NATIONAL. CHAMPIONS.

Flipper is crashed on the couch with a Stella. GoalieHusband is standing in the lanai watching bad golfers (with a Magic Hat). Flipper's husband is snoring in the easy chair. And I'm getting a quick blog post in before we all converge on the hot tub and ease our aching muscles and joints. (Also with a Magic Hat).

When we got up this morning and headed to the rink for our 8 a.m. game, we never imagined we'd still be playing at 10:20. When we were sitting in the locker room all groggy, we never imagined we'd have a player with a broken finger shoved in an ice bag after the 1st overtime, when they forced us off the ice to resurface it. (She refused a splint, because then she wouldn't be able to get her finger into her glove). But what was not ever a question in my mind, was that we would come out of this as champions. As we walked into the rink this morning, I turned to Flipper and said "You know we're going to win this, right?" She grinned and nodded.

We played the only team we lost to this weekend, ironically the team from Westchester NY, who we play all year long. When we played them on Friday afternoon, it was an extremely chippy affair which we lost 4-3 after scratching and clawing our way back from a 3-0 deficit racked up in the first few minutes of the first period. They came out strong, and we had a weak first period. But after that we got into the game and nearly tied it.  Finding out that they were the team we'd be facing in the championship game just made it that much sweeter.

At this point I'm so exhausted I can't remember many details, other than Jullee's broken finger, a concussion-prone player going hard into the boards in the 6th period and panicking us all when she immediately grabbed her head, only to buy us time, a few miraculous toe saves, and what felt like millions of amazing saves by the goalie on the other end. But three minutes and 58 seconds into that period, "Bentley" won the puck in a battle down in the corner off to the goalie's right, and dished it out  to "Poutine", who was waiting in the slot and slammed it home.  Players poured off the bench, and I booked down to the other end of the ice to jump into the pile. My joy was tempered by sympathy for the other goalie, who was on the ice just behind our jubilant knot of players, but I pushed that aside and celebrated with my girls. (I did end up turning to her and telling her I thought she played an absolutely amazing game, but of course she was in no mood to hear it right then). 

I have to say, USA Hockey does it right. They had a pile of white hats with the logo and "National Champions" on the side. They gave each of us an acrylic puck with the same sentiment, and a large duffel bag that says USA Hockey on one side and NATIONAL CHAMPIONS on the other. We have all decided that we are going to use those bags as our carry-ons on the plane on the way home.

Flipper keeps saying "Who's better than us?" and grinning and answering her own question with "No one!!!"

This one tastes really, really, good, and is going to last us a nice long while.