My hockey team has done really well again this season. We are currently in first place with a record of 16-1 in this current 20 game season. Last night, for the second time, we played the only team that has beaten us. They scored two goals in the 1st, then we scored two in the 2nd to tie it up. With about 7 minutes left in the game, we scored a third goal, then a fourth two minutes later bringing the score to 4-2. With only 5 minutes left, it seemed like a sure win if we just played a strong defense for the rest of the game. They scored a minute later. With 2 minutes left in the game, our center grabbed a break away pass and scored our fifth goal, and we ended the game with another W under our belts. The game wasn't as rough as I expected it to be, since I know they really wanted to beat us, especially considering that team has 210 penalty minutes for the season and we only have 52, the second lowest in the division. All in all, a good game, and a happy victory. All hail the Red Menace!

I've mentioned before about the fun of showering at the rink with the guys on my team. Last night, I was all ready to hop in the shower since we were, of course, headed to IHOP...when I realized I'd forgotten to bring a towel with me. I asked if anyone had an extra towel - they did not. Our goalie offered to let me use one of his clean jerseys as a towel, but I didn't think the nylon would be very absorbent. I started to weigh my options...go out to eat and sit bathed in a layer of my own sweat, or get creative. I loathe being sweaty and sticky if I'm not in the actual moment of working out. I decided I'd brave the showers in a new way. I had a small towel that I use to wipe my skates clean (which I had already used to wipe water and ice from my skate blades), and my team mate, Dean, offered me (seriously) two clean hockey socks.

If you don't play hockey and aren't familiar with what a hockey sock looks like, it's a knitted sleeve that covers your leg from your thigh to your ankle. It's not a true sock as it has no feet, but it covers your legs and shin/knee pads. I accepted the dry, clean socks, sighed in resignation, and headed to the showers. I actually figured the socks would work reasonably well. When I was done showering, I started to use them to dry off. After a minute or so, I realized that no matter how much I tried to towel off with them, they just seemed to be moving the water around on my body instead of actually soaking it up. I ended up using my tiny skate towel (if you've ever seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles, it was like the scene where Steve Martin had to dry himself off with a washcloth). Water still dripped heavily from my hair as I stepped out of the stall. When I walked back into the locker room, I mentioned the group at large, "As it turns out, hockey socks don't work so well as a towel." Another player, James, seemed confused at what I assume he thought was a completely random statement. "I forgot my towel," I explained. "Ooh!," he exclaimed. "Why didn't you ask me? I have an extra one in my bag."