Minnesota Weekend Part One with Kayla
We began our first fly-away weekend early, driving into Burlington Wednesday night in speculation of weather that may have affected our departure to Minneapolis, MN. After arriving many of us immediately headed to Church Street to grab a bite to eat. After we headed back to the hotel and had milk and cookies in the lobby, a warm and pleasant snack before bed. We hopped on the buses at 3:00 AM Thursday morning. With everyone having had little sleep, we were quiet and cranky while checking in at the airport. We went through security and traveled to our gate to get some pre-flight naps in.
Dayna and Tori awaiting the get on the ice at the Men’s Arena
Being with the team in an airport is hilarious to say the least, everyone spends their layover a little differently , but we all have one thing in common…we want FOOD! As soon as we jump off the plane in Chicago, our first and only stop, we find ourselves instantly attracted to the food court. Some satisfied their cravings with sushi, others with sandwiches, and the majority snatching up hash browns and eggs. After a two and a half hour layover in Chi-town we boarded our flight to Minneapolis, our final destination. Arriving in Minnesota we gathered our gear from the baggage claim and trekked out to the bus that would be transporting us to our hotel. We loaded our stuff and made our way to the University Hotel where we settled in and slept most of the day away.
Friday we woke around 9:00 for breakfast. We were located in the University area so there were many quick restaurants to grab a bite to eat from. We decided on Brueggers, a tasty bagel shop right down the street from the hotel. After we got some food in our stomachs, we headed to the Marriucci, the University of Minnesota men’s hockey arena, to get ready for our 11:15 game against the Pacific Steelers. We gathered and warmed up, ending with a fun game and with all of us in positive moods to start the hockey game. Unfortunately we didn’t come out as prepared as we should have, and they scored the first goal in a matter of minutes in the first period. Bridget Baker brought us to a 1-1 tie in the second and we developed some offense during this time, but we were still having difficulties putting the puck in the net. Our team chemistry was not up to par, which allowed for a 1-1 tie to end the game. Not exactly what we were looking for. With Pacific being one of the weaker teams in our league, we knew that we had to step it up next game.
The Mall of America is a huge attraction in Minnesota and the shoppers of our team had to take advantage of it. Bailey, Tori, and I got some quality shopping time in between games. Later we went to Noodles and Company to refuel ourselves with pasta before our next game. We walked to Ridder arena, the University of Minnesota’s women’s hockey rink, for our second game. We were to play Balmoral Hall, the top team in our league. After warm up we focused in the locker room and got ready for a win. During the first period we came out strong but Balmoral got the upper hand and put the first goal on the scoreboard. This kicked us into gear and we put three goals in to round out the first with a score of 3-1, us. During the second we let up slightly, but continued to develop our offense, which allowed us to score one goal during this period. We finished the game by scoring two in the third and were not only satisfied with the win, but also the fact that we had just beaten the top team in the league. We rounded out the night by returning to the hotel for some quality sleep.
Minnesota Weekend Part II with Tori
My alarm sounded at 6:45am with a startling ringtone, not pleasing to me, nor my roommates. It was time to wake for pre game breakfast at the Bagel Deli. We had to walk there, it felt like negative degree weather, all the girls were bundled up. Once everybody had food in them and were more awake, our spirits lifted. Our first game of the day was against the Edge school, a Canadian team. Edge had beat us the year before at this same tournament, so we were eager for a chance to claim a win over them. The game started out at a very high tempo, and we managed to score a goal in each period. Our bench had good energy with the girls cheering each other on and having good attitudes at such an early hour. We were up 2-0 going into the third period, and then they scored a sneaky goal. The final score was a close 2-1, but we were clearly the better team that morning. After the game, we made our way back to our hotel, walking through the University campus in the frigid conditions. For lunch we were on our own, splitting off and going to various places for a bite to eat. Everyone was able to go back to their rooms for a quick nap before our second game of the day against the Minnesota Thoroughbreds. That game was very physical and there were a few scraps in front of both teams’ net. Although they were being dirty players, we punished them on the score board. Everyone had a hand in the win, all lines contributed in our satisfying 7-0 victory.
Kayla, Bailey, and Tori going to visit the amazing Mall of America
Approaching the last day in Minnesota, we again headed to the Bagel Deli for our pre-game meal. I couldn’t wait to get to the rink because my mom, sister and a childhood friend Hayden, were coming to watch. We were getting ready to play Warner, usually they are a big rival team, but this year they weren’t as strong. In the first period we came out hard and fast, scoring three goals and following up with another two in the second. They produced a consistent goal per period, but NAHA had the edge and the final score was 5-3. Clinching this last victory, we were pleased with our performances and our record for the weekend. Post game we stretched, showered and got packed up to depart for the airport. We had a charter bus to take us to the airport, and it wasn’t parked close. We ended up making a longer journey than we thought and with our massive hockey bags, backpacks, and duffle bags we felt like we were back at a grueling practice session. When everybody finally filled the bus, we said our goodbyes to our families, hopped onboard and made our way to the airport. Getting passed check-in and security is always a relief, and while standing in line for security we filled our time with jokes and laughter, making the time pass quicker. The rest of the journey home was smooth and easy and it always feels good to be home at the NAHA house.
