Daily Dish 5.23
BSM 25 v Waconia 0: Ugh. I wish these games didn’t have to happen. I get that it’s a conference game so it has to be played, but, I wish there was a way to waiver out of games like this. I guess, you can always look to grab something positive from the game, no matter the score, but, I think both teams would have rather scheduled and OOC game that would better fit their competitive level. Nonetheless, I heard it was a clean game, no penalties and both teams managed to get through it the right way, so, tip of the cap.
Mankato 14 v New Prague 13 (OT): Wow! Huge win for Mankato. I think everyone has been high on New Prague as being an up and coming team with a young core group of sophomores that took another step this year. Mankato is a gritty team that always plays hard. Maybe they don’t have the depth of talent of other programs, but, they make the most out of what they do have and always battle. I saw the end of this game, super exciting and a really fun/competitive game. Section implications here helping Mankato’s case for seeding as they roll into the section 1 tourney. We might see a rematch of this game depending on how things shake out.
Prior Lake 11 v Minnetonka 6: This was a makeup game from a couple weeks ago that both teams had to plop into their schedule on a Monday of an already packed week. Prior Lake looked like they were going to roll in this game, but, the Minnetonka goalie had other things to say. He played extremely well and kept this game within reach for the skippers. Unfortunately, too many unforced/high risk errors on offense when they had their chances to claw their way back. The story continues with Minnetonka in May… but, still not a team i’d really want to be facing in sections. From watching this game, there is a lot of talent on that team. If they put it together, they will have no problems competing. Prior Lake, despite weird schedule and rough start, is hitting their stride and guys are finding roles. Maybe they aren’t the offensive juggernaut they were last year, but, they are still a high caliber team, well coached and have a chance to be right there at the end.
Blaine 8 v Champlin Park 6: Blaine has been up and down but this is a great conference win for them that will also help with section seeding. Champlin park has been one of those teams this year that has been competitive but hasn’t been able to close out the wins in close games. Their defense looks to be solid and keeping teams to 10 or less. I could see them having some upset potential in section 7, but, they may be a year away from competing to win the section. Blaine has won 4 of their last 5… and played Centennial close. Maybe they have a shot to also have some upset potential in their back pocket.
Northfield 5 v Lakeville South 4: Another game with section seeding implications in what some may call a “defensive battle.” This game featured a zone off at times and it looked to slow the offenses down, but, a big win for Northfield in a rebuild year to help their case in section seeding talks. Lakeville South is in a rough spot. A team that was once a perennial top 2 section seed, is now in full rebuild mode. They do have a small senior class and have a lot of young guys contributing so, they could have potential to improve as those guys get older.
Rogers 14 v Totino Grace 11: ROGERS! They have won 7 of their last 9 games, only losing to Maple Grove and Armstrong. The top 2 teams in the conference. They play centennial tomorrow to close out the year - a win in that game would be huge for them and I think they can do it. I don’t know what happened up there in Rogers but whatever they did has been working. It seems like they aren’t quite deep enough to compete with the big dogs, but, they were one of my “cinderella story” teams at the very beginning of the season preview. Maybe just maybe they have an upset in their back pocket in sections. Totino, a team I was absolutely hyped on a few weeks ago has started to tail off. They can score goals, no question. Liam Gillard is a beast. But, they just can’t seem to get stops on defense. If they fix that before playoffs, maybe we can see an upset potential from them as well.
