One of my greatest games.

This is a story about the first Street League Ball Hockey Tournament I ever played in. It happened some 17 years ago and I never played in a ball hockey league at all. All I ever did was play just challenge games with nothing on the line, but it was at one of those games that I got noticed by one of the teams, that team was called the Sharks. It also helped that my sister was dating the assistant captain of the team so, I had a foot in the door.

After 2 week of practicing with the team I fit in and I was given my spot on the team. Backup goalie and right wing forward. Not long after that we got challenged to a tournament by the Lighting. So on that very Saturday, we all gathered in a parking lot that had been abandoned on the outskirts of town. I started game 1 on Right wing, and well things weren’t going well. We were getting beat it was 3 - 0 after 17 minutes in, so our starter goalie Chris was out, and they put me in. We lost the first game 3-2, I was solid in a losing effort and after the first 6 games the series was tied 3 game all. In all six game I didn’t give up more than 4 goals per game, but the 7th and final game of the series is were I would shine.

They were all over the net in the first 12 minutes of game 7, and I didn’t give them nothing. Save after save, I kept it a scoreless tie, until we scored. Unfortunately they scored with 4 minutes to go, a damn tie again. But we stood our ground, and we got the 2nd goal. It would be enough and we won the series and the cash.

To me the cash was ok, but it was proving after 8 years of playing scrub games that I could compete. It is my 25th year playing goal, and I am still noted as one of the most reliable goalies in my town, over 800 games won and counting. Some people ask me “Why play hockey if there is not trophy or glory?” I reply “The memories are my trophy, the glory is the legacy I leave behind.”

Its funny how one moment, one day can define you.