Junior defenseman and assistant captain Troy Stecher provides fans with a look at life on the road for a student-athlete throughout the remainder of the 2015-16 season. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016

11:00 AM: Practice.

The coaching staff decided it was in our best interests to practice at the Ralph Engelstad Arena prior to departing for Tampa, Fla. I believe this was due to the fact that we are participating in an NCAA event and that every team is required the same amount of practice time on the main game sheet and also because the NCAA was providing our team with our travel arrangements.

Following practice, the boys had some free time to relax, pack and eat lunch prior to loading on to the buses that were going to drop us off at the airport. One of the nice perks at North Dakota is that when we travel through the air, we have delivery trucks that are waiting on the bottom concourse of the Ralph waiting for us players to drop off our gear. After they've received all our bags, they depart for the airport and this allows us to just walk on to the plane and take off as quickly as possible.

2:00 PM: Depart.

6:30 PM: Arrival.

We just touched down in Tampa and what a scenic flight in it was. As we filed off the airplane, we were greeted with minor hockey players holding sticks above our heads, a red carpet, a band and a bunch of pirates. I think the two most excited guys were Brad and Dane's kids; Bauer Berry and Dillon Jackson. (Watch UND's travel day.)

6:45 PM: After we took a group photo outside of the airplane, it was time to head to the rink and drop off all of our gear into our designated dressing room.

One of the perks for reaching the Frozen Four is having a police escort, so right as we took off, three cop cars turned on their lights and made the roads clear for our buses.

Upon arrival at the rink, all the players aired out our gear and took in the new sights of the facility that we would be playing at; Amalie Arena. We can't wait to see the 19,000-seat arena sold out and packed with Kelly Green. The first thing that most of the guys noticed was the jumbotron as it is massive! It looks very similar to the one at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play. After everyone was settled into the dressing room, it was back onto the bus and time to depart to the hotel to check in.

7:30 PM: Hotel.

As we arrived at the hotel, everyone was directed to the conference room where our meals would be for the remainder of the week. As we entered the conference room, there was a meal prepared for us and a band playing our school's fight song. It is already evident that the city of Tampa is trying to make this entire experience a memorable one. After a quick bite to eat, we had a couple minutes to drop off our bags in our room and get changed into our track suits for a team walk and stretch along the pier.

9:00 PM: After our walk and stretch, it was on our own for the rest of the night. Eleven of us players decided to gather around the pool and played our traditional card game called Mafia, while the other guys settled into their rooms and relaxed and watched a movie or watched television.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

9:20 AM: Wake up.

Paul LaDue and I just woke up and are heading down to the conference room for breakfast. At 10 a.m. we have another team walk and stretch along the pier again to get our legs going for the remainder of the day. We are scheduled to depart the hotel at around 11:30 a.m. for practice so I will catch up with everyone after practice with another blog entry.

10:00 AM: Walk and stretch. At the conclusion of breakfast, the boys met down in the lobby with trainer Mark Poolman and departed on a walk along the pier called the River Walk. With the weather being gorgeous outside, this week the coaching staff informed us that we could bring along shoes and sandals so we wouldn't be sweating in our tracksuits twenty-four-seven.

11:30 AM: Departure.

11:45 AM: As we exited the bus and started filing into the arena, certain players had different media requests to participate in and then it was time to prepare for practice. Some of the different media requests included headshots with ESPN, a group off camera interview with John Buccigross and Barry Melrose and a pump up video for the fans that will be played before our games.

1:30 PM: Practice. Today's practice was exactly sixty minutes long due to the NCAA restrictions. With our game being scheduled for Thursday rather then Friday like our typical regular season, we performed our Thursday practice today which includes the center ice package and shootout showdown. (Watch the final rounds of Wednesday's shootout.) The ice was decent today and that's to be expected with the amount of teams skating on the same ice surface, but the pucks, however, weren't frozen so they kept bouncing around. This can be very frustrating to players at times, but every team has to deal with the same factors, so everyone is on an equal playing field.

2:45 PM: After practice as the boys started filing into the dressing room, there was a taco bar prepared for us in the middle of the dressing room. This may be the first (and last time) I ever see a taco bar set up in the middle of a sweaty, smelling dressing room, but, boy, was it good. At this time, the dressing was now open for a half hour for all media sources to enter and interview their desired players. (Watch Troy and other UND student-athletes talk to the media at the press conference) At the conclusion of this period, and when all the media had exited the dressing room, we had a team video meeting which covered different clips that each had an importance heading into tomorrow's matchup.

5:45 PM: As we returned to the hotel after practice a couple hours ago, it was now time to depart and head to the Frozen Four reception. At the reception, the NCAA presented the Elite 90 Award, which Nick Mattson had won the previous two years for his excellence in academics.

Throughout the reception, each team was seated at dinner tables along the beach and snacked on a variety of different foods from the buffet. At the conclusion of the meal, we were fortunate enough to have Martin St. Louis as a guest speaker talk to us about his journey playing college hockey at Vermont, which ultimately lead him to winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

7:30 PM: Dinner.

Tonight we went out for our traditional Thursday night meal even though it's Wednesday. This week our coaches scheduled a Sunday practice so our week would be like a typical week that we've all become accustomed to. Once again, we were treated a tender 8 oz. filet mignon with a side of mashed potatoes, a spinach dish and some pasta.

A perfect meal to end the night in preparation for tomorrow's match up.

9:00 PM: After dinner, it was on our own for the night and I don't think anyone really did anything except hang out with the guys or visit family that is in town. All the guys seem to be dialling it in at this point, as excitement and nerves run through our bodies.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

9:45 AM: Breakfast.

Paul LaDue and I just woke up and are headed down to the conference room for breakfast. Breakfast was made available from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the bus is scheduled to depart at 10:30 a.m. for morning skate. The boys seemed energized in the conference room as we understand what's a stake tonight.

10:30 AM: Depart.

11:20 AM: Pre-game skate.

This morning we had a mandatory team skate where we performed numerous drills to get us prepared for tonight. We worked on some two-on-ones this morning as this benefits both the forwards and the defensemen.

After completing all the drills as a team, we split up into forwards and defense and performed specific drills for each position. Down at the defensive end, we received passes from Coach Jackson and would catch the puck, walk across the blueline and fire a shot on goal. It allows for us to visualize a shooting a lane and it also helps the goalie as they are able to track and feel the puck.

12:30 PM: Depart.

12:45 PM: We just arrived back at the hotel and it's on our own until pre-game meal and our power-play meeting.

My mother just arrived in town today, so it was nice to see her for a few hours before tonight's game. It's also my birthday today, so it was nice to be able to spend this special day with her as it's just as special for her as it is for me.

3:20 PM: Power-play meeting.

Before every meal, as you all may know now from my previous entries, we hold our power-play meeting prior to our pre-game meal. With having played Denver five times this season, we have a lot of game film to go back on and review so we can try and set ourselves up to be successful.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016

12:00 AM: What a game!

I'm lost for words right now, honestly, but I'm so proud of every single guy in that dressing room. Since day one, we had a goal of winning a National Championship and by winning tonight we have given ourselves that opportunity.

After the game in the dressing room it was full of pure emotion and straight happiness. For a lot of guys on our team, we've experienceD the heartbreak by losing this game either last year or the past two years and it's such a relief to finally get over that hump. At the same time, we completely understand that the job isn't finished and that it we want to win on Saturday night. We as a team also understand that we are going to have to be a lot better than we were tonight if we want to give ourselves a chance to win.

At the end of the day though, good teams find a way to win and that's exactly what our group did tonight. It was the most perfect birthday present I could've asked for.

Thanks boys!

10:30 AM: Breakfast.

This morning breakfast was provided from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. as the bus was set to depart at 11:05 a.m. It was a nice opportunity for the guys to sleep in a little bit as we didn't get to sleep until very late last night due to all the emotions and adrenaline running through our bodies.

11:15 AM: Upon arrival at the rink, the dressing room was made available to the media and Austin Poganski and I were assigned to speak at the press conference. At this stage of the year, there are a lot of different stories being written and it's just another element that each team has to deal with on top of being prepared for the games.

1:15 PM: Today the coaches made our practice mandatory as we play tomorrow, rather than a back-to-back like we do throughout the season. As promised though from the coaches, it was only 20 minutes and we worked on specific systems that we are going to apply to the game tomorrow. There wasn't much skating but just enough to get a sweat and enough details that we were sharp mentally.

3:00 PM: Depart rink.

4:00 PM: As we are in the national championship game against Quinnipiac, both of us were required to attend an autograph session. The event took place at Franklin Street Mall outside of the venue where the Hobey Baker Award was going to presented.

The amount of support that showed up was incredible and we as players are extremely grateful for each and every one of you guys.

5:30 PM: Dinner.

Immediately after the autograph session, we departed for dinner. Our dinner time was scheduled a little earlier than usual but we were told we have a light meal at 9 p.m. when we have a meeting at the hotel.

For dinner we three options: fish, New York strip or filet mignon. The New York strip was a 16 oz. so I decided to pass on that option and go with the 12 oz. filet mignon. All meals came with a side baked potato and side mac and cheese, along with our wedge salad and appetizers.

9:00 PM: Team meeting.

After an hour of lounging in the hotel after dinner, our coaches scheduled a team meeting. As we entered the conference room, there was a light meal prepared for us as well as some video for us to cover.

After eating a light meal, Coach Berry introduced Gino Gasparini to all of us and sat around as he talked to us about his past experiences of the final game and some old stories. Standing there with his national championship ring on his finger, he gave us a speech that I will remember for the rest of my life. I had goosebumps head to toe the entire time he was speaking and his message was heard loud and clear amongst the entire team.

Thank you, Mr. Gasparini.

After Gino left the room, it was back to business as we covered some game film in preparation for tomorrow's national championship game.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016

9:45 AM: After some difficulties falling asleep last night, Paul LaDue and I are up and energized as we head down to the conference room for breakfast.

April 9, the day we circled on our calendars last summer, is finally here. As you entered the conference room, you could just fell the excitement in the air amongst the boys as we've worked so hard to reach this point. It's going to be along day sitting around the hotel and waiting but that's a positive sign as all the boys are ready to get on the ice.

10:20 AM: Depart for pre-game skate.

11:25 AM: Pre-game skate.

Pre-game skate was our traditional morning skate. Just because we're at a different venue and the stakes are so high doesn't mean we are going to change what we do and what we believe in.

"Get a puck, get a partner," yelled Coach Jackson and this is the beginning of morning skate.

Each player finds a partner and for the last three years, Gage Ausmus and I have passed back and forth for this drill. You skate down the middle and one partner each peels away to the left and right and back down along the walls and then you both cut into the middle and pass the puck and pick up speed.

The boys were crisp this morning and the ice was a lot better than Thursday. It will be nice for the ice to be able to sit for an entire day without a game prior to ours. 

Puck drop.

The boys came out of the gates sharp, focused and determined. Brock Boeser scores to make it 2-0 and we erupt. I mean, every guy is jumping up and down on the bench and the first period hadn't even finished yet.

We finally get into some penalty trouble and this is Quinnipiac's opportunity to get back into the game. They have a five-on-three powerplay and they win the draw, go D-to-D and a one-timer beats Cam on a very good look, 2-1 now.

This is the national championship game, my emotions are scattered all over the map. We enter the dressing room with a one-goal lead and emphasize being more disciplined and that a lot of our success that period came when we were playing five-on-five.

Let's fast forward to the third period. We score in the opening two minutes, and then strike again. 4-1, the bench is a mosh pit, the celebrations on the ice are pure emotions, You kind of lose all sense in what you're doing, you're just so excited and happy.

It's 4-1 and I look at my defensive partner, Gage Ausmus, and we're both trying to hard not to start laughing or smiling. He's got this straight-faced, serious look he's trying to portray but I've played with him for three years now and I look straight through it and he starts dying laughing.

This is the moment where you knew you were about to win a national championship. We were the team that North Dakota has waited 16 years for! The clock starts ticking down and along the way, we added another goal to make the score 5-1. Five, four, three...guys are already jumping off the bench...two, one...

National Champions, baby! The celebration and party were on.

Following the game, I couldn't believe it. As all the boys sat in the dressing room, pieces of the netting was scattered all over the place and smiles were from ear lobe to ear lobe on every single player.

We had just accomplished something this University hasn't done in 16 years and something only seven other teams have done. We were now apart of this unique group. After 30 minutes of doing interviews with all the media outlets, all the players rushed out of the dressing to go see their families. This was the best night of my life and it was only the beginning.

We took pictures with everyone and since my father wasn't able to come, he was the first person I called. Following our celebrations at the rink, we returned to the hotel where the lobby was absolutely packed with North Dakota fans. We are so fortunate for each and every one of you. Giving high-fives to everyone, hugging all the mothers, taking pictures with all the kids -- this was something we looked forward to, celebrating and enjoying our championship with all of our fans.

After a half hour at the hotel, a lot of guys headed out for the night. I'll just put it this way: there wasn't much sleep achieved by the guys and the celebration was by far the best night of life.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Thank you, NoDak Nation, for the best three years of my life! You have no idea what a pleasure it has been playing for this incredible organization in front of the best fans.

The ceremony at the Ralph was just another example of how special you guys are. We had more fans attend that event then some teams get for a game. It's incredible. At the same time, I can't forget about my teammates. I'm so proud of every single guy in that dressing room and we've just made 26 new brothers for life. As cheesy as it is,  that's the truth. We accomplished something extremely difficult and I'll never forget any guy that was apart of this amazing journey as we have officially become a family.

This celebration isn't going to end for some time among the boys and I'm extremely excited to create new memories with all my teammates as we celebrate the year we had. Thank you all for tuning in to the Etch-A-Stech.

I apologize for not updating you all on my final entry in time but I think I have a pretty good excuse as I've been spending that last 72 hours with the guys.