roadhockey.net

Slip sliding away

Down 4-0 before they even managed to get a shot of their own on net, Wink and his mates knew not to panic. Sure enough, as the court slicked up from a persistent light rain, the game slipped back to them.

"We knew we had the better team, we knew we had better talent. It was just a matter of time before we rallied," said the notorious gameshow host gone bad, as his side went on to outscore their overmatched opponents 20-12 to win Sunday's game 20-16.

But with the usually reliable Lak Attack struggling between the pipes, and the defense in disarray, it took an early gutcheck to turn the game's momentum around.

"You almost start to lose a ittle confidence in your goalie," said Cowboy Bill. "So you just have to turn it around on some hard work, play some solid defense."

"We had to start working, we had to wake up," said Wink.

And wait for the courts to slick up from the rain that started to fall shortly after the end of the first period.

"As the conditions slickened out there, it evened out the speed," said Cowboy Bill. "That allowed us to control the ball a little more often and gave us some control of the game."

"It was unsure footing for everybody," said Wink. "But road hockey is a game of ebb and flow and we knew it was just a matter of time before we'd get some shots on goal."

It would take more than just a lot of shots on opposing goaltender Billy Idol, who came into the game filled with confidence after two consecutive wins.

"We needed to get bodies in front of the goal and just make life rough on Billy Idol," said Wink.

"We gave up a few too many turnovers, a few too many defensive lapses, and they killed us," said Bird. "We made a lot of mental errors."

Early on, though, it seemed Bird and his mates could do nothing wrong. Led by the Living Legend, who played with renewed confidence and vigor while the court was still dry, they stormed the net, cycling the ball deep in the offensive zone and finding plenty of porous holes around and in the net.

"We got off to a pretty quick start, we were doing okay," said Bird. "It's always tough to lose, but when you get off to a 4-0 start, it's rough."

Posted by jaysuburb at February 26, 2007 12:30 PM