Game Day - Viking Cup Games 3 and 4

On Sunday morning I headed out to Gawler for the second half of the Viking Cup's round robin schedule.  The early game was against the Shufflers and at midday we would take on the Rockers.  At the end of that match the three teams would be seeded for their finals appearances, an elimination game between positions two and three, followed by a grand final between the winner of that game and the team that had come first during the round robin games.

I knew that I could not be in Gawler for the afternoon finals as I had to be back at the Ice Arena for the Knights final game of the regular season against the Rangers.  So, the best I could do for my team was try and help them get first position on the ladder to maximise their chance for a later victory.

We opened the tally with a 4-0 win against the Shufflers.  Good team effort on our part, especially as we had only five skaters (2 of whom were rookies, one of whom has a shoulder injury).  I got an assist for our second goal in the first period, but much of my game was defensive in nature as I fed the forwards and kept it in the zone.  I made it a point to cover the danger players of the Shufflers as they could each outskate all the others on our team.  It was a totally fun game, no penalties or bad blood on anyone's part.

The second Wheelers game of the day at Gawler resulted in a 1-1 draw against the Rockers.  If our team was about passing and positioning, the Rockers were mainly about strength and cunning.  It was a very close fought game, 0-0 at the end of the first half and both teams tiring a bit.  Each team scored in the final five minutes.  We unfortunately were penalised for too many skaters on the rink with twenty seconds to go, however they only got one face off before the siren went so it wasn't too bad.  Again, I spent much of my time picking up their loose skater through the game.

My greatest failing in both games was my passing, very often putting it straight into an opposing player rather than the intended target (though a surprising number did find the right person).  I will have to be a little more conservative with my passing game, holding the puck and playing for position more than I did, when the regular season returns.

For me, it was a case of pack up my gear and hop in the car and drive back to Adelaide for the Knights game in the afternoon.

For the Wheelers, it was an elimination game against the Shufflers.  Shufflers won that game, went on to lose against the Rockers in the Cup game.  Sigh.

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