Week 2: The Turtles vs. Moussaka

When in Doubt, Fall on It!
(click to enlarge)
(click here to see this week’s game photos)

If you view the original size of the photo on the right you can see that the Purple team (now called Moussaka) skater is still trying to shove the puck in with her stick blade, despite the fact that I’ve got it pretty well covered. A previous Moussaka goal was scored this way. At least this time, the ref blew the whistle. After the game, which ended in a 3 - 3 tie, both teams agreed that the refs were slow to blow the whistle, if they blew it at all, whether it was for goals that shouldn’t have been scored (by both teams), or penalties.

I’m still trying to figure out what icing is and have heard different things. Obviously, this is a house league so the rules probably vary from the NHL’s and maybe even some women’s leagues. After our first game I thought someone said that if the other team dumps the puck and it crosses our blue line, and there’s no chance our defense can get to it, then I can call icing. So I tried to remember that, but when I’d raise my hand to call it, I’d hear one of the refs yell, “No icing,” only to call it seconds later! WTF? How’m I supposed to learn?

At one point in the second period, the puck was coming straight at me, with both our defensewomen and a Moussaka skater coming after it. They were far enough away that I knelt down on one knee, set my glove on the ice directly behind my stick blade, then covered the puck to freeze it. Yet the refs kept yelling at me to keep it in play, so I was really confused. Other goalies I’ve seen done that and the few times I’ve done it, the refs stop the play. Fortunately, Moussaka didn’t score on us, but my teammates told me that next time, just keep it covered and take the penalty.

So now I know how goalies can get penalties aside from hooking and shoving opponents in front of the crease. Or, for that matter, doing anything Ron Hextall used to, like slashing the other team’s skaters with his stick. According to the above-linked Wikipedia article, in the ‘87 Stanley Cup finals, “any Oiler player that approached the Flyers’ net would receive welts on their legs from Hextall’s stick.” Hmm…well if I’m Darth Goalie….

First Period: Moussaka scored one goal on a slow-rolling puck, closely followed by one of their skaters. Apparently, I wasn’t sure whether to block or cover, the puck didn’t stop completely, and Moussaka poked it into the net.

Second Period: Moussaka scored two goals, the first of which was the one I mentioned earlier. I fell on the puck — it was directly underneath my leg pads, but I was faced with the two best Moussaka players who relentlessly kept shoving at it until they got it out from underneath me. My teammates and I were astounded that the ref didn’t stop the play, and I remember giving him a look combining confusion and anger, but I didn’t want to cause trouble.

Their second goal flew in on my stick side — totally my fault. My angle was off and I was giving up way too much of the net on my right side.

Third Period: Scoreless for them! Woohoo!

For stats abbreviation key, see below.

KEY
GP: (# of) games played
GA: goals against (shots I let in)
GAA: goals against average (GA divided by GP)
S: shots against (how many shots I faced)
Sv %: (S minus GA divided by S)
W: wins
L: losses
T: ties
W %: win percentage (W divided by GP)
SO: shutouts (when you don’t let in any goals at all the entire game–or like in the 3rd period when I didn’t let in any goals, that’s considered a shutout period, but don’t count in stats)