Take a short adventure with my family through our recent trip to see a minor league hockey game in town. The team didn't win, but we did. I was still trying to spend my birthday money from grandma, but I left with more than what I came with. Read below and thank you for stopping by! Note: All pictures and videos in this post were taken by me.

This past Sunday, we decided to attend a local Bloomington Flying Aces hockey game in Bloomington, Illinois. Thanks to a couple of vouchers from the local library's reading program, we had two free tickets to the game. My two-year-old got in free, so we only ended up needing a single ticket, which we purchased for $9 to sit one row from the glass.

Watch some of the hockey highlights, including kids playing during the first intermission, below.

We arrived to the game halfway through the first period because we have children and leaving on time is impossible regardless of how early you plan on leaving. When we arrived, Bloomington was tied 1-1 with the Muskegon (Michigan) Lumberjacks. Although I've been attending hockey games for well over 20 years, I do not consider myself to be an expert at breaking down and analyzing the action, so I'll spare you my analysis. However, it was clear from the start that Muskegon was moving the puck and defending better than Bloomington.

The Lumberjacks quickly jumped out to a 3-1 lead before the first period came to an end, and we were off to explore the stadium.

Our first stop was a puck-shooting station setup for kids, although there were just as many adults hitting pucks as children. Both of my kids had no idea how to hold a stick, so we worked on that for a bit while my oldest put everyone's life in danger swinging the stick up and down. He got in a couple decent shots before moving on.

We got back in time to see a fight, which I missed getting on video, but I was able to capture this shot of the Flying Aces #10, who would serve a two-minute penalty for roughing (no majors given out during the game).

With a couple of restless children, we once again headed up to walk around. Surprisingly, the pro shop was very nice when compared to the stadium and low attendance.

We didn't buy anything, but I did consider purchasing a real puck for the kids at $7. Since they would likely break things and hurt each other with it, I passed for now. Maybe next time.

Since I had some money to spend from grandma (I received $100 for my birthday two weeks ago), I decided to play a couple of games. First, I purchased the chance to toss six pucks on the ice for $5. You throw the pucks at targets on the ice to win gift cards and even a washer if you can toss your puck into an open washer on the ice (good way to promote your appliance store).

I also purchased six 50/50 raffle tickets for $5. For those of you who aren't familiar, a 50/50 raffle gives half of the winnings to charity and half to a single winner.

After the second intermission, I got a chance to toss the six pucks. I gave one to my five-year-old who barely got it over the glass, but he made it on the first try. With my last puck, which I threw just before they stopped allowing throws, I was able to get it over to a bullseye to win a prize. I couldn't read the sign, so I had to wait to see what I had won.

After going back to the pro shop, I learned that I had won a $10 gift certificate to my favorite donut shop -- Denny's Doughnuts. Unfortunately, my current diet doesn't allow donuts, so I will either have to give them as a gift to someone or hold onto the card until I am able to eat them. I was pretty happy with my throw and prize, but that wouldn't be the last thing I would win.

With only a few people participating, I actually won the 50/50 raffle for $20, which covered the $9 ticket and the two $5 purchases. Not bad at all!

The family had a great time at the game, even with the Flying Aces losing 5-1. It was a very inexpensive family outing and I do enjoy supporting local teams.

Thank you for stopping by! I'd love to hear your thoughts and answer any questions in the comment section below.