Archive for January, 2007

Camels 2, Arabian Knights 4 (01-17-2007)

Thursday, January 18th, 2007

My back had been acting up again, so I skipped out on last week’s game.  So this week, I was dying to get back on the ice.  Short on defensemen, I volunteered to play D this week.  I’m not sure if I was doing my team any favors by playing D though.  Also, having not played for two weeks, the rust definitely showed.  My first shift started off rocky as I fumbled around with the puck the first few times I touched it.   

I finished the day with no points, no shots on goal, and a -2 (with 3 goals against while I was out on the ice).  The only positive thing I did all night was blocking a slap shot, for which I’ve got a nice bruise to show off.  When playing D, I’m still having trouble changing my mindset to defense first, and it cost us.  On one occasion, I gambled and pinched, but unfortunately it was the wrong decision and resulted in a breakaway goal.  That’s one of the tough things about playing D; your mistakes are magnified since they can be very, very costly. 

We scored with 3 seconds left in the game to make the score 4-2; otherwise the game wasn’t really as close as the score would indicate.  On the other hand, the puck just wasn’t bouncing our way.  A few times there were scrambles in front of the opposition’s net with excellent scoring chances that we just couldn’t quite capitalize.  There was even on shot that glanced off the post. 

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Happy Belated Birthday to Mii

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

Five days after my birthday, I was finally able to score a Wii!  That’s not bad considering how hard it is find one, especially in the Bay Area.  So, yesterday I was frequenting the forums over at slickdeals around 5:45PM, when someone posted that the Game Stop at Valley Fair had just received a huge shipment of Wiis.  At first I was skeptical.  Plus, if the post was true, I really doubted that I could get there before they ran out.  I was a good 20 minutes away from Valley Fair since it was commute hours.  At 6PM, I finally decided that I had nothing to lose, so I left work and raced over to the mall. 

I get to Valley Fair at 6:20PM.  And as I neared Game Stop, I passed by someone walking out of the store with a Wii.  Oh wow, so they really did have Wiis in stock.  Now, I hoped there’s one left for me.  When I entered the store, there were three people already waiting in line.  I hopped to the back of the line and waited patiently, or as patiently as I could.  I peered behind the counter and saw a bunch of boxes of Wiis on the ground and was confident that one of them was mine.  When I was finally next in the line, the guy at the counter had a bunch of questions for the cashier.  “Hurry up!  You’re killing me,” I was thinking to myself. 

And then it was finally my turn.  “Can I help you?” asks the cashier.  “I’d like to buy a Wii,” I answer, as I try to calm myself down.  “Sorry, we are all sold out,” he responds.  My jaw hits the floor.  “Oops, reflex….I’m just so use to saying that,” jokes the punk behind the counter who thinks he’s a comedian.  “Is there anything else I can get you?” he asks as he unveils a Wii from behind the counter.  Yeah, maybe a defribillator to get my heart started again! 

So, I walk out the door at 6:30PM with a Wii in hand.  I didn’t hang around to find out when they ran out, but I check the forums later to find that they sold out 10 minutes after I left.  Now that I’ve got a Wii, you might not hear from me for a while.  😉

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Camels 3, Geckos 3 (01-03-2007)

Friday, January 5th, 2007

Down 3-1, we battled back to tie the game in the third period.  But neither team was able to score anymore after that, and we skated to a 3-3 tie.  I was held off the scoresheet but did have three good scoring opportunities.  The best was when I picked up a loose puck from the left faceoff circle, skated to my right around a screen and shot at the wide opening to the goalie’s right as he was sliding to his left.  Unfortunately for me, quick reflexes from the opposition’s defenseman resulted in a blocked shot right in front of the goal line. 

Suns 8, Oasis 3

Both teams for the 10:45 game needed players, so I stuck around for another game.  I suited up for the Oasis, and it was a close game early in the first period.  I played well early on and helped our team get a few scoring chances, but none of them amounted to any goals.  Things began to fall apart in the second half of the first period, and it carried into the second period.  After two periods, we trailed 8-3, and that was the final score as we played a scoreless third period.  I was held off the scoresheet once again, although I did skate pretty well for the night.  Sometimes the puck just doesn’t bounce your way. 

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