Lak Attack and mates weather storm, comeback

With the rain pouring down and the concrete court slicking up, Lak Attack and his mates had to weather a storm of a different kind to eke out a 20-17 win in Sunday's game.

Seemingly well on their way to an easy victory with an 18-12 lead, the star centerman and his wingers suddenly lost their scoring touch. Long shots that earlier whizzed past Twizzler's pads were now being devoured by the stand-up shotstopper, hopeful blasts from the corner trickled harmlessly into the keeper's outstretched trapper.

Emboldened and fortified by the resurgent play of their rearguard, Doo and the Colonel started to find their range at the other end of the court.

"I think a big part of that was Twizzler picked up his play," said Doo. "When you try and get streaks going and then you get a couple of goals against you, you can't get any momentum going, so we had to put the pedal to the metal."

And when they faltered Beetle Boy and Nibs prowled the point to cash in the garbage. The six-goal deficit diminished to a one-goal nailbiter.

"They just hung in and hung in," said Lak Attack of his ferocious foes. "We had to pick up our play and it took us a little while to catch our legs at the very end."

The veteran forward could see the fear in his mates' eyes as their advantage disappeared. So he took control to turn the tide.

"I think we woke up once they got to 17," said Lak Attack. "We really needed that 19th goal and then we felt a little bit better."

So much so, the wily veteran Living Legend spotted his opportunity when Twizzler failed to cover the near post as he corralled the evil orange plastic ball behind the net; his wrap around trickled just over the goal line.

"That was great," said a relieved Lak Attack.

"I think we just ran out of gas at the end," said Doo. "They got a couple of lucky bounces at the end. It's always tough to lose a game like."

A golden day tarnished by truants

The country's glowing hockey moment may also have been road hockey's darkest day.

With Sunday's gold medal showdown between Canada and the United States scheduled for noon, the start time for the morning's road hockey game was moved up an hour to give the roadsters time to play a great game and watch the climactic battle for Olympic hockey supremacy. It was to be the perfect primer for the perfect end to a dramatic tournament, an all-Canadian day of hockey celebration and spirit.

While Sidney Crosby and his mates lived up to their end of the bargain, only an unexpected reprieve from a roving band of roguesters on the prowl for a game to pump up their adrenaline for the afternoon's festivities saved the trio of hardened roadsters, Living Legend, Colonel and Beetle Boy, from slinking home in hockey humiliation.

"It's humbling and disheartening," said Beetle Boy, who admitted the trio was ready to go home without a game when the roguesters arrived with beers in their hands and shinny on their minds.

It's also a long way from a similar circumstance eight years ago, when the roadsters prepped for another Olympic hockey showdown between Canada and the U.S., in Salt Lake City, with a spirited game that became one of that season's highlights.

"It's a different time," said the Colonel, disconsolate at the lack of dedication from many of the game's current generation of players. "At the end of the day people could have got up and come out, had a great game and made a great day of it."

Instead, the sole standing representatives of Sunday Morning Road Hockey had to watch as their rivals in the neighboring court were able to keep their three-year game alive with a full contingent of two teams and then begrudgingly accept the offer of a pick-up shinny match from another band of roguesters to at least make their early trip to the court worthwhile.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, said Beetle Boy. "The roguesters were out there with a full complement and we had to be saved by an outside group."

"I don't think that's the true Canadian spirit," said the Colonel of his truant teammates. "We're not Americans, we don't sit on the couch with beer and chips and just watch hockey; we go out and play it."

And that could become difficult for the roadsters next week if the visiting band of roguesters were enthralled enough by their first experience at the courts to return and claim them as their own.

Early start on Sunday

Sunday's game will face off at 9:30 a.m. to accommodate the Olympic gold medal game between Canada and the US.

It's a reprise of the 2002 finale in Salt Lake City, when the roadsters also convened early so they could watch that gold medal showdown between the US and Canada. That day turned into a celebration of the game as the roadsters' excitement fueled a 20-16 nailbiter.

The game will be played with a finite time limit of 11:30.

Legend turns back the calendar

It was like the calendar had been turned back ten years.

The Living Legend shook off a check and streaked in from side of the court. Lobsterboy girded himself for one of the wily veteran's patented backhands that have fooled him so many times.

But the Legend's learned a thing or two in his long road hockey career. Instead he lifted a wrister high over the creaseminding crustacean's shoulder to score the overtime winner, 11-9, in Sunday's special Hall of Fame game.

"I'll never live that down," said Lobsterboy as he peeled off his goalie equipment for the first time in almost two years. "I was expecting a backhand and he took a forehand shot."

In fact, the Hall of Fame game was all about the unexpected.

Journeyman forward dal Monte, who was never known for his prowess around the net when he played back at the old tennis courts and lacrosse box, sparked his side to an early 4-0 lead by scoring the game's first two goals.

And it was a line of aging veterans, Living Legend, Guy Called Mike and Sexboy who forged their side's comeback by outhustling their younger, more spry defenders.

"Maybe we're not as fast, maybe our shots aren't as hard, but people are still competitive," said GCM, who played his first game in more than eight years in a new pair of sneakers purchased on the way to the road hockey courts.

"The one thing that doesn't feel the effects of time is the warrior spirit," said Sexboy, after his first game in almost ten years. "I got my stick on and got out there and that spirit surged back within me."

Although the body wasn't always willing. Even as his side battled its way back into the game after giving up its early advantage, Paul One admitted it was tough to keep up with the pace.

"You forget how quick everything moves," said the veteran forward known for his competitive drive, especially late in the season. "You don't have time to move the ball, everything happens in split seconds out there."

For the younger roadsters who stuck around for the Hall of Fame exhibition, it was a chance to see the game's foundation in action, the blocks of camaraderie and competition upon which the game was forged and that has fueled it for 20 seasons. For the grizzled veterans who strapped on their shinpads one more time, it was a chance to once again feel the sting of the evil orange plastic ball.

"I'm telling you that Father Time goes in one direction and one direction only," said Sexboy. "I felt every year, every month, every day, hustling my butt out there, and it's a tough thing to do."

"Maybe we're not as fast, maybe our shots aren't as hard, but we're still competitive," said Guy Called Mike. "It doesn't matter how old we are."

• Three roadsters were inducted into the Sunday Morning Road Hockey Hall of Fame Sunday. The tributes to Lobsterboy, Paul One and Wink are now posted on the Hall of Fame page.
• Sunday's Hall of Fame game was preceded by a regular game.
• Goaltending Stalwart Wawrow was a late scratch from Sunday's Hall of Fame game after he was called in to service the onerous demands of his exploitive employer.

Colonel takes charge

With his team trailing early in Sunday's game, the Colonel took charge. Nine goals later, they had a decisive victory, 20-13.

It was a vintage performance by the veteran winger, who abandoned the defensive zone once the tide of the game had changed. After all, his goaltender, Twizzler, seemed on top of his game, and the always reliable Lak Attack always seemed in position to sweep away dangerous rebounds.

"We had a very solid defensive team, and guys who move the ball real well, so I was able to take some liberties and sneak in behind defenders," said the Colonel of his one-way game plan.

And his teammates didn't seem to mind.

"We knew all those goals were developing from some good hustle in the defensive end," said Cowboy Bill. "We we allowing Colonel to cheat a little bit, take advantage of the good defensive backchecking. That paid off for us today."

Although it took a while to pay dividends. After spotting their sluggish opponents an early lead, largely on the strength of Velma's robust two-way effort and a couple of seeing eye shots by the Living Legend, the speedsters Lak Attack and Doo made their moves. Streaking up and down the wings and across the middle forced defenders to give chase, wearing them down.

As fatigue set in, the mental errors took hold, allowing the Colonel to take advantage in momentary lapses of concentration. Sneaking up the wing, he slyly positioned himself behind oblivious defenders, putting his stick down just in time to tip in well-place passes. Those backdoor plays seemed especially destructive to the confidence of frazzled defenders.

"When you're getting some cheeky goals here and there that might be frustrating for a goaltender who's playing really well," said Colonel. "I think that works to your advantage."

"He was picking cherries again this week," said Gump of his foe. "He got a few lucky ones."

Inspirational trio to be inducted in Hall of Fame

When Cowboy Bill was a few pounds heavier and whole lot harrier, he barely knew his way around the road hockey court. He had the instincts for the game, but he made the usual rookie mistakes, getting caught behind the play, failing to pick up his check in the defensive zone.
But with the mentorship and guidance of notorious gameshow host gone bad Wink, he learned how to become one of Sunday Morning Road Hockey's steadiest and steadfast two-way players, a force in the defensive and offensive zones.
"He took me under his wing," said Cowboy Bill of one of the game's fellow founding fathers. "He showed me some of the keys to success on the court and that's something I'll always remember him for."
On Sunday, Feb. 21, Wink and two other beloved veteran roadsters, Lobsterboy and Paul One, will be inducted into the Sunday Morning Road Hockey Hall of Fame as part of a gala day of festivities including the first Hall of Fame Game which will feature some of the league's most colorful players sharpening their sticks alongside the next generation of stars.
Wink's dedication and contribution to the game as one of its staunchest and stalwart players will also be honored with the commission of the new Wink Trophy, to be awarded to the most valuable, dedicated, reliable roadster as voted by his fellow players at the end of the regular season. He played 18 seasons, enduring all kinds of weather and stick pull indignities, before he became inactive two years ago.
He was an inspiration to every generation of roadsters, said his longtime nemesis, Lak Attack. "He was always reliable, and that was important for the game. He always tried to work with his team and not just by himself."
He was a leader, said Cowboy Bill. "You knew when you got up in the morning he would be one of the guys who would be at the court no matter what. He was sort of a catalyst for getting other people out to the court."
"He led by example," said one of his fiercest rivals, the Colonel. "He was dependable, you always knew what you'd get out of him."
And that was a defensive stickler who could turn a game with his fearsome slappers from the point.
"He was a smart player," said the Colonel. "He always got you out of trouble, he was the guy you looked to for some leadership."
"He was always in the way," said Cowboy Bill. "He was one of those guys you hated to play against and always wanted to play with him on your team."
"He had great hands and a great shot," said Lak Attack. "He wasn't known for being the quickest guy, but he definitely had great vision out there."
Lobsterboy and Paul One came to Sunday Morning Road Hockey together as one of the game's most dynamic duos and helped transition it from a loose, lazy weekly scrimmage to a structured, competitive battle with recognizable heroes and villains.
More often than not they were the former, as Lobsterboy stood large and colorful between the goal pipes and Paul One wore his heart on his sleeve week in and week out. Each of them had the knack for coming up with big games when it counted the most.
"There's very few people like Lobsterboy," said Lak Attack. "He always motivated his team. He got his team fired up and the other team fired up against him. You loved him and you hated him all at once."
Lobsterboy played goalie in the "small pad" era, straddling the seasons when Goaltending Stalwart Wawrow played without leg protection at all and the big pad goaltenders like Turk, Ottoman and Pig Farming Goalie.
"He always wore the little pads, he never looked big, but his heart was huge," said Gump, who faced the clawed creaseminder from the opposite end of the court through much of his career. "He was one of the first really steady goalies who played consistently well every week. He really made the players better."
Few roadsters could match Lobsterboy's character, said the Colonel. He was feisty and fearless between the pipes, jovial and high-spirited on the sidelines.
"His passion for the game is the kind of thing that really builds other people's passion for the game."
It was passion that drove Paul One to play his best when the most was at stake. A steady dependable forward in the regular season, he had a limitless capacity to kick his game up to a new level in the Stanley Stick championship series. That's when competitive fire would alight his eyes and fuel his relentless desire for the evil orange plastic ball.
"Paul One was the ultimate competitor," said the Colonel, who survived many battles in the corner with his foe. "He was always hard on the ball. He had great tenacity, and he easily raised the level of his game during the Stanley Stick."
"He had a lot of skill, but he also had a lot of heart," said Gump. "When it came down to the Stick, you always wanted him on your team because you knew you were going to win with him."
"He was one of the few players who, pretty much every shift, he fought for the ball," said Lak Attack. "He never gave up. He would go that extra mile."
And for that he often paid a price. Paul One's career was exclaimed by injuries like bruises, cuts, black eyes, bloody noses and welts.
"He had hands of stone, but he had a lot of tenacity when it came down to chasing loose balls in the corners," said Lak Attack.
"You could see his heart every time he was out there," said Cowboy Bill. "He was going to force everyone else on his team to be a bit better because he was going to make them accountable."
Wink, Lobsterboy and Paul One will be inducted into the Sunday Morning Road Hockey Hall of Fame at a gala ceremony at the refurbished Terminal Pub, following the special Hall of Fame Game, which faces off Sunday, Feb. 21 after that morning's regular game. Former roadsters who've confirmed their appearance so far include fellow hall of famer Goaltending Stalwart Wawrow, Lobsterboy, Lumberjack and Sexboy.

Doo's mates can't get it done

Cowboy Bill and his mates didn't just lose some speed when they lost Doo late in Sunday's game. They lost the game 20-16.
For most of the match, the overmatched underdogs had been able to neutralize the speed advantage of their fleet-footed foes, led by the dynamic duo of Kid and Lak Attack. With Gump playing huge between the pipes, and Cowboy Bill, Colonel, Nibs and Living Legend blanketing their checks, it was Doo who sparked the plays at the opposite end.
"Doo adds another dimension to whatever team he plays on," said the Colonel. "He's fast, he's great on the transition and he gets his shot off quickly."
He also makes his teammates better, luring away defenders eager to take up the chase, opening up the court for them to go to the net, where anything can happen. Like six straight goals to give his side an early 7-3 lead and put their overconfident opponents back on their heels.
"A lot of the goals we got were just garbage goals, picking up rebounds in front of the net, lots of screens," said Cowboy Bill. "We weren't pretty, but we went out there and did the job."
But just as quickly, momentum swung the other way as Velma took advantage of the defensive attention being paid his linemates, Kid and Lak Attack.
That's the kind of day it was, said Cowboy Bill, as one or two goals shifted the game's momentum one way or the other.
"I think it was just one of those days when you put in a ton of energy, you get the momentum but you can't maintain it," said Cowboy Bill.
But when Doo had to leave the game early to attend to a personal matter, his teammates seemed unable to once again swing the game their way. They lacked the speed to get to open spots, they lagged on the backcheck.
"Losing him was big," said the Colonel.
"It was just one of those things that we were just starting to crest, just starting to gain some momentum," said Cowboy Bill. "We lose him, that's one more sub we don't have and you could tell in the waning moments of the game that our team just didn't have the legs anymore."

Hall of Famers to face off Feb. 21

Sunday, Feb. 21 will be a Hall of Fame day for Sunday Morning Road Hockey.

Celebrating 20 seasons of the evil orange plastic ball, Sunday Morning Road Hockey's regular game that day will be followed by a special Hall of Fame Game featuring some of the stars from the league's venerable past including its two greatest goaltending rivals, Goaltending Stalwart Wawrow and Lobsterboy.

"This will be a celebration of Sunday Morning Road Hockey," said the league's sole remaining founding father, the Living Legend. "It will also be a chance for the game's current generation to connect with its storied past."

Goaltending Stalwart Wawrow minded the nets for nine years, including the league's formative seasons at the old tennis courts and the Cariboo lacrosse box. His lightning glove hand and fearless determination to throw himself in front of Winkian blasts without the protection of leg pads earned him the disbelieving admiration of teammates and the grudging respect of opponents. His cutting cackle which punctuated many of his more spectacular saves earned him their wrath.

Wawrow became the first inductee into the Sunday Morning Road Hockey Hall of Fame when he retired in February, 1999 to pursue a new job in a faraway city.

Lobsterboy's colorful career spanned three generations of roadsters. Named for his use of his trapper mitt on its wrong hand that made it look like a claw, Lobsterboy's splayed shotstopping style and crazed pursuit of the evil orange plastic ball along the boards behind his net earned him a number of Stanley Stick championships and the league's first rule modification which banned goalies from covering the ball behind the plane of the goal line.

The Hall of Fame Game will face off at 12:30 p.m., after that Sunday's regular game. It will be followed by a gala reception at the newly-refurbished Terminal Pub.

Lak Attack leads comeback sprint

Even as Sunday's game seemed to be running away from his team, Beetle Boy didn't panic. His side just had to start running.

And with the young speedsters Scrappy and Doo now joined by the fleet-footed veteran Lak Attack, who had started the game in net as regular rearguard Gump arrived late, they just that, scoring six straight goals to charge all the way back from an early 6-1 deficit to take their first lead. They never looked back, sprinting to a resounding 20-12 victory.

"We didn't have our legs going, we were just warming up," said Beetle Boy of his team's slow start.

The addition of Lak Attack seemed to spark his young linemates. Their scrambled attacks suddenly had new purpose and organization with the injection of the veteran centerman's leadership and energy.

"He's just so athletic," said Doo. "He makes us all play better."

"That was a big change," said Beetle Boy, of the goaltending change that came when his side was already down 3-1. "That gave us a solid goaltender and added a top scorer, so that pretty much revolutionized the team right there."

It also demoralized their opponents, who stood around flatfooted and mesmerized as they were repeatedly caught up court by the swift transition game of their fleet foes. And as those breakaways turned into goals, their gait slowed even more while the speedsters swelled with confidence.

"We just had the confidence that even if we had two people up and one person back, you just had that belief in each other knowing that it would be okay, the passes would come up," said Beetle Boy.

"Confidence is the key," said Doo. "Once we had that there was no stopping us."

They were like a runaway train.

Colonel's atonement falls just short

Two weeks ago in his first goaltending start of the season, the Colonel was still wobbly from his Saturday night excesses. The result wasn't pretty, a humbling 20-9 defeat.

Sunday, the irascible veteran was sober. But the result was the same, a sobering 15-9 loss to an undermanned opposition.

With the league going through its usual mid-season attendance woes, the Colonel stepped into the goaltending breach for the second time in three weeks, eager to atone for his Shrimp Ring shame.

"I definitely wanted to play again," said the Colonel. "I didn't want to not play again after such a crap game a couple of weeks ago."

With his senses sharp and his reflexes sharper, the Colonel made a number of key saves early in Sunday's game, keeping his team close against a powerhouse squad led by the dynamic offensive duo of Kid and Lak Attack.

No save was bigger than his stonewalling of the shifty Kid on a penalty shot, awarded when a disputed goal call couldn't be resolved. As the speed forward veered to his backhand, the Colonel sprawled to his left, stabbing his stick at the oncoming speedster. Kid lifted the evil orange plastic ball, chipping it off the keeper's flailing stick and ringing it off the crossbar.

"That's something I'm going to look back on in the stats book as an incredible save, but the truth is he missed it on his own," said the Colonel of the play. "He hit the crossbar, I just kinda had the stick there."

Perhaps. But the play boosted energized his team, who charged up the court with renewed determination to erase the deficit they had dug themselves by failing to convert too many scoring opportunities.

"We definitely had our rushes," said Scrappy, who played his first game in a month. "We were pretty even in chances but it just comes down to who can bury them."

Time and again, Twizzler was equal to the task as the sophomore shotstopper stood tall against the young speedster and his fleet-footed linemate, Doo.

"They had young legs so we knew they were gonna come at us," said Lak Attack. "The game plan was to keep them outside on the perimeter, keep them from getting their shots and let the goalie take care of the angles."

Despite the loss, the Colonel was buoyed by his effort.

"The most important thing about playing goaltender is just taking care of your own end," said the creaseminding convert. "You've just got to play to the absolute best of your ability on every play and you never give up on the ball."

That's got to be worrisome for opponents and encouraging for future teammates.

"He played a great game," said Lak Attack of his longtime nemesis. "He played well positionally and he showed us some really quick reflexes. He kept them in the game, definitely."

"He got us through some rough patches when they just had all the momentum," said Scrappy.

Long shots make for short work

In a short game, it was the long shots that made the difference.

Rapier drives from the point by Nibs and Lak Attack propelled their team to a 15-11 win in Sunday's game shortened by a late start and early finish.

Four quick goals over Gump's shoulder and past his outstretched pad when he couldn't handle the quick, hard shots cost his team the early advantage they had built on some deft passing plays by Kid and Colonel and a pair of opportune tip ins by the Living Legend.

"They were picking corners, they were putting them in off the crossbar," said a disconsolate Gump after what he called his worst game of the season. "You know you're going to get beat by good shots, but as a goalie you have to keep your team in it. As soon as you let in a string of three or four goals, it costs you."

Not just on the scoreboard.

As Gump looked back at the shots that beat him, the shoulders of his teammates slumped noticeably as the run of goals robbed them of their early momentum.

"When you can get off those quick shots and they go in, it really kills the other team's momentum because a lot of times they're looking for great saves from their goalie," said Lak Attack.

It also forced their opponents to play tighter defensively. But turning their attention to jumping on the snipers before they could get off another shot left Cowboy Bill open to pounce on broken plays or juicy rebounds.

"When the other team tightens up, it opens up some holes," said Cowboy Bill. "I was able to pick up some garbage goals along the way because they had to tighten up their checking on Nibs and Lak."

And as they found their range, momentum shifted to their side.

"I think we got some breaks and just kept the momentum going," said Lak Attack.

"It gave us confidence that we knew we just had to put some good shots on the goalie and he was going to let them get past him," said Cowboy Bill.

For the fourth time this season, Sunday's game started as a modified half court match after only seven players showed up. Only an emergency call up to the Kid filled out the teams for a proper game.
The lagging attendance and chronic late starts aren't sitting well with some roadsters.
"It's a tough way to start the day," said Cowboy Bill. "We didn't have enough guys so we had to start playing a half court game and then you sort of have to change your style of play to play full court."
"I think the young people these days just don't understand the game starts at 10:30," said Lak Attack.

The ongoing absence of some stalwart veterans like Billy Idol and Elvis also has some roadsters concerned that some players are just biding their time until the Stanley Stick. That has the league office pondering changes to the eligibility requirements to be able to play in the climactic championship series. Previously, roadsters were required to play at least five games in the season to be eligible for the Stick, but that may be raised to eight this season.
This year's Stanley Stick will be played April 25 and May 2.

Colonel's Shrimp Ring pain

The Colonel just wanted to ease the pain in his head from the previous night's excesses. Instead he suffered a world of hurt, losing his first start in net of the season, 20-9.

His judgement perhaps clouded from alcohol, the irascible veteran may have been hoping to savor the shrimp and tangy cocktail sauce behind the reliable two-way play of Lak Attack and the dependable defense of Beetle Boy. An early 2-1 lead and a scintillating glove save as he reached across the crease to rob the Living Legend's one-timer to the top corner seemed to bode well.

"After that first save, I thought, 'O crap, he's a natural,'" said Velma, who set up the Legend on the play with a pinpoint pass across the crease.

"Your role is to keep the game as close as possible so you give your team a chance to win the game," said the Colonel of his early success. "We're out here to win."

But his optimism was ill-fated as the young speedsters Velma and Doo proved too much for the flat-footed veterans like Beetle Boy and Nibs, who quickly succumbed to the demands of a game without substitutions.

"Fitness was a huge factor," said Beetle Boy, playing his first game in more than a month. "Their team had a couple of young guys and then you have us, who haven't done anything for a while. It just killed us."

Those young guys ruled the boards at both ends of the court, beating wearying defenders to the ball time and again then feeding their veteran linemate, the Living Legend, who nonchalantly cruised the center of the court. He scored four goals, three of them on deflections of shots from the perimeter.

"They were able to get in behind our defense," said the Colonel. "They were passing real well and they got quite a few tip-ins."

"The tips were all working," said Velma. "Our team had great chemistry."

Ten straight goals all but ensured an easy victory. The only thing to be decided was whether they could preserve the road hockey shutout for Twizzler.

"It's important to stay focused," said Velma, as his team faltered slightly late in the game before getting their goalie the goose egg. "He's played well all season and it was nice to give him a bit of a reward."

Slipping away

A five minute power play midway through Sunday's game proved to be auspicious for Lak Attack and his teammates. But for all the wrong reasons.
When the Living Legend went to the sidelines to tend to another matter for five minutes, it was a glorious opportunity for the veteran speedster and his young mates, Scrappy, Velma and Louise to fight their way back into a game they'd been trailing all day. Instead, they gave up a pair of goals, sealing their fate in a 20-12 loss.
"It was an indication of our play," said Lak Attack of his side's soured opportunity. "If two guys can beat us then we didn't have any business being in the game."
"I think it really crushed their motivation," said Doo, who scored one of the shorthanded goals as he and Kid managed to still run circles around flatfooted defenders despite being outmanned. "It made the other team realize they really didn't know what they were doing the entire game."
Not that anyone could make much sense of slapdash, haphazard plays in the slippery snowy conditions. A week of icy weather and a skiff of snow that continued to fall through the game rendered traction perilous. Roadsters slipped and slid and scrambled frantically every time the play changed direction.
"It's hugely frustrating," said Doo. "You can't get any speed going."
That meant players had to pay attention to where on the court they were positioned so they could make plays, and stop the other team from making them, said Lak Attack, something his side couldn't accomplish.
"We were always out of position," said the veteran centerman. "You want to be in the proper position between the goalie and the shooter and try to make sure the offense doesn't get a step on you. We needed to play better positionally."
Doo and his mates were only too eager to exploit those positional opportunities, as they bolted to a 7-1 lead and never looked back. Even hitting a startling number of goalposts and missing the open net on numerous occasions didn't deter them.
"The score was a bit closer than it deserved to be," said Lak Attack. "They missed a lot of open nets, hit posts."
That may have been due to the precarious footing, said Doo, as shooters struggled to keep their balance on the snow and ice when leaning into their shots.
"You have to look for the patches of ice and then you play really tentatively around them," said Doo. "It makes offense hard."
And defense even harder, as forwards were able to get to open court with only a few strides or slides with defenders struggling to change their direction.
"You can't move your feet," said Doo. "You can't work your legs, so you have to use your stick."

SPECIAL REPORT: Cold presents new challenges

Baby it's cold outside.
And for the roadsters, that's means making some fine adjustments to their game to account for the effect the wintery temperatures have on the evil orange plastic ball. Like getting out of the way.
"That ball stings you a little more when it hits you in the legs," said Cowboy Bill, whose side struggled Sunday as they never recovered from a 7-1 deficit en route to a 16-15 defeat in a timed game. "Defensively you play a little more tentatively as far as getting in front of shots, especially from the big guys."
As the plastic gets cold and hard, it also gets bouncier, making it harder for players to control.
"You're not sure it's going to end up on your stick as often as it might because it doesn't have any absorption," said Cowboy Bill.
"You've got to have a little softer touch when you're taking passes," said Velma, who made some key saves early in Sunday's game to win his first career start in net. "You've got to have a bit more of a spongy stick and cradle it a bit more when you're making a pass."
"It moves a little faster," said the Colonel, who bounced back from a knee injury suffered last week. "You don't get the same sort of cushioning on the surface, but that means you can move it around a bit more on the surface."
Glaring into the cold winter sun also presents a new challenge to goalies at the west end of the court.
"The goaltender is not going to be able to see the balls," said the Colonel. "Whoever is shooting that way will be taking lots of shots, just throw the ball at the net and hope it goes in."
But most of the roadsters welcome the cold, bright days of December. Especially after the gloom and rain of November.
"The sun is out, it's not raining," said Cowboy Bill.
"I love to play in the cold when it's dry," said the Colonel. "You never really overheat, you can keep going for great portions of the game, you can run hard. These are some of the most ideal conditions."

This season's holiday break will be brief. Which likely comes as welcome news for the roadsters, many of whom were frustrated and discouraged when snow and ice storms scuttled almost a month's worth of action in late December of last year and early January.
Sunday Morning Road Hockey will take a one week holiday hiatus with no game scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 27. Play will resume the following week, Jan. 3, with the annual Shrimp Ring Bowl, the league's traditional celebration of the new year.

Legging out a win

For the first time in three weeks, each team was able to put a full side on the court with multiple spares to spell them off. It didn't last.
Sunday's marathon nailbiter, which took almost three hours to decide a winner, 22-21 in sudden death overtime, took a toll as three roadsters were sidelined with injuries. The wealth of players had become a recession.
Colonel was the first to go down, when he tweaked his knee after staking his team to an early advantage by scoring their first three goals, two of them on sizzling seeing-eye shots from the far end of the court. Then his teammate, the Living Legend, was sidelined after getting a chop to the knee while battling Lak Attack at the edge of the crease. He tried to carry on for a couple of shifts but ultimately couldn't continue, leaving his side only one spare where once they employed two full lines.
The lack of fresh legs started to wear.
"It was a big factor," said Unabomber of the sudden disorganization to his side's finely tuned line structure. "It threw off our shifts and it allowed the other side to get back into the game."
Their opponents were quick to take advantage, scoring three quick goals to take their first lead of the game, 16-15.
"You just have to continue as is," said Lak Attack, who had little sympathy for the other team's plight. "You have to try to play the same way, you have to try to play hard."
But those words would soon come back to haunt him, as feisty forward Mouse, who managed to wreak havoc deep in the corners every time he stepped on the court, left the game with cramps in one of his legs.
Both sides were now equally disabled. And neither had the horses to pull away and win.
"I think that's why it went the distance," said Unabomber. "Both teams had to deal with injuries."
In the end, it was fortitude and resilience that paid off. Cowboy Bill gave his team the lead in the first overtime, but his side couldn't seal the deal. Then they had to battle from behind to tie it at 21. With both sides suffering, it was decided to end the marathon with sudden death.
But even that wasn't clear cut, as Velma's cross-crease shot seemed to carom off the middle post and straight out. Or did it? An argument ensued, but the goal stood.
"Those guys were fairly resilient," said Lak Attack. "A good 80 percent of a game like this is just sticking with it, battling hard and believing you're going to get the next goal."

Chairmen of the boards

First they owned the boards. Then they owned their opponents.
For the second consecutive game, a team of road-hardened veterans ground out a tough victory, 15-9, over younger, speedier upstarts in a modified half-court game Sunday. The semi-game was necessitated by a lack of equipment for a second goalie meant Twizzler had to do double duty for both squads.
Playing with virtually the same lineup that triumphed in last week's rainy showdown, Cowboy Bill, Living Legend and Kid, bolstered by the addition of Doo, forced the play along the boards, winning battles for ball possession time and again, stifling their opponents any opportunity to establish offensive momentum.
"Even though we don't have much speed, we know how to win those battles on the boards, and that's really where we won the game today," said Cowboy Bill, who had a knack for scoring timely goals on long shots that extricated his team from a couple of jams Sunday. "We won a lot of those balls off the boards."
With offensive ball possession in the half-court game determined by the team that could control the ball off the end boards at the opposite end of the court, the reward went to the team that could grind out those battles for the ball. That meant size and toughness ruled the day.
"The other team had the advantage because they outweighed us," said Velma. "That weight advantage in those battles along the boards was pretty huge."
But Cowboy Bill said it was more about guile than girth. "We did a great job on the far end with forechecking, not allowing them to get any good momentum going up the court and maintaining good possession of the ball."
The veterans also seemed better at measuring their effort, pacing themselves for the long haul while their speedy foes blew themselves out trying to establish break-out rushes.
"It's all about just grinding it out, taking care of the ball when you can," said Cowboy Bill. "You have to try to build momentum with good defensive plays."
"You get speed going back to the other end, then you have to turn around and come back; you have to accelerate twice as much and it gets you tired," said Velma.

SPECIAL REPORT: Courts take toll on sticks

The rough sandpaper surface of the road hockey courts isn't just costing roadsters like Scrappy goals, it's costing them money. The young speedster is already on his third stick, just six weeks into the season.
And while he smashed one of them when he was the goat on a bad goal, the blades on his other sticks have been wearing down quicker than they used to.
"I don't think they last as long," says Scrappy.
While most of the roadsters are adjusting to the new playing surface, their sticks are more like toothpicks. That's taking a toll on some players' confidence.
"For finesse players, the blade is pretty much everything," says Doo, eyeing the narrow sliver of his stick's blade. "You need to be able to control your passes, receive passes and make those finesse plays, and you just can't do that with a stick quite like this."
"I'm having a lot of trouble with it," says Velma. "It's pretty tough especially for me because I make my money by going to the front of the net and keeping my stick on the ground."
But with less stick to put on the ground, passes hop harmlessly over depleted blades, shots don't have quite the snap, or sail wildly wide and over the net.
"You have to get your shot right off the toe of your stick," says Doo. "You can't go heel to toe anymore."
"I'm finding I have to shoot off the toe of my blade a little more rather than the heel," says Velma. "It's tough on everyone."
It's also taking it's toll on some players' confidence. Stickhandling is more tentative, feathered passes are easily intercepted.
"When you know your stick is dying on you, you lose confidence quite a bit," says Scrappy. "You worry you can't get the shot off or pass it off. It effects you mentally."

Seven roadsters braved Sunday's cold rain. They played a modified game of three-on-three half-court that pitted a team of wily veterans against the upstart Scooby gang. The veterans used their experience and guile to measure their effort in trying conditions to prevail, 15-8.

Gump gives team a chance

The rain may have kept most of the roadsters away from Sunday's game, but that's when Gump comes to play.
The veteran goaltender made a number of huge saves in his first start of the season, but, more importantly for his tired teammates who didn't have the benefit of a spare player, he wasn't afraid to make some aggressive plays to initiate their offense by headmanning the ball up the court.
And while his playmaking efforts didn't prevent his side from succumbing, 18-16, in triple overtime, he kept them in a game that threatened to get out of their reach a few times.
"You've got to look to make plays," said the veteran keeper who time and again swept the ball up court instead of depositing behind his own net for a teammate to initiate the offense. "If you just keep throwing it behind the net on a freeze and they're out of position, it's better for me to just throw it up and hope we can get a couple of odd-man rushes out of it."
It also helped his team preserve their legs by not having to run back behind their own net as much.
"You've got to make sure your team gets breaks," said Gump., who honed his shotstopping skills at goaltending school over the off-season and seemed to put some of his training to good use Sunday with solid positioning and effective smothering of rebounds.
Those brief respites proved invaluable as the sides traded leads throughout the game, neither able to open up an advantage of more than two goals.
"Both teams had several chances to put it away," said Lak Attack. "It could have gone either way."
In the overtime it almost did, as Lak Attack's side took the first advantage, then gave up two straight goals to find themselves with their backs against the wall.
That's when Scrappy took over, as the young speedster found another gear and a deadly touch for finding holes in Gump's equipment even as he was right on top of the steadfast shotstopper.
He scored two straight goals, taking advantage of odds hops and fortuitous bounces to give his team the lead one last time.
"Scrappy really came on in the end," said Lak Attack.
"They got some lucky bounces off the back wall," said Gump.
As the game entered its third extra period, both sides knew they'd put up a good battle on a wet court, with no spare players.
"It was tough, because both teams had several chances to put it away," said Lak Attack.
"I thought we played well enough to win," said Gump.
And based on his performance in his first game, perhaps even deserved to win.

Favorites need total team effort

As his teammates gathered up their sticks from Sunday's decisive stick-pull, Velma was downcast. With a young lineup bolstered by a rookie goaltender making his first career start as a forward, the feisty forward saw only doom and gloom ahead.
"I thought we were going to get destroyed," said Velma, after his team battled to the bitter end before succumbing 20-18 in the closest, most hard-fought game of the young season.
Going against a lineup of proven veterans like Colonel, Lak Attack, Nibs and the Living Legend, and rookie speedster Mouse, he wasn't the only one thinking rout.
"I thought both teams had a different said of skills," said the Colonel, who predicted an easy victory for his squad before the start of Sunday's game.
But, it turns out, there was little to choose between the sides, as each team played to its own strengths, producing a seesaw battle in which each squad built and then lost three goal advantages.
The underdogs were full measure for their effort, even if it fell a little short, said Velma. For a stretch through the middle part of the game, they even had their opponents on the ropes after reeling in a three goal deficit.
"Our whole team banded together and we just kept crashing and banging" said the sophomore centerman, who was pretty banged up himself by the end of the game, with a scraped, bloody knee and a bruised jaw from a rising slap shot by Lak Attack that caught him squarely in the face.
They also seemed to have a knack for converting every lucky bounce that came their way, an important asset this season as players continue to adjust to the sandpaper surface on the hockey courts.
"Barely any of our goals were from nice skilled plays," said Velma. "We were relying on a lot of lucky bounces."
But with Colonel making some nifty moves, Lak Attack driving hard to the crease, Mouse digging doggedly in the corners, Nibs teeing up from the point and even the Living Legend chipping in with a pair of goals, it took a total team effort for Sunday's heavy favorites to realize their destiny.
"You need everyone chipping in all the time," said the Colonel. "Everything adds up to the final score."

Roadsters reject indoor move

A pitch to move Sunday Morning Road Hockey indoors isn't gaining any traction even as the roadsters continue to struggle with the sandpaper-like surface of the refurbished outdoor courts.

Sunday, in the first official rain game of the season, the roadsters experienced the flipside of the new tacky surface which has created drag on players sticks causing passes to skip harmlessly over sticks and shots peter out even before they reach the goalies; the rough concrete isn't more grippy when it's wet, as a number of players took tumbles on damp patches.

But that hasn't deterred their resolve to change the way they play the game rather than change the game some have been playing for almost 20 years.

"You've got to play a different style now," said veteran forward Lak Attack. "A lot of the softer passes that normally get through onto the tape of another player aren't going to happen; you've got to put a little more oomph on each pass."

"I think defensively you've just got to be a little more aware that passes aren't necessarily going to go tape to tape," said seasoned centerman Cowboy Bill. "You have to put yourself into position to consider the bounce and to be able to take advantage of those situations."

Both stalwarts rejected outright a suggestion made by the Colonel earlier in the week to explore indoor options for the venerable weekly game. A polished gym floor would give the roadsters an ideal smooth surface to exploit their skills as well as keep them warm and dry in the cold, wet wintery months ahead.

"It would be a faster game, a more skilled game," said the outspoken forward who's tilted against the game's traditions before when he's questioned the leadership of the founding fathers. "I think it would make for a more competitive game and for most people, a little more fun."

But the unknown variables of the playing surface and weather conditions are an integral part of the fun, said Cowboy Bill. "The venue is completely a part of the game. That's why we come out here, it's outdoors, it's a chance to get outside and run around."

"I think we all thrive on the different elements we face each week," said Lak Attack. "It would change the game and I don't think it would be for the better."

Some players suggest all the teeth-gnashing over the new surface is much ado about nothing as they struggle to find their game legs in the season's early-going.

"I think if we get a few good balls, (the surface) doesn't affect the game as much," said Scrappy, whose speedy play up and down the wings has barely missed a beat.

If anything, the bouncing balls and missed plays have brought the game back to the goalies and slower, more methodical lunch bucket players.

"I think for some of the players who rely more on their passing ability and quick moves are struggling more than the players who bang and crash," said the Colonel, who admitted to growing frustration on the bouncy surface.

For the second week in a row, Twizzler recorded a road hockey shutout by holding opposing shooter below ten goals in his side's 15-8 win. It was also the second time in three weeks a game ended with the winning team scoring less than the usual 20 goals.

"Both teams are playing on it," said Cowboy Bill. "It's not like you go one way and it's rough and you go the other way it's smooth. It's the same both ways."

And some players are starting to adjust.

"They're starting to get some of the nice passes going, but it requires a bit more hand-eye coordination," said Lak Attack. "I think over time this will make us all better players."

The inability of his teammates to adapt to the tacky concrete spoiled the return to the crease of ER in his first start in more than two years. The emergency backup keeper made several spectacular saves to keep his team in the game early, allowing them the opportunity to find their legs and tighten the score to a more respectable six-goal margin.

Man dis-advantage

Sometimes a disadvantage can be an advantage.

Lak Attack and his mates romped to an easy 20-8 win in Sunday's game despite being disadvantaged by having to play without the luxury of a substitute player to spell off tired teammates.

It was a measured win, said the veteran winger, as his side took control early, driving the game's pace so they wouldn't tire themselves out later.

"We just had to make sure we played at a steady pace," said the fleet-footed forward. "I think we were trying to get good quality chances instead of just chasing the ball around. If you're just chasing the ball all game, you're going to get too tired."

With seemingly all the bounces going their way, Lak Attack, Kid and Velma worked the give-and-go with aplomb, peppering the beleaguered Nibs with shots that found the back of the net more often than they got caught up in the goalie's equipment. Before they'd even worked up much of a sweat, they had a 10-1 lead.

"We were getting the bounces at the start and that deflated the other team," said Velma, who lagged behind his dynamic linemates as he played through a nagging cold.

That would be an understatement. Dispirited and disgruntled, their opponents couldn't catch a break despite fresher legs, including the young speedsters Scrappy and Doo who didn't find their scoring touch until the game was already well out of reach.

"On paper they had a really good team. I'm not sure what happened to their chemistry," said Lak Attack. "They seemed to have all the tools, but for some reason they just didn't have their legs today."

Of course, even the staunchest optimist would have a hard time buying into the idea of erasing a nine-goal deficit, said Velma.

"Morale is a big deal," said the shifty sophomore. "If you don't think you can come back, you rarely do. It really wears you down."

Even as the leaders' legs lagged, their advantage didn't as Lak Attack and Kid continued to weave their way around and through flat-footed defenders.

"Those two are awesome," said Velma of his lithe linemates. "I just kinda hitched on for a ride."

Even if they had to do it with only three wheels.