To conclude the regular season, Chelsea hockey traveled to Ann Arbor to play Skyline. Given the substantial gap between the two teams and the mercy-shortened meeting earlier in the season, the game promised to be somewhat less than exciting. However, I decided to head to Ann Arbor to take in the game anyway. Why? Because Skyline’s home ice is none other than Yost Ice Arena, a classic old barn of an arena that’s a joy to visit simply because it’s YOST.

I’m posting only two photos from this game, but because they’re photos of Yost, they’re the equivalent of 20 photos. I went primarily for the venue, so I took photos of the venue.

If you’ve never been to Yost, you should make plans to go to a Michigan hockey game next winter. The building is a classic sports venue with character only age can produce, but it’s THE BEST because of the environment Michigan hockey crowds provide for games. I like to call it the happiest hockey place on earth. Here, this happens every game (watch all the way to the end — it’s worth it):

If you’re a sports fan, Yost should be on your list of venues to visit.

Finally, one humorous note: go back to the first photo and look at the little pink spot on the far left side. I didn’t notice it the first few times I looked at the photo, but when I did notice it I had to laugh. Here’s a closer look:

That’s a little girl where she’s certainly not supposed to be. She must have climbed up the retracted bleachers to…I don’t know, get a better view? She must have decided there was something appealing about that spot.

Oh, and as for the game: Chelsea won a lot to a little. With the win, the Bulldogs finished undefeated in the conference.