Billy "Suitcase" Hagan

[Hoosier Daddy]

With the winter '09 seson just around the bend, our friendly neighborhood goalie finds himself playing for the reigning Stanley Keg champion Wolfpack of the LAHPA.

At least, if I'm going to have to get use to another team, it may as well be the one that gave me the most trouble last season.

The season was to have started tomorrow (1/4) but was pushed back one week and the league has arranged for a day of "Invitation Only" pick up games.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Game 1 was against last season's "whipping boys", the Beermen. They have good players but never really played as a team. Now, with the addition of a couple of players (including a new goalie), they look as though they're going to come around.

Now then, about my new team. A good bunch of guys and gals who made me feel welcome in the locker room and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy playing with them.

We were short 4 players tonight, our defense. No, I'm not talking **** about the way that they played, they really weren't there. Anyhow, my guys did good, considering, but I ended up facing several breakaways, 3 of which got past me on the glove side.

Not a very good showing by me but I do know what I was doing wrong. I usually position on the puck but, for some reason, I was cheating a little and giving them the glove side. I won't be doing that again.

Game one is in the books, a 4-4 tie.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Been a while since I posted anything about this season but, for the most part, it's going quite well. I just got back from tonight's game, which ended in a 3-3 tie, and we are now 2-1-2 on the season.

Probably the best part of this season has to be the situation that I've found myself in with this team. I really like these guys; I enjoy the comradery that they have, I enjoy being on the ice with them and they have taken me in and been incredibly supportive.

I know I've posted, in the past, about how I get tired of my role in this league; I'm the guy that takes over when a team loses their goalie for the season, usually due to injury, which means that I'm on a different team every season - hence the reference to Gary Smith in the title of this thread. No big deal, I guess. I mean, I still get to play. Unfortunately, it's hard to get use to a team like that.

Anyhow, it's different this time. I'm not a fill in, this is actually my team now. I will be with them from here on out. I've found a home. :D

As for the games....We've had the same ref for the last 2 games; last week was a 6-3 win and tonight was a 3-3 tie. Not sure who this ref is but, at some point in my past, I must have pissed in his wheaties. In each of the last 2 games, he has called a bad goal against me. Both were at the blocker side post while he was half-way between the net and the boards on my glove side, completely obstructed from view of the puck.

Last week, I had my skate blade against the post while one of the other players was trying to bang it in. When my D tried to move him, the net dislodged and this ref blew the whistle. When he did, my defenseman and I let up and the guy tips it in. He rushes over to the ref screaming that it was in and he said "O.k., if it was in, it was in." When I tried to argue my point, he looked at the scoreboard (6-3 with 2 min. left in the 3rd) and said "Does it really matter at this point?".

Tonight had a similar play with about 4 minutes left in the 3rd and we were up 3-1. I was out of position and the only chance that I had was to drop and sit on the puck, it was under my right leg. One of the other players was right there so my defenseman moved him, which pushed me back, causing my right leg to hit the post and dislodge the net.

When I got up the puck was just past the line but there was no way that it, and my leg, were over the line while the net was on. He gave it to them.

One of the guys that I use to play with said that I must be doing something wrong in warm ups, if I'n not getting those calls. I dunno.

I guess, if that's all that I have to complain about, things are going pretty good.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Last Sunday's game was good, with one minor exception....The single most embarassing and shameful thing to ever happen to me on the ice.

I played, what I thought was, an incredible game and it seemed like every save was a highlight reel type save. I gave up my first goal with about 40 seconds left in the first period.

I had to slide to the right and stretch my pad to get one but I sent the rebound to the slot, made a couple of saves from in close and was, finally, able to steer it to the left corner. When I got on the left post for the next shot, the opposing player just passed it to a guy that had posted just to the right of the top of the crease. I didn't get over in time and there were no defensemen there to help. Easy goal.

The second goal came with about 20 seconds left in the second period. That's right, I was only 20 seconds away from escaping humiliation.

An opposing player got a breakaway and was coming down the (my) left side of the ice. She wasn't coming fast but she was coming.

One of my guys caught her at the blue line, just as she started to angle toward me, and he tried to reach around and knock the puck away. What he ended up doing was riding her down to the ice, about halfway between the blue line & the crease,and the Ref's arm went up for the delayed call.

The puck, having left her stick without so much as even being pushed, continued toward me slowly. All I had to do was skate out and touch it.

I missed.

Completely missed the puck with my stick and it continued through my legs, between my skates and in to the goal.

Every player in the ice, both benches and everyone in the stands went completely silent as I stood there not believing what had just happened.

That was the last one that they got and we won 6-2.
3-1-2 on the season and in 2nd place with 4 games left. Actually, we have the same number of points as the team in 1st place but they have scored 1 more goal than we have, so they win the tie breaker. We play the 1st place team this Sunday. Wish me luck.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Just got back from tonight's game and couldn't wait to tell you about it!

As I mentioned in my last post, we were playing against the Icemen who were the first place team in the league. We were tied with 8 points each but they had scored 1 more goal than we had, so far, on the season. If we We won, we would have sole posession of first place but, with all of the teams being fairly equal this season, a loss could cause us to slip to 4th, depending on the outcome of other games.

Tonight my team played an absolutely incredible game and, as a result, I was able to post what is only the 2nd shoutout that I have ever gotten on the ice! Final score 4-0.

4-1-2 on the season and in 1st place with 3 regular season games to go.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Sunday's game was against the 2nd place Team Labatts (the team that I was with last season) and it included the same dynamics as last week's game; #1 vs #2 with the potential of dropping several places.

It was a tough game, we had a few guys missing, the ice was in horrible condition due to zamboni problems both teams and both goalies were working hard.

3 got past me, 1 from the slot that I was completely screened on and 2 were off of multiple rebounds that were finally banged in.

Ended up losing 3-2 while the 3rd & 4th place teams each won their games. 4-2-2 on the season and we dropped from 1st to 4th with 2 regular season games left.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Had a good one tonight, with a shutout going until there were only 7 minutes left in the 3rd.

For the most part, it was an uneventful game. All routine saves, no standing on my head, just good positioning and staying on my angles. It's amazing how just being in the right place can cut down on the number of shots that you see.

Don't get me wrong, my team dominated and kept it away from me for most of the night but I think I did a pretty good job of taking away most of the net. When they can't see it, they tend to do a lot more passing than shooting and that's what most of it was.

When we got to the 3rd and there were only 7 minutes left, one of their guys comes in and I KNOW he doesn't have a good look at the net. You can just see it in his face. He went ahead and took a shot (I believe it was mostly out of frustration) and, just as he did, one of my defensemen got a little piece of it, trying to block it, as I went down for the save.

My defenseman's tip made it rise more than it was going to and I took it right off of the mask. It popped up and over, right in to the net.

No big deal, though. I'm more concerned with a win than a shutout.

Tonights game:
Won 8-1 5-2-2 on the season

With tonights win, we have moved in to 2nd or 3rd place; depends on the outcome of the game that was starting as I was leaving the rink.
Gut feeling is that we're in 3rd.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Gut feeling is that we're in 3rd.

hummm......10 times 2 minus the 8 plus 3......................Damnit, I forgot to carry the 1!
oops, we stayed in 4th place.

Before I go on about my team's game, let me take a little side trip.
I showed up at the rink, as per usual, a couple of hours early. I don't like to be rushed and I usually get to watch a youth league game or the learn to play class and one of our league games. Tonight, while watching the first game for our league, the league commissioner sees me and says "Oh, good, you got my e-mail."

?

It seems as though one of the teams had a goalie quit on them. I know I keep talking about how the league is very evenly matched but I've never bothered to mention them. I won't bother with the actual team's name, let's just call them Frado. They have yet to win a game but have managed two ties.

I went ahead and suited up and got a workout like I hadn't gotten in a long time. Can't tell you how many breakaways I saw but, if memory serves, I believe I stopped every one of them. They scored 2 on me and one of my defensemen tipped one in over my shoulder.

With 30 seconds left in the 3rd, the score tied at 3-3 and a face-off coming at the other end of the ice, "Team Frado" calls a time out. I skate to the bench and start to climb over when they look at me and say "No, you stay on the ice. We don't want to take any chances and we'll be happy just to get out of this with a tie." :eek:

As for my game, nothing much to report, we lost 4-3 and there was, really, only one that I thought that I wanted back. I did kill off a 4 min. penalty that one of my guys picked up for tripping and the ensuing smack talk to the ref. That was a positive.

Not sure how many combined shots I saw in these two games but, how ever many the league ends up calling it, I swear it won't even be close.

Anyhow, we finish the season 5-3-2 and we will be facing the Beermen in the first round of the playoffs, next Sunday.

[Hoosier Daddy]

hummm......10 times 2 minus the 8 plus 3......................Damnit, I forgot to carry the 1!
oops, we stayed in 4th place.

and I stand corrected, yet again. Standings were posted today and I was right the first time. We are in 3rd place and will face the # 6 team on Sunday. Winner of that game gets the # 1 team on 4/5.

meh, whatever.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Winner of that game gets the # 1 team on 4/5.

As expected, I will be playing on 4/5.....but it will be in the losers bracket. :(

Had a bad game on Sunday; not just me, the whole team did. After the game, while we were in the locker room, several of the guys mentioned that they felt like they played most of the game in slow motion and ss though they had only played the last 10 minutes at full speed.

We went up 2-0 early and then the other team came back to take a 3-2 lead. It wasn't until the last 10 minutes that we were able to tie it up.

We didn't play well, I didn't play well and the other team, and their goalie, played better tan anyone had ever seen them play. Not a recipe for success.

Anyhow, we ended the game tied at 3 and that's how O.T. ended, as well, so we went to the shootout. Not that big of a deal, I kind of like the shootout and I'm always confident that I'll come out on the winning end of one. Not this one. They smoked me with every shot.

I have to admit, I was feeling really bad about this loss. This is a good team and I wasn't able to come through for them when I really needed to. I'll bounce back, though.

On an unrelated note, I talked to the team captain and told him that I was going to take the spring season off because it falls right in line with my kid's summer vacation. Since he's in kindergarten now, this will be his first "summer break" and I want to be able to spend time with him.

I said this knowing that I was taking a chance of being told that I would just be replaced and good luck finding a team when you come back for the summer season.

Instead, he said that they would have the league find someone to take care of the nets and, "for the time being", I was "allowed to spend Sundays with my family".

If you'll refer back to my post from 2/15, you'll understand how releived I was to hear this. I really have, finally, found a spot on a team. :D

[Hoosier Daddy]

Just got home from the Losers Bracket game and we won, 6-2. WOO-HOO!!!

Oh, and I think I pulled my groin in the 1st period.