The Icelandic Canadian - 01.02.2007, Blaðsíða 14

140
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 60 #4
modation had a daughter playing for
Bjoninn, the team we would face the next
day. There was the usual awkwardness and
tentativeness when meeting people for the
first time but the softness of the hosts mit-
igated any doubts we may have had. When
the athletes had dispersed to their new
homes, the remaining travelers, the adults,
found transportation to their hotels.
Everyone would have to hurry because the
Falcons had been invited to a reception that
evening at offices of the Foreign Ministry
of Iceland in downtown Reykjavik.
Promptly at 7:00 p.m., Erlin Flygering of
the Foreign Ministry welcomed the
Winnipeg Falcons to Iceland on behalf of
the Prime Minister and gave each player
and coach an Icelandic pin and a firm hand-
shake. The Falcons responded by present-
ing a Karen Johannasson batik to Erlin and
the Ministry. It was an elegant evening and
left a strong impression on the team from
Canada. After the athletes were returned to
their homes we adults went to the
“Dubliner” to have several long cold beers
and discuss the dream we were experienc-
ing. At ten dollars a bottle, fatigue caught
up to us quickly and the bed in our room
sought us out.
Sunday March 26, 2006
That morning the team gathered at the
rink and we set off for a day of sightseeing.
There was no snow in the Reykjavik area
but a cold wind was blowing hard.
Steinunn had turned the guiding duties
over to Solveig “Solla” Smaradottir. She
had driven down from Akureyri to relieve
Steinunn and with her perfect English she
provided wonderful explanations of the
sights we were seeing. We spent a better
part of the day traveling the Great Circle.
We climbed, posed, sought shelter and
walked miles. As the vans returned to
Reykjavik, everyone was talking about the
game that evening and hoping they would-
n’t embarrass themselves.
The age range of the Falcons was 14-18
years with two players in their early twen-
ties. The team we were playing that night
were senior women; meaning most were
over twenty-one with some approaching
thirty years of age. The pre-game meal was
a quiet one, but as we boarded the vans to
go the rink everyone’s enthusiasm grew.
By the time the Falcons hit the dressing
room one could only say they were
“wound-up!”
We were all nervous as we had no idea
what to expect from our opponents. No
one on the Falcons team had ever played on
an Olympic sized hockey rink. As they
skated out for the warm-up, they were
quite apprehensive. The Bjoninn team was
bigger physically than us and looked good
in their warm-up. They had just won the
Women’s Championship in Iceland a cou-
ple weeks prior to our arrival, by beating
Skautafelag Akureyrar. As is the custom in
International hockey, the teams lined-up
on their respective blue lines for the
National Anthems of each country and the
exchange of pennants. This was the first
time the players from Canada had done this
but the Bjoninn players showed them the
way and the game was on.
At 7:05 p.m. the puck dropped
between the centers for Bjoninn of
Reykjavik and the Falcons of Winnipeg.
From the outset it was apparent that the
Falcons had played much more hockey
than their counterparts. Their skating,
passing and shooting were significantly
better and their game knowledge always
had them with open skaters. The Bjoninn
players were a determined bunch and
fought hard on the boards and corners of
the rink, but the large ice surface proved to
be an advantage for the Canadian players as
it allowed them to use their speed to advan-
tage. The game ended with a 5-1 victory for
the Falcons and the first victory for a
Canadian Women’s team ever in Iceland.
Monday March 27, 2006
The Falcons met at 11:00 a.m. for a
presentation about the Snorri Program.
Almar Grimsson introduced Asta Sol who
in turn gave a power-point presentation
which was excellent. Following this, the
team went to the National Museum and
spent an hour looking at ancient manu-
scripts and art treasures, but the players
were anxious go shopping. In order to pre-
vent a mutiny, the coaches released them