We lost our second game tonight 3 to 1 against the Helena Bighorns from the NORPAC league. They were a good team and I think they outplayed us. I played well again. I took some risks and made a few mistakes. That's the way it goes though. You can't be perfect. I have to refocus for tomorrow's game which is another important one against the Fresno Monsters' WSHL team. I know I played well, but I want to play better and it's frustrating when I make mistakes that I can prevent. I've definitely been feeling out the level here and trying to take some risks because that's what this weekend is about: me trying to get some confidence and playing time. I played a lot and I've had a lot of fun so far here, but I need to play better the rest of the weekend.

Now I'm going to walk the strip with the team!

He wanted me to hear some positive things because he knows I've had a rough first half of the year. He knows I'm a very raw talent, but again reiterated how much potential I have with my size, grades, and character. I'm excited to play in the rest of the games this weekend because I think I will get better every game. It's pretty hard to come onto a team, not know anyone, and learn a team's systems without ever even practicing with them, but I think I did a really good job today.

I just got done with my first game with the Idaho Steelheads. There's no free internet at the hotel so I'll try to convey my feelings well enough through text. I played well. I had some good shots, made some good passes, and I think just had a solid game overall. I maybe should've scored once or twice even. I think I can still play better though. I talked to the coach here after the game and he's very impressed with me. He thinks I have a lot of potential, but the thing that he was most impressed about is the way i act: how I look at him in the eye in the locker room and just my character in general. He said I carry myself like a man, which I think a lot of kids have trouble with at this level.

Right Attitude

I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my delayed flight to Las Vegas right now, and I have a lot of things on my mind. First off, I'm really excited for this weekend. I think it's a great opportunity for me, and it can't hurt me at all. I'm going to get in some games, hopefully see a lot of ice, and play in front of a lot of Division 3 college scouts. I know it's not my goal to play Division 3, but it can't hurt to be seen by more people. After practice, Coach said to make a good team, it takes everybody making sacrifices, and he singled me out and told the team that I'm making a sacrifice and going to play for the Steelheads in Vegas this weekend. I don't know if I would call it a sacrifice, but I definitely think I have the right attitude about the position I'm in right now. Another kid on the Mustangs was being sent down to play for Boise, and he sort of had a negative attitude about the whole thing. Today, he told me he wasn't going. And next thing I know, he's cut. It's pretty obvious the coaches don't like to hear kids complaining.

Coach talked to me after practice and said the kids who have done what he's asked have flourished, and the kids who have negative attitudes are probably gone. He sent another kid down to a WSHL team earlier in the year, and now he's back on the Mustangs playing on the first line. I have to look at this as an opportunity for me. He said if he didn't care about me, he would bring me to Topeka and have me sit in the stands. I know he cares about me because he's opened this opportunity for me, and I think it will be good for me to get in some games, and I'll be playing on a good team. I'm excited. I have to go in there and play confident, and I know I will do great. I feel, now, like I've started to hit my groove a little more. I can feel my game starting to come out of me, and I feel more confident in myself every day. Our first game is tomorrow at 1 in the afternoon. Wish me luck this weekend, and I'll be back home in the CO in a few days!

Heading to Vegas

I think I had my best practice as a Mustang today. I was hitting people. I made good passes. I scored some goals in our three-on-three mini game. I just felt really confident out on the ice. It took a while for me to get comfortable in Bismarck too. I don't know what it is. I think my mind definitely plays tricks on itself. For some reason, I felt like I needed to be perfect when I first got here, for people to like me, for people to think I'm a good hockey player. But by trying to be perfect, I ended up making more mistakes. I'm not saying I haven't done well in the past month, but now I can feel myself getting more confident and more comfortable being here, and I can see it translate on the ice. I'm not worrying so much about making mistakes, and I'm not making as many mistakes. I'm starting to take risks, and I'm starting to do really well in practice. I still make the occasional stupid mistake, just like everyone else, but they're fewer and farther between. And now I feel like it's not such a big deal when I do make a mistake. I don't have to be perfect. I know my coaches and teammates believe in me, and I believe in myself too. I've put in the work to make myself better, and I know I can get much better still. I think Coach really believes I can get better, has seen me get better since I got here, and I think the talk I had with him the other day really infused me with more confidence. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

This weekend I'm going to Las Vegas to play for the Idaho Junior Steelheads in the WSHL Showcase. From what I've heard it's a temporary move, and it's just to get me into some games, so I can maybe play in some different situations that I haven't played in here in New Mexico yet. I'm excited about it. I need to play. And I think this weekend will definitely help me build confidence. I talked to the coach in Idaho today, and he asked me how many games I've played in this year. I said 7. He told me that it's nice to play at the highest level possible, but you also need to play, to experience game situations to get better. I agree. This weekend will be a good experience for me, and it'll give me a chance to play some games for one of the best teams in the country at the Tier III level. I'm really excited about the opportunity I have this weekend.

Break Coming Up

I will be home in less than a week. I can't wait! I'm excited for a mental, physical, and emotional break. Junior hockey is pretty exhausting in all those facets. I'm ready to see my family and friends and just be home for the holidays. At the same time, though, I'm kind of bummed I will be away from this for two weeks. I feel like I am really starting to gain confidence; I'm having a lot of fun pushing myself to the limit because I can see myself still getting better. I know it will be good to have a break, but over break I'm still going to try to skate and work out as much as I can. I think after Christmas I'm really going to start hitting my stride.