Writing the league news every Sunday since early September and throughout a winter that finally seems ready to leave us; I am now full of energy because incredibly, this day is one of the few where it was sunny since the beginning of the season. Surrounded by the nine windows in the front of my loft, the bright atmosphere in which I bathe has two distinct personalities, even three if you count the night and even more when you add the textures of the seasons. However, even if I like the light-filled days, I prefer to write when it's gray and even more when the winds of blowing rain or snow come down on the windows.

Pre-game rituals vary greatly from one individual to another and in some cases they are old habits that were picked up during adolescence or even childhood. From pasta, to a nap in the afternoon and right down to the music that sets the "mood", each player has their superstitions and habits on game day, and when they are messed up by external causes, a poor performances can be blamed on the breaking of the ritual.

We’re off, and with the first round of our "Round Robin" games under our blades, we had three good, hotly contested games even if the score of the first game could make us believe otherwise (see Midway Scoreboard). In that game, the Cabane Loggers continued their collective game style where everyone contributes, moreover, even when they have replacements they seem to integrate them well as pucks travel from one stick to another much like the red army in their heyday. I'm exagerating a little, but they have a nice chemistry on and off the ice if I base myself on the laughter emanating from their room. The Red Horizon Tomahawks were overwelmed at the insistence of the attack of the men in black and will have to re-group because they remain the team to beat having won the championship of the regular season, so other teams will not take them lightly. That said, their goalie Nicholas Chagnon had a strong performance in the defeat but their attack could not break through the Great Wall of China that stood in front of the Loggers goalie who also played like a demon in holy water in front of his net.

Hockey, like life, unites people from everywhere who share the same passion, whether as player or spectator. Some are more talented, generous, hard-working or more vocal than others, but everyone shares a desire to win. Have you ever played like it might be your last time on the ice? The experience brings with it the desire to live in the moment, and a certain dismay with the clock that erases time in spite of us.

Like in a good script, we will have to wait until the last regular-season weekend to crown the champions and winner of the Tremblay trophy. Luck has it, the only two teams who can win it are scheduled to face off next Sunday at 6:30 to see who the regular season champ will be. After an inaugural season where all teams were not necesarelly balanced, we can say mission accomplished in our second year, whereby five teams were still battling for the grand honors yesterday.

Like Valery our Russian netminder at the time of the SatNite Hockey Brotherhood (original name of our crew) --that strangely had learned to keep goals here, but moved nonetheless like a Soviet goalie-- wondered one evening while sitting at the table amongst his ice brothers during one of our hockey get together, "why marijuana?" So, you may be wondering yourself, "why Logotomie 2 ?" I therefore refer you to an article published on our home page on 03/17/2014 titled Logotomie which explained the trials and errors in the creation of the final version of the LFA logo that took seven months to finalize, if I remember correctly. At the time of the SatNite Hockey Bro, our meetings on Saturday were dictated by the climate because we played in the last semi-outdoor arena in Montreal, so in general we had to wait until november for the ambient air to be cold enough to start the season. Season is a big word because given the volatility of the facilities, everyone was free to go as he pleased, so to make sure that we had enough players for our games, I would spend a crazy amount of time on the phones from Thursday leading up to our saturday get together. At this point in our history, before the internet moved into our lives, I had no idea hockey was going to occupy so much space in mine, even less, that I would be afflicted by logotomie .

We ended Saturday, the coldest month in history with two hotly contested matches, including a duel for second place which saw the Vipers climb back to once again hold the second place honours with the Shamrocks one point back from the Tomahawks who have been on top for the last couple weeks.The Toms lost their battle to the Avengers yesterday who seemed to have regained their confidence after last weeks meltdown.