2017 Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament

[Ice Arena Man]

People may be critical of south western Minnesota hockey but do you realize that two of the eight coaches left in the state hockey tourney have coached in southwestern Minnesota in the last three to five years. Who are they and what schools did they coach. Both of them coached games in the arena that I manage?

[Wilbur]

29 minutes ago, SiouxScore said:

Rapids wins 6-4. Sets up what should be a great semifinal with Eden Prairie. There will be no shortage of talent on the ice tomorrow night for that one.

I'll set the over under at 9 goals scored in that game.

[SWSiouxMN]

14 minutes ago, Ice Arena Man said:

People may be critical of south western Minnesota hockey but do you realize that two of the eight coaches left in the state hockey tourney have coached in southwestern Minnesota in the last three to five years. Who are they and what schools did they coach. Both of them played games in the arena that I manage?

I forget that the Moorhead coach was at Windom for a bit, he always seemed to get the max out of that talent down there

[Ice Arena Man]

2 minutes ago, SWSiouxMN said:

I forget that the Moorhead coach was at Windom for a bit, he always seemed to get the max out of that talent down there

Jon was a very classy coach that I always enjoyed working with. Very professional and appreciated me giving him a hard time about being a FIGHTING SIOUX fan!

[Smoggy]

14 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

So sick of St Hermantown Academy in the A tournament.  24 A tournaments since the two-class system was implemented - Hermantown has been in 14 of them.  So much for the idea of "more teams' being able to play in the state tournamnent.  Luverne, sure, but Hermantown makes it a joke year after year.  

To add fuel to your fire it sounds like Hermantown is staying class A while Duluth Marshal staying AA.  Was this a Roseau move by Marshal to avoid Hermantown (Warroad recruiting)? I can't truly blame Hermantown as they have only just over 600 students.  Monticello plays as a coop and their own high school is over 1100 without accounting for other schools and they made state class A.  Delano is over 700.  EGF is barely over 500.  I believe in the last classification Bemidji opts up to AA and they have about 1500 students.  New sections announced soon.  However lots of fuel to fire that "the" Blake school is finally moving up in some sports.  See girls hockey and tennis results for them.  They don't even play single A schools in tennis until sections.  

Oh and my favorite part of being at the tourney was entire crowd except Hermantown pathetic section erupting when Luverne tied it at 2.  No one knew who the Hermantown section was because they themed it as USA and wore red which is Luverne color.

Surprised Luverne kept up with Hermantown as they made EGF look fast today and that was after EGF finished after 11 last night and had about 12 hour turnaround.  Which I don't get since Mariucci had nothing else going on.

[sprig]

10 hours ago, SiouxScore said:

They were missing a lot of guys I think that list was only Seniors.

thought that may be the case, was a fairly short list

[sprig]

How old are some of those hs players,  some bearded guys look 40 (15 years in the 1st grade)?  Maybe they recruit 25 year old Canadians?

[Yote 53]

9 hours ago, Ice Arena Man said:

People may be critical of south western Minnesota hockey but do you realize that two of the eight coaches left in the state hockey tourney have coached in southwestern Minnesota in the last three to five years. Who are they and what schools did they coach. Both of them coached games in the arena that I manage?

Derrick Brown, current coach at Cathedral, is the former Luverne coach.

Good coach who helped build the Luverne program.  The irony is that I think Luverne is better now because they focus more on defense.  Brown had more talented players when he was at Luverne but they played a very loose style.

I thought Cathedral was flying around the ice against EGF.  The matchup with Hermantown today will be fun, hopefully, the Hawks have destroyed them once this year already.

Matchup of the day is the Eden Prairie and Grand Rapids game.  Cannot wait for tonight to watch that game.

[Yote 53]

8 hours ago, Smoggy said:

To add fuel to your fire it sounds like Hermantown is staying class A while Duluth Marshal staying AA.  Was this a Roseau move by Marshal to avoid Hermantown (Warroad recruiting)? I can't truly blame Hermantown as they have only just over 600 students.  Monticello plays as a coop and their own high school is over 1100 without accounting for other schools and they made state class A.  Delano is over 700.  EGF is barely over 500.  I believe in the last classification Bemidji opts up to AA and they have about 1500 students.  New sections announced soon.  However lots of fuel to fire that "the" Blake school is finally moving up in some sports.  See girls hockey and tennis results for them.  They don't even play single A schools in tennis until sections.  

Oh and my favorite part of being at the tourney was entire crowd except Hermantown pathetic section erupting when Luverne tied it at 2.  No one knew who the Hermantown section was because they themed it as USA and wore red which is Luverne color.

Surprised Luverne kept up with Hermantown as they made EGF look fast today and that was after EGF finished after 11 last night and had about 12 hour turnaround.  Which I don't get since Mariucci had nothing else going on.

Luverne had nothing left in the tank after that OT loss on Wednesday.  Not surprised at the EGF result.  Mahtomedi getting blown out did surprise me a bit though.

[petey23]

34 minutes ago, Yote 53 said:

Derrick Brown, current coach at Cathedral, is the former Luverne coach.

Good coach who helped build the Luverne program.  The irony is that I think Luverne is better now because they focus more on defense.  Brown had more talented players when he was at Luverne but they played a very loose style.

I thought Cathedral was flying around the ice against EGF.  The matchup with Hermantown today will be fun, hopefully, the Hawks have destroyed them once this year already.

Matchup of the day is the Eden Prairie and Grand Rapids game.  Cannot wait for tonight to watch that game.

Here is hoping the 2A championship game makes the arena look like Halloween Night!

[scpa0305]

10 hours ago, SiouxScore said:

Probably either fall 18 or 19. Will be a SR next year he could go USHL but I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay with Rapids next year and just play USHL before and after the season. Both him and McLaughlin had offers to play for the NTDP this year but opted to stay at Rapids.

Hopefully Hain plays for the U18 team next year.

[Yote 53]

I liked the Mittelstadt storyline about him coming back to win a state title, I think more of those players who are going to get their shot anyway should do what he has done, but it wouldn't bother me one bit to see a Moorhead and Grand Rapids final.  Honestly, really not interested in seeing Lakeville South get there.

[fightingsioux4life]

9 hours ago, Smoggy said:

To add fuel to your fire it sounds like Hermantown is staying class A while Duluth Marshal staying AA.  Was this a Roseau move by Marshal to avoid Hermantown (Warroad recruiting)? I can't truly blame Hermantown as they have only just over 600 students.  Monticello plays as a coop and their own high school is over 1100 without accounting for other schools and they made state class A.  Delano is over 700.  EGF is barely over 500.  I believe in the last classification Bemidji opts up to AA and they have about 1500 students.  New sections announced soon.  However lots of fuel to fire that "the" Blake school is finally moving up in some sports.  See girls hockey and tennis results for them.  They don't even play single A schools in tennis until sections.  

Oh and my favorite part of being at the tourney was entire crowd except Hermantown pathetic section erupting when Luverne tied it at 2.  No one knew who the Hermantown section was because they themed it as USA and wore red which is Luverne color.

Surprised Luverne kept up with Hermantown as they made EGF look fast today and that was after EGF finished after 11 last night and had about 12 hour turnaround.  Which I don't get since Mariucci had nothing else going on.

I don't have as much of a problem with Hermantown remaining in Class A as I have with "The Blake School" and other private academies being Class A. All private schools should be required to be Class AA because of the inherent advantages they have over any public school. Thank God St. Thomas Academy is AA now, them being in A was a total joke.

I also think the same rule should apply in North Dakota Class B basketball, but that is another topic for another thread.

[SiouxScore]

2 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

Hopefully Hain plays for the U18 team next year.

I'd be surprised and hope both him and McLaughlin play their SR year at Grand Rapids. I prefer to see every Minnesota talent stay through their SR year as it just makes the product that much better. Hard to get guys to leave a place like Grand Rapids early where hockey is everything. 

[SiouxScore]

After 2 in the Class A Semis Northfield 2 Monticello 1. Big goal in the last minute of the 2nd for Monticello.

[MafiaMan]

2 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

I don't have as much of a problem with Hermantown remaining in Class A as I have with "The Blake School" and other private academies being Class A. All private schools should be required to be Class AA because of the inherent advantages they have over any public school. Thank God St. Thomas Academy is AA now, them being in A was a total joke.

I also think the same rule should apply in North Dakota Class B basketball, but that is another topic for another thread.

Cough, cough, Dickinson Trinity, cough, cough...

[scpa0305]

58 minutes ago, SiouxScore said:

I'd be surprised and hope both him and McLaughlin play their SR year at Grand Rapids. I prefer to see every Minnesota talent stay through their SR year as it just makes the product that much better. Hard to get guys to leave a place like Grand Rapids early where hockey is everything. 

I would be surprised if he left as well.  I just think HS hockey has nothing more to offer him.  Getting him into the "program" or playing in the USHL is a great development route.  You must be from MN

[fightingsioux4life]

6 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

Cough, cough, Dickinson Trinity, cough, cough...

Exactly.

[SiouxScore]

23 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

I would be surprised if he left as well.  I just think HS hockey has nothing more to offer him.  Getting him into the "program" or playing in the USHL is a great development route.  You must be from MN

Yes I'm from Minnesota. He could also play USHL before and after high school season which would be a very good option. I believe he played a few with Sioux Falls before the season this year.

[Yote 53]

Crazy finish to this MAML/Northfield game.  MAML scores with 3 seconds left to advance to finals. 

[SiouxScore]

Monticello scores twice in the 3rd to move onto the A Championship with a 3-2 win. Game winner was scored with 3 seconds left in regulation.

[Yote 53]

3 minutes ago, SiouxScore said:

Yes I'm from Minnesota. He could play USHL before and after high school season I believe he played a few with Sioux Falls before the season this year.

I agree with this.  You only get one chance to win State with your high school friends.  A player this good leaving not only dashes his dreams but the dreams of his friends. 

Here's the thing, many of these players already have D1 commitments, they are going to go to the USHL (most likely) for a year after high school anyway for some polishing.  At class AA hockey their development is not going to be hurt by doing B&A to supplement their high school season.  Now, if you are in a class A school that plays weaker opponents I can understand leaving for juniors.  If you are a player with no D1 offer in hand your senior year then juniors or even Tier 1 AAA might be necessary to achieve that personal goal.  But if you are one of these top players who are a known commodity and have a future set, staying in school is not going to hurt you.

One of the players I coach, his family is a billet family for the Sioux City Musketeers.  A few years ago their billet player was Avery Peterson out of Grand Rapids who was Mr. Hockey that year.  He played B&A with the Muskies and the T-Hawks.  I watched him play one of his first games back in Sioux City after the high school season.  He was instantly the best player on the ice right when he came back.  Playing MN HS didn't hurt him one bit.  Oh, and he's a great kid whose character transcends hockey.

On the other hand, a player like Jaxon Nelson out of Luverne who is playing in Sioux Falls for the Stampede.  It was in his best interest to leave early, and nobody is upset with him, as the competition in class A in southern MN was not enough for him to develop properly.  He needed to move on and be challenged.

 

[scpa0305]

28 minutes ago, SiouxScore said:

Yes I'm from Minnesota. He could also play USHL before and after high school season which would be a very good option. I believe he played a few with Sioux Falls before the season this year.

I knew it...you sound like a lot of the guys I skate with.

Yes he did.  He also played a game with the U18 team.

[scpa0305]

13 minutes ago, Yote 53 said:

I agree with this.  You only get one chance to win State with your high school friends.  A player this good leaving not only dashes his dreams but the dreams of his friends. 

Here's the thing, many of these players already have D1 commitments, they are going to go to the USHL (most likely) for a year after high school anyway for some polishing.  At class AA hockey their development is not going to be hurt by doing B&A to supplement their high school season.  Now, if you are in a class A school that plays weaker opponents I can understand leaving for juniors.  If you are a player with no D1 offer in hand your senior year then juniors or even Tier 1 AAA might be necessary to achieve that personal goal.  But if you are one of these top players who are a known commodity and have a future set, staying in school is not going to hurt you.

One of the players I coach, his family is a billet family for the Sioux City Musketeers.  A few years ago their billet player was Avery Peterson out of Grand Rapids who was Mr. Hockey that year.  He played B&A with the Muskies and the T-Hawks.  I watched him play one of his first games back in Sioux City after the high school season.  He was instantly the best player on the ice right when he came back.  Playing MN HS didn't hurt him one bit.  Oh, and he's a great kid whose character transcends hockey.

On the other hand, a player like Jaxon Nelson out of Luverne who is playing in Sioux Falls for the Stampede.  It was in his best interest to leave early, and nobody is upset with him, as the competition in class A in southern MN was not enough for him to develop properly.  He needed to move on and be challenged.

 

Agree 100%....however HS hockey is not going to do much for Hain anymore.  The kid dominated....he would be challenged 10X more playing for the U18 team next year.  But like other posters have mentioned, he probably won't leave.  Hey, even our prized Boeser left after his junior year in high school.  Should he have stayed for his senior year?  No, high school hockey would do nothing for him; the grind of the USHL season would develop him much better.

This isn't a knock on MN HS hockey....because it's a great league.  I'm talking specifically on this uber elite kids (MIddlestadt, Hain, McLauglin, etc).

[Yote 53]

Uh-oh Hermantown.  Cathedral up 1-0 early.