Karvina games 5 and 6

Czech hockey is some of the best hockey I have ever been a part of. I don't know if I'm suffering from myopia, but I think it is better than the Midget A hockey I played in Anchorage.

Game 5
We played game 5 at home in Kladno. In either the 2nd or 3rd period they scored a goal, then we pulled our goalie in the final moments of the game and they scored another empty net goal, for a 2-0 win. We had a puck bounce in oddly around our goalie off of someone's skate, so it didn't count. We all expected to win this game easily, so it was a tough loss.

Game 6
Because we lost, we had to play a game 6, this time in Karvina. This meant waking up between 4 and 5, driving to Prague, taking the train to Karvina for around 5 hours then playing. We had a strong start with two (or three) goals in the first period. We won 4-0.

I have been told that I have the skills to play on the team, I can skate, shoot, pass etc. It feels like I finally have those under my belt again, over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, the time used to reintroduce myself to hockey I needed for learning the team's systems.

Quick recap of my history in the games: games 1 and 2 (in Kladno) I couldn't play in because they didn't have my picture for the required player's card (2 wins in the series, one game came to a shoot out). I played well (and a lot) in game 3 (in Karvina), and we won, though it was close, 3-2 (3 wins in the series). The next game (game 4, also in Karvina, so we stayed there and maybe weren't as rested or fed as well as we might have been) I didn't play as well because 1) I was thinking about what the girls were telling me about how to play, like stay on the blue line for the pass for a shot or play in their zone and 2) because I was mentally exhausted. I was beat pretty badly once in a play I will probably never forget (3 wins 1 loss in the series). We lost game 5 also, this time in Kladno and I feel like I played an okay game, even though we got a lot of penalties and I didn't play often, probably twice a period. I was on the ice for Karvina's goal, with a player who usually plays forward. Then I didn't play, and our goalie was pulled for Karvina's second goal, for a 2-0 loss. Then I was told I couldn't play in the next game. We won 4-0, I thought our team played the best game of the series, with crisp passes, lots of scoring opportunities etc. We played yesterday like we should have the whole series.

I need to show that I can play with the team, in their systems. That they can still pass and skate hard and well when I'm on the ice. I am very lucky to be here, the hockey is very good.