Kave learns to play hockey - game 3
So we suffered our first loss of the season losing 3-1. Once again another tightly contested game, they started off the scoring and we countered back a few minutes later in the first period. From there it was 1-1 until about halfway through the third. Our d-man turned over the puck and they scored on a breakaway, then with 2 minutes left they hemmed us in our zone and just bullied us until they got the insurance marker.
On a positive for me I am feeling a hell of a lot more comfortable out there. This was the first week where I felt confident carrying the puck out of the zone or just carrying the puck at all. I'd still turn it over here and there but it didn't feel like hot potato on my stick for once.
I'm also slowly becoming one of the better forecheckers on the team. I've been playing guys expecting them to dump it off the boards so I'm able to deflect or flat out steal a lot of passes that way. If they don't go off the boards they either try to deke across their body to pass me which gives me a chance to poke the puck off their stick or they throw a pass right down the middle of the ice to hopefully one of my teammates waiting to steal it.
I did have a few opportunities to score as well. Had one shot in the slot that got blocked by a defender and went over the net but my best chance was right infront of the crease on a late powerplay my center got a puck to me through 2 defenders, the goalie ended up making a miracle save with his pad to rob me. The ref came by to me afterwards to tell me how unlucky I was on that one as it should have been a goal. :lol
Either way the team wasn't down after the loss, we were short players, our best D-man had to play goalie and our regular goalie missed his one game for the season. We all feel confident we'll bounce back and we await playing these guys again in a few weeks.
Until then I continue practicing my skating and stopping. If I can get that down by the tournament I think I can really help my team out.
