roadhockey.net

Doing the hustle

Hustle earned Cowboy Bill and his mates a 20-17 win Sunday. But not before a lack of it almost cost them.

The veteran journeyman and his mates worked hard to establish an early 7-2 lead, then let up only to find themselves down, 15-11. Hard work allowed them to tie the game at 17, then paid off with three straight goals to earn the victory.

"It was really just a game of momentum based on hustle," said Cowboy Bill, who set up the winner with a sharp pass from the corner to Kid, who rifled it home past a beleaguered Nibs. "We hustled to start and we got the lead, we slowed down through the middle and gave them the lead, and right at the end we really buckled down and it paid off."

"It all boils down to hard work," agreed Doo. "That's why we lost in the end."

As is often the case when the road hockey court is wet and slippery, Sunday's game was one of wild shifts of momentum as each team scored in bunches.

"You kinda get yourself caught up in thinking this is just a normal everyday game on the dry court, and that's where you get yourself caught out a bit," said Cowboy Bill. "You get caught up court, you can't turn around to play defense as quick, and you kinda go through these mental breakdowns. The weather really contributes to those kind of breakdowns."

Time and again players found themselves out of position when the ball changed possession as they were unable to gain traction on the hardtop, slicked by persistent drizzle and a thickening damp fog. Odd man breaks became the rule, rather than the exception, much to the dismay of the goaltenders, Gump and Nibs.

For the first third of the game, the former was almost impenetrable, while Nibs struggled. Then the lucky bounces, opportune deflections and two-on-breakaways started to go the other way, giving Nibs the chance to settle down. He responded with a series of spectacular saves.

"Nibs was there for us for sure," said Doo. "Especially through that middle stretch when we had the momentum."

"The way Nibs was playing today, he wasn't giving up anything," said Cowboy Bill.

Looking to catch the veteran backup out of position, forwards starting looking for the extra pass. More often than not, it found a defender's stick, setting up odd-man rushes the other way, where Gump faltered under the onslaught.

Cowboy Bill and his mates knew, to win the game, they'd have to get back to basics.

"Towards the end, we knew we just had to pepper him with shots, let's just get lots of shots, let's get some ugly trash goals."

Which is just what happened.

"I think at the end we just stopped taking the shooter," said Doo. "We got lazy, we opened up the shooting lanes and when they've got Kid on their team, they're going to put them in."

Posted by jaysuburb at November 30, 2008 05:23 PM