Hockey 101

So the kids really enjoyed the hockey game yesterday. Before the game they gave the kids a rundown of the rules, the calls, the process of how the game works (3 20-min periods, penalties, power plays, etc). They had little cheat sheets so we could know what the calls were and they stayed very involved in the game. After the first period the Allen Americans were winning 1-0. During the second period the kids left with about 5 minutes left in the period to go out on the ice at the break. Well, the Texas Brahmas scored while they were "backstage". The second intermission has a "chuck a puck" event and the kids got to go on the ice with the rest of the homeschoolers and pick up the pucks once they were chucked. Brian threw the pucks onto the ice for the kids because they said they would rather go down to pick them up. They are foam pucks and you buy them and they register the number on them. Then the person whose puck lands closest to center ice gets a prize... Needless to say, we did not win... but the kids had a blast going onto the ice and picking up pucks.

(The pictures are a bit like "Where's Waldo") Anyway, neither team scored in the third period so they went to Sudden Death Overtime (5 min period). Neither team scored then either!! The kids were pumped about that because that means it goes to a shootout. Each team picks three players to take shots one-on-one vs the other team's goalie. Well, it went kind of like this... we missed, they missed, we made it, they made it, we missed, they missed ... so you keep going through players until one team makes it and the other misses... We screamed, we booed the other team, we went crazy because truly the kids (and parents) thought this was the most exciting part of the game. Finally we missed and the other team made it. So the Allen Americans lost. But it did not seem to dampen the kids excitement for the entire experience. They got to be on the ice "in front of the audience", smack the players hands as they came out of the locker room between periods, see someone get their face busted open and bleed all over the ice after a great hit, see someone break an arm getting beat into the boards... Good, clean fun!

After the game, you can rent skates and skate on the arena ice with the players. We all four rented ice skates and had at it! It was a lot of fun and I will point out that I was the only one that did not fall. Brandon made falling into its own sport... Hunter did quite well... Brian stayed on his feet until the very end and decided he was done once he fell. It was a LOT of fun!

We stopped by to see Memaw since she lives in Allen and had a nice visit with her then got some dinner and headed home. A very fun-filled "educational" day :)