Hockey night in South Bend

On a chilly night in northwest Indiana two of my brothers, my dad, and I headed to the nearby local university to take in some amateur athletics. Perhaps you've heard of a little place called Notre Dame?

We almost arrived too late as there was a line of prospective ticket buyers out the doors of the Joyce Center. It turns out that the game ended up selling out--standing room was about all that was left when we got to the window--but we were able to snag seats behind the students in their section. Fortunately an usher asked them to sit rather than stand through the entire game, especially because there were a lot of children behind them whose views were blocked.

I've seen my share of NHL games, although rarely from up close, so it was a lot of fun to be this near to the action and observe the speed of play. Being up higher can have its advantages, namely that play in the near side corners isn't obstructed, especially at the far end. Still, there is something to be said for sitting six rows from the ice.

The game ended on a Notre Dame goal with 2.4 seconds remaining in sudden death overtime. I didn't particularly care who won, but that was a pretty exciting finish for the home team.