ringers) on the ice for longer stretches. They want goals and bad – they’re hungry. They beat us on Tuesday but have otherwise lost every game so far. Our defensive play is strong and our tendy is shutting the door on them hard. They come in on a rush and catch us lopsided – we have too many players focused on one side of the ice. Like cats chasing a laser dot, we’re all skating towards the puck. A forward comes in deep behind us, receives a pass. He’s all alone and rifles it in. The goal differential is reduced, but we eventually come back and go up 6-2 heading into the 3rd. What a game so far!

3rd Period – A four goal lead is a rare position for us to be in. We know we need to protect it. Everyone digs deep. Short shifts and amazing teamwork are keeping us in this thing. They start to rely heavily on one player. It’s obvious he doesn’t belong in our division. He’s fast and has soft hands, and skates circles around everyone. We’re holding him back but he still manages to pot two goals. It’s now 6-4 heading into the final minutes of the period. Everyone’s exhausted. The effort has me tasting my dinner a second time. We are all running on fumes. And then we take a penalty. We go on the PK in the last minute and a half of the game. They pull their goalie to get the extra attacker on the ice. It’s 6 on 4 for 90 seconds. Can we do it? Hard battles are fought but we play dump and chase and keep them down in their zone. 30 seconds to go and we do a line change and keep ‘em moving in the neutral zone. They give up with about 10 seconds to go. Instead of one final push they dejectedly skate to their bench before the final buzzer. And just like that, it's a wrap! It’s a 6-4 win! WOOOO!

Post-game – The change room is excited – we’re an older team, had fewer players and kept ‘em on their heels all night. What a great game! On the drive home I ask the kid if she’s tired. It’s 11pm. She says no, I took a nap during the game. Ha. Ha. Ha. I’m surrounded by smart asses