Hockey . . . Is It Really Over?

So, we've had our final Anchorage hockey trip. Very uneventful unless you find breaking down in a bus full of 11 & 12 year olds at negative temperatures in the middle of Alaska exciting. The kids played hard and not so hard. They lost their games. Of course, losing didn't tame any egos though. Losing is never "my fault". Oh well.

We've also completed our state tournament. Our association hosted the event in our town. Our parents stepped up and welcomed the other teams with some great food. And, our kids, well . . . they played some pretty good hockey. Don't tell them I said so. Especially Jason, we try to tell him no matter what, he can always do better. Fast isn't fast enough, hard isn't hard enough.

He has a great first game though! He did skate hard and he scored some goals. He hustled and made us proud. Mostly, he made himself proud. He was walking on air that night. The next day . . . not so well. Can't blame him alone. A team has to play like a team to win like a team. Sometimes, they do. The first game was a 5-1 victory but was followed up by two losses knocking the kid's hopes of going any further in the tournament. We absolutely had the talent to beat one of those teams! No question about that.

Jason took one hit particularly during the tournament that took him out for a period. It was a clean hit though. Nothing anyone could do about the fact that the other team's defence was a foot taller and 70 lbs heavier than he was. His back popped out and he was in excruciating pain. He was honestly screaming in pain as I pushed it back in while he laid face down on the hard bench in the locker room. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure enough to stand after that. But then we helped him suit back up and he was out playing again (after a few Advil) for the 3rd period.

So, that was the last of our season. Now the boys are looking forward to some "fun" outdoor hockey while the temps stay above 0*. I suppose we'll be blogging again as tryouts near. I don't suppose we'll get Jase off the ice anytime soon after his first ever "hat trick" during the tourney. It left him with a pretty good taste in his mouth despite the losses that knocked them out.