GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Finding balance in one's life is all about keeping things in perspective, is it not?
 
Now in my 55th season of writing stories about UND hockey, I have certainly learned that wins and losses are part of the game, every season, as are the highs and lows that result from that.
 
So while it was not fun last weekend for this seasoned spectator to watch UND being swept on home ice, as it was last by the nation's top-ranked Denver Pioneers, it goes back to the matter of keeping it all in perspective.
 
For starters, this was an excellent Denver team that came to Grand Forks, sound and disciplined in every phase of the game. Rightfully the favorite to win the National Collegiate Hockey Conference title this season, and a good bet to make a run for the NCAA title again.
 
It was a sharp learning experience for a talented, but young UND team. Details of the game matter, and the Pioneers had that in full display in Friday's 5-2 Denver victory, while UND did not.
 
UND learned from that setback. Saturday's game, won 3-2 by Denver, was evenly played in every aspect. A rebound goal by Denver with a bit of luck involved was the deciding difference in a game UND battled on even terms with this excellent Denver team.
 
So two losses, yeah, that's what happened. It is never fun for the team being swept at home, not for the players, coaches or fans.
 
Yet I walked away from the rink Saturday night not with despair but with hope. I saw the competitive side of UND that night, one that took a big step forward once it saw the level of play it needed to reach.
 
As I said at the beginning of this article, life is about keeping things in perspective. That was driven home for me over the weekend, where the two losses by UND took a back seat in my life.
 
A wonderful woman who is a great friend has two sons, Brooks and Lane, both graduates of Red River High School, both in their 40s. Lane, a UND grad, played in the hockey pep band when a student there.
 
Lane, a father of two and a much-loved teacher and coach in Rhode Island, lost his life to cancer at age 42 last weekend. The people he has impacted with his teaching, coaching and personality, could not begin to all fit inside Ralph Engelstad Area, as big as it is.
 
The hurt that the players, coaches, fans felt in losing twice at home stings, no doubt. But that will go away, because this weekend brings a chance to win a couple of games, as do the following weekends, etc.
 
Those of us out there who have lost loved ones don't have another weekend with them. We do carry eternal love for them, and that impact is far greater than the results of two hockey games.
 
But UND also must deal with the matters at hand right now. The Fighting Hawks won't play Denver again until mid-February, but there is much to accomplish before that weekend rolls around.
 
Starting with Robert Morris this weekend, followed by Bemidji State and Miami, UND has a chance to apply the lessons learned from Denver and run off a nice stretch of wins the next three weekends.
 
I'll be in my usual seat on press row high in Ralph Engelstad Arena, watching UND in all home games. Inwardly, I will be pulling for the program I have learned to love and the people who run it, or play in it, past and present.
 
I've spent a few days this week closing up my lake cabin, preparing to say goodbye to it until next spring. The older I get, the more I hate doing that, because I know those years are numbered.
 
So yes, watching UND lose twice to Denver didn't bring joy and comfort to my heart.
 
But in keeping life in proper perspective, that pales compared this wonderful woman saying her goodbyes to her son.
 
Virg Foss covered UND hockey for 35 seasons for the Grand Forks Herald until his retirement from the newspaper in 2005. He was the beat writer for the Herald when UND won NCAA titles in 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997 and 2000. He now writes a weekly column exclusively for UND Athletic Communications during the college hockey season. He can be contacted at virgfoss@yahoo.com.