It\u2019s been a long time in the making.<\/p>\n
Mason remembers when Zoe first heard about this junket two years ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018Dibs, I\u2019m going, I\u2019m going.\u2019 She was pumped for it. It\u2019s been a blast so far,\u201d Mason said following Monday\u2019s practice at American Airlines Center.<\/p>\n
Zoe introduced herself to the Bruins with a flawless reading of the starting lineup in Chicago, and then watched as big bro scored a pair of goals in Saturday night\u2019s comeback win over the Blackhawks<\/a> \u2014 perhaps his best game as a Bruin coming on his 25th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cI was pretty nervous walking in,\u201d Zoe said. \u201cI tried to get the other sisters to read it too, but they didn\u2019t want to. So, I had to take the lead there a little bit, but I loved it. It was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Get Starting Point<\/p>\n A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n Mason clearly fed off the momentum.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s obviously eating it up. So, she\u2019s having a great time and I\u2019m having a blast that she\u2019s here,\u201d said Mason, who is a year older than Zoe. \u201cSo, we\u2019re really close. And yeah, it\u2019s just been a blast so far, and she\u2019s a little buzzsaw bringing the energy for the boys.\u201d <\/p>\n Like most trips, however, there has been a little turbulence. Lohrei \u2014 and the rest of the hockey world \u2014 woke up Saturday (coincidentally his birthday) to trade rumors swirling on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t have Twitter. I feel like that\u2019s where a lot of that stuff goes on. But even on Instagram, my explore page, stuff like that, it was just like popping up everywhere,\u201d said Lohrei. \u201cSo, I don\u2019t know. You can\u2019t really control it. Just show up and enjoy every day with these guys. I love everybody on this team.\u201d<\/p>\n Lohrei was linked to Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who was eventually traded to the Golden Knights on Sunday. Lohrei acknowledged that the news was welcomed.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it here. I\u2019ve said it before. I want to be a Boston Bruin for my entire career,\u201d he said. \u201cI love the city, the fans, the organization. There\u2019s a lot of special moments in 2\u00bd years, and I want to keep building that with all these guys. So, obviously it\u2019s kind of a sigh of relief that I get that weight off my shoulders, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lohreis are a hockey family. Dave Lohrei has been a coach at nearly every level, from the high school and college ranks through the USHL, CHL, and ECHL.<\/p>\n Mason and Zoe played youth hockey \u2014 Dave would drag them to the rink all the time \u2014 but they grew especially close during COVID, when they would spend hours skating and working out together in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no ice or anything, but we had the key to the rink [Sauk Prairie Arena],\u201d said Lohrei. \u201cWe would go and we\u2019d work out and shoot pucks together, stickhandle. Yeah, we spent a lot of time together.\u201d<\/p>\n Those times sharpened both players\u2019 skills. Mason ended up playing at Ohio State, while Zoe played four seasons at Adrian (Mich.) College.<\/p>\n \u201cHe definitely held me accountable all through COVID, but he\u2019s so good at supporting my goals, and I try to do the same to him,\u201d said Zoe, who started as a defenseman before switching to forward, the opposite of what Mason did. \u201cWe would wake up and drive to whatever rink was open, and from there just try to get in the gym as much as we could. Always doing something together. He\u2019s my best friend and I\u2019m so proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, along with that close relationship comes the inevitable sibling rivalry. When asked if there\u2019s a hockey skill that Zoe is better at, Mason laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cShe likes to think she\u2019s better than me at all of them, but it\u2019s pretty clear that\u2019s not true,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI am better at all of them,” said Zoe, with a similar laugh. \u201cI can\u2019t just choose one. No muffins up the middle from me.\u201d<\/p>\n Though her collegiate career is in the books \u2014 she scored 24 goals and 66 points at Adrian \u2014 Zoe is staying in the game. Coincidentally, in Dallas, where she moved in August to take an internship with the North American Hockey League.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I work in junior hockey, and I do hockey operations for them,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun. It\u2019s a different world, but I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n That post is on hold at least through Tuesday night, when the sibling trip wraps up.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a blast so far,\u201d said Mason. \u201cSo, we\u2019ve got to get one more win tomorrow and we\u2019ll call it a successful trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n