December 31^st

Hi Clarkson hockey fans,

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kassidy Sauve and I’m a 5^th year senior and a goaltender! I’m writing this on the bus as we head to New York Stewart International Airport. I am lucky enough to be taking you through our journey and time in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With words and photos, I’m hoping to capture the special moments so it’s like you’re right here with us. We will be in the sky for the New Year’s count down, so from all of us to all of you reading this, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Once we get to the airport we fly directly into Dublin, Ireland and then will be taking the bus to Belfast, which is about 2 hours away.

Stay Tuned,

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 1^st

Hi again!

Majority of us slept throughout the flight to adjusted to the time difference as quickly as possible. We made our way to the Giant’s Causeway and walked a LOT! This was the perfect way to get our legs moving and some fresh air. The views were absolutely amazing and our time as a group away from the rink was so refreshing.

It’s not every day you see something so remarkable. I took plenty of pictures to share with you!

We finished the day with a nice dinner right at our hotel. Everyone was pretty tired from the long travel and got right to sleep afterwards. We have another full day of adventures tomorrow!

I look forward to continuing this journey with you all.

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 2^nd

Greetings Clarkson fans,

End of day 3 here, jam-packed with tours in this incredible country!

We toured the Old Bushmills Distillery, which was a super interesting and educational. Learning the process of making Whiskey was a neat experience and we had a great tour guide who loved cracking jokes!

After that, we made our way over to the Dunluce Castle where we took in so much history of a medieval castle that was surrounded by extremely steep drops all around it. The castle had some really great places to take pictures and the sun was shining bright, giving us a real ROYAL experience!!!

We then made our way to the Carrick-A-Rede Rope bridge. We had a few people who were afraid but with the help of teammates, everyone made their way across the bridge for some incredible views, only to turn back around and walk across the bridge one more time! I personally am not scared of heights and thought this bridge was super fun! A few of us braver girls even jumped up and down on the bridge…. Which may have startled some other tourists (sorry!!).

Finally, we set up and settled into our locker room at the Belfast Giants facility, the professional ice hockey team in Northern Ireland. The rink staff welcomed us with open arms and made the rink feel like home right away. After a quick skate to get our legs going, we made our way to a nice dinner in the heart of downtown Belfast, where we were able to cook our own steaks on rocks!

Today was so great and I can’t wait to see where our adventures take us tomorrow.

Good night!

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 3^rd

Hello again!

We had a delicious breakfast at our hotel before making our way over to the rink for a morning practice. Everyone seems to have adjusted to the time change. Overall, we had a great skate and I’m looking forward to getting a game under our belt. Only 2 more days until game day!!!!

After lunch at the hotel, we loaded the bus and headed to the Crumlin Road Gaol, an inactive prison that held prisoners between 1845 and 1996. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable! At the end of the tour, he told us a story about a prisoner that escaped from this prison and once the prison closed, he returned to Northern Ireland and toured with his grandkids and showed them where he escaped from!

While some of us were touring the prison, our captains went to meet the Lord Mayor of Belfast and give her our thanks for having us in this beautiful city to play hockey!

Later on in the day, we went to Windsor Park, a football (soccer) stadium, the home grounds of the Linfield FC and the Northern Ireland national football team. While we were there, we met a group of young ladies who played football. They asked us questions about our journey to becoming Division I athletes! It was really amazing to meet them.

As I’m in my room chatting with my roommate, Ella Shelton, we are talking about how we only have one more practice until GAME DAY! We are so excited to play in front of the fans and people of Belfast. They have honestly been amazing hosts so far and have made this experience one to remember!

Talk to you tomorrow!

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 4^th

Today we woke up, and similarly to yesterday, went to the rink for practice in the morning. The day was much less structured and we had a lot of free-time with our family and friends. My dad was able to come for a couple days, so I spent the afternoon with him, we walked around Victoria Square and did a little shopping! We ran into a lot of the girls buying souvenirs for themselves and their family members also.

That pretty much sums up the day, it was a relaxing Game Day Eve! We are all in the mindset to play some big, competitive hockey games in front of a new crowd!

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 5^th

Let me just say one thing… GAME DAY! We woke up in the morning and had yet another amazing breakfast prepared by our hotel. Then we went to the rink for a stretch and pregame meal. We had time to go back to the hotel and prepare for our game. Some girls get coffee while others just lay down and relax, everyone has their own unique routine.

The game. It was an unbelievable experience to play in front of such a lively crowd. Obviously, we get that here in Potsdam, but to see a crowd that large in a different country, supporting women’s athletics was remarkable. It was nice to have our pep band here also. Every time we scored a goal it made us feel right at home! Playing our first of two games in Belfast was an amazing first impression. The game ended as a tie.

Off to get some rest for our quick turn around and second game tomorrow.

Talk soon,

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 6^th

Today’s game was a little bit earlier in the day. We pretty much woke up, had breakfast and then made our way to the rink to start warming up and preparing for the game. After the game some of the girls stuck around to watch the Belfast Giants play. I went to dinner with my dad and then made my way back to the hotel to hang out with the girls. It was a great last night in Belfast. We spent the night sitting in the lobby relaxing and talking about memories made on the trip.

#32, Kassidy Sauve

January 7^th

Belfast, you were so unbelievably good to us. Thank you to the amazing people, fans and organizers who put this event together for us. It was an incredible once in a lifetime experience that brought us closer as a team. We were able to play the game we love in a new country, grow the game and meet some really fantastic people along the way. Personally, I am forever grateful to Clarkson athletics, our coaches and anyone else who made this possible. Not many people get to say they played the first international women’s NCAA hockey games, and we get to say we did it with this special group of girls.

To anyone reading this, thank you for taking the time to read through our journey to Northern Ireland, and furthermore, thank you for your continued support of Clarkson Women’s hockey, we wouldn’t be the team we are without your backing. For those of you in Potsdam, stay warm this winter season and we look forward to seeing you at Cheel Arena for the rest of our home games this 2018-2019 season. 

Signing off,

#32, Kassidy Sauve

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