To top off 2012, the Wild 19U team traveled to Kalispell, Montana to play in the Flathead Valley Hockey Association Outdoor Winter Classic Jamboree. The girls and their families drove 9 hours over 3 passes to play in this outdoor tournament. The icing on the cake came before the first game; warmups on an outdoor pond!  [pond hockey warm up] [pond hockey warm up] The temperature never rose above freezing while we were in town and the several inches of snow was augmented by light snow flurries during every game. Daytime highs were in the upper twenties and night games were extra cold, in the lower 20 and teens. Parents and fans bundled up, drank coffee, stuffed their mittens with HotHands and migrated to the 3 patio propane heaters. Between periods, they warmed themselves by the rink-side fire which was burning brightly during every game. The Zamboni ran every 2 periods, so the players warmed themselves in the locker room once between periods of each game. 

The Wild 19U girls took on the hometown Kalispell team in the first game, coming away with a tie. Competition was tough as some of their opponents were competitive travel teams. The girls played hard and proudly walked away with a 2-1-1 record and look forward to going back again next year.