I did attend the USA women's/Hopkins game leading up to the 2010 Olympics and the USA team won! Pretty sure the score was 6-5. And as I recall they also beat Eagan and one of the Rochester teams (Century?) that year.Marty wrote:Remember when Warroad HS beat the USA Women's (pre-Olympic) team in 2006 ?
Yes, in high school the boys are bigger/stronger/faster than the girls, and as you would expect the game is also faster. But the better girls teams are very talented and compete every bit as hard as the boys. And from a fan's perspective they offer one huge advantage over the boys: you get to see the most skilled players available at their age group. This past season over 40 of the most skilled boy players left their high schools early for juniors, and this trend has had an adverse impact on the quality of play.
Contrast this with girls hockey in Minnesota where nearly all players play for their school all the way through their senior year...and then the very best go straight to D1 programs and play as true freshmen. AND, once they are playing college, the same thing applies: you get to see the best players at those age groups as none of the top players leave early for the pros (with one major exception, when the very best like an Amanda Kessel leave their college team to play in the Olympics, but that only happens once every four years, and do generally return to their college team if they have any eligibility remaining).
A little off track from the topic at hand, but I really do appreciate the fact that with the girls game you are able to see the very best talent there is - at each age level and right here in Minnesota - as players advance and improve their skills, all the way through D1 if that's the route they choose.
