Monday, December 3, 2012

Game 6. Janesville Jets (H) (L)

The Shell, Madison, Wisconsin
mood: rushed

The day marked the introduction of Warren Peas, the Lightning's other goaltender.  Followers of the team will already know that a few teammates moonlight for other hockey clubs.  Such is the climate in hockey-crazed Wisconsin.  One of these players is our own Bourbon Wall, the goaltender who back-stopped the Lightning to a WCHL championship two years ago.  This season, she's also in net for the Baraboo Bugaboos.  (And frankly, I would play for the Bugaboos if only to get a sweater.)

So, with nobody too worried about the opposition (the understaffed Janesville Jets who had managed only 6 shots against the Lightning in their previous game), all eyes were on Warren Peas.  And not only because she was making her Lightning debut, but also because she was coming back from a concussion sustained in the team's 3rd practice session back in October.  AND apparently, she was coming back with a marked lack of depth perception, a skill sort of handy when your job is to keep track of vulcanized rubber coming at your from all angles.  Some team officials think that Warren Peas had always lacked the ability to perceive depth and satire, speculating that this malady is not related to her recent concussion.  To this I say "Bosh!  Goalies march to a different drum!  They are cut from the tie-dyed wool!  They make their own kool-aid!  If a goalie can rely on the sounds and smells of the game - as I believe Warren Peas does - then so be it."

And except for a first-period goal that surprised her, she looked good in goal:



Hlin again opened up the scoring.  This time with a sweet wrap-around.  As a goalie, I hated giving up these goals because it's basically a matter of speed.  Can I move from one post to the other, a mere 6 feet, faster than it takes for the skater to circle behind the net and extend her stick just beyond the post to stuff the cradled puck into the net?  For those in the Union, these are the goals you hate to give up. 



The Bearcat scored a beautiful goal later in the first.  Sprung by a pass by Amanita, The Bearcat raced in behind the defense, deked, and then went to the back claw and snuck it beneath the goalie's flailing glove hand.



In the third period, the team rallied to fulfill Amanita's goals-per-game clause in her contract, but she was stoned at least twice by the now-stinkin'-mad Janesville Jet goalkeeper.   



But eventually, Amanita and Nicole's Friend performed a near-perfect "give and go."



The 7-1 victory seemed like mere formality, and it was very difficult to decide who deserved the game puck.  But then Amanita produced this at lunch:

Young Amanita

Then it was like: no doubt.

//

Buoyed by the success of the still undefeated Lightning, in the afternoon, The View From the Clouds romped at Scrabble Club at the Eastside HyVee, going 4-1 with 13 bingos.  In my first game, I played HIDALGO, TIRRIVEE and DASTARD. A tirrivee is a "tantrum."  For example: "As part of her tirrivee, Janesville player #6 throws a body check, putting her team at the disadvantage."

Club Game

And when I got back to the homestead, I found that Vito had made a yummy squash galette and my favorite Brussels sprouts dish.

Squash Galette

Then we watched the Big 10 Football Championship and It's a Wonderful Life on TV.  We're all winners!

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