Hockey Part 2

Where else but in Minnesota does it go from -6 on Thursday to highs in the upper 40's today, and upper 50's by Monday? Where else but in Minnesota can you spend 3 full days watching really good High School hockey? I sort of like it here.

We didn't have tickets for the afternoon games yesterday, but we headed to St. Paul for the evening series. The sun was so pretty on the St. Paul Cathedral. I took this picture from the moving car, but I still like it.

OK, back to hockey. First on the ticket was Eden Prairie versus Blaine. Next up would be Moorhead vs. Cretin Derham Hall. Which one do you think I'm most interested in??

The Eden Prairie fans were back.

The refs and the officials behind them are looking pretty serious.

Let the game begin! They played hard. There were fights...but not too many.

There were monkeys...I have no idea.

And there were the Mites.

These little guys...and gals...came out between the first and second period to play a little mini game.

They are awfully cute. I like the name Mites...it sounds like little bugs....and they sort of are. They follow the puck around in a little swarm. They fall down....a lot. But they get back up.

Sometimes there are tears. Wonder what this coach is thinking....probably "what do I do with this one when I am out here in front of 18,000 fans?" "I'll buy you a snow cone if you just stop crying."

Some of them showed some potential....but mostly they were just plain cute.

OK, back to the game. Eden Prairie was down by 2 goals pretty early into the first period. I'll admit, my heart sank a little when that 2nd goal was scored.

But Eden Prairie played hard. They battled back. One goal in the 2nd period...another in the 3rd period.

The game was tied 2 - 2 towards the end of the third period. Does this look familiar? But look at the shots on goal...

It was nerve wracking. I started biting my nails. Not really.

Blaine started getting a little rough, here's one of them hooking one of our players ....HEY.... YOU CAN'T DO THAT! It's just not nice.

But hockey isn't about nice. It's about putting the puck in the net. And Eden Prairie did, with just over 3 minutes left.

And then they did again, scoring on an empty net. Final score 4-2. Whew. The celebration began.

Their season continues. One more game....and it's a big one. Eden Prairie vs. Moorhead for the State Championship. The Hockey Tournament is always fun, but it takes on a whole new meaning when the home team makes it to the finals. A first for E.P. A first for Moorhead too. It should be a good game.

These fans are pretty happy.

...and so am I! Let's go Eagles! Life in Minnesota can be a very good thing. :-)