After a long hiatus I return! Since last posting I played out a whole season of inline hockey. It's only four weeks to my first game of the coming season on the ice. I have started up a 'crash course' of fitness and conditioning. Life is good.
My first season in Division 1 inline hockey at Gawler was played for the Rolling Dead. Fast, physical and competitive. Our leaky defence, amplified by poor offence (6th), subverted valiant goal tending (2nd) to ensure the Rolling Dead didn't make the playoffs. We ended up fifth on the ladder (six teams). I totally loved the jersey!
I made all twelve of our games. Each was an experience unto itself for me. Some games I shone on the face off, others I played an (almost) impassable defence, others I got good shots on goal and, in some, I scored. There were a number of highlights and a few lessons (some of which I detail below) but the overall experience was one of steady improvement and continuing enjoyment.
I didn't attend a single training session for the whole season, either with others or on my own. I didn't touch my skates except to play a game. I did no physical training or exercises at home. I did turn up for several games after a morning mixing concrete, chopping down trees, digging holes. All of this and a two hour drive each way to get to a game in the first place.
A few events stand out in memory:
Turning up for my first game to discover that I'd be on the rink for the full game (we only had three skaters). We played till it felt like we had nothing left and then we played some more, used a time out with ten minutes to go, conserved energy when we could, burnt it with gay abandon every shift. We ended up with a victory, my fitness tracker recorded the highest performance metrics I've yet produced and I got my first goal at this level (pass from Brad in the corner to me in slot). What a game!
In our third game we were soundly beaten 11-1. The junior star of the opposing team scored six goals and made a couple of assists, our goal keeping was the lowest I've ever had on a team, but I still greatly enjoyed the game. Mainly because I shut down their star for the second half by playing good solid defence (though he kept on scoring when our first line was on the floor). In other words, and in spite of the score line, I grew more confident in my defensive abilities after this game.
In Game 5 I blocked five shots and scored a nice goal on the rush off of a desperate and accurate pass from Jess.
In Game 11 I single handedly scored game tying goal after taking advantage of my own centre face off win, backing my skating to thread a gap in the defence and quick release a snap shot at speed. I also played out a couple of penalty kills, including the dying minutes (using my body and feet to good effect against bigger stronger players more than my stick).
In Game 12 I finally started to strip the puck from the opposition with more regularity (twice off of their best player) and deny them the slot when it counted. I was also skated around twice by a better skater in the zone (once leading direct to a goal). I then took part in a shift which was probably the strongest I've either witnessed or played in at my level, with Josh and Jess being the primary movers and me using every bit of my lungs and legs to give support as they tore off dangerous shot after dangerous shot and we controlled the puck for several minutes (and their goalie denied us each and every time we thought we'd scored (I hit the post twice)). Great play, no result, they scored shortly after we made a change. Sigh.
Lack of fitness work (ie neither training, nor High Intesity sessions as a substitute) or hockey training (neither team training sessions, nor private time with stick and/or puck to compensate) led to a decline in my capacity over the season, especially when combined with the 'external' factors of work around the house (lumber work, digging, concreting) and travel times (for example, arriving after a two hour drive to immediately get changed and play, no 'adjustment' time to compensate for the drive).
If I am content to continue to learn hockey sense from game to game, I can pick up that same game to a higher level by doing the following in future:
- sustained in-season strength and conditioning work, prioritising high intensity sessions (1 or 2 'tabata' runs or indoor cycle sessions per week), leg strength and agility (twice weekly) and skating/shooting/stick handling sessions (upto twice weekly). That's a fair bit to work into a busy life, but I'll try.
- getting to the game with time for my muscles and mind to recover from the drive before I have to focus on game.
As for my first Div 1 season, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, learned a lot about hockey and myself, and can't wait to repeat it next year.
Individual Stats: GP 12 G 3 A 2 T/P 5 PIMS 4
Rolling Dead Stats: W 5 L 7 T 0 GF 69 GA 71 SV% .805
