Inch By Inch, Play By Play The Game Of Inches Game #1, News, U21 - REP, 2022-2023, U21 (Shallow Lake Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2022-2023 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Oct 15, 2022 | U21REP | 728 views
Inch By Inch, Play By Play The Game Of Inches Game #1
Life, like hockey, is a game of inches because the margin of error is minimal in either game. One-half second too slow or too early and you miss the pass, One half second too fast or too slow and you don't save it. The inches we need are all around us. They are in every face-off, pass, and shot every second of every minute. On this team, we fight for that inch or die trying.. 

Game 1 @ Arthur 

 

That might sound overdramatic for Juvenile Minor Hockey in the small village of Shallow Lake, but nothing about this team has been easy. It's been an uphill battle off the ice, and now after tonight's game finally on the ice. 

 

Right from the start of the game, we are told by the refs that we can only roster 19 Players. Meanwhile, we have 20 excited, nervous, pumped young men ready to start our season, and you are telling me and my coaching staff of Cole McMann and Todd Robbins we have to tell one of them they have to sit? After all the digging and researching, sending emails to WOAA, Shallow Lake Minor Hockey executives, To Refs and phone calls to the OMHA confirming that it Is 20, we can roster. You are asking me to take away one player's opportunity that he's waited all week long looking towards. He's told family and friends that it's his first game of the season and that he's excited to play with his friends and his new "Lakeshow" family. How can you come out ahead in a situation like that? And that is about when Kaiden Henrich stepped up and not just sat out but put the team before himself before the first puck drop of the season even happened. 

 

I don't know about you, but that's the selflessness that I want in a teammate. That is standing up as a man and doing what must be done to his detriment. To lose that experience, the memories, and the excitement. But the one thing he gained was respect from the coaching staff and his teammates wearing black and yellow. That was a moving first act of selflessness that will win championships if our team can buy into it.

 

The rest of the game was a hard-fought battle, fast hockey, hard hits and dirty dangles for the 20 or so road fans we had packed in the stands. One of the defining plays of the game, besides Noah Hemstock's excellent game in the crease. Was a defining moment for Jacob Duncan after receiving a dirty hit with no call on the play. Anyone in the barn could see he was out for blood, with steam coming out of his ears. But he got his number for the next game and used that anger and jolt of energy to turn that into a scoring chance, resulting in the tying goal with under 10 minutes remaining in the third. Asked by a TSN reporter after the game if getting that tying goal felt better than creaming the guy and getting a sure-fire penalty. He responded begrudgingly that it did feel better than getting the guy. What again was displayed is moments like that where one could easily fall into reacting based on his emotions. In an emotional moment, he kept his composure as hard as it was and fuelled an action that helped the team as a whole. Those actions between Kaiden and Jacob tonight are the things that will get us through the challenging games this season. 

 

Each game, someone on this team will step up until we are accountable to each other and focused on the team and not die as individuals. We win as a team or lose as individuals. And until we come together as a team and win that battle that never is on a stat sheet on OMHA.com, we won't be winners in my eyes. 

 

If we are being honest with each other, when you look at your teammates on October 21st against Huron-Bruce, you will see a team full of guys willing to go that inch with you. You will see a guy willing to sacrifice himself and his body for this team because he knows you'd do the same for him when it comes down to it. 

 

That's a team gentleman and that's hockey. 

 

So as a reader, we need you to show your support by coming out to our Home Opener on Monday, October 24th, against Huron-Bruce and see why this is going to be the most exciting team Shallow Lake Minor Hockey has seen in a very long time. 

 

Thanks for your support

Grant Greig 

 
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