B2 Hockey

Tonight’s B2 Carmel Hockey by the Highways, Byways, and Roundabouts is brought to you in part by the Patellar Tendon and trick knees.  Older adults that play hockey enjoy the benefits of the sport being easier on the knee joints compared to most other sports, but cumulative trauma and underlying inflammation leads to the classic slowness observed on most Livebarn accounts.  Tonight’s featured game highlights this with the team that everyone in America agrees to love, and most people in America disagree about everything else.  Poncherello’s Blue CHiPS are stacked this session with all the gratuitous good looks and talent, and the first place Blue Bruisers offered a stiff challenge for everyone’s favorite darlings, the Golden Showers.  We did have some initial concerns about discoloration, but the Showers are indeed Golden not Tan.  Also, our fans were wearing their invisibility cloaks tonight for the west coast start time.

America’s team felt so confident, that we gave our usual defenseman the night off, which left me uncomfortably trying to play defense.  Wittmeyer had professional contract considerations up in Fort Wayne, so he had to miss despite being able to reach Fort Wayne by automobile in roughly two hours.  These prima Dona American team all stars are very ritualistic.    Rhodes was the defensive team anchor, with three other guys making lots of mistakes.

It didn’t take long for pretty boy Blue to take advantage of poor clearing attempts, and at 15:44, O’Connell took a “thank you very much” pass in the slot on a clearance attempt, making it 1-0.  Then, I made the first of many terrible plays on defense, when I made Officer Morley look like he has NHL speed, walking by me like my knee wasn’t working.  He made it 2-0 at 13:31.  I felt much shame.

It was not looking good, and to say that America started out a bit shaky is an understatement.  The eventual Gold Jacket winner put some life into our team, scoring a one-timer from Peters and Golden, making it 1-2.  Then, Peters tied it up, from Golden and Kang.

Then, at 1:11, I messed up again.  Credit Gaczkowski for stealing the puck from me on a play that should have been an easy dump in.  He did make a nice shot, beating America’s rented goalkeeper, who played most excellently.

In the second period, Blue went up on goals by Pop and Frasier.  I’m pretty sure that I was out there for both goals, and I noticed that my left knee kept giving out.  It was a mostly worthless knee for me all night.  5-2 at 16:41.

Then, the Golden Showers’ top line started to spray.  Williams scored his 2nd of the night at 15:45 for the highlighted goal of the game.  A real one-timer snipe in the upper corner from the left circle after a crisp pass on the stick from Peters, who was set up by Talus.  Then, Peter’s from Talus again at 13:31 made it 4-5 and interesting again.

Third period scoring started with some revenge for Morrow, after I collided with him in the first period.  Morley set him up at 20:11 to make it 6-4.  Not long later, it was Peters from Talus again, and the Golden Showers are going to be difficult to beat if Peters scores a hat trick every game.  

I made one decent play as I floated to the half boards on my wrong side (Kang is everywhere as a partner, but he was on the left).  Using my right knee, I didn’t fall over by myself for once, and I noticed a defender coming at me.  I was fortunate to slide one towards the net, after Kane worked the possession game.  Sujka did the rest, tying the game at 6 with 13:09 left.  

The two teams played their hearts out.  My trick knee took me down into the boards one last time towards the end of regulation, and Uncle Jay obliged with routine contact after the tragic fact.  

3 on 3 overtime failed to determine a better team today.  Kissing sisters and broken knees is the story today.  Props to Schmitz, Pickett, and Russ, who all had outstanding games as well.  I can’t always mention everyone, though I should.  And none of us could imagine beer league hockey without these three gentlemen.