Don’t stop believing................

Heading back to the rink for the last day of the tournament had me reflecting on the whole season and how far the team had come from our first practice. With a win and a tie from the first two days we had a very good chance of heading to the playoff game. At the rink we decided that we still needed to win the next game to secure the lead going into the finals. It wasn’t what we told the team in the locker room. It was still all about playing a simple game and doing your best. “If you want something, you have to work for it!” was reiterated throughout the weekend. We had stressed this over the last two weeks of practiced more than any time during the season. Keep it simple and control the puck. The team played well through the last two games and game three was no different. Our captain was able to play. He was tired, but just having him on the bench fired the team up. I have seen players step up this weekend and play their best games. I saw some very good passing, lots of speed, and some very smart hockey from our team. What I saw most was a lot of teamwork, and effort. This is how we needed to end the season. Going onto the final after winning the third game was icing on the cake. I’ve had the luxury all season of working with three very excellent coaches. Coaches: Jim Albright, Gordie Carr, and our junior coach Blaize Maio. When it comes to teamwork, this was a great lineup for a coaching staff. Our team manager Beth Maio kept the team on track these last two seasons through all the twists and turns – literally! Everyone brings something different and unique to the table. That’s what kept moving this team forward all season. Before the final game we asked the team what was it that they wanted to do? How did they want to finish this season? I only requested that they play good hockey. If you want to win this game, then it’s because you worked for it. It will take a lot of hard work. Coming into this tournament no one seemed to know who Midstate was. When we leave, everyone will know who Midstate is. It’s not just a team; it’s a great team with some very special players. The final game was the most physical game we had played in a long time, with our players taking some big hits. A few times I wanted to make sure some of our players wouldn’t be easy targets when their big hitters stepped out on the ice. We didn’t need to end the season with anyone getting hurt. The top players on the opposing team were getting frustrated as we poke checked the puck away from them on their attempts to carry the puck into our zone. We were able to shut them down in the neutral zone and send the puck deep into their defensive zone. This allowed us to come at the net from all angles. Their goalie did a great job of stopping many of our shots, but not all of them. Jimmy, shut the door on all their shots. I was watching our team finish their season with one of their best games ever. In the locker room before the game Rocket told the team “ Remember what we learned all season, and why we practiced so hard. It all comes down to this game. We made it this far and we are going all the way and win this game!” When the Rocket says something to the team, he means it. We won the championship. I had the pleasure of announcing each of the player’s names over the loudspeakers as they came forward to receive their trophies. This is how we ended the season.
After the last player left I looked around the locker room to make sure everything was cleared out. I shut the door, turned the key to lock it up and the season ended.