Mikie's First Hockey Game

Given his love of hockey, and our close proximity to Troy, NY, we decided to take Mikie out to RPI for a tour of the campus and his first live hockey game. We met up with Matt & Catherine Baumann (or Matt & Kitty as Mikie called them). We spent the morning waiting for the bookstore to open so we could buy new RPI apparel for the game. And, since we were in the Union, we had to stop for Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Ben & Jerry's on campus seemed to be a huge selling point for Mikie(as it was for me). Then again, any ice cream is a big hit with Mikie. . .

We went back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner at the Outback (because Mike and Matt can't pass up an opportunity to eat steak). Then, off to the game.

Mikie had a blast. RPI played Cornell. Or attempted to play. I have to say that it wasn't the most riveting hockey gave I have ever been to. RPI lost 6 to 1. But, Mikie didn't seem to care. Here is Mikie, intently focused on the game:

Between the 1st and 2nd periods, Catherine took Mikie for a walk to see the zambonis. While they were watching them come off the ice, the staff made them sit down to make room for the Cornell team to come back on the ice. They were stuck sitting right in front of the Cornell pep band. Mikie couldn't decide what was more interesting, the zambonis or the drummer in the pep band. As they walked back to our seats, the Cornell coach gave him a "high five" through the glass.

Between the 2nd and 3rd periods, Mike and Mikie went on a walk in search of Puckman (our unofficial mascot). One of the refs was skating by and threw Mikie the official game puck. You can see him proudly displaying it in the picture below:

Armed with his hockey stick and a new puck, Mikie was ready to do some serious damage to our hotel room. We had to hide the puck to avoid breaking anything. After a few days of sleeping with the puck, we managed to wrestle it away from him. He lost interest when he realized it doesn't slide as well on the carpet as it does on the ice.

Mike, ever the hockey fanatic, is already searching for children's ice skates in Mikie's size and is telling him what colleges he can go to and play hockey at. I think potty training may be a bigger priority, but I don't want to burst his bubble.

Love,

The Trahans