Hockey

Annika went to her first hockey game the on Friday night - the Grand Rapids Griffins at Van Andel Arena. We got free tickets through a school reading program, and she got the full experience:

• She finished her popcorn before the game started
• The visiting team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, got their first penalty in 7 seconds, their second in other 10, and we scored right away - sound the foghorn!
• We scored again just after three minutes were up
• Amid a ton of penalties on both teams, Hamilton took the lead 3-2 before the first period was done
• They had a ridiculous game featuring kids and leaf blowers at the first intermission
• We got a second popcorn at the first intermission, and she would have finished it in no time if she didn't deliberately save it for the end of the second period
• During the third period she was featured on the big video screen
  
• With three minutes to go Hamilton got a penalty and we scored to tie it, much to Annika's delight - she gets into these things quite emotionally
• No one scored in overtime, so it went to a shootout
• Hamilton scored one of the flukiest shootout goals I've ever seen, on a puck that was blocked high into the air and then bounced screwy off the ice behind the goalie and went in
• We scored to tie the shootout on a controversial goal that might have been kicked in (if we missed the game was over)
• On the last pair of shootout attempts, they missed, we scored, and the celebration began
• The opposing coach stormed onto the ice, yelled at the referee, and even picked up a puck like he was going to throw it. The opposing goalie berated the ref from the bench.
• After a long and aborted wait for an elevator, we found a bathroom that we could both go in, since Annika had consumed a lot of water during the game.
• She fell asleep in the van on the way home

Whew! It was fun...