Login

5ympathies · 04-30-2019, 06:51 PM

WC: 651

Walking into Boston Garden that first time was magical. Kelowna was nice, but it was nothing compared to this. The Garden was huge! Finding my place in the locker room with my name typed in that vibrant New England Green "CLAPPER", I knew I made the right decision to move up. I could've stayed down one more season with the Knights and tried to win the cup, and after the game 7 finals loss I definitely though about it a lot, but Ace had a spot for me and it would have been foolish of me not to take it. New England is going through a rebuild right now; Ace calls it a "retool" but I'm still not convinced, and before the game he let me know that I would be playing on the second line as well as getting some power play minutes. Stepping onto the ice before the game, hearing all the fans in the stadium chanting, excited for the show they were about to watch, still happy to watch hockey even though the team itself wasn't great, that is a memory I will cherish forever. We played West Kendall Platoon that game, and their experience really showed. They went up 3-0 on us before we scored our first and the final game score was 5-3. The game itself, I was still getting used to the faster gameplay. I had a rough game: 1 shot, 1 hit, and I was -2. All of that even with 21 minutes of game time and with 3 of those minutes on the power play. I wasn't expecting to score in my first game, I know wanting it to happen was a stretch and I knew the goals would come with time.

I didn't score in my second game either. This time we were the ones beating West Kendall 5-3, and personally I played better as well. Still no points, but I had 4 shots this game and ended +1. My third game is where it all came together. We were at home again and Tampa opened the scoring late in the first period. We couldn't let the momentum shift in their favour to end the period and needed to tie it up quick and that is what we did. I put a shot on net and Mattias Enqvist deflected it past Tampa Bay goalie, Benjamin Blue. My first assist in the SHL and it was a primary one too! I was ecstatic and this really drove me to play harder as well. There were still 3 minutes left in the period and I wasn't done yet. With 2 minutes to go we were putting heavy pressure on the net. 2 shots had just been blocked or missed the net and I had the third opportunity. Today was my lucky day as I managed to beat the goalie and put us up 2-1.

Second period we came out strong, with Cam Ouellette scoring 3 minutes in to make it 3-1. 10 minutes later we were in the offensive zone when Blue stopped a shot by Manuel Gotze. On the ensuing offensive zone draw, Mattias Enqvist won and I managed to get a hold of the puck and beat the goalie once again to make it 4-1. The final score was 4-3, which meant that I had scored the eventual game winner. That was crazy! My third ever SHL game and I had a 3 point night, with a game winner, and to top it all off I was even awarded first star of the game. This really was an amazing night and it is something that I will cherish forever. I can't wait to keep performing the entire season. Maybe if I am really lucky, I might even be able to get a hattrick.