But it was sure fun while it lasted!

[The boys’ hockey team hosted Fergus Falls on Thursday.  The Cards came into the game with a 15-0-1 record.  A record crowd was on hand – seemed like standing room only.  Lots of Fergus fans in the center section – we jokingly (sort of – ha!) told them center ice was for the home fans, harummphhh.  My friend John from Ashby, making his first visit to the RCC, had a hard time finding us.  Anyway, the Otters only had 4 losses themselves, and we had beaten them by only one goal at their place so it figured to be a tough game.  And some times all good things must come to an end.  We had the better of the play (actual shots on goal were 43 – 23), but the Otters had the better of the bounces.  All of their goals came from long shots that deflected of people, places, and things and some how found their way into our goal.  Stuff happens!  We did get Ryan Marciniak (20) back, but Mack Strong (16) apparently is still a week away.  Time to get healthy for the playoffs.]

[Two days before the game, ominously like London over beautiful Lake Darling.]

[But hey, the JV won and looked pretty good doing so.]

[So, how’s everything in Fergus?   You guys have a good trip down?  We won the toss?  We’ll receive and defend the South goal.]

[And here comes Alec Wosepka (8) . . . ]

[And again.]

[Jack Steffl (2) on the draw.]

[Mayhem abounds . . . it’s hockey!]

[Find the Cardinal?]

[Eli Heckert (27) and Wosepka coming into center ice . . .]

[With Alex carrying it into the Otters zone.]

[Appears to be Nick Partington (26) backing on defense with Chase Nielson (10).]

[Cammeran Brown (21) and friend on the attack.]

[A good scoring attempt from Brown, Wosepka, and likely Zach Johnson behind the goal.]

[But the slippery puck makes another getaway with Chase in pursuit.]

[Alec on offense again.]

[Now this is a hockey picture, if I do say so myself.  Parker Revering (3), back defending the blue line, while teammates try to get something past the dastardly Otter goalie!]

[And yet another ‘find the Cardinal’ photo?]

[The Otters held a 1 – 0 lead after one period.  Now in the 2nd, Steffl lead the Cards in.]

[There’s something’s happening here.   What it is ain’t exactly clear.]

[Woo-woo!  Cards tie it up.  Micah Christenson (39), from Johnson and Partington.]

[Chris Canavati (11)]

[Partington, Brown, and Chris Leary (18) on the offensive.]

[And now Nielson and Heckert.]

[Micah looking for a 2nd goal.]

[GOOOAAALLLL!  This time Zach, from Parker and Nick.  This tied it at 2, as the Otters got a goal in between,]

[And a better look at it from close up.]

[Heckert with a slapshot.]

[Zach and Marciniak (20) on offense.]

[Dunno who, but looks like he got something on it!  🙂    ]

[And the puck somehow manages to elude the Otter goal again, despite the best efforts of Marciniak . . .]

[And Revering.]

[And Wosepka.]

[Yup, they scored again after we did, so we’re back to being down one goal after two periods.  Put this up to show we had a 2 – 1 shot advantage at this time.]

[Final period, go get ’em boys!]

[And we did!  GOOOOAAAALLLL!  This one by Leary, assisted by Brown and Lukas Bigger (27).]

[But wouldn’t you know, the Otters scored on another long deflection to take the lead again, 4 – 3 . . .]

[And despite some good efforts, that’s the way the game ended.  Now let’s heal all wounds and finish the season on an uptick.]

[A Toast to the Streak!]

[You will note from the following post we spent Saturday afternoon at the winery with Harper’s Chord.  I intended to leave early because we had a girl/boy hockey doubleheader at the RCC against Bemidji.  But we were  having such a good time, I didn’t get to hockey until the girls were about to start the 3rd period.  Bemidji scored in the 1st 20 seconds of the game, and that 1 – 0 lead held up the entire game.  Both the girls and the boys were playing their 4th game of the week.  The girls had won the first 3, setting up a strong possibility of being the No. 1 in the section.  Bemidji is a class AA team in a different section, so the game really didn’t mean that much.  And that’s kind of how it appeared from the play.  We had 3 players held out for precautionary reasons to make sure they’re healthy for the sections.]

[We called a timeout – to get some rest and try to make a push for a tying goal.  It just wasn’t to be.]

[As Kristin Trosvig (15) skates into the corner, we look forward to senior night on Tuesday.]

[Our “goal” light on the scoreboard didn’t appear to be working.  The boys didn’t need it either.  They were in the same situation as the girls, and when Bemidji scored on their 1st two shots of the game it appeared it wasn’t going to be good.  And after an early 7 – 0 shot deficit, the Cards kicked it gear and the game was evenly played the rest of the way.  The Lumberjacks got a wrap around goal in the third that we should have prevented and then scored again late in the game for a 4 – 0 win.  Now, also, get everyone healthy for sections.]

Cloud nine gets all the publicity, but cloud eight actually is cheaper, less crowded, and has a better view.  ~  George Carlin

Up next:  A musical interlude.