Final Day in Jia Mu Si

We ended our tournament today in Jia Mu Si. We had a new schedule as they changed the game time to 2:00 p.m. We had our pre-game meal at 10:30 a.m. We were up around 8:00 for some stretching. Also, Tim got another dose of IV from Dr. Gao to complete his cold and fever treatment.

We got to the rink for the first time in daylight. It is a nice building from the outside, with the tournament banner hanging from the front.


Out back there were some kids playing on the outdoor rink and some shoveling of yesterday’s snow.


To the left of the outdoor rink there was also a speed skating oval. Inside the new rink, the natural light was enough to play by as there are huge windows in the ceiling and around the top level. They did not turn on any light during the game. However, it did create some sun glare on the ice.


Once the game began, it showed that we really had run out of gas at the end of the second period yesterday. It was 3-0 after the first and 5-0 after second period today. So, I made the decision to sit some of the better players in the third period, those who had stopped trying and were being a bit lazy. And, we were able to end on a strong note, winning the period 2-1, but losing the game 6-2.

Overall, it was a good six days as we finally got to play some games. The players learned the new breakout fairly well. They learned how to play defense against players who are bigger and stronger, and gained a little confidence in the process.

Tomorrow morning we take the bus home with the Harbin men’s team. Goodnight for the final time from Jia Mu Si.