University North Dakota Fighting Sioux @ University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs – Sat 11-22-08 – View from Section 15 in the DECC

No Wild recap here tonite, I did not see the Wild’s 2-1 loss to St. Louis. I was in beautiful Duluth and in the house for UMD’s 3-1 win over UND.

Actually the outcome of the game was sort of secondary. I humbly accept the opportunity to bring home bragging rights for a while over my Sioux-fan wife and mother-in-law, but tonite was more about our fledgling family. You see this was our 1st opportunity to get away since Adriana was born in July, just the 3 of us as a family. It was much-needed. It was also Adriana’s 1st trip to Duluth, her 1st hotel stay, and her 1st real hockey game. And while I enjoyed the game and think it was the best game I’ve seen the Dogs play in quite some time, I mostly enjoyed the vibe of being a family.

Adriana was really good through the whole game. She was wide-eyed watching all the sights during most of the 1st period, got a little fussy in the 1st intermission, slept through most of the 2nd period, and stayed happy chewing on every last toy we brought in the 3rd. We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to stay for the whole game. And now if she just she sleeps through the nite in her pack & play it continue to be a most successful weekend.

Hooked on Canal Park
We are staying in Canal Park, and it has really worked out nice. Normally we don’t stay in Canal Park because it’s so much more expensive than other places like downtown, but we wanted the extra room so we went for the Comfort Suites. It was relatively warm (upper 20s) so we walked to the DECC from the hotel. Probably the coldest air Adriana has ever breathed, but she handled it well. Then after the game I walked over to Grandma’s to get take out to bring back to the hotel. Beauty! We just may have to stay in Canal Park all the time when we come to Duluth.

Quick Note about the School
I think most people that read this blog know that I went to UMD circa 1996. Today I made a quick trip up to campus to find some Bulldog paraphernalia for Adriana. Goodness has campus changed…and for the better. There is a new science building, new library, new dorm building, Grigg’s Field has been renovated and is awfully fancy now, and the Bulldog Shop is bigger and actually has some really nice UMD apparel and the like. The lack of stylin’ UMD clothing has always peeved me, and I was very surprised to see alot of great stuff, even UMD UnderArmour! I’m glad to see they finally figured it out. When the new arena opens at the DECC I hope it adds to this “big school” feel and also to the hockey program’s success.

UMD is almost all growns-up!