Fresno almost brought out the brooms on us this weekend. We almost got swept in our 3 game series in Fresno. On Saturday night we lost again 4-1. The game was much closer than the score indicates; it was a hard fought battle, but they ended up capitalizing on our mistakes and we couldn't find the back of the net. Sunday morning, though, we were determined to come out with a win. No way were we going to drive all the way to Fresno and go home without a win. After the game on Saturday night, our coaches decided to have individual meetings with all the players to try and get a fire going. There are some kids on our team who--no matter what--play with no emotion. That's not a good thing in the sport of hockey. You have to be emotional to play hockey. You have to play this game with an edge. That's something I've learned. In my meeting, the coaches told me they think I'm a different player ever since I decided to drop the gloves. They think I'm playing much more confidently and growing as a leader. But they still want me to be more vocal in the locker room. Our assistant coach went so far as to say that he thought in the 2nd period of the game on Saturday night, I played the best he's ever seen me play. I felt good, but I really didn't feel like that was the best I've ever played. I was playing very physically, though. No one could get into our zone if they decided to come down my side of the blue line.
After the game on Saturday, our backs were against the wall. I've never been in that situation before where you need to get a win or be completely embarrassed in a 3 game sweep. It was pretty intense. We all knew what we had to do, though. We made a commitment as a team to work to exhaustion every shift and to be fired up emotionally throughout the entire game. It worked. We came out flying. Unfortunately, we got homered a little bit with the officiating, but that'll happen on the road. It's a good sign that we fought through adversity together and killed off most of our penalties. It seemed like we were killing penalties the whole game. It was a back and forth battle. We were up 2-0, then suddenly down 3-2. It looked like we were going to lose again. I scored our third goal to tie it up in the 3rd period from the slot, and then another one of our assistant captains scored about 3 minutes later to put us up for good.
I think I played a helluva weekend of hockey. I played 3 games all out. I left nothing in the tank every game. Our equipment manager told me he thinks I played 35-40 minutes in all 3 games, and that's a lot of ice time. I'm proud of the way I played and the way I led this team even when things weren't looking so good for us this weekend. We desperately needed a win on Sunday and found a way to get it done. It would have been nice to do better against our archrivals, but considering the level of opponent we've played all season up to this point, I think we did well. It will be good for us in the long run to know that we're not the best team out there right now, that we still have a lot of work to do if we want to do something special this season. This weekend was an eye-opener for a lot of our young guys, and it was a step forward for me. By no means did I play a perfect weekend; I made a few mistakes that could have cost us goals, but I will learn from them and continue to get better. I did, however, play well enough on Sunday morning to earn the game's first star. When I heard someone tell me that in the locker room after the game, I said, "Since when does a player on the visiting team get the first star in Fresno?" I'll take it. But I'll also take this weekend as a lesson: we need to get better as a team. And we will. I like our team's character.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Legend
In junior hockey, there's this game that almost every team plays called tag. Brings you back to the good old childhood days, but just imagine playing with 25 grown hockey players. Basically, a veteran player has to start the game, and home base is the bus. Everyone has to touch the bus to be safe; we usually play after team meals or when we stop at gas stations on road trips. It gets pretty intense, especially when you throw in the fact that the last person to be "it" has to sing a song in front of the whole team on the bus over the loudspeaker. I have yet to have to do that, but today I came close.
I was the last one on the team who had not touched the bus, so I was screwed. The person who was it was sure he was going to tag me, but I was determined to not get tagged. I took a hot lap around the restaurant we were eating at, and then ran around one side of a hedge to use it as protection. Next thing I know, I decided to jump over the hedge to get to the bus safely and not get tagged. It was a legendary leap. No one was expecting me to make it to the bus without getting tagged. People on the team compared me to a gazelle and asked if I ran hurdles in track. One kid told me that this game of tag will live on in Idaho Junior Steelheads history forever. I've forever engraved my name in IJS tag history.
Now, onto the game against Fresno. It's a must-win game tonight, so it should be fun. I'm feeling ready to play.
I was the last one on the team who had not touched the bus, so I was screwed. The person who was it was sure he was going to tag me, but I was determined to not get tagged. I took a hot lap around the restaurant we were eating at, and then ran around one side of a hedge to use it as protection. Next thing I know, I decided to jump over the hedge to get to the bus safely and not get tagged. It was a legendary leap. No one was expecting me to make it to the bus without getting tagged. People on the team compared me to a gazelle and asked if I ran hurdles in track. One kid told me that this game of tag will live on in Idaho Junior Steelheads history forever. I've forever engraved my name in IJS tag history.
Now, onto the game against Fresno. It's a must-win game tonight, so it should be fun. I'm feeling ready to play.
Well, we lost last night 6-5. We didn't play very well. We didn't do the things it takes to win a hockey game. Our team made a lot of terrible turnovers, we weren't committed to a forecheck, and our defense got beat 1-on-1 out of the corners and in the open ice. After the game, our coach told us we had no business winning the game. He said we basically played the equivalent of pond hockey where we traded chances with the other team and did not commit to our systems. Still, we were in the game, which is a good sign. We were winning 5-4 with 6 minutes left. We couldn't close it out, though. It was a very frustrating game in which we made a lot of turnovers and took a lot of penalties. We definitely didn't play our best, and I think if we come out and play our best tomorrow, they won't know how to handle us.
I think I played hard tonight. I could've played better but it was really the first time we've played against hard competition, and it took a little while to get used to the speed of the game.
I think I started to play really well in the 2nd and 3rd periods as my legs got going. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but our whole team did not play very well in the first period. I ended up getting an assist at the end of the 2nd and scored our 5th goal of the game to go up 5-4. After our game, we stayed to watch the NAHL game after us between Kenai River and Fresno. It was fun to compare myself to some of the kids out there who are playing at a higher level. Bottom line, though, is we have to play better today. We still have 2 games left to make a statement. We have to come out today and play like we know we're the better team because I believe we are.
I think I played hard tonight. I could've played better but it was really the first time we've played against hard competition, and it took a little while to get used to the speed of the game.
I think I started to play really well in the 2nd and 3rd periods as my legs got going. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but our whole team did not play very well in the first period. I ended up getting an assist at the end of the 2nd and scored our 5th goal of the game to go up 5-4. After our game, we stayed to watch the NAHL game after us between Kenai River and Fresno. It was fun to compare myself to some of the kids out there who are playing at a higher level. Bottom line, though, is we have to play better today. We still have 2 games left to make a statement. We have to come out today and play like we know we're the better team because I believe we are.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Off to Fresno
Tomorrow we'll be on our way to one of America's finest cities: Fresno, California. (I say that very sarcastically.) But I'm excited for the hockey. 3 game series with the Fresno Monsters and our first long roadie as a team. It's gonna be fun!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Defense is a Test of Character
Today, I sat out of practice because my knee has been bothering me. I think it will be good for it to have a few days off, and hopefully it will feel better with this rest. I'm still going to go get it checked out next week just to make sure, but nothing's going to hold me out of this weekend. This weekend is our biggest test to date, one of the most important series of the year, and I'm playing.
During practice, our coaches stressed defensive zone coverage in drills. We did some of my favorite drills, so it was a bummer that I was sitting out, but I still listened in to everything the coaches had to say. After the paint drill--a drill that emphasizes low defensive zone coverage in the corners--our coach said, "I can tell a lot about your character from the way you play defense. Defense isn't fun. Everyone wants to go score goals. But you need to have just as much emphasis on your defensive game as your offensive game if you want to move onto the next level." On this team, I know my role. As our team owner tells me, "I'm not paid to go out and score goals." In reality, I'm not paid at all! But I'm "paid" to go out there and stop the other team from scoring goals. And I like to think I've developed into one of the best defenders on our team. It's not easy playing defense, making plays that don't get on the score sheet--that always makes it more fun when I do make my way onto the score sheet, which is happening more and more often--but doing those unselfish things, like blocking shots, finishing every check, and playing relentless team defense is what wins games.
We have to get better defensively as a team, and we will get better. We don't really have a choice because our coaches will literally drill certain drills into our heads until we are better defensively if it comes down to it. I'm confident in our team, though. We have some young kids who are really improving and working hard to earn their spots on this team. And that's great. Competition is always a good thing. The players with little character can't hide when our team is constantly battling in practice, like our coach preaches. He says, "Some weeks the best competition you're going to get is here in practice, so we have to embrace the small battles we have between players. Use them to get better. Don't get mad at each other."
During practice, our coaches stressed defensive zone coverage in drills. We did some of my favorite drills, so it was a bummer that I was sitting out, but I still listened in to everything the coaches had to say. After the paint drill--a drill that emphasizes low defensive zone coverage in the corners--our coach said, "I can tell a lot about your character from the way you play defense. Defense isn't fun. Everyone wants to go score goals. But you need to have just as much emphasis on your defensive game as your offensive game if you want to move onto the next level." On this team, I know my role. As our team owner tells me, "I'm not paid to go out and score goals." In reality, I'm not paid at all! But I'm "paid" to go out there and stop the other team from scoring goals. And I like to think I've developed into one of the best defenders on our team. It's not easy playing defense, making plays that don't get on the score sheet--that always makes it more fun when I do make my way onto the score sheet, which is happening more and more often--but doing those unselfish things, like blocking shots, finishing every check, and playing relentless team defense is what wins games.
We have to get better defensively as a team, and we will get better. We don't really have a choice because our coaches will literally drill certain drills into our heads until we are better defensively if it comes down to it. I'm confident in our team, though. We have some young kids who are really improving and working hard to earn their spots on this team. And that's great. Competition is always a good thing. The players with little character can't hide when our team is constantly battling in practice, like our coach preaches. He says, "Some weeks the best competition you're going to get is here in practice, so we have to embrace the small battles we have between players. Use them to get better. Don't get mad at each other."
One-Day Roadie
This weekend we had one game in Ogden, Utah. It's nice to have some shorter road trips this year...a 5 hour one day trip is much more manageable than a 10 day cross country trip. But those long trips are fun too. Ogden has a pretty nice setup themselves in an old Olympic rink, and they drew quite a big crowd. We were all excited to play; I could tell from our warm up that we were ready to play. That's usually the way it goes. Good warm up = good game. We came out fast and went up 3-0 quickly. The Olympic-sized ice rink was pretty fun to play on, but personally I think I like the more physical style of play on an NHL-sized rink. I scored our 5th goal on a slap shot from the point to go up 5-0. It was a laser if I do say so myself. Then things wen downhill from there. The other team started to get really frustrated, cheap, and stupid, yet somehow we still managed to get some bad calls called on us that took us out of our rhythm. We ended up winning 6-1--a win's a win, I know--but I still don't think we've played a full 60 minute game yet. Watch out when we do, though.
It was a fun one-day roadie (we got back into Boise at 4:30 AM), but next weekend we play Fresno, our archrivals, so we better be ready to play at our best and be ready to sacrifice for some wins. It's going to be a battle, like always in that hostile environment.
My knee is still feeling a little uncomfortable from last weekend, so I might take one or two days off this week to try and figure out what's wrong with it. But I'm excited about next weekend and challenging ourselves this week in practice.
It was a fun one-day roadie (we got back into Boise at 4:30 AM), but next weekend we play Fresno, our archrivals, so we better be ready to play at our best and be ready to sacrifice for some wins. It's going to be a battle, like always in that hostile environment.
My knee is still feeling a little uncomfortable from last weekend, so I might take one or two days off this week to try and figure out what's wrong with it. But I'm excited about next weekend and challenging ourselves this week in practice.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Thanksgiving Come Early
I've been thinking a lot lately about how lucky I am. I'm extremely lucky. I have the best family. And that's all that really matters. They would support me in any way possible in anything that I wanted to do. It just so happened that I decided to play junior hockey for two years after high school--something a lot of parents would frown upon--but my parents basically said, "It's your life; go chase your dream," with some slight frowning, but they never showed me. There are not a lot of people out there in this chaotic world whose only real worry is getting better at a game where the objective is to poke a little circular rubber thing into a net while on skates and ice. It just sort of puts things into perspective for me, and I can't take anything for granted because I'm not going to be able to play this sport forever, and sooner than later I'm going to be out in the real world. (Just remember: All roads lead to beer league, even the NHL road.) But I'm going to be out there with a lot of gained knowledge from these two years.
Honestly, I never thought I was the kind of kid who could benefit from two years of junior hockey. I thought I was on the path to go from high school, to college, to Real World (not the MTV version), like most kids in the US, or at least most of my friends. But I decided to chase my dream with a two year commitment to junior hockey and sacrifice the "normal" college experience. In a lot of ways, it hasn't been what I was expecting, but in a lot of ways, it's been much more than I ever could've imagined. I've learned so much. And, again, I'm lucky to be in the spot I am with an awesome coach, an awesome billet family, and an awesome job (which, by the way, is giving me a sniff of the Real World that not a lot of kids in junior hockey are getting.) A lot of times, I tend to think that I am so ready to get to college, but I know I will miss this life when it's over in less than a year, and I will always be thankful for the lessons I've learned in the process. My dad recently sent me a quote from Steve Jobs that probably everyone has read since he passed away, but I think it is just such a great quote: "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." I find myself getting caught up in the future way too much, and I let it affect myself in the present, which then has an effect on my past because what I do in the present quickly becomes the past. Moral of the story: it's just not good to worry about the future. Think about it, but don't worry about it. Things will work out if you have the right work ethic and character. And I think I do. I have to enjoy this moment and just trust my gut. My mom told me a few days ago when I called her that my future is in my hands. I can do whatever I want in life.
I now know that in less than a year, I'm going to go to college a much better hockey player and, more importantly, a much more mature person, with a better idea of what I want to do in my life. For instance, I've decided that I want to write a book about all this crazy junior hockey stuff. Sort of like a road map to junior hockey and college hockey. I'd say I have a pretty good start with this blog and all. I now know I'm going to go into college much more driven to succeed than I would've coming straight out of high school. For now, though, I can just keep focusing on hockey. I'm lucky. I don't really know what inspired this deep thought in this post, but I've been feeling especially thankful these days.
Honestly, I never thought I was the kind of kid who could benefit from two years of junior hockey. I thought I was on the path to go from high school, to college, to Real World (not the MTV version), like most kids in the US, or at least most of my friends. But I decided to chase my dream with a two year commitment to junior hockey and sacrifice the "normal" college experience. In a lot of ways, it hasn't been what I was expecting, but in a lot of ways, it's been much more than I ever could've imagined. I've learned so much. And, again, I'm lucky to be in the spot I am with an awesome coach, an awesome billet family, and an awesome job (which, by the way, is giving me a sniff of the Real World that not a lot of kids in junior hockey are getting.) A lot of times, I tend to think that I am so ready to get to college, but I know I will miss this life when it's over in less than a year, and I will always be thankful for the lessons I've learned in the process. My dad recently sent me a quote from Steve Jobs that probably everyone has read since he passed away, but I think it is just such a great quote: "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." I find myself getting caught up in the future way too much, and I let it affect myself in the present, which then has an effect on my past because what I do in the present quickly becomes the past. Moral of the story: it's just not good to worry about the future. Think about it, but don't worry about it. Things will work out if you have the right work ethic and character. And I think I do. I have to enjoy this moment and just trust my gut. My mom told me a few days ago when I called her that my future is in my hands. I can do whatever I want in life.
I now know that in less than a year, I'm going to go to college a much better hockey player and, more importantly, a much more mature person, with a better idea of what I want to do in my life. For instance, I've decided that I want to write a book about all this crazy junior hockey stuff. Sort of like a road map to junior hockey and college hockey. I'd say I have a pretty good start with this blog and all. I now know I'm going to go into college much more driven to succeed than I would've coming straight out of high school. For now, though, I can just keep focusing on hockey. I'm lucky. I don't really know what inspired this deep thought in this post, but I've been feeling especially thankful these days.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Gotta Find an Identity
Our team is really struggling to find an identity right now. We play so inconsistently, and it's very frustrating. From shift to shift, period to period, we can be a different team. That's not a good thing because the toughest stretch of our schedule is still to come and because it's just not fun to play that way. It's not fun to trade chances with a team that you should dominate. But I guess maybe that is the reason we are so inconsistent: the teams we've played so far haven't been been great, so we've played down to their level. We need to find an identity for ourselves and fast. We can't expect to just turn a switch to the "On" position when we go down to Fresno and El Paso in a few weeks to play two of the best teams in our league. In practice, we need to better prepare ourselves for the weekend, and in games, we need to bear down and commit to winning as a team every night. One bad play can break the chain and change the momentum of a game. We need to have confidence in each other and run the systems our coaches put into place because they work, believe it or not. I've seen them in action when our team was playing at its best at the end of last season.
This weekend in McCall, we won both our games 7-4 and 6-2. In the first game, I scored a goal, but unfortunately, during my first shift, I also hurt my knee. The doctor told me I bruised or tore my meniscus...I'm hoping it's the first choice, but I just have to ice it and see what it feels like in the next few days...It's frustrating giving up so many goals in our games because that's something I'm not accustomed to as a member of the Idaho Junior Steelheads. Last year, we rarely gave up more than 20 shots a game. We need to get back to playing that gritty team defense that this team is known for. The bad news is: as a team we have A LOT to work on. The good news is: the season is still very young. We have A LOT of time to get better and start playing some IJS hockey.
This weekend in McCall, we won both our games 7-4 and 6-2. In the first game, I scored a goal, but unfortunately, during my first shift, I also hurt my knee. The doctor told me I bruised or tore my meniscus...I'm hoping it's the first choice, but I just have to ice it and see what it feels like in the next few days...It's frustrating giving up so many goals in our games because that's something I'm not accustomed to as a member of the Idaho Junior Steelheads. Last year, we rarely gave up more than 20 shots a game. We need to get back to playing that gritty team defense that this team is known for. The bad news is: as a team we have A LOT to work on. The good news is: the season is still very young. We have A LOT of time to get better and start playing some IJS hockey.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Busy Busy Busy
Lately I've been trying to find enough hours in the day. The days really seem to just fly by. I've been really busy with work, hockey, training, reading (I've set a goal for myself to read TIME Magazine in its entirety every week and read as many books as I can), writing (on this blog, and I'm also the corresponding secretary of the Min-Aqua Bats, in charge of keeping everyone in touch over the winter, so I'm the editor, publisher, author, and CEO of the Min-Aqua Bat Mile, a satirical newsletter that I'm going to try to get out every month), applying to colleges, and having fun (I went to Oregon for the first time the other day with my roommate to go to a shooting range with some friends we met, and we recently had a team bowling night...$6.50 for four games and shoes!). It's almost overwhelming. But I'm not complaining; I know it's much better than the alternative: being a lazy slouch, looking for something to do all day before practice.
Speaking of practice...that has been a little frustrating recently. We definitely need to step up our level because practice is where we get better, and if we don't prepare ourselves the right way during the week, we'll fail the test on the weekend, and that's no fun. I like coming to the rink every day to work as hard as I can to get better because that's when it's the most fun, that's when I know that I did all I could that day to become better. But it's frustrating when I leave feeling like I didn't play very well, like I could've pushed myself just a little bit harder to make the right decision or make a good pass or stand up at the blue line. And it's even more frustrating when I can look at other people on the team and know that they didn't play very well either--especially frustrating when I can tell they don't care they didn't play very well. We have to hold each other accountable, and everyone has to pull their own weight. I'm going to try to be better in the next few practices at showing people how willing I am to work my bag off every day because it seems like some people on our team just aren't willing to do that, and it's holding us all back. That's frustrating for people like me who want to get better every day. As a captain on the team, I think I need to start singling people out and getting mad in the locker room because my method of nice guy motivation isn't working so far. Some people on our team are so inconsistent from drill to drill and from practice to practice, and that needs to change if we are going to accomplish anything as a team.
I know part of being a high-level athlete is having up's and down's. Everyone has their bad days and good days and those days are just accentuated at such a high level. Bad days become worse when someone else who is having a really good day beats you in a drill. That's just the way it goes. But having those bad days should drive you to work harder and be better the next day. That's what it does for me. By having those bad days, I challenge myself to come out a different player the next day so I can keep climbing the staircase to becoming better. In the words of one of the horrible bosses in the movie Horrible Bosses, "You can't win a marathon without putting band-aids on your nipples!" I don't really know how that is at all relevant, but it seems to fit. Some people just don't get it, though. Some people are just OK with flatlining and not getting any better, just being mediocre. Those people on our team need to rethink their priorities and either change their work habits or go home and do something else with their lives because being a hockey player is not for the faint of heart. And I know our coaches are constantly looking for the best players they can find, so those players better be careful. They could be gone before they know it.
Anyway, sorry for ranting, but I'm just not OK with being mediocre. I never have been...We're on our way up to McCall tomorrow night to play against the Ogden Mustangs this weekend. It's going to be a good test for us...it seems like it's the first time this season we haven't played either Park City or Seattle even though I know we played Southern Oregon once too, but that seems like a long time ago. I'm excited. It's going to be another fun weekend, and we have to come ready to play.
Speaking of practice...that has been a little frustrating recently. We definitely need to step up our level because practice is where we get better, and if we don't prepare ourselves the right way during the week, we'll fail the test on the weekend, and that's no fun. I like coming to the rink every day to work as hard as I can to get better because that's when it's the most fun, that's when I know that I did all I could that day to become better. But it's frustrating when I leave feeling like I didn't play very well, like I could've pushed myself just a little bit harder to make the right decision or make a good pass or stand up at the blue line. And it's even more frustrating when I can look at other people on the team and know that they didn't play very well either--especially frustrating when I can tell they don't care they didn't play very well. We have to hold each other accountable, and everyone has to pull their own weight. I'm going to try to be better in the next few practices at showing people how willing I am to work my bag off every day because it seems like some people on our team just aren't willing to do that, and it's holding us all back. That's frustrating for people like me who want to get better every day. As a captain on the team, I think I need to start singling people out and getting mad in the locker room because my method of nice guy motivation isn't working so far. Some people on our team are so inconsistent from drill to drill and from practice to practice, and that needs to change if we are going to accomplish anything as a team.
I know part of being a high-level athlete is having up's and down's. Everyone has their bad days and good days and those days are just accentuated at such a high level. Bad days become worse when someone else who is having a really good day beats you in a drill. That's just the way it goes. But having those bad days should drive you to work harder and be better the next day. That's what it does for me. By having those bad days, I challenge myself to come out a different player the next day so I can keep climbing the staircase to becoming better. In the words of one of the horrible bosses in the movie Horrible Bosses, "You can't win a marathon without putting band-aids on your nipples!" I don't really know how that is at all relevant, but it seems to fit. Some people just don't get it, though. Some people are just OK with flatlining and not getting any better, just being mediocre. Those people on our team need to rethink their priorities and either change their work habits or go home and do something else with their lives because being a hockey player is not for the faint of heart. And I know our coaches are constantly looking for the best players they can find, so those players better be careful. They could be gone before they know it.
Anyway, sorry for ranting, but I'm just not OK with being mediocre. I never have been...We're on our way up to McCall tomorrow night to play against the Ogden Mustangs this weekend. It's going to be a good test for us...it seems like it's the first time this season we haven't played either Park City or Seattle even though I know we played Southern Oregon once too, but that seems like a long time ago. I'm excited. It's going to be another fun weekend, and we have to come ready to play.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Great Weekend in McCall
We had our first home regular season games up in McCall this weekend, and it was a great time. We won both of our games, the first 5-2 and the second 10-2, against the Park City Moose. On Friday night, we did not play our best. The game was sloppy--we controlled most of the game--but we just didn't have enough intensity or bite to our game. On Saturday night, we came out of the gates ready to work. We had a team meeting after our pre-game skate in the morning, and we told ourselves we were going to make a commitment to having a team effort and flat-out outworking the other team. To motivate ourselves, we had a little game going to see who on our team could get the most hits. I ended up tying for the lead with one other kid. We definitely outworked the other team, and it showed. We weren't afraid to get dirty and drive to the net for garbage goals. That's the kind of Steelhead hockey we need to start playing every night. Our team is still trying to find its identity, but I think we're on our way.
Justin and I got to stay with a very nice couple on Friday night after the game. They treated us very well, and they'll probably end up being our McCall billets for the rest of the year; they loved having us, and we had a great time staying there as well.
After the first period of the game on Saturday night, there was a ring ceremony for returning veterans. Our team owner handed out rings to returning players from our WSHL championship team last year. It was a pretty special ceremony, and, again, we're very lucky to have the great people we have running the organization. We're spoiled. I don't think there is another team at this level in the whole country that runs as professionally as we do. And I'm proud to be an Idaho Junior Steelhead.
Justin and I got to stay with a very nice couple on Friday night after the game. They treated us very well, and they'll probably end up being our McCall billets for the rest of the year; they loved having us, and we had a great time staying there as well.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter...But I'm Also a Fighter."
But seriously. I am a lover, not a fighter. Everyone knows that. My nickname is Teddy for God's sake. I remember when I first came to this team, our assistant coach asked me if I had a nickname. I told him kids in Bismarck called me Teddy, and he said, "Oh that's gay. You need a new nickname." But it has stuck because it fits me well. I'm a nice guy. Off the ice. That's why I think it was a big step for me to drop the gloves and show my team and my coach and myself what I'm willing to do to lead. It definitely was a big step for my confidence as a player. Now, I know if anyone messes with me or cheap shots me, I can stand up for myself and stand up for a teammate. I'm not going to fight just to fight, but I might fight when my team needs me to. My coach told me that I need to become a player that's tougher to play against, and I think I'm taking strides in that department.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
A Loss, But a Fun Weekend
 |
| Picture after the game. I had to rep the Elway jersey! |
After my fight at the end of the 2nd period, my coach pulled me aside and told me how much he liked what I did in the fight. He said it will be a huge confidence boost for the kind of player I am, and now I will know that I can run the show. He said, "If the ice rink is a playground, I am in charge right now." He's proud of the leader I am becoming and the things I am starting to do as a player. And, again, he told me he's not the kind of coach who dishes out compliments very often--I should know that now after playing for him for about a year. If anyone looks at me sideways or does something to me that I don't like, I now know that I can stand up for myself and stand up for myself well. This fighting thing is probably something that I won't do very often, but now I know I will be able to when I have to. He told me he thinks I am doing a great job recently, and he wants me to continue to play with confidence and keep taking steps, keep developing into the great defenseman and leader I can be. We lost the game today 6-4, even after outshooting the other team 40-18, but there were some positives in the game for me personally. I'm excited about the way I'm playing, but I'm not too excited about how our team played today. I guess that's hockey, though. You can't win them all; it's just good that it was an exhibition game, not a regular season matchup.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)