Playoff Hockey... can't shave yet

I'm one of those that follows the old hockey superstition that once the playoffs start, you can't shave until your team is eliminated, or you win the championship.  I stopped shaving back in late July when the summer playoffs started.

We swept the Chiefs in two games in the semi-final and have since moved on to the final against the Sea Changers.  These guys are a rather chippy team, really mouthy and very easily agitated.  We have been trying to use that to our advantage, but these guys are simply not much fun to play against.  They started out the season in the third division, then got moved down to the fourth division, and finally down to the bottom fifth division.  They have a whole bunch of players that we never saw earlier in the season when they were losing, that are now coming out to their playoff games.

One of their players is about 30 years old and rumored to be a fifth round draft pick of the NHL Colorado Avalanche.  He now plays professionally in Europe in the winter.  What an honor it must be to light up the bottom division of beer league hockey...!

The Sea Changers beat us in the first game.  It was a close one, and we were trailing 4-3 late in third period.  We pulled our goaltender to try and get the equalizer but they scored a empty net goal to seal the deal.  Last night we played the second game of the best of three final.  I played probably my worst game in many years and was on the ice for almost every goal against.  I ended up benching myself for the last five minutes of the game.  I thought our season was going to end as we were down by scores of 4-1 and 5-2 early in the game.  But the guys rallied at the end and we eventually tied it at 5-5 and then added a go ahead goal and an insurance goal.  Clinging to that 7-5 lead and with me on the bench we took a penalty with less than two minutes to go.  The Sea Changers pulled their goaltender and at 6 on 4 managed to score a goal.  But the guys hung on and we skated away with a 7-6 victory.

The championship final game is on Wednesday at 6:30PM.  This is a terrible ice time for most of the team as many of them are not able to make it from work.  We will end up finishing the season the way we started it... with a short bench.  After that game, win or lose, I will be able to shave this playoff beard of mine.  Obviously hoping that the shave comes along with a victory.