With the thermometer in the car registering 25 degrees Saturday morning, we felt like the ice might be in a little more solid state than it was by Friday afternoon. Of course, that meant the air was a bit on the chilly side - especially when the wind picked up. We quickly found out that the nice ice conditions (other than the surface water) we enjoyed yesterday were gone. The ice was a LOT rougher today. Word was that they didn't flood the rinks because they were worried about it not freezing up. Personally, I don't see how a little extra water over what we were skating in would have made a difference.
The Ice Holes' first game was 9:20am, facing a team called Angus J's. We figured it might be a challenging one, having peeked at their record from Friday, and we would really need to be on our game. Turns out, we weren't quite on our game - or, perhaps, we just don't have game. It wasn't too bad at halftime. We were only down 3-0, and actually made a bit of a comeback in the second half, scoring a couple quick goals. In the end, though, we weren't able to rally the points needed to come close, and lost 7-2. The Number 2 team did not have a concurrent game, so they were able to laugh cheer for us from the sidelines, and Buddha got some good action shots. I promised to return the favor in their game at 12:40pm.
In talking to some of the other teams about what type of record you would need to advance, it seems like 3-1 was a minimum, with goal differential kicking in to decide ties. So, based on this info, the Number 2 team with their 1-1 record from Friday, still had a chance to make the Sunday games. Now, we, here at the Ice Holes' media group, are always on the cutting edge of technology when it comes to bringing you coverage of the team's events. In keeping with this spirit, Buddha affixed a Go Pro camera to the top of his helmet in order to give our loyal readers a first-person perspective on what it's like to be on the ice at this elite level of pond hockey competition. It would've been great, except that somehow the battery was drained on the camera before we could give it a try.
The Number 2's hit the ice against the Wicked Beavers at 12:40pm. Their opponents showed up on time, so they didn't get any goals spotted for them - they'd have to earn their keep this time around. This turned out to be a very back and forth game. Luckily, our boys got up two goals to begin with, so the Beavers were always playing catch up. Then, with the minutes ebbing away, one Daniel McGovern put the team on his back and willed them to a victory with his game-winning goal. The 2's now had a 2-1 record and were masters of their own fate going into the final game.
We didn't head back to the hotel between the nooner and the 2:40pm games - just hanging out instead and enjoying the culinary craft of Ali Kabob's food truck. (This is the same street-food vendor type truck that was standing in about 10" of water yesterday as the heat from the truck kept melting the ice.) Some went for burgers, some for the dogs, but it was either good food, or just tasted good after coming off the hockey rink.
Stay tuned for results of the afternoon games.
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