2022 Section 4AA Playoffs

[BlueLineSpecial]

The Rivalry renews itself tonight

Hill Murray has played in the MHSHL since 1975, this being their 48th year. In the previous 47 years:

-Hill has played White Bear Lake in sections 32 of 47 years (68% of the time)
-Hill has won 25 times
-WBL has won 8 times
**Hill beat both White Bear Lake and White Bear Mariner in the 1975 sections

-Hill has played White Bear Lake in the section finals 21 of 47 years (45% of the time)
-Hill has won 16 times
-WBL has won 5 times
**Hill beat White Bear Mariner in 3 of those times

-Of the 21 section finals matchups:
-1 went to OT
-3 went to 2OT
-This marks the 5th year in a row Hill Murray has played White Bear Lake in the section final, the longest streak in their section history

Blue, I'd like some clarification. Are you including or excluding Mariner in those stats?

I'm a bit of a purist, and I prefer to completely segregate WBL and Mariner records.

The 1980 final with Mariner was incredible, going to 2 ot. The Auditorium was packed and rockin' that night.

I'm including Mariner in these stats. Hill v Mariner specifically:

1975
Hill beats Mariner in section finals

1976
Hill beats Mariner in section semifinals

1977
Hill beats Mariner in section finals

1980
Hill beats Mariner in section finals (the 2OT game you're referencing)

If I recall correctly, Mariner closed in 1983 and became South Campus. Then of course WBL High School became North Campus

For those not in the know, White Bear Lake High School is split into two campuses; North Campus and South Campus. North Campus houses grades 9-10 and South Campus houses grades 11-12

[mnpuckster]

WBL getting rid of the campus split soon. All kids will go to the North Campus within a couple years.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Looks like Nate Hardy for the Pioneers is back in the lineup

[BlueLineSpecial]

Hill 2
WBL 0

After 1

Hill is playing really well. They've had the majority of the chances, and are controlling play. Their first goal was a real softy that shouldn't have been let in. The 2nd was a shorty. The Bears doinked one off the crossbar for their best chance.

[Nostalgic Nerd]

2-0 HM after 1st. Looks like the Godbout/Grubba connection is working for them. I feel history repeating itself again LOL: Godbout, Sampair.....Bonin! That isn't who I think it is?! There's Whisler there too. Wouldn't suprise me if that's Jeff Whisler's grandkid.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Announcers are saying shots on goal after 1 are HM 9 and WBL 7. That may be correct, but it doesn't accurately paint a picture of how many more chances Hill had.

Also, Hill has a minute and change left on the power play to start the 2nd. Going down 3-0 with Hill's D would be almost impossible to come back from. Bears need to kill this off and find a way to get the next goal if they want to stay in this.

[Nostalgic Nerd]

3-0

[SEC Scotty]

It would be nice if the referees would let them play.

[Nostalgic Nerd]

WB sure likes the penalty box

[SEC Scotty]

WB sure likes the penalty box

Its the plexiglass prison.

[Nostalgic Nerd]

WB sure likes the penalty box

Its the plexiglass prison.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Hill 3
WBL 0

After 2

WBL took way too many penalties in the 2nd, and as a result had no chance to build any momentum. The Bears actually had a couple of decent opportunities in the period but then couldn't stay out of the box.

Hill's 3rd goal was on a 5-on-3, nice goal by Godbout

[BlueLineSpecial]

Hill 5
WBL 0

FINAL

WBL had several good opportunities in the 3rd, but Hill's D and Erickson in goal were having none of it. Hill gets 2 more in the 3rd, including a 2nd short-handed goal by Jack Senden. Jack got both short-handed goals tonight.

Congrats Pioneers! Great job!

[BlueLineSpecial]

Congrats to WBL on a nice season. I watched both their games against Hill this year. The first, a 2-1 win by the Pioneers, was closely contested. In tonight's game the Bears had a couple of chances to turn the tide. They clanked one off the crossbar early, and by all rights it should have gone in. Then the Bears controlled play for several minutes in the 3rd, keeping a ton of pressure on Hill.

I expect WBL to be back next year playing in the section finals again. They return 7 of their 10 leading points players. Nolan Roed looks like the real deal too, and he's just a sophomore.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Over the decades, I've attended far more of these Hill WB section games (semis and finals) that were nail biters than I can count. To have two easy ones in two years, it seems kind of weird. But I'm not complaining.

The Tradition Rich Metro East will be well represented next week. But then, we've come to expect that from one of the more storied conferences in the state.

[mnpuckster]

Congrats to HM on the win. The better team got the win.

Officiating ended up giving WBL no shot tonight. The penalty against roed for holding was legit, and one trip was valid.
The remaining calls were egregious that they were called. Not a penalty in a December game, and certainly not in March.

HM has some very talented players and are fun team to watch. 2 and 17 are very skilled. 11 can go as well, and runs his mouth with the best of them. Confident/cocky line straddled no doubt.

WBL should return a lot of its skill, and next year should be more competitive in the rivalry game next March if it were to happen. 10 played his heart out tonight. 9 stood out all night, and 11 battled. 15 is a real nice player, but seemed a bit off/gassed early tonight. With this group coming back and 6 on back end, it's a nice core to battle in 2022. Sager really leaned on top 6 and top 4 all year long. He really needs get 3rd forward line and maybe a 5th dman some ice during the season. It really showed in SW game, and to a lesser extent tonight that he mismanaged ice time and ended up with completely gassed team by the 3rd. Why was Easton Rooney playing JV? He was a top 9 forward without question. It appears he went ti Gentry. He would have been nice add to 2022 varsity team.

Good luck to Hill next week. After pitiful responses from MSHSL last year, I'd like to see the Pioneere give em hell and take home the crown.

[MissotaGopher14]

Well that was one of the worst WBL/Hill games I’ve seen in a long time. Mostly pinball hockey all night long and way too many ticky tack penalties called. Hardly any up and down the ice excitement. What stood out most was how terrible Hill’s goalie was at controlling the puck. Tons of huge rebounds left right in front, but WBL was never there to bang one home.

Left really disappointed, especially with how exciting that game was in 2019 with the snowstorm, parking a mile away. Game was so much more electric. Tonight’s game was quiet and quite frankly the 2A Final between Minneapolis and Delano had a better crowd.

[mnpuckster]

I had been to the previous 3 Hill-WHL finals at Aldrich, and will say this one didnt have the same feel as previous 3.
No buzz in building tonight at all...I think a lot has to do with expectations and WBL side knowing it was slim chance to win.

It certainly didnt help the soft goal from HM early. Kind of killed WBL side....
Did WBL bring their band? I was on far end but didnt hear them all ngiht.

[Sparlimb]

I had been to the previous 3 Hill-WHL finals at Aldrich, and will say this one didnt have the same feel as previous 3.
No buzz in building tonight at all...I think a lot has to do with expectations and WBL side knowing it was slim chance to win.

It certainly didnt help the soft goal from HM early. Kind of killed WBL side....
Did WBL bring their band? I was on far end but didnt hear them all ngiht.

The crowd was there, but Hill scored 90 seconds in. Took the air right out of White Bear. The atmosphere would have been there had they ever scored, but it just ended up being 8 more minutes and another Hill goal. And honestly, I'm fine with that. Section final wins by a comfortable margin are easier for me to stomach. Hill seems to be firing on all cylinders right now. Just at the right time.

[Nostalgic Nerd]

I had been to the previous 3 Hill-WHL finals at Aldrich, and will say this one didnt have the same feel as previous 3.
No buzz in building tonight at all...I think a lot has to do with expectations and WBL side knowing it was slim chance to win.

It certainly didnt help the soft goal from HM early. Kind of killed WBL side....
Did WBL bring their band? I was on far end but didnt hear them all ngiht.

No, they already knew they were going to lose. (Seriously, I dunno. I wasn't there.)

After hitting the pipe I thought that was kinda the game right there. Almost hate to say it but glad I didn't attend. Pretty disappointing effort by WB. I think Godbout gives Hill a HUGE lift from what I can see (and haven't seen much).

However many WB players return means nothing since all Hill has to do is reload. I'm just grateful so many of these sectionals end up so close or into OT. And even if they win, seeing them lose another state qtr I have to admit is rather deflating. It's like the girls a couple years back where they were outshot 50-17 or something and their goalie shutout Hill. It was a tremendous win against the odds, but then seeing them a state where they could barely make a pass was painful. For me it's mixed feelings at best. While the guys have almost no chance year in and year out of winning state, I still feel they do clumsy things along the way that could etch them a win here, a win there. My two cents anyway.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

I was impressed how the WB kids showed up en masse. I really give them credit, when you think this was the 5 year running to meet Hill in the final. Entire classes have gone through WB losing to Hill in the Final every year.

When you give up the first goal, then go on to get shut out, your side is just going to be pretty quiet. The BSM crowd sounded pretty quiet all evening as well, under similar circumstances. I get it that a lot of people would not find last night's contest very compelling, but after the number of Hill section semis and finals that have been nail biters since 1975, I kind of like two boring ones two years in a row. There were many times in the past when I wondered why every year had to be so $#@^&! close.

Also, this fits in with the other section finals this year. None of them went to OT, and none seemed all that compelling. For all the chatter here on other threads about making major changes to the seeding process, the current seem system seems to have been acquitted nicely. There were several 1 vs 2 finals, and most sections went pretty well as expected by the seeding. In 2AA, there was not a lot of daylight between the top 4 seeds, and plenty of people thought PL was capable of winning it. MG was a 2 in 5AA, but Rogers wasn't even in the state top 10 while MG was 4. The Elk over Roseau was the biggest upset, but there again, plenty of people had questions about the Rams going into that game.

[BlueLineSpecial]

2-0 HM after 1st. Looks like the Godbout/Grubba connection is working for them. I feel history repeating itself again LOL: Godbout, Sampair.....Bonin! That isn't who I think it is?! There's Whisler there too. Wouldn't suprise me if that's Jeff Whisler's grandkid.

Matthew Whisler is Tim Whisler's grandson. Tim won 1 and maybe 2 independent state titles for Hill Murray. I want to say that Jeff Whisler (former Hill player and current coach of the Zephyrs) is Tim's younger brother? They're related, and there have been other Whisler's that attended Hill as well.

Dylan Godbout's dad and uncle played for Hill, won a title in 1991

Brendan Bonin is Brian Bonin's son. Brian won Mr. Hockey for WBL and the Hobey Baker for the Gophers. Brian's dad played for Hill. Brendan's brother plays for Hill JV right now.

Caden Sampair is almost assuredly related to former Hill player Charlie Sampair. I'd also venture they're relayed to Brandon Sampair, who played for Hill in the 90's

Charlie Strobel, probably the best player on the ice for the 2020 tourney Hill won, his dad Mike won a title with Hill in 1991.

There's many other examples of generations from the same family playing for Hill. It's why you'll hear regularly from Pioneer fans that Hill Murray is as much a community as any public program.

[Sparlimb]

2-0 HM after 1st. Looks like the Godbout/Grubba connection is working for them. I feel history repeating itself again LOL: Godbout, Sampair.....Bonin! That isn't who I think it is?! There's Whisler there too. Wouldn't suprise me if that's Jeff Whisler's grandkid.

Matthew Whisler is Tim Whisler's grandson. Tim won 1 and maybe 2 independent state titles for Hill Murray. I want to say that Jeff Whisler (former Hill player and current coach of the Zephyrs) is Tim's younger brother? They're related, and there have been other Whisler's that attended Hill as well.

Dylan Godbout's dad and uncle played for Hill, won a title in 1991

Brendan Bonin is Brian Bonin's son. Brian won Mr. Hockey for WBL and the Hobey Baker for the Gophers. Brian's dad played for Hill. Brendan's brother plays for Hill JV right now.

Caden Sampair is almost assuredly related to former Hill player Charlie Sampair. I'd also venture they're relayed to Brandon Sampair, who played for Hill in the 90's

Charlie Strobel, probably the best player on the ice for the 2020 tourney Hill won, his dad Mike won a title with Hill in 1991.

There's many other examples of generations from the same family playing for Hill. It's why you'll hear regularly from Pioneer fans that Hill Murray is as much a community as any public program.

Brandon Sampair was a REALLY good player. Miss those days.

[wbmd]

2-0 HM after 1st. Looks like the Godbout/Grubba connection is working for them. I feel history repeating itself again LOL: Godbout, Sampair.....Bonin! That isn't who I think it is?! There's Whisler there too. Wouldn't suprise me if that's Jeff Whisler's grandkid.

Matthew Whisler is Tim Whisler's grandson. Tim won 1 and maybe 2 independent state titles for Hill Murray. I want to say that Jeff Whisler (former Hill player and current coach of the Zephyrs) is Tim's younger brother? They're related, and there have been other Whisler's that attended Hill as well.

Dylan Godbout's dad and uncle played for Hill, won a title in 1991

Brendan Bonin is Brian Bonin's son. Brian won Mr. Hockey for WBL and the Hobey Baker for the Gophers. Brian's dad played for Hill. Brendan's brother plays for Hill JV right now.

Caden Sampair is almost assuredly related to former Hill player Charlie Sampair. I'd also venture they're relayed to Brandon Sampair, who played for Hill in the 90's

Charlie Strobel, probably the best player on the ice for the 2020 tourney Hill won, his dad Mike won a title with Hill in 1991.

There's many other examples of generations from the same family playing for Hill. It's why you'll hear regularly from Pioneer fans that Hill Murray is as much a community as any public program.

Jeff Whisler isn't the current Mahtomedi coach.

[tourneytickssince59]

2-0 HM after 1st. Looks like the Godbout/Grubba connection is working for them. I feel history repeating itself again LOL: Godbout, Sampair.....Bonin! That isn't who I think it is?! There's Whisler there too. Wouldn't suprise me if that's Jeff Whisler's grandkid.

Matthew Whisler is Tim Whisler's grandson. Tim won 1 and maybe 2 independent state titles for Hill Murray. I want to say that Jeff Whisler (former Hill player and current coach of the Zephyrs) is Tim's younger brother? They're related, and there have been other Whisler's that attended Hill as well.

Dylan Godbout's dad and uncle played for Hill, won a title in 1991

Brendan Bonin is Brian Bonin's son. Brian won Mr. Hockey for WBL and the Hobey Baker for the Gophers. Brian's dad played for Hill. Brendan's brother plays for Hill JV right now.

Caden Sampair is almost assuredly related to former Hill player Charlie Sampair. I'd also venture they're relayed to Brandon Sampair, who played for Hill in the 90's

Charlie Strobel, probably the best player on the ice for the 2020 tourney Hill won, his dad Mike won a title with Hill in 1991.

There's many other examples of generations from the same family playing for Hill. It's why you'll hear regularly from Pioneer fans that Hill Murray is as much a community as any public program.

Mahtomedi is coached by Jeff Poeschl. 80 HM grad.
Jeff Whisler coached 1991 HM state championship team. He is AD at Roseville