Hockey weekend in Duluth

We missed last year but we don't miss very often and this weekend we got this year's trip to Duluth.

Friday afternoon Minnesota 2, UMD 2, UMD takes the extra point in the standings by scoring in a 3 on 3 overtime period.

Saturday afternoon Minnesota 4, UMD 3.

So a pretty successful weekend from a hockey perspective.

We enjoyed what definitely qualifies as very nice weather for November in Duluth.  Here is the view out the window of our motel room.

Duluth calls that part of town Canal Park.  We were down on the lakefront about a long block from the Aerial Lift Bridge which spans the ship canal into the inner harbor.

Visible on the horizon is a lake ship, lining up for the passage through the canal to a loading facility in the harbor.

Much like Lake Michigan, Lake Superior is at all time record high levels.

We traveled out onto Park Point where we found the lake is high enough that even small waves are high enough to bring water into the parking lots.

GRider for scale.

One of the things we like about Duluth is that it is a smallish place.  If you go out at all you have a fairly good chance of bumping into your hockey heroines.  In the past we have shared hotel elevators with both the Minnesota and Wisconsin coaches.

This time on Friday evening at OMC Smokehouse (which we enthusiastically endorse) we were at the table next to the Olympic gold medal winning goaltender (and her family) from the 2018 USA women's hockey team.  She currently plays for UMD.

And then this morning we were at a breakfast table in our hotel next to one of our favorite players (and her parents) from this year's Gopher squad.

We had fun.