The tournament most famous for bringing humongous snow storms to the state is under way. Fittingly, it looks like a big one is on the way . . .
[The team looked relaxed during warm-ups. But this is tournament time . . . ]
[And they’re high school kids. It’s normal to be nervous when you’re in a lose- and-go-home situation. And against Sauk Rapids, this would be the 3rd time in two weeks. We won by 30, and lost by 3? Go figure?]
[The school’s activity director escorts the father of famous Cardinal alums to his seat . . . ]
[At first I thought he was escorting an uninvited loiterer out of the building . . . ]
[For dining on school property after hours . . . ]
[The aforementioned famous alums . . . ]
[Sauk Rapids jumped the jump . . . ]
[But it wasn’t called . . . ]
[Go figure?]
[Carsson Jones (11), not afraid of taking it to the “hup” and getting fouled . . . ]
[But as a team, free throw shooting has been a bit of hit or miss . . . ]
[Colton Roderick (35), at 6’4″ and healthy after an earlier in season ankle sprain, is a force at the top of the defense . . . ]
[Like our girls team, steals and break outs are a big part of the boys offense . . . ]
[Not a lot of photos in the half. The game was frought with tournament jitters yielding lots of mistakes. Carsson and Treyton Thompson (42), our 6’11” center, both had two early fouls. Treyton played less than half of the half accordingly . . . ]
[The Storm scored the first 5 points of the 2nd half to tie the game. Then the Cardinals took off. They played with energy and crispness and looked like a team that would be a hard out . . . ]
[We play basically a four guard offense, with these 3 (Senior Trey Hoepner (0)) and Anders to go with Treyton . . . ]
[Carsson is our defensive stopper . . . ]
[And he gets fouled when he drives . . . ]
[Treyton was a force in the 2nd half. He had a perfect shooting night – 7 for 7 from the field, 2 for 2 from the line . . . ]
[The Cards are hard to figure. They’re medicore at best from the free throw line, but we were an excellent 8 for 18 on 3’s? All 5 starters had at least one 3, meaning all must be guarded on the outside. It may not be this year, but they will be a team to follow with so many key underclassmen. Next up, Sartell in the semi-finals . . . ]
They shot the ball well early. What comes out of the microwave hot doesn’t always stay hot. I know, because I eat bagels in the morning. ~ Shaquille O’Neal
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described:
10-26-07-4
“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.
~ The Editor, May 9, 2014
p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State.
***********************************************************************************
Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin!
**********************************************************************************
View all posts by tomobert63
alexandriacardinals2.wordpress.com 