ALLSVENSKAN HOCKEY

Friday March 19th

We both had the day off today so we wanted to prepare for our housewarming party tomorrow. We laid around in bed with Isobel in the morning as we don't often get quality family snuggle time as Brandi usually has to go to work in the morning.

We went for a walk with Sharron and fed some bunnies. We then went to the mall as Brandi was planning on making her Maple Fondue for the party and we needed a big pile of fruit. We went to Kin's Farm market and grabbed like four grocery bags of fruit and veg. On the way home Sharron went to the park and we came home. Brandi quickly wiped down the bathroom while I did the sweeping. I put on the Yeah Yeah Yeah's song Maps on repeat (because it's one of Brandi's favourite songs) and we did some more cleaning. Not quite enough when Sharron got back with a stinky baby but our place looks a little more organized. Also the alphabet mat got wiped down and all the fingerprints off the TV stand. I also got a bunch of the garbage and recycling down.

Isobel took a little nap at 3:00 and we snuck out of the house to go to the bronze medal game of the Paralympic event of Sledge Hockey. Since the tickets meant that we could use transit for free we skytrained down to Cambie and ate at the Mongolie Grill which I hadn't been to since Matt moved from his old place. It was yummy. We hopped the bus and headed out to UBC where the event was taking place. I popped into the film society clubroom just to see if there were any old schoolers still hanging out there. I can think of one or two that might have been but it was just kids. Headed down to the Thunderbird arena and since we were there early popped into Starbucks and played two rounds of Race for the Galaxy (we come prepared ^_^).

Our seats were pretty good. We were at the...uh...face off spot when there's a penalty place. Also row 4 which basically was row 2, there was one line of people in front of us and then some photogs and then the ice. It was a pretty good game. During the first two periods Canada was dominating with like 18 vs 4 shots on net and the Norwegians were getting penalties all over the place. Canada scored first and the arena erupted in cheers. Norway scored next after a Canadian player covered the puck in the crease while the goalie was distracted elsewhere. This resulted in a penalty shot which scored. I suspect that he did it because there was a lower probability that the Norwegians would have scored on a penalty shot than if he hadn't covered it. With a tie game and 4 seconds before regulation ended the Norwegians scored again. Also the third period was rife with Canada penalties peaking at a 5 vs 2 advantage. It was a fun game and I'm glad we went but I would have liked to have seen Canada win a medal. Oh well it was a good evening.

We headed home and found that Isobel went to sleep fairly well for Sharron and Brandi called Alida to see what the deal would be for tomorrow. Sharron and Isobel will be going to stay with them tomorrow. We're going to be heading out after we wake up so that we can start getting ready for the housewarming.

Chief Warrant Officer Dan Jollota has been enlisted in the United States Army for 33 years and, in 1993, he was a Black Hawk pilot in one of the biggest battles for U.S. troops since the Vietnam War. He flew a Black Hawk into Somalia for search and rescue missions, including one adapted into the film "Black Hawk Down", which highlighted his unit;s courageous efforts to save the lives of U.S. soldiers and preserve their motto that no man gets left behind. Commander Jollota’s service has achieved him awards such as The Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 2010, Jollota received the Hines Award from the U.S. Military Academy's ice hockey team, where he often joined the team on the bench.

A Time magazine piece details Jollota's incredible efforts in the "Black Hawk Down" mission in Somalia:

"Not far from the wreckage of Wolcott's chopper, pilot Dan Jollota was struggling to hold his aircraft steady while 15 Rangers "fast-roped" to the ground by sliding down a 40-ft. line at a rate only slightly more controlled than a free fall. In the cockpit, Jollota could hear the thunk-thunk-thunk of his rotors punctuated by the deadly whoosh of rocket-propelled grenades. With two Rangers still on the ropes, the chopper took a direct hit that chewed holes in a main rotor blade. The steel-nerved pilot bit off the impulse to flee. "It was remarkable," said a crewman aboard a nearby helicopter. "They just sat there as the RPGS whistled around them." Only when his men had slid to safety did Jollota begin limping back to base."

Jollota, as of 2010, currently serves as the Aviation Detachment Commander at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY.

Jan. 30, 2010 -- Army hosted Air Force for a Division 1 NCAA college hockey game at Tate Rink in the Holleder Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Jan. 30, 2010. The teams skated to a 3-3 tie. Former Army head coach and USA Olympic Gold Medal winner Jack Riley dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game. Photo by Danny Wild/USMA