roadhockey.net

Shrimp ring fuels shovel brigade

Fueled by a ring of shrimp and a jar of spicy cocktail sauce, the roadsters were determined to finally launch the season's second half. It was a long time coming.

With the season waylaid for the past five weeks after a series of storms during the Christmas hiatus buried the court under more than two feet of snow and ice, the players attacked the frozen remnants of the winter wipeout Sunday with shovels, spades and scrapers. But a week of thaws and subsequent freezes had hardened the precipitation to the consistency of undulating concrete.

"It's pretty bad, miserable conditions," said Lobsterboy, as he hacked at the ice while already suited up with most of his goaltending equipment.

"It's obviously a lot more work than we bargained for," said Pig Farming Goalie, who was anticipating a showdown with his old nemesis. "I mean, some of it clears off pretty nicely, and some of it goes in big chunks."

The frightful condition of the court was made all the more frustrating by the otherwise perfect conditions for an epic game, sunny and mild.

"It's such a beautiful sunny day," lamented Lobsterboy. "I thought it would be melted, and to see so much hard-packed snow, it's a sad day for road hockey."

Or maybe a day without road hockey at all, as a few of the roadsters seemed resigned to their frosty fate.

"My first reaction was this isn't going to happen," said Cowboy Bill. "It's been four or five weeks since we've really had a good game and this isn't looking too promising."

Others weren't so quick to give in to the ice and snow. After two hours of sweat and hard labor, the surface was slippery, but finally playable.

But after the unprecedented five week mid-season hiatus, some feared more had been lost than just a handful of games.

"It's like we're almost going to have to start the season over again," said Cowboy Bill. "We've lost five week so we've lost all that conditioning and that comfort we've been building up through the first half of the season. Now we're almost starting from Ground Zero."

But after more than a month off, at least they were starting.

Posted by jaysuburb at January 19, 2009 07:25 PM