Mill Creek at Frosty Hollow Freeze: May 28th 

 

         It was Memorial Day weekend and a roasting hot day as the Frosty Hollow Freeze welcomed Mill Creek to town for an afternoon affair.  A great day for a picnic of sorts but a tennis game took over the afternoon with an extreme warm ride.  Yes, summer is almost here, let's give a big cheer; which could summarize the crowd in today's game.  A hot day outside did not deter the crowds exhilaration or the players in the game. You could feel the heat on the courts and if a player slid fast or a ball was hit hard you maybe witnessed flames on the outdoor hard courts.  The people chattered, "It's pretty hot out, yeah?"

 

         The Freeze were in their white uniforms and they were soaked after the warm ups.  As the game started, it was as if the players got out of the hot tub.  Drenched with water and sweat, both teams gave it their all as they worked for their teams.  Ice and water were poured on some players to help cool off on this hot afternoon outside. 

 

         With both teams cheering loud, this game came down to an all-or-nothing court.  It was Mill Creek who prevailed at the end of the day and their fans let out a howl.  ARHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  Mill Creek froze the Freeze today for an extremely tight 3-2 victory and the fireworks went off for the away team.

 

         The lineup that was sent out on this hot and dry day was majored by Ashish Patel and Dave Kniaz for Singles.  The Doubles pairs were set by Ian Blackman and John Sisti, Bob Hawley and Eric Ulzinow, and Lance Shaffer and Mark Shaffer.

 

         A summer like day with high humidity and hot temperatures gave this game a BBQ and beach like ambiance.  Ashish Patel and Dave Kniaz gave the Singles courts excitement.  They gave a good workman effort today with hitting forehands with a fine tempo.  Geared up and ready for action,  both Patel and Kniaz gave everything they had for their teams and wouldn't throw in the towels to their opponents;  but if they did, they would be as wet as the Delaware River.  With the green fuzz from the tennis balls sticking to the players, this sure proved to be a hot one.

 

         On a Doubles court with Ian Blackman and John Sisti, the players were working for a court win and they got that.  While warming up, Blackman said "I feel good."  Both Blackman and Sisti ran over their opponents like an ice cream truck on a summer day.  After the match, Sisti said, "It's consistency that wins tennis.  Hit where they ain't.  Hit one more time than them."  He also talked with teammates about good leg exercises and routines to do.  He mentioned that a great exercise you could do is something he learned when he studied Chinese Kung fu.   All the Chinese Martial Arts do it where your feet face forward while bending your knees, lowering your upper body; with your hips loose, and then holding your arms outward with your palms parallel to your body.  This could be a great tool for the Freeze to do on off days.

 

         A steamy court that featured D pair Lance Shaffer and Mark Shaffer was a full action hardy game.  During breaks, the players needed tons of fluids to keep hydrated because of the heat outside and the pace of play that was on this court.  You could almost smell the heat when a player ran for ball.  It smelled like racecars on a highway, skidding around at a soaring speed.  Lance and Mark won their court and scored for the Freeze.  Lance Shaffer talked after the match about how there was a great crowd today and it is always fun to play in front of a loud crowd that is into the game.  When speaking to the media after the match he said,  "We worked hard and played a good Doubles game."  Mark Shaffer said, "We did a good job of sticking to our gameplan. "  A ton of action was on this court.

 

         Bob Hawley and Eric Ulzinow had a long winded three set stretch that was gift wrapped perfectly for fans to watch.  If you wanted to watch a good close match, this was the court to indulge with.  All the players with sweat dripping off them pushed and pushed for their teams.  Big forehands with tons of net play were present on this court and the players were stationed at the net for most of the match. 

 

         The Freeze are now 1-4 on the season and are going to try to get back to the winning ways.  It's back to the friendly practice courts for the Freeze and time to tune up their skills and get ready for their next game!