best seat in the house

Yes. The R2D2 was horrifying.

What scenery?!

There are two ways to pass the time during a long bus trip.

Option #1

Option #2

Option #1 won the majority vote.

Omaha played Lincoln last night.

Not much else happened.

Especially when you’re looking forward to this!

Imagine this.

You and your significant other are selected to participate in an on-ice intermission contest. The game is ‘Deal or No Deal’. You are given two options: a bag, or whatever is behind the question mark on the big screen.

Hmm, that’s a toughie. You gaze at your significant other, then at the bag and then back up to the big screen. A few moments pass and the announcer gives you a hint, “It has wheels.”

You quickly turn to your significant other for a cue, help, anything! At first glance, he is not there so you look back up.

He has something else in mind.

You say, “YES!”.

No big deal.

The Lancers wore mullet wigs for a few minutes before tossing them out to the crowd during warm-ups. I spent a little time in the locker room as the boys affixed their temporary hair pieces.

Matt Wahl adjusts his wig while C.J. Ludwig tries to put his on. It only took three more attempts before he got it right.

The only mirrors are in the bathroom and you guessed it, there was a crowd.

Matt White practices the hair toss.

Dennis Brown pulls it off well. Almost too well.

Fans at home couldn’t see him but here he is, Dan “Radio” Fremuth, calling the game from the press box.

During the third period, a fan came up to me and asked if Omaha had gotten a new trainer…

Lancers forward Tom Craig asked, “Why did this hair ever go out of style?” Good question Tom. Good question.

The Officiating Program celebrated another milestone in a fellow official’s career. Tommy Albindia refereed his first regular season USHL game tonight in Des Moines. With advancement comes responsibility … and paperwork. Lots and lots of post-game paperwork.

Congratulations Tommy!

The euphoric feeling of seeing a brother work his first game as a referee in the top junior league in the nation soon wore off. And by soon, I mean as soon as we walked outside. Our focus immediately turned to getting in our cars because it was so cold!

Thank God for seat warmers.

I rounded out 2009 the same way I rang it in just 12 months prior – on a bus.

By the time the boys were done cleaning up the bus, it was 11:53 p.m. My initial calculations had us arriving at the Civic Auditorium at 12:02 a.m. We must’ve caught a tail wind.