From Montreal to Florida, the Alliance had become a borderline laughing stock up and down the eastern coast of North America. We were a good ending to a bad joke. A crap team playing a mediocre style of hockey for a few months before heading off to a competition we had no business being a part of.
The greatest example of this was the Floridian debacle. Balls being shot at refs and an endless barrage of major penalties was the background noise to a Utah based goalie controversy. This tournament gave credence to seemingly objective opinions that winning wasn't taken seriously enough. It was the justification of the belief that we would never be able to compete at a high enough level to achieve the unthinkable. Perhaps a bogus gout filled thought, but a belief nonetheless. After this embarrassment the Alliance Team was on the brink of dissolving in the Arabian Sun. A lack of interest from a majority of players to ever playing in a tournament again was prevalent. It was the tipping point, the final straw. Tournament play seemed like a dead concept.
Despite the epic tournament failures the passion to keep on going burned in a few. The PlayOn hockey tournament was a chance to move on from the past. A desperate attempt at getting back into the competition. And the first roster showed it. If you had passport and a hockey stick, you were in. If this tournament had failed to live up to the hype many believed that hockey would have been relegated to two hours on a Sunday every couple of months. That despite a love of the game our collective bitterness, anger and disappointment would have closed the door on Tournament play, at least for a little while.
But that first group that went to Montreal changed everything. The dynamic was completely different after that. And that team set the tone for the three tournaments that followed. It was a team that was centered around Larry Bird like respect, steroids, an unbelievable comeback that was thought to be never be topped, and many Frendon-isms. The first year's loss stung but with the team we had, could we really have expected more?
The second attempt in Canada was the year where that hype, excitement and thought into building a roster started on the ride back home the year before. And sadly that roster didn't live up to the effort that was put into it. It didn't work, though partially because of injury and a ref that hated our cameraman. Despite the number one seed and +/- of over 20 goals, that team lost its composure and collapsed under the playoff pressure. Jack did his best to save us that final game with 36 total wrist-shots (and two or three of them were on net), but it wasn't enough. Another failure.
But blindly still everyone thought that last year was the year. It was deemed the dream team. At the time the recap read: "This was the year. This was the team. We had the offense we wanted. We had the defense we wanted. And we had a goalie. What could go wrong?".
It ended up being another epic fail, a team was left at odds during a timeout. A bitter taste was left in your mouth. Another year, another ride home with that "why bother?" feeling.
And still, all of that could be erased in 30 minutes. Those past failures as a team, as teammates and as captains would be great backdrop to the narrative of a championship win.
30 well played minutes would define not only this year but also gloss over every heartbreaking attempt before it. In fact, you could argue, those numerous agonizing defeats makes a championship win that much sweater.
It all came down to this.
The Finals:
The team we played in the semi-finals was possibly a better team than the one we played for the trophy. Bruce the Goose was a good team, don't get me wrong. But they didn't do anything that special. They weren't very aggressive, with a weak game plan of "hanging out" behind the net as they waited for something to happen after every cover up. They weren't overly physical, which was personified by their captain flopping twice. Their stick work was far from the strongest we faced, and neither was their "board" play. What they were good at was collapsing on a shot attempt, fundamentals, playing "safe" hockey and oh yeah they had a very good goalie to lean on. Though not as good as ours.
There is no "I"
The first goal of the game was scored by the Goose (i like the ring of that) on a broken play toward the center of the rink. Bad defensive positioning along the fence lead to basically a two on none and an easy goal.
But we managed to counter strike quickly. Our first goal by Griff was awesome. Despite a shootout win, it was our only example in the game where an individual effort was more impressive than the team effort. It was gritty and it was tough like Mike D at center. Literally a defenseman and second winger watched as if players on the bench. A hard fought individual effort that lead to a tie game and multiple aggressive fist pumps on the way to the bench. Can we pan that camera on Griff?
1-1 Game.
Why can't I get chances like that?
Ok, I admit that Borges had some sweat shot opportunities that lead to comment that I regretted the moment I said it because Griff made sure i'd regret it. But my point was valid, right? Right? Anyways...I wasn't talking about the goal he had in the finals, it was far from cheap. It was a long range shot, like the other side of rink long. A Beautiful shot that found a corner of the net through multiple screens. It really was a reflection of Borges' shot throughout the entire tournament.
And with that, ladies and gentleman, the Alliance had a lead in which to blow.
2-1 Alliance at the half.
Imminent Collapse
From there, the nightmare began. The collapse was in full motion. The flood gates poured. The devastating ending was just ten minutes away. The video was set to blame. Another roster shuffle was coming. The scape goat list was growing:
1.Darin wasn't an elite goalie
2.Perhaps Jimmy Nelson made Eric what he was last year
3. Brett never gets the patented clutch Johnny Riley goal in a tournament
4. Nick will never contribute on offense.
The next three goals went to the Goose, a 4-2 deficit. And to top it off, the fourth goal was perhaps the worst goal of the entire tournament. Scratch that, the worst goal of Darin's life.
Real weak.
A slow roller.
It never should have went in.
But he more than made up for it.
It is time.
Has a timeout ever worked? Ever?
I got to be honest every time I hear the word "timeout" I want to throw up. The phrase "listen to him you guys" pierces through my mind like the laugh of the crypt keeper. All I can think of is the hypocrisy of the "defenseman don't forecheck, but you need to be more active in the offense" mantra. Stop the game! Time out! Defenseman on offense for back to back plays! Oh NO! Did someone call timeout????
But seriously I'm over it.
Anyways...this timeout went a lot smoother. And with the hundreds of babies with us there has to be a "smoother than a babies butt" joke in there somewhere, right?
The subject of the timeout? A game plan? Get real we're the Alliance. We don't game plan. Instead we stood around, breathing heavily, searching for blue powerade bottles, as Borges made fun of Nick for a play that happened like four years ago.
Another productive timeout.
"Give it Everything"
It was decided when the game became a two goal deficit that we needed Borges' shot out there. He gave us the best shot at scoring. Its was that simple. Basically it was cutting Nick's minutes to a minimal amount. Thats a nice way to put it, right? Yeah, minimal ice time for the betterment of offense.
No issue. But I think people forgot about a certain defenseman's passing skills.
With the clock dwindling down Borges decided to take one of the few changes he took in the last 7 minutes of the game. Nick came in to replace him and made an impact...offensively.
The ball went to the right side of the rink. Shins pads were just calling to be hit for a ricochet the other way. It was a perfect opportunity for another intentionally wide shot. But against the odds, the scouting reports, and his own instinct, he didnt shoot it. He passed it.
And what a pass it was.
Brett scored on an awesome shot, but who really remembers that? It's all about the pass that will in infamy.
Yay me!
Let the comeback begin.
4-3 Goose
Free for all
With less than a minute to go, the Alliance were on the brink of another disappointment. Another debacle. Another pathetic ending to another sad adventure.
The goalie was pulled. The stage was set. And we weren't going down without a fight.
It was a free for all. An endless barrage of shots that seemed to only get interrupted by tests of fate. A ball that was pegged for the net was picked off by Eric in mid air with a stick he should have never had. Hopes kept alive for literally seconds longer.
After a couple more battles in the corner the ball came out in front of the net. Borges, was pounding at the ball like an animal, hoping that it would pop loose to one of our guys.
It squeaked out to Brett.
And he scored.
Tie Game with one second on the clock.
This Trash Can Dream Come True
For the first time, everything was literally in the hands of the best we could offer. No matter the outcome, whether credit or blame was to be spread, it was all on our best players to win it. The second line could only watch and hope.
The Goose shot first, the pressure was on Darin.
He responded by stoning them on all three attempts.
Epic.
It's rare to say that a goalie played a fantastic game when giving up four goals, but it truly was an elite performance.
Darin did his job, he gave us a chance.
It was up to Jared, JB, and Brett to make it count.
Sadly, though, our first two attempts were not that great either.
Jared barely got a shot off and JB fell for the disappearing 5 hole trick.
It was up to Brett to finally finish off what was started...
"Mission Accomplished"
Perhaps the corniest statement in the world and yet it's so gratifying to hear. For the first time and probably the last, the Boston Alliance are champions. A true team effort.
Congratulations to Darin, Jon, Brett, Jared, Griff, Eric and Nick for doing the unthinkable.
1-0 in tournaments without Johnny.
The Proof:
Friday, June 29, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
softball sunday at 4:00?
We might do softball Sunday afternoon in Haverhill. It would be a "congregation game" so there would likely be some girls and kids playing too. Would anyone be interested in playing tomorrow?
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Mom Jeans
Dawning the Alliance uniform was a symbol of incompetency when the games finally matter. We were dubbed the Turtles not after a game of futility but after a series of habitual collapses. Failure was more than a trend based on a small sample size but an inevitable conclusion to every attempt at a trophy.
The expected question after a tournament was not "how did you do?" but rather "how did you lose?"
What a great feeling that the Alliance finally had a good answer to that question. Eat that Bobcat!
For the first time, there wasn't going to be a replayed video of a botched play that symbolizes the defeat. There wasn't going to be thoughts like"what if?" or "if only..."
That heart wrenching pit in your stomach on the long ride home would be replaced with a surprised feeling of elation and enthusiasm. Despite a weekend full of hockey, an actual zeal to play again would already burn inside you.
Well, most of us anyway. Most wouldn't be "hockey'd out". I shouldn't speak for everyone.
Nevertheless, a winning outcome was far from a forgone conclusion. It was never a certainty. And the reality of that fact became evident in our semifinal game. The semifinals was a round we never advanced through. It was the first major hurdle. It would be the first time we could do something no team before us had done. And the team we had to beat in order to fulfill that accomplishment was fantastic.
Heart in my throat
I would argue that this team was the best team we played. They were a fast team, with solid goal tending and excellent defense. But what impressed me the most about them was their board play. They, despite their relatively small size, were extremely strong with the body. The were able to move the immovable objects know as JB, Nick and Griff. Their body positioning was borderline remarkable. But maybe I only feel this way because I remember getting beat by them a couple times. They were gritty and perhaps the only team we played that seemed to put any focus on defensive responsibilities. That's why this could have gone either way.
A Deficit to Overcome
The scoring started with a sweat goal by JB and from there the opposition went to work. There first goal came on a blind pass thrown up the middle that found the stick of their man at the point. He shot the ball and it squeaked by Darrin. Kind of weak goal. Should we blame the disintegrated pads?
Their second goal was kind of unfortunate, sort of a bad break (for us). After the ball trickled down the right side of the rink, Nick did a quick flip pass to Eric. After Eric knocked the pass down (notice in the video that he didn't grab the ball; Progress!) he turned around to start a transition. But, Eric slipped creating somewhat of a two on one. A botched and broken play that turned into a goal and 2-1 deficit.
Two unbelievable shots
Dale would have cleaned up in this game. Backhanded shots was the scouting report on this goalie. After several rushes and long shots came up empty, the Alliance came through with not one but two seeing eye backhanders.
The first came from Brett and the other came from Jared.
It was basically a replay of the same play. A defenseman baring down, taking away any possible shot on a forehand, something they did the entire game. This forced an unfavorable backhanded shot. And somehow it worked. Twice. Both found the top corner of the net. The goalie had no chance. Awesome shots
But do you want to know the best part about taking the lead? Not only did we add to it, we never looked back.
But what's even greater is that we rebounded to score those two goals even after disappointment, a missed opportunity. After Griff drew a penalty, JB was given the penalty shot, an opportunity one player on the bench said of: "we need this."
And we didn't get it.
Overcoming adversity, an Alliance first.
Pile On
The fourth goal was scored by Jared. After he intercepted a pass up the middle (ok, it hit him on the pads.) Jared shot the ball and scored on his own rebound. 4-2 Alliance. This goal was huge not only because it gave us a buffer zone but it made the opposition pull their goalie, a move that always has Brett licking his chops. Brett of course scored an empty netter. Sealing the deal on an eventual 5-3 Victory. Why can't I get chances like that?
The Road Ahead: The Finals
The expected question after a tournament was not "how did you do?" but rather "how did you lose?"
What a great feeling that the Alliance finally had a good answer to that question. Eat that Bobcat!
For the first time, there wasn't going to be a replayed video of a botched play that symbolizes the defeat. There wasn't going to be thoughts like"what if?" or "if only..."
That heart wrenching pit in your stomach on the long ride home would be replaced with a surprised feeling of elation and enthusiasm. Despite a weekend full of hockey, an actual zeal to play again would already burn inside you.
Well, most of us anyway. Most wouldn't be "hockey'd out". I shouldn't speak for everyone.
Nevertheless, a winning outcome was far from a forgone conclusion. It was never a certainty. And the reality of that fact became evident in our semifinal game. The semifinals was a round we never advanced through. It was the first major hurdle. It would be the first time we could do something no team before us had done. And the team we had to beat in order to fulfill that accomplishment was fantastic.
Heart in my throat
I would argue that this team was the best team we played. They were a fast team, with solid goal tending and excellent defense. But what impressed me the most about them was their board play. They, despite their relatively small size, were extremely strong with the body. The were able to move the immovable objects know as JB, Nick and Griff. Their body positioning was borderline remarkable. But maybe I only feel this way because I remember getting beat by them a couple times. They were gritty and perhaps the only team we played that seemed to put any focus on defensive responsibilities. That's why this could have gone either way.
A Deficit to Overcome
The scoring started with a sweat goal by JB and from there the opposition went to work. There first goal came on a blind pass thrown up the middle that found the stick of their man at the point. He shot the ball and it squeaked by Darrin. Kind of weak goal. Should we blame the disintegrated pads?
Their second goal was kind of unfortunate, sort of a bad break (for us). After the ball trickled down the right side of the rink, Nick did a quick flip pass to Eric. After Eric knocked the pass down (notice in the video that he didn't grab the ball; Progress!) he turned around to start a transition. But, Eric slipped creating somewhat of a two on one. A botched and broken play that turned into a goal and 2-1 deficit.
Two unbelievable shots
Dale would have cleaned up in this game. Backhanded shots was the scouting report on this goalie. After several rushes and long shots came up empty, the Alliance came through with not one but two seeing eye backhanders.
The first came from Brett and the other came from Jared.
It was basically a replay of the same play. A defenseman baring down, taking away any possible shot on a forehand, something they did the entire game. This forced an unfavorable backhanded shot. And somehow it worked. Twice. Both found the top corner of the net. The goalie had no chance. Awesome shots
But do you want to know the best part about taking the lead? Not only did we add to it, we never looked back.
But what's even greater is that we rebounded to score those two goals even after disappointment, a missed opportunity. After Griff drew a penalty, JB was given the penalty shot, an opportunity one player on the bench said of: "we need this."
And we didn't get it.
Overcoming adversity, an Alliance first.
Pile On
The fourth goal was scored by Jared. After he intercepted a pass up the middle (ok, it hit him on the pads.) Jared shot the ball and scored on his own rebound. 4-2 Alliance. This goal was huge not only because it gave us a buffer zone but it made the opposition pull their goalie, a move that always has Brett licking his chops. Brett of course scored an empty netter. Sealing the deal on an eventual 5-3 Victory. Why can't I get chances like that?
The Road Ahead: The Finals
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Bosom
The Great Debate
You can polish a turd..it's still a turd.
You can dress a pig up in tux...it's still a pig.
You can shake up the lines all you want...we still suck at hockey.
Optimizing the lines has always been one of the greatest arguments surrounding the team. Do you go top heavy? Do you balance out the lines considering each player's weaknesses and strengths? It's an argument that you probably found yourself on both sides of.
It's started out with each player suggesting their lines, various suggestions came in, all except the lines we had originally planned on. The lines of Brett-Eric-Nick and Jared-Griff-JB was on no ones radar. No one. Not a single player thought it was the best way to go. Think of that! This was what we were going with. We were planning on going for a championship with lines that no one believed in. Typical Alliance.
So what lines did we go with? The lines the Captain wanted of course.
We were going top heavy baby!
The results spoke for themselves on Saturday, but how would it fair when the competition improved?
Rough Start
This game was, in a lot ways, the wake up call. It was the first game where a real sweat had to be broken. The first game where that "oh crap, we could lose" feeling entered your mind. Not that the game was ever in doubt despite being tied at the half.
If we played this team 100 times we probably win 95 of them. The story wasn't really a potential loss, it was a question of whether it was a sign of things to come. The first line, for the first time, wasn't dominating. For the first time they showed the Alliance defect..the lack of finishing skills.
We have two lines?
Thankfully, this was the only game where the second line seemed to offensively click as an entire unit. Getting 3 gritty goals from Griff, 2 skill goals from Eric and a, um, fortunate goal out of Nick. The second line was on fire.
But I know what you're thinking. Look at the box score Nick! You're biased because you're on the second line. The first line had excellent production. 3 goals from Jared, 2 from Brett and 1 from JB. They even scored on their first shift, yet again.
Two lines. 6 goals apiece. Balance. Perfection.
Not so fast.
The truth is while the second line held their weight offensively, they also played shut down defense, at least before the game got out of hand. That's why this game became the second line's game. They saved us until the top line hit its stride again...which, when they did, blew the doors wide open.
Frustrating Refs
After a bad turnover by Nick, the other team made a quick shot on Darrin that resulted in a rebound. After a battle in front of the net that culminated with a diving save by Nick, Griff charged at the net pushing it way off it's normal set position. It basically put the net facing parallel to the side boards.
That's normal for the ref not to blow the whistle, right?
Instead, he allowed the other team to tap in an easy "no angle" goal. And it stood. My poor plus/ minus.
In the End
This game will be forgotten in the long run. A 12-5 game in the second round? Big deal. But, to me, this game was the stepping stone. It was that game that woke the bear. It was the game that introduced the fight necessary for taking that trophy. No let downs.
60 minutes away from 7-0 and a championship.
We knew it was only getting tougher from here. The focus and determination was on.
Next: The Semis
You can polish a turd..it's still a turd.
You can dress a pig up in tux...it's still a pig.
You can shake up the lines all you want...we still suck at hockey.
Optimizing the lines has always been one of the greatest arguments surrounding the team. Do you go top heavy? Do you balance out the lines considering each player's weaknesses and strengths? It's an argument that you probably found yourself on both sides of.
It's started out with each player suggesting their lines, various suggestions came in, all except the lines we had originally planned on. The lines of Brett-Eric-Nick and Jared-Griff-JB was on no ones radar. No one. Not a single player thought it was the best way to go. Think of that! This was what we were going with. We were planning on going for a championship with lines that no one believed in. Typical Alliance.
So what lines did we go with? The lines the Captain wanted of course.
We were going top heavy baby!
The results spoke for themselves on Saturday, but how would it fair when the competition improved?
Rough Start
This game was, in a lot ways, the wake up call. It was the first game where a real sweat had to be broken. The first game where that "oh crap, we could lose" feeling entered your mind. Not that the game was ever in doubt despite being tied at the half.
If we played this team 100 times we probably win 95 of them. The story wasn't really a potential loss, it was a question of whether it was a sign of things to come. The first line, for the first time, wasn't dominating. For the first time they showed the Alliance defect..the lack of finishing skills.
We have two lines?
Thankfully, this was the only game where the second line seemed to offensively click as an entire unit. Getting 3 gritty goals from Griff, 2 skill goals from Eric and a, um, fortunate goal out of Nick. The second line was on fire.
But I know what you're thinking. Look at the box score Nick! You're biased because you're on the second line. The first line had excellent production. 3 goals from Jared, 2 from Brett and 1 from JB. They even scored on their first shift, yet again.
Two lines. 6 goals apiece. Balance. Perfection.
Not so fast.
The truth is while the second line held their weight offensively, they also played shut down defense, at least before the game got out of hand. That's why this game became the second line's game. They saved us until the top line hit its stride again...which, when they did, blew the doors wide open.
Frustrating Refs
After a bad turnover by Nick, the other team made a quick shot on Darrin that resulted in a rebound. After a battle in front of the net that culminated with a diving save by Nick, Griff charged at the net pushing it way off it's normal set position. It basically put the net facing parallel to the side boards.
That's normal for the ref not to blow the whistle, right?
Instead, he allowed the other team to tap in an easy "no angle" goal. And it stood. My poor plus/ minus.
In the End
This game will be forgotten in the long run. A 12-5 game in the second round? Big deal. But, to me, this game was the stepping stone. It was that game that woke the bear. It was the game that introduced the fight necessary for taking that trophy. No let downs.
60 minutes away from 7-0 and a championship.
We knew it was only getting tougher from here. The focus and determination was on.
Next: The Semis
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