Day 65 (3/6/11) - Ice Hockey

This evening we took the boys to their first ice hockey game at Giant Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  We saw the Hershey Bears take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  We sat 10 rows back from the ice, so the boys had a good view of the action.  They both seemed to really enjoy the whole experience, especially the stadium food.  Ryan ate a hot dog, several fistfuls of fries, a box of popcorn, and a cup of chocolate ice cream.  Gavin ate chicken tenders, an entire serving of fries, popcorn, and a soft pretzel - all in the span of 2 hours!  Both boys were fascinated with the mascot and were amazed that he could ice skate in costume.  Mike was particularly captivated with the hot dog launcher that they rolled out during intermission.  Although the Bears lost to the Penguins 4-1, it was an exciting, fast-paced game.  Mike and I quickly realized that we were completely unfamiliar with the rules of the game.  It seemed like players were constantly entering and exiting the ice.  And, it's such an aggressive sport, it's hard to tell what constitutes a penalty and what's fair play.  There were a couple of scuffles that broke out and Ryan wanted to know why the players were hugging each other.  Rather than correcting him, we chose to let him think they were showing good sportsmanship.  The whole experience definitely brought back fond memories of my time in Charleston, watching the Stingrays play, and getting caught up in the fervor of the crowd yelling "red ice."  On the long drive home, listening to the boys softly snoring in the backseat, recalling their ear-to-ear grins during the game, Mike and I agreed it was a fun, memorable family outing.