My first win

[ethanallen]

On my highschool JV team, I am the second string goalie. The starter was getting creamed 6-0 in the first period. He couldn't take it anymore, so coach put me in second period. I let in a goal on my first shot against. The song my home rink played after that goal was Taylor Swift's shake it off. That is the song in my head after goals in. So I remembered to play angles like my mentor told me because I'm short. I made key saves that kept us in the game.  My team started to pound the other goalie with shots. Two unanswered goals go in a minute apart ending the second period. Third period starts and we're down 7-2. 18:57, we're now down 7-4. I then get undressed on a 1-0 breakaway at 14:37. Coach calls for a time out, telling us that we can still win. We score 3 more. Then it was OT. I took the first shot against and the puck rebounds past play. The puck was sitting right in front of our blue line. Our first line center comes in off a line change, breaks in and scored! It was a crazy game. I was on top of the world, and I got the hardhat for tonight.

[seagoal]

Congrats! Way to step up and stay strong.  Best feeling ever. 

[seagoal]

@ethanallen did you keep the puck?

[ethanallen]

@seagoal Coach gave it to me.

[seagoal]

9 minutes ago, ethanallen said:

@seagoal Coach gave it to me.

Excellent.   Keep them.  Good reminders down the road  of positive times .

[ethanallen]

3 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Excellent.   Keep them.  Good reminders down the road  of positive times .

It's now on the family mantle above the fireplace. I got ice cream from Dairy Queen tonight!

[Fullright]

Congratulations! 

[ethanallen]

I start next game. I am nervous.

[johncho]

2 hours ago, ethanallen said:

I start next game. I am nervous.

Shake it off my man

[seagoal]

2 hours ago, ethanallen said:

I start next game. I am nervous.

That's good,  it means you care and want to do well.

Just play your game. Focus on what you can control and stay focused.   You have good momentum,  just ride it.

Let us know how it goes. 

[ethanallen]

13 minutes ago, johncho said:

Shake it off my man

Taylor Swift and Snoopy are my spirit animals LOL

[ethanallen]

12 minutes ago, seagoal said:

That's good,  it means you care and want to do well.

Just play your game. Focus on what you can control and stay focused.   You have good momentum,  just ride it.

Let us know how it goes. 

I will. I just hope that I can shake off that first goal. I feel bad for my buddy the normal starter but he's super cool about it. He just wants us to win like I do. He's wearing my hat on the bench tomorrow for good luck. 

[Fullright]

@ethanallen, very normal to be nervous. You're just feeling the anticipation of the next game. Use the energy to help you be ready. The nerves will go away as soon as the game start. Just focus and concentrate no matter the circumstances. In other words, enjoy it and play your game.

[ethanallen]

I just ended my first start. It was a trip. The first shot I faced went in amidst a weird series of bounces. It was humiliating because the shot was from my blue line. Shake it off plays in my head. Then the other team thought they could toy with me. My mentor taught me the art of the poke check. I stopped three chances using the same poke check. We were down by one at the end of the first period. The second period was a scrumfest at center ice, and nobody scored. My confidence was boosted during that period, as I face a bunch of shots in the third. Then the star center finds a loose puck at center ice and scores. At the last two minutes of period three, coach pulls me for the extra attacker. I never skated so fast. We scored with a minute to play. The star center won the last faceoff, and our Dman scores from the top of the faceoff circle with seconds left. The other team pulls their goalie, and our star center just misses the goal, but the buzzer blew and we won! I was so low after that first goal, but my mentor's words told me to stay focused on the next shots. The other team tried so hard, and I told every guy how great they played in the handshake line. The D-guy got the game puck, and it was his and his alone. In all, it was an exhilarating game. I better not win too many games or Dairy Queen will make me fat. 

[Hockey34]

Congrats on the first win as the starter. 

[ethanallen]

Coach told me last night that the normal starter is starting tonight. I was told that he needs his confidence built back after being pulled, then skipped the next game, and that it nothing to do with my play. While I understand what the coach is saying, I was always under the impression that you go with the hot tender. I still get my start in Sundays game. I am a bit disappointed, but the coach and starter go back to Mites, so I get it.  I'm just bummed.

[ethanallen]

I won this game in a 6-5 goal fest. I wasn't happy with shots I let in, but coach put it onto the D unit and the forwards put so much pressure on the other team's D that every time they scored, we answered back. Coach called me back after the fifth goal and told me that I had this and I played 19 minutes of perfect hockey. I got the hardhat last night.  

[keeperton]

Keep it up, kid.

If anything, I hope this love for the game sticks with you for a long time, like it has for a lot of us on here. I personally found some of the tapes of my games from when I was 8 years old and started playing net majority of the time. It really reminded me of why I fell in love with this position in this sport.

Keep stopping pucks and moving from one play to the next. Not every game will be a clean win, not every loss will be a bad game, not every win will be a good game. As long as you know you went out there and were able to give it your all and have fun doing so, you're in for a great time.

[ethanallen]

Tonight, I am sitting. The starter is looking a bit shaky. I hope he's okay. Our star center is starting varsity tomorrow night because the varsity star center is on academic probation. I'm concerned about our star center playing too much because he's team captain and carries us. Beaner, our star D is out because of a broken hand. We are going to miss him on the blue line because his shot is scary.  He's out until Christmas break. My wrapped helmet was received well by the team and the starter wants me to wrap his helmet.

[creasecollector]

Great comeback for the win. Must have felt amazing!

[ethanallen]

I lost a heartbreaker 5-4. Missing the star Dman really made a difference because he let me see every shot. I had to deal with a lot more bodies in front of me. Got a goal against on a late whistle from guys hacking at my glove.  I kept my cool the entire game and Coach liked that. Coach kept his faith in me and put blame where it squarely belongs- on the team in front of me. I do get to start the next game on 11/26. I am going to put in extra reps all next week. 

[ethanallen]

I backstopped a 2-1 game. It was tied 1-1 until late in the third when the opposition pulled the goalie and our star center scored on the empty net. Both team's defense kept shots visible to both goalies. Despite it being called my win, all of the credit goes to the team in front of me. My goal against was from a weird bounce that came from the glass behind me and was tipped in by my stick shaft. The star center scored both goals and wore the hardhat. I start Tuesday, with the other goalie starting Thursday.

[ethanallen]

Tonight, I am starting against the team I got my first win against. It's a bit scary because of how out of hand that game became. It was the first game of the season, and everyone is tightening up. Welp, start school and shelf this game until the final bell rings. 

[ethanallen]

We won 2-1! Grandpa and Uncle are putting their cash with mine for new pads! It was a hard-fought game. It was actually a shame that a fluke goal ended OT for the other goalie. 

[keeperton]

On 11/26/2023 at 4:02 PM, ethanallen said:

I backstopped a 2-1 game. It was tied 1-1 until late in the third when the opposition pulled the goalie and our star center scored on the empty net.

Whoa, what?