Playing elite hockey while earning an education is a great option - that was the message that was communicated to the HP Minor Midget Lakers when they visited two Division 1 NCAA schools this past weekend.
With a very rare off-weekend, the Lakers and parents boarded the bus Friday morning and headed south of the border to take in a taste of college life. First stop was Ann Arbor, Michigan home to the massive University of Michigan. Upon arrival, the team headed to the Yost Ice Arena which houses the U of M Wolverines hockey team. Yost is a grand, old arena with a huge vaulted ceiling and windows at either end that let in an abundance of natural light. An amazing place to play for sure. After some initial oohing and ahhing, the boys were treated to a locker room visit and then a meeting with Hockey Operations Manager Matt Trevor. Mr. Trevor provided a great overview of college hockey life including details about the daily routine for his players. Some insights into the balance of athletics and academics were discussed with an opportunity for the Lakers players and parents to ask questions.
After the arena visit, some of the group elected to go to the University's football stadium for a tour. Nicknamed "The Big House", it is truly an unparalleled facility. Seating over 100,000 fans, it is the second largest in the world. The group was treated to a locker room visit and even got to go through the player tunnel and out onto the field. The Laker boys took full advantage, running a 100 yard race down the length of the field.
That evening, the group returned to Yost to watch the U of M team host the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big 10 matchup. The Michigan Wolverines were able to secure a comeback win in overtime, ending the day in a fantastic way. The marching band, the student section and the rest of the 5000 fans erupted when the OT goal was scored!
Saturday commenced with walking tour of the South Campus of the U of M, giving the group more insight into the academic side of the school.
Then it was back onto the bus for the hour plus trip down I-75 to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Bowling Green State is an excellent counterpoint to the massiveness of U of M. It is a much smaller school in terms of campus size and student population (45K students for U of M vs. 16K for BGSU). Despite it's smaller size, it was just as impressive.
The team started the afternoon with a meet and greet with assistant hockey coach, Barry Schutte. Mr. Schutte, an Ontario native, gave a very informative talk to the players and parents. His down-to-earth perspective on college hockey was very well received by the group.
After a quick dressing room and facility tour, it was off to Grumpy Dave's bar downtown for a meal and some fun Karaoke-style before returning to the rink to watch the BGSU Falcons take on the Lake Superior State Lakers (yeah, we know...felt strange to cheer against the Lakers!). Again, the HP Lakers brought some luck for the home team and the Falcons were the victors. Can't say enough about the atmosphere of college hockey. The band keeps everyone engaged with lively music and some excellent chants (such as when the opposition returns to full strength after a successful penalty kill - "That's OK, they still SUCK!) Just a lot of fun to be part of.
Sunday was a quick bus tour around the campus of BGSU, very generously guided by Barry Schutte, who gave up an hour of his Sunday morning to ensure our players got to see the whole college. The Lakers and parents were very appreciative of all of the attention.
A tired, but happy group arrived back in Stratford on Sunday afternoon. No hockey played, but a fantastic weekend nonetheless. A lot of very valuable information and a first-hand look at two extremely professional and classy organizations.
Special thanks to Karen Gibb for her hard work organizing the trip.