6 April 2002
So I kept thinking that I would actually have time to write in my hockey journal between the Las Vegas and Airdrie tournaments, but of course I didn't. So here we are in freezing, overcast Calgary ("welcome to spring!", the locals keep saying bemusedly), with the wind howling past the hotel window, getting ready for game #2 at 9:45 this morning.

Game #1 was a bit of a debacle; I can point to several things that we could have done a lot better, but the bottom line is that we were just completely outclassed by the Airdrie Nutty Housewife League (A.N.H.L.). We lost 10-0.

For my part, I learned that just tying up someone's stick is not enough (though it took a while—and a goal that went in off my stick—to learn it), and that shoving people out from in front of the net is the best way to defend it.

We weren't really playing the body as much as was necessary in the first couple periods; by the last one, I wasn't even bothering to go for the puck: I just went for the player every time. I wasn't checking, really—just getting right on them, so they didn't have as many options. They were doing the same; I never had occasion to yell, "GET OFF ME, BITCH!" or anything, and I never felt like they were playing too rough, but they managed to muscle through coverage and get a lot of shots off. I learned from this, too.

Actually, I learned a lot in this game. It wasn't fun to get blown out, but it was fun to get my ice legs and to watch a team that was really clicking (just wish it was ours!). The two things I'd say that they did best were passing (they ALWAYS passed! no one ever just walked in and took a shot) and talking to one another. I was covering this one short woman once, and she could easily have taken a shot around me, since we were in so close. Instead, she turned and passed back to her teammate, skated over to the boards down low and said clearly, "{Name}, corner!" Sure enough, a second later she had the puck. It was pretty amazing. EVERY play had at least three passes like that one in it.

Peggy walks into the frame as Trevor lays out the plan and Karen looks on (she's got a broken ankle)

Barbara looks for a pass in the offensive zone (one of the few times we made it down there)

me defending (uselessly) against a much larger Airdrie player

swarmed again, Elizabeth faces the person she knows the pass is coming to