Friday, Game 1: I don't know what it is about road trips and I don't know if every one of the Fries stopped at every fast food outlet between Seattle and the border, but we were slugs in our first game. Coach Steve (filling in for Murray) saw this immediately and tried his best to build intensity and energize us before our game. Our first two shifts were good, but then it was gone - just like that **poof**. That game we did our best impersonation of pylons that I've ever seen. Final score against the Buzz was 0-6. Sigh. Then, we went upstairs to cheer on the other Seattle teams and, unfortunately, things just kept going downhill. Especially for Black Ice: they lost 2 players in the first game to injuries.
Later that night, Erin and I headed to the hotel to check in and, well, our night was just about to reach a pinnacle. Yeah, we got stuck in the elevator. It wasn't our fault but rather an employee who had to lock access to the lower level. Well, little miss "oh-my-gawd-I'm-stuck-in-the-elevator-HELP" (said repeatedly on her iPhone to her fellow employees at the highest octave level) managed to get the elevator stuck between the lower level and the lobby. It was silly at first but after the 10th "oh-my-gawd-I'm-stuck...." panicked babble, I was ready to get out. The rescue was just like in the movies.....big, strong hands prying open the doors and a deep, male voice telling us hang on and they'll get us out in no time. I waited with abated breath envisioning Clive Owens showing up to rescue me and ready to offer to buy me as many martinis as I needed to calm my nerves. I quickly turned to the elevator mirror and did a quick fix of the hair in anticipation of my rescue. *Poof* Reality check: my rescuer looked like the "OMG" girl's fellow classmate who is also working the late shift so they can buy the latest accessory for their iPhone. Down came a ladder and up went our gear, luggage, then Erin, then myself. I forgot that I couldn't stand up since I only had a 4-foot clearance. And, my legs were stiffening up after the game so I had to kind of pause half-way through the elevator. The next thing I knew, employee #2 (not-Clive) pushed me from behind through the elevator doors and I landed *splat* on the lobby floor. Welcome to Surrey! Ha! Yeah, bad joojoo night.
Saturday, Game 2: The game was against SO Black Widows. When I first peeked into their locker room to find out what color jersey they were wearing, I was optimistic to see that they were more in our age range so I thought we had a chance. Then, we got out on the ice and they schooled us. All I could say is WOW. Steve made up lines on the fly to make up for huge disparity in speed and and that we would all have enough leg to last the game. We hung in there and kept them to below double-digits (yeah!) and final score was 0-8. Oh my. Nevertheless, the Fries were more intense and EVERYONE skated 110%. We gave it our all and though we got schooled, we were happy with how we played because we knew right from the get go that the other team was WAY better than us but we still gave it our best shot. Jumping in on the fly also added to the intensity on the bench. What we sacrified in chemistry, we made up in intensity and energy.Saturday, Game 3: Final game was against the Whistler Sound Gardens 2. We scouted their game earlier and I thought we had a good chance because they were a lot slower than the SO Black Widows. Before the game, some of the Fries headed over to Tim Hortons for a sugar and caffeine fix and then warmed up with the Nerf football to stay loose and get the energy level back up. It worked. Our game was close for a while (i.e., it was scoreless). Pam did an amazing job in the net all weekend and had a lot of plays that I thought qualified for Sportscenter Top 10 plays. But, we just couldn't generate any offense. Once again, Steve modified the lines and positions a little into the game and I moved from center back to defense. However, tournament legs set in a bit into the final period and the final score ended up 0-7. Yes, you saw that right....the Fries were shut out in the tournament. So disappointing. I can't speak for the others, but I know I enjoyed skating at the higher and faster level and am proud that everyone gave it their all in the tourney until we all, literally, ran out of gas (despite the magic energy beans/smurf berries Lee and I brought to the bench - it only worked significantly for Daniella and Lee). Thank you, Coach Steve, for stepping in and bringing all your great energy and awesome coaching to the bench.
To the Fries: it was an extreme pleasure to have skated with all of you this season and what an honor it was for me to be captain of the best SWHC team this season. Bree, I'm so grateful for all the team management work you did for the team and for organizing a lot of the details that no one else likes to do. Beavis, thank you so much for stepping in and picking up my duties when I was lured away to the islands. And, to "Little Freak" and "Old Growth," to show my gratitude for all your support, feedback, and constant chuckling all season, I promise to burn my pom-poms, remove all my 'GO BANANAS' cheers from memory, and forever refrain from doing cartwheels in the locker room. Now, go eat a big ole plateful of fries because you all deserve it.Next up: another tourney at Planet Ice in Coquitlam. Thank goodness....I couldn't stand that sulphur smell at the Delta rink. P.U. But, it's my first co-ed tourney and I'm sub'ing for Sung's team, the Mudflaps. We're in the novice division but I've played in enough tourneys that it really doesn't mean anything. The only thing that we will all have in common is that we started playing hockey as an adult. I better make sure my little white bottle of ibuprofen is fully stocked before I leave.
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