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Woof! If this were not on the Bears home ice, they may not have made it to OT.

Whew! Bears survive!

We all know its tough to beat a good team 3 times in a season. White Bear has shown its also tough to beat a 4 win Woodbury team 3 times in one season.

Who knew the Royals would be such a tough out???

And after all that....

Irondale (#8) wins their first game of the year over Minnehaha Co-Op (#9) in the play-in game

WBL (#2) needs OT to escape Woodbury (#7) in OT

#6 Roseville gives a game to Mounds View (#3)

....the gents doing the seeding got them all right thru the first two rounds of the 4AA playoffs.

FINAL
WBL 3
Mounds View 2

FINAL

Hill Murray 3
Stillwater 2

It'll be the standard section 4AA final: Pioneers v Bears

Fun fact of the evening:

By my calculations, this will be the 21st time that the Hill Murray Pioneers and the White Bear Lake Bears have faced off in a section final. Current record in the 20 section finals games played thus far between these two storied programs:

Hill Murray 15
White Bear Lake 5

Guess I wouldn't have it any other way

BlueLineSpecial wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:08 pm Fun fact of the evening:

By my calculations, this will be the 21st time that the Hill Murray Pioneers and the White Bear Lake Bears have faced off in a section final. Current record in the 20 section finals games played thus far between these two storied programs:

Hill Murray 15
White Bear Lake 5

Guess I wouldn't have it any other way

I would have been just fine with Mounds View. Just saying...

Sparlimb wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:16 pm

BlueLineSpecial wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:08 pm Fun fact of the evening:

By my calculations, this will be the 21st time that the Hill Murray Pioneers and the White Bear Lake Bears have faced off in a section final. Current record in the 20 section finals games played thus far between these two storied programs:

Hill Murray 15
White Bear Lake 5

Guess I wouldn't have it any other way

I would have been just fine with Mounds View. Just saying...

It would have been nice, sure. I live behind enemy lines, so it’s sort of rewarding to root against the Bears.

Bears have struggled without Roed. Should be interesting how they respond. I expect Hill to come out pretty peeved.

Uh, could someone tell me what the hell happened tonite? game was tied with under 4 minutes to play in the 3rd?

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:37 pm Uh, could someone tell me what the hell happened tonite? game was tied with under 4 minutes to play in the 3rd?

I gave a quick summary in the Saturday Games topic. I just think Stillwater played their hearts out. And on some level I do think Hill was a bit flat. Stillwater was physical, they won a LOT of face offs, and it’s a rivalry game that the Ponies got up for. I don’t want to be overly critical of Hill’s performance - they never trailed and controlled large swaths of the game. But Stillwater’s passing was crisp, and they clearly had a game plan that was successful.

On a side note, I’ll say this: I’ve come to expect Hill to have one close game in sections, regardless of their talent, ranking, etc. Hill is perpetually ranked in the top 10, but almost every year they play a nail biter in sections. Last year it was the WBL game, where if I recall they went down 2-0, came back and won 3-2. That was a team that rolled to the championship once they got to state, including a beat down of favored EP.

I just chalk it up to a rivalry game and the standard Hill section close call. Let’s hope they got it out of their system

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:37 pm Uh, could someone tell me what the hell happened tonite? game was tied with under 4 minutes to play in the 3rd?

BLS had it right. Stillwater pounded the crap out of HM. I watched a guy from Stillwater come in and elbow a kid from Hill, it didn't get called, so he went over and elbowed the same guy again, right to the face. That one was called and the Stillwater player was confused what changed. As was I. I think the hitting threw Hill off to some extent. I'm sure it was to try and force HM to dump it in the zone more and not enter with speed. HM still had plenty of chances, but the Stillwater goalie played really well. It felt like OT was coming, and I'm too old to watch too many more of those. But the offensive pressure paid off late and then Hill held on for the win. And they really were holding on as Stillwater had some good opportunities with the goalie pulled.

So how does a player be allowed to play most of the season and then get disqualified for the playoffs? I could see if it was disciplinary, but a technicality? If he can't play in the playoffs, then he shouldn't have been allowed during the season. What a disgrace MSHSL!

This being allowed to play during the season is not good for the kid or the team, when you know he can't play in the sections.

BodyShots wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:33 am So how does a player be allowed to play most of the season and then get disqualified for the playoffs? I could see if it was disciplinary, but a technicality? If he can't play in the playoffs, then he shouldn't have been allowed during the season. What a disgrace MSHSL!

This being allowed to play during the season is not good for the kid or the team, when you know he can't play in the sections.

I'm surprised the MSHSL didn't change the victories that Roed played in to losses.

wbmd wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:45 pm

BodyShots wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:33 am So how does a player be allowed to play most of the season and then get disqualified for the playoffs? I could see if it was disciplinary, but a technicality? If he can't play in the playoffs, then he shouldn't have been allowed during the season. What a disgrace MSHSL!

This being allowed to play during the season is not good for the kid or the team, when you know he can't play in the sections.

I'm surprised the MSHSL didn't change the victories that Roed played in to losses.

Maybe the rule is you can play regular season but are ineligible for playoffs. I don't know for sure. And I'd still be surprised if the section final isn't close anyway. It almost always is.

Sparlimb wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:41 pm

wbmd wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:45 pm

BodyShots wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:33 am So how does a player be allowed to play most of the season and then get disqualified for the playoffs? I could see if it was disciplinary, but a technicality? If he can't play in the playoffs, then he shouldn't have been allowed during the season. What a disgrace MSHSL!

This being allowed to play during the season is not good for the kid or the team, when you know he can't play in the sections.

I'm surprised the MSHSL didn't change the victories that Roed played in to losses.

Maybe the rule is you can play regular season but are ineligible for playoffs. I don't know for sure. And I'd still be surprised if the section final isn't close anyway. It almost always is.

I'll take HM and give you 3 goals Spar!

I hate to say it, but I don't think this Final will be close. This White Bear team doesn't stack up to past teams, and this might be one of the best Hill teams we've seen. The Bears barely squeaking past Woodbury and Mounds View doesn't bode well if you're trying to take down a GIANT. My prediction - Hill-Murray 5 White Bear Lake 1.

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:37 pm Uh, could someone tell me what the hell happened tonite? game was tied with under 4 minutes to play in the 3rd?

The other
team showed up.

Hill Murray takes the section 4AA crown for a second year in a row. WBL played Hill even for the first 10 minutes of the section championship game, but Hill put on the gas and never looked back. Hill should be seeded at State - not sure what seed it'll be, and some of it will depend on how these other section finals play out. As of writing this, EP and Tonka are going to OT and GR is trailing Andover. Best guess....3rd seed.

stateofhawkey wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:05 pm I hate to say it, but I don't think this Final will be close. This White Bear team doesn't stack up to past teams, and this might be one of the best Hill teams we've seen. The Bears barely squeaking past Woodbury and Mounds View doesn't bode well if you're trying to take down a GIANT. My prediction - Hill-Murray 5 White Bear Lake 1.

You were way off on the score.

I cannot recall the last time we were able to coast in the section final like that, much less against WB in the final. It was enjoyable, but I will not be lulled into a false sense of security and think it will happen any time soon.

hat tip to the Bears, they played till the last second.

I did tell my buddy that watching from Brooklyn Park seems to be good luck so maybe it should be a thing. I know WBL didn't have Roed, but I still was surprised the way they played. They came out like they wanted to skate with HM which was a mistake. Stillwater played such a good game a few days ago where they hit everything that moved and HM couldn't help but notice. I think WBL should have done the same. Anyway, nice easy wins like this one are much better for my heart. We'll see how next week goes.

I thought the Institution would be better. May be a short tournament for the hill school Institution.

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:11 pm

stateofhawkey wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:05 pm I hate to say it, but I don't think this Final will be close. This White Bear team doesn't stack up to past teams, and this might be one of the best Hill teams we've seen. The Bears barely squeaking past Woodbury and Mounds View doesn't bode well if you're trying to take down a GIANT. My prediction - Hill-Murray 5 White Bear Lake 1.

You were way off on the score.

Ah man, I must've been thinking of different teams. I'll try harder next time