Section 4AA

[inthetwine]

WBL looking like the 4 seed. They looked broken vs Park today

They may go out in the quarters if they continue to play the way they did today.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Hill 2
STA 1

Final in OT

Watched the 3rd and OT online. Both teams had some great chances - Hill had a near breakaway in OT that just missed and then they got the winner on what looked like a tip-in. Big win for the Pioneers.

Announcers said the Cadets outshot hill something like 41-24

[mnpuckster]

WBL looking like the 4 seed. They looked broken vs Park today

They may go out in the quarters if they continue to play the way they did today.

Agreed. I could see them losing in QF or winning the section. Depends which team shows up. 9 can't do it alone. Maybe split 40 and 18 up. Sophomore D 15 and 24 are gonna be studs.

[BlueLineSpecial]

The WBL loss today is bad. That said, my hockey buddies and I have concluded that the Bears will always have 1 inexplicable loss per season. Guaranteed. I’ll chalk this loss up as their 1 no good loss for this year, and still expect them to be right there battling Hill (or Stillwater / Gentry) for a trip to State. As they usually are.

[mnpuckster]

The WBL loss today is bad. That said, my hockey buddies and I have concluded that the Bears will always have 1 inexplicable loss per season. Guaranteed. I’ll chalk this loss up as their 1 no good loss for this year, and still expect them to be right there battling Hill (or Stillwater / Gentry) for a trip to State. As they usually are.

Should be imo:
1- Hill
2- Gentry
3- Stillwater
4- WBL

I think 2 and 3 will swap at voting time though. And with some shade thrown Gentrys way, it wouldn't shock me WBL somehow slides to 3 and Gentry to 4

[BlueLineSpecial]

The WBL loss today is bad. That said, my hockey buddies and I have concluded that the Bears will always have 1 inexplicable loss per season. Guaranteed. I’ll chalk this loss up as their 1 no good loss for this year, and still expect them to be right there battling Hill (or Stillwater / Gentry) for a trip to State. As they usually are.

Should be imo:
1- Hill
2- Gentry
3- Stillwater
4- WBL

I think 2 and 3 will swap at voting time though. And with some shade thrown Gentrys way, it wouldn't shock me WBL somehow slides to 3 and Gentry to 4

Hill is locked into the #1. After that, it’s up for debate. I think Stillwater has earned the #2. They’ve had a difficult schedule and have some convincing wins against several good-but-not-great teams. You could probably argue that Gentry deserves the #3, but their weak schedule, lack of a signature win (although they have two good wins, with beat downs of Champlin and HF) and an obvious dislike amongst the other section coaches will hurt them. I’d bet:

1. Hill
2. Stillwater
3. WBL
3. Gentry

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Hill was fortunate to escape St Thomas Arena* with a win. STA had a slight edge in periods uno and dos. And while SOG is the 2nd most meaningless stat in all of sprots, it did tell the story in the third with the Cadets outshooting Hill 20-2 (and that might have been generous for the Green.) STA had very good pressure during two late PPs, one carrying over into the OT. The OT itself was more even. The play was wide open, with some long passes leading to good chances at both ends. All in all it was a fun game between two rivals, either of which should be happy with a consolation trophy in a few weeks, although a favorable draw and some puck luck might get them to 4th place.

Just before the teams took the ice, the lights were dimmed, and I was expecting some fancy sound and light show. But all that happened is that they keep the lights off for the visitor intros, and then turn them back on for the home team. Not really worth the effort imho, but a hat tip for having a talented (Vis?) gal sing the anthem live.

Given the Sager-less Bears still don't improve during the season despite a new coach, I'm tempted to revise my 4AA predictions. This morning, I'd say Hill 40%, Stillwater 30%, Gentry and WBL 15% each. A Hill-Ponies final I'd put at 55-45 Hill (60-40 if we keep the banners up, 70-30 if we use our own locker room.) Sorry, couldn't resist the jab to the SEC'ers.

But what's important to remember is that outside of 4AA, no one really cares. And even for us 4AAers, it's merely a mildly interesting intellectual exercise. Whoever wins will have to play two good games, and a fluky carom or bad call or non-call by a ref could decide it all. If the winner draws the #1 or #2 seed at the Fuse Box, the story of this year's 4AA tournament could be titled Lambs to the Slaughter: A Bad Day In The Old Rivertown.


*Not one alum of STA and/or UST has ponied up enough $$$ to slap his name on those place yet? Seriously? Someone should probably get fired.

[Sparlimb]

Is UST looking at a new arena now they are D1? That place holds even less than the historic gardens WBL plays in. I never liked attending games in that (STA) arena. It looked fine on the stream though...

I have no opinion on the seedings and it is highly probable whomever goes from 4AA will be 2 and out. Although won't the crying be amazing this year if we win consolation ON OUR HOME ICE. I never bought that means much of anything, but some folks get bent out of shape about it.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Is UST looking at a new arena now they are D1? That place holds even less than the historic gardens WBL plays in. I never liked attending games in that (STA) arena. It looked fine on the stream though...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_and_P ... rson_Arena

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Is UST looking at a new arena now they are D1? That place holds even less than the historic gardens WBL plays in. I never liked attending games in that (STA) arena. It looked fine on the stream though...

I have no opinion on the seedings and it is highly probable whomever goes from 4AA will be 2 and out. Although won't the crying be amazing this year if we win consolation ON OUR HOME ICE. I never bought that means much of anything, but some folks get bent out of shape about it.

The Roed kid was on the YHH podcast this week and said Aldrich is his favorite arena.

So there's that.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Is UST looking at a new arena now they are D1? That place holds even less than the historic gardens WBL plays in. I never liked attending games in that (STA) arena. It looked fine on the stream though...

I have no opinion on the seedings and it is highly probable whomever goes from 4AA will be 2 and out. Although won't the crying be amazing this year if we win consolation ON OUR HOME ICE. I never bought that means much of anything, but some folks get bent out of shape about it.

The Roed kid was on the YHH podcast this week and said Aldrich is his favorite arena.

So there's that.

Wait, whaaaaaaaa??? I thought they banned all non-HM kids and family from seeing the arena, let alone skating at it, until sections time. To, you know, make the home ice advantage that much more potent

[BlueLineSpecial]

Speaking of inexplicable losses, Stillwater loses to a very bad MV team tonight.

[HSHockeyPurist]

Yep, Stillwater looked BAD. Very little life. Team is a shell of what it was halfway through the season. Section quarters upset isn't out of the question apparently. Disappointing as I thought they were a sleeper at the midway point.

[SEC Scotty]

Aldrich my favorite arena as well to watch a game as well. Also a place to see west metro, and other highly ranked teams without having to drive.
I can't watch the grainy, crappy TV broadcasts.

Moundsview has a bad record in the conference, but they looked pretty decent the one time I saw them beating Park. They also play a pretty strong non-conference schedule, including Duluth East, Eastview, Rogers, Rosemount, and Champlain Park.

Forward Jack Stanius back for White Bear after missing a couple monthes. Had 10 points in 8 games before getting hurt.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Aldrich is the Rose Bowl of MN high school arenas, it's the Grand Daddy of them all.

[Sparlimb]

Aldrich is the Rose Bowl of MN high school arenas, it's the Grand Daddy of them all.

I still miss the Coliseum. But I do love Aldrich.

And I know webcasts aren't necessarily 4K yet, but when you live in Cali, they are glorious. Watched both the girls 4AA semis last night.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Aldrich is the Rose Bowl of MN high school arenas, it's the Grand Daddy of them all.

I still miss the Coliseum. But I do love Aldrich.

And I know webcasts aren't necessarily 4K yet, but when you live in Cali, they are glorious. Watched both the girls 4AA semis last night.

The Coliseum was a crappy place for hockey, it was the Metrodome of hockey arenas. The seats were miles away from the rink. The only thing it had going for it was the seating capacity and the many memorable games that took place there.

[blueblood]

best ice at the Coliseum

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Jeez, Hill 7 Crimson zero. Zip. Nada.

Oh wait, hold your cards. There's another 17 minutes to play. #1 seed may not be a lock yet...

[tourneytickssince59]

Announcer on NSPN TV just said he thinks Gentry #1 seed followed by HM then WBL and Stillwater..... Interesting

[mnpuckster]

Hill is #1 for sure. Gentry plays a schedule that doesn't warrant 1 seed.

[kpryan888]

Announcer on NSPN TV just said he thinks Gentry #1 seed followed by HM then WBL and Stillwater..... Interesting

I heard that too, not sure how he came to that conclusion.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Announcer on NSPN TV just said he thinks Gentry #1 seed followed by HM then WBL and Stillwater..... Interesting

I heard that too, not sure how he came to that conclusion.

Well pot is legal now...

[BlueLineSpecial]

Announcer on NSPN TV just said he thinks Gentry #1 seed followed by HM then WBL and Stillwater..... Interesting

I heard that too, not sure how he came to that conclusion.

Laughably dumb take. Dumbest I’ve heard so far in 2024. The announcer should resign in disgrace

[Sparlimb]

Announcer on NSPN TV just said he thinks Gentry #1 seed followed by HM then WBL and Stillwater..... Interesting

I heard that too, not sure how he came to that conclusion.

Laughably dumb take. Dumbest I’ve heard so far in 2024. The announcer should resign in disgrace

Not that it really matters at all. We still wouldn't see Gentry until a section championship game and I'm not sure a semi-final against Stillwater is any different than WBL. So I could care less. That said, this win against a good MG team will be easily be enough for a #1 seed.