Blades Get Revenge in Best Fashion: On the Ice
By L. Hayes
Last Sunday’s game was a nail biter, but a joy to skate. We had a full bench, three lines of forwards and three lines of D, ready to take on Bridgewater. The last meeting between the teams resulted in a 5-4 loss for the Blades, so we were ready for a different outcome, on our home ice.
The game was fast and furious from the first puck drop. The Wings were aggressive, racing to the puck and pushing down the ice, three across. But the Blades back checked like crazy, and spread out to play the whole ice.
Our centers skated like they had tracker jackers breathing down their necks. Meredith pounced and loose pucks and showcased a mighty backhand and a GPS-like accuracy finding Tanya and Laurie for cross ice passes. Katie dropped low to scoop up pucks in our zone, and dodged defenders to shoot on their goalie. Kelly was always two steps ahead, anticipating the bounce of the puck would go and her teammates’ intent.
Our wings played tough and smart. Laurie continued her aggressive play, making crisp passes even after getting knocked to her knees. Sue found open spaces and had give and go’s with Katie. Nina held the puck against the board resisting all attempts to dislodge her until another Blade could rescue the puck.
A few minutes in, the Wings got a goal, when the Blades all got stuck on the ice for far too long. But Bridgewater’s happiness had a shorter lifespan than a mayfly. Halfway through the period, Alyssa sent the puck to Kelly, who took a shot that rebounded to Karyn, who sent it up and over to tie the game!
Just like last time, the two teams were fairly even and the action moved quickly. The defense had many great plays. Sophie and Hutch both took the puck end to end, Sophie in a flat out sprint that would have left the Wings in the dust, if ice had dust, and Hutch with quick, dizzying twists and dodges. When Deb wasn’t coaching on the bench, she was thwarting forwards; she made one of the prettiest poke checks I’ve seen all season.
In the second period, the KAK line scored again when Alyssa passed to Kelly, and Kelly buried it to put us ahead 2-1! That score held for another period. In the third, they pulled their goalie at the end, as expected, but even a sixth player couldn’t help them beat a unified Blades team.
As for Steph, she was awesome as usual, ensuring the victory with a string of excellent saves, including several point blank attempts that she stopped with a magician’s hand. Now you see ‘em, now you don’t!
Another in a series of hard fought and well-deserved victories!