State HS Hockey Tournament

[Ray77]

This was talked about in other State HS Hockey Tournament threads, but thought it deserved its own thread.

Committee to recommend Fargo gets North Dakota state hockey tournaments

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

Boy this one could turn into a war...

[HockeyHigh]

http://northdakotapreps.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=6485

If you want to see how this topic turned out on the preps forums, just look at that. Really heats up about the middle/end of the first page.

I think this is a turn for the better, but as this is a GF dominated forum I have the feeling I won't be agreed with. We know the Ralph is a better venue, but I think the more expensive arena doesn't translate to a better venue in this situation. Fargo at least deserves a chance.

[Ray77]

http://northdakotapreps.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=6485

If you want to see how this topic turned out on the preps forums, just look at that. Really heats up about the middle/end of the first page.

I think this is a turn for the better, but as this is a GF dominated forum I have the feeling I won't be agreed with. We know the Ralph is a better venue, but I think the more expensive arena doesn't translate to a better venue in this situation. Fargo at least deserves a chance.

I agree. I was hoping that this does not turn into a Fargo vs. GF thread. I think it's a good thing that the tournament rotates between the 2. As a player, I would love to play in the Ralph, but I would also love to play in a jam-packed 5,000 seat arena as well. No doubt the Ralph is one of the nicest arenas in the country, but I'd say the atmosphere at the UP Center would be on par or better than the Ralph - to play in front of 5,000 people filling it for a championship game rather than a 2/3rds full lower bowl at the Ralph.

Back when I played HS hockey, we played the Central/RR games at the old Engelstad. That was one of the biggest games of the year and we were all excited to play at UND's arena. Looking back, I would have rather played at a sold-out Purpur and have people hanging over the glass than playing at a half empty arena.

[fightingsioux4life]

http://northdakotapreps.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=6485

If you want to see how this topic turned out on the preps forums, just look at that. Really heats up about the middle/end of the first page.

I think this is a turn for the better, but as this is a GF dominated forum I have the feeling I won't be agreed with. We know the Ralph is a better venue, but I think the more expensive arena doesn't translate to a better venue in this situation. Fargo at least deserves a chance.

Fargo doesn't deserve the State High School Hockey Tournament. Fargo doesn't deserve the U-18 Tournament. Fargo doesn't deserve these things until they can prove that they can support hockey on a consistent basis. And they have never proven that they can do that.

Every time a junior hockey team has been tried in Fargo, it has failed. The jury is still out on the Fargo Force and the verdict won't come in until the novelty wears off. NDSU has shown zero interest in adding Division I hockey and I think one reason that has been overlooked is the fact that the F-M community has shown little inclination to support hockey with their wallets and their leisure time. MSU-Moorhead's flirtation with D-I hockey is in all likelihood more about trying to inject some life and cold hard cash into a nearly-lifeless athletic department than it is the school's belief in untapped hockey potential in the F-M area.

The fact that the UP Center (which I think was and still is a fantastic idea for Fargo) has had trouble generating solid community support to go along with the corporate sponsorship proves that hockey is still the red-headed stepchild of sports in Fargo. The one exception to this rule is the Moorhead Spuds program, but even that program hasn't been able to generate any excitement for hockey on the west side of the river. I would rank hockey as the #5 sport in Fargo, behind Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and College Wrestling. And they think they should host the State HS Hockey Tournament? The math doesn't add up.

Moving the State HS Hockey Tournament from Ralph Engelstad Area to the overpriced, overrated and overhyped UP Center is the cosmic equivalent to moving the State Class B Boys Basketball Tournament from the Alerus Center to Hyslop. If Fargo can prove they can support the Fargo Force on a year in and year out basis, the UP Center "complex" can be completed as originally proposed and the UP Center can do a good job hosting the East Region Hockey Tournament, I would support giving Fargo a chance to host something like the State HS Hockey Tournament. But until then, this is a proposal without merit and one that totally smacks of Cass County Imperialism.

End Rant.

[gfhockey]

Heard the attendance was very sparse at the UP yesteday. uh oh... Very few canadians came down and very few tickets have been solds.