Thursday.
When my alarm went off at 7am on Thursday morning I was up in a flash. I couldn't wait to load the bus and get away from University for a weekend of hockey in Philadelphia and New York with the team. I made sure I finished all my assignments so I could relax and completely focus on our games.
A team of sleepy eyes dragged themselves on to the bus, teddy bears and bursting travel bags at hand. As always, we were welcomed with a choice of bagels and cream cheeses for our traditional travel breakfast. After one (or two) bagels, we all tried our best to find a nice comfy back breaking, neck twisting position to get some extra sleep. One restroom stop, a lunch break, 6 hours and another bagel later we arrived in Philadelphia.
Hovering in the lobby with bags hauled over our shoulders, we await our names to be called out along with our room number and most importantly, our roommate for the weekend! With a double bed each and with what feels like hundreds of pillows, we all enjoy a weekend out of the dorm beds. But before long we're loading the bus again and heading to our pre-game practice.
Friday.
On game day, we start the morning with foam rolling and stretching which is followed with a team meeting where we will watch video on our opposition and discuss tactics for the game. Our first game of the weekend was against St Josephs. The game wasn't the performance we wanted but we came away with a 3-2 win. After the game we have the joy of locker room showering. Usually the communal showers suck, with weak water pressure, broken shower heads, people yelling for shampoo and the occasional break out of song. Back on the bus we kicked back for a 2 hour journey to New York. Freshman had the honour of participating in 'Bus Karaoke', a very funny UMass tradition. Even the coaches and athletic trainer joined in! On the way we drove past the night time skyline of New York City and upon arrival were greeted with 4 large pizzas. A team of hungry hockey players easily demolished the pizza party in less than 10 minutes.
Saturday.
After breakfast we all jumped in the pool for recovery. Plenty of splashes, laughs, bombs, and whirlpools later the UMass wannabe synchronized swim team is done! After the complications of ordering lunch for over 25 people in Panera, we eventually are all fed and shipped back to the hotel. That afternoon we ventured into New York City to do some shopping and explore the city. Surprisingly, we managed not to lose anyone and we all made it to the restaurant on 7th Ave for dinner. We chose from a range of dishes such as crab cakes, salmon, steak, tuna burger, sea-bass or tacos. Before we knew it we were back on the bus heading back to the hotel, getting an early night for tomorrows game.
Sunday.
All packed up and ready to go we left for the game at 11am. The field was surrounded by skyscrapers and American flags in the outskirts of New York City. Lined up on the field, we listen to the national anthem belted out before the game. Team huddle, deep breath and coaches last words of wisdom. Then it's game time. We battled the whole game with Columbia, a non-conference team. With an encouraging start to the game we quickly gained a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, we failed to hold on to the lead and conceded 2 goals within the last 6 minutes of the 1st half. With many nail-biting moments and some tense goal scoring opportunities we couldn't add to the scoreboard and suffered a 3-2 loss.
A disappointing bus ride back to Massachusetts followed as we really wanted that second win. Even though we didn't get the result we wanted, it was a great weekend filled with memories. With plenty to learn from and lots to work on this week in practice, it was a fun weekend that I'll definitely remember.
Here are some pictures I took whilst we were in New York City...
"There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless."
- Simone Beauvoir
Ciao,
Hannah x
