As I have the past couple of years, I'll have updates from the press box throughout the Tourney.
Important information so far: I have eaten 1 cookie and 1 popcorn already.
Very nice crowd gathering for the first game. Luverne brought a lot.
Press Box Notes 2014
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
Re: Press Box Notes 2014
Karl's a popular man up here in the box! Everyone's stopping by to see the "professor of the board."karl(east) wrote:As I have the past couple of years, I'll have updates from the press box throughout the Tourney.
Important information so far: I have eaten 1 cookie and 1 popcorn already.
Very nice crowd gathering for the first game. Luverne brought a lot.
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
Luverne-Hermantown notes:
Plante was the most subdued I've ever seen him; there were no fun one-liners this time around, nor any digressions about private schools, etc.
He gave Luverne a fair amount of credit, saying they'd transitioned well, leading the Hawks to back off a little bit; they were "nervous." The second period in particular was a disappointment, as the team "backed off." A lot of it was the other team, he said, though in the end they were "not as deep." He also talked about what this trip would do for the Cardinals' program, and gave Coach Brown plenty of credit.
On being the favorite this year: "It's a different feel for sure. I can feel it." Pionk said it didn't affect the team much, though.
Coach Brown for Luverne may look 15, but he's very articulate, and had plenty to say. He was "so proud" of his team, which "came and showed some people" that they could play. He credited Hermantown but said "we scared em," and also said that "the state's doing the right thing by letting them have a section."
Gunnar Olson, on the start of the game: "we tried not to be scared, but some people were." While he seemed proud of how they'd played, they also weren't just happy to be there, like Marshall was last year: "not how he wanted it to end," he added after talking about what a special year it had been.
Brown saw the 2nd Hermantown goal as the turning point, when Nelson tried to find Smedsrud leaving the box on a breakaway pass, had it picked off, and saw it turn into a Hawks goal. But the coaches kept reminding the team that they were only X goals down, and he wants to see some tape on the 4th Hawk goal, because he couldn't believe it went it. On the Hawks: they're "THE perennial Class A power...we watched tape, we talked, but you can't simulate Hermantown."
Brown was also asked about Jaxon Nelson and said he "has so much poise. No ego. He fits in as an 8th grader...he's very modest." He also has "legendary potential."
He has a very sharp memory, too, recalling full sequences of plays. On the way out, one member of the press corps said he has "hall-of-fame potential" if he keeps at it. He's 28, by the way.
Plante was the most subdued I've ever seen him; there were no fun one-liners this time around, nor any digressions about private schools, etc.
He gave Luverne a fair amount of credit, saying they'd transitioned well, leading the Hawks to back off a little bit; they were "nervous." The second period in particular was a disappointment, as the team "backed off." A lot of it was the other team, he said, though in the end they were "not as deep." He also talked about what this trip would do for the Cardinals' program, and gave Coach Brown plenty of credit.
On being the favorite this year: "It's a different feel for sure. I can feel it." Pionk said it didn't affect the team much, though.
Coach Brown for Luverne may look 15, but he's very articulate, and had plenty to say. He was "so proud" of his team, which "came and showed some people" that they could play. He credited Hermantown but said "we scared em," and also said that "the state's doing the right thing by letting them have a section."
Gunnar Olson, on the start of the game: "we tried not to be scared, but some people were." While he seemed proud of how they'd played, they also weren't just happy to be there, like Marshall was last year: "not how he wanted it to end," he added after talking about what a special year it had been.
Brown saw the 2nd Hermantown goal as the turning point, when Nelson tried to find Smedsrud leaving the box on a breakaway pass, had it picked off, and saw it turn into a Hawks goal. But the coaches kept reminding the team that they were only X goals down, and he wants to see some tape on the 4th Hawk goal, because he couldn't believe it went it. On the Hawks: they're "THE perennial Class A power...we watched tape, we talked, but you can't simulate Hermantown."
Brown was also asked about Jaxon Nelson and said he "has so much poise. No ego. He fits in as an 8th grader...he's very modest." He also has "legendary potential."
He has a very sharp memory, too, recalling full sequences of plays. On the way out, one member of the press corps said he has "hall-of-fame potential" if he keeps at it. He's 28, by the way.
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
He's talking about 3A, as in, it's a good thing that the 3A teams get to have a section so that they can have a realistic shot at State to aim for. He's saying this will improve hockey in that part of the state, even if the teams haven't been all that competitive over the years.Cadets16 wrote:Was there question of not letting schools have student sections?karl(east) wrote:He credited Hermantown but said "we scared em," and also said that "the state's doing the right thing by letting them have a section."
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
Notes from EGF-Orono:
EGF was, in a word, focused. When the first question began with the lead-in, "that first period couldn't have gone any better for you, Coach Palmiscno's response was "Four would've been better." The applauded his team's energy
When someone asked Palmiscno about the streak they're on, not having lost in 2014, his response was, "I didn't even know that....one game after another." They haven't talked about the schedule for tomorrow yet, but don't expect any differences from last year--this is a different group, he said, and they are now more mature.
Tanner Tweten: "We got a feel for it last year, and now we know what to expect."
Orono's Coach Yoder talked about EGF's physicality; they knew they were going to be physical, but that didn't make a difference. "Welcome to the State Tournament," he said. It was a "good eye-opener," and EGF showed them "where we hope to get at some point."
He said it was "good to make a game out of it" in the second period, but the 4th goal was the back-breaker. "Everything's new...it was satisfying to get here, but there's not much satisfaction from this game.
He also called the Orono community's support "outstanding" and "awesome" and hoped they'd be back at Mariucci tomorrow.
EGF was, in a word, focused. When the first question began with the lead-in, "that first period couldn't have gone any better for you, Coach Palmiscno's response was "Four would've been better." The applauded his team's energy
When someone asked Palmiscno about the streak they're on, not having lost in 2014, his response was, "I didn't even know that....one game after another." They haven't talked about the schedule for tomorrow yet, but don't expect any differences from last year--this is a different group, he said, and they are now more mature.
Tanner Tweten: "We got a feel for it last year, and now we know what to expect."
Orono's Coach Yoder talked about EGF's physicality; they knew they were going to be physical, but that didn't make a difference. "Welcome to the State Tournament," he said. It was a "good eye-opener," and EGF showed them "where we hope to get at some point."
He said it was "good to make a game out of it" in the second period, but the 4th goal was the back-breaker. "Everything's new...it was satisfying to get here, but there's not much satisfaction from this game.
He also called the Orono community's support "outstanding" and "awesome" and hoped they'd be back at Mariucci tomorrow.
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
SCC-Totino:
SCC's Coach Johnson said his team was getting used to the building over the first half of the game--they "got worked," in fact, but they got better as the game went along, as has been the case all year. He said he was "super proud of our second and third lines," which had "taken some jabs lately." (Guilty, your honor.)
He noted that TG threw a few different forechecks at them when Hammer was on the ice, praised his power play ("very unselfish, sometimes too unselfish") and credited his team for not having a big difference in attitude between periods, even when they were down. He said the scariest moment of the game for him was Hammer's breakaway miss in the 1st period--it seemed like a blown opportunity. By overtime, he said, "it's out of your hands." The team will stay in a hotel tonight, but will head back to St. Cloud for the off day tomorrow.
Erik Gadbois on his game-winner: "I was just standing by the net trying to bang rebounds in." He got a good look at his shot, as the goalie had backed into the cage somewhat and left an opening top shelf, where he put it. Zach Fritz gave plenty of credit to his D.
Mark Loahr didn't have whole lot to say from the Totino side, and it seemed like most of the people in the press were ready to go home, and didn't ask him much. He said his team was playing well through the first half of the second period, but that, perhaps due to the TV timeouts and some of the lagging and waiting around, they were lulled into a few mental mistakes, and once they lost the momentum, they could never get it back. SCC capitalized on their chances, and the too many men penalty was just one of those unfortunate things that happen when the puck goes near the bench on a change. He also thought his team "stopped shooting some" toward the end.
On to day two...
SCC's Coach Johnson said his team was getting used to the building over the first half of the game--they "got worked," in fact, but they got better as the game went along, as has been the case all year. He said he was "super proud of our second and third lines," which had "taken some jabs lately." (Guilty, your honor.)
He noted that TG threw a few different forechecks at them when Hammer was on the ice, praised his power play ("very unselfish, sometimes too unselfish") and credited his team for not having a big difference in attitude between periods, even when they were down. He said the scariest moment of the game for him was Hammer's breakaway miss in the 1st period--it seemed like a blown opportunity. By overtime, he said, "it's out of your hands." The team will stay in a hotel tonight, but will head back to St. Cloud for the off day tomorrow.
Erik Gadbois on his game-winner: "I was just standing by the net trying to bang rebounds in." He got a good look at his shot, as the goalie had backed into the cage somewhat and left an opening top shelf, where he put it. Zach Fritz gave plenty of credit to his D.
Mark Loahr didn't have whole lot to say from the Totino side, and it seemed like most of the people in the press were ready to go home, and didn't ask him much. He said his team was playing well through the first half of the second period, but that, perhaps due to the TV timeouts and some of the lagging and waiting around, they were lulled into a few mental mistakes, and once they lost the momentum, they could never get it back. SCC capitalized on their chances, and the too many men penalty was just one of those unfortunate things that happen when the puck goes near the bench on a change. He also thought his team "stopped shooting some" toward the end.
On to day two...
-
puckbreath
- Posts: 692
- Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm
Need to interview Oliver for egf, as he's head coach in all but name.karl(east) wrote:Notes from EGF-Orono:
EGF was, in a word, focused. When the first question began with the lead-in, "that first period couldn't have gone any better for you, Coach Palmiscno's response was "Four would've been better." The applauded his team's energy
When someone asked Palmiscno about the streak they're on, not having lost in 2014, his response was, "I didn't even know that....one game after another." They haven't talked about the schedule for tomorrow yet, but don't expect any differences from last year--this is a different group, he said, and they are now more mature.
Tanner Tweten: "We got a feel for it last year, and now we know what to expect."
Orono's Coach Yoder talked about EGF's physicality; they knew they were going to be physical, but that didn't make a difference. "Welcome to the State Tournament," he said. It was a "good eye-opener," and EGF showed them "where we hope to get at some point."
He said it was "good to make a game out of it" in the second period, but the 4th goal was the back-breaker. "Everything's new...it was satisfying to get here, but there's not much satisfaction from this game.
He also called the Orono community's support "outstanding" and "awesome" and hoped they'd be back at Mariucci tomorrow.
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
EP-Centennial notes:
Have you exhaled yet, Coach Lee Smith? "Barely."
According to Jack Sullivan, they were "really confident" at the start, and "just kept pounding away." Coach Smith said the first ten minutes were "almost too easy," but that State is all about winning tight games like this one. After the first period they "quit moving their feet and...had less traffic," and Centennial's confidence plus some penalties had them "reeling."
On the match-up with Lakeville North, he said the Eagles "lost by a touchdown" last time they played, and he complimented their "tremendous movement" and said they'd be better-prepared this time."
Centennial's Coach Menne praised EP's effort at the start of the game, but the team "didn't panic, and "[the coaches] knew they could do it."
Ryner Gorowsky said there were "no excuses" for him hitting the pipe with 5 to go, though he gave Gerdes some credit for his recovery to cover up a lot of the shooting space. "We still have two games to go here," he said.
Menne on the turnaround: "I would love to take credit and say my intermission speech did it," but no--he just has "21 gamers." There was "nothing Xs and Os" in the comeback, and he takes "zero credit" for it.
Okay, I need more food now.
Have you exhaled yet, Coach Lee Smith? "Barely."
According to Jack Sullivan, they were "really confident" at the start, and "just kept pounding away." Coach Smith said the first ten minutes were "almost too easy," but that State is all about winning tight games like this one. After the first period they "quit moving their feet and...had less traffic," and Centennial's confidence plus some penalties had them "reeling."
On the match-up with Lakeville North, he said the Eagles "lost by a touchdown" last time they played, and he complimented their "tremendous movement" and said they'd be better-prepared this time."
Centennial's Coach Menne praised EP's effort at the start of the game, but the team "didn't panic, and "[the coaches] knew they could do it."
Ryner Gorowsky said there were "no excuses" for him hitting the pipe with 5 to go, though he gave Gerdes some credit for his recovery to cover up a lot of the shooting space. "We still have two games to go here," he said.
Menne on the turnaround: "I would love to take credit and say my intermission speech did it," but no--he just has "21 gamers." There was "nothing Xs and Os" in the comeback, and he takes "zero credit" for it.
Okay, I need more food now.
-
northwoods oldtimer
- Posts: 2679
- Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:01 pm
Nothing from Roseau and LN?karl(east) wrote:EP-Centennial notes:
Have you exhaled yet, Coach Lee Smith? "Barely."
According to Jack Sullivan, they were "really confident" at the start, and "just kept pounding away." Coach Smith said the first ten minutes were "almost too easy," but that State is all about winning tight games like this one. After the first period they "quit moving their feet and...had less traffic," and Centennial's confidence plus some penalties had them "reeling."
On the match-up with Lakeville North, he said the Eagles "lost by a touchdown" last time they played, and he complimented their "tremendous movement" and said they'd be better-prepared this time."
Centennial's Coach Menne praised EP's effort at the start of the game, but the team "didn't panic, and "[the coaches] knew they could do it."
Ryner Gorowsky said there were "no excuses" for him hitting the pipe with 5 to go, though he gave Gerdes some credit for his recovery to cover up a lot of the shooting space. "We still have two games to go here," he said.
Menne on the turnaround: "I would love to take credit and say my intermission speech did it," but no--he just has "21 gamers." There was "nothing Xs and Os" in the comeback, and he takes "zero credit" for it.
Okay, I need more food now.
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
-
Nuts&Bolts
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:12 pm
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
Nah, I was just thirsty. You get what you pay for with me.nahc wrote:Karl are you still stinging that Lakeville North came up to Duluth, beat the Hounds and took care of Roseau today??!!! Pretty lame excuse for no followup!!! Hope you at least made the stop at the watering hole worthwhile!!
Might as well just say right now that I won't be at the Edina-Stilly press conference, either. I leave the press box for East games.
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
-
karl(east)
- Posts: 6480
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
- Contact:
Eagan-East notes:
Coach Taylor entered the room with Lindgren and Elsenheimer, but it was announced that Nick Wolff was on his way. "He's kind of a human rain delay at times," said his Coach. And, when he finally walked in, he said "they were talking bad about you," as if Lindgren or Elsenheimer had said it.
Taylor said he has a "team of muckers and grinders." They were "a bit slow" in the 1st, and "not careful enough," but after that the approach was a simple one of "chip em deep and go to work," and the game finally "tilted" at the very end. He was "just hoping it would be close" after the first," considering their relative lack of experience vs. a team like East, which had a player playing in his 4th Tourney in Beaulieu. (I gave him an assist on the number there.)
On dealing with Beaulieu: the coaches didn't say much, but the players got on each other to stop him, and not go for the big hit, which would often just result in a "big miss, especially with a guy who's that slippery."
On Max Elsenheimer: "At the beginning of the year he wanted to blaze down the side and snipe. Now he's just putting pucks on net and getting goals." Elsenheimer said his chemistry with his linemates (who had been changing often as the season went along) was the key to his playoff scoring spree, and laughed as he said the first goal went "off my knee."
Nick Wolff added some color, saying the team thought, "oh f***, we needed something" after the first, and that Lindgren stood on his head for them.
Taylor said the December win over Edina wasn't "valid" for making any sort of prediction or plan for tomorrow night, as so much has changed. "We've got a little on our table tomorrow night," he cracked on his way out.
Mike Randolph's questions started with the goal with 1.1 seconds to go in the period. "You can't let that happen. We could've taken it into the corner, but panicked, and threw it around the boards...it was a weak clear...that's been our Achilles Heel all year, scoring at the beginning and end of periods."
His message to the team after that was, "there's a lot of hockey left...but the last time I checked, we've gotta score."
He thought East had a "really good first...all we didn't do was bury." "That's what we thought we'd be like all year," he said, noting that their scoring woes came back to bite them at the worst possible time. He listed off a couple of close scoring chances they had, and said they had "no puck luck" tonight.
Someone asked about his usage of Jack Kolar, and Randolph said, "Kolar's on one leg right now...he's a big time player and played a great game...he was our best forward, did a great job on the half wall of breaking out. I'm proud of him."
Randolph conceded that East's quality faded as the game went on, saying "we pressed," and that "we had a hard time getting through their D zone coverage, and had tight sticks...there was lots of frustration. They knew they had some good looks."
After the first goal, he said "Five [Wolff] went from playing a 200-foot game to a 60-foot game. They clogged the middle...it was a bit of us and them" in the third period, explaining Eagan's control of play toward the end.
Randolph did allow himself one Plante-ism. "The only call that bothers me is the embellishment...he's a tenth-grader. He doesn't know what the hell embellishment is. He's the last guy that would do that. It was a turning point...we were ready to call our timeout." He added that he'd never seen that called in 15 years of coaching Tourney teams.
He concluded: "We got no bounces. We played a good game. We are who we are. I'm really proud of this group."
Coach Taylor entered the room with Lindgren and Elsenheimer, but it was announced that Nick Wolff was on his way. "He's kind of a human rain delay at times," said his Coach. And, when he finally walked in, he said "they were talking bad about you," as if Lindgren or Elsenheimer had said it.
Taylor said he has a "team of muckers and grinders." They were "a bit slow" in the 1st, and "not careful enough," but after that the approach was a simple one of "chip em deep and go to work," and the game finally "tilted" at the very end. He was "just hoping it would be close" after the first," considering their relative lack of experience vs. a team like East, which had a player playing in his 4th Tourney in Beaulieu. (I gave him an assist on the number there.)
On dealing with Beaulieu: the coaches didn't say much, but the players got on each other to stop him, and not go for the big hit, which would often just result in a "big miss, especially with a guy who's that slippery."
On Max Elsenheimer: "At the beginning of the year he wanted to blaze down the side and snipe. Now he's just putting pucks on net and getting goals." Elsenheimer said his chemistry with his linemates (who had been changing often as the season went along) was the key to his playoff scoring spree, and laughed as he said the first goal went "off my knee."
Nick Wolff added some color, saying the team thought, "oh f***, we needed something" after the first, and that Lindgren stood on his head for them.
Taylor said the December win over Edina wasn't "valid" for making any sort of prediction or plan for tomorrow night, as so much has changed. "We've got a little on our table tomorrow night," he cracked on his way out.
Mike Randolph's questions started with the goal with 1.1 seconds to go in the period. "You can't let that happen. We could've taken it into the corner, but panicked, and threw it around the boards...it was a weak clear...that's been our Achilles Heel all year, scoring at the beginning and end of periods."
His message to the team after that was, "there's a lot of hockey left...but the last time I checked, we've gotta score."
He thought East had a "really good first...all we didn't do was bury." "That's what we thought we'd be like all year," he said, noting that their scoring woes came back to bite them at the worst possible time. He listed off a couple of close scoring chances they had, and said they had "no puck luck" tonight.
Someone asked about his usage of Jack Kolar, and Randolph said, "Kolar's on one leg right now...he's a big time player and played a great game...he was our best forward, did a great job on the half wall of breaking out. I'm proud of him."
Randolph conceded that East's quality faded as the game went on, saying "we pressed," and that "we had a hard time getting through their D zone coverage, and had tight sticks...there was lots of frustration. They knew they had some good looks."
After the first goal, he said "Five [Wolff] went from playing a 200-foot game to a 60-foot game. They clogged the middle...it was a bit of us and them" in the third period, explaining Eagan's control of play toward the end.
Randolph did allow himself one Plante-ism. "The only call that bothers me is the embellishment...he's a tenth-grader. He doesn't know what the hell embellishment is. He's the last guy that would do that. It was a turning point...we were ready to call our timeout." He added that he'd never seen that called in 15 years of coaching Tourney teams.
He concluded: "We got no bounces. We played a good game. We are who we are. I'm really proud of this group."
-
East Side Pioneer Guy
- Posts: 1663
- Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:43 pm
I find it contradictory to call a penalty on the offending player AND embellishment on the offended player. If there was actually a penalty, call it and leave it at that. If there was no penalty and the (non-)offended player tries to make it look like there was one, call that.
I suppose if you are actually tripped, you can embellish that, but at least there was a trip so forget about the embelishment.
I suppose if you are actually tripped, you can embellish that, but at least there was a trip so forget about the embelishment.
-
East Side Pioneer Guy
- Posts: 1663
- Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:43 pm
Even when we're not there, we're there. We have a looming presence at the tournament. I enjoy that. A sign taunting us for not being there is compliment. White Bear never gets that.karl(east) wrote:Sorry...a forum member who will remain anonymous had arranged for a meet-up between the first and second games. So I missed it.northwoods oldtimer wrote:Nothing from Roseau and LN?
The first rush of night session fans just came in, and the first thing I saw was a "Where is Hill?" sign.
Another Edina sign took a jab at STA. So hats off to the Cadets.
Hey Karl, are the attendance figures bodies through the gates or "tickets sold"?
No need for me to 'embellish' your comment. Very strange call on East and you summed it up nicelyEast Side Pioneer Guy wrote:I find it contradictory to call a penalty on the offending player AND embellishment on the offended player. If there was actually a penalty, call it and leave it at that. If there was no penalty and the (non-)offended player tries to make it look like there was one, call that.
I suppose if you are actually tripped, you can embellish that, but at least there was a trip so forget about the embelishment.
-
almostashappy
- Posts: 930
- Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 1:07 pm
Channel 45's five-minute long music video intro to this year's broadcasts is chock full of highlights from last year's Tourney. A lot of this montage features players and fans from H-M and STA.East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: Even when we're not there, we're there. We have a looming presence at the tournament. I enjoy that. A sign taunting us for not being there is compliment. White Bear never gets that.
Another Edina sign took a jab at STA. So hats off to the Cadets.