The Moveable Feast Border Crossing

The Notorious "Mo" Voss, Ringleader

The Dog Days of Winter had descended upon Grand Traverse County. The month-old snow crunched like styrofoam, barely concealing the dog poop and cigarette butts. Christmas Trees lay prostrate like prickly green corpses, and four calendar months lay unturned before T-shirt weather. What's a fun-loving bunch to do? To paraphrase our late spiritual guru John Belushi...ROAD TRIP!

Nine fun-lovin foodies piled into three sedans for an international moveable feast. A poignant story-line immediately emerged: our sweet Melissa (thanks for the moniker Duane and Greg) was reunited with her former best friend Toyota, and for the first time in ten-thousand rides, our dainty brunette sampled the back seat of old faithful. They remained best buds of course.

Now, an hour's drive north can burn a lot of calories, what with the loading of skis and excitable chit-

chat. A must stop at the greatest diner this side of SoHo, Cormack's! A humble sampling of 1/2 pound Corned Beef and Ruben sandwiches, Tuna Melts, Tomato Soup, and... and... QUICHE?! Go figure. I'll leave the Quiche eater unnamed, but suffice to say this feline wears purple on NFL Sundays. 'Nuf Sed! And because no one had broken the 10,000 calorie mark, the carnivorous clan reloaded all nine bodies into seatbelts to travel exactly two more minutes, piling out at Johan's pastry shop to imitate our New York friends: coffee and cake. Lips smacked, cups in hand, the gang got serious and put some serious miles on. Zooming past Mackinac City, soaring over the big bridge into the U.P. and then leaving the United States, shuffling passports and Canadian Loony's and Toony's before finding ourselves in the OTHER Soo, a land both glorious and free.

Downtown Sault Ste. Marie resembles East Berlin circa 1985, so there was not loitering. The slopes were calling, and calling loud, just a few kilometers north. And finally it was before us, fresh snow, live pines and

Waxing Poetic

inexpensive trail passes. Eighteen skis clicked on, funky blue wax added to the soles, and a little "head wax" for our souls. Round and round we spun, burning a fraction of the calories consumed, but as we all know, Somethin' is better than Nuttin. The gang that couldn't shoot straight raced the sun to the horizon, and then sped north once again.

The Ninetets hunkered down in our woodsy Ice Station Zebra for three days and two nights. We smoked out any threat of Glaucoma, and we drowned any sorrows that may have crept in. Each meal a showcase for the chefs, both amateur and professional. The moveable feast was now anchored, with a veritable smorgasbord of homemade turkey soup, fresh chopped veggies, salads and hearty loaves. Breakfast employed an armada of cast iron, splashing buckwheat one morn and a Vossian Egg-fest the next.

But the Piece de Resistance was Saturday night's Fromage Orgy. Dueling Raclette's pinned the cholesterol meter, with Chorizo and veggies and freshly slaughtered deer meat. It was, appropriately enough, to die for.

The final feast of the weekend was an unforgettable breakfast created by Team Voss. The "Ma" Barker of this gang of nine was in reality a "Mo." Everyone who hunkered down over her Eggs-travaganza loosened their belt two more notches, and piled into their cars for another crack at the fluffy white love.

It's a motley crew, these nine marauders, and a warning to all who dare to join on. No lightweights need apply.

Cat-o'-Nine-Tails

Three Germans Seek Hockey Glory in USA

Napravnik, Tuomie and Michaelis Seek U.S. Hockey Glory

Three German national team veterans are trying to make hockey history playing for an American University (NCAA) in Minnesota.

Seniors Marc Michaelis (Mannheim) and Parker Tuomie (Bremerhaven) are the leading scorers for #3 ranked Minnesota State University, while Julian Napravnik (Bad Nauheim) has demonstrated that he is the offensive future for the team known as the Mavericks.

Minnesota State currently leads all American Universities with 24 victories. Ever since Tuomie and Michaelis arrived on the campus in Mankato over three years ago, their Mavericks have won more games than any University team in the United States. In spite of that success, history has not been kind to the Minnesota State program.

The Mavericks have never won a game in the annual NCAA tournament, the 16-team competition that crowns a national champion each spring. Last March the Mavericks, the top-ranked team at their NCAA regional, failed to hold on to a three-goal lead in their opening match, suffering a bitter defeat to Providence College. That painful memory motivates young Tuomie.

Parker Tuomie, Proud Son of the Fatherland

“Now it’s just fuel,” said Tuomie, who along with Michaelis, is eager to finish his University career with a taste of glory. “For our senior class, there is no more second chances. We want to make the most of it.”

Michaelis, the two-time captain of Minnesota State, was enjoying his greatest offensive season (33 points in 25 games played) when he crashed into the net during a game at Bowling Green on January 17.

https://twitter.com/rvallonBG/status/1218387436486778881?s=20

MIchaelis injured his leg and has missed the last five games. His countrymen are doing their best to make up for the loss of their quiet leader.

“Obviously, with a guy like Marc, you’re never going to be able to replace a player like that,” said Tuomie. “For me, being in that senior position, I wanted to make sure I am at the top of my game and do everything I can to make our team better.”

A day following the injury to Michaelis, his German mates chipped in with the necessary offense to spark an emotional comeback victory. Tuomie scored a power play goal and Napravnik assisted on two more, including the Mavericks’ winning goal in sudden death overtime.

The next Saturday, Minnesota State suffered only their fourth loss of the year to in-state rival Bemidji 4-2. The Mavericks power play—ranked #1 in the country with Michaelis healthy—failed to score in their three man-up opportunities.

Last weekend Michaelis assisted on three goals, and Tuomie scored a last-minute goal with an extra attacker to lead Minnesota State to a win and a tie against Alaska Anchorage. But relentless Bemidji shaved another point off the Mavericks lead to 5 points in the standings.

There is no timeline when injured captain Michaelis will return to the Minnesota State lineup, but sooner is better for Minnesota State fans. They are counting on German national team veterans Michaelis. Tuomie and Napravnik to lead the Mavericks to their first taste of NCAA tournament success. How the team copes with the loss of Michaelis, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer among active players, is one of the major stories in college hockey today.

All of Minnesota State’s games can be watched via live stream on FloHockey.TV. Subscribers can view all of Minnesota State’s games On Demand as well. Next weekend the Mavericks will be playing nationally ranked Northern Michigan. At this writing, there is no official word as to whether or not Michaelis will be in uniform.