Hockey news

Those of you who don't see us very much in the winter time may or may not be aware that we are major women's hockey geeks. For the past four seasons we have had season tickets to University of Minnesota women's hockey (row 5, right on the red line).

Those of you who know a bit about the history of women's hockey may be interested to know that our first season as season ticket holders was the season that Minnesota assembled what may be the greatest college women's hockey team ever. The team was the defending national collegiate champions. The stars of that team went on to berths on the US Olympic Hockey Team. The names are Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz, Kelly Stevens and Lyndsay Wall and with that leadership the University captured its second consecutive national championship.

The freshmen on that team were Bobbi Ross, Erica McKenzie and Anya Miller. We are huge fans and the incorrigibly gregarious person who lives in the same house as me has become fast friends with both of Anya's grandmothers and the mothers of Erica and Anya. I am sure she would also be friends with Bobbi's family but Bobbi is from Veblen, Saskatchewan, and her mother was able to attend only 2 games during Bobbi's career. We did speak to her at one of those two but I don't think it counts at the same level as the Miller connection.

We have seen every home game played by the now seniors and this weekend we took an additional leap into fandom by making a road trip. We traveled to Duluth to see Minnesota play Wisconsin in the conference tournament with national tournament seedings on the line.

We arrived early Saturday morning and checked into the Duluth Holiday Inn. Here is the view out our 16th floor window:I have lots of hockey I could discuss but suffice to say we saw lots of the goals of the University of Minnesota-Duluth victory over Saint Cloud State and then looked on in dismay as Wisconsin scored three soft goals and a goal mouth scrum goal to overcome three much harder earned Minnesota goals to win 4-3.

We weren't much for watching UMDuluth against Wisconsin today so we did a little Duluth winter sightseeing and headed home this morning.

This is Brighton Beach on the north end of Duluth. For those who know a bit about Duluth geography, this park is located where new Highway 61 splits from what is now referred to as Scenic 61, the old highway along the lake's edge. Duluth is visible in the right background. We particularly liked the ice formations, Babe for scale.The ice is moved about by the force of the wind and when the wind is off the shore gaps can develop in the ice sheet. When these gaps refreeze the ice is often remarkably clear. A return to wind onto the shore can fracture this newer, thinner, weaker ice. The Babe is holding up a, to her, particularly attractive piece of the clear ice.She wanted to put it in the car and take it home.

We drove out to the end of Park Point and walked about a bit at the public beach out there and then stopped at the ship canal for a final photo opportunity.That boat thing that she is standing next to is not an actual boat. It is a summer souvenir stand, not open for business today. In the background is, of course, the Duluth signature Aerial Lift Bridge.

We got home by early afternoon and were quite cheered by the news from Duluth where UMD defeated Wisconsin 5-4 in overtime. Seedings for the national tournament are to be announced later today and if Wisconsin had won they almost certainly would have received a home game in the first round with Minnesota having to travel, perhaps to what is likely to be the overall #1 seed, Harvard. With the UMD victory Minnesota holds on to a whisker thin advantage over Wisconsin in the selection criteria and is now expected to receive a #4 seed and host a game, probably against Saint Lawrence, an unseeded team.

So woohoo, one last chance to see Ross and McKenzie and Miller in their home jerseys on their home ice.

We had a nice weekend.