Lake Placid 2022: Finally, the day we leave for Lake Placid had come. There was work to be done, school to be attended, and people to meet at the right time and place. We hit the road in the afternoon, our family, and another player on the team with his Mom. We enjoyed a beautiful ride to NY on a gorgeous day. We were finally on the road to Lake Placid, on the road to victory.
Lake Placid 2022: Sometime in the last months of 2021 our team, the 2010 Flames, had targeted Lake Placid, NY as the destination for our big travel hockey tournament in the 2022-2023 season. Several families had been up there before for hockey tournaments with older siblings of players on our team. Even the ones who had been there before and especially those of us who had not yet made the trip to the place of miracles on ice, could hardly wait to get to Lake Placid 2022.
They say that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. I guess it was the Chinese that said it, but regardless, it’s true. So, I figured that a trip consisting of 10,000 plus miles also started the same way. On June 14, 2022 I put the years of planning into action.
Winter Snowfall 2021-2022 (starts with the first snowfall of the season)
June 12, 2022 ~ Lloyd Alton Peterson
Like so many times before, I get to this space, and the page is blank. I am contending with countless thoughts, but none of them are a beginning. Memories speed past me like pickup trucks would if I were standing still on the shoulder of I-95 between Old Town and Island Falls.
I remember this song playing on our old record player. I have always liked this song, especially since my Dad was often nearby when this song was playing.
Growing Trees.
The water remaining in what’s left of our backyard rink is a direct result of melting ice. It’s cold! Regardless of that fact, our youngest daughter was warm from being outside, riding her bike, and generally playing.
I stood at the bottom of the stairs, on the first floor of what was obviously once a Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge. I had already packed our vehicle and I stood there motionless on a carpet that might be 50+ years old. My youngest son was next to me when I shook hands with one and hugged another to say good-bye, exiting from another hockey weekend. That is just when I think it hit all three of us, that this might be the last good-bye.
When we focus solely on the end game, the result, the scoreboard, we tend to lose sight of the things that are most important. The things that are necessary to get the desired result in the first place. We forget to put things in the proper order. It’s hard to get this process correct sometimes, but it’s critical to remember that taking the next right step, over and over again might well be more important than the end game anyways.
Well, the regular season came to an end over the weekend, with the 2010 Flames playing a pair of make-up games at home, and another one down in Bridgewater, Mass. The Flames dug deep and won all three games. They played with great energy and effort to sweep the final weekend before tournament play.
It was a quiet weekend for the 2010 Flames, they only played two games. They won both by beating the Crimson West team, 8-2 on Saturday at home and then beating a very tough Shamrocks team, 2-1 on the road.
It was only a few days ago, but it seems like it’s been a week or more since I was at JFK Coliseum for the Flames game against the Shamrocks. But, apparently the 2010 Flames tied the game against the Shamrocks. Then they tied the Crimson. Then they improved on a five-goal loss last week by tying Plymouth this week, before dropping a 5-3 affair to the Greater Boston Vipers.
For the second half of the weekend, the 2010 Flames headed up to northern New Hampshire with stops in Plymouth and Berlin. It was a beautiful, winter wonderland the further north we went. With the miles, the scenery, and the time spent getting to and from, all part of the experience, it was a long day with plenty of excitement and upbeat moments. As for the games, well, the Flames were doused and brought down to earth, losing three of four games over the weekend.
The 2010 Flames hit the road for four games away from Manchester this weekend. Today it was a morning trip to Hudson, NH and then an evening visit to Randolph, Ma. Tomorrow they hit the north country of New Hampshire. In Hudson this morning, the Flames skated to a 4-2 win. Tonight, though they ran into a feisty Crimson squad that out-skated the Flames, and upset them, 2-1.
It was -15F in Wolfeboro when the 2010 Flames arrived at Pop Whalen Arena early Saturday morning. The cold temperatures didn’t hinder the Flames but it did do a number on the Zamboni. Later on Saturday night the Flames visited Tri-Town Arena for a game with the Monarchs for 113th time this season. Sunday afternoon the folks from Berlin made the long trek south for a battle with the Flames at West Side Arena.
The 2010 Flames had a pair of weekend dates with the Boston Jr. Terriers, which meant an afternoon game on Saturday, and then a Sunday morning game, both in Rockland, MA. They played the games at Mark Bavis Arena. The first game was not pretty but the Flames came alive in the final period scoring 3 goals in two minutes, and getting a 5-0 win to begin the weekend.
It was my 11-year old daughter’s turn to bring the barrel down the driveway, and to get the mail. The afternoon was getting later, and slowly losing light. The temperature was 17°F, and felt like…
All game long, the 2010 Flames were on the attack in the offensive zone. They hounded their opponent, and pounded the net with shots of all descriptions. On Sunday they finished each of their two games, with the puck, in the zone, and never allowed either team to pull their goalie in favor of a sixth attacker. The Flames received timely, quality goaltending throughout their run to a 5-0 record in the tournament. In the championship game, the 2010 Flames beat Presque Isle, 2-0 to capture the 2021 Winter Classic NH Tournament title.
You know you might be playing an early morning hockey game when you play the game, finish, and then look outside to see that it’s still not fully light out. Well, the Flames showed up to play the first semi-final game against the Monarchs at 7am. The 2010 Flames advanced to the finals with a 3-0 win over the Monarchs.
With Christmas and now New Year’s Eve behind us, we all returned to Tri-Town Arena in a brand new year for the last game of pool play in the 2021 Winter Classic. The 2010 Flames played the Central Maine Hornets in an evening match up.
Happy New Year!!! Welcome to the year, 2022. Here in hockey land we only know one way to start a new year, and that is to spend some time at a local ice rink. Today it was the great old barn in Concord, NH for a game between the 2010 Flames and the Concord Capitals.
Well, it turns out that when you have very little down time during Christmas vacation week, even an afternoon game might seem too early. Maybe it was just me. Either way, the 2010 Flames were ready to go and skated to a 7-1 win against the Berkshire Bruins.
Any morning activity during Christmas vacation week makes for an early morning, and today was an early morning. The 2010 Flames played their first game of the Winter Classic Tournament at 8:20am over at Tri-Town Arena against the Monarchs. The Flames woke up slowly, and by the second period, they were up to speed, eventually winning the game, 6-2.
Amidst an odd time in our history, an oddly scheduled weeknight game during a vacation week, was played between the Monarchs and the 2010 Flames. The game was played at West Side Arena before a packed house of 71. While the parents spent the first period confirming what day it actually was, the game featured a whole bunch of nothing clicking on the ice.
After some wonderful late-nights visiting with family and friends over the the past few days, there wasn’t a soul in my house that wanted to rise and shine this morning. Not on the morning after Christmas. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what we did.
Not even the bright lights and ice of an old rink can brighten a moment quite like the glow of a dozen smiles
I entered the space and walked to the boards and the glass, I lit up, forgetting for a moment all of life’s trials.
For there on the ice were our 11-yr old players, their siblings, team coaches and the hardy hockey parents
A fun spin on a practice slot that felt like kids of all ages having fun, a timely endorsement of perseverance.
Early on Saturday morning, before the snow starting falling, the 2010 Flames played host to the Northern Cyclones at West Side Arena for a GSL game. The Flames played well enough to skate out of West Side Arena with a 1-0 shutout victory.
I thank the Lord for the gift, the opportunity found in each new day.
And on some mornings, the gift opens in its’ glory, impossible to look away.
It was a lovely afternoon for a ride. So, separately, although united, a caravan of folks made their way to Woodstock, VT for an afternoon hockey game on a sunny afternoon in December. The 2010 Flames had a date with the Hanover Wild on the ice sheet at Union Arena.
2021 has been one of the more difficult years of my life to this point. For a number of reasons. Many of the social interactions and other interests in my life for many, many years have not seemed to matter all that much to me this year.
Winter Snowfall 2020-2021(starts with the first snowfall of the season)
