Power Play: Time spent in NZ everything expected - and more

Let's be honest here. This 2011 Dunedin Thunder ice hockey season was a tough one.

Not only did we start the season with very little depth, but the epidemic of injuries made things very hard on us. I guess it can explain, in part, that record of five wins and 11 losses.

Even if I wish things had turned out differently on the ice, this New Zealand trip was still everything I expected - and even more.

I got the chance to play the game I love, to travel all across the country and to meet amazing people. Hayden Meikle, the sports editor of the Otago Daily Times, was even kind enough to give me my own column in the paper.

It was not only a great pleasure to give my opinion about ice hockey but also a great privilege to be in contact with the readers of the ODT. Some people found me funny; others found me a bit hard on New Zealand's juvenile ice hockey culture.

I still think I was fair and honest in my comments. Just like I did on the ice, I tried my best to make the sport grow in the land down under.

Even if there is a lot of work to be done before reaching the level of excellence of traditional ice hockey countries, I think the sport is going in the right direction.

I saw in Queenstown a passion for ice hockey that is similar to what we have back home. I saw in Botany a team that could probably beat many junior A programmes in Canada. I even saw in team-mate Paris Gino Heyd professional hope for the players of tomorrow.

Ben Roth, just 15, is certainly one of those kids who could eventually follow his footsteps. If he puts as much effort into his books as he does in sports, he will get very far in life.

I had the chance to know Ben on a personal level as I was hosted by the Roth family this season. I absolutely loved everything about that house, even their barky dog.

I would personally like to thank law professor Paul Roth for all his knowledge and generosity. His stories about his childhood in New York City, the United Nations and all his trips around the world will be greatly missed.

I would also like to thank Prof Barbara Brookes from the bottom of my heart. Even if I was 15,000km away from Montreal, she always made me feel like I was at home.

I came here with the intention to make the most of this experience and I think I did. Outside my duties with the Thunder and the ODT, I have worked for the university and travelled to Tekapo, Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Naseby, Gore, Invercargill and Stewart Island. I even played in that USA-Canada international game.

But most of all, I have made new friends - friends for life. Special thanks to Dave Dunlop and the Dunedin Thunder management, my team-mates, the club supporters, the ODT and of course the Roth family. As we say in French, au revoir mes amis!

• JP Bertrand is a journalist and ice hockey player. This was his debut season with the Dunedin Thunder.