Hello to everyone in Monarchs Country!  I hope you all had a terrific weekend!  I’d like to give a special thanks to all the Monarchs fans that made a difference with me this weekend by supporting Autism Speaks at their ninth annual walk last week!

Last weekend was amazing for me because I spent time with many young Monarchs fans at the Manchester West U-10 Soccer Festival!  This festival helped raise money for T.O.P. Soccer, a program that helps young soccer players with special needs get out on the field.

I also got to meet Matt Reis at the festival.  Reis is the goalkeeper for the New England Revolution and a member of the 2012 U.S.A. Olympic Team.  Matt was there with my friend Slyde the Fox, who is the biggest fan of the New England Revolution, and someone who I have not seen in ages!  All is well with Sylde and he wishes us a great season!

Speaking of the season, Monarchs players are starting to arrive in Manchester for the start of Training Camp which means the 2012-13 season is finally arriving!  Today, I caught up with my buddies and Monarchs defensemen Andrew Campbell and Jake Muzzin who just spent eight and a half hours driving to get here from Ontario!  That is a long drive but it is not even the longest on the team!  Imagine if you were Justin Johnson coming in from Alaska!!  I feel like I have not seen them in ages!! I can not wait for the season to start!!!

Looking ahead, this weekend will be a busy one for me! Aside from going to the Monarchs Training Camp open practices at Sullivan Arena, I also plan to try and make a difference by supporting the JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes this Sunday.  You can find me at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium a little before noon for this annual walk that raises money for juvenile diabetes research!

Looking for some more free fun this weekend?  Of course you are!  You can find a full day of fun for the family at Lil’ Iguana’s Family Fun Day at Nashua High School South! I will be there early in the morning when the event kicks off, but it will be going on all day!  There will be live entertainment, bounce houses, face painting, arcade games and other great activities!  Do not forget to show me what you get at the hockey shoot-out!

Thanks for tuning into my blog everyone!  I am excited to welcome all Monarchs players back to Monarchs Country this weekend, as they report for training camp!  Be on the look out for next week’s blog when I update you all on the Monarchs Training Camp!