Men’s Hockey: Rocky Mountain Blogging with Corey Toy – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Corey Toy, a sophomore defenseman on the men’s hockey team, is blogging from the Buckeyes’ trip to Denver this weekend. The Buckeyes and Pioneers will face off at 9:37 p.m. ET Friday and at 9:07 p.m. ET Saturday.
Read on to catch up on the first two days of the trip.
Day 1
We showed up at the Schottenstein Center around 1pm to get ready for a skate before we had to get ready for the trip. After our practice and workout, we grabbed a quick dinner in the locker room as we waited for the bus to arrive at the rink. When the bus arrived we realized what we were in store for on the weekend and the excitement began to build throughout the team. We loaded up the bus and got ready for the two and a half hour flight that awaited us. A movie and a few songs on the iPod later we were in Denver, realizing we had underdressed for the 35 degree weather. We frantically loaded the bus as quickly as possible to get out of the weather and headed off to Magness Arena at the University of Denver to unpack our soaking wet and smelly equipment so it could air out before practice the next day. The rink was cold and dark, hinting towards the battle that would rage on the ice come Friday night, and we are ready for it. Arriving at our hotel around 9:30 pm everyone was exhausted from the long day. We grabbed our room assignments and roommates and headed straight to bed for lights out at 11 pm. Looking out the window and seeing the Rocky Mountains staring back at us, we knew it was going to be a fun trip.
Day 2
Our phone rings sharply at 9 am to wake us up for breakfast. We stumble out of bed and into the shower to make ourselves presentable for breakfast, which is harder for some than others. As we sit down in the restaurant we are met by a generous staff and a spectacular menu. We eat the best breakfast we’ve had at a hotel in years and are treated with the utmost care and attention. As everyone is finishing up, we meet upstairs in a conference room at 10 am for study tables. Being scholar-athletes, we must first take care of our academic responsibilities in Columbus, no matter how far we are from the Ohio State University. The team, some leaving to access the internet to take online quizzes and turn in assignments, sit quietly in a room studying for mid-term exams that will be taken next week. Once we had taken care of our academic responsibilities our attention turned to the reason for this trip. We began going over systems in the same room we studied in, using chairs as defenders to fully visualize situations that would need to be perfected if we are to come out of the weekend with four points. Quickly eating packed lunches following our systems meeting, we loaded the bus yet again to head to Magness Arena for practice. The altitude didn’t have as profound effect on us as we had predicted, but it was definitely noticeable when you were trying to catch your breath. A solid Thursday practice was preceded by a team building exercise. Anyone who has been to a high ropes course may know the activity. The coaches formed a spider web-like wall of rope which hung in the middle of the hallway. The task was to successfully get the entire team from one side of the web to the other, without touching the rope or using each hole more than once. The twist…we couldn’t talk. People passing by witnessed rather large men grunting, clapping, laughing, and hauling one another through tiny holes in the rope; I can only imagine what they were thinking. Successfully completing our objective with smiles on our faces, we packed the bus to head back to the hotel for a few hours of down time, which is always appreciated. Pre-game meal was our usual, steaks and mashed potatoes, which gave us the fuel we will need to be successful tomorrow. Back to the hotel at about 7:30 pm, we rest in our beds watching TV, hanging out with our brothers for a while before lights out at 11 pm. We will need our rest tonight, tomorrow is going to be battle.
