When we arrived at the St. Mary's Athletic Center for today's games we were amazed at the skill level of the young kids out on the ice. I was certain that our kids were going to be destroyed once they stepped on the ice with these players. Thankfully we didn't have to, as these kids were in the Group 1 level, and we were relegated to Group 2 (although maybe Group 3 might have been more appropriate had there been one...). Just to give you an idea of the type of player and coach combination the Group 1 kids had - one of the coaches was current Detroit Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson, and his kid was one the ice for his team. These kids were definitely impressive to watch!

    Thankfully we did not have to face that level of competition, but it was tough for us nonetheless. Our practices aren't broken down into teams working together to run plays or learn positions - instead they focus on basic drills, which is good to a point. The lack of teamwork really shows up when you play against a group of kids like the ones from Orchard Lake United (the OLU on the schedule). They work together for the most part while we are stuck with one on one play. All of this worked out to a tough day for our kids on the ice. Drew had a lot of fun, although you could tell he was dragging a bit from the early morning wakeup to make it to the rink on time this morning. For the most part in the early two games he was fairly sluggish moving, which frustrated me far more that the score of the game!

    I do have to apologize for the pictures... I am still having a difficult time with the settings on my camera when the lighting conditions are less than ideal. I think I got a little better as the day went on, however.

Game 1 - vs. OLU Blackhawks
	Drew skating on the ice during warmups.
	Drew trying to gain control of the puck against #6 on the Blackhawks.
	This sign hangs over the locker rooms and bench area. The Ritchie Family is headed by one Bob Ritchie, who is better known as Kid Rock, who happens to own the Made In Detroit brand. No, we didn't see him at the rink...
	Drew skating with the puck.
	Drew coming onto the ice after a line change.
	Drew skating with the puck once again.
	Drew fighting off #8 in an attempt to gain control of the puck.
	Drew skating with his teammate in the corner.
	Drew during his off shift sitting on the bench.
	Drew keeping an eye on the puck while trying to maintain his defensive position.
	Drew fighting off a slew of Blackhawks for the puck.
	Drew and his teammates in the post-game handshake line.
	A close-up of Drew in the handshake line.