Heres Goes Everything

[Danish]

Hi,

I play for the New Canaan Rams, its my high school team. I am a senior this year and am in competition with one other senior. I am looking to do a post graduate year at a prep school next year so this season is very important. I am also trying out for some junior teams around my area in the spring as a back up plan.

Before i begin posting i think people need to know some info on me. I was born in Montreal, Canada and lived there for 5 years. I began skating at 2, my first toy ever (placed in my crib) was a Montreal Canadiens mini hockey stick. At age 5 or 6 i moved to Denmark for 3 years, the hockey is half way decent there and i begun playing hockey and doing figure skating with my sister. Denmark is where i fell in love with goaltenders/ goalie gear. You see my grandparents living in Canada could get gear a lot cheaper than the stuff we were getting in Denmark. So my grandparents would send gear over seas for my team. When goalie stuff came in i would strap it on and run around the house. I asked my dad every day if i could play goalie, he always said no and that i would be bored (in truth he was trying to keep me skating). Well then i moved to France isnt to great. I played hockey there about twice a week, I wasnt very good though. Driving home from games was my dad yelling at me at how i didnt try ( i didnt). And one point i even considered quiting, but i kept with it. One the side my friend (now living in Ottawa) came over every day and shot on me in road hockey. I kept asking my dad if i could play goalie but he said no. Then we moved to the U.S and I really sucked at hockey here. My first year i played house league 13-18 yr olds (that was crazy), The next year i was the captain of my House league team and even got to go out onto the ice during a Bridgeport soundtigers game to except an award as the player in my house league who was the hardest worker (voted on by the coaches of the league). The next year i tried out for travel in a different program and made Bantam A. My coach being Tom Laidlaw (some of you might remember him, gretzky comes to mind, look him up). He picked me not because i was the best but because in the tryouts i wasnt ****ing around like other kids and it was clear that i was giving it my all. I got a lot better that year but the next year Tom Laidlaw quit and another coach took over and over looked me. I played Bantam B, and began playing with Andrew Leslie who is my teamate still today in highschool. I played center and was captain of my team. Towards the end of the year i began asking my dad a question i hadn't asked in a long time.... Can i play goalie? if you want.....
That was 10th grade.... it is now my senior year and boy... have i come a long way. The first time i stepped onto the ice as a goalie i was lit up by a bunch of 7 yr olds. But i learned how much off ice training helps and began working out about 3 times a day (i dont care if its healthy, it makes me better). But yeah. I basically based my life around hockey for the past 3 years, Tretiak and the Russians were a huge inspiration for me, i read his biography and got a taste of real hard work. Something different from what most high school kids could even imagine. I spent hours and hours lifting, stretching, doing hand to eye drills in my basement. You could say i have no social life but... im doing what i love.Over the past 3 summers i have gone to various goalie camps. This summer i went to four weeks of camps, one of which was keeks's.... that's a very hard camp to get through physically and mentally.

Well this fall i played on a Midget team classified as AA but we played tier 1 with AAA teams. With the best kids in my neighboring town and probably around the best two goalies in my league we compiled a record of 2-23-1 playing AAA teams, one of those wins is a forfeit by the other team. I also played fall league for my high school team where i was the better of the 2 seniors.

My season started last night. We played Notre Dame of West (3rd in state)
Haven and lost 4-3. Everyone said i played amazing, but I really think i could have stopped all the shots that i let in. The head coach even said "i dont say this often, but the goal tending was pretty good tonight".... I really didnt feel that way, but that might be becasue i am not used to playing behind a good defense compared to my Midget team. I did make one save during the 3rd with 5 minutes left that i must save was pretty amazing. From beside the net a guy passed out and connected with a man in the slot skating in below the hash mark. It gets kinda blurry but i rememer sliding out and going into the splits and just watching the puck into my glove. The last goal that put them over us i thought i really could have stopped went off the paddle of my stick. He was wide opwn on the right circle and on the dot, i followed the pass across and went down about half way through extending my right leg. I got across but the shot was so hard that when i did stop it, it glances of the stick into the net. The other goals were 1. a breakaway, 2. 2 v 1 (didnt even see the puck) 3. rebound goal i should have had, but the coaches blamed it on someone else.... but i tell my defens eevery goal is my fault afterward to take the pressure off some of the younger guys. I have developed my mind enough that ater a goal it really doesnt affect me, compared to two years ago when in my first JV game i threw a temper tamtrum out on the ice after getting scored on for the first time....

My goals in hockey are to play hockey for as long as possible. Im aiming to play d1 hockey in college at the moment. But first I want to do a PG year and maybe a year of juniors after that. I havent told any prep school coaches how many years i have been playing goalie yet in fear of them not coming to see me then. This is the beginning of my journey to the top.

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v647/202/13/632310933/n632310933_1849307_401.jpg

Danish

Sorry for all the spelling errors.... i should be doing the ****loads of hw that i didnt do in preparation for last nights game.

[nik133]

Hey good luck man, I share the same aspirations with you (playing D1). My seasons been so ****ed, I was skating with a JR A team that was in an outlaw league (hardly anybody ever goes anywhere out of that league), but I didn't sign there. I skated with like 3 AAA teams and was one of the last cuts for York Simcoe Express (top 5 rated AAA team in all of Ontario). Also for the past 2 years I attended this elite camp with one of my local goalie coaches 6 of the 15 goalies are playing JR A,4 of them are playing AAA, 1 is playing AA and 1 is playing Girls JR A (they are a girl :P), then theres me with no team. Since I was with them for so long I missed my hometown's AA tryouts and was forced to sign with A, which got old fast. I skated with a JR C team for about 2 and a half months and thought I would sign there, but the coaches didn't seem to agree. Currently i'm skating with Villanova Knights (OPJHL) JR A team and my goalie coach wants me to sign with his AA team. It's kind of annoying seeing as how last week during one of the private sessions with my goalie coach I was skating with this kid who plays AAA in America and is called up with a team in the OPJ and our skillset was very similar (speed was same, my rebound control was better, his stamina was better) and he's got a JR A team and is talking with a USHL team, while I haven't got a place to play. Anyways good luck with your season, make Elkins proud ;).

Nik

[Danish]

Pics From the Game

Break-away DENIED !!!!!!!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/3119925944_b218e097f8.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/3119927152_715dc9608c.jpg?v=0

After one of the goals
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/3119927646_428a5c7c16.jpg?v=0

After the sick glove save. my eyes are closed because i try to calm myself down after every nice save or goal, and i just black everything out.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/3119928318_fa92251d92.jpg?v=0

Dont worry, this isn't my stance
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/3119095211_0142a72463.jpg?v=0

[Danish]

Hey good luck man, I share the same aspirations with you (playing D1). My seasons been so ****ed, I was skating with a JR A team that was in an outlaw league (hardly anybody ever goes anywhere out of that league), but I didn't sign there. I skated with like 3 AAA teams and was one of the last cuts for York Simcoe Express (top 5 rated AAA team in all of Ontario). Also for the past 2 years I attended this elite camp with one of my local goalie coaches 6 of the 15 goalies are playing JR A,4 of them are playing AAA, 1 is playing AA and 1 is playing Girls JR A (they are a girl :P), then theres me with no team. Since I was with them for so long I missed my hometown's AA tryouts and was forced to sign with A, which got old fast. I skated with a JR C team for about 2 and a half months and thought I would sign there, but the coaches didn't seem to agree. Currently i'm skating with Villanova Knights (OPJHL) JR A team and my goalie coach wants me to sign with his AA team. It's kind of annoying seeing as how last week during one of the private sessions with my goalie coach I was skating with this kid who plays AAA in America and is called up with a team in the OPJ and our skillset was very similar (speed was same, my rebound control was better, his stamina was better) and he's got a JR A team and is talking with a USHL team, while I haven't got a place to play. Anyways good luck with your season, make Elkins proud ;).

Nik

Good luck. Its slightly annoying that hockey is one of the only sports that you almost have to play extra years just to make it into college hockey. Like there is no one who has gone from high school to Division 1 college. You should see peoples faces when i tell them I'm taking at least 2 years before college for hockey.

My team played its second game today, against probably one of the best teams we will play all year. The coach even said in the newspaper that we would prob alternate (me and the other senior) at first. Well the other senior got the start today and ****ed up big time. All of his goals were pretty bad. Well is was 3-1 in the 2nd and he gives up a goal from the red line on a dump in. As soon as i turned around i hear the coaches saying whether they should just put me in or whether i needed a time out to warm up. They decided i needed a time out to warm up. But the goal ended up not counting because there was on off-side. Nonetheless, The coach said next goal I was in after that. In the next period and a half he only got 2 shots because the defense was playing very conservative. After the game everyone said I've already earned the starting position. But I don't ever say anything, I just tell them that "its up to the coaches".

The game ended 4-1 and i think its pretty safe to say i will be starting the next game.

Danish

[Danish]

WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Last night i got the start against a team that isn't our official rival... but we ****ing hate them more than our actual rivals. And we won 3-2. I played well and got the game puck at the end of the game.

1st goal: screen shot went upper glove right underneath the cross bar.
2nd goal: Deflected into my own net...... The guy was coming down the side and shot it, i got it with my stick and tried steering it behind the net but it went into my net....

I AM STILL HAPPY AS ****!!!! i CANT CONTAIN IT. But I have a game coming up against our actual rival town, (i played with 2/3rds of the team
on my midget team).

It was fun because this was the first game where i was extremely heckled. During the second period when i was down in their end i heard my name about 50 times a minute. they were saying some pretty funny stuff.

Pics from the game (not really good, got them of the oppositions website)

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56187965_Web_2/Image-2603782-56187965-2-Web_0_d7e0ad4dcbc3861ba19a91b3d5928cc1_1

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188116_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188116-2-Web_0_ad43e917fcbb6f03241a1c863cd654d3_1

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188229_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188229-2-Web_0_0966e7f1d7ecb0a03d410af0b8645a44_1

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188290_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188290-2-Web_0_198fb7bc8adbb188b708ca06f04ceff9_1
Gave off a rebound and the guy shot it into my chest.
http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188585_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188585-2-Web_0_912d8595fdf2928be88a0e430859a6be_1
Covering the puck. The puck missed the net and was coming back out in front.
http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188820_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188820-2-Web_0_f3658287544daafe77ff96b887ae6e52_1

2nd goal with i think 3 min to go.
http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188824_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188824-2-Web_0_4c86295154d81d8c4c466b4f8fb8ddc7_1

Their fans= (we had about 100-150 kids there aswell)
All the old players (alum), stand on the other side and say the stupidest ****... like **** they should be shot for. They were saying how they wanted to rape our coaches wife.... the cops that were there didn't do anything, though everyone heard it... he was going into detail about it.

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188393_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188393-2-Web_0_310f184dddab21e508d65a6dbc2cd780_1

Danish

[Danish]

Blocker save.
http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188685_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188685-2-Web_0_beb4c7c616b082d35f08bb894f7cd367_1

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188863_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188863-2-Web_0_ad98d0d3d84d2bee38827f43294c47e8_1

http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/2603782_3162543_56188977_Web_2/Image-2603782-56188977-2-Web_0_5591471fe8d11af536896506492e1166_1

[Danish]

Vs. Darien
3-3 tie + OT
These guys are our rivals, so this game was pretty big. So we got off to a bad start, first goal my d-man let the puck go between his legs on a dump in. Well he hadn't noticed the other teams player standing behind him (which i was screaming my ass off about). Well they guy got it and had the entire ****ing net open cause i thought my d-man was going to stop the puck. 2nd goal i think i should have had, it was in a scramble and i went from paddle down to and upright position and i forgot to cover my five hole.... 3rd goal was just dumb, i made three saves and we didn't have a d-man in front of the net. on the 4th shot they got it in. I ended with around 30 saves.


Article: http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17018:boys-ice-hockey-rams-wave-fit-to-be-tied&catid=30:nc-sports&Itemid=92


Vs. Greenwich
0-0 tie + OT
WOOOOOO!!!
First high school shutout. I was playing against my ex teammates from my bantam years (when i was a player). My dad filmed the game for prep schools!!! so thats good.
Article: http://www.greenwichtime.com/ci_11335216?source=most_emailed

Vs. Trinity Catholic
6-3 loss
WOW!!! I saw this one coming. This team we were playing is 1. undefeated 2. more prepared 3. better than us . I thought i could maybe save the game but their powerplay is so ****in good. They park this huge ass guy in front of the net and no one on my team can move this guy... And i cant see a single thing. I thougt i should have had 3 of them, but others were.... The last goal was really dumb; the puck is dumped in and i get lazy and just turn towards where it will be going, well the puck hits a rut in the board and shoots out into the slot (i think you know what happens next). The coaches and players said i played well and to forget about the game and put the blame on them but i cant do that. I need to work on my screens. 4 of their 6 goals were on the powerplay.
Article: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/sports/ci_11340611

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site7/2008/1230/20081230__st0101spttchockey-10.jpg


Danish

[Danish]

Vs. Notre Dame Fairfield
GA: 4 Saves: 27
Loss 4-3
1st period: I thought i played well, they scored 2 off the bat. My team comes out cold every game in the 1st. The 1 game we did a warm up we scored two goals in the first but no one wants to warm up anymore (like 6 kids warmup)??? My dad said i looked like i was fighting the puck. I gave up a bad goal. Soft shot from top of the circle, its a floater and is coming down. it hits the bottom of my glove and then hits my pad and begins rolling back. I turn to pull it back but one of my players stick is right there and i hit the stick which hits in the puck....
2nd period: Came up big. made alot of saves. no goals on me.
3rd period: Bad period. Gave up 2. One from the blueline on a soft shot to my glove. once again a floater.... (look in the coaching section under "finnish goalies" and i write about my glove prob further down). So they tied it up. Then a guy comes down from the side and gets around one of my guys and basically has a break away. I stop it, i deflect the puck to the corner. The guy goes to the corner (untouched) and skates back towards the net, my d man is just standing in front of the net not moving. He takes the shot and it goes between my arm while i was hugging the post on my blocker side. they win 4-3.

Vs. Staples
GA: 4 Saves: 34
Loss 4-3
http://www.westport-news.com/sports/ci_11479738

"Shapiro was also a catalyst on offense, moving the puck into New Canaan's blue line and firing many shots, which Rams senior goalie Harrison McIntyre (34 saves) stopped for the most part. The Wrecker captain set up many faceoffs in front of McIntyre."

"After controlling the faceoff, he fired a shot on net, which McIntyre saved, but classmate Aaron Liu (Adam's brother) crashed the net and poked it home with 11:20 left to give the Wreckers a 1-0 lead and his first career goal."

"Later in the power play, Shapiro fired a shot that McIntyre stopped, but Wehmhoff crashed the net and poked home the rebound with 10:41 left for a power play goal and a 3-2 lead"


WOW. did not expect to lose to this team.
This game was a changing point in the teams season. The team had to big of an ego.
I gave up 2 bad goals.
One was off a face off. The guy got a shot off right on the faceoff and it was kind of week so I hit it to the side with my stick. But becuase the shot was so weak It didnt go far and a guy crashed the net and scored (picture). And then they scored one in the third that was a hard shot from a bad angle. The puck hit off my pants into the net.
Kids were fighting and bitching on the bench. When we got in the locker room we got a good yelling at. first time my coach has ever lost to staples (30 yrs of coaching).

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site100/2009/0117/20090117__SPORTS05_Gallery.JPG


Vs. Ridgfield
GA: 3 Saves: 20
Win 6-3
http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18506:boys-ice-hockey-icenrakers-rams-snap-losing-streak-with-win-over-ridgefield&catid=30:nc-sports&Itemid=92

"McIntyre also came up with a couple of huge saves early on to keep the Tigers off the board."

"McIntyre came up with a couple of more big saves during the next few minutes, and the Rams all but sealed the victory when Sorbara intercepted a clearing pass and dumped it off to Nugent."

Good game. Have already beat these guys before. The 3 goals i gave up i couldve stopped. One of them was the exact same one i gave up in the ND Fairfield Game. except this time it was a hard shot. Doesnt matter should've stopped it. Went right by my glove.

Vs. Trumbull
GA: 1 Saves: 15 (was taken out 3rd, coaches wanted to get other goalie in, hasnt played in awhile)
Win 7-1
WILL POST ARTICLE WHEN IT COMES OUT.

OK. I WAS NOT READY TO PLAY THIS GAME. about 4 days ago my captain asked if i would be okay with not playing the trumbull game i was like ok, the other senior has gotten very little time this season. So he was like, ok your going to be on the bench, I was okay with this becuase i needed to focues on the game this saturday. So i workout for 2 hours yesterday, i eat some unhealthy food, i didnt get enough sleep. I get to the rink im ****ing around thinking im not going to play. 2 minutes before i go out im talking with a healthy scatch about weed. I was not focused. The coach walks in the room and gives his speech and then looks at me and asks if im ready. I say yeah, but in my head i was like ****!!!!! I had even strapped my pads ultra tight cause i wanted to experiment cause i thought i would only be playing warmups. I go ask the coach when we get out on the ice if i was starting and he was like yeah... why not? OK, I played pretty good.

Big win. Though they arent that great of a team, they came out hard and i had 11 shots in the first. 5 shots in the second. I had alot of sick saves.
The goal: one of my d-men reversed the puck, one of their guys was behind the net he pcied it off. and skated out in front. He took one shot which i stopped and then another while i was trying to get my pad down agaisnt the post to seal my 5 hole.

Danish

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY READING THIS?

[Danish]

Stats So Far

Record: 3-4-2
GP: 9
Min: 406
Shut outs: 1
Shots against: 231
Goals Against: 27
SPG: 25.67

SV%: .883
GAA: 3



Danish

[Duff33]

Do you know how your numbers compare with the rest of the league?

They look alright to me though, nice one :)

[Mr. Peterman]

So you were born in Montreal, Canada, lived in Denmark, France and now in the US. Plus you have an Irish last name. Wow, you are Mr. International. A man of the world. Do you speak French & Danish? Is there that much difference from Quebec French and France French?

[Danish]

Duff33: I have no idea as to how my numbers compare to the rest of the league.
Mr. Peterman: I do not speak Danish anymore, when i was younger i used to be fluent. My mom threw me into a all danish school so i had to learn it. I forgot it when i moved to France. In France i went to an international school (American School of Paris) where we spoke English. So i forgot my Danish and i am okay with French.

Vs. Darien
GA: 2 Saves: 20
Win 3-2
Will post article when it comes out.

This was a big game becuase it is our rival town and last time we played them we tied 3-3. I played with most of the other team in my midget season. ALot of people at the game prob around 500.
Great game by my team, best they've played so far. We outplayed them hte 1 & 2 but they came back in the 3rd. The 1st goal on me was terrible, guy shoots it from the blueline and i go down and for some reason bring up my stick to put my glove down and it slips through my pads and then slides into the goal. The shot was very slow and along the ice. BAD GOAL. And then they got another good goal right after that so... and this was in the third.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3494/3230636168_1593b9a95e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3229761639_c99def397b.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/3230615764_56e0016779.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/3229767167_a12b9c6799.jpg?v=0

Danish

[Danish]

Well My season ended last night. I have written in awhile as i havent had time. But basically we lost in double overtime in the first round of states (1-0) to the #1 seed.

So now im trying to go to play prep school. So.... here starts another chapter.

READ THIS ARTICLE: everyone is saying that this is one of the best games in recent state history.
Article (good read): http://www.burtsville.com/ (its under march 12)

[Danish]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3636/3347610561_f894a04386.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/3348460740_fb717eeea5.jpg?v=0

http://www.burtsville.com/assets/SiteEngineManager/jbshotrobbedbymc___web.jpg

[nik133]

Good luck broskie, just curious are you trying to play prep and then go D1 or prep then a few years of juniors and then D1? BTW I just finished reading that article, sounds like you finished real strong, atta boy! Way to make Elkins proud!


Nik

[Danish]

Im gonna go prep then see where i am. At that point I could opt to go D3. But i could also opt to play 1-2 yrs junior which i think would allow me to play at a D1 level. Thanks.

[phunklord]

Which prep schools r u looking at?

[ElementsOfTheory29]

Nice to see another connecticut goalie here !!