roadhockey.net

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.