Miss January

SNH: Well, Mel, you certainly are a busy woman, between our schedules I didn't know if this would ever happen!

Mel: What do you mean between our busy schedules? Do you mean the schedule where at least 1 time during a Saturday night I look over and there is your FULL MOON or I walk into the bathroom as you are walking out WITH ONLY an Old Spice soap container in front of you? Our schedules have matched up pretty well, just not in the desired format…. (HE HE HE)

SNH: Not desired? Coulda fooled me. . . To get on topic, I guess the first thing that everyone would like to know is where did you get this name "Super Girl"?

Mel: The Komets where looking to have fun names on their jerseys, versus last names. At first everyone was thinking Smurfette (given my former blond hair), but then I had a scuffle with this guy at Grapevine and the name just came. It was going to be Super Girl or Mohammed Ali…

SNH: Wow. . . who would've guessed!
So then, what would you say is your kryptonite? Besides me in net, of course.

Mel: I can’t wait to score a goal on you, I will stop and do push ups right in front of you…. HE HE HE… Seriously, right now, my kryptonite seems to be myself and lack of confidence. I have missed so many wide open nets in the last 3 months that it is almost like I have a jinx on me... Oh well, it’s hockey and I pay to play, I love it!!!


SNH: Now, obviously you're not from the planet Krypton, where does our Super Girl hail from?

Mel: Ummm, My mother’s womb… !!!! I was born and raised in Southern California until I turned 14 then my family moved to Texas. I went back to California (Miramar) in 1997 when I was in the Marine Corps, but eventually came back to DFW in 2001. Texas is where I consider home.

SNH: SoCal, heh-heh, yeah! Okay. Hockey by most accounts is a pretty masculine game, I know that doesn't always come across in I-league. You are very feminine, if you don't mind my saying so. How is that these two have become so beautifully juxtaposed?

Mel: HA!!!! Me feminine????? I like being that girl that is a guy’s type of girl. I golf, fish, hunt, scuba dive, play hockey, work out, love sports and yet can still pull off wearing a dress. I get a pedicure done every 2 weeks, only because I go barefoot in my hockey skates which can lead to nasty ingrown toenails. (Ok, Ok, maybe I like the cute little flowers they put on my toes and the nice, red toe nail polish, after all I am a girl!!!!) I know I'm not the only girl in the league that feels this way, but I like being that girl that when you say, “ I play hockey” people just look at you and think no way!!! You only live once, why not try to push the limits.

SNH: So, how long ago did you get into hockey?

Mel: I started skating, aka attempting to play hockey, in October of 2005! I watched a few games of a former friend and thought, heck I can do that. I put on skates and could actually skate! I couldn’t stop though, or carry the puck (HE HE HE not much has changed, now has it) but eventually I become comfortable and found my place on a hockey team.

I am the skater that tries to break up the plays and the forward that stays back when D carries the puck. I hope one day to become the goal scorer, but for now I am happy with my role. I am going to attempt my hand at playing D this session with the Silverwings.

SNH: So, other than at the rink, the work-out room, on the links, in the field or stream, or being a Marine. . . you must be the picture of femininity, right?

Yeah, I am a girl but in the words of Bryan Brookman, “Mel if you start looking like “China” from Gladiators I am going to shoot you." I enjoy working out and do this form of extreme work outs called CrossFit. Back in August I participated in a competition and came in 2nd place in the elite division. One of my goals when I started was I wanted to do 1 pull up. Given my rebuilt shoulder, the doctors told me I would never be able to. Well back in December I did 130 pull ups and beat every guy at our gym. To me working out is a necessity to a healthy life.

There are about 3 versions of Mel that happen every week:
Career Mel – super professional, and even wears high heel shoes

Work Out Mel – wants nothing more than to just be able to run and have a good deadlift

Hockey Mel – loves to play the game, even though not the best


SNH: Okay, so are you ever just a girl?

Mel: Well, there was this one time at band camp… Seriously, I wore a dress and had my hair and makeup all girly’d up in November. Bobby and I went to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Black Tie Ball – yeah it was a “FORMAL” event! In the words of Chilly Willy who saw me before I left to the event - “Mel you look like a girl - Holly heck, let me take a picture of this so I have proof!!!" I like to dress up every now and then; I am starting to get some killer looking legs that look good in a dress.

SNH: That's what I'm talkin' about! Got any pics? Uh, purely for journalistic research, I assure you.

Mel: Take a look, but please, keep your tongue in your mouth. I still can’t believe that is really me… ! I guess I can be a girl!

SNH: A girl like you must be hounded by the guys all the time, seeing anyone these days? (I move in a little closer)

Mel: Sorry dude, married guys are not my thing. Besides, why would I jeopardize the permission slip you have been given to finally come back to Saturday night hockey!!!! I just “might” have a thing with this guy I know. I think we have been dating for a week or something like that!

SNH: Oh. . . yeah, well, I'm spoken for, too. How did you two meet?

Mel: I had known of Bobby for a while but had never really spoken to him until December 2006. We had a D League Phantoms game vs. the former Wolverines (Now VBB) and the Phantoms were about to finally get a point by going to overtime. Well, that was until Bobby scored in the last 14 seconds of the game… So we went to the face off and he says, "I am handing out autographs at the end of the game…" I said “Fudge You!", only I used the real word, and the thing is I don’t use curse words. I used to love to hate him! LOL!

SNH: Yeah, what a prince, I still love to hate him.

Speaking of bastards, what do you think of the Nate Hodges retirement?

Mel: Little Ball of Hate… HE HE HE. That was my first nickname for Hodges. I love that guy to death. I am happy for him that he is retiring as a coach by having more Keg wins under him then Bobby does… LOL!

SNH: That guy is so full of himself, I guarantee, he will never beat me again!

Mel: Ellis, you are a total rock star, but even rock stars have off days!!!!

SNH: Right, I'm sorry. You're right, this is your interview, sorry, sorry. . . Uh, I uh, how many teams have you played for on a regular basis? And, which one is or was your favorite?

Mel: I play D League with the Phantoms and I league for Komets, Silverwings, and Grave Diggers. There is no way to pick a favorite team. Each team is filled with different aspects of the game and camaraderie; each team is a wonderful adventure I look forward to every week. The people I am blessed to play hockey with are part of my family and I look forward to many more years of this adventure.


SNH: Sure, like choosing between children. . . Whatever! Riddle me this, Super Girl. . . All of us macho men loves us a cat fight, have you ever thrown down with some other hottie on the ice?

Mel: Nope not a cat fight, but a pure "girl-whoopin'-up-on-a-guy" fight. I wish we had it on video tape. During a Komets vs. Grapevine game a few years back I did in fact throw down!!! One of their D guys kept jabbing his stick into my side I kept saying please stop, that really hurts. Then he started laughing and kept doing it. I told him do it again and see what happens. So he did and I dropped my stick, kept on my gloves, and just turned around and beat his butt down to the ground. While he is laying on the ground, I standing over top of him using all kinds of curse words telling him to never F’ing do that again or I will beat his little A$$. Before the ref could get the guy off the ground I skated myself to the penalty box. My entire team was laughing and in disbelief… Ref came to the penalty box as I was lifting up my jersey to observe my side, which was already bruising, and the he apologized to me for not seeing what was happening. He only gave me 2 mins….. HE HE HE… That was fun, but completely out of character for me.

SNH: Who would you most like to go toe to toe with?

Mel: Nah, I don’t think I would ever fight a girl player, there are so few of us that we need to stay tight. But maybe Stone Cold or Big Joe!!!

SNH: You would so kick their a$$es!

Mel: When I play against either Stone Cold or Big Joe, we always play fight, it's fun. But I am afraid that either of them might fall on me in the crease and I would be a Melly pancake!

SNH: This has been a very enlightening experience, Mel. Tell me, what else should I know about Melissa Knourek? What do you need to set straight?

Mel: Nothing much, what you see is what you get. I try to live my life so that if I were to die today people would actually come to my funeral and say nice things…

SNH: Can I ask you one more thing?

Mel: It is Sunday, and I am trying to watch the Eagles vs. Giants!!! But if you must you must… ask away. But, if I miss a first down conversion or a key play I am going to kick your butt!

SNH: Thank you, I'll be quick. What's up with all this pink tape, and laces, and stuff? Why do so many of you chicks go out of your way to plaster this stuff all over your gear?

Mel: Well, obviously you haven’t been paying attention. I took the pink laces out of my skates back in October. Jeez, get some new glasses!!!! Back in the day, because I am not very girly-girl, I was dared to wear something pink with my hockey gear. I think most of the guys thought I would get the pink gloves. But instead I went with the pink laces. Well then I started noticing a lot of other girls with the baby pink laces and I didn’t want to be part of a crowd, so I upgraded to the neon pink laces just to be obnoxious. Back in September, I had a great conversation with a fellow female hockey player who asked me why I would tarnish my good skating skills with my "look at me" pink laces. It was then that I realized I didn’t want anyone to judge me by my laces or anything else girly, I wanted them to judge me by my skating/hockey skills.

I will say I think the little girls in youth hockey are super cute wearing their pink laces amongst all those boys!!!!

SNH: Excellent! Thanks, again for helping me out with this, and the cute pics. By the way, I don't really follow your American Football very much, but I have a suspicion the G-men are goin' down. . .

Welcome to the Majors

The minor I-league sticks with the "instruction" part of I-league and holds the first of two practices, but the Majors (too good for practice, right?) jumped right into the fray. The Majors have added a few teams and the Snipers are not in the division anymore, bringing the total from eight to ten teams. Those who were here last session will be somewhat familiar with the Lone Star Imports (LSI) and the Whalers, both have graduated from the minors. If you've played here for a bit longer than that, you might remember the Spiders, back from hockey limbo, with much the same roster. Tonight there were games of all types. Do you like tight, defensive, low-scoring affairs; high-scoring, lights-out offensive games; dominating juggernauts; or perhaps you prefer the elegant art of the shut-out (ahem)? What's not to like?

Major League opening night:

Blue Devils (0-1-0) 1
LSI (1-0-0) 2

The Devils return with a touch of Keg hangover, the expansion Imports take advantage of all the opportunities that the Pats could not, last week. In the first, "Big Billy" William Kuo, buries the puck behind Blubaugh off the sweet feed from Catherine Levesque. In the second, the Devils put the Imports on the power play on three occasions, but kill them all off, it takes a mental hic-cup on the one Blue Devil power play to put LSI up by two. Who should be the impetus for this development but the all seeing Catherine Levesque. She springs Gabe Rivera for the shorty. The Imports hold down the Devils offense for what would have been a shut-out, last session, but with the extra six minutes of play, Charlie Heine finally spoils the night for David Jackson, with a Blue Devil's consolation goal.

Ice Bats (1-0-0) 3
Komets (0-0-1) 2

There may have been some dispute about the addition of Chris Gallagher to the Komets roster at the beginning of the game but a late roster addition by the Bats proves to be the real story of the game. A.J. DiBenedetto fills the net for Komets and turns away all the shots in the first period, Rodney Forehand secures the early lead with a Komet goal, scored strangely enough on the forehand. In the second, the Bats apply the pressure and tie the game with a goal from Scott Hunton. A few minutes later, Mike Bierwiler retakes the Komet lead, but sees it vanish when Danny Grimes scores with only twenty-seven seconds left in the middle frame. In the final period, neither team can come up with the winner, the Komet defense puts the clamp on the Bats limiting them to single digit shots for regulation but in overtime, the Bats find their way through the coverage and it's Catherine Levesque, apparently unhappy with her two assists for the Imports, who scores the winner for the Bats, no doubt she burned Gallagher in the slot.

Whalers (0-1-0) 1
Spiders (1-0-0) 6

Tony Marra, got his win for the night in net for the Ice Bats, but when he takes the ice against Josh Ayala (fresh up from the Chiefs in the minors) and the Spiders, he takes a whoopin' of the highest order. The Spiders have been out for a while but they waste no time in their return game, just twenty-six seconds into the game, Pete Clarke puts his arachnid teammates up on the board, by the time the first was over the Spiders had a three to nothing lead with the fine work of Bill Wessel and Evan Callahan. For some reason the Spider's forwards decided to take a nap in the second period, resulting in a scoreless thirteen minutes, but they got back into it in the third. Andrew Patti tallies the fourth unanswered Spider goal and Brian Couture lengthens the lead to five, from the point. In the closing of the game, Pete Clark scores again. At this point the conditioning of the Spiders then comes into question, with only eleven seconds left in the game, the Whalers come up with the pride point, a goal from Richard Walter. Josh, you suck!

Brewzers (0-1-0) 0
Patriots (1-0-0) 3

The Pats had their only multi-goal lead against the Brewzers last session, but Mike Moore hadn't forgotten. Shots for the Brewzers were few and far between, only six shots on the board through two periods. While at the other end the Pats piled-on shot after shot without reward. Mike makes save after save, until late in the second when stretching across the goal line to cover a rebound, he pulls his quad. He manages to hold-off the onslaught for the remainder of the period, but can't make it through the third, Jeff Eagle scores the first Patriot goal, and Travis Lehr follows suit. The Brewzers double their efforts on offense, inspired by their netminder, but the twine eludes them. The Brewzer spirit was broken, when a pass from behind the net bounces off Mac Miller under Moore for the third goal.

DFW Titans (1-0-0) 5
Stickmen (0-1-0) 3

The Titans scrape together a roster, just before the Zam leaves the ice, and they choose wisely. Pete Clarke and Mike Kirkland score the only goals of the opening period, both for the Titans. In the second, the Titans start it up again, with a goal from Jamil Jabri, but the Stickmen wouldn't lay down and die, clutch striker, Alex Eysermanns collects the first Stickmen goal, Mike Kirkland erases it before the buzzer ends the second. It take half the third period to get to the next goal, but Kirkland makes it worth the wait, and the hat trick is his. The Sticks make a push for overtime: a goal from Brian Listman, and a power play goal from Ken Halford pull the Sticks to within two, but even with the new longer periods, time runs out. Steve, did I say "clutch", what was I thinking?

Good times, only one more week of practices and the minors will be underway.