Daily Dish 5.22
There were a lot of games this weekend that looked great on paper with such beautiful lacrosse weather, to boot. Unfortunately, most of these games ended up being blowouts, but here are some of the interesting ones:
Moorhead 8 v Minnetonka 7 (OT): Moorhead coming back down to the Twin Cities to play a couple games and they snagged the first of their back to back in overtime! Sounds like this was a heck of a game in which Tonka had a lead late and Moorhead clawed back to win. The Spuds are a gritty team with a chip on their shoulder. They are hungry for respect across the state and are doing everything they can to schedule games to get that respect. Aside from a rough game against BSM, they have taken care of business. They are a great team and I do expect them to win section 8 and go to state. Tonka, is having another rough May.
Eagan 14 v WBL 11: Another high scoring game for the wildcats! This game actually ended closer than I thought. I was watching and it was 6-2 Eagan at the end of the first quarter. After that, it seemed to be mostly close the rest of the way. Eagan continues to dominate face-offs with two different guys. I think that will be a major factor some sections. If they get strong goaltending, I think they could be a tough out in section 3. White bear lake is the most confusing team… They play everyone close, but, still can’t break through for that quality win. I think they are a good team but, like Farmington, still waiting to see if they put together a full 4 quarters.
Prior Lake 14 v Buffalo 3: I know Buffalo has not been the team we thought they would be this season, but…. they were coming off a huge win against Mtka and a close game against Chan. So, I felt like the Bison were trending in the right direction. Prior Lake has been to 4 straight title games for a reason… they are well coached and detailed. I think, despite the early season bumps, they are a top 10 caliber team because on top of always having enough talent, they play great team lacrosse and do the little things well. They play a winning brand of lacrosse and we are seeing it now later in the year.
Rochester Mayo 13 v STMA 12: Rochester Mayo is a team I have been high on. They are dominating the Big 9 schedule, played a close game with Farmington earlier in the season and had a tough loss to Wayzata. This was their final opportunity to compete against a non-Big 9 team and they squeaked out a win. STMA hasn’t been great, but, they are playing a lot better as of late. This was a nice win for Mayo to give them a confidence boost heading into sections.
Woodbury 16 v Blaine 2: I thought this game would be closer. I expected the Royals to win but, they really dominated this game. Not sure what happened here, but, Woodbury’s M.O. has been to play slow, ball possession, tough defensive lacrosse. Win games 7 or 8 to 1. But, they found an offensive spark in this game against a team that supposedly has a good Face Off guy and good goalie. So, whatever Woodbury did, they should keep doing as they had into playoffs…. huge statement win for them.
BSM 18 v Centennial 4: Another day of Red Knight Dominance. This game has normally been a huge one for the past few years as Centennial would enter the game undefeated with their schedule. Unfortunately, this year the Cougars are a bit down and BSM is still on top of their game. I do still think Centennial can win section 7 given the make-up of who is in there, but, it could be an #8 seed for the winner of that section, unfortunately, as Moorhead has done enough to earn a higher seed than 8, if they end up making it out of section 8.
