All Washed Up…

This past week marked two years since my tryouts senior year for the Girls Varsity Hockey Team. I texted my coach and told her to wish the team good luck and that I hope they have a winning season. I really miss playing hockey every day. I am used to it now that it has been two years, but it really hit me hard last year.

After I tried out for the hockey team here and didn’t make it, it really sunk in that I wouldn’t be playing hockey every day of the winter. That was my favorite part of high school hockey. When I was younger playing youth hockey, I would have 1-2 practices during the week and 1 game per weekend. However, with high school, I had practice every day after school with games 2 or sometimes 3 days per week.

It has been a hard adjustment not playing hockey as much as I used to. I grew up playing hockey my whole life, and to go without it is difficult. I still go back every winter break and watch as many games as I can. My senior year was definitely one for the books. The boys team almost made it to the state championship at the T.D. Garden but fell one game short.

Last year was also really special. The boys hockey team made it all the way to the T.D. Garden but unfortunately lost the state championship in overtime. Their motivation to make it hit deep. The second day of tryouts, the team was informed by their coach that one of their players had committed suicide. His name was James Luti and he was a junior. From that day forward, the boys team played every game with all of their heart for James. I was good friends with James, and to see how hard the team worked to honor him was incredible.

I am so proud to say that I am from Stoneham, Massachusetts. Our town comes together in times of need, and each sports team is like a family. I am so grateful for every opportunity I had to play with an amazing group of girls and like I said to the team before my last game senior year…

“Once a Spartan, always a Spartan”

(Field) Hockey ?

My whole life, the only sport I ever stuck with was hockey. I played soccer, baseball, and did gymnastics when I was younger, but hockey was always my absolute favorite. I was never interested in any other sport as much as this one and I think this is because both my dad and my brother played it. I always looked up to my brother, and still do, so I think I felt like I wanted to be able to share another thing with him.

Even all the way up until high school, the only sport I really cared about was hockey. That was until I was introduced to, yup you guessed it, FIELD hockey. I know, sooooo different.I really know how to branch out! However, field hockey is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of hockey.

First off, you (obviously) don’t need skates, a helmet, or as much padding. Oh and don’t forget, there’s no ice! So, we do have a mask similar to lacrosse, we have a stick that goes to the height of our hip and HAS to be right-handed (which stinks because I am left-handed in hockey), shin pads, a mouth guard, and cleats. Our uniform consists of a racer-back tank-top jersey and a kilt (so stylish!).

#2 is me!!
Source: http://belmontonian.com/news/sports-after-two-games-field-hockey-has-that-scoring-touch/

The rules are bizarre. If the ball hits any part of your body it is considered a “penalty”  where the whistle is blown and the other team gets the ball. However, play does not stop, rather the other team runs to the ball and keeps play going as fast as possible. Similar to soccer, there are corners. This is when we are in our defensive zone and we get a penalty. So, 4 people from the defensive team stays at the goal line while the rest of the team goes to the 50 yard line. The whole offensive team lines up around the half-circle in-front of the goal. There is one person from the offensive team on the goal line with the ball, who then has to pass the ball to one of their team members on the semi-circle. Someone called the “fly” from defensive team has the job of stopping the ball from getting into the circle, so they have to follow the pass and try to block it.

I was “fly” all 4 years I played field hockey. My coach asked if I wanted to do it because I was one of the fastest runners on the team. As soon as I tried it, I really liked it. One game, I was flying and the girl who got the pass went to drive the ball into the circle. Her stick ended up following through straight to my knee. I went to take a step and my leg completely gave out. I was on the field just laying there because it was throbbing so bad and play eventually stopped. My teammate told me I was bleeding, so I decided to actually look down at my knee. There was a huge gash and I was profusely bleeding. I ended up going to the ER and getting glued back together.

Besides the countless bruises, field hockey is easily my second favorite sport. Nothing will compare to the way I feel on the ice, but the field comes in at a close second. I am glad my friends convinced me to play, because if I didn’t I would not have been able to say I had the experiences I did with an amazing team to play with. I really miss it and wish I could go back to high school just to play 4 more years of these two amazing sports.

Source: http://wallpapers.ae/field-hockey-picture.html/field-hockey-picture

Town Hockey vs. Select Hockey

As soon as a child who plays hockey gets to the age where tryouts exist for teams, it is always a question on whether or not they are going to play for their town team or join a select hockey team. Select hockey is much more competitive. They hold tryouts like town hokey teams do, but the teams are always comprised of the most talented hockey players. These teams start at a very young age, as young as six or seven years old. To me, this is too young. At this age, a kid can be told they are not good enough to play for the team because their lack exceptional skills.

Personally, I was never interested in playing on a select hockey team. I always thought that the girls who played on them were very mean and  they thought down on you if you did not play on the select teams. There were girls on my high school hockey team that played select hockey growing up who always thought they were better than everyone else. Even my senior year when I was a captain of the team, they would never listen because they felt they were better than me.

My brother played select hockey for a few years, but he was not one of the kids who thought they were better than the others. If he ever showed signs of thinking he was better than everyone else, my dad would “put him in his place” so to speak and tell him that everyone on the team has skill in their own way. My parents offered for me to try out for a select team, but I was never interested. I liked my town hockey team because I got to play with my friends.

Another reason I prefer town hockey is because of the cost. Select hockey is much more expensive. You even have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for tryouts and then there is still the chance you will not make the team. To me, it is not worth the money. Town hockey gives a child the same experience as a select hockey team does, without the pressure of needing to be the best on the team or have exceptional skills to keep up with the rest of the “extremely talented hockey players”.

No Socks, Um Ew…

Every hockey player has a certain routine before games, or even practices. Whether it’s putting a certain piece of equipment on before another or doing some sort of ritual on the ice with a teammate, we all have one. I have rituals and preferences and both make me the hockey player I am.

One ritual I had with one of my teammates is we would skate at each other somewhat fast and stop right before, getting snow all over each others’ legs. Another ritual I had with someone from my high school team, was when we were a defense pair, we would tap each others’ legs with our sticks to get us pumped.

Source: Flickr

Most girls wear Nike pro shorts and a sports bra under their equipment. I wear a long sleeve dry-fit shirt, leggings, and knee-high socks. My teammates always ask me how I don’t over heat. Trust me, if I had the choice I would not wear that many layers. The reason I do so is because, if not, I break out in a rash all over my body. I have severely sensitive skin, so when I do not wear a long sleeve and leggings, I break out in an uncomfortable rash.

One preference I CANNOT STAND is people who do not wear socks on their feet inside their skates. The reason they do this is so the heat stays in the skate and keeps the foot warm. If you wear socks, they get drenched in sweat and when the heat leaves the foot, it cannot pass back through the sweaty sock so your feet are freezing. My dad used to not wear socks with his skates and BOY DID HIS FEET STINK.

Attending the Winter Classic…HA I Wish!

I was BEYOND excited to hear that the Bruins were facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Winter Classic. Every year, two NHL teams play outside, usually at another stadium (football or baseball), on New Year’s Day. The last time the Bruins played in a Winter Classic was in 2016 versus the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium, where they lost 5-1.

Well, I’m glad I didn’t go to that one!

They also played in the 2010 Winter Classic against the Pittsburg Penguins, where they won 2-1 in overtime.

Source: flickr

I’ve always wanted to go to a Bruins Winter Classic because January 1st is my birthday!! This year, I asked my mom for tickets for my birthday BEFORE I knew the game was at Notre Dame Stadium in Indianapolis. So, imagine the look on my face when my mom looked up tickets and said “as long as you can pay for the plane tickets AND hotel sure haha JUST KIDDING”…I was so embarrassed. I would’ve never asked if I knew it was in Indianapolis. I mean, come on, at least have it in Boston or Chicago, why Indianapolis?!

Anyways, I guess I’ll just have to plan for the NEXT TIME the Bruins play in a Winter Classic, and hopefully it will be a little closer to Boston, hey maybe even in Boston. That’d be nice!

P.S., if you saw my blog post last week where I said “how ’bout them Red Sox?”…WELL DAMN HOW ‘BOUT THEM RED SOX NOW…WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS BABY!!

LET’S GO BRUINS!!!

This past weekend I went home and was able to watch a Bruins game with my family. I was super excited to hear my dad yell at the t.v. every thirty seconds. I never get tired of him and I saying “WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO TRADE TUUKKA RASK” simultaneously. I am also going home next weekend, so I look forward to watching the Bruins yet again with my family. This is one thing I miss while I’m at school, but I know that when I go home it’s just another thing I can look forward to.

Saturday night, we watched the Bruins play the Vancouver Canucks and it was one stressful game. The Bruins had lost their two previous games on the road and my family did not want to watch them lose another one. The Canucks scored in the first period and it wasn’t until the third period that the Bruins scored. The game went into overtime and with one minute and forty-eight seconds left Bo Horvat of the Canucks scored to win and up the Bruins on-the-road losing streak to three.

As of right now, the Bruins are third in the Atlantic Division with a record of 6-2-2 (wins-loses-overtime loses). They are currently third in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the League. They play the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow at seven p.m. and hopefully they will win against one of their biggest rivals. I will for sure be texting my dad during the game pointing out what the players should have done and how bad the referees will most likely be.

I am also going home next weekend, so I look forward to watching the Bruins yet again with my family. This is one thing I miss while I’m at school, but I know that when I go home it’s just another thing I can look forward to.

Besides the Bruins losing streak on the road, how ’bout them Red Sox?!

 

Source: https://www.nhl.com/

“You play hockey…but you’re a girl!”

Ever since I played youth hockey on co-ed teams, I was always put on the lower skilled team. Not to toot my own horn, but I did not deserve this. As a matter of fact, every other girl who played co-ed for my town was put on the same team, which always happened to be the lowest.

My father was ballistic. He talked to everyone in charge of making the teams, and so did the other parents. Unfortunately the decision was not changed. The parents were told, “this is so your daughters do not get hurt” when in reality the could have just said “it’s cause you have DAUGHTERS that play hockey, not sons. And girls aren’t as good at hockey as boys”.

Well,  as a matter of fact most, if not all, of us girls were MUCH better at hockey than some of the boys on teams above us. We were coach-able, meaning you could tell us what we are doing wrong and how to fix it, then next shift we would go out and fix it. Sometimes we would even score because of it (in your face boys!). At least when we got to the age of 10, we had a girls team all the way up until we got to high school. That was when were able to say “look at us now, we have skills and we are amazing hockey players. You cannot ignore that because we are girls. We might even help you win”.

I’ve always hated the stereotype that boys were better at sports than girls. ESPECIALLY during high school, boys would always say “oh field hockey looks so easy”. Well okay then mister, you come down here and run at someone who is driving a ball right at you and get hit in the shins with hit. Trust me, I’ve seen boys try to pick up a field hockey stick and play and it is not a pretty sight. I understand sports take practice, but if you think that because a girl plays a sport that it will be easy, you are DEAD WRONG.

 

2018-2019 Season

With the 2018-2019 NHL season making its debut TOMORROW, I am extremely excited. I am, however, somewhat sad about it because I would always watch Bruins games with my whole family at home. We would get our favorite apparel on and scream at the television whenever there was a bad penalty called by the referees. This is the second year I will not be able to watch hockey with my family for majority of the season. My parents are my biggest fans, always cheering me on and lifting my spirits when I am not happy with how I played.

Source: Flickr

I am extremely excited to see how the Bruins play this season and how far they make it to the Stanley Cup. My dad, brother and I all agree that Tuukka Rask should have been traded this season, but it’s not like we can call the head coach  Bruce Cassidy and he’ll take our advice. We have a lot of younger players on our team, which I believe adds character and newer skills. We also have our fair share of older players, including Zdeno Chara who is 41, Jaroslav Halák who is 33, and Patrice Bergeron who is also 33 which brings in the aspect of old-time hockey. I hope I’m still plying hockey when I am 41. I’ll even be happy if I can still walk by that age!

Source: Flickr

I am also very excited to see my favorite players this season. I’ve always loved David Krejci, and now I am a big fan of David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. I am especially a fan of Charlie McAvoy because of his skill and how young he is. For someone who is only 20 years old, he has some moves! But there is one reason in particular that stands out as to why I love Charlie McAvoy. Last November, a friend of mine whom I had played hockey with when we were younger decided to end his battle with anxiety and depression. His name was James Luti, and he always had a smile on his face. Our whole town was in deep mourning. His favorite Bruins players was Charlie, and he even met him. The teens in our town decided to comment on Charlies Instagram post saying how much James meant to him. Soon after, Charlie McAvoy tweeted saying he was sorry for the towns loss. Nobody from Stoneham will forget what he did and will forever be grateful.

Source: Twitter

I hope to be able to get tickets for a game or two this season, so my family can still enjoy the sport together. There is no doubt that I will be texting with my dad during each Bruins game on what a player did wrong or how bad the referees are.

Las Vegas Golden Knights

Last year, the NHL made a new expansion team and named them the Las Vegas Golden Knights, making the NHL a 31-team franchise. They are the first professional sports team to reside in Las Vegas. They dominated their first season, going 54-24-7 (29-10-2 at home and 22-14-5 on the road).

They finished 1st in the Pacific Division and 3rd in the Western Conference, which is not too bad if you ask me for their first season. They also broke history by going all the way into the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Washington Capitals. Although they lost, they still made a name for themselves without a doubt.

 

After the Bruins, of course, the Golden Knights are next favorite team. I loved how, in their first year when everyone said “oh, they’re going to be the worst team” and “they won’t have a winning record”, they proved them wrong BIG TIME. It reminded me of my high school hockey experience, because everyone doubted the Girls Hockey Team because we always had a losing record.

Well, we proved them wrong the year we got a new coach. We had a winning record and made it to tournament for the first time in 6 years!! We also made in to tournament the next year/ Although we lost in the first round both years, it was still amazing to say that my junior and senior year I made it to tournament, especially as a senior my co-captains and I led our team there.

I cannot wait to see where the Golden Knights go this year, and to see if they prove everyone wrong for a second year coming!

 

My Experience

All I’ve ever known is hockey. My family is practically based around the sport. My dad, brother, and I play. My mom is the equivalent of a “soccer mom” for hockey. My brother and I were taught by our dad to play hockey very young. We both learned to skate at the age of two.

Growing up, every winter my dad would freeze our backyard rink. My brother and I would help him put the boards in, paint them, and then anxiously wait for winter when the temperature would drop and the water would freeze to ice. My brother and I would stay out all day skating and shooting hundreds of pucks. We would stay out late past our bedtime skating under the spotlight on the garage.

 

Unlike my brother, I never played select hockey, which is a higher level team than a basic town youth hockey program. I always thought that those teams were only playing the sport to win and I played to have fun. Of course it’s great to win the games you play, but it is more important to have fun and do what you love to do.

 

I would say my high school hockey experience was somewhat of a roller coaster. My freshman and sophomore year we had a coach who was only interested in winning. This meant benching players who “were not good enough”. I understand not playing them because they could not keep up with the fast paced game, but they were completely ignored at practices. At my school, we had to pay $300 per sport we did. We could participate in up to 3 sports, one for each season (fall, winter, and spring). So, the girls who did not get playing time payed $300 to basically screw around.

I never agreed with what my coach did, but my junior year it changed. Our coach stepped down and we got a new one. My new coach was a graduate from Providence College on a scholarship for hockey. She was the captain of both her high school and college teams. She knew the game and although some people were still not getting playing time in games, they were included in practice so that they could improve and be able to eventually get some playing time.

 

Hockey teams are like family. I was and still am grateful I was a captain of my high school team, along with the 2 other seniors I graduated with. I tried out for the hockey team here at Plymouth State. I was one of 6 freshman to try out as a walk-on (no scholarship/recruitment). I was the only one asked back for the rest of the week after 2 days, and although I did not make it after all, I was able to prove that I can play the game. My dad says to me still that I 100% made the team and I am happy that he has so much confidence in me. I will never forget my hockey experience and do not plan to stop playing anytime soon. There is no doubt in my mind that my kids will be in skates soon after they begin to walk!