Monday's solar eclipse was just the cherry on top for those who traveled to Utica to watch the U.S. and Canada battle it out at the end of the IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship.
Keri Misiaszek and her daughter Bryn Babbie, 11, were visiting Utica from Chazy, a town about nine miles from the New York-Canada border.
Misiaszek was standing next to the giant Adirondack chairs that dot the front entrance of the Adirondack Bank Center in downtown Utica.
All the while, Brin stood on a chair, occasionally putting on eclipse glasses to watch the sun begin to dim.
Misiaszek said she could have stayed home and watched the eclipse, but she and her daughter wanted to watch Team USA play.
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Misiaszek said it was perfect because the eclipse would also pass through Utica, and she and her daughter didn't have to miss it.
“It's a win, a win,” Misiaszek said.
Mr. Misiaszek has ties to the area on his father's side, and Mr. Bryn played youth hockey at the Adirondack Bank Center.
Asked about the eclipse, Brin said with a shrug: “It's fine.”
path of wholeness
Visibility for the total solar eclipse reached 99% in most areas of the Mohawk Valley.
The eclipse began around 2:10 p.m., gradually covered by the moon, and reached a peak of local darkness around 3:24 p.m. The moon slowly moved away from the sun, and the eclipse ended around 4:35 p.m.
Unfortunately, the clouds won out and made the eclipse difficult to see and sometimes even obscured it.
hockey tournament
The IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship went on without a break on Monday, with three games scheduled despite a historic solar eclipse.
Switzerland and Sweden were competing on the ice during the eclipse. The game started at 3 p.m., about 30 minutes before the sky began to darken.
The United States and Canada played in a nightcap.
IIHF officials said they distributed 1,000 eclipse glasses to attendees of Monday's game.
weather
Monday's eclipse weather was slightly warmer than in previous years, with highs in the mid-60s, a stark contrast to the cold, windy, and rainy first day of the competition.
People outside the Adirondack Banking Center and in nearby villages wore T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts and light jackets.
It has become quite cold as the moon blocks the sun.
first city
Monday was the first time Olivia Pagels of Blauvelt, New York, and Daniel Amoia of Emerson, New Jersey, visited Utica.
The couple had come to Utica for a hockey tournament. They had already watched the first game at 11 a.m. and were scheduled to watch the eclipse before entering the 3 p.m. game.
The couple was looking forward to watching the USA vs. Canada game on Monday night. Amoia was wearing a USA shirt.
“I think this is really cool,” Pagels said of Monday's eclipse and tournament.
Amoia talked about her experience with the solar eclipse along with the hockey tournament.
“That's good,” he said. “I love the arena.”
