As the summer AAA hockey season ended, I could hardly wait for the sixty-odd days of fall to pass. I was waiting for the calendar to click over to Monday, November 7, aka 'The First Day of Hockey Practice.'

This year would be a new experience for me, as I not only would be covering hockey, but I would be watching and covering games that my freshman daughter would be playing in.

It would also be different because I would not be taking her to her practices and games...well, I did drive her to a few practices and the home games, but the two-hour trips would now include only my wife and I in the car, while Emily was safely transported on the team's Safeway carriage. (A special thanks to Ann and Bob Smith--Emily's grandma and grandpa--for driving the bus to the road games.)

The year started as usual for WiPH, with the gang talking of hot teams and players to watch, and preparing our pre-season Top 10, using our various degrees of expertise to see what teams would fit where.

Then before you knew it, I was at the Eau Claire Thanksgiving tournament and watched four talented teams play--Eau Claire Memorial, New Richmond, Notre Dame, and Wausau West. That was just the beginning.

I have covered 41 games thus far, including all 25 that my daughter has played in. I have visited rinks from Blaine (MN) in the west to Cornerstone Community Center (Ashwaubenon) in the east. I have travelled as far north as the Dome in Eagle River and as far south as the Ozaukee Ice Center in Mequon.

I have seen games in 16 different rinks. I have watched 16 different boys teams and 16 different girls teams play.

Sweet!

I have put on more miles than I care to count, gobbled down more fast food than my doctor cares to know about, and gotten far less sleep than my boss thinks I should get. (Who knew that sleeping at work was a crime?)

But you know what? I don't care!

This is hockey. This is the sport that I truly first started following in 1992 when my son began playing at the Squirt level. Nine years later, I joined Bergler and WiPH was born.

By the end of the year, I will have seen over 50 games, taken over 10,000 pictures (with help from my sister-in-law Deanna Smith, wife Kelli, and daughter Emily), and filled up nearly one notebook with game notes.

I have taken pictures sitting in a pressbox (Hobbs), standing by the glass (everywhere), standing in the penalty box (Antigo), and sitting in front of the top railing (Cornerstone rink #3).

My fingers and toes have been frozen at several rinks. I have even helped with nets during intermissions at a couple of away rinks, much to the amusement and amazement of the volunteer parents at those arenas.

Between the girls and boys games, there are only 22 contests left in the season. After this weekend, only 12 teams will survive and their reward is to play on 'The Big Ice' in Madison. (A nod to Peter Rudy and his awesome website that covers the tournament from a slightly different perspective.)

This is the craziest, but best time of year for me. Compared to last year (when I took in three sectional final games in a span of 26 hours, drove to Appleton and back in a blizzard, and got to sleep about 4:30 in the morning), this Sectional Final weekend is going to be pretty tame.

I will be in New Richmond on Friday watching the Fusion battle Hayward/Spooner, and then drive up to Amery on Saturday to watch a reprisal of last year's Sectional 1 final--Superior and New Richmond. Those should be two very exciting games.

Then comes state tournament.

Our gang will get down there and start setting up early Thursday morning, and I'm not sure how it is for the rest of our group, but it seems like a heartbeat later, the winning team is hoisting its championship trophy on Saturday afternoon. It goes by that fast...

We'll also cover the Senior Class Tournament in Waupun in late March, and then cruise over to Plymouth, MN to cover Team Wisconsin play in the Minnesota CCM national tournament in mid-April.

Then we can pretty much pack the season away.

Funny how the season goes by so quickly.

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