Backyard Brawl on Ice 2011

What a game, what a game. We have been pumping up the BACKYARD BRAWL on ICE, trying to get people that we know there to see the game and how much fun hockey can be. WVU vs PITT is big in any sport. Well that place was packed the other night and what a game. Scoreless first period, 2-2 tie at the end of two, then things really picked up. WVU took the edge with a mid-third period goal and appeared to have things locked down when PITT scored the tying goal with 30 seconds to go. At WVU time out came the coaches a chance to set up the play that was needed. The puck dropped in the WVU attack zone and the fury began. It seemed hopeless as the clock clicked down, 10... 9... 8... working, working, 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... and the puck hit the back of the net. The whole building erupted as WVU scored the go ahead goal. When I say the place erupted, it was crazy. Crazy enough that on of the local hockey boys watching the game hit the glass so hard from the outside that the glass shattered to the ice. With 3.1 seconds on the clock and glass all over the ice the refs ran out the clock. WVU wins.

Butch was standing right behind the kid that broke the glass, and he does have an extra piece to fix the spot. I was impressed.

Isaac before and after the game gathered as many players signatures from the WVU players as he could. Look at the mess his arms turned out to be.

The kids and I had lunch with a few of the player on Monday afternoon. We ran into Sean McFadden (#3, C), Luke Sonnefeld (#16, A), Christian Lewton (#25), and Chris Wilder (#33, Goalie). They had run the kids clinic one Sunday night and remembered Isaac. Lexy really liked the goalie #33, she made a sign from him that said, "Catch the Puck #33!"

Articles from The Daily Mail and The Charleston Gazette.

Now, why is it that they can barely mention the game at all. We need more coverage for hockey in Charleston. That would make the kids hockey program stronger. Maybe they could get some corporate sponsors to get the cost down a bit. If we can get enough kids to join there can be a house league here in Charleston, which in turn will keep the cost down. And maybe, just maybe, there will be enough going on to build the other half of the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena. But that is just a dream at this point.