Last Friday and Saturday brought the first road trip of the 2008 year.

My 20 year old daughter attends Niagara University. While university is on break, winter sports continue with little break. Some students don’t even get home for the holiday due to distance. She is a huge hockey fan, as am I, so we got tickets to the Purple Eagles’ games at Cornell which is less than 40 miles from home.

Friday’s trip was uneventful as driving goes. I have made the trip to Cornell many times for many different events so it is an easy drive. The hockey game was also uneventful. Niagara started their freshmen goalie and he took a huge beating. When they finally put in their junior goalie, the score was already 4-0. The final score was 6-0, Cornell.

Seats, on the other hand, were wonderful! To start with, Cornell’s ice rink seats as many as the local county arena where an AHL team plays. We were in front of a goal but at rinkside. We were in row 1.

Saturday’s travel was a different story. We were unsure, as the game was being televised, if we were going to go as here at home it was sleeting and hailing and freezing rain. Off we went anyway. We would have probably had an uneventful trip had it not been for dropping off her twin brother at his girlfriend’s house near Ithaca College. The roads – especially the side one she lives on – up on the hill were icy and there was a bit of slipping and sliding but no accidents.

The game Saturday was like two different teams were playing. With just about three minutes left in the game, the score was tied 3-3. My daughter and I were sure the game was heading for OT. Alas, this was not to happen but it was great hockey although another NU loss, 4-3.