They broadcast the wrong game Saturday night

[almostashappy]

It really is a shame that the Class 2A 3rd place game between Eden Prairie and Eagan wasn't broadcast, or that more of the fans who could have watched the game live using their Session 6 ticket didn't do so. Not just because it was a far better game to watch than the Championship Game, with dramatic lead changes and incredible plays, but because it showcased all of the great things about hockey (and the kids who play it) that many found lacking in the game that followed.

Either team could have phoned in the effort like our pros (unfortunately) did in Sochi. Either team could have said “the hell with it” and gone goonish with cheap hits and dirty play. But they didn’t. That both teams gave it their all in what many consider to be a throwaway game was even more noteworthy when you consider how many of the kids out there were playing with broken hearts and broken bodies…

- EP’s Michael Parrish got a State Tourney hat trick, playing the game of his life a few weeks after losing his father to cancer;

- Snuggerud was still out there with a broken hand, while Spinner toughed it out after taking a puck to the neck the night before. Amazing that they were not only playing but giving it their all, considering the fact that both of these seniors were heading straight to the USHL once the Tourney was over, and were risking the loss of ice time at that next level by playing hurt as they played for bronze;

- Eagan’s head coach Mike Taylor had to hobble together a line-up after losing both first line wings to injury the night before. Senior Cats who might have called it quits earlier in the season after seeing limited fourth line playing time stepped into the regular line progression and stepped up huge.

- The Wildcat’s Max Elsenheimer scored twice, capping off a four goal Tourney without mention or fuss being made of the fact that he was playing hurt...lacerated his elbow early in the Section Final against STA, and showed up at the Tourney with more stitches than sticks.

A team might have been tempted to throw in the towel (and hit cruise control towards a loss) after they gave up a goal in their first shift, but Eagan fought back to claim the lead. The Eagles might have decided that fourth place was good enough as they entered the third period down two goals, but they battled back to tie things up late in the game. The momentum was all theirs at that point, and I thought it was all over when EP went on the power play with a minute left in the game. I was then happily proven wrong when Nick Wolff, probably skating his fortieth minute of playing time, intercepted a pass deep in the zone, lumbered down the length of the ice, and scored a top shelf shortie. EP then pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, only to see Wolff gain possession of the puck and blindly “chip” it from his own end line into the empty net. Two dramatic shorties in less than a minute, to win hardware for Eagan. Has anyone ever scored two short-handed goals in the Tourney, much less a game-winning shortie?

When the final horn sounded, the Wildcats were too exhausted to get much altitude when they threw their gloves into the air in celebration. The Eagles were too full of pride to let their chins lose much altitude, despite their exhaustion and the way that the game ended. They certainly deserved to feel pride over what they accomplished this season, and (more importantly to me) how they carried themselves during the game. And that sense of pride should extend beyond the EP players to their coaches, their parents, their school, their community, and to the State of Hockey as a whole.

That was the Saturday night game that showcased all that is great about the sport.

That was the Saturday night game that Herb Brooks would have wanted to watch.

That was the Saturday night game that should have been televised.

And my thanks go out to the players on both teams that made it such a special game for me to watch in person.

[WarmUpTheBus]

It really is a shame that the Class 2A 3rd place game between Eden Prairie and Eagan wasn't broadcast, or that more of the fans who could have watched the game live using their Session 6 ticket didn't do so. Not just because it was a far better game to watch than the Championship Game, with dramatic lead changes and incredible plays, but because it showcased all of the great things about hockey (and the kids who play it) that many found lacking in the game that followed.

Either team could have phoned in the effort like our pros (unfortunately) did in Sochi. Either team could have said “the hell with it” and gone goonish with cheap hits and dirty play. But they didn’t. That both teams gave it their all in what many consider to be a throwaway game was even more noteworthy when you consider how many of the kids out there were playing with broken hearts and broken bodies…

- EP’s Michael Parrish got a State Tourney hat trick, playing the game of his life a few weeks after losing his father to cancer;

- Snuggerud was still out there with a broken hand, while Spinner toughed it out after taking a puck to the neck the night before. Amazing that they were not only playing but giving it their all, considering the fact that both of these seniors were heading straight to the USHL once the Tourney was over, and were risking the loss of ice time at that next level by playing hurt as they played for bronze;

- Eagan’s head coach Mike Taylor had to hobble together a line-up after losing both first line wings to injury the night before. Senior Cats who might have called it quits earlier in the season after seeing limited fourth line playing time stepped into the regular line progression and stepped up huge.

- The Wildcat’s Max Elsenheimer scored twice, capping off a four goal Tourney without mention or fuss being made of the fact that he was playing hurt...lacerated his elbow early in the Section Final against STA, and showed up at the Tourney with more stitches than sticks.

A team might have been tempted to throw in the towel (and hit cruise control towards a loss) after they gave up a goal in their first shift, but Eagan fought back to claim the lead. The Eagles might have decided that fourth place was good enough as they entered the third period down two goals, but they battled back to tie things up late in the game. The momentum was all theirs at that point, and I thought it was all over when EP went on the power play with a minute left in the game. I was then happily proven wrong when Nick Wolff, probably skating his fortieth minute of playing time, intercepted a pass deep in the zone, lumbered down the length of the ice, and scored a top shelf shortie. EP then pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, only to see Wolff gain possession of the puck and blindly “chip” it from his own end line into the empty net. Two dramatic shorties in less than a minute, to win hardware for Eagan. Has anyone ever scored two short-handed goals in the Tourney, much less a game-winning shortie?

When the final horn sounded, the Wildcats were too exhausted to get much altitude when they threw their gloves into the air in celebration. The Eagles were too full of pride to let their chins lose much altitude, despite their exhaustion and the way that the game ended. They certainly deserved to feel pride over what they accomplished this season, and (more importantly to me) how they carried themselves during the game. And that sense of pride should extend beyond the EP players to their coaches, their parents, their school, their community, and to the State of Hockey as a whole.

That was the Saturday night game that showcased all that is great about the sport.

That was the Saturday night game that Herb Brooks would have wanted to watch.

That was the Saturday night game that should have been televised.

And my thanks go out to the players on both teams that made it such a special game for me to watch in person.

I also give the coaches credit for getting the team up to play in these Third Place and Consolation games. Give the players the "Only 3(6) teams can win their last game of the season" speech.

[Doc Holliday]

-The AA 3rd place game should be on TV. I'm sure there's a reason for it, unfortunately. As sad as it's to say, I'm sure the re-run of King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, or Scrubs gets a higher rating than a 3rd place game would get. I don't know how they can figure that out since they don't have any stats to show that since the 3rd place game hasn't been broadcast since it was a 1 class show.
-Good effort by both teams. EP could have totally packed it in when down 2 in the 3rd and gone through the motions.
-You could see how fired up Eagan was after they won. Almost made up for the loss the night before. ALMOST

I think you could see some rivalry in there as well. A # of the Eagan players after the game were talking & being congratulated by the Edina players, who were killing time on the bench before warmups. Almost like Edina was fired up for EP to lose and Eagan was telling Edina to go out there & blast Lakeville. I do think Edina & Eagan gained a lot of respect for each other....

[Zamman]

Here are the two reasons why it was not on TV:
1) Money
2) Money

Anyone who has a session 6 ticket can go, bu most do not. If the championship game was a three OT game I am sure this topic would not be here, but the facts are that it costs way too much money to "waste" on this unattended game. No offense to the two teams playing as they have something to play for.

[almostashappy]

I think you could see some rivalry in there as well. A # of the Eagan players after the game were talking & being congratulated by the Edina players, who were killing time on the bench before warmups. Almost like Edina was fired up for EP to lose and Eagan was telling Edina to go out there & blast Lakeville. I do think Edina & Eagan gained a lot of respect for each other....

I asked somebody in the know about that scene after the game...they said that there were some established friendships between some Edina and Eagan players...developed either from playing on the same off-season teams, or from meeting at informal social gatherings (euphemism alert!) where members of both teams were in attendance.

As has been noted in other threads, it's mostly the parents and alumni that go overboard with the rivalries and vitriol. But you're probably right about who was rooting for whom...being in the same conference and playing a team twice during the regular season probably makes the kids less likely to root for a team, rather than engender any conference-related loyalties.

[almostashappy]

Here are the two reasons why it was not on TV:
1) Money
2) Money

Anyone who has a session 6 ticket can go, bu most do not. If the championship game was a three OT game I am sure this topic would not be here, but the facts are that it costs way too much money to "waste" on this unattended game. No offense to the two teams playing as they have something to play for.

Well if that's the case, then prep45 and the MSHSL should have given the rights to webstream the 3rd place game to somebody who did think that their production costs weren't money "wasted" on an "unattended" game. I don't think they would suffer for a lack of applicants...MSBN was already there, streaming live audio. Eagan's community access station would have had their production truck there in a heartbeat. And if nobody cared to watch the broadcast/webstream, then Channel 45 wouldn't have to worry about losing advertising revenue and eyeballs from their sit com reruns.

While they're at it, they could bid out the right to stream the consolation bracket games. Again, if nobody cares about loser bracket games, then no harm....right?

[BodyShots]

I think you could see some rivalry in there as well. A # of the Eagan players after the game were talking & being congratulated by the Edina players, who were killing time on the bench before warmups. Almost like Edina was fired up for EP to lose and Eagan was telling Edina to go out there & blast Lakeville. I do think Edina & Eagan gained a lot of respect for each other....

I asked somebody in the know about that scene after the game...they said that there were some established friendships between some Edina and Eagan players...developed either from playing on the same off-season teams, or from meeting at informal social gatherings (euphemism alert!) where members of both teams were in attendance.

As has been noted in other threads, it's mostly the parents and alumni that go overboard with the rivalries and vitriol. But you're probably right about who was rooting for whom...being in the same conference and playing a team twice during the regular season probably makes the kids less likely to root for a team, rather than engender any conference-related loyalties.

You would be amazed at the friendships made during off season events like Elites and Great 8. These friendships carried over into the baseball season and into college. It was a pleasure to see these boys stay on the ice after games to talk to friends on the other teams that they just met over the summer.

[goldy313]

It's the frickin' long intermission between the 3rd place game and the finals that gets me. Thanks Century and Burnsville

I don't get why they don't stream out the games either, Mariucci has the equipment in place already obviously so does Xcel. It's too bad those people from Luverne or Roseau who are prohibited by distance and cost from going to the cities being able to see their hometown kids play.

[Ogie]

With technology being what it is, it would be nice to be able to choose.

Especially when one game is so lopsided.

[Tripod]

[quote="goldy313"]It's the frickin' long intermission between the 3rd place game and the finals that gets me. Thanks Century and Burnsville

I have wondered that myself - Why the long intermission between these games? What does Century and Burnsville have to do with it?

[hshockeyfan8]

It's the frickin' long intermission between the 3rd place game and the finals that gets me. Thanks Century and Burnsville

I have wondered that myself - Why the long intermission between these games? What does Century and Burnsville have to do with it?

Could be wrong, but would be guessing that they try to avoid a couple of overtime game pushing back the start of the Championship.

[394 West]

It really is a shame that the Class 2A 3rd place game between Eden Prairie and Eagan wasn't broadcast, or that more of the fans who could have watched the game live using their Session 6 ticket didn't do so. Not just because it was a far better game to watch than the Championship Game, with dramatic lead changes and incredible plays, but because it showcased all of the great things about hockey (and the kids who play it) that many found lacking in the game that followed.

Either team could have phoned in the effort like our pros (unfortunately) did in Sochi. Either team could have said “the hell with it” and gone goonish with cheap hits and dirty play. But they didn’t. That both teams gave it their all in what many consider to be a throwaway game was even more noteworthy when you consider how many of the kids out there were playing with broken hearts and broken bodies…

- EP’s Michael Parrish got a State Tourney hat trick, playing the game of his life a few weeks after losing his father to cancer;

- Snuggerud was still out there with a broken hand, while Spinner toughed it out after taking a puck to the neck the night before. Amazing that they were not only playing but giving it their all, considering the fact that both of these seniors were heading straight to the USHL once the Tourney was over, and were risking the loss of ice time at that next level by playing hurt as they played for bronze;

- Eagan’s head coach Mike Taylor had to hobble together a line-up after losing both first line wings to injury the night before. Senior Cats who might have called it quits earlier in the season after seeing limited fourth line playing time stepped into the regular line progression and stepped up huge.

- The Wildcat’s Max Elsenheimer scored twice, capping off a four goal Tourney without mention or fuss being made of the fact that he was playing hurt...lacerated his elbow early in the Section Final against STA, and showed up at the Tourney with more stitches than sticks.

A team might have been tempted to throw in the towel (and hit cruise control towards a loss) after they gave up a goal in their first shift, but Eagan fought back to claim the lead. The Eagles might have decided that fourth place was good enough as they entered the third period down two goals, but they battled back to tie things up late in the game. The momentum was all theirs at that point, and I thought it was all over when EP went on the power play with a minute left in the game. I was then happily proven wrong when Nick Wolff, probably skating his fortieth minute of playing time, intercepted a pass deep in the zone, lumbered down the length of the ice, and scored a top shelf shortie. EP then pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, only to see Wolff gain possession of the puck and blindly “chip” it from his own end line into the empty net. Two dramatic shorties in less than a minute, to win hardware for Eagan. Has anyone ever scored two short-handed goals in the Tourney, much less a game-winning shortie?

When the final horn sounded, the Wildcats were too exhausted to get much altitude when they threw their gloves into the air in celebration. The Eagles were too full of pride to let their chins lose much altitude, despite their exhaustion and the way that the game ended. They certainly deserved to feel pride over what they accomplished this season, and (more importantly to me) how they carried themselves during the game. And that sense of pride should extend beyond the EP players to their coaches, their parents, their school, their community, and to the State of Hockey as a whole.

That was the Saturday night game that showcased all that is great about the sport.

That was the Saturday night game that Herb Brooks would have wanted to watch.

That was the Saturday night game that should have been televised.

And my thanks go out to the players on both teams that made it such a special game for me to watch in person.

Agree with all of what you said. However 24 months ago BSM's Grant Besse scored 5 goals 3 of which where short handed in the championship game vs Hill Murray. So yes it's been done and in a major fashion!

[DanFromWoodbury]

It's the frickin' long intermission between the 3rd place game and the finals that gets me. Thanks Century and Burnsville :evil:

I have wondered that myself - Why the long intermission between these games? What does Century and Burnsville have to do with it?

Yeah what's the Century Burnsville thing?

[PanthersIn2011]

It's the frickin' long intermission between the 3rd place game and the finals that gets me. Thanks Century and Burnsville

I have wondered that myself - Why the long intermission between these games? What does Century and Burnsville have to do with it?

Yeah what's the Century Burnsville thing?

In 2007, Century and Burnsville went 2OTs in the 3rd place game.