Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 8

Many sports require an athlete to hit a target. In basketball, you shoot the ball at the basket. Baseball pitchers strive for precision in getting the ball over the plate, and fielders need to throw with accuracy. In football, if you're not running to get away from somebody, you're running at them or throwing to them. Golf is all about hitting a target, whether that's the ball with the club because you're a novice or the pin with the ball when your handicap is low.

Then there are the few sports where the whole point is to miss the target. You have to miss all of the opposing players in volleyball. And you have to miss the goal tender in soccer and in hockey. But lots of kids shoot the puck right into the goalie's pads. Some part of our brains must be wired to shoot at something.

I'm not saying that goalies don't have to work hard to make saves because shooters aim the puck right at them. Net minders do have to work hard. There are lots of shots that don't go right at them. But at the squirt level, that's often because the shooter missed! It seems like it's not very often that a shooter really tries to miss, or, to be more precise, is able to aim at the empty spots in the corners of the net.

About half way through the third period, the Crow River shooters started aiming at the corners of the net, and they didn't miss. Then it really is hard for goalies to make saves. The Crow River team was not just aggressive, they were also very good. Within the last few minutes of the game, they scored two goals. Then came the controversy at the final buzzer, when they hit the corner of the net one more time. Some of the Richfield fans thought the shot went in before the buzzer; others were sure the puck never left the shooter's stick before the buzzer was just an echo. The referees didn't react right away. But at some moment during their skate toward the booth they made their decision. The goal was good and the score was 4-4. The teams tied.

Shots that had earlier been hitting the goalie started missing, which meant they went into the corners of the net. This is the beginning of the comeback.

We continued to play offense as Gavin goes for a puck behind the Tigers' net.

While some players worked the boards, others made book on the outcome.

Here's the second of the three goals. I didn't get a photo of the third because I thought the game was over.

Good luck to the Spartan team in the first game of the district playoffs tonight. I hope they can prove me wrong about their need to use the goalie as a target. In other words, shoot for the corners of the net.

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 7

As usual, we switched goalies part way through the second period. Jackson quickly got as busy as Andy had been.

Calm before the storm.

Stretched out.

Catching a shot, which is at least coming right at him.

Marco on the move. Ironically, I didn't get any good photos of Jacob this game, despite the fact that he scored a couple of goals. Sorry about that Jacob. Next game...

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 6

More photos from Delano on Monday, March 2.

Hunter.

Several more saves from Andy P. The Crow River team shot for the corners, but the shots came in lower and in some cases slower than they will later. Andy P. did a great job.





Here's some action behind the net.

High sticking, carefully observed by the goalie.

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 5

Our goalies were busy throughout the game. It was the Spartan's game during the second period.

Here's Andy P. making a save. Click the photo to enlarge it and you can try to find the puck.

This looks like it comes from the same sequence, but it does not. Number 4 on the opposing team had several shots on goal, but Andy P. saved at least a couple of them.

Here's another save by Andy.

Garrett pursuing the puck.

Finally, here's Henri with a shot to the corner of the net, something the Crow River team did well in the third period.

Many of the rest of our goals were tip-ins from in front of the net. They're not as scenic as a longer shot to the corner, but they still count. There's one more post on the second period, which the Spartans dominated by scoring 4 goals while blanking their opponents. At the end of the period we had a comfortable 4-1 lead.

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 4

Here are more photos of players in the Crow River game.

Dylan passing the puck.

Andrew S. passing the net.

Eric handling the puck.

Wyatt with a pass.

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 3

Now, when it comes to the spirit of youth hockey at the squirt level, let's make a distinction between going for the puck and going for the body slam into the boards. This sequence involves Henri, who always goes for the puck. He may leave some carnage in his wake, but that's fine. I like his style.

Henri's eyes are on the puck, and it may be that the opponent's are, too...

...But Henri pinches his arm against the boards...

...and then gets in his way completely...

He does all that while never taking his attention away from the rubber disk. Way to give those defensemen a hard time, Henri.

Some of our own defensive players are effective even if they don't always have to fight on the boards. Here's Max K. getting the puck out of our zone.

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 2

Some kids don't necessarily get into the spirit of youth hockey at the squirt level. One defender on the Crow River team seemed not to have gotten the memo about checking, and went ahead with his NHL enforcer act. There were several incidents, as this one involving Max B. will serve to illustrate.

Max goes for the puck, as the other guy goes for Max.

Max keeps his eyes on the prize, but it's ultimately futile. The other kid isn't even slightly interested in the puck.

At least it was a clean play, and when the kid does it in pee wees he'll be a hero. There was no penalty called on the play, much to Max's disgust, but he rolls with the punches. Max did get his bell rung pretty hard later in the game when a defender checked him under the chin and he went straight back helmet first to the ice. Max is a tough kid, though.

Here's Marco with a pass or a shot.

Andy P. defending the goal. There are a lot of photos in the following posts of goalies with their hands full or about to be full.

Scrimmage v Crow River, Part 1

On Monday, March 2, the Spartans scrimmaged against the Crow River Tigers on their home ice in Delano.

Some games are full of joy because our team annihilates its opponent, as in the 11-1 victory over New Ulm. Others look like drudgery for the team as it fights to win from a deficit position. Some games are heartbreakers, when the team does the drudgery but doesn't turn the score around before the final buzzer. And others are heartbreakers when, despite our lead, the other team does turn it around before the final buzzer. We can place this scrimmage in that last category.

There are lots of pictures to share, and no games until Friday, so come back often. We'll get eight posts from this one game, a new record. (Good thing the season's almost over.)

One of the referees couldn't have been much older than the skaters. In fact, he may have been a member of the other team in stripes. Just kidding. The ref did fine job, and seemed impartial enough. (I'd like to hear Jackson's take on that though.)

Here's Henri with a pass.

Max waiting for the puck to drop.

Eric down on the ice after loosing a shot on goal.

Max D. ready to tip one in.

Despite all this offense, it was the Tigers who scored first. Our Spartans had to wait until the second period before things went their way.

Game v Crow River, Part 2

Both of our goalies played well during the game.

Jackson with a save...

...and a save for Andy P.

Max D. with a look of concentration.

Henri moving the puck down the ice.

I have no more good photos of this game, so this is the last post for the Crow River match-up. I'll remember this as the game with the ambiguous ending. The teams tied, and at the buzzer there was a bit of milling around as teams and coaches tried to find out what came next. The answer was that nothing came next. The goal differential was the tie-breaker. Crow River was declared the winner.

At least the pizza in Monticello is excellent.

Game v Crow River, Part 1

The weather deteriorated considerably throughout the morning on Saturday. Most families left for Monticello early in the afternoon to make the 6:15 PM game time. Many of us made hotel reservations to avoid driving back. The icy roads, while challenging, were passable at 45 mph. Despite the blowing snow and dropping temps, almost everyone was ready to go for the game against Crow River.

Crow River was the team we should have beaten. We could have won, and some say we played the better game. Some say if we had had a 6 minute overtime period we would have won. But that's not the way they settle ties in Monticello. The game was close all the way through.

The teams line up at introductions.

Marco rushing to join Hunter.

Dylan in a rare stationary moment.

Jacob skating hard.

Gavin on the attack.