With so many North Americans lamenting the ongoing NHL lockout, Minnesota finds itself in a very fortuitous situation because we still have high-level international hockey to enjoy! This week the Norwegian National U18 hockey team traveled to Minnesota to take part in the NIT Bauer Invitational Tournament.
This Norwegian team is comprised of 25 players from the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation, many of whom are expected to make an appearance at 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In addition to playing in the tournament, the U18 team, coached by Robert Jonsson, will also play a couple of friendlies with local Minnesota college teams, like St Olaf and Augsburg.
If you are in Minnesota this week, I definitely recommend you check out the tournament and cheer for the Norwegian Athletes! If there’s one thing Minnesota is known for, it’s our hockey, so when you throw in a team from Norway you just know it’s going to be a great showing by everyone involved. I believe tickets for the tournament are available from the New Hope Arena and can be purchased over the phone or at the door.
To learn more about the U18 Norwegian team, check out their Facebook page as well as this site dedicated to the U18 team with player and selection info. For their full schedule info, click here.
Join me in welcoming this great team to the Midwest and wish them luck against some of the finest U18 hockey players in America!