Jarick

Mission L-2 Shaft Flex: 75 Test Blade: Mission L-2 (Elias, Hull) Reviewer: 5'8", 170 lbs, rec league winger Time Used: Two months (20+ times) Shaft Shape / Flex I'm a shorter guy, have smaller hands (13" gloves), and am not particularly big or strong at 170 pounds. So the intermediate flex shaft feels great for me. At first it felt a bit small, but now everything else feels huge. The finish is a little slick compared to other sticks I've used, but it hasn't been a problem or required any additional adhesive or grip. The flex on this thing is great, whippy yet predictable. I'm able to fire off quick wrist shots no problem but also get plenty of heat on the slap shots. I also have the confidence to fire quick shots through traffic since I can load it so easily. But the lighter flex does seem to make passes a bit harder to catch. 9/10 Stickhandling / Receiving Passes The feedback of the L-2 shaft and blade combo are terrific. I can feel where the puck is on my blade better than wood, so I do have a bit more confidence carrying the puck in traffic. The whippy intermediate shaft combined with the stiff composite blade make passes hard to catch though, enough that I have to remember to cradle the puck to slow the momentum. 8/10 Shooting Shooting is excellent with this shaft and blade. Wrist shots are more accurate than anything I've used before and come off faster than anything else I've used. I feel like the lower flex combined with the design of the shaft (low torque and low kickpoint) works very well for my style of shooting. Snap shots have been fine, although I'm not great with them, but I was able to hit corners from in close just fine. My first slap shots with this stick felt very strange due to the whippy flex, but I've found that I can lean into and through them and retain all of my speed on the shot with less vibration than stiffer sticks I've used in the past. For me, there is no weak part about the shooting of this shaft. 10/10 Weight / Balance It's thinner, shorter (55" or so), and lighter than anything else I've used, probably at or under 400 grams (keep in mind this is an intermediate stick). This makes poke checking and stickhandling quite easy. But the stiffer blade and lighter shaft make it more blade heavy, and I can't imagine using a wood blade in this shaft. A wood end would probably help balance it, but as light weight as it is I haven't had any issues. 9/10 Durability The stick has taken several slashes and the paint chips off very easily, but I haven't noticed any cracks, damage, or change in feel. None of the blades I've used have softened at all. 9/10 Intangibles At first I avoided the stick, honestly because I thought it looked cheap with that bright red finish, especially on the tenon of the blade (looked like a toy). And the "bargain bin" pricing that seemed to drop $10 every time I went in the store made me wary. The red color has grown on me now. I just have a lot more confidence in shooting with this stick than anything else I've used. Between the light weight and flex and smaller shaft diameter, I can't go back to my old sticks. Conclusion I highly recommend this shaft for any player. The shaft and blade have held up incredibly well, it produces a great shot, and right now you can get a shaft and two blades for about the same price as a high end tapered blade. Overall 9/10

BAUER ONE90 SHIN GUARDS Time used: 2 months (20+ times) Reviewer: 5'8" 170 lbs, rec league winger Fit Of all the 14" shin guards I tried on, these were the tightest fitting. I believe it is a combination of the slimmer design and the floating shin system used in this model. Because I have slimmer calves and shins, these fit perfectly whereas most other 14" shin guards fit too big. There is one very large strap that incorporates a calf protector and one smaller one just above the calf. The large strap is very secure but the top seems to allow too much play, so I need to use shin tape for a more secure fit. Although it fits very well, I am still conscious of the fact I have them on, and I would say that there could be a better strap system. 8/10 Protection Although I haven't taken a great deal of shots off these guards, I haven't felt anything through them. I did hit the boards knee first and these pads didn't provide much help as I hit the top of the knee (even with the extended knee flaps). The calf protector is the best I've found; there is a thick piece of perforated rubber/plastic that would absorb quite a bit of impact. 9/10 Weight Although the shin guard has a very slim design, there's quite a bit of padding and protection that adds some weight. It does seem to be lighter than my old Bauer 4000 guards, but it's really not a big factor for me. 9/10 Durability I can't comment on the long-term, but the stitching of the guards seems to be very well done and the materials feel pretty solid. The paint/finish started scuffing of pretty easily, but that is only cosmetic. My old Bauer 4000's held up incredibly well, but I'll decline to rate these due to brevity of use. Intangibles I really like the fit of the pads and protection. They are suited to a winger's game: slim and light weight, plenty of calf protection from goalies chopping in the crease, and the floating shin seems more to protection for falls and large impacts rather than shot blocking. I ended up tucking the extended knee flaps back in the shins as they would catch on my pants while skating. Also, they seem to be just a hair shorter than standard guards, so if you prefer to wear your guards over the skate tongues, double check the fit. Conclusion These are solid, slim pads with plenty of protection for any level forward. Defensemen and shot-blockers may want to look at larger pads. Overall 9/10 Update on 3/10/10 (after another two years): Everything is still 100% on this pad just like brand new. No cracks, gouges, nothing falling apart. Well done, Bauer.

If you dig the Hold Steady, try and find old Lifter Puller. Same singer/songwriter and guitarist, way more drugs, less Elvis Costello, more...drugs. Lots of drugs. I'm on a mid-90's kick right now which involves the second, underrated albums from a lot of alternative bands that everyone's heard before.

Picked up a pair of Vapor Apollo gloves at HG for $40 to use while sending my Vector Pro's out for a repalm. Surprisingly nice quality, feels more broken in than the rest of the Vapor series, light weight, a decent amount of protection, although it's not going to be confused for a top end glove. First impression is this is a great glove for the money.

Well after going through a half dozen shaft/blade/stick combos in the last month, I picked up a Mission L-2 75 flex Hull over at Hockey Giant for $60...last non-junior in any hand/pattern too as luck would have it. Good and whippy, decent balance, perfect height, in a pattern I like. Hopefully I'll be happy with something for once!

Yeah that Mazdaspeed6 looks sweet...I have to swing down and see what the ACTUAL retail is. And my boss' husband is a Mazda salesman so I might be able to swing a deal. BUT, I need to pay off the loan for another year first.

330xi which rocks in the snow and rain with regular all-season tires. Except I'm getting killed on repair costs, so I'm hopefully getting something else next spring/summer. Looking at the new 128i, maybe a used G35 or Mazda6. Something with low/no miles, fast, and small(er).

On the plus side, picked up a Christian composite blade for $20 new. On the down side, my TPS shaft snapped a week after I bought it and I can't find the receipt :( And a $200 medical bill and I won't be getting a new stick for a couple months.

I found it at a LHS clearance. Hockey Giant had them for $40 a couple days ago. I pick up most of my sticks/blades/shafts from the bargain bin.

How do you like those shafts? I have the TPS Rubber shafts and need an upgrade badly. The R2 is great, best shaft I've used yet. Quite a bit of pop for a whip flex. It's a bit heavier than the ultra high end shafts but balances well with a wood blade. Good deal for $40. The Bauer I cut from a OPS. Really durable, great for slappers, not bad for wristers. Also a good deal as I paid $60 for the stick and used it probably 20-30 times before cutting the blade off (which was still in great shape, just got bored with the pattern).

And an update: Helmet: Mission Intake Cage: Bauer 8500 Shoulders: Sherwood 5030 Elbows: Easton Stealth S9 Gloves: CCM Vector Pro Pants: Easton Stealth S5 Shins: Bauer One90 Skates: Bauer Vapor XIX Sticks: TPS R2 Control Armor whip flex shaft / Easton Synergy Forsberg wood blade Bauer Endure 77 flex tapered shaft / Easton Synergy Forsberg wood blade Bauer Endure 77 flex P88 OPS LOVE the One90 shins. Love em. Much tighter fitting than my old Bauer 4000's and the calf protection is ridiculous. Feels like you can take a two-hander to the calf and come out clean.

I couldn't stop yawning watching Dragonforce. Great, the asian dude rips it up on guitar and your singer has a huge fan blowing his hair back.

Are the XII and XVI the same as V and VIII with new paint jobs? I saw these at a LHS last weekend and while the XII was way too heavy and clunky, the XVI didn't feel that bad.

Maylene is awesome...I picked up both of their discs a couple months ago and couldn't get them out of my car. Great for driving to the rink. The new one is more a rock album than the first one, almost more AC/DC but with that southern metal flair. Listening to a band called Swift lately, part Killswitch Engage, part 36 Crazyfists, part Chevelle. Kind of gloomy but it's pretty good.

Here's a comparison between some (somewhat) similar curves: From left to right: Montreal Euro 5 Easton Heatley Bauer P88 CCM Recchi That particular P88 is closer to a 5.25 to 5.5 lie than 6. Heatley is a little more open and less curve. P88 and Recchi are almost the same but the P88 has a round toe and rockered heel with a bit more curve.

Got a couple deals... CCM Vector Pro 13" gloves off eBay for $30 new RBK 4k shaft for backup

I picked it up in a clearance rack. Seems pretty cool, reminds me a lot of the Cyclone because of the shape and flex. For some odd reason I'm worried it'll snap on me, but we'll see.

Deleted my old acquisitions, Sherwood 5030 shoulders, Easton Stealth S9 elbows, Easton Stealth S5 pants. Today I got a set of TPS slash guards on clearance for $4 and a new Champion under shirt. But this one you guys might actually dig: TPS Tricore shaft, intermediate (!) flex, 250 grams, had to get a long wood end for it and whittle it down to fit. For the blade I used a wood One60 PM9 that I twisted open to make a Modano/Drury hybrid. Total cost for the shaft, blade, and end plug was less than $50!

None yet, going to try out for an adult league in a few weeks. Only been playing about six months (not counting playing as a kid). I'll probably end up around a D1 level. On the plus side, after reviewing the videos of my skating, I don't look THAT bad. I need to work on my transitions (specifically turning left), keeping my feet moving, and of course bending my knees more. But for as long as I've been playing I think I was doing pretty well out there.

Here's some pics from a game I played last night at the XCel Energy Center. Scored my first hat trick! But it was mixed levels so the defenders weren't that great. Yes, I'm short. It felt like it was 70 degrees in there so my you can see I wasn't exactly backchecking very hard. But I got to see Brian Rolston and Mark Parrish's gear! Got more pics of the X I'll upload tonight if you want to see.

Cut the TPS shaft down by the width of a strip of regular hockey tape. Put the composite butt end from a Synergy in it and it's perfect in length and flex. Feels a lot more like 75 flex now instead of 70. Made a pretty dramatic difference but still plenty whippy. I think I'll have to find another TPS whip shaft.

By the way, the Easton ST blade ROCKS. It feels a lot better than my Vapor XX OPS blade. And it's $30. Loving it, although the TPS whip shaft is a little whippy.

Got some new stuff. Helmet - Intake with Bauer 4500 cage Shoulders - Winnwell Pro SP 190 Elbows - DR Axis 45 Gloves - Easton Synergy 500 Pants - Easton Synergy 100 Shins - Bauer 4000 Skates - Bauer Vapor XIX Sticks: Bauer Vapor XX PM9 87 flex TPS RLXN10 whip shaft w/ Easton ST Heatley Here's the new shoulders, got them new for $12. They're super light. Ought to be great for no-check. Here's the rest of the gear. Gloves will probably be replaced in a couple months with some 6k's. I've lost almost 25 pounds since I bought the pants, so I'll probably get some nicer Eastons in a smaller size. Love the belt though. Elbows are fine, I'll keep my eye out for some clean used 6k's though.

Helmet: Mission Intake w/ Bauer 4000 cage LOVE this combo. Light, protective, cool, no fog issues. Shoulders: Mission M-2 Never use them. Elbows: Some cheaper $30 no-name elbows Work pretty well, would like to find some JOFA's. Gloves: Easton Synergy 500 Fit great, work well enough, a bit stiff. Palms are starting to go. Will probably check out some Vapor XXX's. Pants: Easton Synergy 300 Works fine. Love the belt. Not much protection, but more than enough for me. Shins: Bauer 4000 Great protection up front, not much behind, stay in place well though. Skates: Bauer Vapor XIX Light and very stiff. LOVE the LS2 holders. Great skate. Stick: Bauer Vapor XX PM9, TPS XN10 shaft w/ Bauer One40 PM9 blade Vapor XX is a bit shaft-heavy and stiff but has a great slapper. The TPS feels a little too whippy and with the One40 the combo's under 400g! Will probably try a composite Drury blade in there when the wood goes. Definitely going to get a tapered PM9 blade for the Vapor shaft when the blade goes.

Hey Top Shelf, what kind of cage is that one the Intake? What size helmet? I found an Oakley visor/cage combo for $30 on clearance but it doesn't fit