It’s winter time and every one can’t help but think about doing stereotypical winter activities i.e. sledding, skiing, making snowmen etc. There hasn’t been enough snow yet but there is one winter activity that has already begun for some students at Ames High. The hockey season has begun and the players are working hard every day at the Ames Ice Arena. Before writing this article I had no idea what hockey was like. The only exposure I’ve had to hockey was Adam Sandler hitting a slap shot into a wall of glass and shattering it. After seeing the movie Happy Gilmore, I had the misconception that taking one’s skates off and stabbing someone with it was a common thing that hockey players did. “Personally, I have never taken off my skates and stabbed anyone with them nor have i ever seen anyone do that.” Junior Orion Boylston said. Although my interest in hockey went down slightly, I was still curious to find out what the hockey season is like. "We as a team really want to qualify for the state tournament this year. This is our main goal as we havn’t qualified in recent years. Once we get there we’ll worry about winning the tourney" Junior Spencer Oh said. Every week, Monday through Thursday, the Ames High hockey team works hard to achieve their goal. Two powerplay lines prepare for their weekend games on Thursday practicing powerplays, penalty kills, and systems. “They’re very fast-paced, which is basically why I like the sport. There is always something going on and it never gets boring.” Junior Meg Lang said. “It’s also kinda rough, depending on the team they’re playing and can get out of hand pretty easily.” Hockey games can get very intense. It’s also very physical. People smash each other into walls all the time. You can see tension between specific people through out the game. “It’s really intense.” Junior Taylor Thoen said. This season Ames High hockey is working hard to get to the state tournament. They have games every weekend. Even if you’re not a hockey fan, go to the ice arena to see people get stabbed by ice ska- I mean support the Ames High hockey team.