whaaa happened?

so now that i've had a couple of days to adjust to the wonderful sea-level air...

overall, the trip to Denver was fun. got to hang out with a great bunch of people, meet new people, and finally meet people i've heard about for a long time.

the hockey:

• first game was on friday evening and we lost 1-0 despite outshooting the Freebies by 22 shots. ooooh, what a great number! their goalie had some magical force field around her that kept the puck out of the net. the team was fun to play though, and we had a good time. it did not take long to realize that the air in Denver is much thinner - my legs didn't get tired but i just couldn't get enough air! felt like when i had asthma.
• second game vs. Clifhangerz 2. we played really well, there was some great passing (not from me) and despite all of that we lost 2-0. the Clifhangerz were a bit chippy and there were penalties called on both sides. seems that many of their players decided that their preferred method of stopping was by running into us, whether we were in open ice or along the boards. i did manage to draw a tripping penalty - it was definitely a trip but i sold it by launching into the air.
  
• third game vs. N_L_ (white). damn, each game just got progressively more chippy from the other team. actually, to call this team chippy is an understatement...unsportsmanlike and nasty is more like it. to be fair, there were a handful of friendly folks, but the rest were slashing, boarding, checking, and slashing some more at will, and the refs didn't seem to care too much. we were down 3-1 with about 6 minutes left in the game when one girl who will remain unnamed decided to crosscheck Heather into the boards. we're talking full speed, elbow up, planting Heather face first into the boards. these are the kinds of plays that seriously, seriously injure people. totally uncalled for at any level, but COME ON, this is recreational women's hockey. what do you have to win, a trophy? good for you. let's think about people's lives here. fortunately, Heather is okay. the girl got a match penalty and a 5 minute major. we used those 5 minutes to tie up the game. it was an exhilirating comeback but our spirits were significantly dampened by the actions of the N_L_ hockey "player".

Westminster:

• i was so excited by the abundance of wild bunnies (okay, rabbits, but it's more fun to say bunnies) and prarie dogs! there was a field behind our hotel and Viv and i could hear the prarie dogs yipping from our room! way cool.
• went to the Butterfly Pavilion and held Rosie, a tarantula. oh yeah, saw butterflies.
  
• had a team dinner at a hibachi place where Viv and Andrea managed to rack up a sizable bill. :-) me, i had my chicken teriyaki, though i still regret being cheap and not getting the filet.
• mmmm, Waffle House.
• mmmmmmmmmm, Good Times.
• mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Dan's spaghetti.
• since there was no game for us on sunday, a bunch of us (Red, Steph, Andrea, Liz, Viv, me, and Dan) went to the Denver Zoo, which was known to us as the ooz. it's just much more fun to say ooz than zoo. it was a bit sad seeing some of the animals in places that were too small for them (especially the elephants) but it was pretty good for a city ooz.

highlight: finally got to meet Jackie and Kevin (Rick's seeestah and bro-in-law). they were cool enough to come to our 3rd game and then hang out for a bit afterwards. so glad i finally go to meet them after hearing so much about them for so long. didn't get to meet Murphy the wonder dog, but hopefully i will get to at some point later on.

overall: glad we went to the tournament. it's highly unlikely that we'll ever go back, given the actions of the "home" teams and because it sucks to skate at altitude. but i got to meet Jackie and Kevin, got to meet L and A's friend Dan, and had the chance to hang out with a great bunch of Burninators. it is good to be home, though.