roadhockey.net

Icy triumph

Chico's team prevailed in Sunday's game 15-7, but there was no loser.

That's because the fact there was a game at all was a triumph of all the roadsters. A week of snow and frosty temperatures followed by a soggy thaw had left the court a moonscape of semi-frozen slush and ice.

But unlike last week, when a poor turnout and feeble resolve scuttled the game in the face of a similarly slicked challenge, a brigade of shovels, bags of rock salt and even some intrepid chopping with sticks pummelled, scraped and cleared the court in a little over an hour. It was a heroic, but exhausting effort.

"It was nice toes the community pull together to clear off the court and play some hockey today," said Beckenbauer. "It was a real feeling of triumph. I think we were all winners out there today."

"It's kind of a nice feeling to take a look at your massive obstacle and then pull together as a group to take care of it," said Yak. "Any bad conditions you've just got to push through."

"It really shows the guys are committed to playing," said Chico. "We worked hard just to get a surface to play on, and that speaks volumes about the quality of the guys we have playing."

In fact, many of the players endured blisters, stiff fingers and soggy cold feet as a result of their pre-game work detail.

"Gripping the shovel your hands get pretty mashed up," said Yak. "You don't feel the ball as well, gripping the stick hurts, you get tired, you get frustrated."
Remnants of frozen slush also made foot precarious.

"When you're turning and stopping you definitely have to keep that in mind," said Beckenbauer. "You've got to set yourself and accelerate more gradually."
Even the goalies struggled.

"You keep things very simple," said Chico. "You expect guys to get the pass in and shoot more rather than stickhandle their way in as much as they might in better conditions."

And while it was cold and wet, and the roadsters sagged by their toil, everyone was smiling at the end of the game.

"It doesn't matter what the result is," said Yak. "You get to enjoy the rewards of your labor. It's just fun to play."

Posted by jaysuburb at January 22, 2012 10:20 PM