This whole thing started back on May 17th, 2005. I had casually deleted the email from the Stanford Alumni Association figuring that neither Steph or myself could afford the trip, or that it would be of any interest to either one of us. I was so very wrong! To my amazement, the girl from Florida who had never been south of the equator (let alone out of the country) was seriously considering it (note: this same girl-from-florida also loves sushi and now plays ice-hockey—go figure). We knew that these trips sold out and had to act quickly. Could we afford it? Was the timing right? Could we manage the details? Would we ever have this opportunity again? (Yes, Yes, Yes, Not Really). Within a few days we had our deposit wired and were confirmed for the trip. Within 2 weeks all 30 spots were sold out. We were on the trail 4 months later.

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Well…it’s off to Denver for Steph’s women’s hockey tournament. Boarded the plane in rainy-nasty San Jose and sat down next to a woman who was so filled with self importance that she had a once sided conversation on her cell phone un until they they started taxiing. We heard about her trip to the Netherlands, her 10 million dollar proposal, and how she did something for some guy and he certainly isn’t going to forget about it. This lady was annoying and loud. She just kept yapping—I’m positive that the person on the other end of the deal had already hung up the phone. Cheez.

Anyway…talk about a L-O-U-D flight. The air conditioning in the plane was cranked and people were yelling over it just to hear one another. Our ears were ringing when we landed in warm and sunny Denver (Yes….warm and sunny compared to cruddy San Jose weather).

Spent the afternoon wandering around 16th street in downtown Denver. Got a super sweet room on the corner with a full wrap-around window!!! Also got a to witness a full-on broad-daylight mugging outside the Walgreens. Lovely, really.

5/6/2005

Got to meet up with a long-time friend, Sarah, and her super sweet and ultra-cute son Thomas. Thomas is going to be a lady-killer, guaranteed!!! We had a tasty yummy breakfast at the “world famous” Eggshell in Cherry Creek. Sarah said that Thomas was a little tired and sort of “grouchy” because he hadn’t had his nap. I figured it was because Thomas simply wanted more flirting time with Steph…..Anyway for a “grouchy” guy he certainly was quiet and amazingly smiley.

Steph and I decided to hang a couple of hours at the Botanical Gardens. Lucky for us it was plant sale day and admission was FREE!! First off, su-ke-nah! The place is sweet and massive. It must be at least 300 yards long and at least 100 yards wide. Plants, flowers, cactii OH MY! I’ve never seen so many bright orange tulips and large expanses of purple flowers. There were themed areas and water fountains and ponds and benches and shrubs and more. Suffice to say that after an hour and a half we were dragging our feet (it was warm outside in the sun) and ready to head on our way. So we drove on up to Westminster, checked into our sweet suite (free internet!) and grabbed some lunch.

After lunch, it was off to the butterfly pavillion. At $8/person it was pricey, but almost worth it! Here are a few photos.

And now it’s time for the pre-game nap. Steph’s first hockey game is at 5:30……we’ll see how it goes.

Game 1 Post Game Report Well, the Burninators played 3 great periods of hockey. They outshot the other team (whosiewhatsits?) 35 to 10 and had at least 6 dynamite scoring opportunities. They dominated in the 2nd and 3rd periods and really brought it on. Unfortunately, the goalie on that other team (whatstheirnamesits) was standing on her head. She was a butterfly goalie with the ability to slide from post to post and catch even the most difficult of wrap-around attempts (in a beginner division no less). The Burninators even screened the goalie (to no luck) in an attempt to get the biscuit in the basket. Final score, 1 – 0 in favor of the whatsiwhosits. Regardless, well-played, I say….well played. Stay tuned for game 2, tomorrow morning.	Preparing to Burninate!	Steph in gear.
	Post game 1 mixer	Striking a pose

05/07/05

A late morning and down for a nasty “Continental Breakfast” a la the sweet suites. There were equally sized flat round objects in biscuit, waffle, sausage and egg flavors. We were invited to stack these round objects on top of one another and add some flavor with our condiment of choice. Unfortunately, the round breakfast foods were all semi-cold and the only condiment was ketchup. Blech.

Got to skate a little while on my new goalie skates…..which was an interesting shift. Almost fell on my ass a couple of times trying to do crossovers and stops, but eventually got the hang of the wide flat blades and was feeling almost natural (for a beginner that is). And then…..it was Burnination time.

Game 2 Post Game Report Looking a little tired this morning, the Burninators fought it out for three periods against the Cliffhangers 2 team. The Cliffhangers made it a point of turning the game into a check-fest. In fact, #31 on the Cliffhangers got called for a boarding penalty and a full on frontal check penalty and a trip. The frontal check was a brutal hit that nocked a burninator entirely off her feet. Needless to say, the ref’ing in this game was sub-par and perhaps a little bit biased towards the local team. As the game wore on, the Burninators got worn down and unfortunately frustrated. They had some geat shifts from every line, putting pucks towards the net, running it up the ice, holding it in the zone…but just couldn’t seem to do it. Unfortunately, Game 2 was a 2-0 loss….. But on fun notes, the post-game feast was a massive spaghetti fest for the entire time. Yum yum, sausage marinara sauce and salad oh my. I’ll admit…..I was so tired from cheering (at altitude) that I grubbed down. Looking forward to Burnination in Game 3!	Posing for Burnination!	Fangorious Stephinator.
	PreGame 2 Mixer.	PreGame 2 Mixer 2.

Game 3 Post Game Report The Burninators came out and dominated. I’ll update this section in a little bit. Suffice to say the game ended in a tie (3-3) with the Burninators scoring 2 of those goals in the last 5 minutes. The big scare of the night came when one of the (I will keep it clean…for the children) “women” on the Northern Lights (### to be specific) completely boarded one of our D while going at full speed. This left the Burninator (Heather) on the ice for several tense minutes and the Northern Light ### in the box. It was a nasty disgusting and totally ridiculous hit for AN ADULT AMATEUR LEAGUE!!! In my opinion, ### should be suspended from USA Hockey for that type of hit. (update 6/05: The injured Burninator player finally returned to play this week, nearly a month after the boarding by Northern Lights ###) We got the hit on video (we were taping the game) and showed it to the organizers of the tourney…who agreed….foul play. I’m hoping to put the video up as an example of why adult team sports can suck so bad. Turns out this same player (###….) had already gotten herself into hot water several times during this game with a few two-handed slashes on the Burninators. Her prior history and the irrefutable video tape evidence damned her to expulsion from the tourney. In the video, Northern Lights ### can be seen clearly putting her elbow on Heather’s back as Heather is slowing down going into the boards. As ### pushes down with her elbow, Heather is sent head and neck into the boards at modest speed. It is a miracle that we did not have to take Heather off in a stretcher. (note, 6/05: The NL player was a damn good skater. She could skate circles around any of the Burninators. This hit was either (a) intentional or (b) completely avoidable by the better skater.) A trip to the Hospital and several hours later and Heather is okay (for this bit of good news, The Burninators appear incredibly thankful). The bad news is that the Burninators are “Out in 3″. <<RANT>> In my opinion and from what I saw….women’s hockey in the Denver area is as dirty as it comes. I saw more nasty slashes and cross checks today than in any coed game I have watched in the Bay Area. For simply lifting the stick (a legal move) the Burninators would get a shin (or back of the leg) slash in return. Going after the puck in the corner would get you boarded or cross checked. A breakaway would merit you a slash on your skate (forget the puck). This was ugly-ugly-ugly hockey by some agro chicks (and i use that term loosely). What made matters worse, is that the referees were local and knew many of the players….This resulted in a bias towards looking the other way and issuing “warnings” as opposed to actual penalties. Dear Refs…keep the game in control EARLY in the 1st and we would all be thankful! Being an adult of injury-prone-ability, I would recommend others of my type to avoid the Denver tourneys (until proven otherwise). <</RANT>> <<RANT 6/05>> Those of you reading this understand that my frustration stems from the fact this is ADULT RECREATIONAL HOCKEY. These teams Pay to Play. They have Jobs to go to on Monday. Teams simply shouldn’t tolerate bad behavior from the 1 or 2 “bad apples” on their team…as this gives their entire team a bad rep. Regardless of what team you’re on (Burninators, Northern Lights, etc etc etc) its simply not necessary to play (good) hockey this way. <</RANT 6/05>> (update 6/05. Since I have been informed that Northern Light’s players frequently change numbers, I have chosen to remove all references to the offending player’s number in the above text. For the record, at this tourney (and only at this tourney), she was wearing #17)	Checking in for Game 3 with the grim shirt on.	The zamboni freshening the sheet…..boy they paint ‘em cool here. Almost looks like a 2-ton shopping basket.
	Jena puts her game face on.	Yes…. Liz has red pants!
	The San Jose Burninators prepare to take the ice for Game 3.	Get a load of how short that ref is on the right hand side. He’s like 10 or something!
	Final score: 3-3. Great comeback!	A woozy Heather is helped off the ice (and on to the hospital) after the viscious boarding by Northern Lights Nasty#17.

5/8/05 A Day at the Zoo & A Flight Home

Well, with the trip drawing to a close, it was a late night discussing the nasty hit by NorthernLights#17. We all got to commiserate with a drugged up Heather (after several hours at the hospital…) and recount the events. This morning, several of us ended up going to Waffle House in order to avoid the pancake shaped egg-like objects. What a tasty plate of cheese grits and bacon. Mmmmm. Soopahviv had never had grits….she seemed to enjoy them (score 1 for cheese grits). After waffle house, it was off to the Denver Zoo where I did not take too many pictures. Many funny moments….from the sign-picture-taking-Vivo to the butt-sniffing Lion (followed by a puzzled yawn-growl-face). Oh, and the hoof-ed beasts with the 14″ long tongues were intriguing (as were the smelly giraffes). Sad to see those bears pacing in schizophrenic misery….and the ultra-bored (too small a pen) elephants were disheartening as well. But, the geese were cute, and all the other babies were entertaining. The tropics exhibit…and the bushmasters…pretty cool. Cap the exhausting day off with a stop at Good Times on “Hofax” avenue (darn tasty “frozen custard” spoonbenders….mmmm) and it was off to the airport. In line for the security strip search, good ol’ Andrea got cut off by the biggest *ahem* in tight leather pants. Funny thing was, we still emerged in front of them on the other end…..the world is just full of “the wrong kind of people”, eh? And then…an overbooked flight (United, of course) and a bumpy ride home, a shuttle bus that would never show up as we waited in the rain…and 7.5 hours after we left Good Times, Steph & I finally got home and crashed. Great weekend. Thanks for having me as your “Groupie”, San Jose Burninators!	Beware the evil Mother of Fairy Tales Funny how this picture was taken on Mother’s Day.	Look really close into my eye and I will bite your nose off. Just exactly what are those two dudes looking at anyway?
	I’m a poser, eh?

The best moments came in the Miracle like rematch in semi-finals. The Burninators played the Alaska Lynx for the second time in 24 hours. Their previous match-up was a depressing loss for The Burninators (4 nothing) and there was a lot of fear going into the semi-final game. By the end of the second period, the Lynx were still dominating, but Burninator goalie Cara was standing on her head (and other places) and keeping them in the game. Third period was different, as the Lynx had a short bench (2 lines only) and they started to get tired. In the middle of the third period there was a golden opportunity. An open goal with only a defender in site and the Lynx seemed to bury the puck in the net. By some stroke of luck (or deliberate effort) the puck stayed out of the goal, but since it was frozen by a defensive player, there was an automatic penalty shot. This could be the deciding goal in a 0-0 game. The Lynx put forth their MVP (#24 “red pants” as we called her) who attempted to get around Cara. It was not to be, and the entire place started cheering! So, after the third period, the score was still tied at 0-0. Turns out, the Burninator-Lynx game had started a good 20 minutes late, so by this time, the teams in the next game had already shown up to play and had seen the penalty shot.

And so, with the Harpies and BrokenHearts hockey teams watching (and the Harpies and BrokenHearts fans) the game went into the first full overtime. Both teams were dragging at this point (it was the second game for them that day). The Lynx continued to dominate and had several dynamite scoring opportunities, but so did the die-hard Burninators. While banging their hockey sticks on the boards, the Burninators maintained their energy and….well…held out. Cara continued to stand on her head and the game went into its second full overtime.

At this point, there were two entire hockey teams (waiting to play) standing by the glass cheering. Most of them had witnessed the domination of the Lynx and were starting to cheer on the Burninator goalie (support for the underdog). The Lynx were dragging and the Burninators were wasted. Heck, falls seemed to take even longer as even gravity was tired. Not too many scoring chances in that overtime, and with mercy it went down to a five on five shootout.

First two members of both teams buried the puck in the respective goalie. Third member of the Lynx has a beautiful pull to the right, shot across the crease and ding-dong hit the left post!!! A blessing. Excitement and cheers and the 4th member of the Burninator shootout skates down the ice. Fake left, cross right and gently through the five-hole of the Lynx goalie. Barely…oh so barely…does the puck skitter across the goal line, almost being stopped by all of the snow on the ice. It makes it just inside the left post and a scant 2 inches past the goal line. The 4th member of the Lynx buries the puck in Cara’s chest and the 5th member of the Burninators does the same. By this time the crowd is starting to shout Cara’s name (underdogs go!). The 5th and final Lynx skater heads down with the puck. Back and forth (this is “Orange Gloves”, aka “Maskless One”, a 6foot 3 skater with an incredible shot) she goes. She snaps her stick back and wings one….right into Cara’s chest.

For a moment I thought the Burninators were going to completely kill themselves as they exploded off the bunch without control (too tired for that!). What a win! What a game! It became the talk of the tournament and set the schedule back by 2 hours! The game finished around 7:30pm and they had to play in the finals at 8:30am the next day. They didn’t win in finals, but who cares…this ragtag team of true beginners and a few advanced skaters had gone further thany any single one of them could have imagined. They had become a team, and in doing so surpassed individual expectations.

Another interesting sidestory. Mary (aka “Stitches”) had gotten her hand sliced by a skate in the 2nd game. At the time she refused to be taken to the hospital, but later that night as she was watching her tendon move between flaps of skin, she grabbed a taxi and found a hospital to load her up with novacaine and 4 stitches. The next day Stitches found the boards with her knee, which swelled up like a grapefruit. Stitches played through 2 more games (including the long semi-final) like a champ. Visibly in pain, Stitches played the finals game and received the 2nd place trophy. As she was leaving the ice, she dropped the trophy and it broke into 3 pieces. Stitches gets my vote for MBA (Most Bad Ass).

Well, this entry is getting long…..but I had a freaking great time watching the gals play in Vegas. Sure, I didn’t drink (unless you count a single watered down Amaretto Sour at Thunder Down Under as a drink) and didn’t gamble, but I had a blast. Who needs the NHL anyway….those blokes are just a bunch of spoiled brats. Go watch an amateur tournament instead!

To get to the Carr-Feely Lake Area, take Hwy80 East towards Reno. Just after Emigrant Gap exit on Hwy 20. After a few miles downhill, take the really sharp right onto Bowman Lake Road. From there, follow the signs to Carr-Feely Lake.