We just got back a few hours ago from our game in Briancon. It was our 2nd game of the season and one we would all like to forget. The longest bus ride of the year, we left at 6am from Epinal, stopped to eat our pregame meal at 1230pm and arrived in Briancon around 5pm. It is very different eating a pregame meal at 1230pm when you play a game 8 hours later. Turns out, that is your only option in France because from 2pm-7pm all the restaurants are closed. Packing a few sandwiches gets me through the trip though.
A long bus trip always has some great movies... Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal were the 2 movies we watched on the way there, and I was shocked at how well Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster spoke french! Yes we watched it in french with English subtitles....unbelievable.
We stopped for a quick cafe and croissant at a rest stop and since team rules state that you cannot go "#2" in the bathroom bus or you'll be fined 10 euro, I was rushing to the restrooms. I was suddenly hit with something I'd never seen before- Shared Men's and Women's Bathroom. My running halted, turning into a slow controlled, yet very confident walk, as if I had been a gender-shared bathroom veteran for years. After taking care of business, I walked out and noticed there was a special room where you could change your baby or if you had a young child there was a little miniature toilet. A nice little cosy room with a window...Wait, with a window??? Yes a window, and it wasn't giving you a view of the nice mountains outside, the window was in the door. I guess they don't knock here, you don't want to disturb little Julien on the toilet by knocking, so you just look inside to see if he is done yet. Man!!!
Rest stop, a little different without the Tim Hortons/Mr. Sub
Men's/Women's Bathroom
Baby Changing area complete with miniature toilet. + Window for viewing purposes?
We arrive in Briancon and take a walk around the "Centre Ville" to check things out, kill time and try to get acclimatized to the 1326m Altitude. I grab a big bottle of water and keep hydrating, walk into a few shops, buy a postcard as I do on every road game.
The start of the game was not great, we went down 2-0 early. Then we had a 5-3 power play and I was able to get us on the board with a nice pass from Petrak. Then the flood gates opened, 4-1 after the first and a goalie change for us. 8-2 after the second and finally 11-3 final. Simko scored our second goal of the game on a breakaway and I got the 3rd goal for us on a slap shot just inside the blueline. It was an awful game for everyone, I was on for all 3 of our goals but the 5 or 6 of their goals that I was on the ice for really outweighs that :(
This is the worst loss I have ever been a part of and I cant wait until we play Tuesday so we can put it behind us. On the trip back we left at about 1am and arrived back in Epinal at 9am, only to be awoken by our coach Shawn Allard to say that in an hour we have a bike session at the gym. So I just walked in the door, I am going to lay down watch a movie and start getting focused for our HUGE game against Amiens on Tuesday, must win!!!
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