Sometimes you can just tell what's going to happen next. There's a moment of pre-cognition and the coming few seconds seem to wobble, like bullet-time from a video game. Whether its a look in someone's eyes or just an anticipation of where the ball is going to go next, you can plan out perfectly what to do next.
He was coming down on me, slightly to my left. This is a perfect scenario for me, as my left is my dominant side. I could say it was a look in his eyes that tipped me off, but that would be a lie because he was looking down at the ball and I couldn't really tell what was in his eyes. But something in his body language told me what was coming. I've had this moment before when I play defence. I can usually count on it happening once a game. I've gotten it perfectly right 3 times in one game once. But when I'm on my position, the smaller moments happen plenty of times.
Its the same move that happens 100 times in a ball hockey game. Rush the defender, flip the ball between his feet and blow by him. It happens to many times that you wish you could go numb to the monotony of it. But though it happens to you 20 times in a game, there's that one time when you time it just perfect and you get to rob the forward of his glory.
The guy running in on me mis-played the ball just slightly. He let it get maybe half a foot too far to my right, and slightly out of his reach to correct it. It gave away his rush move. There it was, he corrected the ball's motion and flicked it between my feet. I've learned the hard less to not worry too much about the ball when this happens. Its too far gone to make the play. My key is what comes next.
The ball had gone too far to my left, so while he'd flicked it between my feet, there wasn't enough room between us for him to go for the cross-over. He'd left himself only the bull-rush on my left side. But I anticipated all of this, ignored the ball, and took a half-step to my left. Planting my feet firmly, I waited for the collision that was not inevitable.
My opponent was not as ready for the inevitability as I was. He seemed genuinely shocked when he crashed into my and I gave no more ground than a stone wall might give to a prairie breeze. The guy ricocheted off and fell somewhere behind me that I couldn't see, because I recovered and now with the clarity to do so, played the ball.
What I did not anticipate was what came next. As I moved from my planted position, and tracked the ball around the boards from behind the net, I sensed impending doom. I have no idea what it was that tipped me off that something was coming. I certainly couldn't see it. Nevertheless I took my eyes off the ball, just as a missile came rocketing at my from behind.
My bries sense of premonition was enough to save me, partially. The forward I had just wronged felt so aggrieved that he was taking a run at me from behind. Turning to my right at the last second, I just barely saw him coming and leaned away to my left. His wild, reckless run at me turned into just a glancing blow on my right shoulder. Unfortunately that's my most injured part right now. As I spun around looking for a ref to punish this idiot, I was denied, to my utter disbelief. I also let me team down, as my stunned shock left me out of a play that allowed the other team to score again.
I'd had enough at that point. There was 2 minutes left but I was finished with a referee that was that careless of my safety. Besides, my right shoulder was now aching again.
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