It was for most of the peewee players, the Friday and Saturday between Christms and New Year's was a whirlwind two days.  Three Minnesota Peewee B2 teams played games on outdoor ice against the visiting Colorado Arapahoe A Maize over those two days.  The  Arapahoe Maize, a team that is considered a Minnesota B team, has made an annual trip to the Twin Cities area between Christmas and New Year’s Day for the past few years,  They have been playing 5 to 6 games.  They look for competition that fits their team.  For the Arapahoe, the trip is not about winning.  It is more about improving by playing some tough and different competition.

For the past two years, the Arapahoe team has contacted YHH and asked to help schedule or recommend teams for the Arapahoe to play.  Last year, YHH had the Arapahoe team playing half dozen games against District 8 peewee B1 teams.  They Maize played .500 hockey.  This year, the Maize felt that their team fit at a tough peewee B2 level and YHH set them up with Edina Peewee B2 Black, St. Louis Park Peewee B2, and Apple Valley Peewee B2 all tough teams from D6, D3, and D8.

Included in last year’s schedule was a series of outdoor games played at the Coon Rapids Ice Center.  The kids all loved the games.  It was the first time the Colorado kids played a game on outdoor ice.  They have none in the Arapahoe area where it snows heavily one day and melts the next.

For this year’s visit, games on Coon Rapids’ outdoor ice was a must.  And when YHH contacted the Fogerty Curling arena about the possibility of using the curling sheet, they said no problem.  When it was mentioned that it would be used by 60+ kids, some 12 years old and some older, and some “mom” coaches, the answer was “we give lessons, provide the slider boards and other equipment.  Gabes’ (the bar and grille attached to the curling sheet) can throw a pizza party during the lessons.  We will have extra instructors there”.

When the four coaches (Apple Valley B2, Edina Black B2, St. Louis Park B2, and Arapahoe) involved were contacted about including the curling, they came back with an enthusiastic yes.  It led to a whirlwind two days for all four teams that became a “moveable feast” for all involved.  The kids loved it (big and small).

Friday’s games

Friday, two games were played Coon Rapids Outdoor Rink.  The rink is great for outdoor games complete with scoreboard and glass.  The outdoor ice was being used as part of a girls high school hockey tourney and the two games Friday were bookended around the tourney.  Edina Black and Arapahoe played in the morning game.  The morning was warm with temperatures headed into the thirties.  Coon Rapids’ outdoor rink is artificially cooled and can be used up to temperatures of 50 degrees.  The rink has a policy of calling off usage if the temperatures get too cold.

St. Louis Park beat Apple Valley 7-4 in the evening game.  The Orioles are one of D3’s top peewee B2 teams and is fighting for first in the 16 team D3 Peewee B2league this year.  After a 2-2 first period tie, Park broke the game open in the second period, scoring four goals to take a 6-3 lead into the third period and went on to win 7-4.

Friday was a great day for outdoor hockey.  Even one of the refs said he was having so much fun skating with the kids, he would almost ref the game for nothing.  It was a good day, but Saturday got better.

Saturday’s Venue

Due to a scheduling mix-up, the Saturday games were moved to Minnesota Made’s outdoor sheet (also refrigerated).  The rink there is wider than the average rink and the games had to be played without the benefit of a clock (it was busted).  But the day was sunny and warm.

The game had an old time feel to it (like a game that this corner of YHH had seen played 50 years ago).  The ice was excellent in the early morning.  The boards and the wooden benches and the width would take many players back to the sixties, seventies and eighties when high games were played outdoors and more than one player got checked over the boards into a snowbank.

The lack of a clock meant the coaches, refs and Minnesota Made arena people had to get together to figure out the logistics.  The games were played.  Arapahoe had just scored in the third period of their game with St. Louis Park to take a 5-3 lead, when the coaches ended the game early to have a shootout.  Every player got his chance to score, and as the Maize did after every game, they exchanged gifts with their opponents.  In the second game, Apple Valley surprised Edina Black winning 2-1 on two goals by Noah Williams. 

The Sweeping does not make the stone go faster

After the Minnesota Made games, all four teams headed to Fogerty after the games at Minnesota Made for pizza and curling.  Gabe’s had set up the pizza party in a large room next to the curling rink and curling club instructors were there to give instructions to the kids.  Parents and players mingled during the lessons and then, pizza done and lessons over, the kids were led out on the rink.  The Curling Club instructors were well organized, grouped the kids into teams, and starting with the basics had each kid learning about slider boards and throwing rocks into houses.

It was nice to watch how the instructors brought the kids from the basics to finally playing a few ends.  Watching the kids struggling to curl while balancing on a slider board or learning to sweep ahead of a moving stone (the sweeping makes the stone go further), one understands that it is not as easy as it looks. More importantly, every kid participated.  There were enough instructors to allow for small groups and each kid had the opportunity to throw stones, draw weight, to find the house.

John Benton, is the Four Season’s president.  John has been lead and has skippered USA teams competing internationally.  He will be NBC's commentator at the Winter Olympics next month and he oversees the instructors.  They know what they are doing and how to teach the kids.

“I learned to curl when I was six years old and the instruction I received was excellent.  Our Four Season’s Curling Club Instructors use the same methods and approach that were used to teach me as a kid.  We want kids to learn the sport correctly so someday one of more them could compete internationally for the USA.” 

End of the Day

Arapahoe and Apple Valley 4-1 played one final game outdoors at Coon Rapids to end the two days on a mild Saturday evening winters day.  The Maize won 4-1, but the kids were happy.  Outdoor hockey and curling worked for them, the kids learned something about both sports; playing hockey, winning or losing, and having fun is not a mutually exclusive thing.  And they learned as they teetered on the sliding board or tried to keep up the sweep in front of a moving stone, that it is not an easy sport, but it is a fun sport.

Next Year

The past two days were fun for the kids.  It was not a tournament, but more of a 2-day event, a moveable feast.  There are no trophies handed out and no champions declared.  The teams were matched to provide for good competitive outdoor games and they learned to curl.  The Arapahoe Association is interested in doing something like this again between Christmas and New Years Day at the end of 2014. YHH is interested sponsoring the event next December.  We are looking for teams that play USA Hockey Peewee A from out of state and Minnesota B1/B2 that would like to participate.  If a team is interested, contact the YHH editor.

If any U14 or U12 or peewee A/AA or peewee C teams are also interested, than you should contact editor.  We may try and do more than one event.