Well, we won game 1, then lost game 2. Which means the all important game 3 is Tuesday at 10:30PM. It is do or die time. I am not exactly sure how they beat us. We let them score first, which seemed to whip us up into a frenzy. This caused players to freak out a little bit, and the whole game just went south from there.

I am still feeling no pressure what so ever. I want to win very badly, but I am doing a marvelous job of not having strong emotions about it. I am staying level headed. So far, I am treating the playoffs as any other game. I do not believe in bringing more than normal effort. To me, there is nothing more than normal. If you have the capacity to play better under certain circumstances, you are not playing your best until then. I see this in football almost every week. These teams get in a jam, then at the end of the game, they play this magical "2 minute offense", where magically they can play really well, and get the ball way down field, really fast, and get the game tied up. IF YOU CAN FUCKING DO THIS, DO IT FOR THE ENTIRE GAME, AND YOU WOULD NEVER FUCKING BE IN THAT POSITION IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! It drives me nuts to think that these athletes who make millions of dollars, have secret abilities that they only use in an emergency. Fuck you. Play the whole game as if it were the Superbowl.

Another thing I hate is when a teammate is not honest with themselves and points the finger at other players, when they themselves are part of the problem. Perhaps it is a natural defense mechanism. I VERY RARELY ever criticize anyone else's game, because I know that I can always do better.

I firmly believe that I can improve my game over the next few days by studying and changing some of my pregame attitude. I will study training videos between now and the game, to remind me of some of the bad habits I need to stay away from while skating. I also have a instructional book on how to improve your attitude during the game, by helping you manage your time, and breathing methodologies to help you be ready for your shifts. Additionally, I will meditate prior to leaving for the game, and visualize the math in my mind. Just before game time, I will find a nice quiet place, and spend a few minutes alone to relax.

I think the threat of another loss is quite real, so I am going into the game with expectations that it will be incredibly difficult, and require the best performance possible.

Ok, enough rambling.