The alum game consisted of old men grinning away as they went back onto the ice. The crowd was sparse but enjoying themselves as fake fights broke out and former hockey players joked about their hearts needing help. (The game was a fundraiser for SLU Hospital Cardiac Unit.) The host, alum Kelly Chase, auctioned off several signed jerseys that went for between $700 and $1000. How crazy is that?
After two periods of out-of-breath slow skating, the real game started, bringing together the St. Louis Bandits and Northern Iowa Outlaws. Only pirates versus ninjas could to Bandits versus Outlaws. Sitting in the front row meant up that every time someone got checked near us, I jumped back about a mile and Triss lunged to protect the small child who had moved near us. After baseball, hockey is my favorite sport to watch, so my bad week melted away as we screamed at the players. Ana and I quickly got out of teacher mode and cheered on the aggression that makes the game appeal to men. Triss did not; she wanted people to be nicer. While Ana and I told the small child who was the "good guy" and the "bad guy," Triss tried to explain that we're cheering for one team, but the other isn't bad.
I decided while watching the game that my job is like being a referee. You run all over the place, watching the kids go at it with each other, until something is about to explode. Then, you're allowed to step in. Most of the time, you just step in-between and shove them apart, distracting them by something more fun going on. But every now and then a fight breaks out.
After an hour and a half of exciting play, the Bandits one! So of course, we went out to celebrate, using a gift card Byrd had won. It was a perfect night -- free parking, free game, free food : the epitome of simple living.
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