Last Saturday was my daughter’s last Mite game and…wait for it…they WON! It was so sweet to see those little Bad News Bears go out on a win, and see our phenomenal goalie, Anthony get a SHUT OUT. In the last few seconds the team was totally playing for Anthony. I was so proud of them. And yes, when it was over they celebrated like they had won the Stanley Cup. Really, they had avoided last place in the playoffs, that’s all…but it was good enough for them. I almost cried when one of the team big brothers, a goalie himself, pulled out a USA Hockey Zero Club Patch and handed it to Anthony. I love moments like that. I can’t wait to see it on his jacket.
Then the greatest thing ever happened. As I waited in the long line for Lexi’s $35 Mite Madness t-shirt in whatever color they had left, I looked up and a Mite B game was starting.
You know I think Mite B is the greatest hockey there is. It’s pure and hilarious and so slow anything could happen. I immediately started to feel the particular energy of wacky hockey moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas. The rink was suddenly decked in homemade signs, a Mite playoff tradition. I don’t think any mom on either team had forgotten their spirit scarf -it was unreal! This was the most spirit scarves I’ve ever seen in one place. And then, there were cowbells. Usually, I find in any given game you have a cowbell team and a non- cowbell team. But both sides were rocking the C.B.! Further, both teams came from what are usually non-cowbell towns: Newport and Southern Rhode Island…both relaxing beach destinations. What had gotten into these crazy broads? The whole scene was like my blog came to life before me. I panicked, I needed to take a picture, or a video, something.
I crept up, like I was on a safari…needing to take shots of these spirit scarf wearing, cowbell ringing mamas. But all I had with me was the camera on my phone and I just couldn’t disturb them. They were all so into the game. The crowd was screaming and jumping and ringing bells, and it was still the first period. This was clearly a huge game. I figured it must be the semi-finals. So exciting. I would leave them be. Farewell Mite hockey, I thought, I’ll be back as soon as my little guy is ready.
As I walked out the door my friend Giles was looking at the brackets on the wall. “Is this the semi-finals?”, I asked him. He studied the poster for a bit, then said “no it doesn’t look like either of these teams have a shot at making it, this game doesn’t count.”
Cowbells and Dreams...the hockey mom blog 