11 September 2000
Nine people showed up for pickup last night, so we played 4-on-4 for about an hour. My favorite is when there are enough players for 5-on-5 with two subs per team (i.e., 14 skaters), but 4-on-4 with no or one sub per team makes for a good, hard skate. I'd rather sweat through all my gear in the first 10 minutes than not at all.

The East West-sponsored team played a game before our pickup session, and Louis stuck around afterwards to skate with us. I'd heard he was a good skater, so it was fun to see him go. It was practically useless forechecking him; the best bet for stealing the puck was to guard his teammates, who were less deft (not to say inept—just less proficient than Louis), or to try to tangle him up as he took the puck up ice himself.

He also had a goofy flip pass (he'd lift the puck up with his stickblade, and then lob it over the heads of his opponents in a huge arc) that surprised us the first couple times but which became less effective as he got more tired and we became hip to the trick. We no longer stared at him as he lifted the puck, wondering what the heck he was doing, but instead went after him and tried to knock the puck down.

I had a couple spectacular falls, but no serious injuries. My ankle, though still brown from the puck blow a week ago and tender to the touch, no longer hurts when I lace up my skate. Yay!

L-R: Louis, Al, and Mike

Warming up before the game

Dave prepares to pass to Kevin

Me on defense

17 September 2000
We played the last game of the season (and last game of the night, Consolation Game #2) on Thursday. My friend Valerie came to watch all three games. (Yay Valerie for sticking it out, and for taking the photos!)

Mike, our goalie, couldn't make it, so we borrowed the blue team's netminder for our game. I didn't get his name, but he deserves special thanks for playing back-to-back games—and performing extremely well.

As it turned out, Mike wasn't the only one who couldn't make it. Only five of us showed up, so we had to borrow three players from another team (I think from yellow, but I'm not sure). The black team also borrowed two players, though it looked like they had more than we did to start with. I think the shortage of players made us all work harder.

Interestingly, switching positions on each shift didn't faze me as much as it did last week. Perhaps because I knew ahead of time that switching would be required, and I'd psyched myself up mentally for it? I'm not sure. The only trouble I really had was on D; I'm still not ready for that in game situations. I need more practice at pickup before it will feel as comfortable as O for me. I had to play center on a couple shifts, which meant taking faceoffs. I lost the two or three I participated in, but I'm not as frightened of them now. I think I could play center again without too much trouble.

I came very close to scoring a goal a couple times, but couldn't quite get it in. I'll keep at it, and I'm sure eventually one will hit the mark. I need to practice my shooting so I have the option of going high. Right now I can't get any air, so if the goalie goes down, my chances are slim.

During the third period my teammates started teasing me about being more aggressive; they seem to think that I can play rough with immunity because Shaun isn't likely to give me a penalty. The thing is, I'm not sure I can play any harder than I am. I mean, eventually my skills and endurance will improve with practice, and I'll look back on this time and think, "how could I have been so wimpy?", but it's not like I'm holding anything back right now. If I'm not as aggressive during the third period, it's because I'm tired! (And chances are, my skates have loosened up, making me less stable just when stability would come in handy.)

I suppose it's a good sign that my teammates, all of whom have played at least two seasons, are giving me such a hard time. I take it to mean that I'm showing promise after only 5 games. If I were hopeless, they probably wouldn't bother to criticize at all. I'm only sad that after finally learning everyone's names, personalities, and playing styles, the season is over and the teams will likely be reshuffled for fall.

There'll be a two-week break while that reshuffling happens; I hope there's lots of pickup to tide me over. I may have to head over to Oakland again (something I haven't been doing because there's been plenty of play in Redwood City). Once the season starts I'll have my share of hockey games: I'm joining a weekend beginner team as well as the Night Owl B league. That means a game every Thursday, plus a game on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night.

By the way, we won Consolation Game #2 by a score of 5-3. I almost forgot to mention it because it didn't feel much different than tying or losing. I'm just happy to be playing.