Down Year For The SEC?

[WHAFightingSaints]

Much maligned SEC this year has sprung 2 upsets in sectional play. Under .500 Forest Lake topples Grand Rapids and now bottom feeder EastRidge takes out #2 seed Apple Valley. I don't think people give the SEC teams enough credit, it's usually not pretty hockey, but most of the teams play extremely tight in the defensive zone, frustrating the supposedly better teams.

[formerlybackofnet]

Much maligned SEC this year has sprung 2 upsets in sectional play. Under .500 Forest Lake topples Grand Rapids and now bottom feeder EastRidge takes out #2 seed Apple Valley. I don't think people give the SEC teams enough credit, it's usually not pretty hockey, but most of the teams play extremely tight in the defensive zone, frustrating the supposedly better teams.

Not a huge upset, but #5 Park-Cottage Grove also upset #4 Eastview, and #6 Hastings upset #3 Cretin.

[Big Daddy]

Much maligned SEC this year has sprung 2 upsets in sectional play. Under .500 Forest Lake topples Grand Rapids and now bottom feeder EastRidge takes out #2 seed Apple Valley. I don't think people give the SEC teams enough credit, it's usually not pretty hockey, but most of the teams play extremely tight in the defensive zone, frustrating the supposedly better teams.

I suppose we just need to face the fact that unless you're from Edina, EP, Tonka, Burnsville or Duluth, you get no respect and we'll just have to beat them in sections!

[old goalie85]

Every year people underate the SEC. Not just in Boys hockey, But football also. This year some clown from MG claimed the NWSC was better in girls hockey. No respect.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

The SEC is in, I believe, three AA sections. How many of those sections they win, and how well those section champions do at the X will determine how much respect they are due.

Knocking off a #2 seed in the first round is a nice upset. But some #2 seeds are better than others. I don't believe AV came close to being a top ten team all season.

If any SEC team makes it to the X, they will be sleeping in their own beds on Friday night.

[Big Daddy]

The SEC is in, I believe, three AA sections. How many of those sections they win, and how well those section champions do at the X will determine how much respect they are due.

Knocking off a #2 seed in the first round is a nice upset. But some #2 seeds are better than others. I don't believe AV came close to being a top ten team all season.

If any SEC team makes it to the X, they will be sleeping in their own beds on Friday night.

Agreed on the Apple Vally piece. It was an enormous victory for the East Ridge program however.

My issue is the arrogance that surrounds those folks who believe that because they pay for their sons to go to a school where they can be showcased and surrounded by other "paid" talent irritates me. Seriously, can anyone whose son plays hockey for Hill Murray say that they send them there for the education? Really???? But then again it's the old public vs. private debate.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

How people perceive the SEC versus other conferences has nothing to do with the large salaries the private schools pay their hired guns. The SEC has one such private school, in fact.

Word to the wise: the application date for these coveted private school positions has been moved up to April 1 for next season. Apparently, Lake Conference schools have been poaching our talent earlier than ever.

For the record, I have no children enrolled at any private high school.

[Rich Clarke]

Those who think that fans don't "respect" the conference out of anything but merit miss the point. I am confident that most fans love to see White Bear and any other conference team beat Hill Murray and go to state, and I suspect much of the state will be rooting for the SEC teams in section four as well. It would be awesome to be talking about a top team from Roseville again (like ten years ago) or finally a top team from Stillwater or Park. It was also awesome to see Cretin play so well a few years back. The problem is that the conference lacks enough skill players to win consistently against either good teams or even each other. They can certainly give the better teams a good game now and then, and may be no fun to play--but one can say the same about Armstrong or Buffalo.

People judge teams by their results. Champion White Bear didn't just lose to teams in its conference--it was also 1-6 outside the conference, beating only Rochester Century. What was the biggest non-conference win by anyone in the SEC? Likely Forest Lake's 6-1 win over a questionable Bemidji team. After that? Park's 3-1 win over Chanhassen? Or WBL and Roseville beating Century? Those were the top conference wins.

And East Ridge beating Apple Valley? They were badly out shot, and certainly not the better team even that night, but we all know on any given night the better team can lose. But Apple Valley struggled to score all year, and East Ridge did what it took. Congrats to them, but objectively, even beating a mediocre Apple Valley team was a major upset--not proof that a conference that's beaten no one all season has been disrespected.

I agree that these teams are no fun to play. They keep the score down, disrupt their opponents" game plan, and can be dangerous. But ultimately most decent teams end up beating them, despite what happened to Grand Rapids and Apple Valley (one of which has struggled against a lot of teams, and the other is just not a great team).

If SEC teams were beating top ten teams, most fans would love to rank them ahead of the Lake teams or the privates. But until they actually do so with the same consistency as those teams beat them, the amount of respect the conference has gotten this year will be appropriate.

[Goalie-Dad]

Every year people underate the SEC. Not just in Boys hockey, But football also. This year some clown from MG claimed the NWSC was better in girls hockey. No respect.

I realize that this is the wrong forum, but how about the SEC proudly represented by 2 girls teams in the state tourney. Roseville playing for the title tonight. Mounds View playing for consolation trophy today.

[Rich Clarke]

Perfect example. Roseville was better than Edina--and was correctly seeded above them. When SEC teams achieve at the highest level, it's acknowledged.

[Pioneerprideguy]

St. Paul Johnson 6...SEC Champ 5.

[MNHockeyFan]

St. Paul Johnson 6...SEC Champ 5.

Ouch, you really know how to hurt a bunch of guys, doncha Pioneerprideguy.

[Big Daddy]

St. Paul Johnson 6...SEC Champ 5.

..and I rest my case on the arrogance....

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

A struggling program, down on it's luck, it's glory days in the rear view mirror.

I figured Moose's boys would take this one.

[PuckU126]

A struggling program, down on it's luck, it's glory days in the rear view mirror.

Who? WBL or Johnson?