Blades Skate Tough in a Tie

Blades Skate to 1-1 Tie with MotherPuckers
By D. Glazer

In honor of Thanksgiving, I am thankul for…

 

Having a coach: Coach Greg is the steadying influence that we’ve missed in our leadership; and it already is making a difference in how we approach each game.

Additions that work: It was obvious from the first practice that Kelly could skate but the question is always: can she skate with us? The answer is a resounding yes, and Kelly brings an offensive force to the ice that gives us the third scoring line we’ve sorely missed.

Players who take the body: Sarah is the best at knowing when and how to take a player out cleanly, and she did this all game long. She was tough on the boards and fierce in front of our net – and even got herself a couple of scoring chances along the way.

Pucks that bounce: I was beaten to the outside and down on the ice – but the puck took a little hop and I was able to just get enough on it to poke it off the opposing player’s stick so that my D partner could get back and get control of the puck. Whew.

Years that don’t show: Laurie is our very own bionic woman, with a repaired wrist and brand-new eyes, a skating style that belies her age – and an instinct for the front of the net that you just can’t teach.

 

Teammates who hustle: Tanya, picking up my “hail mary” pass up the boards to the off wing from behind our net, taking off with the puck and getting a really good scoring chance.

Unbelievable goals: Lora, on a beautiful heads-up feed from Liz, going in on a breakaway, while we alternately cheered and held our breath, drawing the goalie out on her forehand before deke-ing to her backhand and sliding it in for an NHL-worthy goal.

Rusty goaltending: That’s how Gina referred to it herself but she was terrific in the net and really made a difference. And while did miss our Steph on the ice, at least we had her steady presence behind the bench – and thanks to her, we had half the team because without her, they had no ride.

Key plays at the right time: Meredith, always in the right place at the right time, sizing up the play instantly, picked up a loose player by the side of our net and saved a sure goal.

Extra effort: I saw Namiko go down battling along the boards, Lora D. getting knocked about in the neutral zone – and Nina, stepping up and into an opposing player in our zone, actually getting yelled at for her physical play!

Yards and Inches: Cassidy plays her game in quick spurts, and her ability to change her speed almost instantaneously is phenomenal. She always seems to get to the puck first, and her speed forces the other team to play back on their heels, opening up the ice like magic.

 

Defense(wo)men: Laura A. had an awesome play in the slot, shooting the puck out of our zone when we had been stuck in our end for too long, and Lisa, in her first bid as a D, was terrific – and tough – shaking off an tough hit and turning it into a play on goal.

Awesome two-way playing: Clare was good in our end but she was really good in the offensive end, and it was her line that absolutely had the best scoring chances.

Yummies: Okay, no secret, I like my post-game snack. Today was my favorite – donut holes – and they were courtesy of a change in my driving route that now brings me right past a Dunkin’ Donuts – whoohoo!

 

Happy Thanksgiving all!

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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.