I was very excited to hear the news that the Polar Ice – Gilbert Rink will be opening August 29, 2008. I will be there when the doors open! It will be great to have a rink so close to where I live. I hope that this location will also have power skating and hockey camps, it would be nice not to have to travel far for additional instruction. The Gilbert Rink is currently in the process of fielding Travel B Teams for the Arizona Heat, click the link for details: http://www.azheathockey.com/.
People are shocked when I tell them I am from Arizona and play ice hockey. With the many rinks we have in the state … hockey in the desert should not be kept a secret!
I dedicate this post to my Grandmom, she passed away last week. My grandmom was really proud of me on and off the ice. She loved to hear my hockey stories and I would call her when I scored a goal and tell her it was for her. I am so happy that she got to see me play.
She understood my passion for the game and would listen to me for hours on the phone while I explained how to take a slap shot, or about a great game my team had, we even talked about NHL games that we watched. I will miss talking to her, but I know she will always be with me on the ice.
I scored the first goal during my Squirt game last night and I dedicated it to you Grandmom.
Since I started playing hockey, I have worn Under Armour Cold Gear under my hockey equipment. The long pants (leggings) and shirts retain heat while on the ice and the fabric keeps the moisture off me. Practice or games, I always wear Armour!
The shirts come in so many colors that I started wearing them daily. I even wear Under Armour when taking my shots to keep me cool and protect my arms from direct sun. I also have a few short sleeve Armour shirts and shorts in my collection. They are really comfortable!
You can find Under Armour at most of the sporting goods stores, Under Armour has a store at the mall or you can shop online.
Being on a summer league … means occasionally team members go on vacation; our goalie and six players were missing from the lineup last night. That was painful! One of our players volunteered to play goalie (his first time in net) and we had enough players show up that we didn’t have to forfeit the game.
Forfeiting would have been the easy way out here; playing the best team in the league with awesome players, including an awesome goalie! The Saints gave it all they had and held them 11-0.
I had a few opportunities to make it toward their goal; but the photo shows that I was quickly stopped (or sandwiched)! I think I was able to get four shots off, that their goalie saved. Our goalie really stepped up and showed them he was capable; I think they had 40 shots on goal to our six.
I think we are better for playing the Rampage and loosing then just handing them the win. I know I slept really well last night, it was quite a workout!
I check out www.NHL.com usually every day. With all the exciting things happening (Drafts, Trades and Free Agents Signings). I cannot wait for the season to begin. I am also looking forward to seeing which NHL east coast teams will make it to Phoenix. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some of my favorites!
It is so much easier watching and attending games on the west coast. When I lived in Florida this past year, I missed watching a lot of hockey games because they began right around bedtime! If I was lucky enough to attend a game, it was over way past bedtime!
I think the Coyotes have made some good changes, especially the addition of Olli Jokinen. I look forward to seeing his first game in Phoenix and watching him work his magic with the team. The Coyotes have a lot of leaders and are on track for a BIG year. Coach Gretzky is every kids HERO! I wish the team well in 2008-09!
Here are some highlights from a couple house Squirt games.  In the beginning clips we are playing the Express (Blue) then the Admirals (Green). I am having a great time this summer playing for my squirt team. In the game against the Express; I had many shots, but I was shut out. My friend Tristan is the goalie and he is really good. Tristan was having a great night in goal. In the second game we played against the Admirals, I had my first hat trick on the Saints team!
