Minnesota High School Hockey Weekend

Watching some MN State hockey games

Hockey buddies at the games.  It was a sea of people that we know from hockey teams, neighbors, school, church, etc...Lots of fun for the big boys and John.

Last Pultony Winter Series Game at the Univ. of MN, Ridder Arena

I feel like this could be a caption for an advertisement...."Do you want to take control of your health?"

State High School Hockey

Hard to believe this is a high school hockey event and its held on the same ice where the WILD play!!  

Blackhawk hockey teammates at the game

Minnesota LOVES hockey.  I can recall realizing this was true when the boys were quite young.  Aiden was actually around three months of age and the Luke and Liam were barely two.  We had only been in MN a few years and were still exploring the area quite a bit when we decided to head to St. Paul over the weekend of the Minnesota High School Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center.  Luke and Liam were already showing an interest in hockey so when John mentioned it was the weekend of the MN high school hockey tournament and he wanted to head downtown to check it out, it seemed like a fun thing to do.  Turns out it was a much bigger event than I ever realized.  There was a giant hockey expo with all kinds of gear and tons of people.  I thought...man, these hockey people are pretty crazy with all their matching hats and jackets and other gear!?  And who would build a rink in their backyard???  Fast forward 7 or so years and we are THOSE people.

Over the weekend, John was able to find some highly sought after tickets to the state high school championship games.  Maple Grove was playing in the quarterfinals for the first time in several years.  The boys were ecstatic since there was a crowd of people they know at the game.  Sadly, Maple Grove lost their game, but it was a very fun experience.

Luke and Liam finished up their winter hockey league through the University of Minnesota.  While their team has a lot to learn, it was a great experience.  There were no stand out players on this team so the boys really had to work hard and take more of a leadership role.  Each of the boys gained a lot of confidence and had fun in the process.