Duluth Marshall:no respect?

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greenwayraider
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Duluth Marshall:no respect?

Post by greenwayraider » Sun Feb 11, 2018 2:52 am

Marshall has wins over Brainerd, Blake, St. Thomas Academy, Hill- Murray and have played Duluth East and Minnetonka tough. They have some losses to CEC and Andover but played them evenly. The only bad result is a tie to Hibbing. They should be ranked or at least acknowledged as good as any top ten team.

Schotzy
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Re: Duluth Marshall:no respect?

Post by Schotzy » Sun Feb 11, 2018 9:10 am

greenwayraider wrote:Marshall has wins over Brainerd, Blake, St. Thomas Academy, Hill- Murray and have played Duluth East and Minnetonka tough. They have some losses to CEC and Andover but played them evenly. The only bad result is a tie to Hibbing. They should be ranked or at least acknowledged as good as any top ten team.
I would not jump down the “no respect” rabbit hole just yet here. There are some results, even some of the wins, that were head-scratchers considering the fast start the Hilltoppers had in November and early December. As of late, they are recently pulling out of bug that was making its way through the locker room. If they are 100% healthy entering the playoffs, have their chemistry in order, they may be able to prove they are deserving of the respect you say have none of at the moment.

The 7AA playoffs are going to be fun this year, always are, but at least we don’t have to hear Elk River whine about Amsoil, and it looks like there could be more than just one run-away contender in 218. At least it is fun to hope that is the case. 😜

Stang5280
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Re: Duluth Marshall:no respect?

Post by Stang5280 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 12:35 pm

greenwayraider wrote:Marshall has wins over Brainerd, Blake, St. Thomas Academy, Hill- Murray and have played Duluth East and Minnetonka tough. They have some losses to CEC and Andover but played them evenly. The only bad result is a tie to Hibbing. They should be ranked or at least acknowledged as good as any top ten team.
I generally agree with your thought that Marshall could be ranked higher than Karl currently has them at 15, but let’s break down your reasoning a bit.

“Marshall has wins over Brainerd, Blake, St. Thomas Academy, [and] Hill- Murray”
Brainerd and STA are impressive wins, but Blake and HM are nothing special.

“They have some losses to CEC and Andover but played them evenly.”
Neither of these teams is in the top 10, so I’m not sure how that helps Marshall’s case, and you almost have to rank them ahead of DM given their similar overall profiles.

“The only bad result is a tie to Hibbing.”
How about the 3-1 loss to Champlin Park?

In my estimation, the bottom line is that Marshall is a very talented bunch who can hang with or even defeat nearly any team in the state. The problem is their lack of consistency, which has put them in a difficult position for the section playoffs. Looking at the rest of the field, it is hard to justify ranking DM in the top 10 based on their overall results.

March Madness
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Post by March Madness » Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:28 am

I agree, it seems like some teams are just used as measuring sticks for others that get the spotlight. Cloquet was another team getting very little respect until the DE win. For example... who has Brainerd beat this year besides the one Moorhead win? I'd take a team with a tough schedule and more losses over a team with a weak schedule anyday, but especially come playoff time. Andover is another that seemed to put up one big win after another and quietly cruised along under the radar.

kniven
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Post by kniven » Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:16 pm

Most mainstream and hockey fans throughout the state want Duluth East or Grand Rapids out of 7AA at the state tournament. Andover? Come on. A nice program, but Elk River has that part of the state saturated. Elk River or Andover? 99.9% of the fans in MN choose the Elks. Same in 218. You got to embrace the role not complain. It’s all good :)))

hockey59
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Post by hockey59 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 1:01 pm

kniven wrote:Most mainstream and hockey fans throughout the state want Duluth East or Grand Rapids out of 7AA at the state tournament. Andover? Come on. A nice program, but Elk River has that part of the state saturated. Elk River or Andover? 99.9% of the fans in MN choose the Elks. Same in 218. You got to embrace the role not complain. It’s all good :)))
Last time I checked, Andover & ER never asked to be placed in 7AA. When the Sandbaggers finally opt up to AA, I mean at some point they will be shamed into it...Oh Wait a minute, they have no shame, never mind.. then I say place Andover back in 5AA & place Centennial back in 4AA (where they NEVER should have been moved out of in the first place) and leave ER in 7AA until they win a Section Title 😉 When that finally happens, move ER to 8AA 🤗

kniven
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Post by kniven » Mon Feb 12, 2018 3:09 pm

Andover and Elk can’t stand being in 7AA. Do you blame them?! Duluth East and Cloquet in 8AA is what it compares too. Is there a state mandated number of teams each section need to have? Heck, just let em out of 7AA. Who cares!! :)

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