Sparlimb

[raidergrad72]

@Sparlimb West Range Arena is now Hodgins Berardo Arena, Coleraine, MN
Affectionately known to all as the "The Snake Pit".
How many years has Hill teams made the trek up to Rapids for the scrimmage games in early November? Seems like a good 20 years now. Always a very nice early test for the kids from the north. If the pace can go both ways it is usually a good sign the local boys will field a competitive team.

NWOT just turned on the phone so thanks for helping out the Spar man on the name change and nickname for my beloved Greenway home ice arena.
If you guys are interested Google " MN. Hockey rinks story on TPT." Story about a book w/ pics of a lot of town & school rinks around the state. You'll see a pic of Hodgins-Berardo in there.
This has been a fun conversation guys. Hope to have a cup of coffee with you all sometime.

After Sparlimb's 3 straight nights of after parties it would have to be coffee.
We got that book for Christmas absolute treasure to leaf through all the pictures of Minnesota rinks. Great photography!

I didn't know it was out yet. I'll have to find it. Probably Barnes and Noble. I'll look on-line too. Thanks for the heads up! This is the longest continuous post on the whole forum! LOL!!!!

[karl(east)]

Congrats to Sparlimb and all the Hill-Murray faithful on this board! They certainly are one of the biggest followings on here and they know how to have fun with this stuff. It seems like Hill's level of support in the X always punches far above the size of the school, which says a lot about the program and its following. I've always found Hill a very likable program, even for a private school.

[Sparlimb]

I think of Bret Hedican

Sparlimb, How many players from that 1982 NSP team went on to.play Division 1? I believe it was 4.

That I don't know. I know Hedican made the pro's. And we used to have a NSP fan or two on the boards but no longer. I'm still appalled they folded their team this year...

[goldy313]

Sparlimb goes back to the old dawn, prior to 2002 (sorry to date us)there are very, very few of us left. easthockey, Green and White fan, Chris K, Zamman, Ramhockey, myself and I am sure a couple of others. Without people like Sparlimb this “bored” doesn’t exist or keep going.

He deserves a lifetime achievement award.

As an aside, even with all the social media options out there this place still goes on strong and even though some topics may get beaten to death it is still respectfull and full of diverse opinions. We refrain from name calling and remain civil, even with anonymity. Though this wasn’t always the case and let to second greatest schism after Martin Luther and the reformation. Kudos to those who post and those who run it. It hasn’t always been smooth but it has been a great place to read and post for over 20 years.

[Sparlimb]

Well what's funny is there's two sets of posters here. The more mature crowd who can have a civil discussion about teams and not go ranting and then we get the occasional knuckle head boys who are still in high school and they have to try and "mark" the forum everywhere they go. Its funny how easy it is to pick them out. I've always just been happy to have a place to discuss the teams. And I've met a lot of folks as passionate about hockey as I always have been.

Another story... In 2002 I tried to get tickets to the NCAA Hockey Tournament as Minnesota was good (they ended up winning it). But it sells out fast and mostly to people that buy every year. So Gophers go rolling through the tournament and I'm like, that sucks, I wanted to go. A week before the frozen four, NCAA calls me and says they have extra tickets, do I still want to go? And then I'm really nice to the girl who called so she set me up with the best tickets she had. And then I get to see them break a long streak of no titles, and to see Matt Koalska (one of my favorite Hill players of all time) score the game tying goal in the last minute of the third to send it to OT. That was a fun one...

Last Frozen Four I went to was in Chicago where Mrs. Sparlimb and I cheered on UMD to another title. They've bee a great team to watch too...

HAH. Just looked it up. Denver won. Man they all run together.

[hockeyhockeyhockey]

this is a pretty incredible thread. wow

[WBLPuck99]

Sparlimb, being a HM fan, you have to know Jake Guentzel the Pittsburgh Penguins star, played at HM. His dad, Mike grew up in my hometown of Marble in Greenway country. I used to drop the Mpls. Sun. Tribune on the doorstep of Mike's parents' house when I was a young buck.
Mike was a great player for Greenway in the 80s & now scouts for the Phoenix Coyotes. I saw him at the HM- Hermantown game earlier this year. First time I'd ever been at the fabled Aldrich Arena.
Congratulations to HM, I voted for them in the forum poll. They were the more determined team tonight.

We were happy to have the Guentzel's send their kids to HM. They were always a treat to watch. I'll tell you this. Hill was won 4 titles. They've been the favorite once in those years (1983 they went undefeated). They've had other teams that have been top ranked and fallen short, which any fan of high school hockey knows well. It's funny. I grew up a NSP fan. My brother was varsity goalie there his junior and senior years. I watched them beat White Bear Mariner in the section finals (after upsetting HM) in 1981 and then lose to Mariner in 1982 (also upsetting HM). That year Mariner was runner-up. Then my dad, who was a referee back in the day, took me to the championship game in 1983. I got to see HM win, having no idea I was going there 3 years later. That's when I fell in love with the pageantry of it all. The kids playing, the fans, the parents, the school colors, the cheerleaders. Fun times. I think '81 was the first tourney I remember running home from the bus to watch. Ono and Bloomington J.

Anyway, favorite Guentzel memory. One year, someone else can give the year, we played Holy Angels during the season. They were #1 most of the season and likely won the title that year. We were #2. They came to Aldridge to play the game. Gophers played a day game that day and I remember Mike Guentzel on the post game interview saying he was going to rush to Aldridge to see the game. I showed up for the jv game to get seats. My brother made it in the 3rd period of the jv game. My dad, who I invited, later texted and said he couldn't get within 5 blocks of the arena. So he just went back home. Holy Angels was the better team but Hill ended up tying them that night in a fun game. It was 6 or 7 deep in the standing room areas. I love that about high school games.

That was 2006 - Gabe Guentzels senior year. Pioneers returned to the X in a double OT victory over Da Bears after a 3 year drought from the tourney. Lost to Grand Rapids and Patrick White in the semifinals that year. Cretin won it all (Holy Angles lost in the sections that year I believe).

That was also one hell of a section final.

[stpaul]

Of all the great HM-WBL games that 2006 Section final was the best. HM was 25-1-1, but had not been to State in 3 years. WBL returned much of the team from what was the best team in the State in 2005. However the curse continued and they had lost to Duluth East in the State quarterfinals. Both teams wanted to go back. HM was led by Mike Hoeffel, WBL by David Grun.

The Coliseum was packed with people standing around the top. It was a scoreless 1st period. The 2nd period was nuts. HM scored 3 times before WBL scored the next 4, including 2 in the final minute. HM tied it early in the 3rd. It stayed 4-4 for the next 28 minutes of playing time, including 14 minutes of OT. HM got the winner in the 2nd OT on a shot from the blue line that was oh so slightly tipped by Bryant Skarda. It was the beginning of a long streak of HM victories over WBL that lasted until that next greatest 2011 game won by the Bears.

[hm88]

Of all the great HM-WBL games that 2006 Section final was the best. HM was 25-1-1, but had not been to State in 3 years. WBL returned much of the team from what was the best team in the State in 2005. However the curse continued and they had lost to Duluth East in the State quarterfinals. Both teams wanted to go back. HM was led by Mike Hoeffel, WBL by David Grun.

The Coliseum was packed with people standing around the top. It was a scoreless 1st period. The 2nd period was nuts. HM scored 3 times before WBL scored the next 4, including 2 in the final minute. HM tied it early in the 3rd. It stayed 4-4 for the next 28 minutes of playing time, including 14 minutes of OT. HM got the winner in the 2nd OT on a shot from the blue line that was oh so slightly tipped by Bryant Skarda. It was the beginning of a long streak of HM victories over WBL that lasted until that next greatest 2011 game won by the Bears.

Excellent recap of that unreal 2006 section final stpaul. Thinking back on that year, I wonder how that state tournament might have been different if the current seeding method at the state tournament had been implemented for the 2006 year. If memory serves me right, 2007 was the first year they seeded teams to determine quarterfinal opponents. Maybe we would have been on opposite sides of the bracket as Grand Rapids?

[WBLPuck99]

Of all the great HM-WBL games that 2006 Section final was the best. HM was 25-1-1, but had not been to State in 3 years. WBL returned much of the team from what was the best team in the State in 2005. However the curse continued and they had lost to Duluth East in the State quarterfinals. Both teams wanted to go back. HM was led by Mike Hoeffel, WBL by David Grun.

The Coliseum was packed with people standing around the top. It was a scoreless 1st period. The 2nd period was nuts. HM scored 3 times before WBL scored the next 4, including 2 in the final minute. HM tied it early in the 3rd. It stayed 4-4 for the next 28 minutes of playing time, including 14 minutes of OT. HM got the winner in the 2nd OT on a shot from the blue line that was oh so slightly tipped by Bryant Skarda. It was the beginning of a long streak of HM victories over WBL that lasted until that next greatest 2011 game won by the Bears.

I know a good section of WBL fans still mad they called that penalty in the 2nd OT that led to the winning goal. I believe it was some sort of stick infraction and was hotly debated after the game. I think it fell into that category of what was probably the correct call but you had a lot of people giving it the "you can't call that in 2OT!" treatment.

Shortly before that goal I remember a huge save by the Hill goaltender on Zach Hansen after he burst down the left wing and came across the goal and tried to go 5 hole. Everyone on the WB side thought the game was going to be over, but the Hill goalie got the 5 hole closed just in time.

The 2011 game was different because it was more the underdog story. No one expected that WB team to topple Hill that year. I'll never, in my entire life, believe how Ben Bahe had the puck on his stick just outside the crease and fanned on an open net to win it in the first OT.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Oh man, that 2006 final. Hill up 3-0, dominating the game, running time in sight. Right after the third goal, Sagar calls time out. We're like, "What???"

Then, right off the face off, Grun gets the puck, skates I think just inside the blue line, rips it past the Hill goalie, just a rocket. The rest of the period was all WB. I've rarely seen a game term so suddenly. Period ends with Bears up 4-3. If the period went a few more minutes, WB might easily have put the game away. During the intermission, my buddy says, "Muck around, tie it in the third, win in OT?" It sure looked glum for Hill.

The 1991 final, at the Met, was similar. White Bear up 3-0 midway through the game. WB getting all the loose pucks, Bonin getting half of them. Suddenly, but not as suddenly as in 2006, the tied turns. Now Hill is getting all the loose pucks. They get one, then two goals. They're pressing hard to tie it before the end of the 2nd. They don't, but when the horn sounds, every player on the Hill bench stands up. They looked like they wanted to drop the puck for the 3rd right then. They pop in 2 in the third to win the section.

It's fascinating when games turn on a dime like that.

[northwoods oldtimer]

NWOT just turned on the phone so thanks for helping out the Spar man on the name change and nickname for my beloved Greenway home ice arena.
If you guys are interested Google " MN. Hockey rinks story on TPT." Story about a book w/ pics of a lot of town & school rinks around the state. You'll see a pic of Hodgins-Berardo in there.
This has been a fun conversation guys. Hope to have a cup of coffee with you all sometime.

After Sparlimb's 3 straight nights of after parties it would have to be coffee.
We got that book for Christmas absolute treasure to leaf through all the pictures of Minnesota rinks. Great photography!

I didn't know it was out yet. I'll have to find it. Probably Barnes and Noble. I'll look on-line too. Thanks for the heads up! This is the longest continuous post on the whole forum! LOL!!!!

My bad raidergrad72. The book we picked up is titled "Home Ice" put out by Mathew Jasper

[mnmouth]

We were happy to have the Guentzel's send their kids to HM. They were always a treat to watch. I'll tell you this. Hill was won 4 titles. They've been the favorite once in those years (1983 they went undefeated). They've had other teams that have been top ranked and fallen short, which any fan of high school hockey knows well. It's funny. I grew up a NSP fan. My brother was varsity goalie there his junior and senior years. I watched them beat White Bear Mariner in the section finals (after upsetting HM) in 1981 and then lose to Mariner in 1982 (also upsetting HM). That year Mariner was runner-up. Then my dad, who was a referee back in the day, took me to the championship game in 1983. I got to see HM win, having no idea I was going there 3 years later. That's when I fell in love with the pageantry of it all. The kids playing, the fans, the parents, the school colors, the cheerleaders. Fun times. I think '81 was the first tourney I remember running home from the bus to watch. Ono and Bloomington J.

Anyway, favorite Guentzel memory. One year, someone else can give the year, we played Holy Angels during the season. They were #1 most of the season and likely won the title that year. We were #2. They came to Aldridge to play the game. Gophers played a day game that day and I remember Mike Guentzel on the post game interview saying he was going to rush to Aldridge to see the game. I showed up for the jv game to get seats. My brother made it in the 3rd period of the jv game. My dad, who I invited, later texted and said he couldn't get within 5 blocks of the arena. So he just went back home. Holy Angels was the better team but Hill ended up tying them that night in a fun game. It was 6 or 7 deep in the standing room areas. I love that about high school games.

That was 2006 - Gabe Guentzels senior year. Pioneers returned to the X in a double OT victory over Da Bears after a 3 year drought from the tourney. Lost to Grand Rapids and Patrick White in the semifinals that year. Cretin won it all (Holy Angles lost in the sections that year I believe).

@hm88 How GR ever beat that HM team is beyond me still to this day. They (HM) were a loaded hockey club. Upset special of the tournament and indicator of how tough it is to get the 3 tough wins to relish in championship celebration. Enjoy it boys, well earned in 2020!

Lest we forget - The greatest victory by a Grand Rapids club over Hill Murray. 1980 State championship, a game that likely also qualifies for the greatest upset at State. Hill 27-0 vs a Rapids club that was still feeling the sting of the 1979 loss to Roseau in the quarters. John DeCenzo, who had been magnificent for the Indians all tournament, gives Rapids a 1-0 lead with a terrific rush out of the corner to put away a short-handed goal in the 1st. And when Todd Lempe scored to break the 1-1 tie in the 2nd a collective Iron Range roar went up that could be heard from Grand Rapids to Ely. Alright, the Greenway faithful probably puked in their mouths, but for the rest of NE Minnesota that goal was electric, leading to the 2-1 victory.