March 30, 2006 at 8:14 a.m.
MSHSL Tournaments give fans many options NCAA
MSHSL Tournaments give fans many options NCAA
In Class 1A, Stephen-Argyle, from the Red River Valley in far northwestern Minnesota, played Ellsworth. It’s way closer to Winnipeg than to Minneapolis from Stephan-Argyle. Ellsworth isn’t far from South Dakota and even closer to Iowa.
Also in the small school tournament, tiny Albrook played against undefeated Maranatha (31-0). In the matchup between these two traditional powers, Albrook Senior Cory Mountain scored a tournamnent record 51 points (the old record of 50 points had been in place since 1978). His team still lost to Maranatha. After winning every game of the season, Maranatha lost in the semi’s to eventual champion Rushford-Peterson and suffered its second consecutive loss in the third place game.
In class 2A, the two top teams in the state met in the semifinals. Pelican Rapids (29-2) took on two-time defending champion Braham. In an excellent game, the Isaiah Dahlman led Bombers beat the Vikings from Pelican Rapids. Braham went on to take its third championship in a row by dispatching private school power Breck.
DeLaSalle, that school on the island in the middle of the Mississippi River adjacent to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, was clearly the class of 3A. The Islanders had no trouble with Totino Grace, overwhelmed St. Thomas Academy and ran away from the Greyhounds from Duluth East.
The 4A championship went to powerful Hopkins. Year after year, players from surrounding communities flock to Hopkins with hopes of winning a state tournament. Cooper High School, in Robbinsdale about five miles from Hopkins, which is located in Minnetonka, stayed with the Royals for a while. But, Hopkins’ depth and size proved to be too much in the end.
Not to be outdone, college hockey players showcased their talents in their own Sweet Sixteen.
The Gopher mens’ hockey team, which had gone about 20 games without a defeat prior to the playoffs, lost two in a row in the WCHA final five. Many fans felt that was just a blip that would fade from our screens once the NCAA Tournament began.
The Minnesota team, ranked #1 in the nation for much of the season, got the top seed in the Western Regional in Grand Forks. They faced Holy Cross in the first round.... not much of a threat. However, Holy Cross was not intimidated, as they defeated our Gophs 4-3 in overtime.
Big time hockey was not dead in the North Star State. The Beavers from Bemidji State, seeded 16 of 16 in the tourney, could uphold our proud hockey heritage. All they would needed to do was to beat Bucky Badger in Green Bay. That didn’t work out either, as Wisconsin skated to a 4-0 win over the Beavs.
Perhaps the Gopher women could make us proud. Unfortunately, they were paired with the nation’s top ranked team. The Lady Gophers raised our hopes with a 5-4 upset of the first seeded U. of New Hampshire in the national semifinals. All that was necessary was a win over Wisconsin. The Badgers were unconcerned with our feelings as they made our team a runner-up with a 4-1 win.
Hockey didn’t work out! So, back to hoops.
The Gopher women were in the NCAA’s and were sure to shake off a late season slump. The University of Washington was the opponent. The game was close, but Minnesota was one-and-out here, too.
The NCAA Minneapolis Regional was a place we couldn’t lose. The four finalists were Villanova, Boston College, Florida and Georgetown. We couldn’t lose here because we had no home team... not even a regional or conference favorite to cheer for.
Despite that, the games were highly entertaining and competitive. Villanova was the number one seed, but their opponent, BC, was BYA (Big, Young and Athletic). Nova pulled it out on a goal tending call in the last seconds.
Georgetown looked like the Patrick Ewing-Allen Iverson teams of old, complete with a 7’2” giant in the center.
Florida was equal to the task. Led by the 6’11” sophomore son of tennis superstar tennis player Yannick Noah, the Seminoles got past Georgetown’s Hoyas and then earned a spot in the Final Four by stifling Nova’s outside shooters.
What fun! Not a single #1 seed remains. AND, # 11 George Mason* University has a shot. It’s very relaxing to watch without the pressure of a local favorite in the mix and, if you’re like me, with a broken bracket.
*George Mason (1725-92) was a Virginia aristocrat who seved as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was an opponent of slavery and a proponent of the Bill of Rights. He urged Virginians not to ratify the Constitution because it lacked protections for personal liberties. He lived long enough to see the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution.
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