[OMG, this is from Tuesday, December 3rd!  I’m so far behind I may never catch up!  Yesterday (Thursday, the 12th), I did two blog posts and the annual Christmas letter . . . and I’m still losing ground.  Lest you keep track of such things, last night the girls’ hockey team looked good in beating Willmar, 6 – 2 (another blog to post) . . . and then because it was date night, we went to SAWA where I did a Finestra video (more blog posting).  But, back to the story, this was the first girl/boy doubleheader hockey game against Brainerd/Little Falls for the girls and Brainerd for the boys.  The girls led off the night with a team meeting at their goal.  I was not privy to the minutes of that meeting . . .  Oh, we won both games!  🙂  ]

CARDINAL GIRLS – 6, BRAINERD/LITTLE FALLS – 0

[During team introductions, I led off with a lovely photo of the back of Melissa’s (6) head.  It must have been an omen.  Mel got a natural hat trick on this night!  🙂  ]

[Lauren (21)]

[Little Rev (29) joins in.  The lack of other introductory photos is an indication they didn’t turn out well in my haste to get the camera functioning early in the festivities.]

[Mari (18) sang the National Anthem in civvies . . .]

[She was still on injured reserve for hockey, but recovering nicely, and had a beautiful voice.]

[If you’re not a coach and on the bench, a helmet is mandatory . . .]

[Here Amy (33), also on injured reserve, helps with that task.]

[And we’re off against the Flying Warriors (a compilation of the Little Falls and Brainerd nicknames).  We were surprised to see their team only had about 12 players.  We know from a member of the Fat Boys that the junior class in Brainerd has 600 students!  That would make their high school twice as large as Alex’s . . . and then throw in Little Falls with them?  So, what’s going on there?  Their team was not up to its usual standards . . . but then we learned from another highly-placed hockey source that their U-14 girls’ team is ranked No. 1 in the state!  They’re holding back!  😉  ]

[Taylor (24) and Mel (6) pin a Flying Warrior along the boards.]

[It must be . . .]

[Yup, a Cardinal GOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!  🙂  McKenzie Revering on a shot from the point just 18 seconds into the game.  After three games in a row where we had trouble buying a goal, maybe our luck was changing? ]

[The Cards came flying in again.  It looks like the puck is going between the goalies legs!]

[Taylor fires from the left face-off circle . . .]

[Mel chases it behind the goal while Sam (37) moves in.]

[Sam keeps it in the zone . . .]

[The puck is between the Flying Warrior’s legs (2nd time already 🙂 ).]

[Now Mel chases in.]

[The Wunderkinds secure the red line.]

[Back pedaling on D . . .]

[And eventually Little Rev secures the puck.]

[Hanah’s (11) in deep . . .]

[Confronts the opposition . . .]

[And with Micaela (34), greets the goalie.]

[Mel and Taylor discuss strategy.]

[McKenna (28) and Nicole (23) keep the pressure on.]

[A shot rings out!]

[GOOOOAAAAALLLLLL, by Sam!]

[Blizzards are on me!]

[Back to work, Kaila (7) with a backhander with Karina (31) at the ready.]

[Karina’s got an empty net!]

[I’m still here – where’s the puck?]

[Oooooooo, it’s tumbling my way!]

[Kaitlin (26) wonders, “Where’d it go?]

[Hanah’s looking for an opening.]

[Stupid puck’s s’pose to go toward their goal!]

[Still me.  Just bigger.]

[With all my friends from the Whitefish Chain!]

[It’s a FUUUUMMMMBBBLLLEEE!]

[Nicole to Taylor.]

[They know Mel is dangerous!]

[Whoa, Taylor’s on the doorstep!]

[This time the puck’s between Taylor’s skates.]

[Now where is it?  And how’d it not go in?]

[It’s over here!]

[There it is!]

[End of period 1.  The Cards are pretty much on control.]

[Period 2 and here comes Little Rev.]

[Guessing Sam . . .]

[And the shot!]

[Mel’s in a wrestling match.]

[Micaela and Rachel (4) on the chase.]

[Mels’s down, but Sam comes to her rescue.]

[It’s a 6-body pile-up on I-94!]

[We’re still in attack mode!]

[Mel and Hanah workin’ the boards.]

[Lauren and Mel in the zone.]

[GOOOOAAAAALLLLLL, by Lauren!]

[And, at the end of 2, Cards still in control.]

[3rd period spoiler alert: I’ve already noted Mel got a natural hat trick, and she hadn’t scored yet!  So, now you know she got all three of the goals scored in the last period, and this is the first one.  🙂  ]

[And Mel, we always know that when you get one, there’ll be another. 🙂  ]

[Decided to check to see if Bailey was doing OK down here?]

[So did the ref.]

[Please, hit something at me!]

[Well, maybe next time?]

[Mel gets her 2nd goal.]

[I took this because we then had 5 goals with 5:55 left!  🙂  ]

[A shot . . .]

[And Mel completes her hat trick.]

[An impressive win.]

CARDINAL BOYS – 4, BRAINERD – 3, OT

[Cardinal team captains meet with their Warrior counterparts to discuss the advancement of Zebra mussels in our respective chains-of-lakes.]

[Squirts lead the Cardinals onto the ice.]

[The Cardinal brain trust:  Jon Crouse, Head Coach Ian Resch, and a coach to be named later (?).]

[We have to admit, the Super Fans have long expressed a preferential interest in the distaff side of this sport.  Thus, we have to admit many of our brethren departed the facility upon completion of the girls’ game.  Robo and I, and Ken, who arrived for the final period of the girls’, hung in there for the entire doubleheader and were treated to a terrific game.  🙂  ]

[Senior Sam Goetsch (33) is our goalie.]

[It doesn’t seem to matter how many places they put the numbers on uniforms – you still can’t see ’em!  Guessing senior forward Toby Helgeson (10)?]

[We could tell early on it would be an evenly matched game.  Junior defenseman Parker Revering (3) and senior defenseman Aaron Steidl (38).]

[Cards with pressure from junior forward Alec Wosepka (8) and senior forward Matt Resch (9).]

[Resch on the doorstep.]

[Junior forward Zach Johnson (17)]

[The Cardinals had an unbelievable 9 – 0 shots-on-goal advantage with one minute left in the first period.  But we could tell they were much better than that.  This must not have been a shot as the Warrior was pursued by senior defenseman Andy Rentschler (12).]

[Cards celebrate a goal from Helgeson.]

[Nice spacing on the celebratory fist bumps.  🙂  ]

[After one.  A Warrior fan told us this was their first game, and they’d only had one practice.  They came out much sharper in the 2nd period and took a 2 – 1 lead.  Their passing was much sharper than the Cards, and they harrassed us with the hockey version of a full-court press.  Whoever had the puck for the Cardinals was immediately put upon by a Warrior and it obviously bothered us.  Matt Resch scored to tie it up, but then Brainerd scored again late to take a 3 – 2 lead into the 3rd period.]

[The 3rd period was evenly played – then Brady Bast (5) scored for the Cards to tie it at 3.]

[Yeah, Brady!]

[Celebrate!]

[Battling it out down to the wire.]

[So, what next?]

[Looks like OT!]

[OK, score as soon as you can!  🙂  ]

[Then, about 3 1/2 minutes into OT, Parker Revering scored on a long slapshot for the win!]

[Woo-woo!!!]

[An all around good night for the Cardinals!]