It’s Falgo and Dote here. As Tiki and Powley have already written, we won our first game yesterday vs. Belgium. We woke up early this morning and it’s raining and a little chilly outside. That seems to be the weather theme here in Russia. We have a team walk/stretch, followed by breakfast and then we’ll review some film of our opponents to get a good idea of what system they play. Breakfast seems to be our favorite meal of the day. The tv remains off in our room. We have turned it on maybe twice. They have CNN and Europe news and the rest of the stations are in Russian. Falgo has already finished a book and is onto number two. Dote is still struggling to finish her first.

The U18 men’s ice hockey championships are also going on here in Kazan. We were fortunate to attend a USA vs. Sweden game the second night we were here. The Americans unfortunately lost 5-4 but it was fun to get out and see a game. For any of you ice hockey fans, a legendary member of the Boston Bruins was in attendance to see his son play on the USA side. Ray Bourque sat in the stands among the other nervous parents cheering their kids on. Not many people in Russia knew who he was (neither did our team) but Dote did. She got a great picture with him that her older brother is still envious of.

Today is a very special day for the team because our captain, Ms. Kate Barber, plays in her 200th international game. Tiki has led this young team since back in 2005 and no one is more deserving of such an honor. She has exemplified what a true leader should be and we are very lucky to be a part of this milestone. On behalf of the two of us, we just want to say congratulations Tiki! Thanks for everything you have done for the team, and given up. We love you.

Falgo and Dote