Weekend...

We spent the weekend in North Carolina, where Keeper Boy's hockey team had two games against the Jr. Hurricanes. We split the series, making the 4+ hour drive home much more tolerable.

Saturday afternoon we came out skating hard. Keeper Boy was on the bench for that game as the coach alternates he and the other goalie by game and it wasn't his turn. He did a fabulous job of opening and closing the bench door for line changes, though! Anyway, the team came out skating hard, passing, and shooting on net. They looked great! At the end of the first period, they were down 1-0 against this Jr. Hurricanes team that is a tier above them in level of play. But it went downhill from there. Not sure if the kids were tired from sitting in their cars for all those hours earlier in the day, or what. But the final score was 8-0. It wasn't pretty.

Sunday morning was a different story. Looked like a different team. It was Keeper Boy's turn in net and he had a good game. The team, too, looked like a different set of kids out there. They skated hard for all three periods, shot on net at every opportunity, passed the puck... it was a great game all around. And they were rewarded for it. Keeper Boy's team won 6-1! I'm sure that made the long trip home a lot happier for everyone! I know it did for us. :)

There's a new scent in the air...

... fresh ice!! The NHL kicked off its regular season last night, and spirits couldn't be higher in our house! The NHL Center Ice package has been renewed, and we are geared up for another season of watching any and all hockey games going on at any given time.

Of course, our first love is the Washington Capitals, who open the season tonight in Atlanta against the Thrashers (which, by the way, is a stupid name for a hockey team). Let's go Caps! We'll be cheering from the comfort of our [thankfully] now-skunk-odor-free-sofa.

And Saturday night is the home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks. How I'd love to be there to witness the return of netminder Cristobal Huet to the scene of his late-season heroics in backstopping the Caps to a post-season appearance. This is not so much because I jumped on the Huet bandwagon--I am a firm and committed Olie Kolzig supporter and fan (and I'm heartbroken that he's no longer a Capital)--but more to see how the crowd reacts to him.

But alas, we will be in Raleigh, NC this weekend with Keeper Boy's hockey team, which has two games against the Jr. Hurricanes. At least if we can't see the "big boys" play in person, we'll still be catching some great hockey!!