Morning Update...
Okay, after a very long 36 hours, it was quite a relief to FINALLY get some sleep. Dave and I left North Florida at 10pm Thursday night in effort to make sure that we didn't hit DC in the midst of rush hour. We made that mistake last year, and spent 3.5 hours looking at the Capital building! On our way up, like last year, we picked up Atlanta based referee Jody Serecky in Florence, SC, and from there, embarked on the trip up north. For me, NJ is home so even though it was a tough drive, I was pumped, and as soon as we arrived here at Choice, we were greeted by one of my favorite people in this sport, Mike Stoever. Whenever we get together, 'Stoeve' has me rolling on the ground in laughter....seriously, sometimes I think he missed his calling as a stand up comedian.
So AFTER we got everything unloaded and set up, National Tournament director George Brown walked through the door. Coincidence or not? I think the latter. George is one of the most recognized tournament directors in this sport. Last night, it seemed every player in the tournament came up to say hello to him, although it seemed most were trying to avoid him. Of course George is from Buffalo, and his Sabres take on my Devils tomorrow night so we have already placed a friendly wager on the outcome of that game. Seems like easy money for me...
As for the hockey, the Mite and Squirts got underway first thing this morning, and the Valken Vikings got off to a good start in the Mite division with a pair of wins over the Cougars, with Shane Alberts leading the way. He is quite the player; I remember him from last year, and it appears he has improved his game from then. Jason Muro has entered the building, as he has his Mites, Squirts, and Midget Black Ice teams competing this weekend.
One team I want to make sure I mention is the Choice Selects. They are here in Squirt and Peewee. For those of you who attended our qualifier last year, you will remember that we had a couple teams that were put together from Stoever's house league. They were new to the tournament scene, and had such a good time, they made sure they got into the event again this year. They are having a great time so far this morning, and I was happy to see them get a win under their belt. Many thanks to Kevin Sontos for coordinating this group!
The place is rocking already this morning, the merch booth is slammed with our new shorts being the hot seller. Scores are being updated live on our website, and we will be back later with another update.