Tacoma Twin Rinks – North Rink – May 6, 2023
Muscle Hamsters vs. Bandits 0 – 2
Game Stats: https://stats.ttr.timetoscore.com//oss-scoresheet?game_id=28599&mode=display
Video Link: https://youtu.be/EAO4WExW8wM
Goals at: none 🙁

It was a black-and-white affair at TTR last night, with the beginning of our second round of playoffs versus the Bandits, appropriately dressed in black. They’d had a week to rest, and we were missing some of our key players. Team Cowboy made it seem like we were only going to have 8 or 9, and we thought Shae was not going to be able to be in goal, so we were pretty worried how the first game would go. But we wound up with 13 on the bench, and Shae worked it out to be able to play with us, so hopes were high right before the game.

We were able to apply offensive pressure almost immediately, and our defense continued to shine (Lauren in particular seemed to be taking her MVP status very seriously). Even though the Bandits got the scoring started first, only 7 minutes into the game, we held it at 1-0 until a loose puck directly under Shae was tapped in with only 7 minutes left in the game!

We had (and took) our shots quite often in the game, notching 20 SOG by the time the final horn sounded. Many were good, quality chances, but Duarte just plain old got the better of us.

There were no penalties called in the game, although there was a bit of tripping happening out there. At one point, Seth went head-first into the boards and stayed down for a while, causing more than a little concern, but ultimately he got up, headed to the bench (instead of the locker room), and returned to the game just a few minutes later.

Not so long ago in this season, we had games vs. the Bandits where they were constantly intercepting our passes, skating circles around us, and we were lucky to play a few minutes out of our defensive zone. But we are a changed team. Outlet passes with just enough sauce applied, good communication, and just being used to each other and knowing where we’re going to be has made all the difference.

Still, in the end the Bandits were victorious, with a somewhat rare shutout win (we’ve only had 5 all season). Hopefully this serves as high-grade hockey fuel for our next contest tonight, and we can extend our season to at least Thursday.