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Choose Your Own Adventure Write Up 4/4 (Mostly Block of Text for Money) - Z0REM - 01-10-2024 This game is too close going into the last two minutes and you're defensive reasoning is starting to break down. As the attackers gain entry to your zone you start swinging your stick wildly back and forth to attempt to block any passes from going in front of you. The other teams seems to sense your desperation as they avoid your position and pass it around. Your team seems to be all feeling the same thing as everyone is making mistakes while trying to find the opporunity for just one more goal. Anything that keeps the other team from straight winning at this point. The puck finally comes to a player in front of you and you are a step out of position. The player winds up as it looks like they're about to shoot. Maybe you can catch them? Charge the player to disrupt the shot Or Get in position to block the shot You are right up on top of the goalie and the rebound is right there after hitting off his left pad. As the goalie scrambles to grab it he realizes that your stick is already on the puck and ready to shoot. In this final battle of will power he backs off to defend against the shot to come. You notice he is slightly out of position with his legs a little to spread apart. You take the goalies exposed 5 hole as an opportunity to quickly snap a puck through that open slot. Only to have the goalie anticipate this. He baited you and was able to close his legs at the last minute covering up the puck and ending your attack attempt. Shortly afterward the whistle blows to end the period. The game is over. You sit there on the ice wondering if your effort was good enough. If you have the keyword Resolute click here for your ending Otherwise click here to calculate your ending You are right up on top of the goalie and the rebound is right there after hitting off his left pad. As the goalie scrambles to grab it he realizes that your stick is already on the puck and ready to shoot. In this final battle of willpower, he backs off to defend against the shot to come. You notice he is slightly out of position with his legs a little too spread apart. Do you shoot for the inviting 5 hole? Or Aim for that glove and hope for the best Its you and your teammate in on the goal. It's the two of you vs the goalie after out speeding the other players. You pass back and forth after clearing hte blue line. Your teammate fake a shot and instead passes it to you. The puck lands on your stick. 15 feet to go. You line up your shot. You fake a look at your teammate. The goalie isn't fooled. He doesnt even waver. You whip your stick without any hesitation. The stick looks to bend at a 45 degree angle and you are sure its going to snap in half when it suddenyl snaps back to rigidity. The puck flies at the goalie. It's at the goalie and they're just starting to make a move. With one wicked quick wrist shot... YOU HAVE SCORED A GOAL! The whistle blows shortly afterward signaling the end of the game. Keyword gain: Gain "Game Winning" if you had "Go Ahead" otherwise gain "Go Ahead" Lose "Resolute" if you have it If you have "Despicable", gain "Angry Crowd" If you now have Angry Crowd you may click here If you have scored 6 goals click here Otherwise click here to calculate your ending You manage to get your stick on the puck as it's passed right by you. It's a good thing you blocked that outside lane with your stick.. The attacker tried to get one past you and you held your ground. You start a rush before the other team can react. One of your teammates joins the rush and soon a 2v1 develops. Its you and your teammate in on the goal. It's the two of you vs the goalie after out speeding the other players. You pass back and forth after clearing hte blue line. Your teammate fake a shot and instead passes it to you. The puck lands on your stick. 15 feet to go. The goalie is looking right at you. Take the shot yourself Or Pass the puck You set your stick to the left. Entirely hoping that you can cut off the same passing lane that they just used and maybe get lucky. As you get in closer to use your body to block the shooting lane the attacker rifles a pass up the right side and past you. As you turn around to continue blocking the passing lane and the reset. You see that the other team has set up a relay right in front of your goal. A quick succession of passes shows that the player on the outside swings it around quickly behind the net. Pulling the defenders out. The receiving player naps it to center ice where an attacker has moved into position. In less the a 2 seconds the other team is in striking position. The player at center ice blasts the puck... Right past your goalie. THE OTHER TEAM SCORES Shortly afterward the buzzer sounds signaling the end of the game. Keyword gain: Gain "Defeated" if "Desperate" and lose "Desperate" otherwise gain "Desperate" Lose "Resolute" if you had it Calculate your ending here You decide to hook the player as they try to pass you. It's a pretty obvious hook but the refs manage to miss it somehow. The other player shrugs it off as they skate by you only slightly impeded. They take a shot and its whistled dead as it was caught by the goalie. BUT WAIT. The refs are coming out and pointing at you. Someone saw the hook and the two of you just missed the whistle in the heat of the moment. You are pulled to the penalty box for the last 45 seconds of the period. The other team pulls in an extra attacker for a 6 on 4. After 40 seconds of passing and shot blocking the other team takes one last shot... NO GOAL! The buzzer sounds and the game is over! If you have the keyword Resolute click here Otherwise click here to calculate your ending You go to lift the stick of the other player as they try and pass you in an attempt to strip the puck. Before you have a chance to lift the stick the other player gets their body in front of you and bats your stick out of the way. As they blaze past you on a vector straight for the goal they raise their stick. You try desperately to reach out a second time to get that puck, but before you have a chance to. The other players stick come down with serious force A slap shot right at your goalie. With a screen in front of them they stood no chance. OTHER TEAM SCOREEEEES! Keywords Gain: If you have "Desperate" then gain "Defeated" and lose "Desperate" Lose "Resolute" if you had it If the other team has scored 6 goals click here Otherwise click here to calculate your ending As the puck screams past you, you realize that blocking the passing lane might have been a bit above you. Your defensive skills are mediocre on a good day. You change your position to no block the shooting lane. This requires less skill and more about how big you can play on the other player. Your goal here is to make yourself look so intimidating that the other player passes back to the top and resets the play. Unfortunately, it looks like this other player isn't buying it. Maybe you can scare them? Position your stick on the right to block a play up the ice Or Position your stick left to keep blocking the passing lane like you intend You choose to keep blocking the passing lane thinking that there is no chance that this player will take a shot like this. There has got to be too much traffic in front of the net right now for this guy to do anything. It was definitely better off stopping him from passing again. Famous last words. The player decides to start skating in. It is only then that you realize your defensive error and you turn to catch up with the player trying to get past your zone. In desperation, you make a bad call. Fumble and reach out with your stick or Attempt to recover and lift your opponents stick With the puck now on the backside of your stick, you try and snap the puck at the goalie. You are hoping the sudden change of angle will open up the net to you. It almost looks like it is going to beat the goalie until they uncoil like a snake strike their prey and before you know it that puck is nowhere near the goal. With time winding down you try and get the puck back but it is too late. The other team catches up with you and the rest of the period is spent along the board trying to free the puck The game is whistled over. If you have the keyword resolute click here Otherwsie click here to calculate your ending With the puck now on the backside of your stick, you try and snap the puck at the goalie stick side. Usually a pretty bad play as this doesn't exactly change the angle or direction of your shot. You try to use that extra reach to beat the goalie It almost looks like it is going to beat the goalie until they uncoil like a snake and try to strike it down. But they are too low and misjudge the angle. The puck goes in! THE PUCK GOES IN!!! GOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! The game is whistled over shortly afterward. Keyword Gain: If you had "Go Ahead" gain "Game Winning" and lose "Go ahead" otherwise gain "Go ahead" If you had "Resolute" lose it If you had "Despicable" gain "Angry Crowd" If you now have Angry Crowd you may click here If this is your 6th goal click here Otherwise click here to calculate your ending With the puck on your forehand now you have your best shot at putting this puck exactly where you want it to go. Now that you noticed the goalie is fidgeting around but still standing you aim for the 5 hole that he has left for you. The goalie seems to be baiting you with this shot though as he has left it wide open. You take your last ditch effort to slap a shot a hard as you can right at the goalies legs. When an unstoppable force meets and immovable object, something is bound to explode! AND SOMETHING DOES! The goal horn blares. ITS A GOAL! The crowd cheers for your team. The game clock slowly ticks down until the final whistle is blown. The game is over. Keyword Gain: If you had "Go Ahead" gain "Game Winning" and lose "Go ahead" otherwise gain "Go ahead" If you had "Resolute" lose it If you had "Despicable" gain "Angry Crowd" If you now have Angry Crowd you may click here If this is your 6th goal click here Otherwise click here to calculate your ending With the puck on your forehand its down to just you and the goalie. The other team is just a few steps behind, but they can't stop you now. You are in the zone. You have evaluated your option and decided that you are going to challenge that glove side corner. If you are fast enough you should be able to snap that goal into the back of the net. You fake a shot but the goalie keeps his calm. You commit to your plan and snap a shot towards the corner. The puck shoots through the air like a laser. It seems like the puck will go in! Moments before it crosses that goal line you are already starting to celebrate in your head when that goalie glove comes out of no where and taps the puck. It his the top of the cross bar and goes out of play. Dismayed you try to recover during the faceoff but your team loses the puck and after a 45 seconds of a trap fest against the boards the final whistle blows and the game is over. Otherwise click here to calculate your ending You approach the goalie with skaters right behind you. This is you last chance at getting a goal for this game. The clock is winding down with just 50 seconds left to go. You stare the goalie right in the eye as you size up in your head what the available options are. You are already committed to taking this puck to your back hand and trying to cheese in a goal some how. But the question is how are you going to do it? The goalie is positioned just slightly off to the right leaving ample space on the left side of the goal if you are quick enough to get a shot off with accuracy. With a flick of your wrist to the backside do you want to shoot towards his glove and hope your misdirection thrown him off balance Or Try and be smooth and shoot the puck at that exposed left side with your weak backhand Its you and the goalie all alone and you've decided that no matter what happens next, the puck is coming off your forehand. The goalie seems ready for you though and has positioned himself close to that right side to try and blocker off any attempt by you to score on his glove side. You move the puck back and forth getting ready to snap one high and to the corner until you notice that you have succesfully pulled the goalie out of position and he has just barely stood up enough that with a precision strike you might be able to get it through his pads and into his 5 hole. He has practically gifted it to you but when you look the goalie in the eye you see nothing but intense concentration. It could be a trap. Spring the trap and slap a shot right at the 5 hole Or Stick to the plan and shoot for the top right corner Its race between the stick coming down with force from the opposing team and you trying to poke the puck out of the sticks trajectory. You reach out and extend with as much elasticity as you can muster and you barely tip the puck but it is enough! The other players stick comes down and misses the puck completely. You recover faster and now the puck is on your stick and the only thing between you and the other teams goalie is open ice. With a few quick strides you build up enough speed to put a little distance between you and the player who is now chasing you. It's you and the goalie all alone. This is it kid, this might be your last chance to score this game you tell yourself. Will it be 0 or hero? The goalie is tracking you as you bob and weave and try to set up a shot. In seconds you will have to decide how you want to shoot this puck. You will only get one chance. You are going to take this shot to your backhand, he'll never see it coming Or You can throw all your skill and power into a forehand shot with little subtlety The other player winds up to take his shot and you already diving to the ice to cut off the shot. A big slap shot comes out of the attacker and hits you square in the ribs. The would be unimaginable except that you are riding high on adrenaline with the end of the game slowly ticking away. The world seems to slow as your body absorbs the impact of the shot and you are quick to get up and assess your options. You see a teammate coming up behind you and you could give him the puck as a springboard to a breakaway. Your other option is to leave the puck as he will get there soon and focus on skating for the blue line in hopes that they spring you a pass. It would be a risky move. Pass puck to teammate Or Start skating and hope for the hail mary pass With a quick dive you slide feet first and just manage to tip off the pass as the momentum gets killed on your pads. There is not much rebound and you are able to get back to your feet quickly with the other team closing in on you. You look for your options and and you come down to two snap decisions. You see a teammate going for the breakaway and you can pass the puck to him Or Pass the puck back to a teammate and go for the breakaway yourself now that you can maneuver without the puck You put your stick out to block the pass and you just narrowly miss. The puck is now on the other side of the ice, but your team is still in a good position to defend. You skate back and get into position to keep up your defense. Your defensive read just was not good enough for that kind of play but maybe if you keep at it you might be able to force their hand. The player with the puck does not look like they are going to shoot it so you are again presented with the option of playing a bit offensively or taking the safe road and playing defensively. Play defensively and switch to block this players shot Or Stay further out and keep putting pressure on the passing lane You decide to take up a position in the shooting lane. If the player is going for the shot its gotta get through you first. You are careful to follow the coaches training and to make sure that you dont get in the way of the goalies vision, but it is hard with the way the player is skating back and forth. You think to yourself that you wish you had spent more time training defensively as you know that a goal against could very well be your fault here. You have to play smart. But does that mean you have to play safe. Your need to get something done here is rising. The other player seems to make up their mind and quickly raises his stick for a slap shot. You have just an instant to decide your next move. Dive and cut off a low shot, you dont need your body Or Burst forward with your last gasp of speed and try to tip way that puck It's the last two minutes of the period. Your team just tried to score a goal on the other goalie, but after some hearty defense by the other team it looks like that offensive momentum was killed. Your coach calls in the players with a scream of "FRESH LEGS". The line makes one final play to dump the puck into enemy territory and rush back to the bench to get the next line out. Your line. It's the last two minutes and the coach has given you the tap that you are going to go out there and do something to end this game. As soon as a player hits the bench you are on the ice and skating to the neutral zone to try and cut off any advances by the other team but they are relentless. A teammate separates the puck from the other team with a strong check and you race to the puck to try and get it only to be out worked. Your only recourse is for the team to fall back to your zone and play defense. The other team walks the puck into your zone as they wait to make their final gambit. The other teams goalie is still in place so if you can make a play here there is no long shot at the goal. The puck is walked into your zone right in front of you, and the other play is looking all over the ice to make his play. It's time for defense! If you are desperate you must choose this option: Swing stick wildly to try and disrupt anything! Otherwise Position yourself in the passing lane leaving the shot open Or Put yourself in the shooting lane and leave the pass open You skate with the puck and decide that there is too much traffic for a shot to the net. You decided to trust in your skates and your puck control. You keep it tight in and manage to play keep away from the defenders sticks as you close in on the goal. The traffic is getting more condensed and in the middle of it there is you with the puck. You are moving like a snake in and out, bobbing and weaving around the defenders. Its you all the way! There is an opening and you take the shot from right in front of the goal. The goal comes out and you go flying but as you are airborne you hear the goal horn go off. The refs are waving a good goal. You go sliding towards the boards, slowly, with a grin on your face. GOOOOOAAAAAAL! Skill Gain: Go Ahead You play several more shifts in the period but none of them amount to any significant offense. The game is winding down and it is down to the last two minutes of the game and the coach is sending you out Get ready to skate your last shift You come around the goal and decide the window is too small to take a shot off on the goalie. You keep on skating to hope to bring the goalie out of position for a better shot. As you swing in tight you find yourself in the center of the ice with the other team collapsing on you. Your teammates are coming in behind you to help support and traffic around the net is starting to clog up. In a brief view of nirvana you see a path open up for a shot. At the same time something clicks and you see a different path you can take to skate in and try and jam the puck while everyone is collapsing around the goalie. Take the shot Or Put your head down and weave your way closer From the wraparound you bring it in tight around the corner hoping to surprise the goalie with speed. Midway through the wraparound you have to narrowly avoid a check while keeping your eye on the goalie. As you clear the other side of the net you try to jam the puck into the back of the net, but the goalies foot is there on the post and is not budging. You try and battle the goalie, but a player from the other team comes in and checks you off the puck. This allows the goalie to cover up and ends the play. No goal! You skate a few more shifts this period but none of them result in any significant offensive push. As the game comes down to the wire, the coach taps you and tells you to be ready to go for a final push. 2 minutes left and the coach is calling to put your line in. Get ready to jump into the play You decide to go for the wraparound attack. As you blow past the goalie you turn your head to take to give him the evil eye. Youre eyes lock for just a second and they you are gone. You are whizzing around the goal and the goalie is swiveling his head to see what you are up to. A quick check shows no one coming into the slot for a pass from you. Yo are going to go all the way and try and jam it in Or You are wary that the goalie will block the shot so you plan to skate and try to set up another attack You decide to pass the puck from your center position back out to the wings. There was too much traffic for you to go and take the shot. As the puck is passed around the ice your team zeros in on a scoring opporunity. A quick pass across the crease has your teammate sniping for a corner but the goalie gets there and robs him with a block save which goes right to one of his players. The other team manages to clear the zone and kills off the offensive momentum. You have a few more shifts this period, none of the amount to any significant offense As the game starts to wind down to the last two minutes, the coach give you a tap and tell you to be ready to go at any moment. Prepare for the last shift You find yourself on the left side of the ice as your teammates move into formation to receive setup plays. You decided to pass the puck instead of taking the shot again so you feather a pass back to the top a you skate around to get a better position. As your team passed furiously trying to circle in on a shot, a bad pass leads to a quick move by the defense to poke the puck back to neutral ice. Having lost your momentum, your line tries to get something going but gets called back in for a line a change. After a few more uneventful shifts the game starts to wind down when you get a tap from the coach that he is putting you in for last shift before the end of the game. Better start preparing mentally now. Get ready for the endgame! After receiving the rebound pass up the boards to the right side. You decide to snap a pass back to the top. The puck moves around and you get a quick snap to a player in center ice but he's forced to back off by some good D by the other team. You keep passing it around with the other guys on the ice but can't seem to eek out an advantage. You are being a little cautious now as the play continues. Eventually the fatigue of a long shift gets to one of your teammates and he makes a mistake and lets the puck sail pass him from a hard pass back to neutral ice. The coach calls the line back in for a change. You get a few more shifts before the end of the game swiftly approaches. The coach comes and gives you a tap to let you know that youll be going in soon. Say your last prayers for your last shift You go for the shot even though there is traffic in front of the net. A flick of your wrist and your quick release... HITS THE POST! The rebound is recovered by a teammate who skate back and around the net to dish it off to the left side of the ice. You and the sharks are circling looking for the best shot to take. You find yourself on the right side of the ice. You have a little bit of room in front of you. You call for the puck and your teammates quickly snap a pass to you. It's rolling towards you but the shot is there if you want to take it. On the other hand, it could be a risky shot and you a teammate in perfect position for a pass. Pass the puck Or You line yourself up on the left side of the ice and call for the puck to be passed to you. With laser like focus you take the fastest wrist shot you can manage as the puck moves across the ice. Your teammates have been doing a good job distracting the goalie and you see the back of the net in front of you. The puck sails through the air. The goalie is sliding over but he knows he has been beat. It's going... going... Post. The puck deflects off the top post and lands behind the net. The crowd lets our a groan. A teammate picks up the puck and passes it out. Your teammates are looking for their next opportunity. You find yourself in the center of the ice with a pass coming towards you. Pass it out Or Take a shot Your moves have brought the entire team collapsing on you. While you are a step ahead, your team knows the plan. Without looking you take 2 steps forward to make it look like you're going for the goal, but in the last second. You shovel a pass backwards to the wings where you a nice crack to know that your pass has been received. The shocked defenders are putting on the brakes as they realize that they focused too much on you. There are just seconds between the defense being able to reposition to stop the new line of attack. You watch everyone heads turn to the goal. That clack wasn't a pass received but a teammate taking a one timer off your pass. The air thickens as time slows. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR GOALLLLLLL!!!! The players on the ice dogpile onto the scorer as they make a quick exit for the next line. You find yourself sitting on the bench until the last two minutes of the game Your moves have opened up the space between you and the goalie. They are squared up and ready look to be ready. You take a quick glance to see where the opening is that you are aiming for and notice the corner in the back has just enough space to thread a shot right through. You take the wrist shot with a quick snap and send the puck rocketing towards the goal. You receive a little push from behind but you keep your feet as you watch the puck sail through the air... and hit the post. Plink! You hustle to the puck and recover it. A quick assessment of your options reveals two: Pass the puck to another player OR Take another shot! After struggling to make it past the defenders, your steady feet have given you one step. In the instant between victory and defeat you assess the goalie staring at you. Time slows as they realize that you are zeroing in on a shot location. They move up to be as big as they can. That stick and blocker look massive in your eyes, but you know the puck is small. You shoot it to the glove side of the goalie with speed and precision! The goalie snaps for the puck and you see him turn around quickly when he realizes that the puck isn't in his glove. You exhale and move to get a better view off to the right. PLINK! The puck has hit the post and you snap back into action and are able to retrieve the wayward puck: Pass the puck out to safety OR Take the puck and try to shoot it again! The last two guys in front of you are there to block your path. To get through will have to use our signature move, puck between the legs into a spin-o-rama. You begin the test of agility as you dazzle them with your puckhandling. You beat the first one with the puck between the legs and realize if you don't execute the spin-o-rama right now you are going to run right into the second defender. Without missing a beat your skates edge right around the second defender. In your spin you see all the defenders facing you and your teammates have crossed the blue line. Take the shot on the goalie OR Drop a pass to another player You cross the blue line and head for the boards. There are three players in front of you and two behind. You draw the players in and pass one by cutting hard to the inside. Three strides later and you notice a hole between two of the defenders so you continue your pace and skate between them even as you feel someone trying to give you a swift back check. Another cut and you are coming into the goalie with speed with no defenders in front of you. The goalie is squared up and ready for your approach and you can see that there is no one hugging the far post. Take a shot OR Use your speed for a wraparound You aim for a tight shot hoping to get the goalie between his legs. You put enough force into the shot that you lose control. The puck careens off your stick, but you can see the writing on the wall. The puck hits the post with a dull sound, but luckily falls to an area that you can grab if you just put your stick our a little further! With a tremendous effort you manage to reach the puck as you're moving. A quick assessment of your options gives you two choices: Shoot the puck again OR Pass the puck out to another player Even with players in front of you, you are feeling lit up with energy. There is some kind of clarity guiding you through the play and you know you can take these guys head on and push through. Without slowing down or looking behind you, you push through the center of the ice. The defenders look at you and see the wild gleam in your eyes, but are ready to stop you. There is no more time to think as they are on top of you trying to knock you down and take the puck. So far you are managing to hold on as they try to bully you every step of the way to the goal. Try to create space with a fancy move OR Muster more energy and push through to take a shot You make up your mind that the best chance for this shot to go in is to screen the goalie and hope the shot is low enough that it goes undetected. Your teammate has been practicing this shot with you all season and it has worked so you put your faith in them. As the stick comes down to hit the puck, you are jostled from behind by an opposing player who has come to give his goalie line of sight. The stick slaps the puck and you take your jump, hoping the goalie still is in the dark. You hear an an audible oof as you watch the puck slides off the other player to the ground. The shot has been blocked and a precious minutes are killed while both teams wrestle for control. Your coach calls you in for a line shift as you wait for chance at the goal. Continue on to the final play 2 minutes before the end of the game |