Tourney Reflection 2015

[karl(east)]

As always, my favorite piece to write all year:

Another Tourney has come and gone, though this one will linger longer than most. It was a golden year for Tournament play, one that raised the stakes ever higher every night. First and foremost we were witnesses to perfection, a seamless machine from the north side of Lakeville that brought the AA title south of the river for the first time in 20 years. The precision of the Poehlings and the seamless breakouts from the four defensemen flipped aside three straight strong opponents, and when they wavered, Ryan Edquist was there in goal to say ‘no’ yet again. These Panthers were among the all-time greats, ones to compare with the powers of old in debates at the bars along Seventh Street for years to come.

The Class A winners this time around were familiar ones, as East Grand Forks doubled its pleasure. The heroes of Tyler Palmiscno’s squad were the relentless stars up front, three man-children on a top line that powered its way to two straight upsets, and a defense bearing the unmistakable mark of that smashmouth scourge of the northwest corner of the state, Al Oliver. This is Northern Hockey epitomized, with the Green Wave battering Mahtomedi into submission in a delectable semifinal war before locking down against Hermantown, only to rebound with the poise of champions when the defenses did suddenly come down.

Poor Bruce Plante’s sorrows mounted on Saturday afternoon, the teaser of a comeback a cruel joke for the longtime Hermantown general, now left with a sixth straight runner-up medal. The Class A tourney also saw monster Mahtomedi crowds and a continued rise to relevance in the South, plus a steadfast St. Cloud Apollo defense that made games interesting by virtue of being boring. Twenty years into its life, the Class A tournament finally feels like it has come into its own, and is doing what it ought to do: spread hockey wealth to all corners of the state, and give each of them a fighting shot at a slice of the prestige.

The story of this Tourney for me, though, won’t surprise anyone: a run of miraculous escapes from the scrappy squad from Duluth East. The Greyhounds are no strangers to March delight, but this team, fresh off a pair of section playoff upsets, seemed out of luck early against the confident firepower of St. Thomas Academy. But then the Heart-Attack Hounds began their push, rallying to an overtime stunner, and before long I was wandering down through Rice Park beneath a sunset of brilliant purple tinge, lost between fantasy and reality, basking in my alma mater’s latest spurt of mastery.

There was to be no rest for the vicariously stressed, and Friday night’s renewal of the classic Hounds-Hornets battle eclipsed the wonder of the day before. Mighty Edina finally fell, toppled by the least likely Tourney entrant, the dream match-up in the championship game ruined by the perfect game plan. Its crowning moment: Ash Altmann’s knife to the heart of a dynasty, a goal that lifted the largest crowd in Xcel Center history to its feet in unison. I stumbled about the press box in delirium, wiped my eyes, and broke into a grin that wouldn’t leave my face till I fell into bed six hours later. Where else is anything like this possible?

The Hounds basked in glory for the rest of the Tourney, none more so than the architect of it all, the man whose legacy now approaches legendary: Mike Randolph, vindicated, any past tumult fading into history. He is a champion for high school hockey; a man with strong opinions, but so clearly born of genuine belief in the greater project that he stands for. He is in love with this sport and in love with his players, pushing them to greatness at this age when kids become aware of who they are, where it is they come from, and where they are going to go.

Randolph, humbly, made every effort to deflect the attention from himself, and on to his tireless boys in those vintage black sweaters. Duluth East’s run was a reminder of all that is pure in high school hockey, of how a team with no true stars can achieve the improbable if only it believes. The Hounds came down to St. Paul and stunned the stars of Minnesota’s two most classic villains, every kid on the roster pushing himself to the brink, every last ounce expended in pursuit of an impossible dream. This old Hound was compelled to hang around the X after the loss to Lakeville for the players to emerge to meet their parents and fans, waiting to give them one last round of applause.

There had been whispers of the Tourney’s decline in recent years, suggestions that early departures and domination by a handful of West Metro or private school powers had sapped away the old ideal. This year put all of that to rest. The stars were out in full force, from Bowen to Aamodt to Mittelstadt to the Lakeville legion of D-I talent, and the action was relentless. The raucous fans responded in turn, smashing attendance records left and right, packing the house and soon rewarded for their support with a phenomenal slate of games. For me, a reunion with both old East friends and press box regulars from all corners, trading our nonstop give-and-take while Dave LaVaque prowls down the back of press row in his finest Randolph impression, exhorting us to stay strong through two last games.

After bidding my Hounds farewell, it was back out into the St. Paul night one last time, with a pause on a street corner to gaze about: the full moon to my left, the Cathedral to my right, and the X before me, settling into quiet before the next Wild home game. Here I am now, mid-20s and firmly a man but still gushing over a boys’ game, watching as my own generation starts to take the reins from the old guard to carry the tradition forward. It’s our duty. But the players make it easy for us, and these stories write themselves: our four-day party at the dawn of spring always provides something, some little spark that re-ignites our belief in the power of youth, if only for a little while. The wait for next season will take far too long. But the sun is out, the ice on the lake hasn’t gone totally to slush quite yet, and we have another heap of memories to carry us through to November.

[gitter]

Very nice Karl. It's amazing how long the excitement can build for one weekend...and then be gone in what seems an instant.

[BodyShots]

Interesting how a coach who lambasted WBL in 2011 for using a trapping defense "stating there is no place in high school hockey for that type of play" chose to install his own trap in this year tourney.

[bemused]

Interesting how a coach who lambasted WBL in 2011 for using a trapping defense "stating there is no place in high school hockey for that type of play" chose to install his own trap in this year tourney.

Jaques Lemaire would have been proud.. as somebody said on Saturday night.."all we need is a redline and we are back to pre lock-out hockey". please keep "the system" in Duluth..

[Sats81]

Very well written. And as gitter points out, it is amazing at how long the excitement can build for one weekend and then be gone in an instant.

[hshockeyfan53]

I stumbled about the press box in delirium, wiped my eyes, and broke into a grin that wouldn’t leave my face till I fell into bed six hours later. Where else is anything like this possible?

Nowhere.

[Puckstopper81]

Was it me or was the finals anti-climatic, borderline boring? Almost as boring as, well, last year's finals where Lakeville North was beat down into nothing. Quarters and semis were way more fun to watch and much better games. Kudos to Duluth East for getting as far as they did, but just didn't have the talent to make it interesting. If Bellows wouldn't have made the jump to USHL, Edina would have made it 3 in a row with no question.

[green4]

Was it me or was the finals anti-climatic, borderline boring? Almost as boring as, well, last year's finals where Lakeville North was beat down into nothing. Quarters and semis were way more fun to watch and much better games. Kudos to Duluth East for getting as far as they did, but just didn't have the talent to make it interesting. If Bellows wouldn't have made the jump to USHL, Edina would have made it 3 in a row with no question.

You can always point to kids who leave as an excuse, by it is a soft one. Novak staying might have made STA the favorites. If Sheehy and Kivihalme would not have left Burnsville, Edina might not of won the back to back.
Heck, maybe this state needs Edina to keep losing kids so they don't win every year and then everyone complains about it.

[Sats81]

Was it me or was the finals anti-climatic, borderline boring? Almost as boring as, well, last year's finals where Lakeville North was beat down into nothing. Quarters and semis were way more fun to watch and much better games. Kudos to Duluth East for getting as far as they did, but just didn't have the talent to make it interesting. If Bellows wouldn't have made the jump to USHL, Edina would have made it 3 in a row with no question.

You can always point to kids who leave as an excuse, by it is a soft one. Novak staying might have made STA the favorites. If Sheehy and Kivihalme would not have left Burnsville, Edina might not of won the back to back.
Heck, maybe this state needs Edina to keep losing kids so they don't win every year and then everyone complains about it.

Amen!

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

In an unprecedented move, I left the X immediately at the end of the AA final, forgoing the awards. I haven't seen anything on the All-Tournament team. Anyone have wny dope on that?

[goldy313]

Was it me or was the finals anti-climatic, borderline boring? Almost as boring as, well, last year's finals where Lakeville North was beat down into nothing. Quarters and semis were way more fun to watch and much better games. Kudos to Duluth East for getting as far as they did, but just didn't have the talent to make it interesting. If Bellows wouldn't have made the jump to USHL, Edina would have made it 3 in a row with no question.

I thought it was anti-climatic only in the sense that I think most of us were looking forward to an Edina/North title game and it didn't happen. In my seating area Edina isn't a crowd favorite to be sure but it didn't really turn pro East until Edina had a powerplay in the third period and Malmquist still didn't come out.

[TTpuckster]

Was it me or was the finals anti-climatic, borderline boring? Almost as boring as, well, last year's finals where Lakeville North was beat down into nothing. Quarters and semis were way more fun to watch and much better games. Kudos to Duluth East for getting as far as they did, but just didn't have the talent to make it interesting. If Bellows wouldn't have made the jump to USHL, Edina would have made it 3 in a row with no question.

You can always point to kids who leave as an excuse, by it is a soft one. Novak staying might have made STA the favorites. If Sheehy and Kivihalme would not have left Burnsville, Edina might not of won the back to back.
Heck, maybe this state needs Edina to keep losing kids so they don't win every year and then everyone complains about it.

And if Ausmus would have stayed at EGF, then they would have won the championship........Oh wait, they did anyway....

[karl(east)]

In an unprecedented move, I left the X immediately at the end of the AA final, forgoing the awards. I haven't seen anything on the All-Tournament team. Anyone have wny dope on that?

AA:
Nick Poehling (LVN)
Jack Poehling (LVN)
Jack McNeely (LVN)
Jack Sadek (LVN)
Ryan Edquist (LVN)
Ash Altmann (DE)
Ryan Peterson (DE)
Alex Spencer (DE)
Gunnar Howg (DE)
Garrett Wait (Edina)
Peter Tufto (STA)
Seamus Donohue (STA)

As for some of the other stuff, there's always a trade-off between big-time upsets and the quality of the match-ups in the next round. If the top teams all make it, the Tourney gets called predictable and lame; if there are upsets, the later-round games are much more likely to be lopsided. It's hard to have your cake and eat it too (cake pun intended). I can appreciate both; many people seem to have a preference one way or the other, depending on whether they see the Tourney as either a chance to view future stars of the college game (or beyond) show off their skills, or a chance for a bunch of hardworking boys who may not have futures in hockey to come together and do something improbable on a unique stage. Both help make the Tournament what it is.

East is sort of a unique "miracle" team in that they're a Tourney regular--I avoided the word "Cinderella" all weekend because I don't think that can apply to any East team in this day in age--but I don't think that fact does anything to diminish how improbable their run was. Even if you tire of East (and I wouldn't blame neutral fans for that) or have some unexplained festering hatred for their coach, it's hard to deny that we saw one of the most dramatic comebacks in Tourney history and one of the largest upsets, ranking-wise, in Tourney history, both by the same team on back-to-back nights. Even if it hadn't been my alma mater, I would gladly take that over a matchup between the favorites every now and then.

The trap isn't my favorite brand of hockey, and I don't think it's Mike Randolph's, either. His stronger teams have played much more of a puck possession game. That said, smart coaches will adapt to the talent they have, and not try to cram square pegs into round holes. East would have gotten destroyed if they tried to run up and down the ice with Edina or North; instead, they got a huge upset and a game that was at least semi-close into the 3rd period. You do what you have to do. And while the trap is not overly appealing, it's also not very easy to get high schoolers to run it effectively (which was the actual point Randolph was making in those 2011 comments).

[bemused]

In an unprecedented move, I left the X immediately at the end of the AA final, forgoing the awards. I haven't seen anything on the All-Tournament team. Anyone have wny dope on that?

AA:
Nick Poehling (LVN)
Jack Poehling (LVN)
Jack McNeely (LVN)
Jack Sadek (LVN)
Ryan Edquist (LVN)
Ash Altmann (DE)
Ryan Peterson (DE)
Alex Spencer (DE)
Gunnar Howg (DE)
Garrett Wait (Edina)
Peter Tufto (STA)
Seamus Donohue (STA)

As for some of the other stuff, there's always a trade-off between big-time upsets and the quality of the match-ups in the next round. If the top teams all make it, the Tourney gets called predictable and lame; if there are upsets, the later-round games are much more likely to be lopsided. It's hard to have your cake and eat it too (cake pun intended). I can appreciate both; many people seem to have a preference one way or the other, depending on whether they see the Tourney as either a chance to view future stars of the college game (or beyond) show off their skills, or a chance for a bunch of hardworking boys who may not have futures in hockey to come together and do something improbable on a unique stage. Both help make the Tournament what it is.

East is sort of a unique "miracle" team in that they're a Tourney regular--I avoided the word "Cinderella" all weekend because I don't think that can apply to any East team in this day in age--but I don't think that fact does anything to diminish how improbable their run was. Even if you tire of East (and I wouldn't blame neutral fans for that) or have some unexplained festering hatred for their coach, it's hard to deny that we saw one of the most dramatic comebacks in Tourney history and one of the largest upsets, ranking-wise, in Tourney history, both by the same team on back-to-back nights. Even if it hadn't been my alma mater, I would gladly take that over a matchup between the favorites every now and then.

The trap isn't my favorite brand of hockey, and I don't think it's Mike Randolph's, either. His stronger teams have played much more of a puck possession game. That said, smart coaches will adapt to the talent they have, and not try to cram square pegs into round holes. East would have gotten destroyed if they tried to run up and down the ice with Edina or North; instead, they got a huge upset and a game that was at least semi-close into the 3rd period. You do what you have to do. And while the trap is not overly appealing, it's also not very easy to get high schoolers to run it effectively (which was the actual point Randolph was making in those 2011 comments).

Here are his actual words: Twincities.com in an article by Tim Leighton. Google article headline "no trapping" Duluth Coach
Insists.
Randolph says: "There should be a sign in High School
-No Trapping. How do kids develop by trapping?" Randolph said.

And the clincher " We'll never trap as long as I am around"
Randolph said.

[nahc]

Great article by Dave Schwartz that pretty much sums up the tourney:


2015 Boys’ State Tournament / Schwartz: The magic of The Tourney

Schwartz: The magic of The Tourney

[karl(east)]

Here are his actual words: Twincities.com in an article by Tim Leighton. Google article headline "no trapping" Duluth Coach
Insists.
Randolph says: "There should be a sign in High School
-No Trapping. How do kids develop by trapping?" Randolph said.

And the clincher " We'll never trap as long as I am around"
Randolph said.

I could dig up my own notes from that to provide more context, but I won't waste my breath.

I'll just settle for saying that times change, people change, and sometimes people soften up a bit with age, learn to manage a wry sense of humor, and by doing so can go from being perceived as overbearing and feared or merely tolerated to being genuinely appreciated. I'm glad that people have possibilities for redemption.

I'm not a big fan of trapping for development purposes either, but adopting it for a handful of games at the end of a season isn't going to scar anyone permanently.

[Ogie]

The story of this Tourney for me, though, won’t surprise anyone: a run of miraculous escapes from the scrappy squad from Duluth East. The Greyhounds are no strangers to March delight, but this team, fresh off a pair of section playoff upsets, seemed out of luck early against the confident firepower of St. Thomas Academy. But then the Heart-Attack Hounds began their push, rallying to an overtime stunner, and before long I was wandering down through Rice Park beneath a sunset of brilliant purple tinge, lost between fantasy and reality, basking in my alma mater’s latest spurt of mastery.

There was to be no rest for the vicariously stressed, and Friday night’s renewal of the classic Hounds-Hornets battle eclipsed the wonder of the day before. Mighty Edina finally fell, toppled by the least likely Tourney entrant, the dream match-up in the championship game ruined by the perfect game plan. Its crowning moment: Ash Altmann’s knife to the heart of a dynasty, a goal that lifted the largest crowd in Xcel Center history to its feet in unison. I stumbled about the press box in delirium, wiped my eyes, and broke into a grin that wouldn’t leave my face till I fell into bed six hours later. Where else is anything like this possible?

The Hounds basked in glory for the rest of the Tourney, none more so than the architect of it all, the man whose legacy now approaches legendary: Mike Randolph, vindicated, any past tumult fading into history. He is a champion for high school hockey; a man with strong opinions, but so clearly born of genuine belief in the greater project that he stands for. He is in love with this sport and in love with his players, pushing them to greatness at this age when kids become aware of who they are, where it is they come from, and where they are going to go.

Randolph, humbly, made every effort to deflect the attention from himself, and on to his tireless boys in those vintage black sweaters. Duluth East’s run was a reminder of all that is pure in high school hockey, of how a team with no true stars can achieve the improbable if only it believes. The Hounds came down to St. Paul and stunned the stars of Minnesota’s two most classic villains, every kid on the roster pushing himself to the brink, every last ounce expended in pursuit of an impossible dream. This old Hound was compelled to hang around the X after the loss to Lakeville for the players to emerge to meet their parents and fans, waiting to give them one last round of applause.

I have been to all sorts of sporting events in my 50+ years kicking around the country and have never, ever heard as intense and loud a crow pop as there was when DE potted the 3rd goal Friday night.

The Hounds provided the most thrills and excitement of the entire shootin' match.....A damn shame they ran out of wheels on Saturday

They have the shiniest silver medal on the planet.

[MNHockeyFan]

The trap isn't my favorite brand of hockey, and I don't think it's Mike Randolph's, either. His stronger teams have played much more of a puck possession game. That said, smart coaches will adapt to the talent they have, and not try to cram square pegs into round holes.

I didn't mind the trap so much as East just ringing it around the boards almost every single time as their way to escape their zone. Rarely did they make any attempt to look for a teammate and maintain possession into the neutral zone, at least in the first half of the game. Of course Lakeville North isn't dumb, and they caught on quickly enough. Anyway this style of blasting the puck around the boards without even looking up doesn't require much skill, and from this fan's perspective it - along with the trap they were employing - didn't make for the kind of hockey one expects to see in a championship game.

As I was watching I found myself actually wishing that Edina was there instead of East...until quickly coming to my senses, realizing that I wouldn't have witnessed all the excitement that Friday night's upset provided. As Ogie said, when East scored their 3rd goal the atmosphere at the X literally exploded with cheers, and despite the somewhat boring final being there to experience East's tremendous effort the night before was great fun. Even though it wasn't for the championship, it will go down as one of those all-time great state tournament games, at least in my book.

[ZachHalverson]

Great article by Dave Schwartz that pretty much sums up the tourney:


2015 Boys’ State Tournament / Schwartz: The magic of The Tourney

Schwartz: The magic of The Tourney

I guess I'll add the url then - http://minnesotahockeymag.com/schwartz- ... e-tourney/

[fastncrash]

Here are his actual words: Twincities.com in an article by Tim Leighton. Google article headline "no trapping" Duluth Coach
Insists.
Randolph says: "There should be a sign in High School
-No Trapping. How do kids develop by trapping?" Randolph said.

And the clincher " We'll never trap as long as I am around"
Randolph said.

I could dig up my own notes from that to provide more context, but I won't waste my breath.

I'll just settle for saying that times change, people change, and sometimes people soften up a bit with age, learn to manage a wry sense of humor, and by doing so can go from being perceived as overbearing and feared or merely tolerated to being genuinely appreciated. I'm glad that people have possibilities for redemption.

I'm not a big fan of trapping for development purposes either, but adopting it for a handful of games at the end of a season isn't going to scar anyone permanently.

So basically.... Go ahead and make statements all you want, but always leave yourself an "Out"...? Got it!

Sounds A LOT like how MN Hockey makes and enforces "Rules"...

[hawkenjonny]

"The trap isn't my favorite brand of hockey, and I don't think it's Mike Randolph's, either. His stronger teams have played much more of a puck possession game. That said, smart coaches will adapt to the talent they have, and not try to cram square pegs into round holes. "

How can you complain about a coach doing exactly what a coach SHOULD do? Use the talent and experience that he HAS and playing the type of game they need to play to win? Playoff games are won with coaching just as often as they are talent. Team chemistry, systems, and role players are often more important in the end than superstars. Nice to have it all, but look at the number of playoff upsets which continued into the tournament. Coaching and teamwork. I for one enjoyed it all. Thanks to Randolph and hope he watches out for GR next year. Might be our year!

[karl(east)]

The trap isn't my favorite brand of hockey, and I don't think it's Mike Randolph's, either. His stronger teams have played much more of a puck possession game. That said, smart coaches will adapt to the talent they have, and not try to cram square pegs into round holes.

I didn't mind the trap so much as East just ringing it around the boards almost every single time as their way to escape their zone. Rarely did they make any attempt to look for a teammate and maintain possession into the neutral zone, at least in the first half of the game. Of course Lakeville North isn't dumb, and they caught on quickly enough. Anyway this style of blasting the puck around the boards without even looking up doesn't require much skill, and from this fan's perspective it - along with the trap they were employing - didn't make for the kind of hockey one expects to see in a championship game.

I won't disagree. That said, some of the credit for that should go to North for never trying to dangle through the trap or pinch in too much...had they done that, you could bet that East would immediately start getting things going in transition or flying a wing. Instead, both coaches were content to settle for a battle of attrition, waiting for one to make the first mistake...and East blinked on that bad turnover that set up the first goal.

If they had kept it within one going into the 3rd, or even not given up that 3rd goal early on in the 3rd, I would've felt pretty good about East's chances; Randolph was just waiting to turn them loose when he sensed the opportunity. It never quite came, and that's a credit to North.