Gino continues his streak!!

Hi All, Another day winding down for us. We had an early start for a 2 hour bus ride to Jihalva where we faced the Dukla Jihlava-mladez team. We aren't quite sure how old they were but they all had about 100lbs and 10 inches on our boys. Looked like they shaved a few times a day as well!!

Despite giving it the old college try, the Raiders were defeated 7-3 by this very strong team. You can definately see how trained these kids are..always in their position and all over our kids. Gino continued his scoring streak picking up a hat trick with assists from Yusef (2), Adrian and Andreas. Slashing, oops I mean love taps, are not tolerated here by the refs but checking from behind is okay. As a result, we spent 12 minutes in the penalty box again. I am convinced that the boys were cold and wanted to sit by the heater in the box!

Below is a pic from the game today. Our flag bearers Emily, Maria and Julie again did us proud. Based on the attention Em gets on the ice, we are using her as our distraction tool for the opposition. She was presented with the team gift today by the captain, who didn't give the players a second glance.

The McDonald's lunch stop was a hit with all. It seems big macs taste the same no matter which part of the world you are in. We should bring the McWalk home with us.

Happy New Year from the Travelling Raiders and families. Thanks for all your posts and keep them coming. We are off to dinner at 8, followed by a trip to the town square right outside the hotel to ring in the new year.

some more, more from yesterday and today

Finishing the tourney summary photos is a group shot of all 5 top teams. Pretty impressive when you see this group together. It might be hard to see in a pic this size but some of these boys are pretty big...guess I need to stop calling them boys now. A group of excellent hockey players together, joined by the love of the game.

Last night I mentioned that we were treated to a "pro" game and thought I would try and capture some of the spirit of the game through photos. The arena rocked and the fans were pretty over the top. Despite all the excitment, this post ends with shots of our Raiders during the game. And while no pics will be posted here (yes parents you are welcome), the boys were not the only ones enjoying a cat nap.

I haven't included any of the billet specifics in here yet as the boys have been asked to put a few thoughts together about their experience. Hopefully can post those tomorrow. Good night from your travelling Raiders.

Some more from yesterday and today

Below are pictures of the teams we played in game 2,3,4. Not sure if any of our parents caught a shot of the first game..will ask around. Also you will see the boys lined up on the ice in the top 5 group waiting the medal presentation.

This post closes with Gino, our resident celebrity, being interviewed by czech tv...wonder if they understood his answers?

The Raiders bring home the Silver Medal!!!!!!

The boys are decorated with silver today following a tough game against the hometown Prague Vitkovice U16 team. After a slow start the Raiders were behind 4-0 at the end of the first. According to Coach Jeff we were outshot 42-1 (or something close to that anyway!) in the first period alone. The boys woke up after our first goal in the second and the period ended 5-3. Despite digging deep, the boys couldn’t come all the way back and lost the gold medal match 6-3. Each and every player owes Stefan lunch as he basically did everything including standing on his head to keep the game close. He was amazing to watch in the net today and he certainly had a great workout. We kept the bench in the penalty box warm for awhile, with 18 minutes in penalties...unfortunately they seemed to be all at the same time or pretty close to it.

Gino was named tournament “best player” for the Raiders and he definately deserved it. Each and every game he came out with a job to do and made a difference. Scoring twice in this game he was assisted by Yusuf, Adrian and Adam with 2. Andreas netted our other goal assisted by Nathaniel and Mitchell. Gino was interviewed by Czech TV and we can’t wait to see the tape. Congratulations Gino...you deserve the honour.

Our flag bearers Evan, Kyle and Sam did another fabulous job sparking up the crowd and helped fill us with pride during the playing of O Canada. We were joined in the stands by our billet families who helped cheer us on, complete with drum to get the boys pumped. They won their game this morning to take 5th place in the tournament.

At the closing ceremonies, the Raiders were presented with a trophy cup, silver medals, a chocolate cake and joined on the ice by the other teams in the top 5. We have great pics of all 5 teams together as well as our boys with the billet team.

After a lunch of chicken schnitzel and boiled potatoes we are again on the bus heading to our next stop at the Hotel Maly Pivovar in Ceske Budejovice. It is about a 2 hour ride and while most parents are sleeping, the boys in the back are still going strong. We have a free night once we get there so most are taking advantage of the opportunity to rest.

Other tournament game information
Game 1
Raiders (2) vs Sapa Fehervar (3)
Goals by Gino & Lucas, assisted by Yusuf (2) and Jeremy
12 penalty minutes

Game 2
Raiders (7) vs KHL 2AGREB (3)
Goals by Mitchell (2), Yusuf, Andreas, Brandon, Gino and Dylan. Assisted by Markell (2), Gino, Derek, Andreas, Jamie, Adrian and Lucas.
6 penalty minutes

Game 3
Raiders (6) vs Belgium (4)
Goals scored by Lucas (2), Andreas (2), Jeremy and Nathaniel. Assists go to Jeremy(2), Mitchell (2), Andreas, Yusuf and Gino.
10 penalty minutes

The Raiders did us proud and we want to say Thanks to the boys for making this such an enjoyable tournament – for trying hard when they were tired and perhaps hungry and rising to the challenge of all the games. It was a pleasure to watch and you should be proud of your accomplishments.
Will add more of our adventures later tonight with pics!

A big day for the Raiders!!!!

Today was all hockey.... all day (in addition to eating and taste testing Czech beer on behalf of Garth!), the Raiders had an awesome day pulling out two big wins, putting us in the gold medal match tomorrow. We started the day beating Croatia 7-3. Game sheets for all games will be available tomorrow so scorers (and guests of the penalty box) will be posted then. (We got far too many points today for me to have a clue who got them all!) The Raiders were cheered on at an early morning 7:45 game and they played the way we know they can.

After a lengthy celebration in the dressing room, the gang headed out for lunch and then back to the rink for a 2:00 game against Belgium. Winning the game 7-3, the boys were ahead 3-1 only to have Belgium tie it up at 3-3. Our final 4 goals came in the third period much to the fans relief.

Both Stef (game 1) and Jeff (game 2) played great and faced some tough shots. Our flag bearers for game 2 were Julie, Maria and Emily. The girls did a great job skating our flags around the ice and proudly displayed them at centre ice during the national anthem.

By the sounds of it most of the boys are enjoying the billeting experience. Some more so than others...Jeremy and Derek weren't too impressed by the can of soup they had for dinner last night but others were served great spreads.

Following our second big win and celebration, we hopped on the bus to head to the pro game - called extra league...Sparta vs Pardubice with Dominik Hasek in net. It was pretty exciting with fan mania...we weren't sure whether to watch the game or the stands. Both teams uniforms (as well as the refs) were loaded up with corporate sponsors ...they looked like race car drivers. We aren't sure how they could see the puck around all the logos painted on the ice but it was an experience. It was so exciting that the crowd noise frequently woke up those of us who had cat naps during the game. When you are as tired as we are, you can sleep anywhere! Two lucky raiders, Nat and Lucas were guests of Dominik at the game and sat in the executive box and got to meet him after the game. Will get details and post for you.

On the bus again to the tournament welcome party...arrived around 9 pm and all the teams were there. Our kids handed out lots of Raiders bracelets and pins before heading back with their billets again. Unfortunately the billet team has an early morning game so some of our kids are going to be up and at it early. We play the gold medal match at 12, followed by the closing ceremonies of the tourney. It should be a great day for the boys...send a little prayer to the hockey gods tonight for the Raiders success.

Thats it for tonight....we are pretty tired and I am sitting in the parents room with those around me reliving the events of the day. I could close my eyes and we could be at Kelseys on a regular saturday night! Pictures from today will follow tomorrow. Night all...for those parents and siblings not with us, we miss you!

a few pics from today

Day 2 - what day is it????

Hi all, today has been a day full of adventure but we seem to be having a hard time knowing if its Sunday or Monday and what time of day it really is. Sad to say but with none of us having cell phones with us, its hard to keep track.

First the hockey....
The boys started the day with an early morning practise at 7:15 am. From all reports, it was good for them to get moving and helped the boys get used to really hard ice. A few of our siblings joined in and they were back bright and early by 8:45 for breakfast and to jump on the bus. I promised not to name names but anyone who might be related to #17 might want to give them a hard time for missing practise due to "the alarm not going off"! We have had lots of fun giving them a hard time...but a special note to #17 and family...you only tease the ones you love.

We played Hungary this afternoon at 2:30 and unfortunately suffered a 3-2 loss. The raiders were not at the top of their game and it took a period or so to get into their grove. I am sure their bodies were suffering from jet lag, a very unpopular lunch (curry chicken pasta), playing on a big ice surface with 3 20 minute stop time periods. That and we had 2 goals called back as no goals. Garth would not have been happy...one goal the goalie had no idea where it was and the ref found it buried in the netting at the back of the net. The puck could not have been more in. Another, the goalie pulled it back out of the net while our boys had their sticks up in the air in celebration. Tough luck for the boys but they took it in stride. Hungary sure celebrated that they beat the "Canadians"! It was really nice to see the Bockmann jersey skate by us and I am sure a thrill for the team to have all those injured back on the ice again. Gino scored a beauty of a goal to put us on the board, followed by Yusf. Adrian assisted on both goals.

The rest of the day....
After practise this morning we jumped on the bus for a quick 1 hour ride into Prague. What a beautiful drive through many small towns with homes that are hundreds of years old. Again a lot of yellow, peach and blue buildings with tremendous character...its almost like going back in time. Everywhere you look there are restoration projects under way and I am sure, never end.

We stopped for lunch within the city and had a quick, prearranged meal of pasta which everyone was looking forward to. It was a curry chicken pasta and not a crowd favourite - especially for the kids. This was preceded by a ministrone type soup and bananas instead of bread..(that was a little odd). Needless to say, the bananas became pretty popular after the pasta was brought out. I am not a fan of curry but found it quite good.

From lunch we high tailed it over to the rink, and the gang didn't have much time to get ready before they hit the ice.

Our warmup was extra special as Evan, Kyle and Sam hit the ice waving huge Canadian flags attached to hockey sticks. They did a few laps much to the delight of the raider fans.

Following the game, we jumped on the bus to go to Prague Castle, to begin a 2 hour walking tour. Luckily for us the weather was quite warm as we made the rounds. In one word the sites we saw were ....astounding. Prague Castle covers about 120 acres in total and its early construction was in the second half of the 9th century.

Walking up to the castle area, we were met by 2 guards standing in front of small structures. Their job is to guard the castle...think of the guards at buckingham palace. They aren't allowed to speak, smile, react...they just stand there. We were on our best behaviour and didn't try to get them to do something they shouldn't but had a few pics taken with them. Dusk fell as we were starting the tour and the lighting is spectacular. You miss seeing some of the detail but wow was it impactful. A number of us plan on heading back in the daytime to get some better pics and truly be able to appreciate the detail on all the buildings.

I won't go into detail on all the different buildings we saw on the tour but one of note I will make...St. Vitus Cathedral. It was begun in 1334 and has had 3 different rounds of reconstructions which were completed in 1873. The Cathedral contains various chapels and crypts including that of St. Wenceslas - who we know as "Good King Wenceslas" in the popular christmas carole.

We wandered through cobblestone lanes which twist and turn every which way and ended up in old town. Again, the architecture...incredible. The statues and gargoyles even caught the kids attention. We were fortunate enough to pass by the astronomical clock which depicts not only the time but everything astronomical related to time including zodiac signs, position of the moon and the sun...not sure we could figure it all out but it was pretty impressive. Some of us who went back to old town for dinner tonight had the pleasure of watching it chime at 9 pm and were treated to a mechanical parade of saints and sinners who perform for the crowd below. There are 2 wooden doors on top of the clock which open and the parade of men pass by. It was pretty neat and definately a treat to see. I will leave more details of the "what" when we can post more pics than the few below. This gives you a good sense of what a great time we had.

Following the walking tour, it was back to the rink to meet our billet families. Our brave young men were introduced to their families and off they went for 2 nights. I think each and every one of them were looking forward to heading off to parts unknown and a new adventure. Some moms got a hug or a kiss and others received a wave as the boys set off loaded with gifts from Canada. We will see them at the rink tomorrow bright and early for a 7:45 am game. I hope they have a great time...and I really want to know if Chili and Mitch are going to milk a goat!

The rest of us were finally able to check into our hotel, the Hotel Beranek. Surprizingly spacious, it is centrally located and an easy walk to anything you might want to do. We were on our own for dinner tonight so we split off into smaller groups and I know our group enjoyed a lovely italian meal in old town. The hallways were as quiet as a church when part of our group came back so that either means an early night after a good meal, or the party is on somewhere. I actually can't get over the number of casinos that are just in the middle of shops and malls. I don't think the city shuts down till the wee hours - the stores were open till 11 so the bars must be around 4. Hope everyone makes it back safe and sound, and up for the bus to the rink tomorrow.

Thats it for tonight. Will post a few pics which will show up above this update.

Our arrival day

Hi to all our friends and family. We arrived safely in Frankfurt Germany around 730 am in this time zone. Our flight was pretty uneventful...a little turbulance but pretty quiet. I don't think much sleeping went on but everyone was on their best behaviour. The plane was quite large - and thanks to Moore sports our check in was one of the best I have experienced.

We were met at the airport by our double decker bus, complete with trailer to pull all the hockey bags. It is quite roomy and we even had a few seats to spare. It was a good thing as most of us fell asleep within minutes of the bus pulling away. We woke up to our lunch stop and while some of the group were brave enough to try german cuisine, many of the boys elected to wait for burger king to open. One interesting bit...dogs are allowed into restaurants here.

The second leg of our bus journey took us on many twists and turns and again, most fell asleep. The architecture of these towns we passed through was very interesting. Alot of brightly coloured houses with very little property. We did pass many garden plots complete with their own sheds. The homes are built right into the sides of mountains and stunning to see. The bright yellows, peaches, blues were set off by beautiful scrolling and woodwork.

We arrived in Karlovy Vary around 3 and we quite happy to check into a very nice hotel and conference centre, the Thermal Lazensky. The hotel itself is quite modern and the rooms are small with single beds for all. Not much room to move around but very clean and efficient. After our check in, we adventured out on a walking tour with 2 local tour guides. This city is breathtaking with buildings from the 19th century. With cobblestone walkways, the city is a world reknowned spa town which has natural hot springs. Its amazing, you walk down the street and there are people filling special cups that look like tea kettles with this medicinal water to drink from. The temperature of the water ranged from 30 to 72 degrees cel. The taste left a little to be desired...you could definately taste the minerals and not sure it was a hit with us. We also tried a local wafer type cookie which was the size of a small frisbie. Available in many flavours, they were a welcome treat.

This town is the home of the international film festival so many famous names have come. The stores are filled with armani and other high end designers. We didn't shop but filled our time with fabulous window shopping. I did happen to see a few moms who managed to find the warm wine you sip while walking but no one was brave enough to try the 38% alcohol spiked water.

We enjoyed a traditional czech dinner in a restaurant reserved for us. Thankfully it was one selection for all so we were served quickly. Not sure that the kids enjoyed it that much but we had a taste of how different Coke tastes here. Our meal consisted of a type of potato soup that was green and loaded with garlic, chicken and rice with a light gravy. Salt seems to be a favourite additive and beer is definately cheaper than a bottle of water!

Following dinner, Emily took the younger kids up for an evening of movie watching and card playing. The hockey boys wanted to swim in the outdoor pool which is filled with the medicinal water but alas it was closed. Everyone is pretty tired and after figuring out how to connect ipods to the wireless web, the hallways are now quiet for the night.

Tomorrow starts out with an early morning practice at 715 am. Evan, Maria, Kyle and Sam are all planning on jumping on the ice as well. We have about a 1 hour ride into Prague and the raiders first game is at 230. It will be a busy day...we meet our billet families, have a welcome dinner and send the boys off.

Here are a few pictures from our walking tour this evening. The lights and scenary were beautiful and you can see the random springs that are around the town. A new friend was also made by some of the more adventurous of the group.

Will post more tomorrow when the eyes aren't quite so tired.

The launch party

Last night was a very exciting night for the Raiders...our trip has officially been launched through a kick off party for all.

We were honoured to have our MP Mark Holland join us and deliver some inspiring words. I know I was proud to be a member of not only the team, but also our community at large. Mr. Holland delivered the message that, not only are our young men representing the Raiders Organization, but also Ajax/Pickering and our Country. When you sit back and let those words sink in, the boys are representing our Country...how cool is that? I believe our gang really understood how fortunate they are when Mr. Holland remembered his hockey days and the fact that they travelled as far as northern United States. When you think how many miles we have put on over the last few years, it is pretty astonishing how much of North America we have seen (okay .. the arenas we have seen in North America!!) We would like to thank Mr. Holland for his generous donations of pins and flags to help us bring a little bit of Canada to our new friends in Europe. We hope you wear your Raiders band with pride and know we will all do our best to represent our fine country. And yes, Adrian, you can score as many goals as you like!

Also joining us were Jack English, Paul Burnett and Bill Redmond from the Raiders organization. Thanks to you for your advice, helpful tips and hints to make our adventure that much better. We will do our best to represent the Raiders family in a way in which you will be proud - even if we don't agree with the referees calls!

And now...the highlight of the night...the unveiling of our new jerseys to wear with pride in Europe. I think the latest opinion poll had the home and away jerseys tied in popularity. Modeled by two extremely handsome young men, our jerseys proudly display the maple leaf, the Raiders logo, flags of those countries in which we will be playing and our sponsors. The jerseys were the final piece of a complete ensemble provided to the boys including new coats, track suits, touques, back packs, mock necks, water bottles, sweat bands and hoodies. I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank our sponsors for outfitting the team. Quite simply…they look AWESOME!!! Based on the reaction of the boys, they will likely be wearing the same clothes for the entire length of the trip…hope they are on the top level of the bus! Unfortunately we were all so excited, we have no pics of the official models so you will have to wait to see the gear in pictures along the way.

Okay...had some pressure to show off the jerseys..here is mitch showing his off.

Next update will be once we are on our way… Merry Christmas to all.

Welcome to the Friends and Families of the 1995 AP Raiders AAA Hockey Team.

We are excited to be able to bring you our official trip blog...with hopes that us nonbloggers can figure this out and share our European experience with you. As many of you have seen our itinerary, we are being kept pretty busy but we will do our best to post each and every day to share our adventure.

I would like to take a moment and thank each Raider family, extended family, friends, neighbours and the generous members of our community for making this trip possible for the boys. This is definately the trip of a lifetime and without your support, we wouldn't have been able to make dreams come true. Thank you for your generousity.

**************************************************************

Well the count down is officially on...our last season game in December resulted in a 3-2 win and with high spirits we look towards our big European adventure. Tonight will be an exciting event...the gang is getting together for the last time before we all jump on the bus Saturday for the airport...there are lots of surprizes in store for the boys tonight!! You will have to stay tuned for more details. Thanks to the travel & clothing committee in advance...I can't wait to see the boys faces!!!