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

Bayside Tigers · Post by **Bayside Tigers** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 9:32 pm

0-0 after 2 shots 18-8 in favor of Stillwater. Stillwater looks good...compared to WBL. Watching this game, I don't see Hill having any trouble advancing to state, though Friday is another day.

I'll be really disappointed if the final Coiseum game isn't a Hill/WBL matchup, but regardless, I'm anticipating the first goal scored in this game & the eruption of half this building. With 0-0 going into the 3rd, feeling like this will be a 1-0 final, you can't help but feel that sudden death tension in the air. I want 6 OT that ends at 2:30AM. (It happened before, maybe 2001 or 2002 Anoka vs Champlin Park I wanna say)

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 9:36 pm

Bayside Tigers wrote:0-0 after 2 shots 18-8 in favor of Stillwater. Stillwater looks good...compared to WBL. Watching this game, I don't see Hill having any trouble advancing to state, though Friday is another day.

I'll be really disappointed if the final Coiseum game isn't a Hill/WBL matchup, but regardless, I'm anticipating the first goal scored in this game & the eruption of half this building. With 0-0 going into the 3rd, feeling like this will be a 1-0 final, you can't help but feel that sudden death tension in the air. I want 6 OT that ends at 2:30AM. (It happened before, maybe 2001 or 2002 Anoka vs Champlin Park I wanna say)

It does have that "first goal wins" feel doesn't it?

Stillwater continuing to look good. WBL looks slow to pucks, sloppy neutral zone play is killing them.

Edit: Stillwater with the early 3rd period goal. Plenty of time to get the equalizer but Stillwater is outplaying WBL in every aspect of the game at the moment.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:05 pm

WBL ties it up on a PP goal with 4 min left.

Edit : free hockey

sanryam · Post by **sanryam** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:21 pm

Stillwater steals it in OT to upset WBL 2-1. Stillwater-Hill Murray Friday

wbmd · Post by **wbmd** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:21 pm

White Bear deserved to lose.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:23 pm

Wow. I'll have more insightful reflections on this game tomorrow. I know how anxious you all to hear from me. All I'll say tonight is that I'm disappointed in you, WBL. This last section final at the coliseum won't be the same without you.

wbmd · Post by **wbmd** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:23 pm

More than likely it was Jake Wahlin's last high school game.

sachishi4 · Post by **sachishi4** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:26 pm

now comes the matchup we have all been waiting for

Post by **karl(east)** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:32 pm

Wow. I guess Stillwater disagreed about what was "supposed" to happen on Friday night.

Credit to the Ponies. They've had a good amount of talent coming up through the youth program over the years, but it's never really crystallized into anything at the high school level. Maybe the new coaching regime has this team ready to take the next step. Hill will be an entirely different challenge, and they haven't been consistent, but they can be good when they're on.

For White Bear...ouch. The talent was there, but so were the warning signs all along. This one is in a different category from a lot of their recent losses, but I'll defer to the White Bear Faithful on where this one falls in WBL history, and where this leaves the program.

meridian90 · Post by **meridian90** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:44 pm

karl(east) wrote:Wow. I guess Stillwater disagreed about what was "supposed" to happen on Friday night.

Credit to the Ponies. They've had a good amount of talent coming up through the youth program over the years, but it's never really crystallized into anything at the high school level. Maybe the new coaching regime has this team ready to take the next step. Hill will be an entirely different challenge, and they haven't been consistent, but they can be good when they're on.

For White Bear...ouch. The talent was there, but so were the warning signs all along. This one is in a different category from a lot of their recent losses, but I'll defer to the White Bear Faithful on where this one falls in WBL history, and where this leaves the program.

The program will really be based on what wahlin decides to do. Replacing Gorman in goal won't be tough as the Bantam goalie is very strong, and would have probably split with gorman had he tried out for varsity.

Dittel will be a loss, but they don't really actually graduate that much. The question is, will wahlin "graduate."

If he stays, next year would be the best chance to upset hill or whoever and make a run at state. If he leaves, they could be solid, but with nothing to put them over the top next year.

After next year is where it will get murky, as the youth levels really lack any upper echelon talent like this group has, even if it didn't show tonight.

They questions are: does wahlin want to stay? and are outside people pushing him to leave?

sachishi4 · Post by **sachishi4** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:50 pm

tweet from hockey agent

@darrylwolski: Jake Wahlin no worries buddy you had a great High School career

ZachHalverson · Post by **ZachHalverson** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:53 pm

Still at the Coliseum trying to figure out what just happened. I hope writing about it will help, but I'm skeptical. Wow.

I said earlier in this thread that Stillwater needs to keep this a low scoring affair and hope for some lucky bounces. They really didn't need any lucky bounces, they just played a solid defensive game that not only shut down the White Bear Lake offense, but also exploited it. The Bears had maybe one or two good opportunities in addition to their lone goal, which isn't enough to win any hockey game, let alone a Section Semifinal.

White Bear Lake not playing Hill-Murray in the Section Final doesn't happen often, but when it does it is usually because the team isn't that great and there are usually warning signs that would be the case. As Karl said, there were certainly warning signs, but they were minuscule and this certainly was White Bear Lake's game to lose. And oh boy did they.

For as good as Stillwater was tonight, White Bear Lake was as bad. I don't know why this team can come out flying one night and look so flat the next. I don't know if it was leadership or something else, but it was a concern all season and it was a point that I discussed as something that they would need to figure out soon. It's too late.

Hand it to Stillwater, they played a great game and they certainly deserved to win. A season to remember for White Bear Lake, no matter what the outcome would have been on Friday, turned into a season to forget in a matter of moments this evening.

It's too bad the Bears won't close this building out like it "should" have been with one final tilt with the Pioneers on Friday. I say this not only as a Bears fan, but also a hockey fan in general. What was supposed to be a packed building with a tremendous atmosphere has turned into a 3/4 filled Section Final with limited excitement unless Stillwater can make it interesting.

It's just too bad.

The Gumper · Post by **The Gumper** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:07 pm

karl(east) wrote:Hill will be an entirely different challenge, and they haven't been consistent, but they can be good when they're on.

Hmmm. Ranked #3. Best record in the state. Only 3 losses all season and only one loss in the last two months. Do yah think, Capt. Obvious?

meridian90 · Post by **meridian90** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:10 pm

The Gumper wrote:
karl(east) wrote:Hill will be an entirely different challenge, and they haven't been consistent, but they can be good when they're on.
Hmmm. Ranked #3. Best record in the state. Only 3 losses all season and only one loss in the last two months. Do yah think, Capt. Obvious?

I think (could be wrong) Karl was referring to stillwater being good when they are on, not hill.

bkrrrrr · Post by **bkrrrrr** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:28 pm

Wow, now I gotta root for Stillwater? That just feels so wrong...but I'll get used to it real quick if they can knock off HM. Go...uh...Bronies.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:49 pm

I'm still a bit shocked over this. The way WBL was playing there was no doubt they would win tonight and have a great shot at making State. But then they went and played their worst game in 6 weeks. Stillwater outplayed them, period. But this was not the WBL team we've seen recently.

If Stillwater plays like they did tonight, and Hill also plays like they did tonight, Pioneers will be heading to State. HM 4-1.

Now if Hill has an off or average game, Stillwater can keep it close and if the stars align they could win. Hill's path to State, in this fan's opinion, just got a lot easier.

WBLHockeyfan04 · Post by **WBLHockeyfan04** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:57 pm

BlueLineSpecial wrote:I'm still a bit shocked over this. The way WBL was playing there was no doubt they would win tonight and have a great shot at making State. But then they went and played their worst game in 6 weeks. Stillwater outplayed them, period. But this was not the WBL team we've seen recently.

If Stillwater plays like they did tonight, and Hill also plays like they did tonight, Pioneers will be heading to State. HM 4-1.

Now if Hill has an off or average game, Stillwater can keep it close and if the stars align they could win. Hill's path to State, in this fan's opinion, just got a lot easier.

Couldn't agree with this more. WBL clearly wasn't mentally in this game. Not to take anything away from Stillwater, they deserved to win, but WBL clearly was looking past this game. They just didn't show up, and I don't know if that's to be blamed on players, coaches, but this was a pretty awful performance. They never really had any good moments in this game. Even the PP goal was fluky, which I thought was a questionable call with 5 minutes to go. It's all pretty disappointing since this was a much better WBL than the one that showed up tonight, and most likely the end of the road for one of the best WBL players to ever wear the uniform.

BlueLineSpecial · Post by **BlueLineSpecial** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:12 am

Au revoir Jake Wahlin. Most of the State never got to see one of the best MN high school players of the last 10 years. Never made it to the big show. Dude averaged almost 3 points per game this year against some really good teams.

meridian90 · Post by **meridian90** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:19 am

WBLHockeyfan04 wrote:
BlueLineSpecial wrote:I'm still a bit shocked over this. The way WBL was playing there was no doubt they would win tonight and have a great shot at making State. But then they went and played their worst game in 6 weeks. Stillwater outplayed them, period. But this was not the WBL team we've seen recently.

If Stillwater plays like they did tonight, and Hill also plays like they did tonight, Pioneers will be heading to State. HM 4-1.

Now if Hill has an off or average game, Stillwater can keep it close and if the stars align they could win. Hill's path to State, in this fan's opinion, just got a lot easier.
Couldn't agree with this more. WBL clearly wasn't mentally in this game. Not to take anything away from Stillwater, they deserved to win, but WBL clearly was looking past this game. They just didn't show up, and I don't know if that's to be blamed on players, coaches, but this was a pretty awful performance. They never really had any good moments in this game. Even the PP goal was fluky, which I thought was a questionable call with 5 minutes to go. It's all pretty disappointing since this was a much better WBL than the one that showed up tonight, and most likely the end of the road for one of the best WBL players to ever wear the uniform.

I have heard some rumblings from a few very reliable sources that "he" would like to stay, but outside forces may prevent that.

Really too bad, because I think he is talented enough to make the jump right to college without playing a year in juniors.

He is easily one of the best scoring players I have ever seen. I feel fortunate I got to watch all three years he played, and almost every game on top of it.

Just a shame he never got to the big stage. Until I know its for sure though, I suppose, as a white bear alum and faithful, that we get one more year to see him don the orange and black. Next year the team would be even better than this year if he were to stick around, and a potential favorite in 4AA.

Wblhcky2424 · Post by **Wblhcky2424** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:59 am

Where's Goldfishdude to blame this all on Sager and call for his firing?

East Side Pioneer Guy · Wed Feb 26, 2014 6:08 am

All Pioneer fans join me in in quickly calling for WBL to stand behind Coach Sagar. We love to see him behind the bench.

It's time for the Wahlin's to realize that resistance is futile. Come over to the Dark Side.

Sparlimb · Post by **Sparlimb** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 6:22 am

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:All Pioneer fans join me in in quickly calling for WBL to stand behind Coach Sagar. We love to see him behind the bench.

If "coty" were to leave WBL, let's just say there's an opening at NSP...

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:It's time for the Wahlin's to realize that resistance is futile. Come over to the Dark Side.

I kept mentioning to my buddy, last night, how nice #20 would have looked in Green. Granted my buddy, not an HM fan, kept saying UND...

GreekChurch · Post by **GreekChurch** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:01 am

On one hand, I do feel I got robbed of seeing Hill beat White Bear one last time at the Coliseum, with a trip to State on the line. On the other, Stillwater deserved the win, and have a shot at the Pioneers. There was a lot of talk that this was White Bears year, to knock off Hill, and win a State Consolation Championship. I just thought they were too inconsistent for that kind of optimism.

Nevertoomuchhockey · Post by **Nevertoomuchhockey** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:49 am

So now you are cheering for HM right?

Hockey922 · Post by **Hockey922** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:55 am

Stillwater will have a lot more problems with hill. Hill moves the puck very well, white bear barely did it at all last night.

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

WHO WINS THE RUBBER MATCH?