4AA SEMIFINALS #3 STILLWATER VS #2 WHITE BEAR LAKE

wbmd · Post by **wbmd** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:54 pm

White Bear won 6-1 and 6-5 in O.T. in regular season action.

ZachHalverson · Post by **ZachHalverson** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:03 am

CAPITAL LETTERS!

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:06 am

LOUD NOISES

I picked Stillwater in the poll, because I like skewing the numbers. I actually think WBL wins it

FYI it can't be a rubber match if WBL won the first two

wbmd · Post by **wbmd** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:12 am

BlueLineSpecial wrote:FYI it can't be a rubber match if WBL won the first two

Sorry for the mistake, it's getting late and I'm half asleep.

ZachHalverson · Post by **ZachHalverson** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:15 am

BlueLineSpecial wrote:LOUD NOISES

Thought of Brick when I typed my message, haha!

As far as the game goes, if WBL comes out like they did against NSP, WBL will win. If they don't, anything can happen. The Ponies showed against the Titans tonight as well as earlier this season in the 2nd meeting of these teams that if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. I think WBL is a better team than Stillwater, but time and time again they have proven that if they don't show up, they won't win hockey games.

I love lamp.

Sats81 · Post by **Sats81** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:00 am

WBL 3-2

inthetwine · Post by **inthetwine** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:25 am

ZachHalverson wrote:
BlueLineSpecial wrote:LOUD NOISES
Thought of Brick when I typed my message, haha!

As far as the game goes, if WBL comes out like they did against NSP, WBL will win. If they don't, anything can happen. The Ponies showed against the Titans tonight as well as earlier this season in the 2nd meeting of these teams that if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. I think WBL is a better team than Stillwater, but time and time again they have proven that if they don't show up, they won't win hockey games.

I love lamp.

I would not put too much stock in stillwaters win over tartan. Tartan had the worst defense I have seen all year, and their forwards would not help out. If they were in the suburban east, they would have trouble with park and woodbury. Also, the tartan parents were horrible, screaming at the players and coaches. No class!!!!!

bkrrrrr · Post by **bkrrrrr** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:47 pm

Serious question here: I'm wondering if anyone can explain why Stillwater doesn't have a better history in (boys) hockey? I was surprised to see they've never been to the state tournament.

WBLHockeyfan04 · Post by **WBLHockeyfan04** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:50 pm

bkrrrrr wrote:Serious question here: I'm wondering if anyone can explain why Stillwater doesn't have a better history in (boys) hockey? I was surprised to see they've never been to the state tournament.

Because they're stuck in the same section as Hill Murray and WBL who besides the Centennial team of '04 represent their section each year.

bkrrrrr · Post by **bkrrrrr** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:07 pm

Sure, but even their overall records in recent decades are only about 0.500 or less. I'm not sure how competitive they were before that.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:20 pm

bkrrrrr wrote:Serious question here: I'm wondering if anyone can explain why Stillwater doesn't have a better history in (boys) hockey? I was surprised to see they've never been to the state tournament.

I think it's a combination of things. Their section is an impediment to getting to State. Hill and WBL have owned it for generations.

Hill has gobbled up a few top players as well

On top of that, Stillwater isn't exactly a huge community. I think Stillwater has something like 18k residents, so pretty small compared to many suburban cities. And even just a decade or so ago it was significantly smaller than that. With all the new developments going up in what is considered rural Washington County, young and affluent families will continue to migrate to Stillwater. I expect them to get better and more relevant in the coming years.

bkrrrrr · Post by **bkrrrrr** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:45 pm

Yet Stillwater has a pretty good history in football.

I've also been perplexed at the lack of success at Coon Rapids, sandwiched between more successful Anoka and Blaine. Coon Rapids certainly has population. Is it more the organization and coaching that is lacking in programs like Stillwater and Coon Rapids?

chief22 · Post by **chief22** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 3:36 pm

bkrrrrr wrote:Yet Stillwater has a pretty good history in football.

I've also been perplexed at the lack of success at Coon Rapids, sandwiched between more successful Anoka and Blaine. Coon Rapids certainly has population. Is it more the organization and coaching that is lacking in programs like Stillwater and Coon Rapids?

Coon Rapids is just a feeder system for Blaine...and private schools.

bkrrrrr · Post by **bkrrrrr** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:12 pm

chief22 wrote: Coon Rapids is just a feeder system for Blaine...and private schools.

What, CR kids are playing for other schools?! That's just sad...

Nostalgic Nerd · Post by **Nostalgic Nerd** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:19 pm

If Housley's still coach/commentator, hopefully he makes it to his first state tourney as a team.

hshockeyfan8 · Post by **hshockeyfan8** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:51 pm

Don't see Stillwater with any real chance here... 5-1 WBL

nobama · Post by **nobama** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:48 pm

If the goalie knows how to cover the crease the ponies will be fine

wbmd · Post by **wbmd** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 8:44 am

Nostalgic Nerd wrote:If Housley's still coach/commentator, hopefully he makes it to his first state tourney as a team.

Housley is now an assistant coach with Nashville. Wheather Stillwater makes it or not, he will be far away from the bench and the broadcasting booth.

Miracle On Ice · Post by **Miracle On Ice** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 11:18 am

WBL 5
Stillwater 2
Wahlin with the hat trick

ZachHalverson · Post by **ZachHalverson** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:42 pm

The most recent meeting between these two teams was a roller coaster ride that ended in White Bear Lake's favor. After scoring two quick goals early in the first period and adding a third midway through, it looked like Stillwater would win this game handedly. But the Bears scored a couple before the teams went to their respective locker rooms, and the Bears were within one.

The second period play was quite different from the first, with only one goal scored which was a game-tying goal by A.J. Welch on the power play. However, things opened back up in the third period.

After Wyatt Stotts took a Checking From Behind major late in the second period, the Bears started the third with 4:19 of power play and they took advantage. Brady Anderson scored just 17 seconds in, and Tyler Steffen soon followed a couple minutes later. The Bears two-goal lead in the third period fell apart in the final two minutes of regulation.

With 1:59 to go in the third, Simon Sagissor cut the lead in half and Brandon Jungmann scored the tying goal with 21 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Both teams had two shots on goal in overtime but it was White Bear Lake who put one of those in the goal as Matthew Pitcher finished this one off with just under two minutes to go.

Alright, so what does this all mean? First of all, the Bears scored six goals and none of them were scored by Jake Wahlin. Secondly, the Bears showed some fantastic resilience in this game, perhaps the first time all season they exhibited that. And finally, this was a devastating loss for Stillwater who came out of the gates flying and left the gates with nothing. This game is most likely still in their head, and will certainly be used for motivation Tuesday night.

The Ponies are a very tough team to figure out. They swept Forest Lake, have won two out of three with Roseville, and they even beat Cretin-Derham Hall. But they were swept by White Bear Lake and, like the Bears, lost to the Mounds View Mustangs but unlike the Bears, tied the Mustangs in their other meeting with them.

The Bears' inconsistency seemed to subside by the end of the year, with the exception of their loss to Forest Lake. While the Bears certainly come into this game as the favorite, after a 10-0 slaughtering on Saturday they will have to get their heads right and ready to go as they will be playing a much more competitive squad.

Stillwater wins if they put a quick one or two past Gorman early in the first, and play solid defense the rest of the game. The Bears have three dangerous lines that the Ponies will have to shut down, so conditioning will be important. Stillwater needs to keep this a low scoring affair and hope for some lucky bounces.

White Bear Lake wins if they play like the team that beat Hermantown, Grand Rapids, Roseville, Cretin-Derham Hall, and even Hastings and North St. Paul. If the night is truly darkest just before the dawn, the Bears showed just how dark the night can get against Mounds View, before surging to win eight of their last nine games. Three powerful lines with fantastic chemistry along with a solid defensive core and the dependable goaltending of Chase Gorman make the Bears a very powerful hockey team. But with great power comes great responsibility, so if the Bears want to win this one they better play responsibly. Whatever that means.

Nevertoomuchhockey · Post by **Nevertoomuchhockey** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 12:01 am

chief22 wrote:
bkrrrrr wrote:Yet Stillwater has a pretty good history in football.

I've also been perplexed at the lack of success at Coon Rapids, sandwiched between more successful Anoka and Blaine. Coon Rapids certainly has population. Is it more the organization and coaching that is lacking in programs like Stillwater and Coon Rapids?
Coon Rapids is just a feeder system for Blaine...and private schools.

Whhaaaattt? That's just giving Coon Rapids too much credit. You can't list five varsity players at Blaine or ALL the privates combined that are from CR. You prob can't list three!

ZachHalverson · Post by **ZachHalverson** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 2:08 pm

Just want to remind everyone that LIVE audio of this game with my expert play-by-play announcing can be heard at http://TheHornWBL.com tonight. Our Pregame show starts at 7:30.

Bayside Tigers · Post by **Bayside Tigers** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:01 pm

Something's gotta be said about the music around here. With this game on deck & these teams warming up I'll post it in this thread. For the most part, the lack of any. Where's the Welcome To The Jungle? Where's Bush? Finally they fired up some tunes: You Belong To The City by Glenn Frey. Great tune, don't get me wrong. Makes me think more about going to Showbiz Pizza in 1987 than being at a hockey game, though. A few other 80's jams have followed.

Stillwater wins IF: they score more goals than White Bear Lake.
White Bear Lake wins IF: they score more goals than Stillwater.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:09 pm

I might eat these words come Friday. But I'm rooting for WBL tonight. I'd like to see one last great HM-WBL section final at the coliseum. Hill takes the early game 5-1 and looked really good doing it.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:54 pm

Zeros after 1. Stillwater looks good

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4AA SEMIFINALS #3 STILLWATER VS #2 WHITE BEAR LAKE

WHO WINS THE RUBBER MATCH?

4AA SEMIFINALS #3 STILLWATER VS #2 WHITE BEAR LAKE