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Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:35 pm
by hckywst
Sioux4ever wrote:You lost at state because a better team beat you. Not because of what you ate, not because of where you slept. The team you played was better on that day at that time. That is all.

Thanks sioux4ever. Whats the next excuse since that one is covered.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:41 pm
by gfhockey
If u did a survey among the kids that play the state tournament i guarnentee you 95% of the kids from the east sya play at the ralph and prolly 50-60 from the west want to play at the ralph. thats why UND gets so many high profile players cuz its a high profile rink. every kid from ND i bet dreams of playing for the sioux, but most of them wont make it so whats the next best thing for them? to play at the sioux rink and make the sioux adjust there time on there games.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:31 pm
by HockeyHigh
I think most people are missing the point of where the State Tournement is located. It's for the kids, not for the people watching. Ask the players where they want to play, and I can guarantee you will not get a majority that will say they wish to play at any other rink than the REA for the State Tourney.
Don't be selfish, I can almost guarantee the players from both the west and the east will rather play at the REA. The food that they eat and where they sleep is up to them, as I know plenty of quality restaraunts and hotels in GF that have quality accomodations.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:09 am
by Damus
IMO, I personally think the "Sleep in your own room" thing carries some merit...You go from sleeping in your own comfortable bed, to suddenly sharing a room with 3 other dudes? It can be draining...especially, by the third day.

There's no denying that a high school kid's mind is easily distracted...so by the 3rd day, there's no doubt they've gotten less sleep.

As for the ice, if we went straight on "Best Surface," that would mean that Bottineau or Hazen would be hosting...I've been in the ASA in Bismarck, when it's been 75 in that building, and the ice is mush...

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:40 am
by Dryden29
As we all reply to this post, one thing seems to keep on slipping through the cracks. Yes, the Ralph is the nicest rink and everyone wants to play there. But as ND Football guy said, only 10 of 22 boys and girls games are scheduled there in the first place. The tourney is basically at the Purpur Arena, which I feel isn't half as nice as the facilities in Bismarck and Minot. Guess what, no one wants to play at the Purpur Arena. Yes, people drive to Grand Forks to watch the games at the RALPH, not Purpur.

So if the tourney is going to be in Grand Forks at the Ralph, make sure it is at the Ralph, not subbed out to a "Junior B" rink as someone has called the Bismarck Arena. You talk about tournament atmosphere, it has been stripped away from the state tourney and now bounces between two buildings. In the "glory days" of the tourney, a fan could arrive in the morning and sit there all day and watch all the games, if they were a fan of the game and just wanted to watch the tourney. Now they are bouncing back and forth around town trying to catch all the games with their season pass.

And by the way, some fans of the high school tournament do not care about the Sioux. That is not a "bonus" for all the fans. Not everyone bleeds green.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:22 am
by Damus
Thank you Dryden...

I agree, and yes, I did mention the Purpur thing...

And I also fall under the "don't care about the Sioux..." but it is still hockey, so i would go if tickets were free...

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:23 pm
by Sioux4ever
Dryden29 wrote:And by the way, some fans of the high school tournament do not care about the Sioux. That is not a "bonus" for all the fans. Not everyone bleeds green.


Has nothing to do with "bleeding green". If a college hockey game is available to watch, be it a UND game, who are one of the premiere teams in the NCAA, people like to watch. I was in St. Cloud last month and there was a SCSU game on friday night and they were not playing the Sioux. I still went and had a great time.

VFW ASA and the Purpur are pretty much a push, neither is horrible, neither is great. I agree it is not right that the tournament is being split. The boys and girls state tournaments need to be held on different weekends. They are hoping that with both tournaments being held in Grand Forks the same weekend, the girls will attract more fans to the games.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:26 pm
by Damus
Sioux4Ever,

I agree...If I'm in GF, then I would attend a Sioux game. If I'm in Manakato, I would attend a Mavericks/seawolves game...It's D-1. Attend it.

But this is where the thinking of "if we have the girls in the same spot as the boys, they will come." Well, who in their right mind, would attend a girls semi final game at the Ralph, when you may have a Bismarck High versus Minot Consolation game going on at Purpur? Why go for Burgers when there's steak available?

I'm not trying to be sexist or anything...I just think it's reality...I think there will be crickets at the girls' games in the mornings...I hope I'm wrong...but i can hope in one hand and pooh in the other, and i know which one will fill faster.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:28 pm
by gfhockey
I also dont think they should have the two tournamnets together. I hate the SUPER A basketball tournamnet. Kids wait all there lives to play on TV or in the state tournamnet and its just takes away from the kids.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:50 pm
by Sioux4ever
gfhockey wrote:I also dont think they should have the two tournamnets together. I hate the SUPER A basketball tournamnet. Kids wait all there lives to play on TV or in the state tournamnet and its just takes away from the kids.


I agree. Put them on separate weekends.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:07 pm
by HockeyHigh
I also agree that putting the girls' and the boys' state tournements at the same place on the same weekend is a bad idea overall. Let them play all their games at the Ralph, or you're taking the point away from me that we should have it there. The reason that I think it should be in GF is singly because of the rink, take that away and I don't believe it should always be there. A rink like the UP Center (going up in Fargo next year) will be a substitute for the Ralph/Purpur if this is the case.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:10 pm
by gfhockey
well obviously its cuz of the rink. Why else would it be cuz RR gfc have won 85% of the state hockey titles? i doubt it.just more advantage to them as peopel form the west would say. so its obvioulsy here cuz of the rink and GF prolly has the most interest in hockey of the whole state being the top hockey team in the nation is in GF.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:36 am
by Damus
So how about, since I pretty much started this whole deal, with a genius plan I came up with just right now...

Girls don't play "conference" tourneys...So how about we make them happy, and they can have the REA all to themselves during the boys conference tourney? This way, if it's all about the kids, and all the kids want to play at the Ralph, (which i don't necessarily agree with), then all games of the State tourney would be played on the same surface.

And mandatory shootouts for ties in JV games...

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:50 am
by JV_Hockey_MVP
that is a genius plan. I have never understood why they need to have their tourney the same weekend as the boy's, when they don't have EDC or WDA.

I also think it would be awesome to have shootouts to end JV games. Would not take as long as overtime and would be better then just ending in a tie.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:41 pm
by OldSchool
that is an idea, but then they would have to schedule around UND men and women for two consecutive weekends. I don't think UND would let it happen. Just my opinion though.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:45 pm
by Sioux4ever
OldSchool wrote:that is an idea, but then they would have to schedule around UND men and women for two consecutive weekends. I don't think UND would let it happen. Just my opinion though.


I am not sure they would allow it either. Some years it has worked out where there has been no UND conflict, but lately, there has been a UND game I think anyway.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:47 pm
by Damus
"schedule around UND men and women for two consecutive weekends. I don't think UND would let it happen. Just my opinion though."

I never got to finish my genius plan...See, the Men would be on the road the weekend when the Girls State is...while the UND women would be home. (Thusly, allowing for exposure to D-1 Girls hockey for the HS Girls, while also being a great recruiting angle for UND)

FOllowing for boys? Same thing. Women go on road, Men play on Saturday afternoon...(Kind of like this year) and again on Sunday. (They still have a few weekends where they play on Sundays, right?) Won't be as much about recruiting for the Sioux, or even exposure, (They get fans the way it is), but this way, everyone is happy!

Or, the boys and girls coaches can have a one legged sack race on consecutive Sundays in the Fall until a winner is determined who gets priority in the rink.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:03 pm
by HockeyHigh
I actually like Damus' idea. It would be a great fix to the problem at hand, and would legitimize the State tourney always being in GF. Although, this is the NDSHAA's job and I doubt they'll do it, not to mention even think about looking into it.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:54 pm
by Dryden29
Damus, that idea is not so bad, but I think one of the problems is that the activites association does not want to flip the bill for two weekends at the Ralph. It would be six days rent instead of three days. I think it would be a money issue, because the Ralph is not cheap. Remember that in Minnesota, the girls wanted to play at the X with the boys tourney, and that lasted I was told one year, and then they wanted to move back because they had no atmosphere, and I have been told that they are now at the women's facility at the U of M. The same thing may happen here?????!!!!!!!!! Just a thought.

I have also been told that the Ralph and UND have no more control over the scheduling of their games. Don't know if it is true or not, buy I heard that the NCAA makes the schedule for all the teams, and doesn't care about any conflicts that may arise. If the Ralph could control it , I would believe that they would for the tourney.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:46 pm
by gfhockey
The athletic departments and coaches meet with there leagues they are in and hen for out of conference games, they call teams or put out emails. I asked Hakstol one time when he was on the coaches show.

Do you really think the NC$$ would give the gophers all those cup cakes at home on purpose? no way. Do you think the NC$$ would purposly ggive UND the hardest schedule in the country? well maybe haha

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:44 pm
by Stromer
Conference games for UND might be done by the WCHA, this I am not sure of. The game against Bemidji over the state weekend is a nonconference, thus UND did schedule those games. I agree that the only reason to have the games in GF is for the Ralph. If you aren't going to use it for the games, then why have it there. Boys loser out will draw more the the girls championship. Not being sexist, but womens/girls hockey is worse than paint drying. People need to start understanding that there is no demand for it. I don't care if they play, but don't take away the boys time in the Ralph.

Bottom line, move the girls to a different weekend and move them out of GF. Maybe the new arena in Fargo? Don't wreck a good thing for a losing cause. The end resutl will be a poor boys tourney and a horrible girls one.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 12:44 pm
by Damus
So...again, doesn't this make sense to go back to my original point? Rotate the state tournament, from East/West? This way, the NDHSAA (Who could really give two poohs about hockey) would only have to pay 3 days rent in REA a year? So if boys were in Bismarck, then the girls have the Ralph. NExt year, they flop. (Girls can be wherever)

I think when it comes down to this tournament...Most of the boys polled would not say, "I play at state to play at the Ralph." Trust me, that'll change after the first day, when 4 teams are no longer dressing in there...It's ridiculous to go to GF for ONE game in the REA.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 2:49 pm
by gfhockey
Get the girls outta there I think. Make them this weekend.

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:07 pm
by JV_Hockey_MVP
Everybody who has played in the state tournament knows that the whole REA, wears off before warmups are over. Sure it is nice right away, but I do not think you would here to many players say that the only reason you want to play in state is to play at the Ralph. In the end, even if overly optomistic, all teams feel they have a chance to win it all. And I beleive that players are not going to try any harder or less based on where they are playing there games. So a rotating schedule would be a good thing.

kk

Re: 2008 State Hockey Tournament proposed schedule.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:46 pm
by footballguy09
I am just going to flat out say what everyone else is thinking. The girls state hockey tournament has no business being at REA. Let's be honest with ourselves nobody wants to watch girls hockey except for the parents. The girls will bring in 0 crowds and will actually shy people away. Not being able to even play the 3rd place game at the Ralph for the boys is disturbing to hear. I have personally enjoyed always watching that game on tv and am disapointed that it will be moved to the Purpur this year. I hope whoever got the girls into the Ralph is happy cuz he/she is the only one who is.