There is nothing like state tourney time. The atmosphere during the playoffs and state tournaments during the winter season is just fun. Topping the list? Most likely the high school boys hockey tourney. It's one of the best ones around.
Every year it seems I get the hockey tourney fever worse than before. It makes me want to do nothing but watch hockey from the Wednesday quarterfinals to the end of championship Saturday; in person is best. My brother and I went to the Class 1A championship game a couple years ago between St. Thomas Academy and Hermantown.
This year, I made it down to watch the same game, except it was No. 2-seed Hermantown versus No. 1-seed East Grand Forks March 8 at the Xcel Energy Center. St. Thomas, a dominant hockey squad which has since moved up to Class 2A, failed to make the tourney. This was the fifth year in a row that Hermantown made the state finals - and this time there was no private school standing in its way.
Hawks a favorite to win it all
Like many others, I was picking Hermantown as the team to beat. But what I didn't realize is that the Hawks actually had kind of a rebuilding year. Only six players on this year's team played in the state tourney last season. Coach Bruce Plante said it perfectly after the game, saying that people were picking his team because of the hockey tradition in the northern Minnesota town, rather than the talent and experience of this year's players.
What I hoped would be a great game between the two schools wasn't exactly what I expected. The East Grand Forks Green Wave beat the Hawks 7-3 after scoring five unanswered goals in the second period. It was a game that was pretty well over by the time the second intermission arrived.
The Hawks had their chances in the first period. After a bit of a choppy start, they basically had three power plays right in a row, and even some 5-on-3 time. It took them a little while to get something going. They didn't register a power-play shot until the second opportunity with the man advantage.
Credit goes to East Grand Forks for not allowing the Hawks to get on the scoreboard during those power plays.
"I thought we won that game in the first period," said EGF Head Coach Tyler Palmiscno. "To kill off those penalties..."
Momentum quickly shifts, floodgates open for Wave
Hermantown seemed to have the momentum going into the locker room though. The puck trickled in behind the Green Wave goalie with just 32.4 ticks remaining in the first to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. I hoped for more of the same in the second, or at least a pretty close contest.
It only took a couple minutes into the second for East Grand Forks to tie the game, as one of its players split the defensemen to score. The Green Wave took the lead about a minute later, after a big hit in the neutral zone on one of the Hawks, and didn't look back.
A couple minutes after that it was a 3-1 lead on a power-play goal, as a big pile of Hawks were in the crease trying desperately to get the rebound out of there. Just like at a wave pool or the ocean, the Green Wave kept coming. It scored two more times, with 2:34 and 31.6 seconds left in the period, to take a commanding 5-1 lead, making the third period a formality.
I was having a hard time figuring out if the Green Wave offense was just that much better, or if the Hawks goalie was having an off game. It seemed to me that some of those goals could have, and should have, been stopped. But then again, I've never been in between the pipes before.
Green Wave domination
In what was probably a necessary move, Hermantown changed goalies to start the third. If it was to spark some life into the Hawks, it didn't seem to work out that well. They made it 5-2, giving some hope that another quick goal could have turned the game around. But East Grand Forks pumped in another two to ice the first championship in school history. The Hawks scored a power-play goal with about four minutes left in a too little, too late fashion.
The final shot advantage went to East Grand Forks at 29-25. The Green Wave took part in the typical championship celebration on the ice after the final second ticked away.
"I thought today we came out with our best," Palmiscno said. "It still hasn't really sunk in. Nobody can ever take this away from us."
More heartbreak for the Hawks
For Hermantown, it was another championship that got away. The scene on their side of the ice during the awards ceremony looked like a funeral. You could tell that they were a dejected team. Coming in second would be a great accomplishment for some schools, but for the Hawks, second place year after year is tough to take.
"If it didn't hurt so much, I'd laugh," Plante said. "Our kids played hard. We ran into a better team."
He did say it feels better losing to East Grand Forks than to anybody else, a shot at some of its past private-school opponents, no doubt.
During the news conference, Plante was asked if he'd be back to coach next year. He didn't give a firm answer, saying it's to be decided after some thought. This yearly routine becomes a "big sack of rocks on your back after awhile," he said.
I hope he doesn't decide to hang it up just yet.
The tourney is always fun, and it was great to be there for a game. My goal is still to be there for the entire tournament some time, or a least stay for an entire semi-final session. This is the tournament that makes Minnesota the State of Hockey.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
USA women's hockey falls short in golden classic
I never would have thought I would be writing a blog about women's hockey. But here I am. Thursday, the United States and Canada met in the gold medal game at the Sochi Olympics, to the surprise of not many, I'm sure.
For the fourth consecutive Olympics, the Canadian women won the gold, with a 3-2 overtime victory over the USA women. The hardware didn't come without some late-game heroics and nail-biting excitement, however.
Since I was at the office while it seemed the rest of the continent was watching the game, I followed along via Twitter. You pretty much know exactly what's going on if you follow enough of the right people.
Comfortable lead? Not exactly
The teams were scoreless through the first period. Team USA took a 1-0 lead in the second, and then a 2-0 lead in the third. I watched a replay of the game later and saw USA kick back slightly with that two-goal cushion. Just as I thought that, TV analyst Pierre McGuire commented, "Don't sit back," with 12 minutes left in regulation, adding that you don't want to be in the habit of just defending.
It's the old, trying-not-to-lose way of finishing out a game, rather than trying to win. That bug hit USA.
The game was a good one, to be sure. The players skated hard and it was actually a pretty physical game. I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't made it a secret that I hold boys/men's hockey to a better standard than girls/women. It's just not the same level to me. However, Thursday's game showed me the level was pretty close to even, at least for that contest.
The final 3:26 changed the tide
Canada struck with 3:26 left in regulation. Though it may be stating the obvious, a 2-1 game is much different than 2-0. That insurance goal is huge. It only took that one goal to give Canada a chance to grab hold of the momentum. It pulled the goalie with 1:35 left.
One of the daggers for USA came 13 seconds later. From their own blue line, they shot the puck toward the empty net. It hit the pipe. That goal would have likely put the gold medals around the necks of the USA players.
In the final minute scramble, Canada made it a tie game with 54 ticks left. Just 54 seconds separated USA from striking gold.
By the way, there are so many references to the "Mighty Ducks" movies I could throw out here that correlate to this game. A few of them showed up on Twitter.
All of a sudden, here's overtime
Overtime got interesting. USA must have regrouped well enough during the intermission, because it had a few good scoring chances early. Canada took a penalty, giving USA a short-lived power play. That's because six seconds later, the refs called an absolute textbook "even-up" penalty on USA. "Even-up" is commonly referred to by hockey fans when one team is on the power play, and then that team gets penalized, to even the number of skaters again. Usually, the validity of these calls is questionable.
The player barely lifted her stick to poke at the puck in the Canadian goalie's pads, a play that is pretty typical and has been done much more aggressively. I guess that was deemed a slash.
Anyway, a minute later, USA went to the box again, for a crosscheck which arguably could have been a penalty shot in Canada's favor. It was that 5-on-3 advantage, where Canada was set up in the offensive zone, that it scored the golden goal with 11:50 left in the extra session.
Joy for our neighbors to the north, disappointment for us.
I must say, I loved how so many people were hockey fans Thursday and throughout the Olympics. I just wish we could get more fans of the game all the time. Not just every four years.
For the fourth consecutive Olympics, the Canadian women won the gold, with a 3-2 overtime victory over the USA women. The hardware didn't come without some late-game heroics and nail-biting excitement, however.
Since I was at the office while it seemed the rest of the continent was watching the game, I followed along via Twitter. You pretty much know exactly what's going on if you follow enough of the right people.
Comfortable lead? Not exactly
The teams were scoreless through the first period. Team USA took a 1-0 lead in the second, and then a 2-0 lead in the third. I watched a replay of the game later and saw USA kick back slightly with that two-goal cushion. Just as I thought that, TV analyst Pierre McGuire commented, "Don't sit back," with 12 minutes left in regulation, adding that you don't want to be in the habit of just defending.
It's the old, trying-not-to-lose way of finishing out a game, rather than trying to win. That bug hit USA.
The game was a good one, to be sure. The players skated hard and it was actually a pretty physical game. I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't made it a secret that I hold boys/men's hockey to a better standard than girls/women. It's just not the same level to me. However, Thursday's game showed me the level was pretty close to even, at least for that contest.
The final 3:26 changed the tide
Canada struck with 3:26 left in regulation. Though it may be stating the obvious, a 2-1 game is much different than 2-0. That insurance goal is huge. It only took that one goal to give Canada a chance to grab hold of the momentum. It pulled the goalie with 1:35 left.
One of the daggers for USA came 13 seconds later. From their own blue line, they shot the puck toward the empty net. It hit the pipe. That goal would have likely put the gold medals around the necks of the USA players.
In the final minute scramble, Canada made it a tie game with 54 ticks left. Just 54 seconds separated USA from striking gold.
By the way, there are so many references to the "Mighty Ducks" movies I could throw out here that correlate to this game. A few of them showed up on Twitter.
All of a sudden, here's overtime
Overtime got interesting. USA must have regrouped well enough during the intermission, because it had a few good scoring chances early. Canada took a penalty, giving USA a short-lived power play. That's because six seconds later, the refs called an absolute textbook "even-up" penalty on USA. "Even-up" is commonly referred to by hockey fans when one team is on the power play, and then that team gets penalized, to even the number of skaters again. Usually, the validity of these calls is questionable.
The player barely lifted her stick to poke at the puck in the Canadian goalie's pads, a play that is pretty typical and has been done much more aggressively. I guess that was deemed a slash.
Anyway, a minute later, USA went to the box again, for a crosscheck which arguably could have been a penalty shot in Canada's favor. It was that 5-on-3 advantage, where Canada was set up in the offensive zone, that it scored the golden goal with 11:50 left in the extra session.
Joy for our neighbors to the north, disappointment for us.
I must say, I loved how so many people were hockey fans Thursday and throughout the Olympics. I just wish we could get more fans of the game all the time. Not just every four years.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Give the winter Olympics a try - with your remote
The Olympics have returned. The winter games kicked off last week in Sochi, Russia. I know many people knock the winter Olympics for being boring or showcasing sports no one watches or cares about, except only every four years.
I must say that I prefer the summer games to winter. Then again, I also rank those seasons in that order. Winter just means bitter cold, lots of snow and days where the light disappears. But that doesn't mean I haven't been tuning into the coverage when I have the chance.
Bring on the hockey
Being a hockey fan, I of course enjoy that sport the most when it comes to the Olympics. Give me the guys over the gals any day, however. I'm not much of a fan of women's hockey anyway. In the Olympics, they should just have Canada and the United States play each other for the gold and silver medals and be done with it. That's what the rest of the competition, or lack thereof, is like.
As excited as I am for hockey, I still think I'll be a little disappointed. It will be really hard to top the 2010 gold medal game between USA and Canada in Vancouver. Minnesota's own Zach Parise tied the game at two with under 25 seconds left in regulation. Then it was NHL superstar Sidney Crosby who scored the gold-winner in overtime to give the game to Canada.
Amazing game.
The Minnesota Wild have four Olympians this year: Parise will captain the USA team, and he'll be joined by Ryan Suter. Nino Niederreiter plays for the Swiss, and Mikael Granlund for Finland. Mikko Koivu was supposed to captain Finland's team, but he had to drop out of the games due to a nagging ankle injury.
Skating and boarding, too
Keeping with the ice theme, I'd have to say the figure skating competitions are my second-favorite to watch. This year, they added a team competition, which I think is good. It gives the viewers more skating to watch, and it just makes sense. It's like individual and team competitions in gymnastics.
I've also watched some ski jumping, alpine skiing, luge and snowboarding. New this year to snowboarding is the slope style. It's a run down the mountain with a chance for rail tricks and three jumps where riders can get huge air. I've found that I prefer this to the half pipe competition.
America's golden boy on the board, Shaun White, finished fourth in the half pipe. This was after he pulled out of slop style so he could focus on half pipe, where he's won gold the past two Olympics. He's being called a veteran of the sport now, and many wonder if he'll be at another games. Frankly, I'll be glad when they stop talking about him. He lost; move on.
Look at me talking about snowboarding like I know what I'm talking about. I really don't follow it.
Oh, and despite some more of the coverage and hype with curling, I still haven't been able to make myself actually sit down and watch it.
Ignorance is bliss
Sure, many of us don't know tons about the sports at the Olympics, like all the details with scoring, timing or technique. But that's why they have the color experts on the broadcasts.
For the most part, you don't have to be an expert to know what's going on or what the object is. Graphics and announcers keep you informed. In a lot of these sports, where scoring is subjective, it's a pretty safe bet that a fall is not a good thing and will result in lower scores.
So really, all you need to do is just sit back and watch. Marvel at how these athletes are so unbelievably strong that you have no idea how they are pulling off these sports they make look easy. Even if you don't enjoy winter sports, or prefer the summer games, you should still tune in (even if you're spoiled by the internet or social media).
It's just fun.
I must say that I prefer the summer games to winter. Then again, I also rank those seasons in that order. Winter just means bitter cold, lots of snow and days where the light disappears. But that doesn't mean I haven't been tuning into the coverage when I have the chance.
Bring on the hockey
Being a hockey fan, I of course enjoy that sport the most when it comes to the Olympics. Give me the guys over the gals any day, however. I'm not much of a fan of women's hockey anyway. In the Olympics, they should just have Canada and the United States play each other for the gold and silver medals and be done with it. That's what the rest of the competition, or lack thereof, is like.
As excited as I am for hockey, I still think I'll be a little disappointed. It will be really hard to top the 2010 gold medal game between USA and Canada in Vancouver. Minnesota's own Zach Parise tied the game at two with under 25 seconds left in regulation. Then it was NHL superstar Sidney Crosby who scored the gold-winner in overtime to give the game to Canada.
Amazing game.
The Minnesota Wild have four Olympians this year: Parise will captain the USA team, and he'll be joined by Ryan Suter. Nino Niederreiter plays for the Swiss, and Mikael Granlund for Finland. Mikko Koivu was supposed to captain Finland's team, but he had to drop out of the games due to a nagging ankle injury.
Skating and boarding, too
Keeping with the ice theme, I'd have to say the figure skating competitions are my second-favorite to watch. This year, they added a team competition, which I think is good. It gives the viewers more skating to watch, and it just makes sense. It's like individual and team competitions in gymnastics.
I've also watched some ski jumping, alpine skiing, luge and snowboarding. New this year to snowboarding is the slope style. It's a run down the mountain with a chance for rail tricks and three jumps where riders can get huge air. I've found that I prefer this to the half pipe competition.
America's golden boy on the board, Shaun White, finished fourth in the half pipe. This was after he pulled out of slop style so he could focus on half pipe, where he's won gold the past two Olympics. He's being called a veteran of the sport now, and many wonder if he'll be at another games. Frankly, I'll be glad when they stop talking about him. He lost; move on.
Look at me talking about snowboarding like I know what I'm talking about. I really don't follow it.
Oh, and despite some more of the coverage and hype with curling, I still haven't been able to make myself actually sit down and watch it.
Ignorance is bliss
Sure, many of us don't know tons about the sports at the Olympics, like all the details with scoring, timing or technique. But that's why they have the color experts on the broadcasts.
For the most part, you don't have to be an expert to know what's going on or what the object is. Graphics and announcers keep you informed. In a lot of these sports, where scoring is subjective, it's a pretty safe bet that a fall is not a good thing and will result in lower scores.
So really, all you need to do is just sit back and watch. Marvel at how these athletes are so unbelievably strong that you have no idea how they are pulling off these sports they make look easy. Even if you don't enjoy winter sports, or prefer the summer games, you should still tune in (even if you're spoiled by the internet or social media).
It's just fun.
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