Just re-starting this thread.
Normally, I write-up tournaments, but I will also go to single games also and write them up. My whole point in doing this is to show how rich and interesting peewee hockey can be. Winning and losing and the game are often the focus, but too often we miss the other things that are simply just there and a part of the sport.
I have been doing these write-up since Nov. They are under the thread Peewee Tournaments.
I had forgotten all about Charles M. Schultz. He had been a part of my life on and off for years, but I never met the man. But he found a way to incorporate Minnesota things and winter and youth hockey into his work. He even took a knee injury he suffered playing hockey and made it part of his work. When he moved to Los Angeles area, he eventually built his own ice rink with his office upstairs. He worked out of that office until he died. So it is fitting to have an arena named after him, especially this one in his own home town.
One thing that always struck me about the St. Paul hockey rinks when I was more actively involved is that one could get early ice there on a weekend day; but it was early (5:30 or 6:00 AM). I am reminded of this because one of the rinks that we used was Highland. I remember driving up at 5:30 hoping the arena operator was there. If he was, the team could get on the ice early. It had been a small arena, typical of a number built by St. Paul. I had not been there in years and did not expect to see how it had changed.
A new sheet had been added and the new addition had been partially built over the old. It now housed two sheets and the game I was after was on the second sheet. What was a small single sheet rink was now a nice first class arena. But what I liked is that the parking lot was nearly full and no high school game was being played.
The Highland Association high school is Highland Park, who pools with Arlington, Central and Como to form one high school A team, Como. The kids, if they stay with the public school, could skate as a Como Cougar in the future.
This Highland peewee A team has some good players, but as I said previously, they have a late start and have to play catch up. Tonight they were playing New Prague. This would be a potential South regional match-up in six weeks. That interested me.
Too often we view hockey from the top teams down, but these two teams are potentially one good game away from the state tourney depending on the draw. Let me explain, the East Region will have three tough teams, but after all the pool play, the invite to the state tourney will be determined most likely by a game between two of the tough teams and by a game with one tough team. These two teams may play each other in the region to determine who plays that game. From their view, they are one good game from state.
Highland Arena is located where Ford Avenue dead ends on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. On the other end of Ford Avenue just before it passes over the Mississippi River to Minneapolis is the Ford Truck Plant to be closed, that is until it got extended a few years. I wondered if the trouble in SE Asia helped.
Highland area of St. Paul is a nice area bordered by three private colleges (St. Thomas, St. Catherine’s and Macalester) on the north and the Mississippi River to the west and south. The East River drive is one of the nicest drives in the city as it follows the river to the Fort Snelling area. It is a nice area in the city.
The game did not disappoint me. It was a good hockey game. It started slow, but the pace picked up about five minutes in. Both teams moved the puck well and the game was an up and down affair with Highland scoring on a two on one rush that ended with a Highland forward in the slot in a one-on-one with the goalie. That’s how the period ended, 1-0.
At the nine minute mark of the second period, the New Prague Trojans caught fire and scored two quick goals, the first off a nifty passing play and tip. Perhaps the best passing play can later in the period where all five Highland forwards made passes to breaking players in sequence with the last player’s shot forcing the goalie to make a great save. At the four minute mark, Highland’s passing finally paid off with a nice tip-in to tie the game 2-2.
The third period became ragged as both teams slowed. Highland scored again on a rebound while on the power play to go up 3-2. But with less then three minutes to go, a New Prague forward snapped off a high hard shot that caught the upper right corner to tie the game. Unfortunately for the Trojans, they drew two successive penalties after that, the key one being called interference behind the play. On a 5-3 power play, Highland rapped in a rebound to win the game 4-3. Kids have to learn, refs will watch the trailing play.
As I left the arena, there was one of Charles M. Schultz’s master pieces. You probably know him best as Snoopy, the dog. You know the dog that was always shot down by the Red Baron (“curses, foiled again”). He was in hockey gear doing a victory celebration, stick raised above his head. He had on a Highland uniform. Just like the kids down on the ice.
Peewee Tournaments (Part 2)
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
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frederick61
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My wife warned that it could get foggy tonight. I thought about that as I headed down 35W again, the holy freeway. The drive would be shorter this time. I was headed for Faribault to watch them play Mankato in a key D4 game. Both teams had impressive records. Mankato was unbeaten in league play at 12-0 and Faribault topped them with a 13-0 record. Somebody had to lose tonight.
The Faribault arena is located in an interesting area of Faribault. There are two entrances to the arena. I chose the one off of 2nd Ave. You drove under a metal arch proclaiming Rice County Fair. My wife and I come here often in the spring, summer and fall. Across the street is the Faribault Woolen Mills outlet store. The factory is a block down the street. Opposite the woolen factory is Faribault Foods. I have eaten a lot of the Faribault Foods product in my life. These two factories were built on the two rivers that come together a couple hundred yards east of their parking lots. Years ago the rivers provided power for the mills and the factories still produce today.
My wife and I walk the walking path along the rivers as it winds through the woods that edge the town on the east. One summer day, I plan to bring a fishing rod with and cast off that magnificent fishing platform that overhangs the junction of the two rivers. And then find a place to have lunch. It makes for a nice outing.
The Faribault Arena is a newer one. Frankly, I don’t remember ever going there before. To me the arena in Faribault was always Shattuck.
The Rochester Marshall Coach use to run a goalie school out of Shattuck in the summer. Kids would check into the Shattuck dorm on a Saturday and stay the week. The dorm was a short walk to the Shattuck Rink. I haven’t been there in a while, but it holds the one memory of youth hockey I have never seen anywhere else. A full blown youth hockey game played with twelve goalies in full gear on each side (that’s all they could fit on the bench). The goalies all wanted to score. No one wanted to play goalie. That’s how he ended the school.
The Faribault Arena is a new building tucked under the football field stands. It is a nice facility with a waiting area that where one can sit at a table and look out on the ice. It has stands on side and on one end. The lighting is good, but the sight lines are off, just a little. When a fan started to talk across the rink to some on the other side, both voices could be easily heard. That could prove interesting.
Both teams made their appearance on the ice and I counted noses. Mankato was down to 11 forwards and Faribault 12. Both were skating short. That was disappointing.
The opening period was cleanly skated. It started slow with Faribault using their size and skills to contain the smaller Mankato forwards. With seven minutes left in the period, Faribault finally banged one in from the front to go up 1-0. Two minutes later the Faribault defensemen confused each other and left the puck laying in the slot for a Maverick forward to tie the score at 1-1. But the Eagles came take the lead with two minutes left. The first period ended 2-1.
Early in the second, Faribault forward found the net when a puck slid along the ice and found a crack between the Maverick’s goalie skate and the net. Some confusion existed as the ref had to search for the puck that buried itself in one of the folds in the back of the net. That was the only goal scored in the second. The Eagles continued to play a physical game that bottled up the smaller Maverick forwards who never gave up their passing game.
The Maverick determinations paid off in the third period as Maverick pressure around the Faribault goal finally broke the puck lose in the crease. It was quickly rapped in at the nine minute mark. Four minutes later, a Maverick forward picked up the puck along the boards and cleanly passed to another forward open in the slot. Instead of trying to bang it through the goalie, he deked the goalie to one side and slid the puck in to tie the game. The Eagles came back strong putting pressure in the Maverick zone until an Eagle forward picked up a pass near the blue line, broke around the Maverick defense and top shelved the winning goal, 4-3.
It was a good game, a good arena, and as I walked out, a nice night. No fog.
The Faribault arena is located in an interesting area of Faribault. There are two entrances to the arena. I chose the one off of 2nd Ave. You drove under a metal arch proclaiming Rice County Fair. My wife and I come here often in the spring, summer and fall. Across the street is the Faribault Woolen Mills outlet store. The factory is a block down the street. Opposite the woolen factory is Faribault Foods. I have eaten a lot of the Faribault Foods product in my life. These two factories were built on the two rivers that come together a couple hundred yards east of their parking lots. Years ago the rivers provided power for the mills and the factories still produce today.
My wife and I walk the walking path along the rivers as it winds through the woods that edge the town on the east. One summer day, I plan to bring a fishing rod with and cast off that magnificent fishing platform that overhangs the junction of the two rivers. And then find a place to have lunch. It makes for a nice outing.
The Faribault Arena is a newer one. Frankly, I don’t remember ever going there before. To me the arena in Faribault was always Shattuck.
The Rochester Marshall Coach use to run a goalie school out of Shattuck in the summer. Kids would check into the Shattuck dorm on a Saturday and stay the week. The dorm was a short walk to the Shattuck Rink. I haven’t been there in a while, but it holds the one memory of youth hockey I have never seen anywhere else. A full blown youth hockey game played with twelve goalies in full gear on each side (that’s all they could fit on the bench). The goalies all wanted to score. No one wanted to play goalie. That’s how he ended the school.
The Faribault Arena is a new building tucked under the football field stands. It is a nice facility with a waiting area that where one can sit at a table and look out on the ice. It has stands on side and on one end. The lighting is good, but the sight lines are off, just a little. When a fan started to talk across the rink to some on the other side, both voices could be easily heard. That could prove interesting.
Both teams made their appearance on the ice and I counted noses. Mankato was down to 11 forwards and Faribault 12. Both were skating short. That was disappointing.
The opening period was cleanly skated. It started slow with Faribault using their size and skills to contain the smaller Mankato forwards. With seven minutes left in the period, Faribault finally banged one in from the front to go up 1-0. Two minutes later the Faribault defensemen confused each other and left the puck laying in the slot for a Maverick forward to tie the score at 1-1. But the Eagles came take the lead with two minutes left. The first period ended 2-1.
Early in the second, Faribault forward found the net when a puck slid along the ice and found a crack between the Maverick’s goalie skate and the net. Some confusion existed as the ref had to search for the puck that buried itself in one of the folds in the back of the net. That was the only goal scored in the second. The Eagles continued to play a physical game that bottled up the smaller Maverick forwards who never gave up their passing game.
The Maverick determinations paid off in the third period as Maverick pressure around the Faribault goal finally broke the puck lose in the crease. It was quickly rapped in at the nine minute mark. Four minutes later, a Maverick forward picked up the puck along the boards and cleanly passed to another forward open in the slot. Instead of trying to bang it through the goalie, he deked the goalie to one side and slid the puck in to tie the game. The Eagles came back strong putting pressure in the Maverick zone until an Eagle forward picked up a pass near the blue line, broke around the Maverick defense and top shelved the winning goal, 4-3.
It was a good game, a good arena, and as I walked out, a nice night. No fog.
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GoldenBear
- Posts: 746
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:38 am
my question fred is how do you know when all these games are being played? how can you keep up to it all? i have three boys squirt,peewee and bantam i cant even keep their scheduals straight!!!!! i sell tickets for this run clock on this game,order a sweat shirt for that tourney and pretty soon i feel like im skating in circles!!! 
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Soulforged
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:50 am
Nice summary as always. It is the Faribault Falcons, not the eagles however and they only have 12 rostered skaters.frederick61 wrote:My wife warned that it could get foggy tonight. I thought about that as I headed down 35W again, the holy freeway. The drive would be shorter this time. I was headed for Faribault to watch them play Mankato in a key D4 game. Both teams had impressive records. Mankato was unbeaten in league play at 12-0 and Faribault topped them with a 13-0 record. Somebody had to lose tonight.
The Faribault arena is located in an interesting area of Faribault. There are two entrances to the arena. I chose the one off of 2nd Ave. You drove under a metal arch proclaiming Rice County Fair. My wife and I come here often in the spring, summer and fall. Across the street is the Faribault Woolen Mills outlet store. The factory is a block down the street. Opposite the woolen factory is Faribault Foods. I have eaten a lot of the Faribault Foods product in my life. These two factories were built on the two rivers that come together a couple hundred yards east of their parking lots. Years ago the rivers provided power for the mills and the factories still produce today.
My wife and I walk the walking path along the rivers as it winds through the woods that edge the town on the east. One summer day, I plan to bring a fishing rod with and cast off that magnificent fishing platform that overhangs the junction of the two rivers. And then find a place to have lunch. It makes for a nice outing.
The Faribault Arena is a newer one. Frankly, I don’t remember ever going there before. To me the arena in Faribault was always Shattuck.
The Rochester Marshall Coach use to run a goalie school out of Shattuck in the summer. Kids would check into the Shattuck dorm on a Saturday and stay the week. The dorm was a short walk to the Shattuck Rink. I haven’t been there in a while, but it holds the one memory of youth hockey I have never seen anywhere else. A full blown youth hockey game played with twelve goalies in full gear on each side (that’s all they could fit on the bench). The goalies all wanted to score. No one wanted to play goalie. That’s how he ended the school.
The Faribault Arena is a new building tucked under the football field stands. It is a nice facility with a waiting area that where one can sit at a table and look out on the ice. It has stands on side and on one end. The lighting is good, but the sight lines are off, just a little. When a fan started to talk across the rink to some on the other side, both voices could be easily heard. That could prove interesting.
Both teams made their appearance on the ice and I counted noses. Mankato was down to 11 forwards and Faribault 12. Both were skating short. That was disappointing.
The opening period was cleanly skated. It started slow with Faribault using their size and skills to contain the smaller Mankato forwards. With seven minutes left in the period, Faribault finally banged one in from the front to go up 1-0. Two minutes later the Faribault defensemen confused each other and left the puck laying in the slot for a Maverick forward to tie the score at 1-1. But the Eagles came take the lead with two minutes left. The first period ended 2-1.
Early in the second, Faribault forward found the net when a puck slid along the ice and found a crack between the Maverick’s goalie skate and the net. Some confusion existed as the ref had to search for the puck that buried itself in one of the folds in the back of the net. That was the only goal scored in the second. The Eagles continued to play a physical game that bottled up the smaller Maverick forwards who never gave up their passing game.
The Maverick determinations paid off in the third period as Maverick pressure around the Faribault goal finally broke the puck lose in the crease. It was quickly rapped in at the nine minute mark. Four minutes later, a Maverick forward picked up the puck along the boards and cleanly passed to another forward open in the slot. Instead of trying to bang it through the goalie, he deked the goalie to one side and slid the puck in to tie the game. The Eagles came back strong putting pressure in the Maverick zone until an Eagle forward picked up a pass near the blue line, broke around the Maverick defense and top shelved the winning goal, 4-3.
It was a good game, a good arena, and as I walked out, a nice night. No fog.
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frederick61
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:54 pm
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frederick61
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:54 pm
Some people call it one of the worst arenas in Minnesota. I have never been there. So today is the day. The only past hockey memory I have of Northfield is an indirect one. In my summer hockey experience, I ran across a kid from Northfield. He was not the best skater, he wasn’t the best passer. All he did was score, a lot. And lead a lot of summer teams in scoring, by a lot.
The attraction was a D8 game between Northfield and Rochester 2. They had played two days earlier and Rochester won 3-1. Could Northfield win tonight? It will be an interesting game that will be a precursor of what happens in a month when the D8 teams are seeded.
I knew the arena was off Highway 3 on the west side, but I didn’t realize how hidden it was. I drove by it. A kind stranger pointed out the key street to turn, and then I realized I drove by it. I looked carefully at the arena as I pulled into the parking lot, trying to decide if I was going blind or the arena was hidden. The only thing that marked the arena was a two foot by two foot Pepsi sign. Under the Pepsi logo was the words Northfield Ice Arena. A toss up I decided between my eyes and the sign.
The arena was funkier to me then bad. The older arenas always take on some character and this one has character. There are no nets to protect the crowd, except over the concession stand. Need to protect the customers.
And the stands are right up to and over the boards on one side. In fact, people sitting in the stands can’t see the near boards. But they can see the action that is until somebody wants to use a facility or something. They block the action. But I liked the arena; it was clean, cheery and brightly lit. With one player’s locker room near the front, the Rochester team stood in front of the concessions among the customers as they waited to get on the ice. You knew you would be close to the action.
This game started off a little ragged, not unusual and then settled into a pattern of Rochester putting pressure on the Raiders in their zone, the Raiders breaking out and taking a shot, followed by Rochester gaining the offensive zone and putting on pressure. The problem the Rochester team had is that an early breakout resulted in a Raider goal when a forward snapped a hard shot into the upper corner of the net from the top of the face off circle. Later in the period, another breakout resulted in a 3 on 2 rush with a neat combination passing play and a 2-0 score. That’s how the first period ended.
The second period opened with Northfield putting pressure on the Rochester Black. They bottled them up in their defensive zone until the Raider’s picked up a penalty. They skated it off, but got some help from the Rochester team.
In a melee around the Raiders net, a lose puck was under a Northfield defenseman in the crease. The refs were looking hard at the crease to see if that was the case when some Rochester forwards came into the area around the net and distracted the refs. The face off came on the left circle, the penalty shot was lost. That would hurt their cause later.
In the last 4 minutes of the second period, the Raiders were gassed and the Black took advantage. They scored their first goal on a double deflection off two Rochester sticks on a puck shot waist high from the right circle, the first Rochester stick was actually on the end line with the puck caroming off that stick and then off another forward’s stick in the front of the goal. Two minutes later a Rochester forward ended up with the puck in front of the net, bang 2-2. A minute later, another Rochester forward rifled the puck pass the goalie from the left face off circle to take the lead 3-2. I thought the game was over.
I was glad I was wrong. The Black kept up the pressure to open the period and the Raiders hung on. But at the seven minute mark a Raider forward tipped the puck through the Black defense and set up a teammate on a tip-in to knot the score 3-3. The game flow changed and became an up and down affair with each team having their chances, but the game ended in a tie 3-3. Both teams played well, Northfield skates only eleven forwards, but are competitive if they don’t tire. The Black have 15 forwards and work well as a team. Both teams had defensive breakdowns.
But as I left all I could think of was how you do you decide on D8 seeding. All I can say is “have fun with the seeds, coaches”. I wouldn’t want that job.
The attraction was a D8 game between Northfield and Rochester 2. They had played two days earlier and Rochester won 3-1. Could Northfield win tonight? It will be an interesting game that will be a precursor of what happens in a month when the D8 teams are seeded.
I knew the arena was off Highway 3 on the west side, but I didn’t realize how hidden it was. I drove by it. A kind stranger pointed out the key street to turn, and then I realized I drove by it. I looked carefully at the arena as I pulled into the parking lot, trying to decide if I was going blind or the arena was hidden. The only thing that marked the arena was a two foot by two foot Pepsi sign. Under the Pepsi logo was the words Northfield Ice Arena. A toss up I decided between my eyes and the sign.
The arena was funkier to me then bad. The older arenas always take on some character and this one has character. There are no nets to protect the crowd, except over the concession stand. Need to protect the customers.
And the stands are right up to and over the boards on one side. In fact, people sitting in the stands can’t see the near boards. But they can see the action that is until somebody wants to use a facility or something. They block the action. But I liked the arena; it was clean, cheery and brightly lit. With one player’s locker room near the front, the Rochester team stood in front of the concessions among the customers as they waited to get on the ice. You knew you would be close to the action.
This game started off a little ragged, not unusual and then settled into a pattern of Rochester putting pressure on the Raiders in their zone, the Raiders breaking out and taking a shot, followed by Rochester gaining the offensive zone and putting on pressure. The problem the Rochester team had is that an early breakout resulted in a Raider goal when a forward snapped a hard shot into the upper corner of the net from the top of the face off circle. Later in the period, another breakout resulted in a 3 on 2 rush with a neat combination passing play and a 2-0 score. That’s how the first period ended.
The second period opened with Northfield putting pressure on the Rochester Black. They bottled them up in their defensive zone until the Raider’s picked up a penalty. They skated it off, but got some help from the Rochester team.
In a melee around the Raiders net, a lose puck was under a Northfield defenseman in the crease. The refs were looking hard at the crease to see if that was the case when some Rochester forwards came into the area around the net and distracted the refs. The face off came on the left circle, the penalty shot was lost. That would hurt their cause later.
In the last 4 minutes of the second period, the Raiders were gassed and the Black took advantage. They scored their first goal on a double deflection off two Rochester sticks on a puck shot waist high from the right circle, the first Rochester stick was actually on the end line with the puck caroming off that stick and then off another forward’s stick in the front of the goal. Two minutes later a Rochester forward ended up with the puck in front of the net, bang 2-2. A minute later, another Rochester forward rifled the puck pass the goalie from the left face off circle to take the lead 3-2. I thought the game was over.
I was glad I was wrong. The Black kept up the pressure to open the period and the Raiders hung on. But at the seven minute mark a Raider forward tipped the puck through the Black defense and set up a teammate on a tip-in to knot the score 3-3. The game flow changed and became an up and down affair with each team having their chances, but the game ended in a tie 3-3. Both teams played well, Northfield skates only eleven forwards, but are competitive if they don’t tire. The Black have 15 forwards and work well as a team. Both teams had defensive breakdowns.
But as I left all I could think of was how you do you decide on D8 seeding. All I can say is “have fun with the seeds, coaches”. I wouldn’t want that job.
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Soulforged
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- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:50 am
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frederick61
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:54 pm
Earlier this year, I went to a St. Paul arena and bemoaned the fact that the high school and association that used the arena had died. Tonight I was headed for another St. Paul arena with a small fear that it maybe in the same situation. I hated that.
One thing that has disappeared from hockey is the jersey that ties. If one skated on outdoor ice, the bench was cold. I always thought the laced collar allowed a heavier fabric jersey to be tightened around the neck. With indoor ice, the jerseys are light weight and have no need “to button up”.
I saw the the Governor’s Cup Tourney opening round on Thursday (first two games) at the Phalen Arena, next to the St. Paul Johnson high school. It was one of the best tourneys around. But it had struggled lately. It puzzled me as to why. One thing that slows them is they hold the both peewee A and B tourneys on a single sheet of ice. That causes them to have the quarter final games played on Thursday and Friday night right after work. That is a wrong time for a family struggling with jobs and kids to attend the tourney. The kids will always get there, but mom and dad may arrive at a 5:00 game a little haggard by a maddening dash through traffic.
The Phalen Arena is a neat well kept arena that looks simple. The Johnson Governors colors and banners were every where. I liked the State Champion banner hanging over the bench among others, dated 1947. Then there’s the concessions under the an old brick wall with the word’s “Louie’s Warming House” above. Lou Cotroneo coached Govenor’s for 21 years. He also refereed at high school, college and professional hockey. I often wondered how his referring experience helped or hurt him on the bench.
The games were good hockey games. The Woodbury/Highland some would have thought could have been a blow-out. It wasn’t. The game was tied half way through. Then Woodbury broke it open (a little) with two goals to take a 3-1 and eventually win 4-1 (on a open netter). The second game between Elk River and N. St. Paul was equally close until Elk River broke it open with two goals to win 3-1. It was a well skated game with N. St. Paul tiring in the third period one of the key differences.
I left before the third game started (other things to do). But I had to stop at the corner of the arena that most people don’t notice. Hanging on the wall was an old Johnson jersey, with the laces open, #5. With the jersey, was a picture of a young Herb Brooks taping a stick in that #5 jersey. Under it was a quote “I’m just a guy from the east side.” A kid was standing next to the picture waiting for someone. Stick in hand. And I thought as I left. Yah, just a kid from the east side. Suddenly, that small fear I felt left. Just an association from the east side, they will be all right.
One thing that has disappeared from hockey is the jersey that ties. If one skated on outdoor ice, the bench was cold. I always thought the laced collar allowed a heavier fabric jersey to be tightened around the neck. With indoor ice, the jerseys are light weight and have no need “to button up”.
I saw the the Governor’s Cup Tourney opening round on Thursday (first two games) at the Phalen Arena, next to the St. Paul Johnson high school. It was one of the best tourneys around. But it had struggled lately. It puzzled me as to why. One thing that slows them is they hold the both peewee A and B tourneys on a single sheet of ice. That causes them to have the quarter final games played on Thursday and Friday night right after work. That is a wrong time for a family struggling with jobs and kids to attend the tourney. The kids will always get there, but mom and dad may arrive at a 5:00 game a little haggard by a maddening dash through traffic.
The Phalen Arena is a neat well kept arena that looks simple. The Johnson Governors colors and banners were every where. I liked the State Champion banner hanging over the bench among others, dated 1947. Then there’s the concessions under the an old brick wall with the word’s “Louie’s Warming House” above. Lou Cotroneo coached Govenor’s for 21 years. He also refereed at high school, college and professional hockey. I often wondered how his referring experience helped or hurt him on the bench.
The games were good hockey games. The Woodbury/Highland some would have thought could have been a blow-out. It wasn’t. The game was tied half way through. Then Woodbury broke it open (a little) with two goals to take a 3-1 and eventually win 4-1 (on a open netter). The second game between Elk River and N. St. Paul was equally close until Elk River broke it open with two goals to win 3-1. It was a well skated game with N. St. Paul tiring in the third period one of the key differences.
I left before the third game started (other things to do). But I had to stop at the corner of the arena that most people don’t notice. Hanging on the wall was an old Johnson jersey, with the laces open, #5. With the jersey, was a picture of a young Herb Brooks taping a stick in that #5 jersey. Under it was a quote “I’m just a guy from the east side.” A kid was standing next to the picture waiting for someone. Stick in hand. And I thought as I left. Yah, just a kid from the east side. Suddenly, that small fear I felt left. Just an association from the east side, they will be all right.
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frederick61
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- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:54 pm
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Air Force 1
- Posts: 604
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- Location: East Grand Forks
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frederick61
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- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:54 pm
Eagan was a sleepy suburb with a small town hall off of Pilot Knob in the late 60’s and early seventies. The Mendota Bridge was its principle link and a miserable one at that. A traffic light at the end of the bridge (Highway 13) caused some magnificent back-ups in the old Fort Snelling area a mile away. Cars could be backed up for a half-hour waiting to clear that light on Highway 13, going in either direction. The bridge is on the some historical registry, probably meaning it will always be there.
The Mendota Bridge bridges the Minnesota River just before the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. Mendota means “meeting of the waters” in the Dakota language. It is often called the “mile-long bridge”, but it isn’t. It is a thousand feet short of a mile.
In the mid-sixties, I remember crossing that bridge during one of the worst floods the cities ever had. I swear that the flood waters were less then 100 feet from the top of the bridge’s arches. I still remember a giant tree being propelled by the flood’s current. I also remember that year having to adjust my watch every time I crossed it since Minneapolis and St. Paul couldn’t agree on when to start daylight savings time (there was an hour difference).
Today Eagan is a large suburb on the east and south side of the Minnesota River with a population of over 60,000, the ninth largest in the state. More importantly, now there is no stop light at the end of the bridge, just a Y. Go left and you head to West St. Paul and South St. Paul. Go right and you head south towards Eagan.
The Eagan Arena is built as part of the city complexes off Pilot Knob Road. If you drive Pilot Knob south you will pass a low black windowed building with Lockheed on the front. That business is the grandfather of computers; it is what is left of what was the first computer company, Univac. About two miles south of that building is the Eagan Arena.
It has one of the worst parking areas. It has two sheets of ice and two doors. The arena runs the second sheet separately from high school events. If a high school team plays, you use the east door, not the main entrance or west door. Today is Sunday, no high school events-good parking.
Today, Eagan played Rochester Red in a key game for each team. An Eagan win and they will probably lock up the regular season D8 championship. A win for Rochester Red, and the Red would probably lock up the D8 championship. Rochester Red has been an up and down team all season. They have five D8 games left including this one. But a win here would put the Red into a good position to win the title. Eagan has three games left including this one. Both coaches and teams know its a critical game.
The East Rink is a narrower rink then most and one feels like they are on top of the action. Unfortunately, a protective net joins at the glass edge; the result is an obstructive view unless you stand. It is unfortunate and I wondered why Eagan didn’t play district games on the bigger rink with better views?
The game started fast for both teams. Sometimes a tight game gets resolved in the first few minutes, but you don’t know it until it is over. A the 10 minute mark of the first period, an Eagan forward broke in the offensive zone and fired a hard past the Red goalie from the top of the circle, 1-0.
The Red came back at the seven minute mark to score when the Eagan defense gave up the puck in front of their net and a Red forward slide it through the goalie’s five hole to tie the game 1-1. Eagan came back at the two minute mark to score another long hard shot from the blue line. The period ended 2-1.
The first period was an extremely fast paced period, both teams working hard. As the second started, I wondered if the pace could be kept up. It was. For the next nine minutes both teams worked hard, trying to mount an offensive. But failing. Then the Red tired as the period drew to a close and the Wildcats pressured them in the Red’s zone for the last three minutes of the period, but couldn’t put the puck in the back of the net.
The third period started slow. At some point, I knew the kids would slow and they did. The result was a lot of mixing it up along the boards and lack of puck movement. But at the five minute mark the pace accelerated again as each team sought to get the deciding goal. Still down 2-1 with two minutes to go, the Red pulled their goalie. With the sixth forward, they put pressure on and had three good shots in the last minute, but failed. The game ended 2-1. That first goal within the first two minutes of the game was the difference.
Eagan now has a clear path to the D8 title. If they win their last two games, no other D8 team can top their 45 point total for the season.
The Mendota Bridge bridges the Minnesota River just before the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. Mendota means “meeting of the waters” in the Dakota language. It is often called the “mile-long bridge”, but it isn’t. It is a thousand feet short of a mile.
In the mid-sixties, I remember crossing that bridge during one of the worst floods the cities ever had. I swear that the flood waters were less then 100 feet from the top of the bridge’s arches. I still remember a giant tree being propelled by the flood’s current. I also remember that year having to adjust my watch every time I crossed it since Minneapolis and St. Paul couldn’t agree on when to start daylight savings time (there was an hour difference).
Today Eagan is a large suburb on the east and south side of the Minnesota River with a population of over 60,000, the ninth largest in the state. More importantly, now there is no stop light at the end of the bridge, just a Y. Go left and you head to West St. Paul and South St. Paul. Go right and you head south towards Eagan.
The Eagan Arena is built as part of the city complexes off Pilot Knob Road. If you drive Pilot Knob south you will pass a low black windowed building with Lockheed on the front. That business is the grandfather of computers; it is what is left of what was the first computer company, Univac. About two miles south of that building is the Eagan Arena.
It has one of the worst parking areas. It has two sheets of ice and two doors. The arena runs the second sheet separately from high school events. If a high school team plays, you use the east door, not the main entrance or west door. Today is Sunday, no high school events-good parking.
Today, Eagan played Rochester Red in a key game for each team. An Eagan win and they will probably lock up the regular season D8 championship. A win for Rochester Red, and the Red would probably lock up the D8 championship. Rochester Red has been an up and down team all season. They have five D8 games left including this one. But a win here would put the Red into a good position to win the title. Eagan has three games left including this one. Both coaches and teams know its a critical game.
The East Rink is a narrower rink then most and one feels like they are on top of the action. Unfortunately, a protective net joins at the glass edge; the result is an obstructive view unless you stand. It is unfortunate and I wondered why Eagan didn’t play district games on the bigger rink with better views?
The game started fast for both teams. Sometimes a tight game gets resolved in the first few minutes, but you don’t know it until it is over. A the 10 minute mark of the first period, an Eagan forward broke in the offensive zone and fired a hard past the Red goalie from the top of the circle, 1-0.
The Red came back at the seven minute mark to score when the Eagan defense gave up the puck in front of their net and a Red forward slide it through the goalie’s five hole to tie the game 1-1. Eagan came back at the two minute mark to score another long hard shot from the blue line. The period ended 2-1.
The first period was an extremely fast paced period, both teams working hard. As the second started, I wondered if the pace could be kept up. It was. For the next nine minutes both teams worked hard, trying to mount an offensive. But failing. Then the Red tired as the period drew to a close and the Wildcats pressured them in the Red’s zone for the last three minutes of the period, but couldn’t put the puck in the back of the net.
The third period started slow. At some point, I knew the kids would slow and they did. The result was a lot of mixing it up along the boards and lack of puck movement. But at the five minute mark the pace accelerated again as each team sought to get the deciding goal. Still down 2-1 with two minutes to go, the Red pulled their goalie. With the sixth forward, they put pressure on and had three good shots in the last minute, but failed. The game ended 2-1. That first goal within the first two minutes of the game was the difference.
Eagan now has a clear path to the D8 title. If they win their last two games, no other D8 team can top their 45 point total for the season.
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frederick61
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:54 pm
Not all games are the same, not all associations the same. Each has their own identity. The funny thing is that the associations do not believe so, that all they are is doing a job so that youth hockey in their area happens. They believe they are doing the same thing as the association down the road. But they are different.
Last night, the S. St. Paul peewee A’s played the Lakeville South at Wakota Arena. It is a magnificent arena for high school hockey games, especially playoffs or tournaments. The views are excellent, the angles great and it has a number of “nooks” to stand and watch the game from.
But youth hockey gets lost in its size. The old Met Center had the same effect on youth teams. After the North Stars left, I saw and worked the bench for more then one youth game played there and I felt lost. Wakota, under a purple rain of Packer state tourney banners, always left me feeling the same, a little lost.
However, the Lakeville South team was not lost. They needed a win to straighten themselves out after a disappointing Hermantown Tourney. South St. Paul/IGH needed a win to improve their seed in D8. The South started slow, but the Packers started slower. The game was tight for the first period, Lakeville South scoring on a nice breakaway to go up 1-0.
In the second period, the Packers never found their stride, Lakeville did. The South rapped in three goals to take a 4-1 lead. In the third period, the Packers started to apply pressure scoring to cut the lead to 4-2, but South came back to add to goals and put the game away. The final score was 6-2.
The distance from Wakota to Polar arena is about 15 minutes mostly by freeway. The Polar Arena is just the opposite of the Wakota Arena. It is small and intimate. It used to be cold, but even on this cold night, it was warm. The arena is built a short distance from the high school and something was going on at the high school. The parking lot was filled.
The game was to start at 7:15. When I settled in the arena stands about ten minutes after, I was one of 10 people. By the time the ref dropped the puck, the stands were more then half full, five minutes into the game the stands were about two thirds full. The total crowd was maybe 50 people more then the South St. Paul game, but the closeness of the crowd to the ice raised the excitement of what happened on the ice.
The attraction was a D2 game between North St. Paul and Forest Lake. A good game between two matched teams fighting for positions in the league as the season winds down. North St. Paul and White Bear Lake are battling for #1 and Forest Lake and Roseville are deadlocked for #3.
Forest Lake is a smaller team then the Polars, but they have good passing skills among their forwards. They also positioned their body well against the taller Polars and made a game of it. But the Polars had moved their game up a notch since the Elk River loss and wore the Rangers down, opening the game up in the third to win 4-1.
As I left the Polar Arena, there was a small 81/2” by 11” paper hanging on one of the doors announcing the Polars High School team playing St. Thomas on Thursday night. What bedlam that will be in this small arena, I thought. Maybe I should go? But where would I stand and why fight the potential large crowd? It could be one good game even though the Polars aren’t having a good season. But then I thought it fits the character of the North St. Paul hockey and association. If you moved that game to Wakota, it could possibly fill that arena, but it wouldn’t fit. It wouldn’t be Polar hockey and it wouldn’t be Packer hockey. Associations have their own character, whether they want one or not.
Last night, the S. St. Paul peewee A’s played the Lakeville South at Wakota Arena. It is a magnificent arena for high school hockey games, especially playoffs or tournaments. The views are excellent, the angles great and it has a number of “nooks” to stand and watch the game from.
But youth hockey gets lost in its size. The old Met Center had the same effect on youth teams. After the North Stars left, I saw and worked the bench for more then one youth game played there and I felt lost. Wakota, under a purple rain of Packer state tourney banners, always left me feeling the same, a little lost.
However, the Lakeville South team was not lost. They needed a win to straighten themselves out after a disappointing Hermantown Tourney. South St. Paul/IGH needed a win to improve their seed in D8. The South started slow, but the Packers started slower. The game was tight for the first period, Lakeville South scoring on a nice breakaway to go up 1-0.
In the second period, the Packers never found their stride, Lakeville did. The South rapped in three goals to take a 4-1 lead. In the third period, the Packers started to apply pressure scoring to cut the lead to 4-2, but South came back to add to goals and put the game away. The final score was 6-2.
The distance from Wakota to Polar arena is about 15 minutes mostly by freeway. The Polar Arena is just the opposite of the Wakota Arena. It is small and intimate. It used to be cold, but even on this cold night, it was warm. The arena is built a short distance from the high school and something was going on at the high school. The parking lot was filled.
The game was to start at 7:15. When I settled in the arena stands about ten minutes after, I was one of 10 people. By the time the ref dropped the puck, the stands were more then half full, five minutes into the game the stands were about two thirds full. The total crowd was maybe 50 people more then the South St. Paul game, but the closeness of the crowd to the ice raised the excitement of what happened on the ice.
The attraction was a D2 game between North St. Paul and Forest Lake. A good game between two matched teams fighting for positions in the league as the season winds down. North St. Paul and White Bear Lake are battling for #1 and Forest Lake and Roseville are deadlocked for #3.
Forest Lake is a smaller team then the Polars, but they have good passing skills among their forwards. They also positioned their body well against the taller Polars and made a game of it. But the Polars had moved their game up a notch since the Elk River loss and wore the Rangers down, opening the game up in the third to win 4-1.
As I left the Polar Arena, there was a small 81/2” by 11” paper hanging on one of the doors announcing the Polars High School team playing St. Thomas on Thursday night. What bedlam that will be in this small arena, I thought. Maybe I should go? But where would I stand and why fight the potential large crowd? It could be one good game even though the Polars aren’t having a good season. But then I thought it fits the character of the North St. Paul hockey and association. If you moved that game to Wakota, it could possibly fill that arena, but it wouldn’t fit. It wouldn’t be Polar hockey and it wouldn’t be Packer hockey. Associations have their own character, whether they want one or not.