[We did not know when we arrived on Thursday night that the game was between the #1 (Alex) and #2 (Detroit Lakes) ranked teams in our section. We’d been gone for a while (see previous post) and lost track of stuff. We knew we beat DL handily at their place earlier in the season, so I guess we were expecting an easy game. Apparently so did the Cardinals – it just never works out that way. But it happens in every sport at every level. DL (and their rowdy fans) seemed to want the game more than we did. Fortunately, talent won out. 🙂 ]
[The Cards lined up for player introductions. Can you identify them all yet?]
[Oh, and here’s the rest of them.]
[We learned pre-game from another Super Fan, Ted Justice, that the Cards will have a new assistant coach for a while. That’s Little Rev on the bench in the helmet. She apparently was hurt in the previous game and may not be back during the regular season. They obviously will play it safe and wait for all the necessary medical clearances. But I think not having her on the ice (she’s become a quarterback out there with 3 assists in the Pequot game) was likely a factor in our inconsistent play for much of the game.]
[Karina. Sorry, her photo from front was fuzzy. Apologies to Karina. It happens, as you will soon notice . . .]
[Apologies to Nicole.]
[Apologies to Kaila.]
[Apologies to Mel.]
[Micaela, not that bad?]
[And apologies to Amy, who got lost in the crowd?]
[Now that we’re all here, Mari can knock the National Anthem out of the arena! 😉 ]
[As an interim assistant coach, Little Rev was wondering if she gets travel and per diem?]
[Did McKenna lose her hat?]
[Or was it another Kim Kardashian sighting?]
[Students with instruments were there! 🙂 ]
[And they’re off, as the puck dribbles behind Mel.]
[Restart? Wait, this is the 2nd period? I must have taken a nap. Well, it was 0 – 0 after 1.]
[Captain Ellingson, now on defense.]
[Captain Drown]
[Mel jousts with a Laker.]
[Nicole, I already can’t remember . . .]
[If she played offense or defense (with Little Rev out) in this game?]
[Sam Klimek (with Nicole) chases down a Laker. Sam scored the only goal in the 3rd period of the JV game, a beautiful length of the ice rush and then put a wrist shot over the goalie’s shoulder. The scoreboard said the score was 7 – 0 when she scored, the scoreboard still said 7 – 0 at the end of the game? Other reports had us winning 11 – 0. I believe they’re forming a congressional committee to determine the correct outcome.]
[Nicole is outnumbered and looking for a friendly jersey.]
[Well, here comes Taylor . . .]
[To the rescue.]
[There’s Mel near then net with Micaela out front and likely Kaila hiding behind the Lakers’ No. 7.]
[We’re pressing . . .]
[If you notice the goal scrums, Mel is always there. Explains why she’s such a good scorer.]
[But no goal . . .]
[Keeping hitting it!]
[Lakers come to the aid of their besieged goalie.]
[Nada]
[Still nada.]
[Nada, nada, nada. Gotta give their goalie some credit.]
[The Laker shoestring tackle was not only unsuccessful, the guy in stripes has raised his arm indicating a penalty.]
[Mel chases the puck in the corner.]
[Mel must have got it – down there in the area of students with instruments.]
[Is that Kaila taking a rip at one?]
[Now Lauren comes in on her backhand.]
[There’s Mel in front of the net again . . . surely we’ll score this time?]
[Nicole flips one on goal.]
[That’s probably Hanah working on her double-arm takedown.]
[Yup, it was Hanah and here she is with Mari storming the net.]
[Now Kaila and Micaela are in on goal.]
[Nicole with almost the identical shot she had about 5 photos up?]
[Hanah and Mari mucking it up in the goal crease again . . .]
[But despite all this nice chances, it was still nada-nada after two.]
[This is Jerry Prettyman. He’s attempting the puck shoot between the 2nd and 3rd periods . . .]
[Jerry is also Sue Justice’s father, and thus, by extension, the father-in-law of the aforementioned Ted. Sue was at the game, too . . . as was her daughter, Danielle. Danielle just returned from a year and a half adventure in New Zealand and Malaysia. Earlier this week we saw Abby and Ashley at a game. So, in the last week we have seen 3 of the 4 all-state seniors from the 2008 championship team. Know we just need Del to show up! 😉 I told Danielle as I’ve told the others that I blame her, and her teammates, for making us continue to go out on blizzard winter nights to watch girls’ hockey when I could be home in my La-Z-Boy, chugging down Coke Zero with chips and queso, while watching re-runs of “Family Guy.”]
[Jerry just missed – hitting the board between the $100 and the $25. 😦 ]
[The 3rd period begins with Kaila in search of a rebound.]
[Time for a line change as Kaila heads for the bench.]
[Well, let’s see how Amy’s doing at the other end?]
[She has her fan club with her behind the glass.]
[Oh, oh boys, here comes Vinnie! 😉 ]
[We scored! GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!]
[Kaila scored, tapping the puck in as it lay by the goal line. We had a perfect view on it – except for the camera.]
[Well, let’s see if we can make that one-goal lead stand up. Mel is there for a backhand.]
[Nicole has a 1-on-3 advantage. 😉 ]
[Laker goalie with another stop.]
[At some point around here, we had a 5-on-4 power play. Then we took a penalty to make it 4-on-4 and shortly thereafter the Lakers scored to tie the game!]
[Then with a little over a minute and 40 seconds left in the game, Mel gained the puck in her own zone and I had a feeling . . .]
[She passed off the boards to herself to get by her first defender and the just sped around the defense in the Laker zone to give herself a clear shot at the goal. She beat the goalie with a nice wrist shot and the Cards had a 2 – 1 lead.]
[The Lakers pulled their goalie as soon as they could, of course . . . ]
[And Micaela scored an empty-nester for the final score.]
[Let’s be ready for them in the sections. ]
Curmudgeon quote of the post: It’s a finny thing that when a man hasn’t anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married. ~ Robert Frost
alexandriacardinals 
