Lost!

That's the secret word! Now that I've had a day or two to reflect on the 2006 WCHA Final Five, I'll give you my fun-filled, action-packed recap.

The Cast of Characters:
Runninwiththedogs
Your intrepid heroine
UMDDogz
One-time contributor to this site
DA
Ace reporter and prognosticator
The Aaaahj
Aaaalleged webmaster
The Hottest Girl in Alary's
Close personal friend of Runninwiththedogs, extremely good-looking
Scotty
Gopher fan extraordinaire
Rookie of the Year
No, not Phil Kessel!
That's Your Puck!
He only had 2 things to say, and that was one of them!
Ricky
Token Sioux fan

Thursday
Thursday I lost all patience and left work at 1:00, as soon as the other girl arrived. I'd been excited since, oh, about 11 on Sunday night, when Denver lost to the Bulldogs, so that was a long time to wait. I picked up UMDDogz and The Hottest Girl in Alary's (from here on out, referred to as THGIA), met up with DA, and found tPB at McGovern's. I sold my tickets to a couple of 'Dogs fans, since DA came through with a SUITE for us. McGovern's was a blast, making new friends that THGIA went to high school with, singing Don't Stop Believin' with tPB, jumping on a Sioux fan friend of mine (good thing he never lost his balance!)
I lost a lot of respect for Gopher fans during the game (not that I had more than a shred of respect before.) They cheered for St. Cloud over the Dogs, which is unconscionable. They got their comeuppance, though, the next day. Anyway, the Dogs lost the game pretty early on, with the defensive breakdowns I thought they'd lost back in Denver. Tim Stapleton had the lone goal for the Dogs, which I think was a fitting way for him to go out. He promised to get us to the Excel, and he did.
After the game Thursday, we somehow ended up in a taxi to Alary's bar. I lost the Aaaahj's digital camera somewhere in the cab (maybe? who knows.) We didn't know it was a cop bar, but there didn't seem to be any cops around, so it was all right. Rookie of the Year (ROY) gave THGIA her title. All was well, except, of course, the Dogs lost.

Friday
Two games on the agenda: Sioux v. Badgers, Gophers v. Huskies. Friday was a problem, because it was St. Patrick's day, also known as "Amateur Drinking Day," according to The Aaaahj. DA got lost on the way to the Runninwiththedogs World Headquarters. The parking ramps were jammed. We almost lost our spot in line to some guy making a red turn, but UMDDogz stopped him cold by yelling "Hey, you've got a red light, buddy!" The parking garage dudes must have lost count of the number of cars coming through, because they were overheard saying "Oh, we can let in about 23 more cars." That was a lie, as we got one of the LAST SPOTS in the WHOLE GARAGE. Wisconsin lost to the Sioux, the Gophers lost in overtime to the Huskies (see! I bet you're kicking yourself now, stupid blue vest man!), and the morons behind me lost track of where they were and discussed football for half the game.

Saturday
UMDDogz and I started out the morning with brunch at the Hoggsbreath with some Sioux faithful. I didn't have anyone to sit with for the Saturday game, as The Aaaahj was working and his friend lost out on a terrific opportunity to watch some hockey, and learn why he shouldn't be a Gopher fan. I sat with UMDDogz, DA, Scotty, Rick, ROY, and That's Your Puck! (TYP!), who couldn't even muster one "That's your puck!" or "Stick it in the hole!" for a lackluster Gopher team. We went to Alary's for a bit, but ended up back at the Embassy Suites, where I lost my poster (complete with NDSU error), lost my program, and lost my game ticket. Oops. On the walk back, I also lost my balance and completely biffed it on the sidewalk. My knees are a little scraped up and I'm a bit bruised, but I'll live. I thought about going to the box office and making them give me a reprint of my ticket, but instead, I proclaimed, "I will buy a ticket to tonight's game for $10!" (Face value of tickets: $35.) I went up to the first scalper I saw, he offered me one for $20, I countered with my offer, and he declined. I told him how I felt about that. The next scalper I saw, I explained my situation, and, $10 later, I was in the game. Gopher fans couldn't sell their tickets fast enough. The game was great, St. Cloud lost, and I lost my dignity on the jumbotron during DanceMania. I didn't win, however; I lost to DrunkHockeyGuy. Next year, I'll have to have a better strategy.

I love the Final Five.