Shawsy's Thoughts: "The Shaw Skate Reflection"
Senior defenseman Hayden Shaw will give us an inside look at the University of North Dakota hockey team as it aims to make a second-half push. Shaw will be blogging from the road with the Fighting Hawks making trips to Omaha, Denver, Kalamazoo, Colorado Springs and then on to St. Paul, Fargo and hopefully another crack in Buffalo down the line. Follow the team's progress here.

Weeeeeuuuuuu! The fellas are back on the road as we head to Colorado Springs for a weekend of NCHC hockey. Personally I love the mountains being from Montana, so this is always a fun trip for me.  Let's get this blog fired up!
 
WEDNESDAY
5:30 pm:
We hop on the bus and head to the plane, we got lucky with a newly remodeled plane with a lot of room and nice recliners. Rhett Gardner and I share a row as we've done the last three years and watch Netflix for the flight. Once we touch down we're greeted by much warmer weather than Forks and head to drop our gear off at the rink. When we travel on Wednesdays, usually we skate at the Ralph then have the night to ourselves. The boys fuel up from a taco bar and head to our rooms to relax and watch a movie for Gabe Bast and I. See you in the morning!

THURSDAY
9 am:
Wake up and breakfast of an omelet bar in the hotel. Thursday skate finished with the shootout, quick recap of last weekend, Reggie scored in the shootout! REGGIE! Not this week, good solid post but not quite in.


12 pm:
Off time until dinner allows the guys to go out on the town for lunch and explore Colorado Springs a little bit. Myself and a couple other guys found a sushi place thanks to Basty, and we all chowed down on some sushi burritos.


3 pm:
Back to the hotel and I have some academics to attend to! Couple business quizzes to take and a sociology test… wish me luck and I'll be typing later!
 
6 pm:
We are walking over to dinner downtown enjoying the beautiful weather. I sit with my classmates Rhett and Jonesy. Quick note about Nick Jones, the man is a walking carb. I've never seen anyone attack a loaf of bread the way he does. Also happy birthday Gards!

9 pm:
Back to the hotel, Basty and I are watching some hockey and preparing for the day ahead tomorrow. Time to log off and get some rest. See you tomorrow!

FRIDAY
8 am:
Wake up and breakfast on this nice 50 degree morning. Jacob Bernard-Docker acquired a moderate sunburn on his neck yesterday after being outside for 6 minutes. Fair skin. The boys are excited to get this weekend underway. 
 
10 am:
Morning skate was crisp and morale is high in the room. Guys use this time after pregame skate to tape sticks, stretch, or anything they need to be in the right spot to be at their best tonight. 
 
2 pm:
Pregame meal and power play meeting. I eat enough pasta to roll myself down the hall after. So Basty and I are now back in our room preparing for our naps. See you after the game!
 
11:30 pm:
Playing for our lives, we need more. There will be a lot outside noise the rest of the way, but what matters are the guys In the room, and we have no doubt. Bounce back tomorrow. 

SATURDAY
10:00 am:
Not what we wanted but we have to have a short memory. This morning we wake up and head down to breakfast. Breakfast is followed by an outdoors walk and stretch then back to the meeting room for a video meeting and lunch.
 
2:00 pm:
It's a 6 o'clock game so our schedule is a bit more condensed today. Basty and I are fueled up and heading back to our room to focus on what we each need to do to be successful for our team tonight. Nap time, see you after the game!
 
10:00 pm:
What a great team win! Shoutout to Peter Thome on an outstanding weekend and really keeping us in it. Lives are on the line from here on out and that is the effort we need. The boys have a happy plane and are enjoying by playing cards and watching movies, always easier to blog after a win! Thanks for following along from CC! See you at the Ralph this weekend!