The Varsity hockey team was fortunate enough to experience a trip to Finland and Sweden. The team endured an eight-hour flight, the first hefty flight for some on the team. After a long day of travel, we hit the ice almost immediately the next day, skating with some of the best coaches in all of Finland. We were definitely tired, but excited to be on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation playing hockey.
Day four arrived, and we embarked on a bus tour around Helsinki, taking in the old Olympic Stadium and numerous tourist attractions. Although the sightseeing was superb, we were all looking forward to the afternoon sauna visit. This is one of the boys’ favorite parts of the trip. After about 15 minutes in the blazing space, we would jump into the freezing Baltic Sea, with temperatures reaching mid-twenties.
The next day and we were ready to play. The other team surprised us as soon as we walked into the rink. The techno music blaring out of their locker room sounded like your heart was about to jump out of your chest with how many beats there were. However, that was only a scare factor; the boys rallied, and even fourth-former Jack Avila ’28 netted his first goal for the Varsity team, winning the game 13-1.
After the game, our team developed a strong addiction to the game Pokémon Go, even sharing the app with some of the locals. While still addicted to the game, we headed to the island fortress. This had a deep history; three countries took ownership of the land over the span of 200 years. Wrapping up the tour, we boarded a cruise ship to cross the sea from Finland to Sweden, completing the second half of the trip. It was from the moment we were on the boat that we knew there was nothing for us kids to do, but coaches, Winslow ’07, Bourdon, and Weichselbaumer ’16, had a good time (this was on New Year’s).
After the long ride over, the boys got on the bus, and there was a ton of snow outside. On the way to the Vasa Museum, the bus in front of us got stuck, and we were at a standstill for 30 minutes until Coach Winslow ’07 instructed us to walk to the museum. But it was surely worth it; that ship was amazing. It’s the oldest recovered ship that had fallen into the sea.
Even though the team didn’t win the games in Sweden, we certainly learned more about ourselves and how we can improve. I would like to extend my thanks on behalf of the team to everyone who made this trip possible, including parents, coaches, authorities, and all others involved. The team looks to stay strong and carry the bond and level of play we had in Europe to the games ahead.
