OK, I made my 4 -1 Hornet win prediction assuming Malmquist was playing.
But, after all, the Eagles found a way to beat Tonka at Mariucci with 3 suspensions. At this level and with the talent on the Hornet roster, adjustments should have been found and made to work.. I agree with Green4 that the reassigned linemates were woefully out of sync.
But I give all the credit to the Hounds and once again admit I underestimated them.
The Hounds simply outplayed them, performing at perhaps twice their natural talent level and following Randolphs strategy instructions with precision. Both in the defensive and offensive zones. All defensive lanes were filled, and even Wait was unable to stickhandle his way to open space. And the last 10 minutes of the third period was a clinic on Dump and Chase, each time killing 30 seconds, and I dont think a single kid forgot to do it.
And yes , Peterson being out should be noted, making the win even more impressive.
I will say it again, thank you Mike Randolph and kids for 3 of the best most unlikely wins in Section and State Tourney play, they will be remembered forever.
And good luck against Lakeville tonight!! You deserve the win!!
AA Semifinal: Duluth East vs #2 Edina
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
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Doc Holliday
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Missing Malmquist affected Edina mentally more than anything, IMO. Edina has talent, but they also play with a swagger and a mentality that they're better. They did not play that way. With the talent that they have, they should be able to overcome that & they didn't. Big game for Wait to step up and I don't think he did.
Kudos to Duluth East. Well earned victory. Beat Lakeville; that is one chippy team!
Kudos to Duluth East. Well earned victory. Beat Lakeville; that is one chippy team!
Yeah, it was Dornbach, you are right. I agree, I was not a fan of messing with all three lines. He eventually moved Dornbach and Copeland back to their regular lines and I think they played better after that, but not by much.Bluewhitefan wrote:Green
I think that Giles actually moved the 2nd line center (Dornbach) to Malmquist's spot. Copeland started the game with Masterman and Bowlby. Haug took a spot on the third line. I don't understand the rationale of messing with all three lines. Later he moved Haug up and reshuffled again. Clearly things weren't clicking and they were trying to adjust, but DE outplayed them throughout the entire game. Interesting that their only goal came from a 4th line senior that got more shifts last night than in the last two months in total. Sure, they missed Malmquist, but as deep as this team is supposed to be and they couldn't find a way to get more than one goal...Randolph got the better of the Giles in this one.
East had the better play and coach, no doubt about it.
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karl(east)
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I'm still in shock here. Watching the largest crowd ever at the X rise as one to applaud East at the end was one of those sights you'll never forget.
I've said a few times over the past 2 years that the key to beating Edina is just to survive the first five minutes with your confidence intact. East did that, and I think the key there was Alex Spencer getting into that wrestling match with Parker Mismash three minutes in. That was huge for showing they weren't intimidated, and weren't going to take any of Mismash's crap. Spencer has his moments defensively that make me cringe, but he also can turn the momentum of a game with his physical play. I remember someone saying when he first suited up as a sophomore wearing #3, the number that had been worn by Andrew Kerr the year before, that he had big shoes to fill. He did that last night.
Other than that, The System (yes, it's reached capital letter status) did what it had to do. Most of the third period was a clinic. Someone next to me made a great comment: "I can't tell the Edina players apart." All of that skill was neutralized. Brilliance.
I've said a few times over the past 2 years that the key to beating Edina is just to survive the first five minutes with your confidence intact. East did that, and I think the key there was Alex Spencer getting into that wrestling match with Parker Mismash three minutes in. That was huge for showing they weren't intimidated, and weren't going to take any of Mismash's crap. Spencer has his moments defensively that make me cringe, but he also can turn the momentum of a game with his physical play. I remember someone saying when he first suited up as a sophomore wearing #3, the number that had been worn by Andrew Kerr the year before, that he had big shoes to fill. He did that last night.
Other than that, The System (yes, it's reached capital letter status) did what it had to do. Most of the third period was a clinic. Someone next to me made a great comment: "I can't tell the Edina players apart." All of that skill was neutralized. Brilliance.
Green4 and Blue/White
Doesnt matter at this point because it didnt work, but I recall Malmquist lined up with Dornbach last year (in kind of a mentoring development role), maybe thats why Giles started out that way last night. But I cant recall who was third man on that line last year, Masterman? Anyway, I agree it would have been better to leave 2nd and 3rd lines intact for the whole game.
Yes Karl there is good reason to be in shock. This ranks right up there in the top 10 and maybe top 5 modern era tourney memorable events. A win tonight could place it at #1. The all time modern era EAST giant killer, recall back to 1995. This is why a person watches the sport of hockey, it really is the ONLY sport!
Doesnt matter at this point because it didnt work, but I recall Malmquist lined up with Dornbach last year (in kind of a mentoring development role), maybe thats why Giles started out that way last night. But I cant recall who was third man on that line last year, Masterman? Anyway, I agree it would have been better to leave 2nd and 3rd lines intact for the whole game.
Yes Karl there is good reason to be in shock. This ranks right up there in the top 10 and maybe top 5 modern era tourney memorable events. A win tonight could place it at #1. The all time modern era EAST giant killer, recall back to 1995. This is why a person watches the sport of hockey, it really is the ONLY sport!
Something you had mentioned a few times before the tournamentkarl(east) wrote:I'm still in shock here. Watching the largest crowd ever at the X rise as one to applaud East at the end was one of those sights you'll never forget.
I've said a few times over the past 2 years that the key to beating Edina is just to survive the first five minutes with your confidence intact. East did that, and I think the key there was Alex Spencer getting into that wrestling match with Parker Mismash three minutes in. That was huge for showing they weren't intimidated, and weren't going to take any of Mismash's crap. Spencer has his moments defensively that make me cringe, but he also can turn the momentum of a game with his physical play. I remember someone saying when he first suited up as a sophomore wearing #3, the number that had been worn by Andrew Kerr the year before, that he had big shoes to fill. He did that last night.
Other than that, The System (yes, it's reached capital letter status) did what it had to do. Most of the third period was a clinic. Someone next to me made a great comment: "I can't tell the Edina players apart." All of that skill was neutralized. Brilliance.
"If there’s a worry anywhere, it might be in their lack of close games all season; what happens if someone finally does give them a good run?"
I think this was another key part of the game last night. I'm not sure how many times besides from the North game that Edina was ever losing this year. East made Edina really uncomfortable once they took the lead.
I think Walker was part of the Super Bantam group including Phillips,Copeland and Scheerer. Most or all were at times ranked in top 25 top national bantam polls. He made varsity as a freshman but got little playing time early in the year, mostly PK. I remember a shorty he got on the PK. As typical for Giles, he gradually increased his playing time in January and February. Displaying more skill and building experience along the way, therefore ready for playing time at the X. He will be a big part of Hornet offense for next couple years.
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mnhockeynut77
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