My Final Away Game

The odds in Vegas had Canada and the US in the finals, and so it will be. We beat Israel 6-1 this morning in the semis but we were challenged. A talented Israeli (er, Canadian and Russian) team competed hard to try to pull the upset and they were only down 1-0 after the first period. We put up 4 goals in the second stanza and added one more in the third. I got to play the third period, and unlike Monday versus the EU, I saw some decent shots and made some saves. The entire team got in which was great and which made for a joyous locker room after the game.

Link to the replay of the Israel game: https://youtu.be/ki3e14rO8EQ

I’ve mentioned already how professional Maccabi makes us feel and our post game meal in the media room outside of our locker room didn’t disappoint. I love how after stepping off the ice and showering up we were immediately presented with a catered Israeli meal of delicious falafel, rice dishes, eggplant, etc. This falls in the category of “things that don’t happen in the US” (along with ordering a beer called Shapiro). Over lunch, I chatted with one of the Israeli players who lives in Montréal and runs a hockey school there. He just turned 40 and plays on the Israeli national team that in April competed in the World Championships in Croatia. Last night, I got to spend an hour with the 27 year old goalie on that team (he’s also playing on Israel’s Open division team at the Maccabi Games). Ironically, he trained for a year in the US (Woburn MA to be specific) with the same goalie coach I trained with over the past 6 months which is how we got connected. He’s a great kid who grew up in Israel and is looking to catch on with a minor league team in the States.

So we are on to the gold medal game versus Canada on Sunday. I have some sightseeing trips lined up in the coming days as I want to squeeze all I can out of my time in Jerusalem. After a practice tomorrow morning, I am looking forward to touring the Old City with a guide. I will be saying Mourner’s Kaddish again for my Uncle Bub whose funeral I was able to watch over livestream this evening. He will be dearly missed.