Ah, Sarnia. How many times have we made this trip along Hwy. 402 from London, often in a school night scramble that brought us home far too late.
This season, the Sarnia Junior Sting major midgets are one of the best teams in our league. It's surprising since the city has a Jr. B team to peel away some of the talent.
Other years, our West London Hawks could roll in and expect a win. Not so much this season.
The road trip is one of the longest in the league - 100 km away.
Once the team arrived at the arena ready to play, parents having done their hustle. The Sarnia kids were there, ready to play. But someone forgot to tell the referees, so back to London went the convoy of kids without being able to play.
Tres annoying.
Another time, most of my son's team missed the opening game of a December tournament in Sarnia because of a massive snowstorm. The coach and his son made it, but the manager and his did not. The game went ahead with the other team having a full bench and our team having maybe six players. The result was predictable, but we still wound up advancing in the tournament. More importantly, no one ended up in the ditch - or worse - trying to get to the games.
Another time, for a school night league game, both teams decided to cancel due to a winter storm. Unfortunately, one of our families did not get the message and dad and son took off for Sarnia. And found no one else there. Son might've thought it was an adventure, but dad was not amused.
Our first hockey trip to Sarnia wasn't for a game, but for a Toronto Maple Leafs skills competition for peewees. My son, who by this time had overcome his novice skating woes, was one of three winners from a local skills competition to advance to a regional event in Sarnia. We car pooled and the van driver was uncertain if we'd make the trip after turning on to the 402 that day. We did, but it was slow going until Strathroy where, as the locals say, the weather always changes. By the way, of those three local skills winners, one is retired from hockey, one is playing on an AE team and my son is playing A/AA.
For my American blog readers - who some days outnumber those from Canada - Sarnia is across the river from Port Huron, Mich., and north of Detroit.
The snowstorm game was one to remember. We kept it close for most of two periods then the flood gates opened. I believe the Manager was a fella named Newton? Bad roads make the winter travel to games in and around southwestern ontario difficult. Thumbs up to Sarnia parents who do it day in and out to get the competition for their kids.
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