*Jan Brady voice*
It's always Bloomington, Bloomington, Bloomington!
...this weekend, at least. We've only played the Bloomington Illegal Goalie Pads PrairieThunder 6 times this season (and we're 0-4-2), but this weekend we wrap up the season with 3 games against them in less than 48 hours. So we have 3 more chances to get win #20, and 3 more chances to beat those damn AnnoyinglyLongTeamNames for the first time this season.
Of course, the headline this weekend is that it'll be the last time Tom Galvin gets to play at Swonder. Wait, what? You don't care about Tom Galvin? You didn't even care when he played for the IceMen? Oh, okay...
The REAL headline is that Saturday is our LAST EVER home game at Swonder. It should be a bittersweet night, but a TON of cool stuff is planned. And I do mean a TON. Trust me. Our PA script for the game is going to be longer than War and Peace. You people will be hearing Rickard and Walker's voices in your heads for weeks after this. (Welcome to my nightmare.)
So what's on tap, you ask? Allow me to shamelessly plug my work that everyone should be reading every week anyway because you love me and the IceMen copy and paste from the EvansvilleIceMen.com weekend preview...
• All fans will receive a FREE IceMen team photo, courtesy of Complete Nutrition.
• One lucky fan will have a chance to win a NEW CAR from The Duell's Evansville Hyundai.
• All fans will be given a "Thank You" card from the IceMen, some of which will contain special prizes from Jimmy John's and Show-Me's.
• We're upping the ante with some great bonus prizes for Chuck-A-Puck - including Holiday World tickets, courtesy of Power Rock 93.9 WKTG.
• The winners of this season's IceMen Team Awards will be honored during a pre-game ceremony.
• As part of Cancer Awareness Night, partial proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
• Fans will begin tailgating at approximately 4 PM, rain or shine.
So you can win a FRIGGIN' CAR, Holiday World tickets, free food...you get a free team photo...and you can tailgate in 45-degree rainy windy conditions. What more do you want?
Okay, an IceMen win would be nice, yes. Let's send Swonder out in style, eh?
In all seriousness, it's been a fun ride, Maniacs. The future is exciting, but the past has been too. Let's cherish this one. For better or for worse, IceMen hockey will never quite be the same after this weekend. Enjoy and appreciate the experience at Swonder for one last time!