Dartmouth Ready for Overseas Excursion

HANOVER, N.H. -- On Wednesday, Dec. 10 the Dartmouth men's hockey team will be taking its first foreign trip since the mid-1990s. The Big Green will be using its post-finals break to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden on a 10-day excursion.

Dartmouth will play its first of four games in Copenhagen before taking on three highly skilled teams in Stockholm.

"It's going to be a trip of a lifetime for us," said head coach Bob Gaudet. "Initially I was thinking of a more cultural/hockey experience but with such a young team I found I wanted more of a hockey experience with some cultural time. The hockey experience will be more of a positive thing for us. Hockey in that part of the world is so high-level with their training, how they're coached and how they play. My hope is that some of that will rub off, not only on the players but on me and my coaching staff."

A trip that has been more than 10-years in the making for Gaudet and his staff of Brendan Whittet and Dave Peters, the Big Green realizes how this trip will open doors for other college teams to have the same experience as well as open up the possibility of attending Dartmouth to student-athletes in another part of the world.

"We get that we're the trailblazers," Gaudet said. "I would hope that other Division I coaches see that a trip like this is possible. We're also looking at this from a recruiting standpoint. Maybe there will be a player from that area that has an interest in coming to Dartmouth College and we just want to showcase our product."

Gaudet is also using this trip as a way to touch base with several alumni groups in the area.

"There are two big groups of alumns that we're hoping to connect with," Gaudet said. "We are looking forward to having them come out to support us at the games."

Check in with DartmouthSports.com for daily updates on the team's trip. Daily blogs along with photos will be posted.

Below is a possible itinerary outlining the Big Green's trip. 

Day 1    Depart Boston to Copenhagen, Denmark

Day 2     Arrive in Copenhagen and meet the bus along with tour escort. Orientation drive to the city. Check in at hotel. Practice at Gentofte Ice Rink and then return to hotel for welcome dinner.

Day 3    Breakfast at hotel before a guided tour of Copenhagen viewing many of the major sights of the city, including Tivoli Garden and the Langelinie Harbor with its Lille Havfrue Statue. Game at Gentofte Ice Rink against Gentofte Stars.
            
Day 4   Breakfast at hotel before a walk to the National Museum. After the museum, group will skate on one of Copenhagen's outdoor rinks and then will explore and enjoy the cafés and shops.

Day 5  Copenhagen / Stockholm  Early breakfast at hotel. Check-out of hotel and meet bus and tour guide. Group will transfer to the train station and board  train to Stockholm, Sweden for an afternoon arrival. Meet bus and transfer to hotel for check-in. Group will attend AIK Game in the afternoon at the Globe Arena. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6   Stockholm, Sweden   Breakfast at the hotel before team meets with local guide for a private, guided city tour of Stockholm. Practice at Ritorp Ice Rink

Day 7    Stockholm  Breakfast at the hotel. Free time in the morning to explore Stockholm. Meet tour guide and transfer by bus to city center. Plan to visit Gamla Stan, the Old Town of  Stadsholmen, an island in the center of the city. Practice at Ritorp Ice Rink (3:00pm-4:00pm).

Day 8  Stockholm   Breakfast at the hotel before practice at Ritorp Ice Rink. Morning excursion to Drottningholm, a 17th century French-style Palace and the official residence of the Royal Family since 1982. Return to Stockholm for game vs Djurgardens IF at the Ritorp Ice Rink.
       
Day 9    Stockholm  Breakfast at the hotel before practice at Ritorp. After practice, group will explore the Vasa Museum which contains the preserved War ship from 1628 along with eight large exhibitions. Free time to explore Stockholm and the waterfront area. Evening game vs Sodertalje SK at Ritorp Ice Rink.

Day 10 Stockholm  Breakfast at the hotel before practice at Ritorp. Take bus to city center for a visit to the Nobel Museum along with a boat excursion to one of the city's islands. Final game vs. AIK at the Ritorp Ice Rink.

Day 11 Stockholm  Early departure for airport for return flight to Boston.