After our abbreviated public skating session on Sunday afternoon, me and the boys left the Arena early (heresy!) to go and get something decent to eat before our return for the Australian Ice Hockey League game between the Adelaide Adrenaline and the Sydney Ice Dogs.
It was also a good time between crowds to get our tickets. I'd had my name put on the door as a member of the Vikings, and I'd emailed for the boys as well, so we got half price tickets and no wait. Great value, as we headed out for a feed.
We went to Cafe de Villis, five minutes drive from the Ice Arena and probably the best value quick sit down meals with service within at least a half hour. How lucky are we?! By the time we returned the underground carpark and immediate street vicinity was full (much to bug eyed B's amazement) so we had to park a short distance away and walk back to see the game. As we walked up the outside of the building (blankets and jackets in hand) we could hear the national anthem being played. Great timing!
On the way in I bumped into the kid I'd skated with on Wednesday night, R. I think it is amazing that J had played footy with him in his western suburbs team last year. J certainly thought so (small world phenomena never ceases to amaze). Also bumped into Julianna and her just turned 4 daughter, N. N is about the most natural looking amazing little skater I've seen and it was good to hear how her mum had got her to the point where she's now playing hockey (!) and loving it. B, of course, happened to know N and her older sister, so it was all very cosy.
Working our way into the Arena itself, complete with national level hockey game on the big ice and temporary grandstand on the small, we found ourselves a seat at ice level for the first period. We might not get much of a full picture of the game (the boards get in the way of the view for much of the ice surface when you're at ground level) but you do get a much better feel for the speed and momentum, especially when there's a hit onto the boards right in front of one. Blake found it pretty exhilarating. Shortly after we arrived, Brendan and Merrilyn and Josh Pfeifer (from the Wheelers) turned up, took seats nearby. For second and third periods, we found a little niche at the top of the temporary stand, amongst the Gawler Vikings who'd made the trip (twenty odd of us). Pretty cool to be with my fellow Vikings, especially when 'our' Adrenaline member came out in the third period (Peter King, second goal tender for the Adrenaline, co-ordinator of the Vikings) and our cheer got the whole auditorium clapping.
The game itself was pretty good to watch, albeit the locals went down to the Dogs 2-0. Both of their goals were in the first period and scored off a breakaway from a giveaway. Several times later in the game it happened again, with the same speedy skater pulling a pace ahead by the time he entered the slot, but the score didn't blow out any further.
As for the home team, they just couldn't get the puck past the glove in a Dog's shutout. Me, I think that the Adrenaline stuffed around with the puck too often and too long in front of goal. Maybe it's just the fact that we did one timers in both ice and inline training this week, maybe that I'd discovered the joy of the one timer on Saturday night, but they weren't doing it. And, I think, lost as a result because they seemed to be on the attack a lot more than the Dog's.
So, at the end of the game it was into the car and take the boys home for a brief mad half hour when the kids could all play dressups in the hockey armour I'd bought during the week. Then I reclaimed 'my' equipment and headed home myself after what had been a skating and kid filled people weekend.
As is almost always the case with such things, all good.
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