Senior Ole Setsaas was chosen to play on the Norwegian National U20 team this winter. In between practices, games, travel, and yes, homework, Ole is managing to find time to write to the Williston Northampton community while competing in this international tournament.
Read more about Ole and his teammates as they compete across Europe here.
December 7, 2011, Oslo, Norway
Dear Williston Northampton,
I can’t promise you a blog as good as Mr. Swanson’s blog but I’ll do my best.
Today the team met at the 1954 Olympic Rink in Oslo, and we had a successful day of practices. We skated two times, once at 12:00 p.m. and another at 6:00 p.m., and we had a little stretch session between. We ate lunch and dinner together, in the restaurant operated by the rink. The practice had a very fast pace, so I’m excited to see how we do against the other teams in the tournament.
The team is stacked with good players: Lars Volden (drafted 181th overall by Boston Bruins), Sondre Olden (drafted 79th overall by Toronto Maple Leafs), Adrian Danielsen (Drummonville Volgeurs QMJHL), and Jonas Knutsen (Prince Albert Raiders WHL). There are two kids from the Swedish Elite League, one from the Finnish Elite League, and the rest play in the Norwegian Get-league. Then there’s me, from Williston. As you can see I’m the only one not playing professional and/or major junior hockey.
I hope everyone is doing well and that the boys varsity beat Cushing today.
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas
December 9, 2011, Germany
Hey Guys,
Thanks for the reply and tell the guys I miss them.
Today we arrived in Germich which is two hours south of Munich, it’s a little town between two huge mountains. It’s very nice here, and the hotel room is big.
We practiced right after we landed so I’m pretty exhausted right now. Tomorrow we have two ice practices and a dry land workout between. Then on Sunday we open the Championship against Great Britain. It’s been so much fun so far and the next couple days are going to be better. Hope everything is going well!
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas
December 11, 2011, Germany
Hey Guys,
Today we played Great Britain in the opening game of the tournament. We started off losing 2-0, but we finished strong and won 5-2. I played in the 4th line but still scored a nice goal. Tomorrow we have two practices and a dry land workout before we play Belarus on Tuesday.
I use the days off to catch up on some homework and rest for the games. Hope everything at Williston is going well!
Here’s a news article about me:
http://www.hockeynorge.no/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=159%3Aavslutter-med-stil&Itemid=219
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas
December 13, 2011, Germany
Hey Guys,
The days here in Germany go by so fast. I’m having so much fun, and the team is great. I’m so thankful for Williston letting me go over here and represent my country.
Today we lost a thrilling game 3-2 against Belarus. This means we are a little further away from winning gold and moving up to the big leagues, but we didn’t lose faith and we still think it’s an achievable goal.
The game tomorrow is against Austria, which is going to be a tough one. I hope everything is going well at Williston before winter break.
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas
December 14, 2011, Germany
Hey Guys,
It usually takes me four to five days, but this time it took me a week to get more adjusted to European time. I feel a lot more rested now.
Today we won 5-2 over Austria. It was a good game with lots of nice goals, and it was played at a fast pace. I had one assist on the first goal we scored, which means I have two points in three games. Not bad for a fourth liner. Tomorrow we are going to a mountain close by and do some mountain hiking for our day off before we practice at night.
I will write a new blog after our game against Slovankia on Friday. I hope everything is good!
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas
December 17, Germany
Hey Guys,
Today’s the big day; the championship final against Germany (probably the best team in this tournament). They have won all their games so far, and we have one loss so we are the underdogs.
Yesterday was also a big day when we beat Slovenia 4-1 in a game where we clearly were the better team. That placed us in the final with Germany. This is probably the biggest game of my life so far and I’m so excited to get out there. So wish me good luck, and I’ll get back with another blog either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas
December 18, Germany
Hey guys,
I’m sad this week’s hard work didn’t pay off, and I’m frustrated we lost the last game. We were up 3-2 with five minutes left in the third period and then Germany tied it up 3-3. After that they capitalized on a penalty and scored one more to win it.
Overall it’s been a great week, and I’m sad it’s over. I would like to thank everyone at Williston and the staff there for letting me participate in this event and represent my country. It meant a lot to me.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ole Setsaas