Game #2 & #3- Saturday...

Sorry, Saturday was such a busy day, I didnt get to post this sooner. I am sittin in a chair outside the office in the cold to recieve the wi-fi. I cant believe they are not opened yet. So here is the blog for yesterday...
Feb.16th, Saturday: Woke up around 7 a.m. & had a little something to eat. Got our gear on & headed out to the pond. Couple of us learned from yesterday & walked out to the pond before slipping on our skates. The rest laced them up in the tent then made the annoying skate out to our rink. We played a team from New Mexico. They had a couple of good skaters, but Darryl & Scott were able to pick their pockets. That led to a few easy goals. The ice is so bumpy, that it creates problems skating as well as stick handling. I can really understand why the players that grow up doing this turn out to be phenomenal stick handlers. We were able to win this one in regulation 9-5. So far we are doing a lot better than we expected. We came in to this trip just for the experience, & now we have a chance to make the playoffs. So after our win we asked the other team to pose for a picture & then headed back to the tent for a couple of pictures & check out the standings. Its pretty simple, we win, we play tomorrow. The team headed back to the cabin, took off our gear & hit the breakfast buffet. Great breakfast!! This resort has been amazing; they even have discounts on breakfast for the hockey players. They have a big one tomorrow, but we are hoping that we miss that one, being on the ice instead. Right now we are getting some rest. We’ve got a few hours before our next game.

Game #2 : We watched a little bit of 300 before heading off to our second game. I think arriving on the ice a little early didn’t help. The ice was different, more air pockets & it was hard to sweep any of the access ice off. It was also harder to dig the puck out of the snow. Its amazing how the puck seems more lively & hops over your stick & into the snow banks. We ended up losing our second game 9-7. The other team out skated us, but we played hard, just didn’t have it at the end. The loss knocked us out of the playoffs. Old Steel, the team we played in game 1 & beat in OT, ended up squeaking into the playoffs. Had we won that game in regulation instead of OT, we’d be playing tomorrow. Instead we’ll be having a killer brunch at our resort & maybe do a little snowmobiling.

So after our loss… we collected our beer & headed back to the changing tents to wander & meet other teams, get our pictures taken with various hockey teams & watch games. After a few hours of just hanging out we went back to the cabin for some R & R. After a nice dinner at a small local pizza place, we caught a local hockey game. It was in a wooden dome built in the 1930’s & is home to the Wisconsin hockey hall of fame. It’s also the home of the Eagle River Falcons, of the Great Lakes Hockey League, a men’s checking league. They were playing a rivalry game vs. the Mosinee Papermakers. Apparently this is a intense rivalry that can get a little out of hand. This game was part of a Rivalry Cup, a home and home series where the total points decide the winner of the cup. Mosinee had won the previous game the night before in Mosinee, 8-5. This game was so much fun. First off, we were in a small barn type of building straight out of Slap Shot. They sold pitchers of beer, in plastic Miller pitchers for $6, refills $5. Chuck-a-pucks were real pucks & after we threw them in the first intermission, they resold them to be tossed again in the second intermission. The fans were rowdy, a lot of cussing & interesting body language, it was a blast to be a part of, definite small town atmosphere. I love what we have in Everett, but it was nice to experience hockey in its small town roots. Eagle River ended up winning the game 4-2. They had the two goal lead late in the game, but Mosinee didn’t want to pull their goalie to give up the cup tying goal. Instead Eagle River with the lead, pulled their goalie in hopes of adding another goal & tying the game. But they fell a point short. I had never seen a game where the puck hit the post as much as I had seen tonight. After the game we headed home & everyone decided to hit the sack. We are not sure what we are doing Sunday, but I know I’m going to have to head down to the office & post this blog. Good Night!!