March Madness & Rotten Apples

My March Madness continues. Sorry not a cooking entry, but an experience I felt like posting...
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The 2010 Women's National Hockey Tournament is in Green Bay, WI. For various reasons, most of our region's teams have pulled out from participating this year.
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At most levels, the team(s) remaining were automatically given our region's National bids...well all levels, but one.
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The national spot still up for grabs was the Women's C level - [a rough definition for this level is a competative recreational player with no college hockey experience].
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Since the two teams remaining were 2-5 hours south of our neck of the woods, the state board decided to forgo hosting rights/accommodate and move it south. As it so happens, this move also caused the duty of organizing/directing to default to me.
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A best of 3, Game 1 was Friday Night. I left work mid-afternoon and made the 2.5 hour drive to the new arena. Being a player on our state's Women's B team, I've not been on the otherside of the glass much for women's hockey. In fact, other then lending a helping hand, I've never actually organized a tournament myself...or better yet a season end's Regional Tournament!
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With no clue on the USA H rules for regional tournament playoffs, I had to rely on the trusty cell phone to speed dial our region's director and my copy of the 2009-10 USA Hockey Annual Guide.
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FRIDAY, March 5th @ 7pm
Game 1: Butterflies vs. Large Cats
*Not the acutal team names....but close.
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>>>Regulation time ends (3 x 15 minute periods) with a 1 to 1 tie...oh crap, what happens now?!?!
>>>Sudden Death Overtime for 5 minutes. No one scores, there is a 6 player fight on the ice (yes, these are grown women), penelties were thrown out...great, so next is???
>>>Shoot out, which goes through the full 5 shooters per team.
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Final Score 2-3; WINNER is the Large Cats
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SATURDAY, March 6th @ 11am
Game 2: Large Cats vs Butterflies
>>Entire game goes rather smoothly and overall play was great (refs let a lot go). In the end it was a goal in the last minutes that won the game.
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Final Score 2-3; WINNER is the Butterflies
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SATURDAY, March 6th @ 1pm
I need a drink...
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So I had one of these...
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I should have had another one of these (but restrained myself)...
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a little Ceasar Salad
(cause you shouldn't drink on an empty stomach)...
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a Buffalo Chicken Deep Dish Pizza...

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and dessert to go - White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie.

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SATURDAY, March 6th @ 5pm

Game 3 Championship: Butterflies vs Large Cats
>The game was close, VERY close...so close in fact that I had to call to ask what happens in overtime for the Championship Game! [fyi, it is a series of 10 min sudden death periods until a winner is decided]

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Toward the end, the claws really came out on some of the Large Cats and the Butterflies were no angels themselves. There was plenty of smack talking, backlashing and just plain nastiness to go around. My Dad actually came to help out, so while I ran the clock, he was responsible for the Large Cats' penalty box. With as many as 3 players in the box at a time, he was a busy man haha!

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Ultimately the Large Cats took themselves right out the running with their actions.

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Final Score 3 to 1; REGIONAL CHAMPS - The Butterflies

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Well Large Cats, all I have to say is - that's the way the cookie crumbles.

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And another cliche that fits is that a rotten apple spoils the barrel

(in this team's case it was a couple of real mushy brown ones).

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Thanks for the help Dad!!