Dartmouth Experiences First Full Day in Stockholm, Outdoor Hockey

Day Five Photos

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The Dartmouth men's hockey team began it's fifth day with a wonderful breakfast buffet before hopping the bus to explore Stockholm.

An two-hour bus ride through most of the major neighborhoods gave you a real idea of the size of this capital city. Despite Stockholm being on several islands it's not hard to get around and you don't feel like it's divided in any way.

Pars showed us things like the Royal Palace, the Parliament Building, a wonderful view of three of the main islands as well as the Nobel Building where the prizes are handed out.

After the tour the group was left to explore the shopping and eating of the area around Central Station known as Klarabergsgatan. Of course the mall was discovered and when everyone made their way back to the station to hop the commuter rail, bags from H&M, Puma and Nike were clearly visible.

It was just a short ride on the train back to the hotel stop of Ulriksdahl. Once back at the hotel it was up to the rooms, drop bags off, grab warm clothes and it was off for a short walk up the road to the rink.

The Big Green was given the opportunity to hold two of its practices outdoors at the rink where Valkommen till of AIK Hockey plays. Dartmouth will also be playing its last game there at the indoor rink on Friday.

When we got to the rink we discovered that Dartmouth's alumni team was also there practicing. It was a good time to mingle with the alumns who made the trip as the two groups skated together for quite awhile, playing a short pickup game.

After a spirited practice it was back to the hotel for dinner and then free time. Most of the guys had learned there was a university just three stops up on the T, so it was decided to head up there and see what nightlife they could scare up on a Monday night.

Tomorrow will bring another bus tour before settling in Old Town to explore the quaint shops as well as the Palace. The team will have another outdoor evening practice under the lights as they get ready for their first game in Sweden, second of the trip on Wednesday.

This trip has been funded through team fundraising activities and private donations over the past four years. The NCAA allows each varsity team to travel internationally once every four years and Ivy League rules prohibit the use of institutional budget funds for this purpose.

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