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I’m (somehow) still on the field as Canada seems to have a shortage of people who play in goal. Consequently, I’m playing at a level well above my own standard with players who are mostly between 18-30 (including a number who are semi-pro / former semi-pro…albeit there’s a difference between semi-pro in England and semi-pro in Canada, but still).

Compared to when I used to play in the UK, there’s a lot less feigning of injury / diving. I can barely recall any obvious examples, in fact, and there’s generally a code of conduct that the players respect when it comes to cheating each other. But there’s also a similar amount of dissent / moaning at the ref - and WAY more players who are ready to put up fists than I recall (not sure if that’s a hockey thing / testosterone but it’s pretty much every game).

Overall, it’s a more enjoyable experience playing out here tho, with a better sense of team spirit than I found in the UK. Teammates regularly encourage each other, even when mistakes are made, whereas I played with a number of absolute tools on just about every team I was on in the UK.