I just saw East Ridge HS Roster--OUCH!!

[PoniesDad45]

I have to say I'm kind of heartbroken for the East Ridge boys, they really played with emotion but kind of fell apart in the 3rd period.

St Francis's goalie deserves a lot of credit, shutting down Idso's break away after his brother botched the puck at his own blue line.

Games are won and lost by these kinds of plays.

Good game, nothing to be ashamed of Raptors.

Maybe, except for the name Raptors. Honestly who comes up with this stuff?

Believe it or not, we have a ton of Eagles and Owls around here. I don't know if that's why or not but it makes sense.

[brandy38]

They don't look like a superpower, but they certainly don't look terrible. Playing a very sound defensive game so far. And without any seniors.

Give them two years and they'll be decent competition in the SEC, top 5 atleast.

This may be a bold statement, and i am wes bolin's biggest fan, but after woodbury's seniors this year graduate, ER will more than likely beat woodbury next year.

...and the year after that and then the year after that, too. I'm not a pessimistic person by nature, but Woodbury is going to fall flat on its face for a long time with numbers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I heard, Woodbury's Bantam A team can basically be called East Ridge Bantam A due to the high amount of quality players in East Ridge's boundaries. It's kind of tragic that Woodbury HS goes 30 years (since 1976) without sustained success in hockey, and once they finally get it for a few seasons, the athlete pool gets stretched.

[brandy38]

I have to say I'm kind of heartbroken for the East Ridge boys, they really played with emotion but kind of fell apart in the 3rd period.

St Francis's goalie deserves a lot of credit, shutting down Idso's break away after his brother botched the puck at his own blue line.

Games are won and lost by these kinds of plays.

Good game, nothing to be ashamed of Raptors.

Maybe, except for the name Raptors. Honestly who comes up with this stuff?

Believe it or not, we have a ton of Eagles and Owls around here. I don't know if that's why or not but it makes sense.

Why not name them the Owls then? I don't think any high school has that mascot name.

Raptors is a corny name, IMO.

There were much better options for the mascot name. Rams was one of them, I believe.

[PowerForward25]

Give them two years and they'll be decent competition in the SEC, top 5 atleast.

This may be a bold statement, and i am wes bolin's biggest fan, but after woodbury's seniors this year graduate, ER will more than likely beat woodbury next year.

...and the year after that and then the year after that, too. I'm not a pessimistic person by nature, but Woodbury is going to fall flat on its face for a long time with numbers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I heard, Woodbury's Bantam A team can basically be called East Ridge Bantam A due to the high amount of quality players in East Ridge's boundaries. It's kind of tragic that Woodbury HS goes 30 years (since 1976) without sustained success in hockey, and once they finally get it for a few seasons, the athlete pool gets stretched.

Yeah you can pretty much call the woodbury bantam A, the east ridge bantam A. I agree it is quite tragic that woodbury will be losing it's best skaters to east ridge. What makes it even more tragic is that the superintendent who approved the new high school said that the new school would even out athletics. With pretty much most sports the outlook is bleek for not only woodbury, but also park. Yeah, the new school is totally going to even out athletics in south washington county schools

[dueling21]

But Raptors is hip, with-it and wow! And Owls is so...oh, I don't know...much more classic sounding. Who wants that?

;^)

In 20-30 years, I'm guessing Raptors is going to sound similar to what "Whiz-Kids" or "Kewpies" sounds to us now.

Or "Flivvers" or "Speedboys"

[northwoods oldtimer]

This may be a bold statement, and i am wes bolin's biggest fan, but after woodbury's seniors this year graduate, ER will more than likely beat woodbury next year.

...and the year after that and then the year after that, too. I'm not a pessimistic person by nature, but Woodbury is going to fall flat on its face for a long time with numbers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I heard, Woodbury's Bantam A team can basically be called East Ridge Bantam A due to the high amount of quality players in East Ridge's boundaries. It's kind of tragic that Woodbury HS goes 30 years (since 1976) without sustained success in hockey, and once they finally get it for a few seasons, the athlete pool gets stretched.

Yeah you can pretty much call the woodbury bantam A, the east ridge bantam A. I agree it is quite tragic that woodbury will be losing it's best skaters to east ridge. What makes it even more tragic is that the superintendent who approved the new high school said that the new school would even out athletics. With pretty much most sports the outlook is bleek for not only woodbury, but also park. Yeah, the new school is totally going to even out athletics in south washington county schools

What game were you boys watching? That was a terrible exhibition of hockey skill and team play. Breakout...nonexistent for both teams. Their program just got derailed big time! The Benik kid was the only kid on the ice with some offensive skill but lets face it, no team hockey displayed in this fest. Carts is ahead of the horse in Woodbury as one association cannot possibly feed the 2 big schools. By the way Royals will blow that team out, you can count on it Benik should have gone to the Rodents, he would fit in nicely on that club.

[brandy38]

This may be a bold statement, and i am wes bolin's biggest fan, but after woodbury's seniors this year graduate, ER will more than likely beat woodbury next year.

...and the year after that and then the year after that, too. I'm not a pessimistic person by nature, but Woodbury is going to fall flat on its face for a long time with numbers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I heard, Woodbury's Bantam A team can basically be called East Ridge Bantam A due to the high amount of quality players in East Ridge's boundaries. It's kind of tragic that Woodbury HS goes 30 years (since 1976) without sustained success in hockey, and once they finally get it for a few seasons, the athlete pool gets stretched.

Yeah you can pretty much call the woodbury bantam A, the east ridge bantam A. I agree it is quite tragic that woodbury will be losing it's best skaters to east ridge. What makes it even more tragic is that the superintendent who approved the new high school said that the new school would even out athletics. With pretty much most sports the outlook is bleek for not only woodbury, but also park. Yeah, the new school is totally going to even out athletics in south washington county schools

The imbalance in athletics was Park's problem to fix. Maybe they could have tried to get more kids involved and stay involved. But beyond athletics, East Ridge was built in anticipation of more growth in southern Woodbury and for growth that already occurred, even though the city is taking steps to buy certain acres of land south of Bailey Rd. for preservation and not develop it.

Maybe East Ridge will go the way of Edina West and the dodo bird.

[northwoods oldtimer]

city is taking steps to buy certain acres of land south of Bailey Rd

Do not believe that lie there young blood!

[PoniesDad45]

Maybe, except for the name Raptors. Honestly who comes up with this stuff?

Believe it or not, we have a ton of Eagles and Owls around here. I don't know if that's why or not but it makes sense.

Why not name them the Owls then? I don't think any high school has that mascot name.

Raptors is a corny name, IMO.

There were much better options for the mascot name. Rams was one of them, I believe.

Brandy, you seem to be familiar with Woodbury Youth Hockey. Maybe you'll remember years ago when all the teams up to Bantams I believe were called the "Woodbury Wings". The jerseys had a big W on them with the top of the W being wings. I always liked that name and logo, they changed to "Royals" to be more consistent with the HS program but now that they are feeding two HS's maybe they should look at that? I think East Ridge could have grabbed that name as well. East Ridge Wings I think sounds better than Raptors.

[slapstkhound]

I have to say I'm kind of heartbroken for the East Ridge boys, they really played with emotion but kind of fell apart in the 3rd period.

St Francis's goalie deserves a lot of credit, shutting down Idso's break away after his brother botched the puck at his own blue line.

Games are won and lost by these kinds of plays.

Good game, nothing to be ashamed of Raptors.

In the 3rd period, 3 players did not return due to injuries: Jack Leiviska, possible concussion, Michael Mader, leg injuries and Easton Halbert,possible broken collar bone. Those 3 made a big difference in the 3rd. With them, the 3rd period would have been different and Benik would continue to be frustrated. He'a a good player, not great. He and Belisle rarely left the ice. That should say something about how they were feeling against the ER boys. To the other posts regarding the Raptors name, it was an open contest through the school via the local newspaper. Not all of us are in love with it either, but it is what it is....

[PoniesDad45]

I have to say I'm kind of heartbroken for the East Ridge boys, they really played with emotion but kind of fell apart in the 3rd period.

St Francis's goalie deserves a lot of credit, shutting down Idso's break away after his brother botched the puck at his own blue line.

Games are won and lost by these kinds of plays.

Good game, nothing to be ashamed of Raptors.

In the 3rd period, 3 players did not return due to injuries: Jack Leiviska, possible concussion, Michael Mader, leg injuries and Easton Halbert,possible broken collar bone. Those 3 made a big difference in the 3rd. With them, the 3rd period would have been different and Benik would continue to be frustrated. He'a a good player, not great. He and Belisle rarely left the ice. That should say something about how they were feeling against the ER boys. To the other posts regarding the Raptors name, it was an open contest through the school via the local newspaper. Not all of us are in love with it either, but it is what it is....

As long as the kids like it, that's all that matters right? My 16 year old is a Stillwater kid but he thinks the Raptor name and logo is cool.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Raptors, that is a flippin' Disney name should have named them Rough Riders. East Ridge Rough Riders. That Long coach needs to figure out a break out and some sort of puck control, his smash mouth hockey is not going to fly for a 25 game season.

[itech22]

I am not from the metro area and am confused about the new Eastridge school. Could somebody in a short paragraph some up the demographics involved. In reading it looks like the Suburb of Woodbury simply got a new high school and lines were drawn between both schools. But then some mentioned Park??? in regards to the youth program. Thanks

[slapstkhound]

I am not from the metro area and am confused about the new Eastridge school. Could somebody in a short paragraph some up the demographics involved. In reading it looks like the Suburb of Woodbury simply got a new high school and lines were drawn between both schools. But then some mentioned Park??? in regards to the youth program. Thanks

East Ridge is in Woodbury BUT its' boundaries also include a portion of Cottage Grove, where Park is located. Demographically, it's about 70% Woodbury and 30% CG.

[PowerForward25]

...and the year after that and then the year after that, too. I'm not a pessimistic person by nature, but Woodbury is going to fall flat on its face for a long time with numbers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I heard, Woodbury's Bantam A team can basically be called East Ridge Bantam A due to the high amount of quality players in East Ridge's boundaries. It's kind of tragic that Woodbury HS goes 30 years (since 1976) without sustained success in hockey, and once they finally get it for a few seasons, the athlete pool gets stretched.

Yeah you can pretty much call the woodbury bantam A, the east ridge bantam A. I agree it is quite tragic that woodbury will be losing it's best skaters to east ridge. What makes it even more tragic is that the superintendent who approved the new high school said that the new school would even out athletics. With pretty much most sports the outlook is bleek for not only woodbury, but also park. Yeah, the new school is totally going to even out athletics in south washington county schools

What game were you boys watching? That was a terrible exhibition of hockey skill and team play. Breakout...nonexistent for both teams. Their program just got derailed big time! The Benik kid was the only kid on the ice with some offensive skill but lets face it, no team hockey displayed in this fest. Carts is ahead of the horse in Woodbury as one association cannot possibly feed the 2 big schools. By the way Royals will blow that team out, you can count on it Benik should have gone to the Rodents, he would fit in nicely on that club.

Obviously right now you cannot compare ER to woodbury. Yes saturday they are going to get blown of the water. However in the upcoming years i don't see that trend staying. Also you have to remember that these boys for the most part haven't played together. Yes there are a few that have been on the same team for two or three years in a row but unlike other public class A schools woodbury and park both have a lot of you teams. Woodbury has one Bantam A team, two B1 teams, Two B2, teams and i believe 2 C teams. The chances of those boys playing on the same team from squirts all the way to now is slim to none. The point i am trying to make here is that breakouts, powerplays, and penelty kills rely a lot on chemistry and getting used to playing with each other. Those things will come in due time. I played majority of my hockey with woodbury and it's going to be sad to watch the program go downhill over the next few years.

[goalie30]

I have heard the the school boundaries may change sometime in the future (may not be true but that's what I heard). If they do change, who knows which school may get the better hockey players.

I also heard that Wes Bolin wanted to coach this year at Woodbury (it may be their last/best chance to get far in the State Tournament) and then move to ER next year but the principal for Woodbury squashed that idea. Again, who knows if it was true but if it is, that says alot about where he thinks the talent will be in the future.

[cclavin]

I am not from the metro area and am confused about the new Eastridge school. Could somebody in a short paragraph some up the demographics involved. In reading it looks like the Suburb of Woodbury simply got a new high school and lines were drawn between both schools. But then some mentioned Park??? in regards to the youth program. Thanks

East Ridge is in Woodbury BUT its' boundaries also include a portion of Cottage Grove, where Park is located. Demographically, it's about 70% Woodbury and 30% CG.

Do Newport kids still go to Woodbury?

[PowerForward25]

I am not from the metro area and am confused about the new Eastridge school. Could somebody in a short paragraph some up the demographics involved. In reading it looks like the Suburb of Woodbury simply got a new high school and lines were drawn between both schools. But then some mentioned Park??? in regards to the youth program. Thanks

East Ridge is in Woodbury BUT its' boundaries also include a portion of Cottage Grove, where Park is located. Demographically, it's about 70% Woodbury and 30% CG.

Do Newport kids still go to Woodbury?

Newport is also spilt. It all depends what side of 61 you live on.

[PoniesDad45]

East Ridge is in Woodbury BUT its' boundaries also include a portion of Cottage Grove, where Park is located. Demographically, it's about 70% Woodbury and 30% CG.

Do Newport kids still go to Woodbury?

Newport is also spilt. It all depends what side of 61 you live on.

I'm surprised they didn't try to get the Tartan and Stillwater parts of Woodbury into either of the schools. To me it would have made sense for I94 to be the dividing line between the school districts and would have relieved the pressure on Stillwater.

[USHLTender]

I agree with the above poster regarding the quality of this game. Lets be honest it was pretty weak. Benik was on the ice 75% of the game against a team that couldn't sustain any offensive pressure nor break out of their own zone. I was not impressed with either of these teams and I hope not to have to watch them in person or on the tube again in the future.

[brandy38]

Believe it or not, we have a ton of Eagles and Owls around here. I don't know if that's why or not but it makes sense.

Why not name them the Owls then? I don't think any high school has that mascot name.

Raptors is a corny name, IMO.

There were much better options for the mascot name. Rams was one of them, I believe.

Brandy, you seem to be familiar with Woodbury Youth Hockey. Maybe you'll remember years ago when all the teams up to Bantams I believe were called the "Woodbury Wings". The jerseys had a big W on them with the top of the W being wings. I always liked that name and logo, they changed to "Royals" to be more consistent with the HS program but now that they are feeding two HS's maybe they should look at that? I think East Ridge could have grabbed that name as well. East Ridge Wings I think sounds better than Raptors.

It's a fair proposition. I actually played in Wings jerseys back when the east rink at Bielenberg was outdoors. I still have a termite jersey that says "East Metro Hockey." The problem is that it would be more trouble than its worth. Some parents would see it as Woodbury hockey club trying to include East Ridge High school, a school that the hockey association was not meant to develop hockey players for, even though they are for the time being. Due to the economy and other reasons, it has been proposed that a new association not be created right now, but it will eventually happen. Plus all the merchandise the association sells would have to be redesigned or relabeled which takes money and time.

check your messages. I have a question related to another one of your posts.

[PoniesDad45]

I agree with the above poster regarding the quality of this game. Lets be honest it was pretty weak. Benik was on the ice 75% of the game against a team that couldn't sustain any offensive pressure nor break out of their own zone. I was not impressed with either of these teams and I hope not to have to watch them in person or on the tube again in the future.

Well don't watch them then, simple solution. What do you guys expect anyway? They took one hockey association and split it right down the middle. The varsity at ER probably has one legit varsity line and the rest of these kids should be getting a season of JV to acclimate to HS Hockey. They don't have that luxury.

[nhl_combine]

I agree with the above poster regarding the quality of this game. Lets be honest it was pretty weak. Benik was on the ice 75% of the game against a team that couldn't sustain any offensive pressure nor break out of their own zone. I was not impressed with either of these teams and I hope not to have to watch them in person or on the tube again in the future.

Well don't watch them then, simple solution. What do you guys expect anyway? They took one hockey association and split it right down the middle. The varsity at ER probably has one legit varsity line and the rest of these kids should be getting a season of JV to acclimate to HS Hockey. They don't have that luxury.

I agree with Ponies. Sure maybe the game wasn't played to the standards of two quality AA teams facing off vs each other, but not every team can produce 2-3 solid lines. You have to work with what you got and if that means St. Francis playing their best player 75% of the game, then so be it because it gives them the best chance to win.

Besides I think it was cool that we got to watch East Ridge's first high school game. Maybe someday they'll be the powerhouse everybody wants to watch.

[northwoods oldtimer]

I agree with the above poster regarding the quality of this game. Lets be honest it was pretty weak. Benik was on the ice 75% of the game against a team that couldn't sustain any offensive pressure nor break out of their own zone. I was not impressed with either of these teams and I hope not to have to watch them in person or on the tube again in the future.

USHLTender, You sir are very observant on the game in question. Some folks like to get caught up in the emotion of it all (we are on FSN) and get defensive by the mere comment regarding the fact that this simply was not good team hockey.

[cclavin]

Do Newport kids still go to Woodbury?

Newport is also spilt. It all depends what side of 61 you live on.

I'm surprised they didn't try to get the Tartan and Stillwater parts of Woodbury into either of the schools. To me it would have made sense for I94 to be the dividing line between the school districts and would have relieved the pressure on Stillwater.

Thanks.

You think a school board or three would do something logical? Bwhahahah!