Just got back from a neat weekend in South Bend where I saw Air Force get a
road kill and a tie against the irish.  The hotel was a birthday present from
my wife, and the airline tickets were compliments of an airline (for denied
boarding compensation)
 
The falcons jumped out to 1-0 and 3-1 leads in the first two periods before
the irish came back to tie the came at 1 for the 1st intermission and 3 at the
second intermission.  Air force went up by two again, and Notre dame closed to
within one before the falcons went on to win going away.
 
Saturday looked like deja vu as ar force scored early and the irish fought back
to tie the game late in the first. Air force went ahead in the second, and
really looked like they might put it away in the third with a post and a
crossbar, but the irish got the equalizer with 13 seconds left in the game.
 
Both games were fought hard and by and large clean, although friday had a pair
of majors for checking from behind.  The officiating seemed reasonably good.
 
Lowlight of the weekend was the extra 2 hours at south bend airport due to
plane troubles and getting to cleveland to run up to the gate of the connecting
flight to denver and watch the ramp being pulled back (and then watching the
plane sit on the tarmac for 20 minutes.)
 
Cheap shot of the weekend was irish coach ric schaefer seeing me and telling me
that ned bunyan would be the ref (he wasn't) and the moral victory was at
saturday night's celebrity shoot the puck when coach schafer got only one of his
two shots on net.
 
Don't take the above too seriously. Irish hockey is a class act, and in the
four games I saw, there was little if any chippiness.  I believe a team that
play hard and clean is a reflection of the coaching staff.
 
Air force is sending 3 seniors to Sapporo to compete in the world university
games there.  I think US is in the bracket with USSR and north and south korea,
but is was reasonably late (even by mountain time zone standards) and
recollections of that part of sunday morning's wee hours are a bit foggy.
 
This will probably be my last posting of the year as hockey season at USAFA is
officially over.  They were, in my opinion, a better team than their record
indicated..
 
charlie shub  [log in to unmask]  -or-  ..!{ucar|nbires}!boulder!cdash
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