I followed our Dutchmen as best I could while in Egypt through text messages from Union Athletics, my Dad (thanks Dad!), and the random 15 minutes I was able to snag some free Internet. But, I was able to watch the entire Union-Yale game on my friend Mark's computer while sitting in the lobby of our beautiful 5-star hotel in Aswan (remember that Egypt time is seven hours ahead of New York time!). It was obviously a disappointing outcome, but it was a cool experience to watch a Union hockey game while in a foreign country.
I think Justin did a great job taking over the blog while I was away, and he should be applauded for his hard work and originality. I really like the segment with Keith Kinkaid. Hopefully we will be seeing more of Justin throughout the season. Also, a special thanks to Brock Matheson for agreeing to do "Captain's Log." I approached him about doing the segment right before I left for Egypt, and he immediately agreed. Brock did a great job.
From what I can tell, our boys had a mediocre three weeks. They beat up on the Atlantic Hockey teams at home and had a very nice win on the road at Brown, but were unable to pull out the big win on the road at Yale and Western Michigan. If the Dutchmen want to make the national tournament they MUST win these kind of games. It was also disappointing to see that they only scored a combined two goals in those three games. I guess having Adam Presizniuk out has hurt the offense. It also seems that Coach Leaman has had a tough time finding the right combination at forward. Maybe it's time to go with a Welsh-Zajac-Carr line?
That being said, the games against Minnesota and Bemidji on New Years Eve and New Years Day are extremely important. These are the last out-of-conference games before it's ECAC play for the rest of the season. Not to put too much pressure on these guys, but they have to win both of these games. Both the Golden Gophers and Beavers are below the Dutchmen in the national rankings and the PWR (by the way Union is 14th in the PWR, which would give them a berth to the national tournament).
Right now the players are home with their families celebrating the holidays. I would like to wish the Dutchmen and the rest of the Union community a happy and a healthy holiday. The Union hockey players are some of the hardest working individuals on campus, and they barely have time to take a break and see their families. I hope that they all enjoy their time at home, and come back rested so they can begin their roll to the playoffs on New Years Eve.
I hope you like my pictures with the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx! Merry Christmas!
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