Written by Monday morning came and the ice sheet in Thomas F. Sullivan Arena at St. Anselm College was prepared. The lights were on, and the scoreboard lit. The Manchester Flames Pee Wee Majors appeared ready to play the Keene Cobras in the “5-8 bracket” Championship Final of the 2nd Annual MLK Tournament. The game started and the Flames were clearly the better team, at least for a time. Then, as the game wore on it became apparent to me that the Flames were looking tired. Their skates stopped pumping up and down the ice, Keene won nearly every puck battle, and the distance from which Flames players saw the action seemed to lengthen. Several Flames players looked like they were, as I describe it, “in a sleepover hangover”. How could this possibly be the same team that was on the ice at West Side Arena the evening before? I know Keene is a solid team, and I give them credit for playing to their strengths, but they don’t control how hard the other team skates. The skating effort was completely up to the Flames. In the end, the Cobras from Keene kept rolling their lines, giving consistent effort, and earned a 2-1 victory over the Flames.
As I mentioned, the Flames played a pretty strong first period, getting 10 shots on goal, and had numerous other opportunities that never materialized in a shot on goal. The “trying to be too cute” bug hit the Flames, and hit hard, even in the first period. Cute is nice in baby pictures and Christmas cards, but it rarely has a place on the ice, especially in a Final. Forgive my competitive side, and maybe the ‘old school’ in me, but I am going to run through this anyways. As far as I am concerned, when someone or something is in place to measure results, keep score, and track the details of the contest, then any teammate worth their salt owes the rest of that team their best effort. Not only does effort come into play, but preparation to give your best effort, which doesn’t start five minutes before game time, but more likely starts when the tournament starts and continues until tournament officials tell you it’s time to go home.
To me, teammate is a word that carries more weight than just its name. Team: A group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport. Or; come together as a team to achieve a common goal. Mate: partner. Teammate: A fellow member of a team. There’s something else about being a teammate that I think is often lost among the players, especially when they’re younger, and it’s even lost on the coaches at times. These teammates didn’t put themselves on this team, forming the team was left to the powers that be. Once the roster is posted, well then, that’s the team. Whether the players or parents agree or not, it’s not up to us, it’s the team. I know as parents we think we know more than we do, or at least we formulate opinions thinking that we know better, and if you’re not in this category then good for you, and I apologize. Out of respect for the coaches, or people who decide who is on the team, the players need to respect the fact that these other kids are suiting up for battle together for the rest of the season. It no longer matters who is better, who is worse, how they got there, or who didn’t make it. What matters now is the fact that this is the team, and in order for the team to truly succeed, then all teammates need to respect one another. They don’t have to like each other, but they need to show respect to one another because as far as the roster is concerned every team member gets a number and a uniform, each member is of equal value in that regard. Respect for each other should happen on the ice, off of the ice, and everywhere in between.
So, when looking at this from a teammates view, each member of the team should be thinking about being rested, healthy, prepared, willing, and able to give their best effort every single time the team is called together to compete or practice their skill. I know our team is made up of 11 and 12-year-old kids, and maybe you think I am taking this too serious. I offer this then. These kids aren’t playing recreational hockey or picking up a sport to pass time or to have something to do for a season, they are playing travel hockey because they want to be playing hockey. Many, if not all, of these kids are thinking about continuing to hone their skills in hopes of making high school teams or even playing in college. With that commitment comes the responsibility of respect for teammates, respect for coaches, respect for officials, respect for themselves, and respect for the game, the game that was there before them and the game that will be there long after they’re gone. These lessons that can be learned while having a blast playing a sport they all love will serve them well throughout life and long after their hockey careers end. I will get back to the game now, but feel free to ask any questions or share any concerns you might have with any of this because this stuff is important.
1st Period: There was no scoring in the first period, nor were there any penalties called. As I sat on my perch in the visitor’s penalty box expecting at least some action to tend to, the minutes ticked away quickly with whistles few and far between.
2nd Period: Half way through the second period the Flames scored first. The tide was already turning when Sebastian Beal made an innocent little drop pass to his defenseman, Brendan Courtney, in an attempt to make it easier to clear the puck. Courtney not only cleared the puck, he skated up the right-wing and ripped a wrist shot underneath the crossbar for the Flames first, and only goal of the game. The period would end with the Flames leading 1-0. The period saw no penalties called, and only 7 total shots registered by both teams combined.
3rd Period: Keene scored two goals in the third period. They had the better of the chances, and really imposed their hard-working will. They ended up winning the period in shots on goal as well, with a 6-4 margin. The Flames just had nothing to offer in the final period and the final score was 2-1 in favor of Keene. Again, the period was penalty free and neither team was whistled for the entire game.
The Final was somewhat of a disappointment to everyone I think. We all know what this Pee Wee Major team can do when skating well and moving the puck. Overall, the team played well, went 3-2 in the tournament, and competed well in every game. One of the nice things about tournament play is the opportunity to play different teams, and to concentrate on doing what you do best, while not knowing what the other teams’ tendencies are or what their abilities might be. The Flames played five games in the tournament and outscored their opponents 22-5. The Flames took only 14 minor penalties in the tournament and were every bit as good as any team that entered. Hopefully this was solid preparation for the next tournament on the schedule, this coming weekend.
On Tap: The Flames travel to Ottawa, Ontario to play in the 9th Annual Capital Winter Classic at the Bell Sensplex and Kanata Recreation Complex, January 25-27, 2013. These two facilities are state of the art, and although they are on separate streets, they are only about 2100 feet apart. Yes, there are only a few hockey rinks in Ottawa, roughly 45 indoor hockey facilities in Ottawa/Kanata. I am looking forward to Ottawa even though the temperatures will be struggling to climb above 0 degrees Fahrenheit while we are there. I look forward to seeing our Flames team play north of the border. Enjoy! And have a safe trip.
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That was awesome Steve….I dont let the boys read these…because i dont!
However, they will read this post…maybe twice!
Thank you Phil. There’s nearly always a time when one can learn, and I am hopeful that this seasons’ opportunity won’t be missed.