Hockey Tournament - Game 4 - Finals

At 1:40PM yesterday we (the Green Chili's) again faced off against SISU, this time for the finals. (note the photos are proofs from the professional photographer that was there, we paid for and ordered the complete set of photos for our team, so i'll have more and higher res photos soon)
 
From the start we knew we were in trouble. Half of our Protein Pair of wings was in the ER with intense jaw pain and was not going to make the game. That gave us only 10 skaters, yet we watched as 16 blue jerseys filled the other bench. This means that while we had exactly two lines, they had three. There was a good shot we were going to be out-skated by fresh legs all game. And that's pretty much how it went.

Just last our previous meeting, SISU was fast, sharp, and intense. They were intercepting our passes, smoothly working together to our skate and out think our defense, and just plain out skating us. We tried hard to hold our own. We made them earn each of their goals, not letting any of the easy ones in. But there was just no stopping them yesterday.

They mowed over us 7-2.

However... as I drove home, I didn't find myself depressed or frustrated or even discouraged. I was stoked actually.

I played hockey!

I just finished an entire hockey season, with a tournament of 4 games in a 36 hour period.

It was not that long ago that my heart condition would sometimes not let me up a flight of stairs. It was not that long ago that I was frequenting ERs and cardiologists due to the frequency and intensity of my heart issues and chest pain. There have been times in the last two years, and many times going further back than that, where my heart was so messed up I couldn't get out of bed.

Yet I played 4 intense hockey games in 36 hours, within a SINGLE off-rhythm heartbeat! Without ONCE taking my pulse! Without a single thought of my oxygenation level or blood pressure! Praise God!

I played 4 intense hockey games in 36 hours. My heart was healthy. My lungs were healthy. Heck, only my hamstrings are a bit sore today. It's pretty unbelievable.

In high school when all this heart stuff started I had to drop most things I was involved in, and couldn't even run the mile for fitness testing. I knew my time in athletics was over. But God's redeemed that!! Talk about amazing!