Section 4AA thread

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

All I know is I will be journeying from the West Metro to Aldrich on the 28th for one the best nights of the hockey season every year , if not the best. I just have to remember my nitro pills for the heart attack third period

What do you take for the first OT?

[Sparlimb]

All I know is I will be journeying from the West Metro to Aldrich on the 28th for one the best nights of the hockey season every year , if not the best. I just have to remember my nitro pills for the heart attack third period

What do you take for the first OT?

Remember what OT is called at HM. Sudden Victory.

The Stillwater v White Bear Lake game should be a real barn burner. I don't know what to think. Stillwater seems to be the slightly better team and it took a heroic effort for WBL to come back and win the first meeting, but I wouldn't count the Bears out. I suppose the Bears have been playing awful the last month, but maybe that will change. I suppose I'll take the Ponies 4-2. And I'll take Hill in a closer than it should be, 4-1 win over Mounds View.

[stpaul]

The Metro East went 8-4-1 against the Suburban East this season. It's clearly a far better hockey conference. HM should get a bye into the final and the 7 SE schools plus Minnehaha should have a play-in tournament.

I'll remember this when you lose to East Ridge.

Now 9-4-1. With STA and Hastings beating up on the South Suburban schools, it looks like the Metro East is also far better than that conference too.

East Ridge? Did you mean Mounds View?

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

The Metro East went 8-4-1 against the Suburban East this season. It's clearly a far better hockey conference. HM should get a bye into the final and the 7 SE schools plus Minnehaha should have a play-in tournament.

I'll remember this when you lose to East Ridge.

Now 9-4-1. With STA and Hastings beating up on the South Suburban schools, it looks like the Metro East is also far better than that conference too.

East Ridge? Did you mean Mounds View?

Nice.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

Can some one explain to me how the points system works in this conference (and others, for that matter)? HM wins the Metro East with 25 pts and a 7-1-1 conference record. Mahtomedi is 2nd with 20 pts and a 7-3-0 record. And Hastings is 3rd with 19 pts and an 8-2-1 record. Huh? I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to, but I don't understand how those point totals are possible. And, do teams really not play the same number of conference games? How can you award a team a conference championship or not award them one when you may have played more or less games than others? Help me understand!

[stpaul]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

Can some one explain to me how the points system works in this conference (and others, for that matter)? HM wins the Metro East with 25 pts and a 7-1-1 conference record. Mahtomedi is 2nd with 20 pts and a 7-3-0 record. And Hastings is 3rd with 19 pts and an 8-2-1 record. Huh? I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to, but I don't understand how those point totals are possible. And, do teams really not play the same number of conference games? How can you award a team a conference championship or not award them one when you may have played more or less games than others? Help me understand!

The Metro East no longer plays a schedule where every school plays each other twice. When two schools only play each other only once the games are worth 4 points. If they play twice they are the normal 2 points. HM was 5-0 in those 4 point games. That's 20 points. They were 1-1 vs Mahtomedi = 2 points and 1-0-1 vs St. Thomas = 3 points. Total of 25.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

Can some one explain to me how the points system works in this conference (and others, for that matter)? HM wins the Metro East with 25 pts and a 7-1-1 conference record. Mahtomedi is 2nd with 20 pts and a 7-3-0 record. And Hastings is 3rd with 19 pts and an 8-2-1 record. Huh? I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to, but I don't understand how those point totals are possible. And, do teams really not play the same number of conference games? How can you award a team a conference championship or not award them one when you may have played more or less games than others? Help me understand!

The Metro East no longer plays a schedule where every school plays each other twice. When two schools only play each other only once the games are worth 4 points. If they play twice they are the normal 2 points. HM was 5-0 in those 4 point games. That's 20 points. They were 1-1 vs Mahtomedi = 2 points and 1-0-1 vs St. Thomas = 3 points. Total of 25.

It's based on the Completion/Backward Principle.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Just a heads up for Wednesday night, the Hill/Mounds View game will now be at 5pm and they will not be clearing the building before the start of the WBL/Stillwater game. Ticket prices will be $10 for adults and $6 for students. The previous plan was first game at 4:30 and clearing the building.

Mustang Nation should be highly offended that it's now being assumed they won't need to clear the building.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to,

Based on most of the comments on the board, not many other people do either.

[WestMetro]

East Side - one nitro pill at the 8.5 minute mark of the third . 2 pills at start of first OT . (Add one extra if the Bears are playing )

End of first OT - leave during resurfacing and Uber down 35E to ER, hope to be patched up and back for GWG

[BlueLineSpecial]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

Can some one explain to me how the points system works in this conference (and others, for that matter)? HM wins the Metro East with 25 pts and a 7-1-1 conference record. Mahtomedi is 2nd with 20 pts and a 7-3-0 record. And Hastings is 3rd with 19 pts and an 8-2-1 record. Huh? I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to, but I don't understand how those point totals are possible. And, do teams really not play the same number of conference games? How can you award a team a conference championship or not award them one when you may have played more or less games than others? Help me understand!

The Metro East no longer plays a schedule where every school plays each other twice. When two schools only play each other only once the games are worth 4 points. If they play twice they are the normal 2 points. HM was 5-0 in those 4 point games. That's 20 points. They were 1-1 vs Mahtomedi = 2 points and 1-0-1 vs St. Thomas = 3 points. Total of 25.

Spank you! Still a little odd that teams, even if they aren't playing everyone twice anymore, aren't playing the same # of conference games. One of life's little mysteries I suppose.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to,

Based on most of the comments on the board, not many other people do either.

I still stalk the board from time to time, and of course I watch every tourney game on TV. And I still have a soft spot for my Pioneers and enjoy seeing their successes. Was back in town, swung by Aldrich and HM....Imagine my surprise when driving on Cty Rd E.....had to chuckle when I saw the Vadnais dome had collapsed. I thought maybe WBL hockey folded and they blew it up

[ZachHalverson]

There are two ideas that I have to fix this, a long shot and an even longer shot.

First, the longer shot:
Wells Fargo, FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Wild need to come together and invest into Hockey Day Minnesota by either renting or just providing an ice refrigeration system to the host community. That way a town of 4,000 like Eveleth could host it without having to worry about the ice being bad. Then again, a town of 300,000 just hosted it and couldn't raise enough money for artificial ice which should tell you how difficult it is and what a great effort Bemidji, Stillwater and St. Cloud did in recent years to make their respective HDMs happen. What does this have to do with Section 4AA?

Well, the pipes are still in the floor at the Coliseum and that refrigeration system will be just gathering dust the rest of the year. Why not hook it up in early February at the Coliseum and have ice there for a little over a month? Boom.


Now, the long shot:
The thought of the University of St. Thomas going D-1 is gaining steam and if it happens, they'll need a bigger place to play. If they do, perhaps they invest in the Coliseum and upgrade all the things that are needed there and boom, we have an arena. Might be a problem with 4AA playing on Friday night, so there might need to be a schedule change but we'll take a 4AA/5AA Final doubleheader in an 6,000 seat arena on a Thursday over the current situation.


Aldrich Arena is fine. Thank God we have it given the current situation, but it isn't good. The Coliseum, even with questionable sightlines and parking that was a little frustrating, was good. More than good. Like, I sat in the seats and cried the last game they played there good. I want it back, but as I said earlier, it seems like a long shot at best.

[WestMetro]

Zach , will you be doing Kfan radio for Friday nite game ?

[ZachHalverson]

Zach , will you be doing Kfan radio for Friday nite game ?

Yes, I will be on the call on FM 96.7 KFAN Plus which you can also hear on the iHeartRadio app at KFANPlus.com/listen

[WestMetro]

Zach , I hope a certain BarDown Beauty will be joining you on the broadcast , and I think she is ready for some of the third period always incredible play by play, although fans probably want your voice back for the last two minutes of regulation. . Just tell her that BDB favorite listener in Westmetro and his buddies look forward to seeing her there!

[Sparlimb]

Speaking of the Metro East Conference...

I don't follow MN HS hockey as much as I used to,

Based on most of the comments on the board, not many other people do either.

[Sparlimb]

There are two ideas that I have to fix this, a long shot and an even longer shot.

First, the longer shot:
Wells Fargo, FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Wild need to come together and invest into Hockey Day Minnesota by either renting or just providing an ice refrigeration system to the host community. That way a town of 4,000 like Eveleth could host it without having to worry about the ice being bad. Then again, a town of 300,000 just hosted it and couldn't raise enough money for artificial ice which should tell you how difficult it is and what a great effort Bemidji, Stillwater and St. Cloud did in recent years to make their respective HDMs happen. What does this have to do with Section 4AA?

Well, the pipes are still in the floor at the Coliseum and that refrigeration system will be just gathering dust the rest of the year. Why not hook it up in early February at the Coliseum and have ice there for a little over a month? Boom.


Now, the long shot:
The thought of the University of St. Thomas going D-1 is gaining steam and if it happens, they'll need a bigger place to play. If they do, perhaps they invest in the Coliseum and upgrade all the things that are needed there and boom, we have an arena. Might be a problem with 4AA playing on Friday night, so there might need to be a schedule change but we'll take a 4AA/5AA Final doubleheader in an 6,000 seat arena on a Thursday over the current situation.


Aldrich Arena is fine. Thank God we have it given the current situation, but it isn't good. The Coliseum, even with questionable sightlines and parking that was a little frustrating, was good. More than good. Like, I sat in the seats and cried the last game they played there good. I want it back, but as I said earlier, it seems like a long shot at best.

I now live in Southern California. They had a refrigeration unit and outdoor ice here in December (when the highs get all the way down to the low 60's. I know, sucks). If California can figure out how to have ice in a desert, I'm sure Fox Sports can figure out how to have a backup plan in case its warm in Eveleth (is it ever warm in Eveleth)?

I thought St. Thomas used the same rink as STA? Probably not quite D1 College size, but seems like that's where they'd play for now. The Coliseum could get re-done, but it might take some state funding to make it all work.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Oh man there is no way the Coliseum is worthy of being a D1 arena. It only had two advantages over Aldrich. First & foremost was the capacity. Less importantly, the seats have backs.

It's a dreary, poorly lit dump. It was the Metrodome of HS hockey. Improving it is like putting lip stick on a pig.

It was never used much for hockey until the refrigeration equipment at the St. Paul (now Roy Wilkins) Auditorium crapped out & they decided not to replace it. That place had great sight lines & 8,000 seats.

The only problem with Aldrich is the seating capacity.

Arenas are expensive to build & operate. There just isn't must demand for a 5 or 6 thousand seat arena but for a few days a year.

[MNHockeyFan]

Arenas are expensive to build & operate. There just isn't must demand for a 5 or 6 thousand seat arena but for a few days a year.

Any chance a D1 St. Thomas will build one some day? Any rich alums out there?

[ZachHalverson]

Oh man there is no way the Coliseum is worthy of being a D1 arena. It only had two advantages over Aldrich. First & foremost was the capacity. Less importantly, the seats have backs.

It's a dreary, poorly lit dump. It was the Metrodome of HS hockey. Improving it is like putting lip stick on a pig.

It was never used much for hockey until the refrigeration equipment at the St. Paul (now Roy Wilkins) Auditorium crapped out & they decided not to replace it. That place had great sight lines & 8,000 seats.

The only problem with Aldrich is the seating capacity.

Arenas are expensive to build & operate. There just isn't must demand for a 5 or 6 thousand seat arena but for a few days a year.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised a Hill-Murray guy can't appreciate something that isn't filled with luxury. That arena had history, character, and it was a while the Metrodome often took away from the atmosphere (with the exception of the noise), the Coliseum's concrete walls and barn-like roof added so much to it. I enjoyed going to those games so much, even though my team would often get beat by yours (with the exception of 2011).

I'm sure it sucked parking your Lexus and walking into a place without padded seats and the finer things in life, but plenty of us appreciated what you would call a "dump".

Also, the seating capacity (actually just under 6,000) and location makes it a pretty damn good spot for St. Thomas if they go D-1. As mentioned before, building their own ~5,000 seat arena would be very expensive though if they do build it would be a good solution to 4AA's problem. I just hope it is nice enough for Pioneer fans. They better have valet parking!

[Browniemagoo]

Oh man there is no way the Coliseum is worthy of being a D1 arena. It only had two advantages over Aldrich. First & foremost was the capacity. Less importantly, the seats have backs.

It's a dreary, poorly lit dump. It was the Metrodome of HS hockey. Improving it is like putting lip stick on a pig.

It was never used much for hockey until the refrigeration equipment at the St. Paul (now Roy Wilkins) Auditorium crapped out & they decided not to replace it. That place had great sight lines & 8,000 seats.

The only problem with Aldrich is the seating capacity.

Arenas are expensive to build & operate. There just isn't must demand for a 5 or 6 thousand seat arena but for a few days a year.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised a Hill-Murray guy can't appreciate something that isn't filled with luxury. That arena had history, character, and it was a while the Metrodome often took away from the atmosphere (with the exception of the noise), the Coliseum's concrete walls and barn-like roof added so much to it. I enjoyed going to those games so much, even though my team would often get beat by yours (with the exception of 2011).

I'm sure it sucked parking your Lexus and walking into a place without padded seats and the finer things in life, but plenty of us appreciated what you would call a "dump".

Also, the seating capacity (actually just under 6,000) and location makes it a pretty damn good spot for St. Thomas if they go D-1. As mentioned before, building their own ~5,000 seat arena would be very expensive though if they do build it would be a good solution to 4AA's problem. I just hope it is nice enough for Pioneer fans. They better have valet parking!

Other than being a bit far away from the ice, there isn’t a “bad” seat in the house at the Coliseum. Box seats , outstanding concessions, liquor license...it would be perfect for a D1 UST team. Hosting 4AA finals (plus 3AA and 5AA) again would be a more perfecter bonus!

Adding that even when the place was the packtest of packed, I never had a problem with parking. Either leave the car in the parking lot and walk across Como, or parallel park on the street somewhere on the ‘grounds and walk a few blocks to the rink. I’m sure the Hill parents have cars that can even parallel park themselves nowadays!

[WestMetro]

Boom! Well done Zach!

Had heard St T Univ had done some very very prelim exploratory work for possible new D1 size facility on/near campus ,

[Bayside Tigers]

I always like to think a player or two who came up in this hockey program & made it to the pro level would be willing to participate [financially] in helping to resolve this situation & renovating the Coliseum. At least in theory, without knowing any details of costs & logistics of it all... Not fully fund, but participate & be a voice to help get something going.

[Sparlimb]

Oh man there is no way the Coliseum is worthy of being a D1 arena. It only had two advantages over Aldrich. First & foremost was the capacity. Less importantly, the seats have backs.

It's a dreary, poorly lit dump. It was the Metrodome of HS hockey. Improving it is like putting lip stick on a pig.

It was never used much for hockey until the refrigeration equipment at the St. Paul (now Roy Wilkins) Auditorium crapped out & they decided not to replace it. That place had great sight lines & 8,000 seats.

The only problem with Aldrich is the seating capacity.

Arenas are expensive to build & operate. There just isn't must demand for a 5 or 6 thousand seat arena but for a few days a year.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised a Hill-Murray guy can't appreciate something that isn't filled with luxury. That arena had history, character, and it was a while the Metrodome often took away from the atmosphere (with the exception of the noise), the Coliseum's concrete walls and barn-like roof added so much to it. I enjoyed going to those games so much, even though my team would often get beat by yours (with the exception of 2011).

I'm sure it sucked parking your Lexus and walking into a place without padded seats and the finer things in life, but plenty of us appreciated what you would call a "dump".

Also, the seating capacity (actually just under 6,000) and location makes it a pretty damn good spot for St. Thomas if they go D-1. As mentioned before, building their own ~5,000 seat arena would be very expensive though if they do build it would be a good solution to 4AA's problem. I just hope it is nice enough for Pioneer fans. They better have valet parking!

The problem with the Coliseum was putting the fans 15 feet from the ice. otherwise it was a great arena filled with a ton of memories of HM and WBL section games. It was the right size for sections. It had parking. But it's a concrete monstrosity and it only had life if the stands were filled. It was not as fun watching games when it was a third full or worse (when my kids played there in youth hockey).