Lake Conference Domination

[Jiblet]

After tonight's games I think it is about time to stop talking about The Crimson and all these other pretenders. Another year of lake conference domination in girls hockey. The only teams that can beat the Lake teams when it matters is the lake teams themselves. The only reason 4 lake teams won't be in the tourney this year is the fact that 2 teams will knock out the other 2 In the section finals Friday!

Wayzata finished tied for third in the lake and destroyed the Crimson team people thought should have been number 1 in state all year. Coincidence...I think not.

[sinbin]

I think the bandwagon is big enough to hold you and many others. It's been filling up the past 5 years and growing.

[wolfman]

All Lake conf teams should go to state. Dah

[D6 Girls Fan]

If you want the best teams, take the Lake Conference, Hill, One of the Lakevilles, and Roseau. Not a rip on other teams, but if you want the best, those are the best.

[Gov78]

If you want the best teams, take the Lake Conference, Hill, One of the Lakevilles, and Roseau. Not a rip on other teams, but if you want the best, those are the best.

MSHSL had always been about regional representation, that is until they started adding classes for most sports and saw attendance drop for big revenue tournaments so they started the competitive alignment process.

[wolfman]

D 6 girls man take it one more step. The North teams are done. We need to have a state tourney with only metro teams. Just call it the metro State Tourney and eliminate the section playoffs all together.

[Jiblet]

Just call it the metro State Tourney and eliminate the section playoffs all together.

Forget the metro, after watching tonight just call it the lake state tourney. Hill is only worthy team from east and north metro and Lakeville's are the only worthy south metro teams.

[PondHockeyChampion]

After tonight's games I think it is about time to stop talking about The Crimson and all these other pretenders. Another year of lake conference domination in girls hockey. The only teams that can beat the Lake teams when it matters is the lake teams themselves. The only reason 4 lake teams won't be in the tourney this year is the fact that 2 teams will knock out the other 2 In the section finals Friday!

Wayzata finished tied for third in the lake and destroyed the Crimson team people thought should have been number 1 in state all year. Coincidence...I think not.

We should we even have a state tourney? We can award the trophy now. I vote to give it to all the lake teams and their superior ability to play two lines. If they are so dominate, why all the bench shortening during the year? I think someone mentioned most of their third lines could be a lot of programs first lines.

[luckyEPDad]

During the regular season Maple Grove was 3-1 against Lake conference teams, including a 3-0 win over Wayzata. They also beat Hill Murray. The anointed went a collective 2-4 against MG this year. A losing record. I understand wanting to rub the nose of a particularly annoying MG fan in this loss, but saying it loss proves the team isn't any good only proves your ignorance.

[D6 Girls Fan]

I didn't make a value judgement about how the state tournament should or shouldn't be. Just my opinion on which the best teams are. I long ago gave up on thinking the best teams would be in the tournament. Whatever makes people happy.

[alcloseshaver]

Plenty of great teams have never made it state in all sports. Nothing is entitled and it won't be changing. Section 6AA in boy's is loaded most years and I don't hear much of this sort of talk on their side of the Bored.

[MNHockeyFan]

If you want the best teams, take the Lake Conference, Hill, One of the Lakevilles, and Roseau. Not a rip on other teams, but if you want the best, those are the best.

If it were based on "best" then four of the five Lake teams would be worthy:

LPH (2/11/15)
1. Eden Prairie
2. Minnetonka
5. Edina
6. Wayzata

13. Hopkins

KRACH (through regular season)
1. Eden Prairie
3. Minnetonka
4. Edina
9. Wayzata (but since has beaten #2 Maple Grove)

17. Hopkins

So, if who got into the tourney was based on "best" - which it probably will never be, at least in our lifetimes - then four of your eight tourney teams this year would be Lake teams. No matter where you're from or which team you cheer for, you have to admit that's very impressive.

In addition to those four Lake teams, if I had to choose four more to make it the "strongest field ever in the history of the Class 2AA Tournament", I would throw in:

Hill-Murray (4th LPH; 5th KRACH)
Maple Grove (3rd LPH; 2nd KRACH)
Lakeville North (7th LPH; 7th KRACH)
Lakeville South (8th LPH; 6th KRACH)

But, if CDH (10th LPH; 8th KRACH) were to beat Hill-Murray Friday night, I would substitute them in place of the loser of the "battle of the Lakeville's" that will be decided tomorrow night. But, if CDH loses to the Pioneers, both Lakeville's would be in.

Of course, this exercise is just for fun and forum banter only. Every one of the eight teams that wins their section will deserve to be there, because they did what they had to do, according to the rules.

P.S. Going back to my fun exercise....Roseau, currently ranked 9th in LPH and 10th in KRACH, would fall just one short. That said, I do hope they make it for their geographical representation, the fact that they're a very small school that opts up, plus they are very good and arguably very deserving to be there too....assuming, of course, they beat Buffalo Friday night.

[36Guy]

After tonight's games I think it is about time to stop talking about The Crimson and all these other pretenders. Another year of lake conference domination in girls hockey. The only teams that can beat the Lake teams when it matters is the lake teams themselves. The only reason 4 lake teams won't be in the tourney this year is the fact that 2 teams will knock out the other 2 In the section finals Friday!

Wayzata finished tied for third in the lake and destroyed the Crimson team people thought should have been number 1 in state all year. Coincidence...I think not.

We should we even have a state tourney? We can award the trophy now. I vote to give it to all the lake teams and their superior ability to play two lines. If they are so dominate, why all the bench shortening during the year? I think someone mentioned most of their third lines could be a lot of programs first lines.

Oopsie....! You better get in your Beamer and drive out of the western suburbs. Went to the Hill vs Stillwater and CDH vs Roseville games, Mr Scheid(Stillwater) and Mr Pohl(CDH) ran the shortest benches I have seen all year. Not too much of a surprise, I have heard that neither one of them knows much about hockey.

[PondHockeyChampion]

After tonight's games I think it is about time to stop talking about The Crimson and all these other pretenders. Another year of lake conference domination in girls hockey. The only teams that can beat the Lake teams when it matters is the lake teams themselves. The only reason 4 lake teams won't be in the tourney this year is the fact that 2 teams will knock out the other 2 In the section finals Friday!

Wayzata finished tied for third in the lake and destroyed the Crimson team people thought should have been number 1 in state all year. Coincidence...I think not.

We should we even have a state tourney? We can award the trophy now. I vote to give it to all the lake teams and their superior ability to play two lines. If they are so dominate, why all the bench shortening during the year? I think someone mentioned most of their third lines could be a lot of programs first lines.

Oopsie....! You better get in your Beamer and drive out of the western suburbs. Went to the Hill vs Stillwater and CDH vs Roseville games, Mr Scheid(Stillwater) and Mr Pohl(CDH) ran the shortest benches I have seen all year. Not too much of a surprise, I have heard that neither one of them knows much about hockey.

"Coaches are really the most important and influential individuals in youth and high school hockey. The head coach is responsible for creating the atmosphere for the players and parents. It does take a courageous individual to lead people in a direction that might be considered different than others. It takes a committed coach to ensure that every player on the team gets the opportunity to learn, develop and play.
Good coaches will work hard with the lower-skilled players to bring them up to the level of the other players. Lazy coaches simply shorten their bench and take the easy route. In the end, short benches will work on the scoreboard about 50 percent of the time, but at season’s end, very rarely will the strategy work as the participating players are tired, maybe injured and the rest of the kids not really part of the team.
Having to play several games over a playoff weekend and using a short bench approach is a quick road to elimination as several teams found out over the years when playing against my teams. I see this happen at the high school level also. Team means everybody; win, lose, tie together. At the end of the day, it is just a game.
Does it take courage to do the right thing? Not really. It simply means understanding what is really important and in hockey participation – learning, fun and playing the game are what matters to kids.
See you around the rink ...."

[loki]

We should we even have a state tourney? We can award the trophy now. I vote to give it to all the lake teams and their superior ability to play two lines. If they are so dominate, why all the bench shortening during the year? I think someone mentioned most of their third lines could be a lot of programs first lines.

Oopsie....! You better get in your Beamer and drive out of the western suburbs. Went to the Hill vs Stillwater and CDH vs Roseville games, Mr Scheid(Stillwater) and Mr Pohl(CDH) ran the shortest benches I have seen all year. Not too much of a surprise, I have heard that neither one of them knows much about hockey.

"Coaches are really the most important and influential individuals in youth and high school hockey. The head coach is responsible for creating the atmosphere for the players and parents. It does take a courageous individual to lead people in a direction that might be considered different than others. It takes a committed coach to ensure that every player on the team gets the opportunity to learn, develop and play.
Good coaches will work hard with the lower-skilled players to bring them up to the level of the other players. Lazy coaches simply shorten their bench and take the easy route. In the end, short benches will work on the scoreboard about 50 percent of the time, but at season’s end, very rarely will the strategy work as the participating players are tired, maybe injured and the rest of the kids not really part of the team.
Having to play several games over a playoff weekend and using a short bench approach is a quick road to elimination as several teams found out over the years when playing against my teams. I see this happen at the high school level also. Team means everybody; win, lose, tie together. At the end of the day, it is just a game.
Does it take courage to do the right thing? Not really. It simply means understanding what is really important and in hockey participation – learning, fun and playing the game are what matters to kids.
See you around the rink ...."

So is this a stalker thing, or are you just proud of your ability to cut and paste?

[sinbin]

Admittedly, the Lake Conference is on a bit of a decline. Two years ago, I think it was, the 5 Lake teams were ranked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, until they had to start playing each other and predictably the teams began to suffer some losses. They can't all be tie games. I believe at the end of the season, all were still at least in the Top 10, if not better. Plus, the Lake has only 5 teams, you'd think some of the conferences with double the number of teams would have better relative representation at the top, even if it means some reshuffling of those top teams from year to year. The Lake Conference Champion banners hanging in some rinks were far more difficult to acquire than many State 2nd or 3rd place banners in other rinks.

Yes, do recall history, 5 years ago, 10, 20, etc. But this is the way it's been for the past 5+ years. Will it continue indefinitely? Probably not, as all such things are cyclical, but it continues to be an impressive run for now. I say we all should just enjoy the great competition, even if it takes place at Section finals.

[panpan111]

It was nice to see that Wayzata finally figured out that it is necessary to shorten your bench if you want to continue on the march to State!!! Nice job last night!
Calling PuckDaddy99... I would like your summation of the events of the evening! After watching your team I understand why you think everyone should skate a full bench. Last night, the Godfather of hockey shortened his bench with little or no results...why...because you have a deep team with no real High End talent! You should skate 3 lines minimum and try to out-work everyone. His philosophy seems to be to identify the biggest threat on a team (#11 Wayzata, #5 Tonka) and have all the girls chase these players around the rink for 3 periods, forgetting that you need to score to win a hockey game.
We all know how young your squad is, but at some point you need to win a game in Sections other than the thumping of a #7 Seed.
Good luck next year! Roll Tide (Not so much)

[allhoc11]

I am bummed that the 6 & 2AA finals are at the same time this year. I 'm guessing they aren't together because of a conflict at Ridder, but as a fan of the sport it sure would be nice to be able to watch both games, and have some youth teams attend both games as it will be some great hockey!

[MNHockeyFan]

I am bummed that the 6 & 2AA finals are at the same time this year. I 'm guessing they aren't together because of a conflict at Ridder, but as a fan of the sport it sure would be nice to be able to watch both games, and have some youth teams attend both games as it will be some great hockey!

Too bad they don't do it like the boys, where they have a 2AA and 6AA finals doubleheader.

[royals dad]

After tonight's games I think it is about time to stop talking about The Crimson and all these other pretenders. Another year of lake conference domination in girls hockey. The only teams that can beat the Lake teams when it matters is the lake teams themselves. The only reason 4 lake teams won't be in the tourney this year is the fact that 2 teams will knock out the other 2 In the section finals Friday!

Wayzata finished tied for third in the lake and destroyed the Crimson team people thought should have been number 1 in state all year. Coincidence...I think not.

Although we don't lead the state in them we also have our share of doorknobs who think it is not enough to let the kids just win on the ice and leave it at that. Most of the parents in the lake are actually pretty grounded nice people.

"When you get into the end zone, act like you've been there before."
Vince Lombardi