alexandriacardinals

After a two-game road trip to the Cities followed by another at conference rival, River Lakes, our Cardinals were happy to be back home again on Friday.  Against the Simley Spartans, who as I recall were ranked 18th in the state.  As you can see, we won!  We arrived at the RCC in plenty of time to cover the JV game first – so we did!  😉

[Trihanna Olson (14), freshman forward]

[Marisa Larson (25), sophomore defense.  Bailey Serum (35) was JV goalie for this game.]

[Taylor Bollman (9), junior forward]

[Katie Bowen (26), freshman forward]

[TOUCHDOWN!]

[Coach Boike.  Her husband, David, is also a regular at SAWA – his regularity there, however, is by reason of employment.  He was looking forward to seeing his 1st hockey game of the season that night.]

[Mackenzie Abrahamson (17), freshman forward, and McKenna Schroeder (28), freshman forward; and it looks like Micaela Swenson (34), sophomore forward, mixing it up with the Spartans.]

[You know them all now from previous introduction.]

[Kaila Dewanz (7), sophomore forward, also plays varsity.]

[Looks like Sara Schmidt (27), senior forward, is now centering Mackenzie and McKenna (we seem to have a lot of “Mac” girls).]

[Baby birds having their best game through two periods.]

[Third period, the puck’s in the crease, did we score?  😉 ]

[Carly Edenloff (19), sophomore forward]

[Taylor shoots.]

[Kaila and Sara are in the zone.]

[Kaila shoots.]

[Gonna guess the baby birds scored here . . .]

[Yup, center ice face-off!   😉 ]

[A Kaila sequence . . .]

[Another shot.]

[Sara . . .]

[We’re glad she decided to rejoin the team as a player.  With injuries and illness, we also needed her on the varsity.]

[Micaela had a terrific game.  I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t get varsity playing time, too.]

[Carly’ s on the doorstep.]

[Good all around game for the JV!]

Next up – varsity parent night!

[Seniors (l-r):  Becca, in civvies (good news, she’s been medically cleared to play again next Thursday); Rachel (oops, a junior); Sara; Madi; Anna; and Shanee’]

[Shelby has joined them on the right.]

[Juniors (l-r):  Taylor Ellingson; Kalley Kragenbring (in civvies); Melissa; and, I’m guessing, Taylor Bollman.]

[Closer-upper]

[Back at ya, Taylor!  🙂 ]

[(l-r):  Freshman Mari; sophomores Marisa; Micaela; Carly; Kaila; Nicole; and Bailey.]

(Oh, to have Kalley back.) ]

[They’re getting too far away from me!]

[Let’s see, 26 is Katie Bowen . . .]

[Looks like (r-l):  Freshmen Trihanna (14); Mackenzie (17); McKenna (28); Taylor Coker (30); Amy Jost (33); Lauren Niska (21); Hanah Hansen (11); and 8th-grader, McKenzie Revering.]

[Coaches Andy and Brittin with student “coaches” Kalley and Becca.  It’s a state law that students on the bench must wear a helmet; if I was on the bench, I’d be in a shark cage.]

[You can tell by Andy’s expression how much it hurts having . . . 40(?) goals sitting on the bench with him!  (Not to mention Becca, who looks like she’s ready to hop over the boards any minute!)]

[I’ve got nothing to add here . . .]

[Their expressions say it all.]

[Parent night goodie night.]

[Becca’s dad, Shelby’s dad, Shanee’s mom and dad.  We keep them behind glass for display purposes.]

[Hats on, ladies, it’s time to go to work!]

[Opening face-off – the Shanee’ play.  Taylor E draws it back to No. 40 who takes it hard around left end.]

[And there she goes.  Her parents are interested spectators.]

[Let’s take a closer look at that!  😉 ]

[Hanah’s got ’em right where she wants ’em!]

[Melissa and Hanah are in on goal.  All they need now is a puck!]

[Melissa chases it down in the corner.]

[Madi and Shelby apply pressure.]

[Taylor E’s line gets a face-off in the offensive zone.  Can you feel something’s about to happen?]

[Yes!  Melissa scored!]

[And something to look forward to, she also scored the team’s 2nd goal in the 2nd period!  🙂 ]

The supervisor covered for my ailing memory this game by actually writing down the scoring during the course of the game.  Whatta trooper!  Here’s her report:

Goal 1:  Melissa Drown from Hanah Hansen;

Goal 2:  Melissa from Shanee’ Herd;

Goal 3:  Shelby Iverson from Madi Houska and McKenzie Revering;

Goal 4:  Anna Carlsen from Madi and Shelby;

Goal 5:  Mari Wosepka from Kaila Dewanz.

[After goal face-off, 10 bodies go into motion again.  The ref looks for safe refuge.]

[That same line’s in the zone again.]

[Possible an optical delusion.  It appears from looking at the ref and the players that the puck hasn’t been dropped yet.  And yet there appears to be a puck on the ice?]

[The first period is over, so let’s meet the cheerleaders.  Because they are, “Boom, dynamite!!”]

[Of course I forgot to ask the supervisor to take down their names.  My bad.  But here’s the list of names from the program:  Gabrielle Cahlin, Brittany Rochert, Kenzie Bakeberg, Madiysn Klimek, Aliiy Johnson (I have to ask if those are typos in the previous two first names?), Lexie Hubbard, and Mariah Lichty.  Anyone who can match a face with a name wins a cookie.]

[Editor’s aside:  My Gopher women’s hockey team just won their 26th straight game – an all-time record.  If you look to the left border of this blog, the young player in the Breck uniform is Milica McMillen.  She made the all-tournament team as an 8th-grader in 2008, the year our Cards won the state tournament.  She is now a freshman player for the Gophers.]

[In the 2nd period, this is the celebration of Melissa’s 2nd goal!]

[The line of Taylor E, Melissa, and Hanah is back in the zone again.]

[Sara . . .]

[Yells, Don’t swing!]

[Shelby’s goal.  Woo-woo!]

[So, celebrate!]

[The line of scrimmage – not for the faint of heart.]

[(See commentary after the following photo.)]

[The Cards had a well deserved lead after the 2nd period.  The shots-on-goal stat really isn’t telling in this instance – the Cards had a lot more shots, but they weren’t always “on goal.”  And that’s not bad.  We have mumbled (OK, under our breaths) that sometimes it seems the team shoots directly at the goalie rather the open parts of the net.  In this game, as well as other recent games, we several times had uncontested break outs on the goalie, but then would miss the net trying to be too fine hitting a corner.]

[Oh no!  More competition!  The Voices weren’t in their booth – they were off covering the girls’ first road basketball game.  As usually happens in a first road game, the Cards were not ready to shoot an unfamiliar baskets.  😦  They’ll regroup.]

[Start of the 3rd period.  A 2-goal lead is nice, but the next goal is telling.  If the other team scores first, it’s a one goal game again and anything can happen.  And Simley was a pretty good team.  They ran their first power play to perfection in scoring their only goal of the game.  We held our collective breaths whenever we were short-handed.]

[And Anna got the crucial next goal for us (though the puck is now by the refs).]

[Here we come again – and Melissa is positioned on the far side looking for a hat trick.]

[Madi and Shelby battling 2-on-5.]

[Oh, drat, I can’t remember who this was!  I took the photo because we were surprised it was called.  I believe it was for interference in the offensive zone by one of our mighty mites – Hanah or Sara?  Papas Iverson and Illies keep an eye on her for her transgression.]

[Sara finally gets to pick on someone her own size . . .]

[The Simley player – and she was a player – was their 8th-grade starting center.]

[Here come Taylor E and Melissa again.]

[No. 8 sticks an elbow in Melissa’s back as Hanah approaches the open side of the net.]

[Well, not this time.]

[Here come Kaila, Mari, and Rachel.]

[And Mari scored!]

[It was great to see that line score!  🙂 ]

[And we won!]

[DQ’s for all!]

[And Hockey Mom from the past made her first appearance of the year.  Sue Justice, a/k/a, Danielle “Roadblock’s” mom, is flanked by Super Fans, Vivian Annen (note her Alex hockey sweatshirt) and the supervisor.]

[Lookin’ good in the sports jacket the supervisor passed on from my Mom.]

[Then thanks to Super Fan Roger for once again singing the National Anthem prior to another win!  🙂 ]

[Editor’s p.s.:  Regarding high school daze, late last week it was noted that the highest temperature ever on that date was 47, in 1962, my sophomore year at Jefferson High School.  It was also noted that the lowest temperature ever on that date was minus 18, in 1964, my senior year.  I recall neither but note that the 47 degree temp has been under fire the last few days here.]

Every once in a while, one has to escape the hubbub and excitement of the sport and entertainment milieu to commune with nature.  To enjoy the quiet and peacefulness.  To gambol among Mother Nature’s other creatures.

Monday morning was such a time.  As you may recall, it was our coldest morning of the year.  Beautiful Lake Darling was now significantly covered by “hard” water.  It was time to see what was happening in the outside world.  With some difficulty, I hoisted myself off the couch, meandered toward the lake side window, taking care not to step on the already deceased Asian lady beetles lying in my flight path, and took a peek outside.  One must be careful here, as wildlife photography requires a certain je ne sais quoi . . . a derring-do, a bravado.  Casting apprehensions to the wind, I braved the wilds of our living room and set up the camera.  This is what we saw.

[Geese and ducks and swans, resting on what the previous day was “soft” water, with their heads tucked under their wings in the minus zero wind chills they were experiencing at the time.]

[It wasn’t that long ago when swans were considered the perfect antidote to the scourge of the Canadian goose.  Well, now we see them comingling all the time?]

[Then a peacock flew by . . .]

[Fishermen like to congregate in front of our house; so do waterfowl.  Go figure?]

[There was a similar size group just to the left of this photo.  Too many trees in the way there.  You can see lake bottom through the clarity of the ice.]

[Then I checked the front yard to see if anything was happening out there.]

[Swans.  Generally only seen around here at this time of year, as the lakes begin to ice up.]

[Thousands and thousands of creatures.  At least the coots appear to be gone.]

[The swans found some open water out there.  It’s warmer than sitting exposed on the ice.]

[It’s a pool party!!]

[Darned if another peacock didn’t go soaring by then?]

[Sometimes the camera makes up its own mind as to what to focus on.]

[Just kinda swimmin’ around here.]

[Suddenly (cue the music from “Jaws”) a bald eagle decided to join the party.]

[And I don’t believe he had an invitation.]

[Mmmm, so many tasty morsels sitting just below me!]

[I can’t remember if the missus wanted duck or goose for dinner?]

[Or was it peacock?]

[Master of his domain . . .]

[And all he surveys.]

[I guess I’m not really that hungry.]

[But if one more peacock flies by!]

[Maybe I need a taller perch?]

[La-di-da.]

[Oh, I’m such a handsome chap!]

[I wonder what else is going on today?]

[And maybe I’ll check out that chap hiding in the tree.]

[All alone am I.]

[OMG, was that just another peacock?]

[Did that car just drive through that tree?]

[The moon and Jupiter setting over Kona, Hawaii on November 28.  Photo courtesy of Roel Gorena.]

Other attributions:  Rog “Travelin’ Man” Tweed sent us, in chronological order, Eagle View High Sierra; Sentinel Tree; Washington Giant Sequoia; Black Arch Giant Sequoia; and Tunnel Tree.  The peacock photos are stock e-mailed to me by someone?

[Parents night for the Cardinal girls’ basketball season opener against Little Falls.]

[The Competition]

[This year the coaches are parents, too!  Head Coach Wendy Kohler (a/k/a, Kohler), in the white pants, with her 8th-grade daughter, Kendall; and Asst. Coach Julie Hatlestad, black pants next to Kohler, with her 8-grade daughter, Macy.]

[Cards warm up, in unusually large numbers!  🙂 ]

The narrative:  Every year, at the end of another successful Cardinal season, I look at the three departing seniors that seems to be the norm and think – there’s no way we can be as good as next year?  And Kohler just winks.  Three years ago we said good-bye to graduating seniors Gracie Bruzek, Angela Christianson, and Kate Gearman (we thought a sure state tournament team); two years ago we lost Sam Trumm, Alli Haar, and Joie Warnes (a state tournament team); and last year we lost Lauren Trumm, Cara Wood, and Whitney Gesell (if not for Fergus . . .). 

Surely this year had to be a rebuilding year?  We didn’t seem to have a lot of size coming back . . . but boy do we have a lot of numbers!  🙂 

[The criss-cross passing drill.]

[Kohler visits the Flyers coaches.]

[Fans settle in – in eager anticipation of the new season.]

[3-on-2 warm-up drill.]

[At first glance Kohler appeared to be addressing the audience.  Upon further review, she was merely hydrating.]

[Foreground, l-r:  Emily Thul, 5’11” junior; Amanda Gould, 6′ junior; Sarah Bruzek, 5’7″ junior.]

[A whole bunch of players.]

[Team intros:  Amanda Christianson, 5’10” junior.  The “starters” all come out, do a little waggle with the aforementioned Sarah . . . and shake hands with the opponents.  I italicized “starters” because there are really at least 8, in terms of playing time.]

[Still Amanda C (as opposed to Amanda G).]

[Hi, Flyer!  Kohler applauds the handshake.]

[It’s still me, in close-up.]

[Danielle Strater, 5’9″ senior.]

[Still Dani.]

[Hiding behind Sarah is . . .]

[A chest bumping Karly Betterman, 5’5″ junior.]

[I’ve christened Karly, “Wheels,” because she is a perpetual motion machine.  She probably burns up more calories in two trips up and down the floor than I do in an hour and a half with the Fat Boys Walking Club.  She’s on the cross-country team in the fall just for the fun of it.  I wonder what her daily calorie intake has to be, just to sustain life?]

[Jessica Syvrud, 5’5″ senior.  She and Karly are pretty much twins, in all respects.  😉 ]

[This may have been an attempted hip check.]

[And you may recall Jess as our 2nd baseman in softball.  And a member of the state tournament soccer team.]

[Kalli Bowser, 6’1″ senior.  As the designated tall person, she uses a full squat in her routine with Sarah. 😉 ]

[She’s a swimmer – good for upper body strength when you’re a post player.]

[OK ladies, let’s get this season started!]

The following video, as usual, is from the opening tip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6p3RNF1kCk

Although the Cards started a hectic 2 for 11 from the floor, you get the idea that this was a mismatch from the beginning.  The Flyers were simply undermanned.  The Cards just keep coming at you and coming at you.  They are indefatigable.  And its like hockey on the hardwood – with each whistle, three fresh Cardinals come in off the bench.  It’s like . . . well, getting hit by an AVALANCHE for the opposition.  Kohler has a system of the 1-3-1 pressing half-court defense where whoever has the ball for the other side is always immediately double-teamed.  And with the depth on the team this year, I would think there’s probably blood on the floor at the end of each practice.

[Karly (21) and Amanda C (5) have just created another turnover.]

[Kalli (35) and Dani (13) offer congrats on the play.]

[Amanda C set to inbound to Jess (23).]

[R-E-B-O-U-N-D!]

[Karly at the line (and below).]

[Both Karly and Jess look like they’ll be pretty good hitting 3’s, if they get a good look.]

[Kalli coming out for a little high D.]

[Card low-post defense creates another loose ball.]

[Cards hustle back to defensive positions.]

[Karly launches – is it a 3?]

[F-o-u-l!]

[Amanda C at the line – she’ll get there a lot this year.]

[Sarah with free throws.  She’s the 6th man, in the role that created the terror known as Lauren Trumm.  Like Lauren, Sarah is a soccer goalie – an all-stater at that!  😉  So, when she’s on the point of the 1-3-1, she plays it in the same manner as Lauren – with speed and quickness, contesting every dribble and pass.]

[Sarah wraps up the half.]

[And it was over at the half.  I pretty much gave the camera a rest from then on.]

[The boys’ team was there for support – and hopefully to pick up some pointers!  😉 ]

[Oh, I did have to break out the camera again.  Kohler, of course, played everybody in the 2nd half – and late in the game she sent “the kids” in.  The crowd was delighted for the 8th-graders, Macy (11) and Kendall (45).  Kendall hit an open 3, much to the roaring delight of the boys’ team.]

[It’s impossible to predict the future, but I’d have to say the guard position for the team is in pretty good shape for the next four years.  As coaches’ daughters, you can already tell they both have a good feel for and understanding of the game.]

[Ooops!  As we understood it, one of them got a technical for not checking in at the scorer’s table.  Picky, picky, picky!  Perhaps it was fitting that the Flyers missed both technical foul shots.]

[Their toughest task now is to see if they can play the take-no-prisoners defense their moms will require from them.  🙂 ]

[This is Kendall.]

[And this is Macy.  Earlier in the night they had led the JV to a lopsided victory.]

[And back to Kendall.]

[Macy readies to bring it up court.]

[Winding it down.]

[Cards win!]

Final thoughts:  Amanda C’s all-around game will be crucial as to how well we do this year.  Dani will contribute solid D, and she can get out on the break.  Kalli gives us a good inside presence, and she continues the Cardinal tradition of having centers who can run – she will get lots of fast break points.  Karly and Jess are going to be fun to watch as a tandem all year – both offensively and defensively.  Amanda G and Emily, as the long and lankies off the bench, are probaby our best mid-range shooters.  Sarah will do everything.  Now no more home games until mid-December.

OK, we may as well get this over right up front.  We lost.  Both games.  At Mound-Westonka, 6 – 3, on Friday night; and at Orono, 5 – 2, on Saturday afternoon.  They are both ranked in the Top 10 in class A.  There were extenuating circumstances, as will be discussed as we roll along.

Extenuating Circumstance 1:  The “Black Cloud” syndrome, as described and defined by “Weakie.”  The theory is that Super Fans inherently bring bad luck on road trips.  And there is history, obviously, for that claim.  Any time we have planned a road trip, the weather forecast for that travel date immediately changes from fair and mild to the storm of the century.  And the reason for road trips, e.g., great play in recent home games (see the Moorhead game), is impossible to sustain on the opponents’ home ice.

It was a late decision to go down for the games.  We noticed that our calendar was blank, incredibly, for Friday and Saturday – the apres Thanksgiving lull?  Of course, the beautiful weather the day before Thanksgiving became winter as soon as our travel plans became a matter of public record.  Uffda.  And the “Black Cloud” manifested itself before we even got out of our driveway on Friday.  We stopped the car at the end of the driveway to pick up the mail.  I was holding a handful of papers with directions to our various venues in the Cities – our motel, our planned restaurants, the two high schools – when I unloaded a surprisingly full mail box.  While juggling all this stuff on the way back to the car, a gust of wind tore our “directions” out of my hands – papers flew everywhere.  So, the trip began with me lumbering through the yard, without a jacket, through the snow (OK, it wasn’t much), under evergreens, trying to grab the elusive trip tiks.  Once back in the car, cold but undaunted, we hadn’t gone more than a half mile down Co. Rd. 22 when I saw a dog running full speed up a side road heading into our flight path.  I hollered at the supervisor, a/k/a, my chauffeur, to watch out for the dog – she hadn’t seen it coming.  She slammed on the brakes as the dog sprinted across right in front of us.  Everything that was piled up in the back seat hit the floor.  We should have recognized then – mere minutes and two mishaps into our adventure – that maybe this trip wasn’t meant to be.

We interrupt this broadcast to report that by doing a Black Friday road trip we missed the Christmas decorations lighting on Broadway for . . . well, the first time since last we missed it.  [Disclosure:  The photo at the top of the page was taken when we got home Saturday night.]  It does seem, however, that the Friday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the coldest day of the year, and it was no different this year.  I later heard from those who stayed behind that they didn’t go down for lighting either as the wind chill was reported to be in the “freeze your heinie off” zone.

[The supervisor having a psychedelic experience at Sawatdee.]

The plan when we got to the Cities was to eat at Sawatdee, a Thai restaurant in Maple Grove.  From all our years of big city eating snobbery, we miss ethnic food – and Thai was always one of our favorites.  Every once in a while I feel the need to eat food spicy hot enough to singe my nose hairs – always remembering that spices created international trade in antiquity, and were responsible for introducing curry to lutefisk, and vice-versa.

Maple Grove is an extenuating circumstance unto itself.  We have often been lost in its bowels and had to call 911 to be led out.  This time we were also dealing with the “Black Cloud” of a road trip.  It had snowed in the Cities the night before and into Friday morning – not a lot of snow, but with wind caused 200 car accidents.  The “storm” was over well before we got there in the afternoon – but there were lingering after effects.  Every street sign in the metro area that faced West was entirely covered with snow, i.e., unreadable!  We can’t find our way around Maple Grove when we can see the street signs!  How we found Sawatdee, and then our motel in Golden Valley, is beyond me?

[Mound-Westonka hockey arena]

Mound-Westonka seemed farther from downtown Minneapolis than is Alexandria.  We drove for what seemed like forever through totally dark wilderness.  We could get our bearings only when we could see the glow of the Cities off to the east. We should have known this was a hockey set-up when we got the arena and locals were ending their sentences with, eh?

[Our 1st view of the ice.  The JV was having a tough game.  They’re dealing with numbers issues this year.  Many of the best 8th and 9th-graders are already on the varsity, and this is the 1st year that Alex has had a U-14 girls’ team.]

[The varsity takes to the ice.]

[“The Voices” were in fine fettle.  Fine Fettle, to my knowledge, is slightly east Hale and slightly north of Hardy.]

[Marnee’ addresses the hockey moms.  I’m placing the onus on her to have all the moms in place for a photo shoot at the next home game.  😉 ]

[Extenuating Circumstance 2: . . .]

[Bailey was on her own in goal . . .]

[Amy, fresh off shutouts of Fergus and DL . . .]

[Had to stay home with strep.]

[Mari, above and below]

[Nicole, above and below]

[Hanah]

[Kaila]

[McKenzie.  If you take enough photos, you may finally luck into one.  A full slap shot in all its glory!  ;-)]

[JV goalie, freshman Taylor Coker (30), helps out in warm-ups.]

[McKenzie]

[Sara]

[Shelby, above and below]

[Melissa]

[Shanee’]

[The coaches.  I’ll go anywhere for a post-game snack, but no turkey!]

[We looked everywhere for a DQ on the way in here . . . but didn’t see anything?]

[The closest one is in Pickle Lake.]

[Saddle up, ladies!]

[Bailey]

[Nicole]

[Shanee’]

[Madi]

[Anna]

Extenuating Circumstance 3:  Anna was moved up from defense to play 1st line forward because Becca is out (we hope not for too long) with concussion symptons (?).  That move reverberated all through the usual rotation patterns.  Nicole played D the entire game, whereas before she could take some shifts as a forward on the 3rd line, with success this year.

[Shelby.  We had hoped to get together with the homecoming queen, class of ’65, while we were down there and whisk her away to a hockey game just long enough to get her photo with the HQ, class of 2012.  Nah, they both would have hated it!  😉 ]

[Oh say . . .]

[Can you see . . .]

[An empty net?  SHOOT!]

[ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL!!  Well, that’s what the Three Musketeers said.]

[Shelby again gets the opening draw back to Shanee’.]

[This time Shanee’ took it wide (and below).]

[Taylor (24) in our zone.]

[Mari and Rachel (4)]

[Shanee’ and Nicole present the last line of defense.]

[Taylor takes a draw in the Mound end.]

[As does Shelby.]

[I think this was Taylor’s goal which tied it at the end of the 1st period.]

[Kaila helps out the coach while adjusting her contact.]

[Period 2.]

[Taylor in their zone.  She had a terrific two games – and was player-of-the-game in this one.]

[Anna]

[We tied it up here, shortly after they scored.  I believe this was Lauren’s on a power play.]

[After our goal . . .]

[Still tied after two.  We were hanging in there!  🙂 ]

Extenuating Circumstance 4:  We were traveling the day after Thanskgiving and had to play two games in 24 hours.  The tryptophan in turkey caught up with us in the 3rd period.

[Shelby drawing back to Lauren.]

[After they scored, Shelby scored immediately to tie up again.  We couldn’t match their goals after that.]

[Rachel]

[Not bad.  We can play with them when healthy.]

[The Voices try their hand as sound technicians.]

[Dave wanted to interview player-of-the-game, Taylor, and Coach Randy.]

[Let’s thread it through here.  And then could you please let us out of this cage?]

Saturday

Well, the highlight (some would say lowlight) of the weekend occurred at the motel as we were getting ready to check out.  The supervisor had gone out to move the car as I was showering.  As I was packing at the foot of the bed, the door opened – I thought it was the supervisor.  It was the maid.  I was only wearing a smile – and a Dopp kit appropriately positioned.  After I revived her with smelling salts, we exchanged personal information – either in case she wanted to file a workers’ comp claim . . . or ask me to coffee?

Orono – not quite as far into the sticks as Mound-Westonka.  I couldn’t figure out why the school is called Orono because the town of Long Lake is between the town of Orono and the Orono high school?  I also couldn’t figure out (OK, I really can) how both Mound-Westonka and Orono can have more students in their high schools than either of their towns have in total population.  And they are both to some degree, especially Orono, home to the camel hair coat/cashmere sweater crowd, as “Weakie” likes to call them.  It takes one cake-eater to know another – “Weakie” was a vice president for Honeywell and his kids went to Wayzata, and then to St. Thomas and Carlton.  😉

[The defense plays catch.]

[Your guess is as good as mine?]

[Kaila.  Just shooting randomly, I got her both games.]

[Rachel]

[A fan . . .]

[The players were really having fun with her.  🙂 ]

[The supervisor returns with a hot chocolate – undoubtedly to help digest the lunch we had at Mort’s with brother Cam and sister-in-law Karen.  Remember, it always comes down to eating!]

[Hats on!]

[Bailey.  From all reports the team crashed early in their motel and slept late.]

[Nicole]

[Shanee’]

[Shelby.  I didn’t get everybody as late arriving Cardinal fans (slept in, too?) kept blocking my sight lines.]

[Madi]

[Anna]

[Boy, I need a nap!]

[Here we go . . . again.]

[The Shanee’ play must not have worked this time.]

[Taylor takes the draw, with Hanah to her right.  It’s daylight out there.]

[The defense tandem of Nicole and Shanee’ chase down the puck.]

[Madi and Shelby]

[Cards on the defense.  If there was a theme for the weekend, it was the aggressive forechecking of both the teams we played.  They made it difficult to get out of our own end at times.]

[Nicole gets pinched.]

[Melissa’s in position for a shot.]

[Cards score – Anna from her new wing position!  🙂 ]

[Shanee’ and Shelby showing their track speed.]

[Shelby doesn’t lose many draws.]

[Is that Madi?]

[Madi and Shelby keep it in the zone.]

[Shanee’ scored!]

[Hanah, Taylor, Melissa]

[The race is on!]

[I’m ready?]

[Shelby]

[After 2.]

[We’re in the offensive zone.  We had several quality shots in both games – we have to learn (if scoring can be learned?) how to put those away.]

[A time-out before a final push.]

[I think the team picked up some valuable experience – and we all had fun!]

[Did you know you can see the glow over the metropolis of Alexandria from 25 miles out?  We’ve noticed it before coming in on I-94 – this weekend we came home on 55 (it was close to Orono and we don’t have to battle the 18-wheelers at night) and same thing.]

[To make a long day longer, we stopped at SAWA before we went home.]

[Al Leiffort, bass; Lizzie Leiffort (home for the holiday), flute; Mel Lamar, guitar; and Bill Riggs, trumpet, were the entertainment.  It was good! 🙂 ]

[The happy, yet zombied, couple.]

[The talent.]

[Good-bye talent, including Bruce Kelly looking out at us from the audience.]

All the other winter sports begin tonight.  Uffda!