So I went for about 11 games with no goals, and only one point! I swear, I worked hard enough to show more than that for my efforts. Our team is doing pretty well, so I knew I was contributing somehow... but with minimal points!  I have had a personal vendetta against the other net for the last 8 games or so, I don't think there was anyone who WANTED a goal more than I did. But hey, I wasn't *too* hard on myself, I figured the goals would come. I'm just getting my skating legs back, my shooting definitely needs work - it's not like I haven't had chances, OMG I've had chances.  Like ridiculous opportunities and tons of them. My team has set me up for so many freakin' goals that I fanned on, or missed the net, or fell on...LOL! But!  I was getting closer every game.  I needed to work on my shooting!

So cut to last weekend where I made up my own redneck version of a shooter tutor. I jigsawed the crap out of a piece of plywood, took an old chunk of drywall to shoot off of and practiced my wrist shot - over and over and over. I shot hundreds of times over the weekend and it almost backfired on me - I shot so much that I now realize I overdid it and strained my arm! Oops!! I keep forgetting the older you get, the more prone you are to stupid injuries.

Well it finally happened this week - I broke the non-scoring streak the other night, woohoo!! What a feeling!!! It was the crappiest, lamest goal, but I don't care one bit. I will take it!  It was an innocent enough play, I was in the other end, crossed over the blue line, had a player right on me or just behind me, and I took the shot from the circle. I'm not sure if it hit the other players stick or took a weird bounce on it's own but I saw this SUUUUPER slow motion, bouncy puck... bounce, bounce, bounce and then it just SQUEAKED by the goalie on her blocker side and in it went. What a GREAT feeling!  My team was more excited than me as they were hoping a goal would come my way soon and they practically ran me over after I scored the goal, LOL!! We ended up beating the top team 4-3 that night which made my first goal even sweeter!

Last night the other team didn't have their goalie show up so we did the ol' trick of putting the net upside down and facing backwards so you have to bank the puck off the boards and into the net.  Harder than it sounds, especially when you're right in behind the net!  It took our team awhile to figure it out as you have to shoot on exactly the right angle to get it in the net.  Once we figured out that angle thing though, we knocked in about 5 goals, 2 of which I scored!  Although, it just doesn't seem the same as scoring in a real game against a goalie...

I'll still take them though for the sake of my dismal stats if nothing else!!!

So now I have TWO AND A HALF WEEKS off due to the holiday season, argh! It's going to be painful, feel like I'm on a roll here and want to get out on the ice! But it's also a good time to rest up this overused arm and get back on track. Can't wait till the new year! Happy Holidays everyone!!!