Rosters and Equipment Check

About 48 hours to go until our flight out of Greensboro, NC leaves for Wausau, WI.  I've been trying to arrange my gear into our custom hockey bags we ordered for the trip. Now don't go giving me that, "Ewww...fancy, shmancy" stuff. In booking our flights on United, we were limited to a bag that is 62 linear inches or less - a very dinky size as far as hockey bags go. Knowing we would need every bit of space possible, I found a company that will custom make duffel sports bags and had some done that were exactly 62 linear inches. If the guys pack efficiently, they should have some extra room for some clothes. Even Mac's Speedo...

As far as equipment goes, we discovered a few things last year. First of all, layers work. I went with some UnderArmour (and knock off UnderArmour) base clothing, with sweatshirts/pants and shells on top of that. Staying warm while playing last year was NOT a problem. It's the standing around waiting for your shift and in between games where you tend to get chilly. I used some chemical toe warmers and sole warmers in my skates last year, and, while they didn't keep my feet warm, they didn't let them freeze, either. I did make a discovery about those toe warmers. If you leave them out exposed to air (not in the skate or shoe) for 10 minutes or so, they get a lot warmer. (DISCLAIMER:  the instructions specifically say to not do this, but, hey, what do they know?)  I don't think they are going to overheat and cook your feet, but I also don't think they last as long using them in this manner.  Too much air exposure, I guess. No problem, just bring more of them.

Our rosters are set as follows:

Bronze, Over 30 Team:
Doug..........................."Doogie"
Kent........................... "Special K"
Phil.............................."Bank Shot"
Erik............................."Leg Man"
Bryan..........................."mmmm...beer"
Chris V........................"Fargin' "


Over 40 Team (Tier II):
Chris D......................."Buddha"
Joe............................."Denied"
Kenny........................"Wino"
John..........................."BJ"
Mac..........................."Mac"
Jim............................."Z"

We've got a little last-minute paperwork from USA Hockey to get out of the way, then we're ready to go for Thursday morning!  Just checked the weather forecast for Eagle River, and the weekend looks like it will be partly cloudy, with highs in the mid 20's.  Perfect!