My first trip with my new team this year was to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It is about a six hour drive from Thunder Bay. It was an exhibition weekend.
Friday, December 9
On Friday, I went to school for the whole day because our first game wasn’t until Saturday morning. I am glad too because we did cardboard boat races at school that day and I got to do it. My parents drove in from Sioux Lookout and picked me up from school at the end of the day. We left Thunder Bay and drove to Chippewa Falls. On the way to Chippewa Falls I slept for about half the drive. We stopped at a really good restaurant called “Rustic Inn” in Castle Danger, Minnesota. I got wild rice meatloaf. It was really good. At the restaurant we also got a bunch of chocolate because there was a counter where they were selling it. We arrived at the hotel at about 10pm then we went to straight to sleep.
Saturday, December 10
We had our first game on Saturday at 11am, so we all had to be downstairs for breakfast at 8:30am, then we left at 9:45 to go to the rink for 10am. Once the whole team got to the arena we went out to do our warmups, then we went to get ready. Our first game went well. I didn’t play because it was the other goalie’s game. We won 9-0. We all played a good game. Our next game was at 7pm so we all had to be at the rink for 6. My summer hockey coach’s daughter was playing in Chippewa Falls as well and they were staying at the same hotel as us and he parked next to us. So before I left to go to the rink for my game, I wrote “Go Queens” on the side of his truck. Once my whole team was at the rink we went out and did our warmup together. I started this game and then the other goalie went in half way through because we had three games. We each got a game and a half. We won that game 6-1. After the game we went back to the hotel and we where all hanging out in one of our hotel rooms listening to music and singing and dancing.
Sunday, December 11
On Sunday we played a team called the Superior Spartans and I knew three of the girls on that team. I play summer hockey with them. I knew that we were going to be playing them and I asked my coach before the tournament if I could play the game against them. We won against them 9-1. I’ve been playing summer hockey with the girl that scored on me for six years. It was also the first time my summer coach has seen me play in the winter season because I have always played boys hockey and his daughter always played girls. Playing my American friends was really fun because I got to chirp them. During the third period, two of my friends completely tackled me and one kicked my stick away from me and then told me after the game. After the game I was talking to the three girls about how we couldn’t wait to play each other again in January. Then we drove back to Thunder Bay. My parents dropped me off at my aunt’s house and they drove home to Sioux Lookout.
I had a ton of fun at our exhibition weekend in Chippewa Falls.
Photo: Emma Welch, Me, Autumn Cooper and Maddie Franta.
