Rylie Griffiths

Lake Placid Winter Travel Guide

February 4, 2026 by Rylie Griffiths

Currently, the thick snow covers the trees, the main street is decorated with lights, and the town is bustling. Although the vibrant autumn leaves do pose big competition, there is no better time to be in Lake Placid than in the winter.

Enjoying Mirror Lake in the winter. Photo: TripAdvisor

Visitors are overwhelmed by the activities and food options, which is why I am sharing the ultimate winter guide to Lake Placid today. With two years of local experience, I have created a guide for tourists to make the most of their visit!

Let’s begin with food options. I recommend a lighter breakfast because there will be big meals later in the day. Soul Shine Bagels or Big Mountain Deli and Creperie offer excellent grab-and-go options that taste delicious. Whether you are feeling sweet or savory, you can’t go wrong there.

For lunch, I would hands-down recommend the Cottage at the Mirror Lake Inn. Right on the water, they serve cozy, old-school-style food in an amazing atmosphere with great service.

For dinner, I have two choices depending on your mood. Jimmy’s 21 Eatery serves homemade Italian in an upscale dining room, while Lisa G’s, a street off the lake, is much more casual and has the best burger in town. Dessert at either of these restaurants is never disappointing.

Activity-wise, after reading all of this, you will want to extend your stay. Walking, skating, playing, fishing, tobogganing, or dog sledding out on Mirror Lake are once-in-a-lifetime experiences with incredible views of the mountains. In town, shopping is great for both adults and kids. An obvious main attraction is skiing, so if you aren’t on the slopes yourself, make sure to watch any events happening at Whiteface or the Olympic ski jumping facilities. Last but not least, don’t forget to either walk through or take a tour of the iconic Olympic Centre arena, and take a moment to read and appreciate the history made there in 1932 and 1980.

I will leave you with two important takeaways. One, make sure your camera is charged, because being able to capture these moments and look back on them later will bring you great joy. Two, make sure to wear layers. That mountain air is crisp, and you wouldn’t want to catch a cold.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Real World

Girls’ Hockey Head to Minnesota for JWHL Weekend

January 23, 2026 by Rylie Griffiths

Buses are rolling late at night. Photo: Rylie Griffiths.

This weekend, Northwood girls’ hockey will travel down to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for a huge weekend with JWHL league points on the line. This is the second back-to-back weekend for the girls, following their Northwood Tournament win earlier this week.

With a very quick turnaround, they left school on Thursday at 1:30 am to catch their 5:30 am flight out of Albany to Chicago, and then to Minneapolis. Their excitement and anticipation for the weekend made it difficult to catch a few hours of sleep on Wednesday night. Sophomore Summer MacLean ’28 shared what she was most excited about. “I am looking forward to the flight with the team, because airport travel with the girls is always so fun. I also can’t wait to play in the massive 3M arena, which hosted the World Juniors only a few weeks ago.”

The JWHL league weekend in Minnesota is talked about all season long, and the games are considered some of the most important of the season. To add to all this energy, the competition lineup includes some of Northwood’s biggest rivals and the top teams in the nation. The girls are scheduled to play NAHA, Stanstead, and Shattuck Saint Mary’s.

The games will be played at 3M and Ridder arenas on the university’s campus. It is a great atmosphere for the girls. There is a large campus with the hotel, rink, and food options all within walking distance. In light of the recent events in Minneapolis, the league and school have taken extra precautions to ensure that the trip is safe for student-athletes to attend.

To support the girls as they play to secure first place in the standings, their game schedule is included below, along with the live stream link.

Friday January 23rd

10:00 am vs. Shattuck 19s

6:00 pm vs. Stanstead

Saturday January 24th

8:00 am vs. NAHA

6:00 pm vs. Shattuck Prep

Sunday January 25th

8:00 am vs. NAHA

Live stream of the games is available here… https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwomenshockeyleague1127

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Lake Placid “Runs Back the Miracle”

January 15, 2026 by Rylie Griffiths

Photo from PR Newswire.

“Do you believe in miracles? … Yes!” Al Michaels famous call as the crowd roared during the final seconds of the United States’ 1980 Men’s Olympic hockey team’s 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union. Many consider the upset by the American college kids over the mighty Soviets the greatest sporting event the world has ever seen.

A second miracle is coming back to Lake Placid, almost a half-century later.

Photo from Anheuser-Busch.

On January 15, Northwood’s home rink, the Herb Brooks Arena at the Olympic Center, will be re-hosting this iconic game once again, updated with today’s modern technologies. The exact same game will be taking place on the exact same rink with the exact same players, but how, you may ask? With holograms. With extraordinarily precise lasers, lights, and audio effects, the game will be played again.

The archival footage will be brought to life through full-surface ice projection. The equipment needed to pull off this sort of event is, as you can imagine, highly advanced. Rumors circulating around the rink this week estimate the total cost of this event is well over two million dollars. Unfortunately, the event sponsor, Michelob Ultra, sets the entry age to 21. For anyone underage or unable to attend live, the game will stream on Peacock in February.

The goal of the reenactment is to raise support for Team USA as they head to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The excitement is evident; Lake Placid has been buzzing. I had the opportunity to catch up with Northwood girls’ hockey player, Ryan Erster ‘27, who caught a glimpse of a practice run: “It was unlike anything I have ever seen, human-sized holograms skating, shooting, and fighting with the perfect sounds to match it all!”

A few lucky Northwood faculty members have found tickets, including Trevor Gilligan and Andy Donatello. Until the rest of us can watch in February, find them to ask them about their experience.