The Minnesota state high school hockey championships just concluded. last night I watched the class AA game between Stillwater and Moorhead. Both teams had made it to the championship game multiple times in the past but had never won; in the end, Moorhead won 7 to 6. It was a barn burner of a game, with excellent play by both teams. The high quality of high school hockey here always impresses me, there's a good reason so many guys who play at the Olympic or professional level come from Minnesota.
I didn't have any personal ties to either team but I was rooting for Moorhead, mainly because the team name is the Spuds. 
(the region around Moorhead is known for potato farms.)
It is interesting to reflect on the regional differences among high school sports. My high school had no hockey program, but they did have a popular and successful fencing team. Here in Virginia, neither are available, except at the club level.
I've never heard of a school fencing team, that's interesting. The fasted growing sport here is apparently trap shooting, lots of schools have teams these days.
Regional differences are definitely interesting.
Another example: the son of a friend in Columbus, OH was offered a men's college volleyball scholarship after a successful HS career. Volleyball was only a sport for girls where I grew up.
I worked with a lady whose daughter was a kick ass goalie in high school girls hockey in the Twin Cities area. Crazy the difference in regions.
mtn
MegaDork
3/9/25 9:21 a.m.
Minnesota high school hockey is on a whole 'nother level. Kids playing for USHL teams (highest level of junior hockey in the US) will leave the USHL to play the high school season and return after the HS season. It may as well be a Junior league, at least at the upper echelons of it.
I was asked if I wanted to ref or line any of the Illinois high school state championship games this year. I declined. I already had 6 overtime periods during state playoffs. That's enough free hockey for me.
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
Yes, girl's hockey here is nothing to scoff at - they're very good.
Our girls hockey team is in the State Championship today (Middlebury Union High School Tigers). They get to play on the ice at the Gut (Gutterson Field House at the University of Vermont) at 5 today. They had to come from behind to win in overtime to make it to the finals. One girl had a hat trick and the goalie stood on her head today. #goTigers
In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :
Why did the goaltender stand on the hat trick girl's head?
Appleseed said:
In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :
Why did the goaltender stand on the hat trick girl's head?
I do hope that was tongue in cheek.
Datsun240ZGuy said:
I worked with a lady whose daughter was a kick ass goalie in high school girls hockey in the Twin Cities area. Crazy the difference in regions.
Our niece was in one of the top HS hockey teams in the US, growing up in Fairbanks. They went all over the US to play tournaments.
But it's also interesting to look at the lineup of U of Michigan's hockey team to see players from all over the country- Nebraska, Georgia, Florida, etc. The best rise up and make it to the US top player program for basically HS aged players- and pretty much all of them make the NHL.
Mind you, one of the best current NHL players is from Arizona.
vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:
Appleseed said:
In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :
Why did the goaltender stand on the hat trick girl's head?
I do hope that was tongue in cheek.
Of course it was. But if you knew nothing about hockey it might make you wonder.
My friend has 4 boys who he coached through the various levels of hockey. He told me they were at the Pan American Games (?) some next level up where teams came from all over.
"So we're in the locker room after the game, three teams of 14 year old boys, when the Swiss girls' team comes in. Thinking nothing of it, they peeled the uniforms off to put on street clothes. Here I am with a bunch of 14 year old boys and 20 feet away are 14-16 year old topless blonde girls! I hustled them right out".
He's slowed down a lot, but still active; "OMG, you wouldn't believe the mouths on these young girls!"
mtn
MegaDork
3/9/25 12:50 p.m.
In reply to 914Driver :
When I was about 20, I was reffing a U19 girls game. One girl, a center, shrugged her shoulders forward and leaned down. Her shoulder pads were not velcroed, which meant that I got an unimpeded view down her shirt. At this point she smirked and said "caught ya", and I blushed and told her she needed to put on her shoulder pads or it was a 10 minute misconduct. If I hadn't been dating the woman who'd become my wife I'd have asked her for her number. To be clear here, she knew exactly what she was doing.
Another good one: 2 girls at a face off, one breathes in the others face. "Recognize that smell? It's your boyfriends [fill in the blank]"
About a month ago, I reffed some girls U16 and U19 games - same programs different ages. First one was the 3rd vs 4th ranked team in the nation, Second one was 2nd vs 6th. Those girls hated each other. Probably the best games I reffed this year.
In reply to stuart in mn :
I'm also a fan of Moorhead. Always have been.
In reply to stuart in mn :
What else would you expect from the state that gave us Macgyver?
Wikipedia.org: Richard Dean Anderson
He grew up in Roseville, Minnesota, where he attended Alexander Ramsey High School.[7] As a teenager, his dream of becoming a professional hockey player was ended when he broke both arms three weeks apart[8] while playing hockey for the school team at the age of 18.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to stuart in mn :
I'm also a fan of Moorhead. Always have been.
Especially the girls team.
We just got our first high school team last year. Like, the first one in town. They added a JV team this year. It's been a solid turnout to their games and it's only going to build. The northeastern teams have nothing to fear at this point but it's great to see.
There's a U19 women's team as well but I've never heard about one of their games in advance so I've never seen them play. I'm a big fan of women's hockey, though. Been to three PWHL games despite living a couple of thousand miles away :)
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
One of his sons stayed with it and went on to play for the Bruins.
