Wet Bandits

          I tried to organize a work party, but it kind of just turned into a party. Sabrina, Alaric and I Fiji'd it and put on the NHL All-Star Game, joined by Sean. Sabrina and I were both studying tortuously boring subjects and basically gave up. We were rooting for Team Toews, which "won" 17-12 over Team Foligno. There's no serious contact in the All-Star Game -- it's basically for the giggles -- and obviously a surplus of talent, so it's a much lighter vibe than a typical match. My boy Rick Nash scored twice, too. Downside: The hideous, neon green uniforms. Why?
          Still toasty and primed by all that scoring, we headed to broomball ready to dish out some punishment. We were matched against a horde of Asians for the Wet Bandits' debut game. Both goalies had moments of brilliance -- especially Jake C in his armor -- but the highlight was the opponent's tender stopping 3 or 4 attempts in a row, up in close. I have a decent idea of my skills now: a defensive mindset, some strategic IQ, and I can put on the afterburners quicker than most anyone on the team. Even when playing forward, I found myself dropping back to cover the other defender and break off passes. More or less everyone played their balls off, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie. After the game, I tried to get back into my reading and found it to be very slow going.