Faceoff

Section 1A final on as scheduled

Posted by: Feldman

Tonight's Section One, Class A boys hockey championship game is on as scheduled.

Top-seeded Rochester Lourdes will face third-seeded Northfield at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Recreation Center. The winner advances to next week's Class A state tournament.

Rochester Mayo activities director Jeff Whitney, the Section 1 hockey tournament director, said he has received a good number of calls and e-mails today wondering if the game will be played. 

The Section One, Class AA title game is still scheduled for a 7 p.m. puck drop at the Rec Center on Thursday. That game features No. 1 seed Lakeville South against No. 2 seed Lakeville North, with the winner moving on to the Class state tournament next week.

I'll have more thoughts about tonight's Lourdes-Northfield game on the blog later this afternoon.

Hockey Day Rochester moved indoors

If you haven't already heard, Hockey Day Rochester has been moved indoors. Because of all the warm weather we've had recently, I'm told the organizers didn't think the outdoor ice at Graham Park on the Olmsted Co. Fairgrounds could be in good enough condition by next Saturday (Jan. 21).

So, the Hockey Day boys games between JM and Mayo have been moved indoors to the Rochester Rec Center. The JV game will be played at 1 p.m. and the varsity at 3 p.m.

The JM/Lourdes girls will face Century at 7 p.m. that day at Graham Arena.

High School Hockey | JM-Mayo rivalry series and this week's Poll Time

Posted by: Feldman

If you're looking for this week's polls, scroll down a bit. But read the rest of this first. Please. Pretty please.

First up, the series of articles and blog posts on the history of the Mayo-JM boys hockey rivalry has been rekindled, which is a good thing, because I have pages and pages of notes that I didn't want to use to start a fire or give Mrs. Feldy's paper shredder a workout.

I had originally planned to run a couple of articles, as well as a series of blog posts, about the rivalry in advance of the first JM-Mayo game this season, back on Dec. 10 (a 4-3 JM win). But, just as I was about to start doing interviews, Mayo head coach Lorne Grosso had to undergo heart bypass surgery. I wasn't about to print articles about this rivalry without talking to the guy who had seen all but two of the games between these teams prior to this season (Grosso missed the games in the 1987-88 season when he was on sabbatical in Italy).

So, here's what's coming:

* In the print edition of the P-B on Friday, Jan. 20, I'll have a front-page article in the Sports section about the rivalry, leading into (hopefully) almost a full page of articles and statistics about the rivalry inside the Sports section. They're running on Jan. 20, because the teams will play at noon the next day during Hockey Day Rochester at Graham Park on the Olmsted Co. Fairgrounds. I'm in the process of interviewing former players and coaches now. 

* Starting tomorrow (Thursday), here on the Faceoff blog, I'll recap every game played between JM and Mayo. As I've mentioned before, I spent a good portion of the summer and fall at the public library, going through microfilm, to come up with a few paragraphs about all the games these teams have played. We'll start with the first 10 games between JM and Mayo, tomorrow on the blog and run a certain amount each day (some days maybe less than 10, other days more). We'll have them all covered by the time Hockey Day Rochester is upon us. 

* * * * *

POLL TIME

This week's Class A and AA high school hockey polls, from Let's Play Hockey magazine, are below. Lourdes stays at No. 9 this week after losing a well-played game against No. 5 Duluth Marshall, then putting Mankato West on running time last night. Section 1A's New Prague slipped down to No. 20. In Class AA, Lakeville South is again the lone Section 1 team in the poll. The Cougars dropped four spots to No. 15.

First-place votes are in parentheses, Section 1 teams are in bold. (For the record, I don't vote on these polls ... had someone ask me that last week, so thought I'd make note of it here).

BOYS
CLASS A
1. Breck (8)
2. Hermantown (1)
3. St. Thomas Academy (1)
4. East Grand Forks
5. Duluth Marshall
6. Thief River Falls
7. Totino-Grace
8. Mahtomedi
9. Rochester Lourdes
10. St. Cloud Cathedral
11. Blake
12. Delano/Rockford
13. Warroad
14. Hibbing/Chisholm
15. Rogers
16. Duluth Denfeld
17. Mound-Westonka
18. Little Falls
19. Orono
20. New Prague

CLASS AA
1. Duluth East (10)
2. Minnetonka
3. Maple Grove
4. Eagan
5. Edina
6. Benilde-St. Margaret's
7. Eden Prairie
8. Moorhead
9. Burnsville
10. Wayzata
11. Hill-Murray
12. Blaine
13. Grand Rapids
14. Elk River/Zimmerman
15. Lakeville South
16. Centennial
17. Andover
18. Roseville
19. Roseau
20. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton

-----------------------

GIRLS

CLASS A
1. Breck (10)
2. Warroad
3. South St. Paul
4. Thief River Falls
5. Orono
6. Blake
7. Mound-Westonka
8. Red Wing
9. Rogers
10. Chisago Lakes
11. Mankato East
12. Visitation
13. Crookston
14. Hutchinson
15. East Grand Forks
16. Henry Sibley
17. Mahtomedi
18. Hibbing/Chisholm
19. International Falls
20. Simley

CLASS AA

1. Benilde-St. Margaret's 
2. Anoka
3. Hill-Murray
4. Minnetonka
5. Roseville
6. Edina
7. Elk River/Zimmerman
8. White Bear Lake
9. Mounds View
10. Eagan
11. Irondale
12. Lakeville North
13. Stillwater
14. Lakeville South
15. Blaine
16. Andover
17. Hopkins
18. Chaska/Chanhassen
19. Champlin Park
20. Grand Rapids/Greenway

 

High School Hockey Today | Dec. 3, 2011 (plus note on the Mayo-JM rivalry story)

Posted by: Feldman

First off, before we get to the previews of today's games, I've decided to push the articles on the Mayo-JM boys hockey rivalry into January for a few reasons: No. 1, Mayo coach Lorne Grosso is still in Saint Marys Hospital after his quadruple bypass surgery on Monday. I haven't interviewed Lorne yet for the story and I'm not going to write articles about the oldest hockey rivalry in Rochester without talking to a guy who has seen all but two games in the series' history. No. 2, Mrs. Feldy is due to have Baby Feldy any day now, which means I won't have time to actually write the articles next week. And, No. 3, I've decided to push the articles back to the third week of January and run them in the week leading up to the 3rd Annual Hockey Day Rochester. Mayo and JM will face each other outdoors at Graham Park on Jan. 21, so what better way to lead into that game?

All right, on to today's games, assuming Tartan and St. Paul Johnson are able to travel to Rochester. I plan to head to the Rec Center for the 3 p.m. game between JM and St. Paul Johnson. I'm looking forward to seeing the Rockets play for new head coach Jay Ness, and I'm looking forward to watching St. Paul Johnson, which has a potential Mr. Hockey finalist in Jay Dickman. Plus, for some reason, I've really come to enjoy these Saturday afternoon hockey games.

TARTAN at ROCHESTER LOURDES
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Graham Arena I
Records: Tartan 1-1-0, No. 5 Lourdes 1-0-0
Last game: Tartan beat Mounds View, 2-1, on Thursday; Lourdes beat Red Wing, 8-0, on Thursday.
Last meeting: Lourdes beat Tartan, 3-1, on Dec. 4, 2010. Connor Nellans scored twice for Lourdes, and Alex Funk had two assists.
Coaches: Tartan, Jim McElmury and Steve Romanchuk; Lourdes, Josh Spaniol.
Spotlight players: Tartan senior G Evan Hauser has been outstanding in the Titans first two games. He stopped 34 shots in a season-opening 4-1 loss at Park (Cottage Grove) and followed that up by stopping 39 of the 40 shots he faced in a 2-1 win at Mounds View. Hauser takes up a lot of net, at 6-feet-2, 200 pounds. Hauser was just OK last year, finishing with a 4-5-1 record, a 4.31 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage. ... For Lourdes, it's senior F Ryan Nicolay. He had 20 points last season (8-12--20), and seven of those points came in the Eagles final 10 games. Nicolay picked up where he left off, scoring a short-handed goal and assisting on a shorty by Eric Bonapace-Potvin. That gives Nicolay nine points in his last 11 games. The Eagles will go a long way if they can get that kind of production from guys on their second and third lines.

ST. PAUL JOHNSON at JOHN MARSHALL
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Rochester Rec Center
Records: SPJ 0-1-0, JM 1-0-1
Last game: Johnson lost to South St. Paul, 5-4 in OT, on Wednesday; JM beat Bloomington Kennedy, 7-1, on Thursday.
Last meeting: Johnson beat JM, 3-0, on Dec. 14, 2010. Jacob Garvey made 24 saves in the loss at Phalen Ice Arena in St. Paul.
Coaches: Johnson, Moose Younghans; JM, Jay Ness.
Spotlight players: For Johnson, it's 6-foot-5, 215-pound power forward Jay Dickman. The senior scored two goals in the Governors opener against South St. Paul. That came on the heels of a great showing this fall in the High School Elite League, where he scored 13 goals. He's a force on the power play and was rated a 'C' prospect by NHL Central Scouting. He led the Governors in scoring last year, with 29 goals and 15 assists. ... For JM, it's Jared Bromberg. The sophomore forward has already had an impact for the Rockets, with four points (all assists) through two games. He had three assists in Thursday's victory against Bloomington Kennedy and Rockets coach Jay Ness has already mentioned Bromberg as a newcomer who has adapted quickly to the varsity game.

Phersy and Feldy Show, Volume II

PHERSY: Welcome back folks ... and if you're back, I guess that's a good start. Here's the second edition of the Phersy and Feldy Show.

This week we've shorten it up a bit. We talk about the upcoming Hockey Day Minnesota, the Ice Hawks' struggles and then we get into a healthy helpling of NFL talk (labor stoppage, Metrodome roof, draft, yada, yada).

So enjoy (or at least try):

 

PhersyAndFeldyShow2

 

Coming Saturday: Hockey Day Hoth

FELDY: If you're not a Star Wars fan, then completely ignore the headline of this post (thanks to @UNDSID for the idea of the Hoth reference). Instead, pretend it says something like "Coming Saturday: Hockey Day Rochester."

If you are a Star Wars fan, then park your car for the weekend and ride your tauntaun to the Olmsted County Fairgrounds for Saturday's second annual Hockey Day Rochester. It won't be as cold as it is out right now (dry ice has a surface temperature of -109 degrees; I think we're about 10 degrees away from that), but the temperature is supposed to be in the single digits for Saturday's games, which begin at 10:30 a.m. Of course, after today's -20 temp, 8 degrees above zero will feel downright tropical.

But, the REALLY GOOD NEWS for anyone who is headed to Graham Park for Hockey Day: NO RAIN IN THE FORECAST! Last year, John Marshall's 4-2 victory against Mayo was dampened (literally) by a steady rain during the second and third periods. Everyone there last year (including me) said, "we can handle wind or snow or cold, but not rain!" We'll get our wish tomorrow.

Now, as for the games, the varsity boys game between Century and JM gets going at 10:30 a.m., followed by the JV boys game at approximately 12:30. The girls varsity game (JM/Lourdes vs. Mayo) is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start. Five youth games will be played on an adjacent rink, beginning at 10 a.m. and starting every 75 minutes thereafter, with the last youth game beginning at 3 p.m.

Here's a link that includes the complete schedule of games.

We have a couple of stories in today's P-B print edition. Ben Pherson profiles four JM/Lourdes seniors who have been with the team since its inception and have increased their win total -- slowly -- each season. The Rockets have 12 wins entering Saturday's game; a victory at Hockey Day would guarantee them their first winning regular season.

I'll have a story on the boys game. I talked to players from both teams about their memories of playing outdoors growing up. For JM's eight seniors, this is their third outdoor game as varsity players. They played in Hockey Day Minnesota two years ago, falling to St. Paul Johnson at historic Phalen Park (where Herb Brooks grew up playing). Last year, JM won the inaugural Hockey Day Hoth game, 4-2, against Mayo.

Also, if you pick up today's print edition, I have a short story on the front page of the paper, in which Century coach Bruce Frutiger talks about playing outdoors while growing up in Rochester. Find out why he once said he had "elephant ears" and how playing outside cost him his brand new pair of hockey gloves.

Here are some comments from JM and Century players and coaches that didn't make today's articles:

CENTURY JUNIOR D BRANDON KAUTZ
Do you watch the NHL Winter Classic? What do you think of it?
"Yeah, watch it every year, a bunch of us get together. The atmosphere is the biggest difference, when you have 80,000 (fans) instead of 18,000. They're NHL players, playing outside and acting like kids again. I'm sure it brings back a lot of memories for them."

Are the Century players excited to be a part of Hockey Day for the first time?
"We are. And we're excited to play against JM, a cross-town rival. We're friends with 90 percent of their team. We grew up playing with and against all of those guys."

CENTURY COACH BRUCE FRUTIGER
How does playing outdoors help kids develop?
"A lot of outdoor rinks are smaller, so you have to learn how to play in tight spaces. And it wasn't 5-on-5 all the time. Sometimes it was 8-on-8 because you had 16 guys. Now coaches try to insert a lot of those unstructured things into indoor practices."

JM SENIOR F RYAN YETZER
How different is it playing outside than playing on smooth, hard ice indoors?
"It's not a whole lot like playing inside at all. It goes back to the days of when you learned the game. That's where I learned to play and learned to skate (at Allendale Park in Rochester, playing against his older brother and his friends).
"You really have to concentrate more when you're passing and shooting because the ice is so bad. You have to make sure that what you intend to do is what you actually do."

On playing in Hockey Day Minnesota two years ago, with the game broadcast around the state on FSN...
"Looking back on it, I would love to do it again. It was a once in a lifetime thing and I'm honored that we got to play in it."

JM SENIOR F REED MILLER
How different is it playing outside than playing on smooth, hard ice indoors?
"It's bumpier, you have to have soft hands because you'll get more (unnatural) bounces. You have to focus a lot more on what you're doing with your stick."

JM CO-HEAD COACH JARED SKOVBROTEN
How does playing outside help a player develop?
"The biggest thing it does is (teach) creativity, the stuff you can't teach in practice. It's good to get out and play that style of hockey."