This weekend I went with my hockey team to Atlantic City to play in a Can-Am tournament. We were really excited about going to play and were looking forward to getting some hockey and some bonding time in. It was to be a 3 game round-robin style Friday and Saturday with a championship and consolation game on Sunday. There were four teams in our division, so we were guaranteed to play four games.
We got to the arena Friday afternoon to start the weekend. We played a team from Pennsylvania. From the start we realized we were in for a long game. They got two quick goals and just seemed to be wiping the ice with us. The game ended in a 6-1 loss.
After a few hours of dinner and drinks, we had a 2nd game Friday night. This time we played a team from New Jersey. They were clearly better and beat us 7-0. We were starting to think that we were over our heads.
We didn't play again until Saturday afternoon. We played a team from Delaware. Again, we were clearly outplayed. Goal after goal after goal against. The final was 10-0. Our goaltender took a shot to the collarbone where she had no padding and was in pain. One of our defensemen injured his back. Another player twisted his knee. We were banged up, tired, disappointed, and spent.
After three games, we were 0-3 and had been outscored 23-1. It was turning into a disaster. What kept us going was hanging out together on the casino floor and at restaurants.
Our final game was Sunday at 7:30 AM. Nothing like playing a game of hockey early in the morning! We were playing the team from Pennsylvania in the 3rd/4th place game. The game started and we came out of the gate much better than previous games. We got a quick goal in the 1st period and added another before the end of the period. We made it to the 3rd period when they tied the score at 2-2. Then with 43 seconds remaining, one of our guys put a wicked wrist shot over the goalie's shoulder and put us ahead! We scrambled for the next 43 seconds, and with a last second save, we won the game 3-2 and won 3rd place! It was surreal.
We were clearly not the best team in the division, and we were outscored 25-4 during the weekend. Yet we didn't give up. We played hard in the final game and found a way to win. It was a test of endurance and skill. Each and every one of us were exhausted by the end of the tournament, but we had a great time. I enjoyed spending time with my teammates. It was a great experience.
We got to the arena Friday afternoon to start the weekend. We played a team from Pennsylvania. From the start we realized we were in for a long game. They got two quick goals and just seemed to be wiping the ice with us. The game ended in a 6-1 loss.
After a few hours of dinner and drinks, we had a 2nd game Friday night. This time we played a team from New Jersey. They were clearly better and beat us 7-0. We were starting to think that we were over our heads.
We didn't play again until Saturday afternoon. We played a team from Delaware. Again, we were clearly outplayed. Goal after goal after goal against. The final was 10-0. Our goaltender took a shot to the collarbone where she had no padding and was in pain. One of our defensemen injured his back. Another player twisted his knee. We were banged up, tired, disappointed, and spent.
After three games, we were 0-3 and had been outscored 23-1. It was turning into a disaster. What kept us going was hanging out together on the casino floor and at restaurants.
Our final game was Sunday at 7:30 AM. Nothing like playing a game of hockey early in the morning! We were playing the team from Pennsylvania in the 3rd/4th place game. The game started and we came out of the gate much better than previous games. We got a quick goal in the 1st period and added another before the end of the period. We made it to the 3rd period when they tied the score at 2-2. Then with 43 seconds remaining, one of our guys put a wicked wrist shot over the goalie's shoulder and put us ahead! We scrambled for the next 43 seconds, and with a last second save, we won the game 3-2 and won 3rd place! It was surreal.
We were clearly not the best team in the division, and we were outscored 25-4 during the weekend. Yet we didn't give up. We played hard in the final game and found a way to win. It was a test of endurance and skill. Each and every one of us were exhausted by the end of the tournament, but we had a great time. I enjoyed spending time with my teammates. It was a great experience.
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