Hockey is at full throttle, folks. If you blink, you will miss a schedule change! Games added, moved, delayed, pushed up, and canceled. Makes it all that much more exciting!! Really!
Derek and I were in the border city for a tournament on the weekend. The Pee Wees held their own in the A level games, but didn’t shine like they usually do. Camrose came out hitting hard in the first game, and threw the boys (and girl) back on their heels. The seriously poor officiating didn’t help, either. (And no, I’m not one to blame the ref, but this was BAD! I was really scared someone was going to get hurt.) Derek got the only goal – a scorcher from the blue line – just before he got thrown out of the game for hitting from behind (which he didn’t really do, but that was neither here nor there for the refs!) The three kids who were punching him in the head after the hit were allowed to remain in the game. But enough about that. Our team went on to win against Clavet, lose to Meadow Lake (a AA team, we were told, and we only lost by two!) and then win the C final against a Strathmore team. I should mention that the officiating did improve over the weekend, and the 7 am Saturday game (yes, you read that right) was done by one guy (you read that right, too) who was amazing! All in all, a good tournament, and lots of good visiting with the other parents. The kids only got kicked out of the hotel pool once and got to pig out on junk food. What more can we ask?
Well, I would have asked to be able to go to the Midget provincial game in Rosthern, but no one outside of Star Trek has come up with instantaneously transporting/beaming people around and I am very obviously not Lt. Uhura, so that wasn’t going to happen. The other two Midget moms and myself had to be content with periodic (get it, periodic?) text updates from the Rosthern arena, which cannot boast of good cell coverage. The upside of that was that Clem got to visit outside the rink with the nervous dad of the Rosthern goalie. The Tigers were down 2 – 0 at the end of the first, then kicked the defense into high gear on their hitting game, and ended up winning the game 5 – 2. Clem said by the third period (aha – now the pun light has come on!) the Rosthern forwards were scared to come into our end. It was a fast, clean, hard-hitting game, and Clem expects the same when Rosthern returns this Thursday. I plan to be at that one. The three goal lead is nice in this two-game total-point series, but no one knows better than these boys how easy it is to give that up! (If your memory is even foggier than mine, you can check out that story here. ) The Pee Wees are in Delisle that same night for the second game of their first round of Provincials, but they are going with a ten point lead (yep, you read that right, too! Three for three!) so I’m thinking it’s pretty safe to miss that one. Kudos to my cousin for offering to take Derek along with them.
And speaking of cousins, Stephen had his own little cheering section in Rosthern when Clem’s sister, Cathy, and her boy, Daniel, along with Clem’s cousin, Joanne, showed up to watch the game and have a visit. And of course Chris was there, too, as Dylan plays on the Midget team this year as well. A little Schraefel family reunion!
The only other thing besides hockey going on around here is the weather. We have oodles of snow, and have had a few storms and lots of poor driving. Just like “back in the day”, as the boys would put it. I’m thrilled with all the moisture, as I am anticipating a full dugout in the spring!
So thanks for checking in!
Chandra