Northern Edge Cup Games
Two Northern Edge Cup games were played on Friday - one for each respective age group. Like last week, both games were very close with lots of scoring! The draft had a magical way of equalizing talent which kept the games close until the end. All the boys played extremely hard so everyone should be considered a winner! It was interesting to see how the bonds made between the Belarusian and North American kids gelled in this final session of ice. By this point, they had learned to communicate - maybe with words, maybe with hand gestures, or maybe with smiles. Emotions ran very high, even for the instructors, as for most of us knew this was the last time we would we see many of these boys. After the game, folks hung around the rink for pictures and presented gifts to each other. I don't think the boys (and parents) wanted to say goodbye to the instructors. All the parents expressed gratitude to Todd and Northern Edge. The boys left as better hockey players and also as better kids. Many friendships were made and the cultural experiences shared will last a lifetime. Hopefully, we will recognize some of the last names on the back of NHL or other professional jerseys in the future!
Sorry, Mark! Coach Mark was going for a Northern Cup record for wins - up until the last game, he was 3-0. A final win would have put him in the Northern Edge coaches hall of fame with a record of 4-0! Unfortunately, Coach Brad spoiled Mark's hopes with some razzle dazzle plays.
Meeting with Mr. Naumov
The Northern Edge team was invited to meet with Mr. Naumov, Minister of Internal Affairs, late Friday afternoon. Mr. Naumov was interested in hearing our thoughts about how the camps went and whether Northern Edge was interested in coming back. Todd provided his thoughts as to how to make this great camp even better. According to Mr. Naumov, word is getting out to neighboring nations. They want to know how they can participate in this exchange program or whether the program can be expanded into their respective countries. This is another testimony to the great efforts of Todd and all of Northern Edge.
Dinner with the Hockey Federation...
We had about a 20 minute turn time between our meeting with Mr. Naumov and meeting for dinner with representatives from the Hockey Federation. We went to a brewpub and had a great BBQ dinner. Gifts were presented to Slava and Arthur, two of the key people responsible for the logistics of our trip. Constance and Alina were also present. Both were more than helpful during our stay and were thanked earlier in the day at the rink.
Logan and Nick moved to Vladimir Tsyplakov's house yesterday since Arthur and his family had to catch a flight to the United States (how cool is that - to stay with a former NHL'er and all around great guy!). Arthur will be participating in a Northern Edge camp in St. Louis. Denis (from the older group) will also be participating in this camp but his parents remained here so Eddie and Phil are still with their host family. Arthur and Denis will be staying with Phil and his family for the week. After getting to know Phil, I know they will be well taken care of!
Saturday, we will go to the rink to pack up the boys' hockey gear and then we will take it to the Hockey Federation building. Saturday night, we will have a final farewell dinner with the families and children. We are looking forward to this gathering.
Sunday, we will meet the boys at the Hockey Federation building and say our goodbyes to the host families. I'm sure this will be an emotional event given how well the boys have gotten along with their families. Everyone has been so kind and generous.
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