Universal Studios / Island of Adventure - Day 1

Since we were staying on Universal property, we were able to get into the parks 1 hour early.  We got to the gates at about 7:20 and they opened the doors at 7:45.  We rushed straight to Hagrid’s Motorbike ride.  Then we did the Forbidden Journey.  We loved walking through the castle but all felt pretty sick after the ride.  We took it easy and rode the Hogwarts Express to Diagonal Alley for breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron.  Then we went to Olivander’s so they boys could get wands.  Alex was chosen for the wand experience which was very special.  Then we spent some time using the wands in Diagon alley before the boys wanted to take the train back to the other side of the park.  It was fun to go through the brick wall at platform 9 3/4.  It was a hot day so there were a lot of water rides on the afternoon. After a late lunch, we went back to Diagon Alley and Phil and Will did the Escape from Gringotts ride while Alex and I shopped in Diagon Alley.   Then they talked Alex in to trying it (I decided to wait until the next morning).  We stopped for ice cream again.  Then Alex and I went back to the hotel for some pool time and Phil and Will stayed for more rides.  It was a fun day!

 

Universal - Arrival!

We arrived at Universal on Saturday afternoon after spending Friday night just north of Atlanta.  We checked into our hotel and had lunch in the lobby.  Then we went to the pool for a few hours.  After swimming, we walked to Universal City Walk to get a feel for the parks and so the boys could get some frozen yogurt.  Then, we went back to the hotel and had drinks and snacks at the rooftop restaurant.  We were able to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.  

 

Professional Photos from MAHA State Tournament

Here are some of the professional photos they took at the state tournament last weekend.  My favorite is the high five with a teammate after Alex scored a goal.

 

10U B MAHA State Tournament

The Broncos had the MAHA State Tournament this weekend in Port Huron.  After dropping Winger off at Grandma's (thank you!), we drove across the state for the 6:30 pm game against the Bay County Blizzards.  The Broncos won that game 9-1 and Alex had a goal.  After the game, we settled in to the hotel for a catered team dinner.  The boys also received St. Patrick's Day goodie bags and got to do a little swimming.  On Saturday, our game was at 11:45 at a McMorran Place in downtown Port Huron.  Alex had some special guests for the game:  Aunt Mara, Uncle Ken, and Katie.  They saw another victory against the Port Huron Chiefs (won 8-1).  Alex had two goals in that game.  Katie went to Will's state tournament three years ago... it was fun to see how much he's grown!  With our two wins, we guaranteed ourselves a spot in the semi finals on Sunday morning.  But, we wanted the #1 seed which required a win against the Royal Oak Falcons.  It was a much closer game but the Broncos won 4-1.  Alex also had a beautiful goal (video below).  After the game, we went to a great little pizza place in Port Huron called Bella Bolla.  They stayed open late to accommodate our team.  On Sunday morning, we had the semi final game against a very tough team from Kalkaska.  We lost that game 7-0 but are so proud of how hard the boys worked this season.  

 

Bronco Signs

Hotel Breakfast

What a change!

14U LCAHL Championship Weekend

It was the 14U LCAHL Championship Weekend in Trenton.  We entered the tournament as a #3 seed on our side of the bracket.  This was a single elimination tournament so we needed to win to move on.  Our first game was at 1pm on Saturday against Little Caesar's Farmington Hills Black.  They beat us earlier in the season.  The team played really well and won the game 7-3 so we moved on to the semifinal game at 7pm.  Unfortunately, Will broke his stick during the game so we had to run to a local hockey shop to pick up a new one.  Our second game was against Traverse City.  They were an Yzerman team during the regular season (a division up from us) but were moved down for playoffs.  They beat us 5-1 a few weeks ago so we were anticipating a hard game.  We came out strong and ended up winning 8-3.  Will had two goals in that game.  It was such a great win for the boys and it put us in the Championship Game on Sunday morning.  Everyone booked hotels (we brought bags just in case) and tried to get some rest.  I had to run home for Winger but got up early the next morning to make it back for the final game.  The Championship game was against the Birmingham Rangers Red.  They were also an Yzerman team that was brought down for playoffs.  Their record was better than that of Traverse City and they also beat our red team earlier in the season.  They were a very fast team but we kept it tied 2-2 through the third period.  Then we went on to a sudden death overtime which was 3x3 for five minutes.  We were still tied 2-2 after overtime.  Then it went to a shootout and unfortunately, the Rangers won the game.  We are so proud of how the boys played and how far they came this season.  The rink in Trenton is cursed - this is Will's third time finishing as runner-up in a tournament:  2020 MAHA state runner-up, 2022 LCAHL Howe 2 runner-up, and now 2023 LCAHL Howe 1 runner-up.  It is hard to believe the season is almost over.  We just have a few more KWings practices and the team party.