The Iron Cup: Hockey time!

Over the weekend, I got to do something that I've never done before. I went to a college hockey game! All of the University of Alabama home games are held at the Pelham Ice rink. It was so exciting, and I learned so much! First, I saw this big machine riding over the ice rink. My dad told me that this is called a Zamboni. A Zamboni is a machine that makes the ice smooth for the skaters. My dad played hockey when he was little, and he told me a lot about hockey during the game.

 

My dad told me that the players would come out from each side of the rink and practice before the game. He said that, just like all sports, hockey takes much practice. Hockey players must each healthy and stay in shape by exercising and practicing. Also, I found out that hockey players are on skates the whole time they are playing! This takes balance and coordination, so that they don't fall. The hockey players sit on the same side of the rink, but on two different benches. The coaches stand behind the players the whole game, and tell the players to switch with other players so that everyone can have a chance to play. The ice rink makes the whole area cold, so everyone there was bundled up! The players came out onto the ice, and started to practice.

 

 

The players practiced for a few minutes, and then the game began! The players would skate from one end of the rink to the other. They were chasing the puck, which is small, but heavy. The goal was to get the puck into the other team's goal. They could only use their hockey sticks, which seemed to be really hard. There were three 15 minute periods in this game, and the teams got breaks in between each period. Alabama was playing Auburn, and this was the third game in the series that these teams were playing. Alabama won the first two games, and they also won this game. It was very exciting, and I'm glad that I got to go today. Ice skating is something that I think I would like to try! I would definitely have to practice with my balance!