Week three of the Sierra Inline Hockey League was last Saturday. This was the first week where games were completed. During the first week of the season games were postponed shortly into the first half of the first game. Games were postponed again in week two. All of the postponements were due to unsafe playing conditions caused by the weather. Week three went ahead as scheduled. The week one postponed games were played after the week three games. Each team was able to play two games. There was no issues with the playing conditions in week three.
Four games were scheduled for week three. Each team played two games. Game one was Team B versus Reno Pond Hockey. Game two was Team A versus Team D. Game three was Team A versus Team B. The final game of the day was Reno Pond Hockey versus Team D.
This was the first completed game of the season for both teams. Heading into the game there was questions about Team Bs goalie. Their goalie did not show up in week one. Team B played without a goalie during the few minutes they played of their first game. Chemistry and injuries were the top concerns for Reno Pond Hockey going into this game. Losing two players can be like losing a whole shift in the SIHL. Having two players injured automatically put them at a disadvantage going into week three. Team B were second in the power rankings going into this game. Reno Pond Hockey were last in the power rankings going into this game.
Reno Pond Hockey played with only one player on the bench the whole game. Both teams goalies did show up. Team B won the game 7-2. It was not a solid showing from Reno Pond Hockey. Chemistry issues were abundant. The communication was not there. Having only one player on the bench meant a lot of tired skaters. Team B was able to take advantage of that. They got a few breakaways and odd man rushes. Reno Pond Hockey fell apart defensively at the end of the game.
In the second game of the day Team A took on Team D. Team A was facing the challenge of having to play back to back games. Team D was in a position where they just had to wait for Team A to pace themselves before pushing harder to score. Team D was looking to capitalize on Team A having to play two games. Team A were in third in the power rankings. Team D were first in the power rankings going into this game.
Both teams looked like they had full benches. Team A did not look like they were pacing themselves. Both teams came out with their best and it showed. The game was a close one. Towards the end of the game Team A had the lead. Team D started to take more chances. Team A was able to keep their lead. The final score was 6-4 with Team A winning. The difference maker in this game was the goaltending from Team A.
In the third game of week three Team A played Team B. This game was a rematch of the first game of the season that was postponed. Both teams were looking for their second win of the season. This was the second of back to back games for Team A. Stamina was the key to this game. Who was less tired was likely going to be the winner. Team B were second in the power rankings going into this game. Team A were third in the power rankings going into this game. The winner of this game was going to be in first place.
This was the lowest scoring game of the day. Both teams were tired and it showed especially later on in the game. Team B won the game 5-2. Team A just could not find the back of the net. Team B left week three in first place. They are the only team right now to have two wins.
In the final game of week three Reno Pond Hockey played Team D. It was the second game of the day for both teams. Both teams were looking for their first win of the season. Reno Pond Hockey was well rested for this game after a two hour break. One of the other Reno Pond Hockey players who was not there for the first game showed up for the second game. That meant they would have two players on the bench instead of one which was a huge boost. Team D still had a full bench. They also had a lot of motivation in this game after a close loss in their first game. Reno Pond Hockey was last in the power rankings. Team D was first in the power rankings. Both teams were looking for their first win of the season.
This was the highest scoring game of the day. Reno Pond Hockey had made major improvements since their first game. It was a close and competitive game. Team D had the lead towards the end of the game. Reno Pond Hockey had at least three opportunities to tie the game. The Team D goalie was standing on his head to make saves. The final score was 7-6 with Team D taking their first win of the season.
Team B got two wins. They look like they are capable of winning it all this season. They are the current favorites after the first set of games. They look like they might dominate this season. Team A got a win and a loss. They looked strong in their first game. They come up short in the their second game. They looked like a solid team. I think they might have won their second game if it was not back to back after a close win. Team D also got a win and a loss. They kept it close in their first game. They did not have the edge to win that one. Their goalie really stepped up in their second game to win it for them. Reno Pond Hockey was all over the place. After their first game it seemed like they were not even going to be competitive this season. They dramatically turned it around in their second game. While they did not get a win in the first set of games they should not be underestimated moving forward.
Zac Electrifly 
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