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I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

Yes, interesting topic.

It could be the difference in loyalty (grit and fight) between locals and mercenaries. I don't know.

https://travisandco.com/employees-loyal-mercenary/

Alexandria is better than their record showed. Banged up early in the season without their most complete player (#7). Took them a while to get back on track, but the last few weeks they have been really good. When they outplayed a very talented Cathedral team I thought they would have a chance to beat Hermantown if Boline got hot. Well, Boline got hot.

Also, Alex ran 3 lines and 6 d all year long. Hermantown is used to wearing down a 2 line opponent. Alex was not the one to wear down. Most of these kids have been playing in State tournaments every year in Pee Wee and Bantams, so they have played a ton of meaningful games.

Powell stepped up big time. Doherty/Strong/Westlund line was huge. The other lines played tough, gritty hockey. Go Cards!

Alex's defense frustrated the Hawks. And when shots did get through, it was a lot of 1 and done.

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

I just don't think the Hawk players get up for these A tourney games anymore. The current players now have played AA their whole careers, compete just fine against AA teams in high school, and know it's just not a real challenge for them to get to A title game anymore.

That said, Alex played a great game. Excellent goaltending and they made their opportunities count.

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

It's pretty simple what you saw, they just got pummeled into class A for the foreseeable future

rainier2 wrote:

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

I just don't think the Hawk players get up for these A tourney games anymore. The current players now have played AA their whole careers, compete just fine against AA teams in high school, and know it's just not a real challenge for them to get to A title game anymore.

That said, Alex played a great game. Excellent goaltending and they made their opportunities count.

Agreed

rainier2 wrote:

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

I just don't think the Hawk players get up for these A tourney games anymore. The current players now have played AA their whole careers, compete just fine against AA teams in high school, and know it's just not a real challenge for them to get to A title game anymore.

That said, Alex played a great game. Excellent goaltending and they made their opportunities count.

This is absolutely ridiculous. So just because they won it the last two years they don't care this year? What about Biondi and the other 1st year players on the team? You think they didn't want to win it and join the older players in having a state championship?

HHawks4Ever wrote:

rainier2 wrote:

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

I just don't think the Hawk players get up for these A tourney games anymore. The current players now have played AA their whole careers, compete just fine against AA teams in high school, and know it's just not a real challenge for them to get to A title game anymore.

That said, Alex played a great game. Excellent goaltending and they made their opportunities count.

This is absolutely ridiculous. So just because they won it the last two years they don't care this year? What about Biondi and the other 1st year players on the team? You think they didn't want to win it and join the older players in having a state championship?

Agree with this. Fact is as much as people like to whine about the Hermantown “juggernaut” this years team just wasn’t as dominant as teams in the past. This year’s team actually belonged in class A. It had nothing to do with effort. They just ran into a hot team and didn’t have the overpowering talent of previous years.

HHawks4Ever wrote:

rainier2 wrote:

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

I just don't think the Hawk players get up for these A tourney games anymore. The current players now have played AA their whole careers, compete just fine against AA teams in high school, and know it's just not a real challenge for them to get to A title game anymore.

That said, Alex played a great game. Excellent goaltending and they made their opportunities count.

This is absolutely ridiculous. So just because they won it the last two years they don't care this year? What about Biondi and the other 1st year players on the team? You think they didn't want to win it and join the older players in having a state championship?

These kids all played AA in youth and competed just fine. All of a sudden they go down to A when in HS, and they play a bunch of teams they wouldn't waste their time playing in youth levels.

Hermantown has so many banners hanging from the rafters that I heard they had to re-inforce the roof recently. The shine of success in A is just not there anymore for these kids.

A few of the kids played on the Hawks teams that beat Wayzata and GR the years those two won AA titles, and this year his team plays a tight one with top 3 AA Minnetonka. How impressed with the A tourney are they at this point?

Nothing against Hermantown. This is great for hockey.

7TIMECHAMPS wrote:

HHawks4Ever wrote:

rainier2 wrote: I just don't think the Hawk players get up for these A tourney games anymore. The current players now have played AA their whole careers, compete just fine against AA teams in high school, and know it's just not a real challenge for them to get to A title game anymore.

That said, Alex played a great game. Excellent goaltending and they made their opportunities count.

This is absolutely ridiculous. So just because they won it the last two years they don't care this year? What about Biondi and the other 1st year players on the team? You think they didn't want to win it and join the older players in having a state championship?

Agree with this. Fact is as much as people like to whine about the Hermantown “juggernaut” this years team just wasn’t as dominant as teams in the past. This year’s team actually belonged in class A. It had nothing to do with effort. They just ran into a hot team and didn’t have the overpowering talent of previous years.

They hung tight with Tonka this year in a 5-3 loss. They would have done just fine in AA. Beat East? Unlikely, but I'd bet they'd have shown 100 times more passion and hunger in that game than they do at the A tourney nowadays.

It's human nature to get bored with successfully achieving the same goal over and over. They are ready for the next step, and I think we'll see that fire return once they do.

WendyClark wrote:

hermantown2000 wrote:I am sitting here in my living room trying figure out what I just saw. Did Alexandria simply put together a extra human effort against the Hawks juggernaut or did Hermantowm quit in the 3rd period after falling behind?

It's pretty simple what you saw, they just got pummeled into class A for the foreseeable future

I'd agree. The effort today did not dictate a move up.

No one gets "bored" in the state semis, no matter which class they are in. If they do somehow get bored, then they have far bigger issues than hockey.
The Hawks got outplayed and pummeled. Period.

jeffpv wrote:No one gets "bored" in the state semis, no matter which class they are in. If they do somehow get bored, then they have far bigger issues than hockey.
The Hawks got outplayed and pummeled. Period.

Congrats to Alexandria. Very well played team effort.

Maybe this will put the end to all the people whining about Hermantown?

Yoopskater wrote:Maybe this will put the end to all the people whining about Hermantown?

Not me

Yoopskater wrote:Maybe this will put the end to all the people whining about Hermantown?

Whiners such as Lou Nanna or Mike McGraw, who have both said on past tourney broadcasts that Hermantown should be in AA?

Or whiners like Hermantown's head coach, who recently said the program is ready to move to AA?

Alexandria played a great game, indeed. However, Hermantown was able to hang with Minnetonka this season, while Alexandria lost 4-1 to a very down Hibbing team. Forgive me if I think the Hawks didn't play to their potential today.

Yoopskater wrote:Maybe this will put the end to all the people whining about Hermantown?

Not a fricken chance...when they move up to AA for 2019-2020 the whining will officially stop. So they lost a game at State. Hooray.. Hermantowns AA PeeWees & AA Bantams just qualified for the MAHA State Tourneys next week. They be long in AA. It’s not your born right to go to (or win) A State every year in HS.

The whining about Hermantown will stop but the whining won’t stop. People will find someone else to whine about. Who has a good A program? Mahtomedi maybe? EGF has some decent teams coming up so maybe them? It won’t stop.

Hermantown just played their first AA playoff game. Alex is for all intents and purposes a AA program youth on up to HS. They were a late hold out to go to class A.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Alexandria to AA in two years. My two cents.

7TIMECHAMPS wrote:The whining about Hermantown will stop but the whining won’t stop. People will find someone else to whine about. Who has a good A program? Mahtomedi maybe? EGF has some decent teams coming up so maybe them? It won’t stop.

If one of those teams goes to 10 straight title games and three years without a loss to a single A team, then yes, the "whining" will continue.

defense wrote:Hermantown just played their first AA playoff game. Alex is for all intents and purposes a AA program youth on up to HS. They were a late hold out to go to class A.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Alexandria to AA in two years. My two cents.

I was wondering about that today watching the game. Have not been to Alexandria for over a decade but thought that town was pretty good sized population to be a single A team.

northwoods oldtimer wrote:

defense wrote:Hermantown just played their first AA playoff game. Alex is for all intents and purposes a AA program youth on up to HS. They were a late hold out to go to class A.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Alexandria to AA in two years. My two cents.

I was wondering about that today watching the game. Have not been to Alexandria for over a decade but thought that town was pretty good sized population to be a single A team.

Currently the smallest “true” AA team by enrollment is St. Louis Park at 1,240. Mahtomedi and Alexandria are at 1,136 and 1,120, respectively. So they are two of the larger Class A schools. Alex was previously AA in enrollment from 1993 to 2005, but the growth of exurban schools, I and opening of some new ones, pushed them back down to the A level.

That said, the two schools would have to jump over a few fast growing ones, such as Sartell and Northfield, to reach the AA level for enrollment.

Stang5280 wrote:

northwoods oldtimer wrote:

defense wrote:Hermantown just played their first AA playoff game. Alex is for all intents and purposes a AA program youth on up to HS. They were a late hold out to go to class A.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Alexandria to AA in two years. My two cents.

I was wondering about that today watching the game. Have not been to Alexandria for over a decade but thought that town was pretty good sized population to be a single A team.

Currently the smallest “true” AA team by enrollment is St. Louis Park at 1,240. Mahtomedi and Alexandria are at 1,136 and 1,120, respectively. So they are two of the larger Class A schools. Alex was previously AA in enrollment from 1993 to 2005, but the growth of exurban schools, I and opening of some new ones, pushed them back down to the A level.

That said, the two schools would have to jump over a few fast growing ones, such as Sartell and Northfield, to reach the AA level for enrollment.

Alex should opt up. I don't care if their enrollment is on one side or the other. Their program is big and strong. They should be proud. And I think they will be proud.