The Road-Trip Chronicles (Part Six).

9:30 AM - Our room gets a wake-up call for our 10:00 breakfast. Considering how cold it was in our room - I slept well.

10:00 - Breakfast is served buffet-style in the hotel restaurant. Options include: xereal, eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, fruit, pancakes and french toast. I go heavy on the eggs, meat and fruit, and I threw in one pancake for good measure. As they eat, most players are talking about hockey. They either discuss NHL highlights, or upcoming games in the SJHL. I'm impressed with how knowledgeable the guys are with regards to the league. To me it shows that they respect their opponent.

10:30 - Players are told to meet for pre-game lunch at 2:30. I head back to the hotel and watch an hour or so of tv and debate heading out for a walk to a nearbv mall. I use this down-time to text the girlfriend, and do some initial research regarding tonight's game in Melville.

11:30 - I head to the hotel gym and I do a series of upper-body exercises, and then I did 30 hard minutes on the bike.

12:15 PM - Back to the hotel-room to shower, clean up and begin to pack my suitcase. My biggest fear is always forgetting something, be it a phone charger, a wallet or an item from my shower-bag.

12:30 - Craig Stein agrees to pick me up at the hotel so that we can go and grab lunch. We head to Subway for $5 footlongs. Well his was $5, mine was not. I tried to go healthier with a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki (sp.?) sub. Was never a big fan until recently.

Normally I eat with the team, but in this case I make an exception. Craig and I both got to the SJHL four seasons ago, and between the two of us I am sure we've got some great stories! I simply told the Coach that I wouldn't be making it for team lunch. That way he doesn't end up paying for an un-eaten meal.

*The Battlefords North Stars are very good to me. They kindly pay for my room and board while on the road. Not all teams in the league do so for their broadcasters. I make sure to thank the coaching staff at every meal, because I think it's important that they know that I don't take any of their generosity for granted.

1:30 - We took our grub to Craig's radio building and ate in the Newsroom. I'm always fascinated by radio stations and how they differ from my own. I was able to use an office computer to type my preview for tonight and print my game notes and stats. I am grateful to Craig for making time for lunch and as well for allowing me to do some pre-game work. I don't have a laptop, so it sure was handy getting access to the internet from beyond my phone (that I'm using for this entry).

2:00 - Craig drops me off at the hotel and now it's time for a pre-game nap. My body clock is used to taking an afternoon nap on most days. I wake up at 5 AM during the week for work, so an afternoon nap is a MUST.

Ken Pearson called tonight's game a must-win. It'll be an intriguing one for sure. We'll talk soon.