Blades Best Hurricanes, 3-2

Blades Defeat LI Hurricanes in Close Game (The Musical)
By L. Hayes

Sunday night the Blades took on the LI Hurricanes at home. Even before we got on the ice, the Blades had a lot to celebrate, as all our injured players were back! But wait – what’s that I hear? Is it … the sound of music…? That’s right, Blades – it’s time for a musical recap!!!

(So Long, Farewell Welcome Back)

There’s a loud sort of banging at the locker room door,
And clatter in the hallway too,
As oversized bags try to fit through once more
And sticks in the corner fall (They do! They do!)

Happily the noises
Tell us you’ve rejoined us
We say welcome back
To you!

Cheers! Hello! Greeting, and Shalom!
We’re so glad you’re healed, so welcome home!

Hello! Ola! (that last one was in Spanish!)
We’re so glad your injuries have vanished!

Yassas! Bonjour! (Hello in Greek & French!)
It’s time to sit your butts back on the bench!

Now you’ve healed your shoulders, hips & brains
Let’s hit the ice and beat those Hurricanes!

Of course, not everyone was 100%, as many of us carry signs of the rigors of the season – the stresses and pressures of work and weather and holiday shopping, too little time, and too many parties.

(The Sound Of Music Hockey)

The rink is alive with the sound of swearing
And groaning and coughs we’ve all heard before
The rink fills my ears with complaints despairing
As we work out the kinks that we all abhore

My feet want to soar like the wings of the birds that fly
(but this pain in my knees!)
My heart wants to beat like a bongo drum
(but this cold makes me wheeze!)
To laugh like a brook when I block a shot
(To my rotator cuff’s dismay)
To skate through the night, like a cougar that’s learning to prey!

The rink is alive with the sound of hockey
I know that I’ll hear what I hear before
I know that I’ll thrive (and if not, there’s saki)
When I skate once more.

This is always a fun match up. The Hurricanes are a fast and smart team, with exemplary passing skills, born of long hours in a rink the size of a pool table. But the Blades came out fighting. The puck went up and down the ice like blips on an EKG.

Clare, in her first shift back on the ice, looked as if she hadn’t lost a step, chasing and easily catching the puck in our zone, and clearing it cleanly up the ice. Wendy, Sarah and Nina pressed hard in the offensive zone. Sarah was playing smart heads-up hockey, traveling to the open spots, creating space to make plays. When the puck threatened to squeak out of the zone, Nina kept it in, with a mighty swope at the blue line.

When the Canes managed to break the puck out, they never had a clear run. Laurie trapped a player on the boards, threatening to corkscrew her with a carefully placed blade! Sorry, Cane – no puck for you!

Our forwards back-checked like they were getting paid for it.
Meredith practically rode an attacker out of the lane and into the corner as if she was steering a horse around the Grand National course. And Karyn continued her string of ferocious play, chasing and clearing the puck with speed and determination, and attacking in the offensive zone, the same way.

(Sixteen Going On Skating With Seventeen)

You wait, Brooklyn Blade, in an empty slot
While people try to sass you
Your stick, Brooklyn Blade, has an empty spot
That people want to pass to
To pass to…

Karyn’s 16, Meredith’s17
Two of you right in synch
Both quite a pair, Rogers and Astaire
Swirling around the rink!

You are 16
Skating with 17
Together you’re hard to beat
No one can bait you, slash or outskate you,
Triathletes are pretty fleet!

Totally unprepared are they
To face your feisty line
Tied up on the boards again and again
Frustrated and resigned

You’ve got Laurie
Crashing nets solidly
You three know what to do!
Karyn’s 16, Meredith’s17
We’re all counting on you!

Even if they got into our zone, the Canes never had a clean shot.

(The Lonely Goatherd Goalie)

Back in the net is a lonely goalie
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Waiting for shots whether high or lowly
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

When she’s got time (if they’re moving slowly)
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
She’s dreaming of chips and of guacamole
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

Flurries of shots, she rejects them wholly
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Or stops them short (Cause that’s her role, see?)
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

Might I suggest post game ravioli?
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Watch out for the burger (it might have e. coli)
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!

When called to action, Steph answered the first shot on goal with a spectacular glove save. Sophie brought the puck back up the ice, while Karyn dropped back to cover the blue line as she went in. Jackie plunged in to take a shot as well.

When the puck came back, Clare was in exactly the right place, reading the play, and intercepting the puck in the neutral zone. She sent it up to Alyssa, who made a beautiful run to the net, with Deb trailing, to pounce on the rebound.

Wendy used a deft poke check to pick a pocket in the neutral zone. Sarah circled wide for the pass, while Nina the Screena went straight to the net to block and outrage the goalie.

Despite strong shots, great passing and excellent chances, the first period ended scoreless.

In the 2nd, the smart play continued and the tempo increased. The Hurricanes were fired up, and broke into our zone. Clare cleared the crease, then passed up to Alyssa. She tapped it over to Meredith, who sent the puck to Deb. Deb carried the puck in and fired a backhand shot. Blocked by the goalie, Alyssa scooped up the rebound, aimed high and GOAL! 1-0!

But in scoring, we poked the bear and it woke up mad! The Hurricanes came back quickly, scoring twice in a matter of minutes. The first came off a bad clear; the second came from a weird, unpredictable bounce. 1-2 Canes.

Enjoy the lead, Canes – it won’t last! The Blades pressed the puck down the ice, and fired until we got a face off in the Canes zone. Meredith won the puck back to Sophie, who unleashed a powerful wrist shot that arced straight into the net! The score was tied, 2-2!

(My Favorite Things)

Refs who call tripping and holding and slashes
Pads that protect us from bruises and gashes
Trawling the pro shop for more hockey bling
These are a few of my favorite things

The perfect poke check that boosts my self-image,
Peeling off sweaty stuff after a scrimmage
Watching the waltz of two well-seasoned wings
These are a few of my favorite things

When the puck’s gone,
When my flip flops,
When the refs just blow,
I simply remember my favorite things
And let the endorphins flow!

Now it became pure grinder hockey: a series of small, intense battles for the puck. Two tough teams, equally determined to prevail, neither able to edge ahead. Wendy drove to the net, made a great shot – was it in? No! Meredith, so strong on her feet, pushed through the defense to take the puck away, and chase down the rebound for another chance at the net. Denied!
Sophie fired another wrister from the blue line, right to Laurie waiting in the perfect place at the corner of the net. So close!!!

(Climb Every Mountain Find Every Five Hole)

Win every face off!
Search high and low
Follow into corners
Every where pucks go

Win every battle
Find every hole
Follow every rebound
Till you get your goal!

The 3rd period battle was epic. Both sides hit the ice knowing that the next goal could decide the game. The Hurricanes kept bringing the puck into our zone. Steph made save after save, stopping the puck after face-offs, giving us much needed moments to breathe.

The fastest of the Canes got the puck on her stick and headed straight to our net, till Jackie stopped her short!

(Do– D’oh!-Re-Mi)

D’oh! I fear I lost the puck
Ra-cing backwards toward the net
Me me me I stretched my stick
Fa- r ahead between those skates!
So – I maybe corkscrewed them,
La di da di da di da
T- Two minutes in the box!
And that brings us back to 
D’oh!

The penalty kill was a thing of beauty. Any presumption on the Canes’ part was wiped away instantly when Alyssa seized the puck for a breakaway that had all five players trying to chase her down. When they did manage to get back to our zone, they lost the puck – whereupon Sophie singlehandedly killed off almost a quarter of the penalty, taking the puck behind the net, reversing and faking for almost 30 seconds (yup, I was watching the clock during that remarkable performance!)

Finally one of the Canes launched herself at Sophie, resulting in a penalty of her own and a 4-on-4. Wendy won the face off right outside our zone, and took it away. She shot, then caught then caught her own rebound, and scored! GOAL! 3-2!

With minutes to go, it was all about not making mistakes on our part and preserving the lead, while the Hurricanes poured it on. They called a time out (obviously not realizing that timeouts just energize the Blades!)

With a minute and a half left, and the puck in our end, they probably pulled the goalie, but truthfully, I couldn’t tell you if they did – all I could see were the players in front of the net who needed to be bulldozed away. Bodies were flying, people were shouting, and any bounce could decide the game.

(How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria On Our Back Door)

How do you solve a problem on our back door
While holding off the player parked in front?
How do you make them pay
For standing in Steph’s way
How do you hold two players off at once??
How do you solve a problem on our back door?
With a running commentary and some luck!

With seconds to go, the puck went into the corner and a Cane got the last shot, rocketing the puck straight across the crease! If anyone had so much as breathed on it, it would have gone it – but it didn’t!

A thrilling and well deserved 3-2 victory for the Blades!

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About the Blades

The Brooklyn Blades Ice Hockey Club is a volunteer-run program that has been running community ice hockey programs in the NYC area since 1992.The Women’s program consists of a National D Level Travel Team. We play approximately 16 games against local women’s teams located in Long Island, Westchester County and northern New Jersey, with our home ice located at the Richard L. Korpi rink at the Bayonne High School, in Bayonne NJ.