(AKA: Team Blue vs. PuckU rejects)
To eliminate any suspense: Blue lost, 7-1. The lone goal was scored by Ryan (the same guy who has said he has no defensive skills and sometimes plays up to another level, but that is usually only after other stuff has happened).
Right off, there was likely to be trouble. The Green Brothers (formerly of PuckU) were on the team, as was Ian, who used to play on Blue. (I later found out that Ian has been bitching about Blue for a while and something has to have happened with the Green Brothers seeing as they are all now on the same team. Besides, I'd always thought Ian was a bit too much of a showoff)
The game started out decently enough. Except that it was obvious that the Green Brothers had not changed for the better when it came to intentionally trying to out play every other team. There is outplay and there is "not toning down one's game" when they clearly play at a level above C/D league. They may actually be closer to B/C, or firmly B league.
As I saw it, it was more like the Gwinett Gladiators (ECHL) taking on the Atlanta Thrashers (NHL)... disregarding, of course, the fact that the Gladiators are the Thrashers ECHL affiliate.
Both PuckU and the QC-Beavers (yes, that's their name... no, I'm not making crap up) play like they're better than everyone else and know it. As I've heard it put: The asshole quotient on both teams seems to run pretty high.
I took advice from one of the D who apologised immediately after telling me where I should have been on a previous play. I told him it was okay because "I can't watch myself". And it is true. But usually there is not much bad press on how I play. Hopefully I am improving.
Blue lost new!Aaron to an injury after he got boarded by Ian (face into the boards but it was his knee that gave out.) and he left during the "break" (2 minutes to breathe) between the first and second periods.
I am not happy with the penalties Blue took in the game. I am even LESS happy with Travis, one member of Blue, who took 3 slashing penalties, AND does not keep his stick on the ice or both hands on the stick to start with. After he took his third penalty, D!Aaron looked at me and said, "I'll skate this next shift for you." I said okay. He continued, "And you talk to Travis about the importance of staying out of the box." (He'd never done that to me before so I'm wondering whether my staying on Blue was actually his idea or something. He and Jeff are both really nice and Blue feels a lot like their team, though I don't think they started the team.) Needless to say, I'm not sure many people are happy with Travis. (According to Chopper from Team Fire (the whole team is somehow connected with firefighters) he kicked Travis off the team because of too many penalties, etc)
At one point during the third period, I was out on one edge of the faceoff, trying to help kill off a penalty (it wasn't one of Travis' for once) and Ian motioned to one of his teammates to move out and away from me toward the rest of Blue out there. I don't know whether to take that as a slap in the face or what. I'm also not sure whether Ian even takes me remotely seriously. According to Anita (who was on Blue with Ian and myself last session) he's nice off the ice but can be a real dick on it. I believe it.
Anita's thought on both QCB and PuckU runs this way: They should be moved up to B league for one session where they will likely get outplayed themselves and then they'll stop pulling stunts like not toning down the game to C/D level. I concur.
I watched them constantly go after Ryan and there was even some trips but the ref didn't see it and the Beavers kept doing it.
Lastly, I admit to being tempted to see what happens when QCB plays PuckU. Will it be an asshole matchup or will it be a good game? I'm voting for the former.
C.
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