By Mairead Poulin ’13
Photos by Jay Grant

Hockey is traditionally a winter sport, as it is played on ice. It involves skating around and around the rink, carrying sticks, and trying to get a tiny black puck into a goal. It is loud. It is difficult to play. This was the limited knowledge I had collected over the years as an older sister to a hockey playing ten-year-old brother. In the five years he has been playing, I think I’ve been to one game.

Last Saturday I set out to change that. Williston’s girls varsity hockey team was playing The Gunnery School in their third home game of the season and I was there, with what you could call a front row seat, in the penalty box.

When I first entered the rink a few minutes before the game began, I was instantly hit by two extremes. The chill of the icy cold rink made me feel like I wasn’t even in a building. However, this didn’t deter the other people in the stands, the crowd ‘s energy was amazing. As pop music pumped through the speakers, parents and friends were clearly jazzed about the upcoming game. The players skated around the rink to warm up, displaying their confidence effortlessly as they practiced complicated looking drills.

As the contest began, I was instantly surprised at the amount of action the game actually holds. Fierce competition sent players smashing into the walls, fighting over the puck. They skated effortlessly down the ice, but with determination in their stride. By the end of the first period, a mere fifteen minutes later, the ice was completely torn up from the aggressive movements. I finally understood why the zamboni was required to come through between each period.

And then I was in the penalty box, getting an up close view at the game as the designated “door opener” for those who’d been called off the ice for breaking a rule. Being that much closer to the ice affirmed my belief that hockey is a physically exhausting sport to play. The girls never showed this, however, as they were always eager to get back on the ice after coming off.

The game started out full of action and excitement, and never lost its zeal. Williston scored their first goal seven minutes into the first period. They went on to earn three more goals in the second, scoring thirty seconds into the period, then twice more in the thirty second window. Two more goals in the last period brought the Williston total up to six. Best of all, the team was able to block any shots to their own goals throughout the game. The ending score was six to zero, a smashing victory for our girls’ team.

By the end of the game, as I celebrated our school’s win with the other spectators, I felt I’d learned a lot about hockey. Here’s a small selection of tips for other sports novices.

1)     The rink, as I’ve mentioned previously, is really cold. You will regret not taking your mother’s advice and bringing that winter jacket she nearly forced on you.

2)     The game consists of three, fifteen minute periods, with two ten minute breaks in-between. However, unlike basketball, there is rarely more then a two-minute halt, so the game will likely go on for that amount of time.

3)     Reiterating the cold thing, don’t stay in the rink during the ten minute pauses between periods. Seriously, go and get warm. The lobby, packed with people, feels like the Sahara after long exposure to the cold.

4)     There is still no food vendor! A hot chocolate stand would be a good idea for a fundraiser.

5)     Be prepared for an enjoyable game of action, intensity, and fun.

Now that I’ve attended a high school hockey game, I look forward to becoming a more supportive older sister to my hockey-playing brother. And I plan to become a more prominent supporter at Williston games as well.