Ever watched live ice hockey? Yes, I have.
Ever watched live ice hockey varsity match? NO, I HAVEN’T.
Fancy watching the oldest hockey rivalry in the world? DEFINITELY.
The idea of witnessing the fierce ice hockey rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford sounds absolutely gorgeous. At my friend’s invitation, I decided to attend the 2008 men’s Varsity Ice Hockey Match to support the Cambridge Team against Oxford.
As the varsity match took place at 5pm on Saturday 1 March in Oxford, we assembled at Queens’ College Backs at 1.30pm and then took a coach to go to the Oxford Ice Rink. Travelling on winding roads, I felt dizzy both on my way to and from Oxford. Don’t ever ask me to travel to Oxford by coach!
We arrived at Oxford around 4:00pm. I had an hour of free time before the match began. I then came up with a wild idea. Perhaps I could give my friend who is currently studying at Oxford University a big surprise by giving him a call and telling him that I was in Oxford. 15 minutes later, I met him at the Westgate Centre. We had a cup of offee and even had a short walk around the picturesque city of Oxford. What an added-bonus of this trip!
The grudge match was bloody exciting but pretty brutal. Unfortunately, Oxford scored a 8:2 victory. I hope Cambridge will beat Oxford in the next varsity match!
Learning a new word: ‘Face-off @ 5.00pm’ (written on the ticket)
Face-off: a method of beginning play (as in hockey or lacrosse) in which two opponents face each other and attempt to gain control of a puck or ball dropped or placed between them
—————————————————
News about the 2008 Ice Hockey Varsity Match from Varsity:
Varsity Ice-Hockey Sunday evening saw Oxford win a convincing victory over the Cambridge Light Blues, at the 88th Ice Hockey Varsity match. However, it was not until the third period that Oxford’s domination was confirmed: the match in general was extremely entertaining and at times brutal. Cambridge fought well during what was to be an evenly matched first period, which ended 1-0 to Oxford. Later, a crippling series of penalties for both teams proved the depths of Oxford’s larger line up as the short Cambridge bench suffered from a lack of men. Cambridge hung on during the third period, but were finally outmanned after incurring two match penalties, and a concussion inflicted by the Oxford Captain, who was immediately ejected from the game for misconduct. Overall, Cambridge showed integrity in the face of a tough opposition, and played a game which was not reflected in the final score of 11-1 to Oxford.
(Source: http://www.varsity.co.uk/sport/374/1/)
