Dick Johnson Memorial Tournament - Roseau, MN

Mom, Dad, and Canyon traveled to Roseau, MN (near the Canadian border) with Canyon's Peewee AA team for the annual Dick Johnson tournament. This was Trisha's first trip to Roseau (coming based upon Ron's ringing endorsement). Presley stayed back with a couple of hockey families while we got this cultural experience and great hockey weekend. It's a 7 hour drive to Roseau from the Twin Cities. The team, coaches, and parents pack into a bus to enjoy the journey together. Thank goodness it was great weather and Mom didn't have to stress too much about the drive. The boys usually pack into the back of the bus while the parents sit up front!



Roseau is a unique spot because it's home to only about 1,800 people yet hundreds of families travel here every weekend in the hockey season for tournaments. This town rolls out the "zamboni" and hosts spaghetti dinners to every team to make the experience one to be remembered by all. Rumor has it that all the local kids play for free in Roseau (funded by all the tournaments and hotels) and the ice rinks are left open and unlocked 24 hours a day. Eden Prairie is one of the local's favorite teams because we were the first big program to travel to Roseau and all the other programs followed suit! Our boys had a strong start to the weekend winning their first two games. Unfortunately, they lost to a strong Grand Forks team and ended up coming in 4th in the tournament. We still had a great weekend of hockey and Canyon had some great goals and assists.





But the definite highlight to the trip is the ice fishing. The boys usually run around on the ice while the dads get serious. However, it is always the icehouse with the Moms in it that get all the fish and have the most fun. This year was no different. We all ventured out 3-4 miles onto the lake in some crazy travel contraptions. And unfortunately, Mom's first step into her icehouse was into a fishing ice hole all the way up to her hip. Her housemates were great, letting her sit near the heater, getting her cold beers (that they kept in one of the ice holes), and even lending her their boots when she needed to go outside and pee. We all caught fish and one of our housemates caught the biggest fish for the whole group. Fun day!