Starting Lineup: Forward Philip Ekberg (9), Forward Emil Gabrielson (18), Forward Drew Lorinchak (20), Defense Sean Henry (6), Defense Keenan Johnson (79), Goalie Garrett Mackay (#35).

We seem to have brought our A-game with us last night. We came out of the gates absolutely revving to go and kept our foot on the gas the first period. Good hockey is glorious to watch and that was freaking amazing last night. I felt the same excitement I felt that first night I came to a game: the kind that leaves your heart beating wildly, your hands shaking, and everything in you 100% willing to scream, yell, and cheer as hard as you can. Part of it could be that there hasn’t been a home game this month until now. Sure, I’ve been watching them on TV, but it’s just not the same. It’s like watching your favorite band’s DVD versus actually being at the concert. Seeing it right in front of your face is just amazing.

It was a pleasure watching us do just as well on offense as defense. We stole the puck time and again, shuttled it back out our zone, denied the opposition enough times it became exhilarating watching it zoom from one side of the ice to the other. Sure, they scored the first goal on us in the first period (honors to Ty Black) but Mackay also made so many saves it was ridiculous. Our first goal came to us at 9:07 into the first period. A goal that goes down in my books as fucking amazing as hell. Why, you ask?

Well, let me tell you about someone. That someone being the Amarillo Bulls goalie, Charlie Glockner (#1). He’s the number one goalie in the NAHL and until that very moment, we have never scored a goal against him. He’s the brick wall to end all brick walls, has six shutouts, and is just stunning to watch in goal. It’s confusing to have him in net against our team. I’ll root for our boys to my grave, but when Glockner’s in net, I find myself discretely clapping every time he saves a goal. It’s a hard place to be in as a fan. Mad respect for skills of the opposing team. A damn pleasure to get to watch, but… can it not be against our team? So… getting to watch our guys score on this guy, yeah that was some true elation right there. I jumped up, I yelled, threw my little foam wolf on the ice, and cheered some more and had no idea how I was supposed to put my rear end back on my seat. (Spoiler, I managed because I’m nicer than just standing around in front of people blocking the view lol!)

Somehow we found our way through his defenses more than one time last night and honestly, that’s a blessing and an amazement and hot damn, boys keep it up. This shows what our team is capable of. That red hot iron that came out the gates last night, that persevered through the whole night, that’s the shit we live for. That’s the shit we’re cooking that’s gonna turn into a five star restaurant when we get our skates under us consistently. It’ll happen and it’ll be glorious. Our guys have all the potential in the world and I think it’s why we love them so much, why there’s always a crowd, why we all want to support them so very much.

In the second period we got another one past Glockner, Alex Dominique (#21) with an assist from Spencer Rudrud (#7), slipped under Glockner’s pads. With the Bull’s other goal, it sent us into the intermission 2:3, not too shabby and it left us all smiling and happy.

That being said, another thing that made me smiley and happy was my entry for the ugly sweater contest. I made this horrible abomination of a tinsel tree, complete with icicles and jingle bells on the front and a huge gaudy glitter bow on the back. It was just fantastically, endearingly HORRIBLE. And it won the contest for an ice wolves sublimated jersey! It made me so happy and I’ve never been less nervous about something in my life, which is so odd because I have pretty bad anxiety issues, but I felt none of them during those few minutes. Interesting development in the camp of me.

In the third period, only one goal was scored… by us! Sean Henry (#6) managed to get one in past all the traffic in front of the net and right on in past Glockner, tying our score and sending us into overtime. The team tried so hard to get another goal in the third period, time and time again breaking away and making a go for it, but none of them succeeded.

In overtime both teams put up shots on goal, but it was Amarillo that got one in past our goalie and the game ended 3:4, their win. I’m so proud of our boys though and I hope they feel those three shots like pleasure in their veins, truly. It was a damn fine game and I can’t wait to see them at it again tonight.