Welcome to Adobe GoLive 5

Saturday 15:45: against Havering Liberators.

We won 12:0. It was amazing. Gemma scored all the goals, single handed - and saved all the goals shot on her, and even managed her own line. Well done Gemma!.........Sorry, Gemma was just looking over my shoulder. She is here to support our team, knowing she's unlikely to get any game time - Thats team play!

It always seems true that the other teams always look so much bigger than us. The liberators in their mostly black shirts looked quite menacing.

Again, we seemed to look strong against the liberators. Looking strong doesn't always get turned into a winning score line. But in this game, fortunately, it did. We had finally woken up and started to dictate the game. The goals started to go in, some nice goals, some garbage collection, all counting. Karim even got a hat-trick. (John was grudgingly impressed). Final score 5:3. That means we are second in our group and play the first in group A - the North Wiltshire Vikings.

Saturday 18600: against North Wiltshire Vikings

It always seems that the third game in any tournament is the one that gets remembered. This is the game that decides if we carry on to the semi-finals. The Vikings looked very strong and capable of inflicting a lot of damage. They had attacking plays that we somehow managed to deflect. We were doing every thing right (mostly) and seemed to be running on adrenaline. We pulled ahead by one goal and each side traded goals with us managing to hold the lead throughout the first half and into the second. With about 3 minutes to go we where still 5:4 ahead. Both sides realised they where fighting for their lives (well OK a place in the semi's). We both had a few last minute opportunities, but the Vikings managed to make theirs count, and the game finished the second period 5:5. This meant 5 minutes each way extra time. If that tied, then it would go to penalty shoot out. If any one in the spectators gallery had a poorly heart, then they would have been being carted off to the resuscitation unit by now.

How many times do we seem to get into this situation? A slim lead becomes a draw becomes overtime play.

We start just as aggressively as before, making opportunities, buts its the Vikings opportunity that gets in, and we are 5:6 down. We could easily pull this back. The Vikings seem to shift back to a more defensive play to hold onto their lead, and we start running on all cylinders, with fuel injection, turbo boost and nitro -injection. Many shots that should have gone in didn't, and we didn't manage an equaliser

Final score 6:5 to the Vikings.

The Vikings made it to the final, and we very nearly had them beat. We can but dream of what could have been........

Sunday: 11:15 against the Whitchurch Hawks.

If we could just keep the level of play that we found in the previous day's game, then we should be able to knock the Hawks out.

It seems that we did have what it takes to beat this team. But it just didn't seem to result in goals. Plenty of chances, nice plays. Unfortunately, all our efforts didn't result in a goal. But the hawks werent able to convert their efforts either. End of first period 0:0.

Second period we finally broke through and went up 1:0. But the Hawks replied and managed to sneak one past. Play, again, seemed stale mate, until Karim got the second goal of the match. Could we hold this lead for the last few minutes? No! They equalised and we went to the end of the second half 2 all. So, again, 5 minutes each way to decide. Could we loose out the same way we did yesterday?

The play was hard and fast, but again, no goals for either side. We scored, but very rapidly the Hawks replied and it was 3:3. The play held 3 all at the end of extra time. We had to go to penalty shoot outs.

We have never, ever in the history of the club, won a penalty shoot out (well someone had to contradict me - click here for a bit of history!). Their goalie was huge (he got tournament dream team). Charly looked so small in the net. Could we really break the habit of a lunch time?

Jacob took the first shot and missed. They missed.
Easy took the second shot - amazingly for Easy, he missed! They missed.
Doc took one and missed. They missed.
Karim, and Dax both failed to score, but so did they.
No goals at all.

This would mean that all the players who had not taken a shot would have a go, until someone scored. We had more players than the Hawks. Could we have the prospect of Gemma having to take a penalty shot while the hawks where able to play their strongest shooters again? I think Gemma should have sneaked out the fire exit when no one was looking!

It would go to sudden death penalty shoot out. Sudden death would be better than this slow lingering death! Ashley went and failed to score. They went and failed to score.

David (Tournament nick name 'Superman' because he wore his shorts on the outside), went to shoot. He SCORED. The team, the crowd and especially Sue erupted. They took their shot and Charley saved it. We won! We won a penalty shoot out and won the match. Charley disappeared underneath a pile up of writhing blue shirts!!

The West coast wasps beat Ash, which meant that we now had to play them for 5th/6th place.

Can we finally swot some wasps?

16:30 Against the West coast Wasps.

The wasps looked very strong and quickly put a goal past us. But they do have a problem playing this game. Maybe they get bored, maybe they like the view from the other side of the rink, but most of their players watched the proceedings from the sin bin.

One wasps player fouled Easy, during the delayed call, he again fouled Easy! Easy was not a happy bunny and he had a few choice words to say to the Wasp. The wasp got two consecutive penalties and Easy got a yellow card, just for expressing his opinion about the likely hobbies of the Wasps player.

At one point they had four yellow helmeted players in the bin and we had most of the first period either 4 on two or 4 on three. But, we couldn't make the power play count. Their two defenders seemed to just hang around the goal and stop all efforts of getting that blasted orange ball in the net. As soon as they got back up to full strength, revitalised by their rest, they would go and score on us.

We got one past them and ended the game 3:1. What a wasted opportunity. Maybe we need to practice our 4 on 2s!