Term 1 Hockey

On Tuesday, September 15th at 1:52pm the bus roars to life and the excitement can be felt from front to back. We are excited to test out our new sticks, or break in those skates, while others sit praying that their helmet fits over the bushy mane that has grown lusciously over the summer, or that they had not forgotten their neck guard at home this year.  The five minute bus ride to Kerry Park arena is filled with the inevitable laughter brought upon by jokes coming at the expense of both teammates and coaches. As the bus grinds to a halt, players bound off, excited to get back on the ice. Gear is ripped from the back door then we skip up into coveted dressing room #5, “the big room”.  Many of the he veterans get to enjoy the luxury of the extra space and larger showers that #5 has to offer, while the younger (and smaller) players squeeze into the smaller rooms on the lower floor. Accompanied by indescribable hockey smells, the rustic charm of the rooms is immediately ruined by the sudden realisation that you will be getting dressed in a shoebox with 15 other players.  As the last of the ice is cleaned, and the last of the skates are tightened, the boys hit the ice, flying around attempting to shake the summer rust off. Smiles grace the faces of everyone, that is until the actual drills begin, followed quickly by the wheezing and coughing of the inactivity the warm weather had brought on, easily summed up in the most commonly used phrase of the day “Man, I’m out of shape.”  Luke H, Whittall ‘18