All in the Spirit of the Game

As I highlighted during Thanksgiving week, Michael has come such a long way in such a short time regarding his hockey skills. It has been so much fun to go to his practices and games and watch him master this sport before our very eyes. Today was was of those sometimes speechless moments as we watched his game. Michael just owned that ice today...he was out there on fire, checking kids cleanly and forcefully, meaning very successfully, knocking them down like flies. He was a force to be reckoned with today...at times I could scarcely recognize this once timid skater as my son. It was sometimes comical watching the players on the other team as they visibly panicked as Michael closed in on them...they knew they were going nowhere but down. One of the great things about Michael is that he is such a leader and example to his teammates this year. His actions had a positive effect on the other kids, so soon after the first half of the first period, our whole team was like one big checking machine. They did not win the game, but they played such excellent hockey today. To clarify, I am not one for violence, and our kids were playing cleanly and by the book...they were playing hockey at it's best despite bad refs. It was fun to see them come together as a team, and so encouraging for Michael to see that his stepping up made huge differences for the entire team. To top off the experience, Michael was given the game puck today and recognized for his efforts. Go Michael! Go Wildcats!!!