Pickup Leagues

[shrader]

it was 0-0 when you scored? Well done!

 

We have our 1st game in 16 days. I'm chomping at the bit!

 

Yeah. We played such a horrible game. The other team's goalie and half their skaters showed up about 30 minutes late, so for some reason, we had to wait. Our team was on the ice the whole time and we got sick of all the pre-game warmups and most of us tightened back up by the time the shortened game started. We played a very sloppy game because of it, but at least our goalie stepped up.

 

I don't have another game until the 19th (damn this schedule sucks) and then I miss the next two while I'm home for christmas. That'll be one game in about a month so there goes what little progress I've made this year.

[BuffalOhio]

Newsflash - Kuhn scores his first goal of the season.

 

Finally, after 8 games and 6 or 7 goalposts, I got a nice feed from the left corner and walked it in. Blazing snap shot hit the inside of the left post and stayed in. After all the posts and close calls, it felt great to finally get my first goal this season. I can't complain, because we're 9-1 and I'm a defenseman, but I did score 10 goals in 21 games last year. Sophomore slump, I guess.

 

I have to admit; that was the best snap shot goal I've ever scored.

 

What a shaaaaaaaught!!!! Top shelf where Momma hides the cookies!

 

Oh yeah, we won 7-1. Woot!

[will]

i'm...uh...figuring out how to skate backwards. slowly. and my instructor is cute.

 

i spent the first three weeks with thick socks, and had zero control. switched to thin socks because i hadn't done laundry, and now i feel like i know what i'm doing. thin socks...who knew?

[SDS]

i'm...uh...figuring out how to skate backwards. slowly. and my instructor is cute.

 

i spent the first three weeks with thick socks, and had zero control. switched to thin socks because i hadn't done laundry, and now i feel like i know what i'm doing. thin socks...who knew?

 

well, I definitely favor a cute instructor over a video, but if you need a little extra - Laura Stamm's Power Skating video is a good resource.

[BuffalOhio]

well, I definitely favor a cute instructor over a video, but if you need a little extra - Laura Stamm's Power Skating video is a good resource.

 

Scott, it doesn't appear to me that you watched it. At all.

 

Bwaahahahahaha!

 

:nana:

[SDS]

Scott, it doesn't appear to me that you watched it. At all.

 

Bwaahahahahaha!

 

:nana:

 

I know you are busting my balls but...

 

if you would have seen my 1st clinic practice in Feb. you would be amazed where I am at now. Sure, I still suck like a $10 hooker with the rent due, but just 9 months ago I couldn't do a single skating drill. It was a mess...

 

Now, my skating is pretty acceptable and people assume I have been playing for years and not months! :thumbsup:

[SDS]

BTW, I played defense for the 1st time on Thursday. I didn't block too many passes, but I did keep them to the outside of me forcing low percentage shots. We were 0-0 through 1/2 the game and then the flood gates opened on a 10-0 route... :angry:

[BuffalOhio]

BTW, I played defense for the 1st time on Thursday. I didn't block too many passes, but I did keep them to the outside of me forcing low percentage shots. We were 0-0 through 1/2 the game and then the flood gates opened on a 10-0 route... :angry:

 

Yes, I'm ball busting.

 

10-0. Ouch. Well, at least you played 1/2 a good game! Keep it up, Scott!

[shrader]

I accomplished something for the first time ever in my game last night. I got thrown out of the gam early in the 2nd. I never knew it before, but they have a rule in this league where if you get 3 penalties you're done. I managed to get those 3 calls on 2 consecutive shifts. I rant about refs all the time, but this guy yesterday had a huge stick up his ass. A guy on the other team has a near breakaway, but I hooked his stick so he couldn't do a thing. Mr. Stick Up the Ass calls me for hooking. On the way to the box, I told him that hooking the stick isn't a penalty. He said "yes it is, do you want another two minutes". Thinking he was joking, I said "sure, why not". Boom, double minor.

 

On my next shift, I'm racing towards the puck with another guy (skating towards each other). We end up bumping, hip to hip. Somehow I was called for tripping (it was the other ref this time). He signals the trip and then immediately realizes that its me. He then tells me he wouldn't have called it if he had known it was me, because that call got me tossed (in other words, it's a bad call and he knows it, but oh well).

 

So yeah, in a matter of about 5 minutes I managed to rack up 16 PIMs while getting the gate... and not one call was legit. Oh well, I can't help but laugh at this one. Now I just have to come up with a way to spin this story, making me sound good.

[BuffalOhio]

I accomplished something for the first time ever in my game last night. I got thrown out of the gam early in the 2nd. I never knew it before, but they have a rule in this league where if you get 3 penalties you're done. I managed to get those 3 calls on 2 consecutive shifts. I rant about refs all the time, but this guy yesterday had a huge stick up his ass. A guy on the other team has a near breakaway, but I hooked his stick so he couldn't do a thing. Mr. Stick Up the Ass calls me for hooking. On the way to the box, I told him that hooking the stick isn't a penalty. He said "yes it is, do you want another two minutes". Thinking he was joking, I said "sure, why not". Boom, double minor.

 

On my next shift, I'm racing towards the puck with another guy (skating towards each other). We end up bumping, hip to hip. Somehow I was called for tripping (it was the other ref this time). He signals the trip and then immediately realizes that its me. He then tells me he wouldn't have called it if he had known it was me, because that call got me tossed (in other words, it's a bad call and he knows it, but oh well).

 

So yeah, in a matter of about 5 minutes I managed to rack up 16 PIMs while getting the gate... and not one call was legit. Oh well, I can't help but laugh at this one. Now I just have to come up with a way to spin this story, making me sound good.

 

How high up on the stick did you hook it? Did you use your stick to impede his ability to play the puck? If so, it's a penalty. 3 penalties sounds a little gay. At least in my league, it's 4 for an ejection.

[shrader]

How high up on the stick did you hook it? Did you use your stick to impede his ability to play the puck? If so, it's a penalty. 3 penalties sounds a little gay. At least in my league, it's 4 for an ejection.

 

3 penalties is really weak, especially when one is the result of a ref on a power trip. I never raised my voice and wasn't yelling at the guy.

 

I looked up the USA hockey definition of hooking earlier today, just for the hell of it. It wasn't even a hook. I put my stick over the top of his, so basically my stick is in front of his, not allowing him to take a shot. The rule book says it has to be a pulling action, but my stick was actually touching the ice.

 

That impeding the ability to play the puck rule is pretty weak though. Strictly going by the way it's writting, you can't tip a guys stick to make him miss a pass.

[BuffalOhio]

Stick lift and stick press are legal maneuvers. Yeah, you got a guy on a power trip for sure.

[dietlbomb]

I scored a goal the other night. Sweeeet!

[Kevbeau]

At least in my league, it's 4 for an ejection.

 

Same with my league. 4 and you're gone. We've got one ref in our league that calls hooking on stick presses. In his mind if you come over the top of the stick, it's a hook. Pain in the @ss when he refs, but unfortunately we're stuck with him. :thumbdown:

[shrader]

DC, you'll appreciate this latest story of ref incompetence. In my game last night a delayed penalty was signaled against us. After a long flurry in our zone, the puck goes around the boards and I pick it up along the boards. I stand there for a good 10+ seconds with the puck, no one anywhere near me... no whistle. Finally one of my linemates screams out "blow the f'n whistle" and gets tossed from the game. Even the other team had no clue what was going on. They eventually decided, hey, if the guy's not gonna blow the whistle, might as well try to steal the puck.

[Rayzor32]

Sorry if this has already been addressed in the thread, but are there any ball/floor hockey pick-up leagues in WNY? I need to come out of retirement.

[BuffalOhio]

DC, you'll appreciate this latest story of ref incompetence. In my game last night a delayed penalty was signaled against us. After a long flurry in our zone, the puck goes around the boards and I pick it up along the boards. I stand there for a good 10+ seconds with the puck, no one anywhere near me... no whistle. Finally one of my linemates screams out "blow the f'n whistle" and gets tossed from the game. Even the other team had no clue what was going on. They eventually decided, hey, if the guy's not gonna blow the whistle, might as well try to steal the puck.

 

That's absolutely brutal! Neither guy blew the whistle? Shameful.

 

Of course, your guy getting tossed for the f-bomb was a little much, but that word never results in anything good for the player directing it at the official.

 

Perhaps in the future, you'd be smart to just flip the puck out of play to get the whistle instead of your teammate getting tossed.

 

I'm not siding with anyone on this. It's absolutely the officials' fault for losing track of what they were doing, but it also your teammates fault for f-bombing him and getting himself tossed.

 

Unfortunately, there's no good solution to this. Not enough guys care enough to improve themselves as officials, and not enough of you hot head players care enough to become officials, therefore you are stuck with the refs you have.

 

My being a hot head is what got me in to reffing in the first place. I thought to myself, "I know I can do a better job than these bozos". Turns out I was right, but I have my off days, too.

 

That's a story for another time.....

[shrader]

If I had flipped the puck out of the zone, I bet the other team would've regained control, leading to a goal. Then my entire team would've walked off the ice. So yeah, maybe that would've been a good thing seeing as how crappy that game was yesterday.

 

We have a really strange trend going on with our refs. You have the one hard ass ref who calls everything and demands respect. Then you have the 2nd ref who never touches his whistle because he's scared of the other ref. It happens almost every week. There was another play yesterday where the other team iced the puck up the middle of the rink with no one within 10 feet of the puck. Ref1 waves it off. I asked coward ref why it was waved off and he said "because he waved it off". Ummmm, ok. Great answer.

 

I love it. I could complain about refs all day.

[BuffalOhio]

If I had flipped the puck out of the zone, I bet the other team would've regained control, leading to a goal. Then my entire team would've walked off the ice. So yeah, maybe that would've been a good thing seeing as how crappy that game was yesterday.

 

We have a really strange trend going on with our refs. You have the one hard ass ref who calls everything and demands respect. Then you have the 2nd ref who never touches his whistle because he's scared of the other ref. It happens almost every week. There was another play yesterday where the other team iced the puck up the middle of the rink with no one within 10 feet of the puck. Ref1 waves it off. I asked coward ref why it was waved off and he said "because he waved it off". Ummmm, ok. Great answer.

 

I love it. I could complain about refs all day.

 

Well, coward ref gave you the correct answer. If the back official waves it off, then there is no icing. What we don't know is why the back ref waved it off. Was it touched, deflected, or simply not played by someone that could have played it? I know what you're saying about hard ass ref and coward ref. I try to be neither; I try to support my partner as best I can.

 

I also know some guys that ref in your area, and from what I hear, it's very cliquish and difficult to get games; kind of an old boys network. That definitely sucks.

 

And what I meant for you to do was to cause a whistle somehow. Offsides, icing, flipping the puck out of play, etc....

[JoeFerguson]

Sorry if this has already been addressed in the thread, but are there any ball/floor hockey pick-up leagues in WNY? I need to come out of retirement.

 

If you're talking about Roller hockey, there are a lot of places to play. If we're talking floor w/o skates, I know Frank Young's in Orchard Park has leagues and this place http://www.americanstreethockey.com/adult.htm has leagues.

 

I only have experience playing at UB in their intramural roller hockey leagues, as well as with the Buffalo Wings.

[shrader]

And what I meant for you to do was to cause a whistle somehow. Offsides, icing, flipping the puck out of play, etc....

 

They'd actually have to see it though. I'm convinced that the other team could've grabbed a new puck off the bench and continued play if I had flipped it out.

 

Your old boys network idea probably has some merit to it. It seems like they're pairing up the few new guys with someone from that old boys network (ie. the hard ass ref). These guys seem genuinely scared to blow their whistle.

[BuffalOhio]

They'd actually have to see it though. I'm convinced that the other team could've grabbed a new puck off the bench and continued play if I had flipped it out.

 

Your old boys network idea probably has some merit to it. It seems like they're pairing up the few new guys with someone from that old boys network (ie. the hard ass ref). These guys seem genuinely scared to blow their whistle.

 

I yell at new guys to BLOW YOUR FRIGGIN' WHISTLE if they seem afraid to do so.

 

Sounds like you've got a tough thing going on there. All you can do is work to make it better, but your only option might be to start reffing.

 

You're in college, right?

 

Have I told you that I know countless refs that have used officiating as their only job while putting themselves through college? I tell ya, Shrader, there's good money to be had by a youngster like yourself!

[shrader]

I yell at new guys to BLOW YOUR FRIGGIN' WHISTLE if they seem afraid to do so.

 

Sounds like you've got a tough thing going on there. All you can do is work to make it better, but your only option might be to start reffing.

 

You're in college, right?

 

Have I told you that I know countless refs that have used officiating as their only job while putting themselves through college? I tell ya, Shrader, there's good money to be had by a youngster like yourself!

 

I've been out of school for 3 years actually. There's no way I could ever afford this league if I was still in school. And no, reffing's not for me. I've hated refs for far too long now.

[thesportsbuff]

i never read this thread so sorry if it's already been posted...

but it just occured to me ask here, does anybody know any roller hockey leagues in the buffalo area that only play on weekends during the day? i'd really like to get involved but living in Olean (where there is nothing whatsoever related to roller hockey) i'd only be able to make the trip to Buffalo on weekends.

 

i'm 16, 17 in march, so if there's like a 15-17 or 16-18 or whatever league please let me know!!

[BuffalOhio]

I've been out of school for 3 years actually. There's no way I could ever afford this league if I was still in school. And no, reffing's not for me. I've hated refs for far too long now.

 

That makes you a perfect candidate to become one. I was just like you, boy....