Sacramento Rush

Posted By: Richard Horrellschmitz on Monday Dec 01, 2008

Hello Boys and Girl,

Great game last night. . . by EVERYONE~
but I want to give some credit to a couple of you who really stepped up:

The D as a whole really played well last night--shots on goal like mad from Scott, Glen (not the NASA Scott Glen), Grimes and even a slapshot goal from Grimes to start our rally! Great job guys!

Jim and Ryan REALLY have been doing a great job at center! Strong, consistent forechecking; crashing the net; great leadership on their lines; and making offensive opportunities happen. Fantastic work, gentlemen.

Oleysa! Great job on your point keeping the D on your side out of the game! Also, Bekesheva is playing hard, physical, in-your-face hockey and getting shots on goal! Keep it up!

Bob, I know Bob wasn't there, but the Captains and I were talking with many of the others. . . Bob had the good teamsmanship to take himself out of the game because he thought he would not be able to help the team help. . . That is big! Also, Bob came and worked out to keep himself in shape and cheered us on from the bench. Thanks alot man! That really helps the team!

Paul--dude gave up an early goal. . . and that was it! We all know Paul is uber-competitive and can sometimes . . . always. . . be too hard on himself. Last night, after giving up one early, he sucked it up, didn't let it bother him and came back keeping us in the game. Note, Paul faced 36 minutes of good hockey without giving up a goal! very, very good!

If I didn't name everyone specifically who should have, post up your flatteries any time! This is just something I was thinking of over chilidogs last night with V, Paul, and Steve--and no offense if I missed someone who deserves credit! We ALL won last night's game!

Thanks,
R

Posted By: Richard Horrellschmitz on Sunday Nov 30, 2008

Morning Boys and Girl,

I hope you all had a great holiday week! Tonight we play our league rivals—the other learn-to-play-team--the Mustang (plural omitted). They have a good team, yes, but we really DO have a better team and we CAN win. We just need to focus on what we know to be our weaknesses and utilize our many strengths.

A couple of things:

1) Defensive play tonight;
We must, must, must think D at all times on the ice. But what does that look like? Well, it means skating back EVERY play EVERY shift. It means us forwards stepping back to cover for the D, if we see them pinching in or out of position. It means us forwards keeping the fore-check pressure high to create turnovers, force bad passes, and stall for our D to set up. It means D pushing the enemy out of Paul’s crease and it means, above all, good, fast line changes that keep us fresh and on top them.

2) Creating offensive opportunities tonight;
The best way to win games is to score more than the other team. . . . . profound, I know. . . And the best way to make that happen is to make good passes and take shots on goal. But what does that look like? It means passing out of our zone, not carrying the puck. It means passing through the neutral zone, not carrying the puck. And it means ALL of us who are NOT carrying the puck, have to be moving and getting open to generate passing options for the puck carrier. And when you have a shot—no matter how good a shot, and no matter how good a shooter—take it! NO shot on goal is a bad shot on goal. The other forwards should be crashing to pick up your rebound. So take shots!

3) Bob will not be playing tonight;
Sadly, Bob’s shoulder is still a little banged up after last week and he will not be with us tonight—remember, he is an assisting machine on the Lombard line—he will be missed. The up side is we have a strong sub in Viktor—yes, the two-goal-scoring-Russian-machine who subbed for me two weeks ago—and he will help fill the gap left by Bob’s injury. Bob should easily be back next week as his email stated he was just a little too sore—not injured—to play tonight.

4) Preparing for the game;
Remember, the best way to prepare for a game is to rest, stretch, eat complex carbohydrates—whole, or raw, foods—and drink lots of water early in the day. Keeping ourselves hydrated is the best way to keep our energy level up for the game.

Ok, so, that’s it! Have a great day and I cannot wait to take it to our rivals tonight. We are prepared, we play as a team, and we play hard through every period. We CAN win this game tonight—we just have to KNOW that and FIGHT for it!

Thanks,
R

Posted By: Richard Horrellschmitz on Tuesday Nov 25, 2008

Hey all,

Brandon and I are playing in the drop in at SKATETOWN tomorrow night (wednesday) at 7:15. Viktor is also coming and maybe Steve. Paul, can you come there instead??

Sorry for the change, but we'd rather play a drop in than another stick time.

Thanks guys and, if i don't see you before sunday, enjoy the holiday!

R

Posted By: Richard Horrellschmitz on Monday Nov 24, 2008

Hey all,
This week may be a good week for some of us to catch up on some extra practice. I will be going to at least one drop in and one stick time this week in addition to my usual. Anyone who wants to, come on out tuesday at 12 if you are off work. Wednesday night B and I and a couple others are going to the iceland sticktime. I posted it in the forums.

About last night. Shit happens. We were off. They were on. That's ok. We will learn from this and move on keeping our heads up knowing we are still very much IN THIS still!

Have a great week and to those who i won't see until after the holiday, I hope you have a GREAT thanksgiving and a good couple of days off at least.

Really, we are a team, and this little funky feeling from last night WILL pass.

Just me,
R

Posted By: Richard Horrellschmitz on Sunday Nov 23, 2008


Morning Boys and Girl,

A couple of things:

First, I hope all of you had a good couple of weeks since last i saw you!

Tonight we play the meanest team in the league--by no means the most physical--but the dirtiest physical team in the league. Come ready for that! But what does that mean? It means we need to be ready to take some elbows, some slashes on the skates, and some boarding. It means we have to keep our cool and NOT blow up and throw an equally dity elbow, etc. It also means we need to be ready to dish out a little too--but let's be smart about how and when we take care of keeping our team safe from the bullies on the ice.

Most importantly, we have to go into this knowing we WILL win! We have beat two good teams in a row! Tonight we will win our third in a row!

Get rest today. Take a nap if you can. Drink PLENTY of water and eat complex carbs a few hours before the game.

Steve, Brandon and I will meet at Jamba Juice next to Barnes and Noble on Sunrise and Greenback at 7ish. I think Vernon and CJ will be there too. Anyone who wants to come and get an energy juice and chat a little before the came, come on!

Looking forward to it, as always.

R