Several locals and one Californian met up in Madison, Wisconsin for a the first annual Madison Gay Hockey Association Spring Tournament.
sasya_fox and I played on Team
Edam (all the teams were named after types of cheese) in their "competitive" division. Along with 3 other well matched teams, we fought it out for the rest of the weekend.
Friday: Out of Wisconin, Into MinnesotaAfter driving up to Madison (with a 1 hr delay from Chicago traffic) with Indypup, we met up with sasya_fox and
jet_der_hund at our small hotel on the outskirts of Madison. We quickly grabbed a bite at great small coffee/sandwich shop (
Barriques Market) near our hotel. After recharging slightly with a cranberry scone, we all headed over to the Capitol Ice Arena to meet our new team and play the first game. The captain placed Sasya and I on the same offensive line. For the entire game, we were definitely trying to feel out each others strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, the other team had 4 players that regularly play on the same team (my gay team in Chicago!) and were able to quickly get into a scoring rhythm. We lost 5-3. Perromutt made it up to Madison on his motorcycle (surviving thunderstorms) and we all had a post game relaxation at the
Granite City Brewery, a Minnesota-based brewpub. Decent food with great beer! Sleep came "early" that night. (Photo of me below, stolen from Jet_der_hund)

Saturday: Out of Wisconsin and Into Paris, and IrelandAfter sampling great home roasted and freshly ground coffee from Sasya, we munched a quick breakfast at the
Hubbard Avenue Dinner (famous for pie). In the 2nd game, I shifted into the defense while the rest of the team began to gel. The scoring started to click (including 2 shorthanded goals during one penalty kill) and won 5-2. Calories were replenished at a small French patisserie, La Baguette, with an espresso and cherry-almond tart. Our 3rd game was to decide if we would play for the championship (seeds #1 and #2 playing). The opposing team had 2 fairly good players. But several bad plays (some bad luck) resulted in us losing 4-3 and just barely missing out on making it to the championship game. But it was still a fun game and my teammates played their hearts out. The local furs, Sasya, and I went into Madison, itself, to see a little of the University of Wisconsin. Dinner was found at the
Great Dane Pub, a local microbrew pub near the Capitol building. I had to pay $3 for parking there! After having several pints (or a whole sampler) of yummy beers we decided to head back to the hotel. Perro ended up sleeping early. Sasya had some work to do. Jet, Indypup, and I went over to
Claddagh Irish Pub. Not a "true" Irish pub, but they has
New Glarus Brewery Spotted Cow beer. So a definite win win.
Sunday: Out of Wisconsin and Into IllinoisAfter another quick breakfast at the Hubbard Avenue Diner and running out of time for the
National Mustard Museum, my team got ready for the consolation game, 3rd and 4th seeds playing. Once again, we kept the same lines and ended up winning 5-2. After saying our goodbyes and having one last snack at Barriques, Indypup and I headed back to Chicago. We met up with Street and finished the night with a so-so dinner at
Villagio Ristorante. The best thing there was the bread, unfortunately. Actually, the best thing there was probably the Ferrari 355 Spider that some 40-something year old woman drove up in with her husband(?)
So, it was another great weekend but this time mostly OUTSIDE of the Chicagoland area. It was great seeing some locals again as well as Sasya and Jet. I still have 2 bruised areas to remind me of this hockey weekend. Next weekend should be relatively quiet. Then its Anime Central!