Becoming a Royal

[Travis]

The call came on Monday. The count down is now on as 10:30pm this Saturday night (October 22nd) will start our trial towards becoming Royals.

Time to get ready.

[Travis]

Tryouts.

The word hung there, an importance attached to it that hasn't touched my life in six years. I never had many of the make it or break it style tryouts, it used to be that everybody showed up, did their thing, and in the end they told you what team you were on and which division you made. No matter what though, you'd find a home.

That changed when I was 19 and wanted to continue playing baseball. I didn't have a scholarship to go to the States to play, and there were no local post secondary institutions that offered so much as a dime to play. We did however have our junior (ages 19-21) and senior (age 22+) interlocking league that a lot of the scholarsip guy home for the summer would play in, so I choose that route. I ended up playing each of my eligible junior years and held my own against a lot of guys who spent the other 9 months of the year down South doing this full time.

Since then I've gotten back into hockey year round. Well, ball hockey anyways. I'm not sure why, at 6'2 and 230 pounds, you'd think being able to glide around the ice should be preferable to having to work for every inch of ground. No need to call me crazy, many others have beaten you to that one.

During my second year or junior ball, a group of 4 of us started up a ball hockey team. Since then we've gone from a bottom tier (Div 10) team to Western Canada Qualifiers this past summer in Div 4. We've played winter and summer leagues with a variety of rules, 3 of us starting a new team, 2 of us returning to the original team after a league split that resulted in a second Edmonton league being created.

This summer was likely the most success we had enjoyed, and we looked to carry that into the winter season. Much to our dismay though, the building we were to play in was sold, leaving us homeless. With a deal already in place for next season, the plug was pulled as no suitable alternative could be found on such short notice.

Figuring I'd hit the outdoor shinny ice with a vengence this year to try and keep (re: get) in shape, I accepted having an actual off season to rest and get healthy. It may sound silly, but there are a lot of aches and pains that add up when you still play 2-3 times a week 10 months out of the year. The prospect of getting over most/all of those issues was about the only bright spot in missing out on the season.

Then the call comes. One of the original four, our first goalie, now playing for the Royals, had an offer. They need some players, and he's recommended the 3 of us to come back for a reunion tour. What our competition is, I don't know. How good we have to be to make the team, again, unknown. We have one shot, Saturday night, their second regular season game of the year. It's 3 days before the game and I've got the same butterflies I had on the drive down to qualifiers 2 months ago.

It'll likely only be for one season, but I'm going to try and become a Royal.

[Blade]

Try-outs. That word holds as much nervousness for me as it does for Travis. I have not been in a situation where it was a make or break try-out since I was in Junior High, trying out for the baseball team. Try-outs.

Here I am, a few days away from this try-out game, and I have mixed emotions. On one hand, I know that I am probably good enough to not have a problem making the team based on my performance. I also know that I do not have enough of a grating personality that I will not be able to get along with everyone on the team. By all reasoning, I should have no problems making the team. And yet, that word is a scary one. Try-outs.

It is like being back in school, taking a subject that you know well, being a good student who gets decent marks. Suddenly you are giving a surprise exam and being told that you need 50% or more, or else you will automatically fail the class. Knowing the subject matter means you should have no issues, but the stress of the exam is enough that all knowledge flees from your mind.

To think about it rationally, I have nothing to fear. Worst case scenario is that I do not make this team. As it is, I am already playing ball hockey this year, in a 3-on-3 league. I am guaranteed to have a game every week, so I will be playing hockey regardless. But, I want to play on this team as well. I want to be able to play with a friend that I have not played with for a few years. I want to be able to get some 5-on-5 hockey in this winter, to get ready for the summer season again. 3-on-3 hockey is all well and good, but I am a defensive defenseman, so the game is not my element at all. And, the extra day of hockey a week would do me good.

And so, I prepare for the game on Saturday, hoping that I can make a good impression on the team. There are three of us trying out (including Travis), and both of the others are friends. I get the feeling that we are a package deal, and that we all will make it, or we will all be ‘cut’. I have no doubts about the performances of the other two, as they are solid, possibly great, players. So, the pressure is put on me. I am sure if you talk to the other two, they will say the same thing I have said about themselves, that the pressure is on them. But, you are always your worst critic, and I epitomize that cliché to the fullest.

All I can focus on are my immediate goals. To play well Saturday, to make this team, and to have a good season. I need to play all the hockey I can, for I feel I may not have much time left in the game, based upon my body. I have suffered too many injuries over the past few years, some based upon my physical health, some based upon freak accidents. I have already had one knee surgery, and I may have another coming up in the next year. I have damaged my right shoulder and it still causes me issues, and this summer I damaged my left shoulder, and will have it looked at for the first time next week. I have been overweight by more than I would like, lost 50 pounds, and still have more to lose. I know that my time is now, if ever, for after losing the weight, I have played the best ball hockey of my short career. But I know that it will only be so long before the spectre of my injuries take their toll, and competitive sports will be out of the question.

And so, I cling to what I have now, fighting and playing through injuries for a game that holds no importance to the world, except for the love I have for the game. I risk my body needlessly, since the sport is only an extracurricular activity that I pay to get into, and nothing that provides financial support for myself or my family. And yet, I do not care. I will risk my body. I will play through pain. Why? Because I want to. I need to. I don’t think I can explain it, but I think that others know what I mean.

Try-outs. I will try-out, and I will either make the team, or I will not. If I don’t, I will be sad for a missed opportunity to play with a friend again. If I do, I will give it all I have, and try to carve out some good memories to cling to when I am finally kept out of the sport.

Try-outs. Bring it on.

[Blade]

Hey all,

This is going to be a real-life dynasty about the ball hockey team Travis and I are trying out for, and hopefully playing for, this season. We just thought it would be nice to get our thoughts down somewhere, and share them with everyone.

I am sure Travis will explain more, but I just wanted to let you all know what this dynasty is all about.

[Travis]

Royals (0-1) vs the Red Blobs (1-0)

After a missed turn and a questionable parking job, we enter a new rink for the first time. Thankfully there is a nice obvious locker room assignment board that is up to date, and hurdle number two is done. Walking in, there is one familiar face to greet us to go alongside the 8 questioning stares of, "What are you doing in our locker room?". Introductions and greetings finished, names already forgotten, it's nice to fall into the routine of suiting up for the game.

The game ahead of us runs late and while it's awkward, a good percentage of our new team-mates make the time for some one on one chatter as we wait to get on the floor. It's pretty obvious that a large portion of the team is tight knit, but welcoming. They also inform us that while they lost their first game 3-0, the team we're facing tonight cruised to an 11-2 win in their first outting of the season.

Warmups come and go and finally the ball is dropped. The game starts off with a feeling out process by both teams, neither launching much of an assault early on. The ice is broken midway through the first half (we play two 25 minute halves) on a beautiful backhander out of nowhere that goes just underneath the crossbar and just inside the post. It was an innocent looking crossing play until the winger from the Blobs snapped off the shot, and our goalie wasn't able to get enough of the shot to deflect it over top of the net.

This however seems to wake up our offense and we start to dominate the play. Their goalie is a mammoth in net though, covering most of the net even on his knees. His rebound control is weak, but even though we get 2 or 3 whacks at each opportunity, he's walling himself up well and not allowing us to find the twine.

It couldn't last forever, and we finally tie the game late in the first half. Before the buzzer sounds, we add a second goal to take the lead into the break. Realistically we should be up by 3 or 4 at this point, and aside from their lone goal, they haven't done much to penetrate our D.

The second half see's us jump out to an early 3-1 lead and confidence is high. As is prone to happen, we start to run around in our own end a bit, giving them their first prolonged possessions in our end, and we start misplacing our checks, leaving a man open in the slot on numerous occassions. Thankfully we manage to bottle things up and keep them from getting the open one timer off. They do pull to within a goal on a 3 on 1 rush midway through the second half. We must be up around 25-10 in shots at this point, and to be only up by 1 starts to make my hair stand on end. It's always dangerous to outplay a team but to leave them hanging around.

We continue pressing offensively, and pull off a nice pair of tic-tac-toe plays only to be robbed on the back end. A nice solo effort to weave through 3 players followed by a cross crease pass though is unstopped, and we regain our 2 goal lead with just over 5 minutes remaining. This is how the scoring would end, though over the last 5 we retained control of the play and should have tallied another goal or two.

In the end, it was a solid win, but should have been a laugher of a blowout. Their goalie played kept them in it in a game where the final shots on goal would have been in the neighborhood of around 40-15.

Game Grades

Offense: B Solid forechecking, good passing, but too often we were just jamming the rebounds back into their goalie instead of going around him or trying to put it up high.

Defense: B Kept the offensive chances down but got caught running around too much in the second half when the game was still undecided.

Goaltending: A- A perfect shot and a 3 on 1 goal were the only blemishes on a relatively easy night. Did a good job of clearing loose pucks away and keeping the dangerous situations to a minimum.

Travis' Thoughts

Well, personally I thought I played a good game for not having played in 2 months. Compared to where I'd like to be in midseason, I need some work. The two things that will take the longest to adjust to are the floor at this rink and the boards. It's not a smooth, one surface floor, but instead is made up of numerous (guessing one foot by one foot in size) individual squares. The floor gives a different feeling to taking a slap shot and to the bounce of the ball while the boards respond much differently (angle wise) to banking a ball off of them. If you were to shoot the ball at a 45s angle in, instead of coming off at a 45s, it would come off at probably a 70s angle or so. Makes trying to jump a board bounce pass route a little harder as a defenseman and will likely come into play in a lot of situations on clearing attempts.

My personal turning point came as time was winding down in the first half, as I attempted to block a winger from crossing the crease from the backside only to have him try to get around me by going behind our goalie. I tried to lunge back to get in his way and was able to while also falling into the net after twisting my ankle, dislodging the net and throwing the equivalent of a hip check on the winger, sending him flying as well. No penalty was called, but my already limited mobility was pretty much nil in the second half.

Personal Grades

Defensive Play: C+ A couple of blocks and broken up passes go on the good side, not making a play on the 3 on 1, then having the guy I was closest to bang in the rebound as I didn't get his stick tied up in time headline the list on the bad side. Got beat to a couple of balls in the corner that allowed offensive pressure to continue which hurt.

Transition Game: A This was the area I was worried most about heading in. Thought that with as much time off as I had, that I'd be likely to panic and dump the ball if I got possession in a crowd. Apparently my spidey-senses were at full bore for at least one game though as I was able to start 5 or 6 rushes through takeaways and stick to stick passes rather than just dumping it deep and hoping our forwards would recover.

Offensive Play: C One quality shot on goal during a powerplay, none otherwise. While my passing in transition may have exceeded my expectations, my offensive zone passing was dismal. I didn't create any turnovers, but repeatedly put passes into my targets feet instead of the stick, wasting scoring chances. Also passes a few times instead of taking the open shot, trying to get a little too cute and not having faith in my shot on the new (to me) floor.

Overall: B- I felt like I was an asset to the team and made us better while I was on the floor. This grade may take into account that I was coming off a 2 month inactive hiatus, so a B- will likely be harder to achieve going forward, but I was pleased with my performance.

Final Stat Line: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 0 +/-, 1 SOG, 2 Blocked Shots

[Blade]

I have to agree with Travis' game assessment overall...

Now, for myself:

Mike's Thoughts

Overall, I was generally ok with the way I played, but not overly happy. I have played enough hockey over the past little bit that I should have played better. I made a couple key mistakes. One was in taking a penalty I shouldn't have taken, though that seems to be the norm with me. The second was a stupid pass up the middle in our own end. It didn't cost the team, but was stupid nonetheless.

I also didn't contribute a lot offensively, but I will never be a huge offensive guy anyway, so that isn't too bad overall. I admit that I was wound pretty tight for this game, as I was nervous about making a bad first impression. Hopefully I can be a little more loose next game, as I have officially "made" this team.

Personal Grades

Defensive Play: C: I think I was pretty solid overall defensively. I was able to be physical in front of the net without many problems. Two mistakes though. The pass up the middle was a brain fart, and the penalty was needless and taken in the defensive zone.

Transition Game: C: I made some passes when needed, but didn't make any passes to start any major offensive rushes.

Offensive Play: D: I didn't contribute a whole lot offensively. The only plays made offensively were a decent pass to my defensive partner for a shot attempt, and a shot that I took myself that flew over the net.

Overall: C: Overall, I was solid. Not a major problem for the team, though I didn't contribute as much as I would have liked. Hopefully I will settle in a little more shortly.

Final Stat Line: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 2 PIM - Sorry, never really paid attention to +/- or blocked shots, and they do not track that in the league anyway, so I am not going to start to try and track it myself.

[Breeze]

Good stuff guys, keep it up. I like reading real life performances and your write ups are quite informative.

[Travis]

Thanks Breeze, nice to know we have a reader.

If there is anything you'd like to see included, let us know.

[Icy]

Good read, but what is ball hockey?

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Icy

Good read, but what is ball hockey?

God let this be a serious question or I'm about to do a lot of typing just to look like an ass.

Picture regular ice hockey, then take away the ice, skates and a majority of the equipment.

During the summer, we play at an indoor soccer center. Full size rinks, played on concrete in running shoes. Instead of a puck we use an orange Z-ball. It's basically a hard rubber ball (closer to a lacrosse ball than the hollow plastic orange balls). The major rule change in summer league is that once you gain the offensive zone (cross the opponent's blue line), the ball has to be cleared past the center red line for the zone to be cleared (called the floating blue line).

Winter ball hockey see's more variations as most of the indoor rinks are being used for ice hockey leagues, so we end up playing in gyms or 3/4 size rinks. The rink we're playing at in this league is a ball hockey rink that is roughly 3/4 the size of a regular rink. As such, there are no icings or offsides which creates a lot of different strategies as compared to even summer ball hockey.

Also, in ball hockey, the only required equipment to wear is a helmet and hockey gloves. Most wear shin pads of some sort and a cup, fewer a visor and mouthguard. A few wear a full cage and elbow pads, but you won't see shoulder pads or hockey shorts.

The most biggest differences between ball hockey and ice hockey in game would be passing (no saucer passes here, ball bounces more than the puck), the way the ball comes off the boards (tends to come back at a much harsher angle than a puck) and the fact that you can't glide, you have to work for every inch of floor.

Any other questions, post 'em and we'll do our best to answer.

[Blade]

Here is a little background on my short Ball Hockey career:

During 1998 and 1999, I attended a technical institute here in my home town of Edmonton. While there, I met a number of new people, three of which who would become good friends: Adriyel, Clint, and Travis (of this board and dynasty). While the friendship was slow in evolving with Travis, buy the end of the two years, the four of us were really good friends and found that we had some similar interests. One of which was playing hockey.

As we graduated, we learned that there was a ball hockey league in Edmonton, and we all expressed interest in starting a team. We all brought some players on board, while Adriyel and Clint were responsible for getting the team into the league. I made a team name suggestion of the “Knights” which was agreed upon, then stole a logo from the New Haven Knights for our own, which was altered to reflect our team colours: Black, Gold, and Red. And so, the Knights ball hockey team was borne.

Adriyel and Clint were the “managers” of the team, so to speak. Clint was our goaltender, so Adriyel became the on-floor captain of the team, while Travis and I were two of the three assistant captains. We were just plain bad as the season started, but by mid-season, with the help of a couple player pick-ups, we went on a strong winning streak and made the playoffs. We were quickly ousted from the post-season, though. That year was an awkward year, as we all were getting used to playing structured ball hockey, and getting to know all of our team mates. For myself, I had an ice-hockey background to fall back on, so I understood the basics and tactics of the game. A lot of our team mates did not.

I did have some difficulty accepting a role and position on the team, though. My ice-hockey background was as a forward, not a defenceman, so I gravitated towards that position. However, we were lacking defencemen who understood the game, so I was thrust into that position to help out. I bounced around the positions a bit before finally agreeing and committing myself to play defence.

We played two more years with the Knights team, playing well in the regular season and moving up divisions, but always getting blown out of the playoffs. I had some difficulty in the 2002 season, as I suffered a shoulder injury in an accidental collision, and ended up playing in pain most of that season until I was able to get physiotherapy in the off-season. Also, there were some internal conflicts with a number of the players on the team, as the team appeared to split into factions. It wasn’t outright hostile, but it was uncomfortable at times. As such, after the 2002 season, it was decided between Clint, Travis, and I, that we would leave the Knights and form a new team. It was a difficult decision to make, because of my friendship with Adriyel, but it needed to be done, because of the factions, and because we also had other friends who were interested in playing, but no room on the Knights for them.

And so, the “Samurai” were born. Again, this was a name that I suggested, and Clint, a talented graphic artist in his own right, designed a nice logo. Clint was the unofficial captain of the team, while his friend Chad (also originally from the Knights) became the on-floor captain.

The year with the Samurai was the worst year in my short career. Not only did the team play poorly all season, but there were even more conflicts within the team than there was on the Knights. And some of these conflicts were very public in the dressing room and on the bench. To make matters worse for myself, I suffered an injury which saw me tear cartilage in my right knee during a game, then played the rest of that season with the injury, limiting my effectiveness (the little I have) entirely. Because of the health system and diagnostic imaging wait times, I did not actually have the surgery to repair the injury until a year after the injury happened.

We finished that year without making the playoffs, and being one of the worst teams in the league (I can’t remember if we were the worst or not…probably blocked it out from my mind).

At the end of the 2003 season, the ball hockey league we were playing with, Ball Hockey Edmonton, split into two leagues. Ball Hockey Edmonton remained, but the new league, Metro Edmonton Ball Hockey, started up, and they did so with a league running over the Winter. This was a new concept to us, as typically the ball hockey leagues ran only in the summer. The Knights ball hockey team were one of the teams to leave Ball Hockey Edmonton and join the new league, and upon doing that, I asked Adriyel if he needed any more defencemen for the winter season. He said yes, and I became a Knight once again.

The winter season was a bit of a new experience, as it was played on a smaller surface, and was four-on-four hockey, as opposed to the five-on-five that I was used to. I played the entire season, though I was still dealing with the knee injury. It wasn’t a great year for myself, but I was having fun again, though Travis and Clint were not on the team.

When the summer season started, I had no desire to return to the Samurai, and neither did Clint or Travis. Clint took a ‘retirement’ stance, and decided to rest up as he had two bad knees. He came back to the game, though, when he was invited to play for a higher division team. He played well, but was cut from the team as he was a victim of team politics. I went back to the Knights in the new ball hockey league, though my knee was so bad, I only played for six games before having to quit because of the pain.

By the time the 2004/2005 Winter season started, my knee had been surgically repaired, and my rehab was over, so I was ready to go. Joining me again was Travis, and we set out to have a good time again. The Winter season was now five-on-five, as the league had found a larger gym to play in, and I had a ton of fun. During the off-season, I had lost 50 pounds, so I felt a lot better and more effective. It was by far the best time I had in ball hockey up to that point, and though I was not a huge offensive contributor, I was very solid defensively.

This flowed naturally into the 2005 Summer season, in which I had my best season playing-wise, and points-wise, to date. We ended up finishing with a disappointing second place finish in the playoffs, but I left the year feeling truly happy about playing ball hockey again. As the summer league was going on, I learned that Clint had decided to play again, this time for a brand new ball hockey team in the Ball Hockey Edmonton league. A team called the Royals.

And this brings us to the current day. I am currently playing for the Knights in a 3-on-3 winter league, but also a member of the Royals in the Ball Hockey Edmonton league with Clint and Travis.

Playing Style and Career Stats:

As my stats will tell, I am a defensive defenceman who plays a very physical style of hockey. Unfortunately, in an official “non-contact” league, it has caused me to take more penalties than I should, though I have done my best to adapt over the years. I try to make the safe play when in pressure situations, though I am often looking for the quick pass to get the ball off my stick and on a forward’s. Offensively, I try to rely on my slapshot, though I have been known to move into the slot when I am not being covered. I hope to become more of an offensive help as well, though time will tell if that happens.

Season						Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PPG	SHG	GWG	PIM
2000 Summer Regular Season - Knights 		 24	  3	   8	  11	 0 	 0	 0	 32
2000 Summer Playoffs - Knights	  		  2	  0	   1	   1	 0	 0	 0	  0
2001 Summer Regular Season - Knights		 22	  1	   8	   9	 1	 0	 1	 12
2001 Summer Playoffs - Knights			  2	  0	   0	   0	 0	 0	 0	  0
2002 Summer Regular Season - Knights		 23	  3	   8	  11	 1	 0	 0	 14
2002 Summer Playoffs - Knights			  2	  0	   0	   0	 0	 0	 0	  6
2003 Summer Regular Season - Samurai		 15	  1	   2	   3	 0	 0	 0	 38
2003/04 Winter Regular Season - Knights		 13	  0	   1	   1	 0	 0	 0	 12
2003/04 Winter Playoffs - Knights		  3	  0	   0	   0	 0	 0	 0	  0
2004 Summer Regular Season - Knights		  6	  0	   0	   0	 0	 0	 0 	  8
*2004/05 Winter RS/Playoffs - Knights		 17	  1	   3	   4	 0	 0	 0	 28
*2005 Summer RS/Playoffs - Knights		 24	  3	  10	  13	 1	 0	 0	 30

*note: playoffs included, as the stat keeping site did not distinguish between the two

[Travis]

Travis (6'2, 230 lbs): Defenseman

Playing Style: I'm usually one of the bigger guys on the floor, and for a majority of the time that we've played, I've been the biggest guy on our team. While play is going on, I'm not an overly physical player, as I prefer to use angles and my reach to make or break up plays, but once the whistle has gone, or if you've taken any liberties with my goalie, then all bets are off.

I take a lot of pride in trying to play a clean, consistent game from start to finish and to be able to log as much floor time as needed. That said, I'm not going to provide an end-to-end rush more than once or twice a game, and in all honesty, that's a good thing. I know we're better served with the ball in the forward’s possession, so I try to make sure I get it there as soon as possible. I'm best utilized making a strong first pass on the rush, and to finish things off on a one timer from the point.

Weaknesses: Top end speed. Trying to get too cute on dangerous passes (re: turnovers). Not a threat to make many individual plays with the ball. At times will concentrate too much on the pass or the shot in the offensive zone, forcing one or the other instead of reading and reacting to the developing play.

Strengths: Not often out of position in the defensive end. Fills the passing and shooting lanes. Reads shots well, blocking a high percentage. Good outlet passes. Strong shot that stays low, good for tips and rebounds. Reads the blocker coming out and will shoot avoid the shot block. Pretty good at recognizing developing passes in the neutral zone and getting in the way to either pick off the pass or disrupt the play.

Career Stats:

Season                                   Games    Goals    Assists    Points    PPG    GWG    PIM
2000 Summer Regular Season – Knights        23        3         11        14      0      1      4
2000 Summer Playoffs – Knights               2        0          0         0      0      0      0
2001 Summer Regular Season – Knights        24        2          8        10      1      0     22
2001 Summer Playoffs – Knights               2        0          0         0      0      0      0
2002 Summer Regular Season – Knights        23        1         12        13      1      0      6
2002 Summer Playoffs – Knights               2        0          0         0      0      0     14
2003 Summer Regular Season – Samurai        18        4          2         6      3      0      2
2003/04 Winter Regular Season – Knights     17        0          2         2      0      0     15
2003/04 Winter Playoffs – Knights            3        0          2         2      0      0      0
2004 Summer Regular Season – Knights         2        0          1         1      0      0      2
*2004/05 Winter RS/Playoffs – Knights       16        1          4         5      0      1      2
*2005 Summer RS/Playoffs – Knights          22        2          3         5      0      1      2
Career Totals                              154       13         45        58      5      3     69

 *Note: playoffs included, as the stat keeping site did not distinguish between the two.

Season Goals: I'd like to improve my recognition skills in the offensive end, including driving to the net for backdoor pass chances when the opportunity presents itself. Become more of a factor in the transition game by getting up on the play ahead of the back checking wingers to be a viable drop pass option, and to reverse the disturbing trend that my point production has taken.

Predicted Stat Line:
13 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts, 0 PIM, +15, 30 Shot Blocks

[Travis]

Team Chaos (0-2) vs Royals (1-1)

Things start off quickly in this one as we come out flying. With 5 minutes to go in the opening half, we're up by a score of 7-0. You read that right, 7-0. We knew coming in that Team Chaos played a run and gun style, but everytime they came over our side of center, we were able to get into their passing lanes and reverse the flow of play. Their run and gun quickly turned into run for cover and at this point, the game looked over.

Unfortunately, they decided that their current style wasn't working, so they'd just start shooting from anywhere. Two quick goals that our tender would like to do over made it 7-2 heading into the half. The second half was pretty calm as each team managed to tally 3 more times, though it was obvious that we let up early and even then hit a pair of posts and started adding in an extra pass rather than a shot soas not to run up the score.

In the end, a 10-5 win looks good on paper, but we should have walked out of there with a 12 or 13-2 win.

Final Score: Royals win, 10-5

Game Grades

Offense: A Anytime you put in 10, it's hard to find any negatives. That said, we could have easily put in 3-5 more had we kept the pedal down for the full game. A couple of open net misses, posts and crossbars marred an otherwise beautiful performance in the offensive end.

Defense: C 5 in is not the sort of trend we'd like to see starting. We played well for the majority of the first half in keeping them off the board while putting the game out of reach, but relaxed way too much in the second half rather than working for our goalie.

Goaltending: B- Big in the opening minutes when we weathered the initial storm, allowing us to put this one out of reach. Of the 5 goals allowed, 3 of them are probably stopped in a tight game when focus and concentration are at a higher level. That said, having 3 gifts in a game is too many no matter what the score is.

Travis' Thoughts

Well, we found out tonight that the quality of the officiating is no better in this league than our old one. I was called for a pretty bogus play on my second shift with the score 2-0. Their winger was looking to recover a loose ball in the corner in our end, and I approached, broke down, and pinned him along the boards as a defenseman normally will when a ball is being contested. I do this by putting my right knee between his legs (knee against the boards) so that he'd literally have to jump over to get free. In the time that takes, my support had come and gotten the ball away and then a whistle. They were calling me for hitting from behind. As is my norm, I proceeded to talk to the ref, and in the end, he changes his call to holding instead of the hit from behind. Later in the game, with Team Chaos on the PP, I had a man boxed out in front of the net as the play went across the slot for a one timer, the guy behind me literally jumped on our goalie as I moved to try and get in the passing lane. The end result was a one timer goal as our goalie couldn't get across in time. I proceeded to ask the ref how they could call that a goal instead of goaltender interference only to be told that I had obviously pushed my man into the goalie.

Now, for the readers, it may sound like petty bickering, but for those that know me, that is my #1 pet peeve with most defensemen. I have never and will never see the point in knocking my guy on his ass if it means knocking him into my goalie. So, needless to say, I wasn't overly polite with the ref's lack of attention to the play and was probably lucky to escape at that point without an unsportsmanlike conduct. I didn't break out any of the bad words, but I let him know that I expected him to be watching the play next time rather than assuming what had happened.

Personal Grades

Defensive Play: B- Highlight of the game personally was a 2 on 1 where I took away the pass until the last second, then slid across to knock the ball off the stick of the other forward before he was able to shoot. Was on for two goals against, including the bogus powerplay goal, so that's to the negative side. There wasn't a lot of exciting plays, but that was mostly because we were playing well positionally and taking away chances before they could develop. I didn't get caught running around this game and stuck to my checks much better and really filled the passing and shooting lanes all night.

Transition Game: C+ Not as many opportunities as the last game, but the few I had I converted. This game had a lot more in the way of zone possession rather than a lot of end to end action. Didn't step up and reverse the flow of many rushes in the abbreviated neutral zone. Prior to the game we talked about breakouts, and I had mentioned a play that I liked to use in our old league, where after we win a faceoff in our end, or recovering a ball in the corner, the defenseman will ring the boards with the ball to hit the far side winger at the hashes to set up a one on one situation with the opposition D. I utilized this play 6 or 7 times during this game, and while it didn't work to perfection, it did result in getting the ball out of our zone each time, and 3 times led to a quality scoring chance.

Offensive Play: C Again, nothing overly special here as the forwards were having themselves a good old time scoring. I had 2 quality shots on net, one screened, one not, both shots resulting in rebounds down low. During an early second half power play I was able to start drifting in from the line into the high slot, looking for the one timer, and even got a pass at one point. Unfortunately, the pass was too far back, but instead of trying to force the shot, I one timed a pass to my defensive partner to change the flow of the play and make the penalty killers run more. It's not a game changing play, but a step forward for me as I was looking shot and made the decision to change the play to a pass whereas a lot of times I'll tend to lock in on one or the other, forcing the play instead of taking what's given to me. My passing on the night was pretty solid, definitely not the feet passes I was dishing in the previous game.

Overall: C+ Not a bad game, but some things to work on. I need to become more involved in rushes still and get myself involved in transition rather than just providing the outlet pass. I'm hoping that if I keep trying to be more involved in the offensive zone like I did this game that the forwards will realize that I will be there in those cases and become more comfortable utilizing me in that capacity as well.

Final Stat Line: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 2 +/-, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, 4 Blocked Shots

Season Totals: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 2 +/-, 2 PIM, 3 SOG, 6 Blocked Shots

Next Game: Saturday, November 5th, 9:30 PM vs the Lasers (2-1)

[Blade]

Mike's Thoughts

We started off well, but it was disturbing to let the other team pick up some points. This is a team we should have dominated from start to finish, but we let them pick up some steam in the second half. The nice thing is that this team understands their mistakes and wants to get better by talking about what needs to be done. That is a new thing for me, as the teams I am used to did not seem to be as dedicated to getting better as this team is.

We should have some tough games coming up, so it will be important to get better and to continue to get a system down. In my experience, I have seen that the teams that win in the end are the teams who have worked at getting a system in place and learning it, and the playoffs seems to weed out the teams who have talent but no desire to play a team game. I don't think that the Royals are one of these teams. I hope I am right.

Defensive Game: B – I thought I played a solid game defensively. I was not on for any goals against, whether it was 5-on-5 or special teams. I blocked a few shots, and kept the front of the net clear for my goalie. I did take a penalty early on, which in my opinion was not a penalty, but nevertheless, it forced my team to kill it off for two minutes.

Transition Game: C – I made a few passes, but nothing overly spectacular to start a rush. I really need to work on this as I get more comfortable in the defensive end playing with the various defensemen on the team.

Offensive Game: C – I had one shot that was pegged for the top corner and just missed, but I should have kept it low like a good defenseman. I made one pass off a face-off in the offensive zone to my partner, and he scored, so that was one good play offensively.

Overall: C+ - Again, I had a good game defensively, which I will take any day. However, I would like to be a player that can be counted on for more than just defence, be it a pass to start a breakout of our end, or a shot that can lead to a scoring chance. It will come, I hope.

Final Game Stats: 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, 2 PIM, some blocked shots, +/- of 4 or 5…(gotta love my precise stat keeping…maybe I should get Travis to track my stats too!)

[Travis]

Lasers (2-1) vs Royals (2-1)

For Mike and I, this is a trip down (short term) memory lane. The Lasers are one of two teams in this league that we played against in this previous summer league. Each time we played them in summer league, they had at least 2 players thrown out of the game with a season high 4 being tossed in the ugliest meeting we had with them. Luckily, scanning their lineup during warmups, it was obvious that their two dirtiest players weren't present for this meeting, though we had seen them play earlier this winter season. So we're not sure if they just couldn't make the game or if they were serving a suspension.

The game starts in just about the worst way possible, as a long shot takes a funny bounce off our goalies blocker and has just enough top spin to go up and over his shoulder before settling in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead on the first shot of the game.

We rally back though, taking that one back in short order, then pulling ahead midway through the first half. Our D plays well for the rest of the half, really limiting the Lasers offensive time and forcing all their shots to the outside. Late in the first half though, one breakdown and a one timer later, a team we had completely outplayed had us tied at 2. That was how we went into the break.

Coming out in the second half, we knew that if we kept going the way we had so far that we should be able to put them away. However, we only had 2 lines worth of players, and it started to show in the second half. Textbook breakouts that had worked earlier became turnovers as our wingers didn't have the legs to get back as deep in our zone to accept the passes. As a result, the defense had to dump the ball out of the zone more and the Lasers ended up with a much higher percentage of offensive zone time. Our D held though, with active sticks and good positioning ruining one timer setups and blocking shots. Rarely did one of the 4 defensemen come off without having to sit and gasp for breath while wondering just how that last blocked shot was going to look come morning.

Finally midway through the half, we take a turnover and turn it into a go ahead goal. A nice give and go leaves the Lasers goalie baffled. With the goal comes a new burst of energy, and before we fall back into the same rythm we started the half with, we pot another goal to put us up 4-2 with a little over 7 minutes to go. At this point you can see the forwards start to get a bit more of a spring in their step as we all realize that we're one goal away from putting this one out of reach. The D start taking the extra half step to find a pass rather than just dumping it out, and we continue to take the play to them. The hard work pays off, and it's a 3 goal game with just under 4 minutes to go. This goal takes the last breath out of the Lasers and they mount no sustained pressure the rest of the way. We let them hang around longer than we should have, but when it came time, we were able to put the game out of reach.

Final Score: Royals win, 5-2

Game Grades

Offense: B 5 goals is a pretty good night, but we could/should/need to put more away on a team like this. Scoring just 2 in the first half made this game a lot more interesting than it should have been.

Defense: B+ Aside from the first shot fluke, the Lasers only earned one goal on the night. This was a team averaging around 6 goals a game through their first 3 games

Goaltending: A- A gift early, then some very solid play the rest of the way. Held strong in the opening 10 minutes of the second half to keep the game tied and definitely one of the key ingredients to our win. We're hoping to get his GAA to around 2.50 and more efforts like this will make that a lot easier.

Travis' Thoughts

I was nervous heading into this game because of having played this team before. It's not the good nervous either, this is the kind of game you go into wondering if somebody is going to get hurt to the extent that they won't be able to play again for a while. Thankfully that wasn't the case, this time.

This was a good game for our defensive group to show that we can contain a good offense. The improvement I've seen in the other defensemen over the last 3 games is bordering on amazing. They're picking up their assignments much faster and using their body position much more effectively.

Up front, the only knock I have was having just 2 lines. I think with a 3rd set of forwards that we could have approached the 10 goal mark again, most of it in the second half. Expecting wingers to be making it all the way back for clearing attempts after forechecking for an entire game isn't overly realistic, but those are two main staples in our game plan. Right now we're getting through this on talent alone, but come playoff time, when everybodies game gets turned up a notch, it could come back to haunt us if we can't get a full turnout.

Personal Grades

Defensive Play: B I wasn't on for any goals against in this one and had one of my best games in the last year for reading shots and getting in the way. Managed to play the body part name game tonight, blocking one with my hand, forearm, thigh, shin, foot and even a pair with my stick. Felt good at the time, being in a zone and reading the shot lanes that well, not so much on Sunday though.

Transition Game: C A few outlets in the first half, some smart dump outs in the second half and a good feed late in the game that led to a goalpost made for a consistent game. Aside from that last one though, nothing special good or bad.

Offensive Play: C A rather ordinary night. A couple of shot opportunities squandered thanks to some weird spin on the ball. I did get off two shots though, one that missed just wide on the far side and one that hit right where I like, dead middle and 2 inches off the ground. Nearly had a few good slot passes set up for one timers or to start a tic tac toe play that either got tipped or just missed the mark. The idea was there, but didn't quite pull it off in the end.

Overall: C+ A solid but unspectacular game. A couple of chances in each end to make a big play that just missed, but I was able to make the plays I should and kept my assignments from creating anything, especially when the game was tied.

Final Stat Line: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 2 +/-, 0 PIM, 1 SOG, 7 Blocked Shots

Season Totals: 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 4 +/-, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 13 Blocked Shots

Next Game: Saturday, November 11th, 5:30 PM vs the Warriors (4-0)

[NoSkillz]

Just saw this thread when I was reading Blade's Raiders dynasty...


Good stuff! I play ball hockey as well and it's interesting the differences in the leagues we play in. We aren't required to wear helmets unlike you guys and thankfully, in the three years I've been playing with the team, there have been no accidents whatsoever.

I'll be following along!

By the way, if interested, check out our team's webpage. There are some pics up in the multimedia section of the outdoor rink we play in. It's very unique in that it has a roof over top so the elements are kept out (for the most part). So in the winter time, we can play without having to worry about the snow falling.

http://www.scbhl.com/scbhl/pandas/pandas.htm

[Blade]

I want to apologize to Travis for not posting my thoughts on last game. However, we had our next game last night, and as a result, I have come to some conclusions.

1. The play in Edmonton Ball Hockey these days is getting to be quite violent, regardless of the league we are in. This was made apparent to me for yet another time last night. Why guys act this way, I have no idea. This is something we pay to play, something we do for fun. Every guy has to go to work or school the next day. We all have regular lives. Why would you want to hurt someone and prevent them from doing so? And what is the point of possible brawls in the parking lot after the game?

2. I am a physical defenseman, and I always have been. It has served me well for most of my "career". However, that is not the way the game is played anymore, if it ever should have been. Apparently, I am not able to grow into a style that will allow me to be an effective defenseman. Instead, I end up taking three penalties for body contact, then get tossed (once you have 3 penalties in a game, you are ejected from that game). It is like the new age NHL. Those who cannot adapt to the new rules are no use to the game anymore.

As such, once this winter season ends, I am finished with competitive ball hockey. I will still play ball hockey for fun here and there, but I will find other activities to keep me active.

This just isn't worth it any longer. It is not worth risking serious injury when there are a ton of goons in all leagues, and it is not worth feeling like crap when you feel like you are a detriment to the team.

This may be a knee jerk reaction, but I think it is a direction I need to move in.

I will do my best to continue to contribute to this thread, but as soon as this season is over, I am done.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Just saw this thread when I was reading Blade's Raiders dynasty...


Good stuff! I play ball hockey as well and it's interesting the differences in the leagues we play in. We aren't required to wear helmets unlike you guys and thankfully, in the three years I've been playing with the team, there have been no accidents whatsoever.

I'll be following along!

By the way, if interested, check out our team's webpage. There are some pics up in the multimedia section of the outdoor rink we play in. It's very unique in that it has a roof over top so the elements are kept out (for the most part). So in the winter time, we can play without having to worry about the snow falling.

http://www.scbhl.com/scbhl/pandas/pandas.htm

Heh, as you'll see in the next game update, not wearing a helmet would have gotten me in a lot of trouble

On that note, I'm one of the guys who always tries to talk everybody else into wearing at least a visor and mouthguard. We had a guy lose a tooth at the gumline due to a high stick, and I personally hit a guy square in the jaw with a slapshot (thank goodness he had on a full cage). I've got too many marks on my visor to ever think about removing it (plus I wear glasses).

Do you guys allow full slapshots? How do you find the officiating? I'm quite amazed that they'd let you play without helmets, especially from an insurance aspect. Are you guys covered under a plan when you're playing?

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Travis

Heh, as you'll see in the next game update, not wearing a helmet would have gotten me in a lot of trouble

On that note, I'm one of the guys who always tries to talk everybody else into wearing at least a visor and mouthguard. We had a guy lose a tooth at the gumline due to a high stick, and I personally hit a guy square in the jaw with a slapshot (thank goodness he had on a full cage). I've got too many marks on my visor to ever think about removing it (plus I wear glasses).

Do you guys allow full slapshots? How do you find the officiating? I'm quite amazed that they'd let you play without helmets, especially from an insurance aspect. Are you guys covered under a plan when you're playing?

I'm VERY surprised that the league hasn't made wearing helmets mandatory. The guy who owns SCBHL has been in business for a long time and has never had a major neck related injury. But still, I think it would be great if the helmets were made mandatory. They only required equipment is gloves - and crazily enough, you don't need hockey gloves...any gloves will do! I wore gardening gloves for the longest time (better flexibility) but I've been slashed enough times over the last few years to switch to real hockey gloves for good.

As it stands now though, I won't wear a helmet until they do become mandatory. The reason is that you will be a target out there and I figure I have more of a chance of getting hurt by being the only guy in the rink with one on. There are guys on the team who wear glasses like you and they are ALWAYS targets out there. I can't believe they don't wear contacts out there.

Everyone in the league has to sign a waiver before they suit up. You only sign it the one time and not at the beginning of each season (our team plays throughout the whole year: Spring Season, Summer Season, Fall Season and Winter Season). I really don't think the waiver would hold up if someone DID get really hurt.

As for chippy play, I'm with you. Our team is made up of guys from the ages of 29 through to 42 years old. We all have jobs and there are some teams that just want to play a 'goon' style. However, the league has pretty strict rules regarding fighting - you even throw one punch and you're gone for a full season (14 game suspension).

Thankfully, teams like this are the exception rather than the rule. I LOVE playing ball hockey and I know I want to keep playing as long as my body will let me. We have an Oldtimers division in the league (over 35 years old) and we'll likely be playing in that league within three-four years.

Full slap shots are allowed. There are no rules put into place that negate anything you're allowed to do in ice hockey that I can think of - but no body checking of course. There's still some incidental contact but for the most part, the games get played with no hitting. Some physical play when competing in front of the net and along the boards but nothing crazy. I'll tell you though: I tend to play VERY SOFT in the winter times along the boards - it gets really slippery on the court due to the ice that sometimes forms out there and I'm really cautious when going into the corners. There's no way I'm going to break my legs or neck going for a ball in those conditions. My stats always suffer in the winter time though!

The officiating is pretty lax overall. They have two officials for every game plus a time/score keeper as well. Not many penalties are called. But it's pretty consistent. They probably call more delay of game penalties than anything else.

Let me know if you have any other questions...it's a fun subject to talk about!

[Travis]

Warriors (4-0) vs Royals (3-1)

Expectations are a funny thing. We went into the Lasers game figuring on dirty play and the possiblity of people being hurt in a stupid and senseless fashion. Instead, we got a relatively easy game, both on the scoresheet and on the floor in the sense that they didn't really play the body or get too liberal with their stickwork.

Saturday, we were getting set to face the only undefeated team in the league. A team with a +29 goal differential through 4 games. We were expecting to have to play solid D and score on transition rushes if we wanted to jump into a tie for first place with them.

What we got was something a whole lot closer to what we expected from the Lasers. The biggest problem with a team of dirty players is if they are skilled. Those are the guys that know how to cover up their infractions with their body so that the referee will only see the retaliation. We jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, then the parade to the box began. I quickly saw the reason this team had such a great overall +/- as they may have one of the best power play setups I've ever played against. I can also see why it's so refined as their ability to play the ref's was nothing short of astounding. They had maybe 2 or 3 guys on their team that crack the 200 pound mark, but could they ever use their sticks. Pool players aren't half as smooth in their delivery.

Unfortunately for us, emotion ran too high. Our defensive zone coverages started turning into vendetta's and ultimately, somebody would become open. If not, we'd get hit for a penalty so they knew they'd have a body open on the powerplay. Breaks would also fall their way, as an end to end slapshot that would deflect off our defenseman and in as he was attempting to block a forward from screening our goalie.

All told, we were down by 3 late in the second half when finally a call went our way, as a Warrior player was ejected from the game on top of a 5 minute penalty. 3 goals down with 4:55 to go isn't necessarily a pretty position to be in, but with them being at least 1 man down for that period of time, a glimmer of hope.

And that lasted for approximately 30 seconds until we took a penalty, then gave up a goal 4 on 4 to really ice the game.

In the aftergame handshake (which I did not attend, only the third lineup I have snubbed in the last 5 years due to pure disgust with the other team), our captain was accused of headbutting an opposing player which nearly resulted in a brawl to finish the night off. Not having witnessed it, I can't verify the claim, but from what I've come to know of the guy, I highly suspect the charge to be complete B.S.

Final Score: Royals lose, 7-3

Game Grades

Offense: C- 3 goals isn't horrible, but we knew coming in we'd likely need 4 or 5 to take the game. We had chances and missed the net too often from the slot and the top of the circle.

Defense: D- Too much running around in our own end as well as guys running around without anybody checking them. Most of the goals allowed (4 of 7) were on the powerplay (plus the end to end luck job), so we weren't awful at even strength. That said, too many penalties and too lax a job keeping a solid box going during the PK ultimately led to our downfall.

Goaltending: B Held us in as long as he could. A long night and a large workload, he didn't face many easy shots. Probably had as many lateral stops tonight as he's had up to now in the season.

Travis' Thoughts

Well, I've certainly felt better, both physically and emotionally, after games than I did this one. Had one guy cross check me hard enough in the back of the neck/base of the skull that my helmet came clean off. Had two different guys attempt to butt end me as they crossed the crease, another slash my knee hard enough that my kneecap was black by the time the game ended. Add to that a guy who was hoping to put me into next week until I saw him at the last second, and you really start to question the "non-contact" portion of the league.

Game wise, we were somewhat undisciplined, but that happens when you're taking shots like we were while the ref's seemed oblvious to the situation. Unfortunately, too many wanted to get back at these guys through hacks and slashes rather than where it really hurts, on the scoreboard. It also didn't help that some of the penalties we were getting in our own zone while attempting to check a player were at best completely questionable calls.

I hope when we face these guys again that the boys can look past their anger from this game and just go out with the intent of putting up as many goals as possible. If we go out looking to return the pain that was inflicted upon us this game, it'll just be more of the same.

Personal Grades

Defensive Play: C+ I was on for 3 goals, 1 of which was even strength. Stopped a two on one late in the game and stuck with my check for the most part, preventing some passes and shots, but didn't come up with many big turnovers to spark a change in the momentum of the game.

Transition Game: C A night of up and downs for me. Had a couple passes picked off, but also made a few plays that didn't necessarily look great, but worked when I didn't think they would. Managed to at least clear the ball the majority of the time I came in contact with it in our end and spearheaded a rush that resulted in shot off the goal post at the other end.

Offensive Play: C- Not many chances though I was open a few times. Only got one shot off (which found it's way on net). Another case of a few bad passes mixed with a few good one's, but nothing that set the world on fire. This is an area I need to step up and soon.

Overall: C Hard to take much in the way of positives from this game, but I didn't feel like I played horribly. I'm looking forward to playing them again though, the adrenaline will be going and I'll be looking to help out our offensive effort and to really shut them down in our end.

Final Stat Line: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, -1 +/-, 0 PIM, 1 SOG, 4 Blocked Shots

Season Totals: 4 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts, 3 +/-, 2 PIM, 5 SOG, 17 Blocked Shots

Next Game: Sunday, November 20th, 8:30 PM vs the Badgers (2-2)