Week 3: St. Joe Griffons vs. Stars 3

Griffons 5 - Stars 4

Stats: 2 Wins - 1 Loss

Heading up to St. Joe Saturday morning for the game was an interesting ride. Our pre-game routine on the drive in is to always rock out to Def Leppard - it's the best "get ready to take charge on the ice" music you could ever find! The plus side is that I am their biggest fan, so, really, it's a win-win for everyone! Alex and I have our favorite songs - Pour Some Sugar On Me, Foolin, Photograph, Rock of Ages, etc... (There really are just too many to mention...) We have the stereo turned up really loud and I am doing my typical singing at the top of my lungs. My boys have just learned to go with it...

Alex seemed a little bit out of sorts, so we turned down the music just enough that we could hear each other, and I asked him what was up? He seemed a bit quiet this morning. He told me that he was nervous to play this game since the Stars 3 were undefeated and had already scored 16 goals in just 2 games, and on top of that, hadn't let 1 goal scored on them yet. I told him that I could see where he might be a bit nervous, but that he and his team were very good and that they could just as easily go out there and show them how good the Griffons really are. Of course, Alex looked at me like I had no idea what I was talking about and just went back to rocking out to the music. It was another mother/son moment that clearly he will look back upon with fond memories... Once we got to the rink, Alex seemed to calm down and the team got ready to go. Who knew the excitement we were about to witness...

Once on the ice, the Griffons look really good. The game starts, and within 2 minutes, the Stars have scored. Oh, no I think. This is going to be a repeat of last week. 1 minute later, they score again. I am standing under the scorekeepers box since I am taking pictures, and I look around the rink and can see the concern on everyone's faces - everyone, except the boys on the ice. It is at this moment that the boys stop, look at each other, and without saying a word, come together as a team. It was actually a pretty amazing moment that I was glad I was able to witness. 3 minutes later, the Griffons had scored a goal - the first goal scored on the Stars 3 team this season! So, at this point, it didnt' really matter what happened, because we would be the team that got the puck in the net on them first. Little did I know, that was the beginning... Shortly after that, we scored again! We were on our way!



Alex Taking Charge of the Puck



Alex had a GREAT game! He was on the ball (or puck as it would seem) every time he was on the ice! He and the other defensemen did a great job of passing the puck, knowing where to put the puck, and just generally being right were they needed to be throughout the entire game. The team looked awesome!

Sending the puck to another team member

It was fun to watch because as the Griffons really came together as a team, you could see the Stars 3 team start to come apart. They had been used to dominating on the ice, and it was clear that our boys were showing them that their time was up...

How many Stars 3 players does it take to get the puck away from a Griffon?

By 3rd period, the score was tied, 3 to 3. We score and are now winning the game! This is awesome! It lasted for a total of 50 seconds, because they come back and score, so now it is tied 4-4. We have less than a minute left in the game and all we have to do is keep them away from our net so they can't score! We will take a tie against this team! (That is what all the parents are thinking!) But... that isn't what the Griffons are thinking. OH NO! We have less than a minute left - we can win this game!

Block the puck any way you can!

With less than 8 seconds left in the game, we come back and score another goal - it's now 5-4! The crowd is seriously going wild! I have stopped taking pictures because I am cheering and yelling too much to hold my camera! (I later realize this isn't the smartest thing I could have been doing as I then won't have any pictures of the winning moment... Consider this a lesson learned...)

But, as we all hold our breath for the LONGEST 8 SECONDS OF OUR LIVES...

We watch our boys play the best game of their season and beat the number 1 team and show them that the Mighty Griffons are a team to be reckoned with...

WAY TO GO GRIFFONS!!!!

Game 2: St. Joe Griffons vs. Pepsi Stars 2

Stars 2 -  Griffons 0

Stats: 1 Win & 1 loss

You win some.... and you lose some...

The boys showed up and played a great game, as did the Stars team. Within the first 30 seconds, the Stars had scored a goal, which would shake the confidence of any team, and it definitely shook ours! But the Griffons came back and held the team off. The Stars did end up sneaking 1 additional goal in the net during first period. Our boys regrouped and came back 2nd and 3rd periods and held them off!

Alex skates up on the Stars player with every intent on stealing the puck...

There are some very strong players on the Griffons...As this is only their 2nd game as a team, I think they have done really well working together.

As 1 Griffon goes down, another is there to take the puck to the net.

Sometimes when a player gets the puck, all they want to do is get rid of it... but where to hit it...

Oh man! The Griffons are all around me!

This was a very well matched team. The game started out with the Stars powerfully charging our team, but once we got into our groove, we went back and forth, up and down the ice. Both goalies did a great job. We had lots of shots on goal, as did the Stars 2 team. This means that even though 2 pucks made it into the net, our goalie still kept a whole lot out of there!  Way to go Griffons! 

Here's to hoping this is our only home game with a 0 on the board...

It was a fun game to watch, although I am going to guess a bit more fun for the Stars parents...

Fun picture of the week!

Here is a shot of Alex going after the puck and taking out one of the Stars players in the process...

WOW!

Tonight, Alex has tryouts for Select travel - keep your fingers crossed! More to come!

The St. Joseph Griffons start off the 2010 Hockey season with a WIN!

FINAL SCORE: St. Joe 2 - Outlaws 1

The Griffons came in and showed them how it was done... Okay, it might not have started off that way, but it surely ended that way! 

First period was spent with the Outlaws and their GINORMOUS players really trying to intimidate the Griffons with their size. Our boys took it all in stride. They used the first period to get used to playing together and figure out their strategy. All of the boys looked great out there! By 2nd period, the Griffons had it figured out, and the Outlaws had worn themselves out. Apparently they have size, but not much stamina...

All the boys did a great job today! Alex played defense - we were anxiously waiting to hear what position he would be playing this season. As a defensemen, his job is to protect the goalie when the puck is on their end of the ice...



Alex doing what he does best... protecting the net.

By 3rd period, the Griffons took control... and showed the Outlaws who was boss...

Alex came in and played his heart out. In fact, he took one for the team! He was elbowed by one of the Outlaws that sent him flying into the wall. It knocked the wind out of him and left him lying on the ice. They coaches had to come out and help him off the ice! Of course, I went into "Mom" mode, and didn't snap 1 picture... oh well, next time...

Cool picture from the game...

I will try to have 1 cool picture from each game - this week, one of our guys was tripped and went flying through the air - the picture really doesn't do justice to how he flew, but it's the best I've got to show!

What a great game! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Bowman and Uncle Gerald for coming out to see Alex today! This was definitely a great way to start the season!