Fighting Hamsters....on ice

Oh my head. Last night was my fourth game in the co-ed hockey league I recently joined that plays every Wednesday night at Kingsgate Ice Arena. It's been several years since I last played in a co-ed league and I stopped because I felt like I spent more time picking myself up off the ice instead of being in the play (haha). At 5'4", any contact I had with guys was usually in their favor. But, this league is completely different. First, the guys who coached the Seattle Women's Hockey Club also play in this league so it's fun to try out the moves they taught us. Secondly, a lot of the guys are really good but will set up plays rather than taking over the game and only pass to each other. However, I must say that the women on our team (in the league in general) are good enough to hold their own on the ice and can keep up. I know most of the women through the SWHC or through the Friday night league, and its nice to finally meet their husbands or boyfriends who also skate in this league. That's probably another reason why the game is very friendly and unlike any other co-ed league I've played on. I still had to drastically change my timing if I want to keep up with the pace and participate in the plays. I'm playing right wing this summer so I have to decide faster whether to skate, pass, or shoot. Just keep moving.

Last night was extra fun, because I felt like it was all coming together for me. Everything was going just swell...good passes...shots on goal...picking off passes. At the beginning of the second period. I was going for the puck by the boards and then all of a sudden - WHAM, and I'm knocked to the ice. I remember thinking 'gee, how did I misjudge my distance and run into the boards like that?' Once the galaxy of stars cleared my head, I looked up and saw that I didn't run into the boards, but King Kong who was playing defense on the other team. OK, so maybe not King Kong, but a big guy who probably had 90 lbs. over me. He was totally apologetic and, supposedly had caught an edge and went crashing into me. I thought about stopping, but I stayed and played the rest of the game. I just had to work a little harder to stay focused and to keep my legs from buckling under me. Almost 24 hours later, I am still feeling the affects of that hit....my neck is stiff and I can only turn my head one way (makes driving a bit of a challenge so no weaving in traffic for me...slow and steady in the right lane).

But, the game was way fun! We were down 0-3, and halfway through the third period, we scored 3 unanswered goals all in one shift! And, I scored the second goal - WOOT! I'm finally feeling like a contributor on the ice rather than just filler. My timing is quicker and I'm being more creative in the way I move the puck or get open for passes. I can't wait to skate again. As for King Kong who took me down, I got to return the favor later on (oops, sorry) and he went crashing hard on the ice (the bigger and taller they are, the harder they fall). With less than 1 minute to go, I think he scored the winning goal. Oh well. Go Fighting Hamsters! You know, I've got to get on a team with a more menacing name....Ice Monkeys, Flying Pigs, and now Fighting Hamsters? Sigh....what's next, The Soo Pugs?