So it's playoff time for the Jerky Boys for the first time since the last time. Almost Spaceball-esque, that statement. But it's notable this time around, because the last time we finally won. Not just a playoff game (which is true and was very exciting on its own merit) but the whole shebang. We had our cake and ate it, too. It was all very exciting and very very close hockey. We started off by dispatching a perpetual rival in Raabe Landscaping. We then followed up with a 2-game dispatching of the second best team, A-Team. The finals was the best though. Not only did we play the team, Mario's, that was our near doppleganger, we beat them while playing our best and while they played their best. Our best obviously was better that time.
But that's then - this is now. This past season saw us start off with a 5-game losing streak. Not fun. My play was way below the end of the last playoffs, our roster was spotty with who was playing or missing games, causing the players who were there to play positions they weren't as strong at or doing double-duty, wearing them out as the game went on.
Game 6 saw a turnaround in fortunes - we got onto a 4-game winning streak, which included taking the top team, Mystery PA, to a shoot-out victory. We weren't able to pull off a 5-game winning streak to draw even on the season against Mario's, but given that we were missing 5 of our regular players due to vacations and two of our substitute players were kicked out of the game (why not all three substitute players? I will never understand referees), it could have been a lot worse.
It could have been a thoroughly demoralizing game with a very lopsided score as opposed to 3-1. And two of those goals took place at the end of the game, after we lost the two subs. After keeping neck-and-neck through 5/6th of the game and stopping all 3 breakaways, it was actually a good loss, if there's such a thing. At the very least, it was a strong game for myself, and I may be biased, but a goalie playing well going into the playoffs is a very good thing indeed! It's what a team wants, when the poor guy needs to be out on the rink the whole time, getting no breaks.
So what does this all mean for the upcoming playoffs? Well, the last game is definitely useful, since we'll be playing the same team in the playoffs. The fact that we'll have most if not all of our team on hand is encouraging. Three of our absent d-men should be there, which means Mario's should have a more difficult time getting breakaways and setting up for extended shooting sessions. But then Mario's will probably remember that we stood between them and the championship last session, just barely eking them out with a 2-1 score, and now we stand there again. They may feel they need to prove something. And then maybe not. Either way, they'll be a good first round for us. If we beat them, then it means we're ready to go toe-to-toe with the better teams that we'll likely go against in deeper in the playoff run. That means going against Eternal Underdogs, a team we've had no success against during this season or last season, even though we've come within one goal of beating them. They fell apart last playoffs, so maybe it'll happen again? It's a silly thing to ask, coming from a team that wouldn't mind being back-to-back champions.
But first things first. Mario's must go down. Again.
No comments:
Post a Comment