It's The Final Countdown

This is it!  This is the day of reckoning.  My son and I will be leaving the house today at 5:40 go into Hibbing and pick up my cousin Tommy and head down to the DECC.  This is that particular day that comes along this time of year for the past eight years when we make our annual sojourn "to Da-lute" for the Section 7A Final.  Coincidently, Hibbing-Chisholm is making their 8th straight appearance.  They certainly have been in quite a few finals throughout the years.  The one that stands out the most in recent date was back in '99 against Paul Martin and the Elk River Elks at the Historic Hibbing Memorial Arena.  Remember that one folks?  I took my 86 year old aunt from Keewatin to that game and you would swear that she was a cheerleader advisor!  That triple overtimer with Travis the Fabulous in the nets stands out to be the #1 Section Final so far in my book.  It would take something on another level to top that one.

Tonight will be self-satisfying as it will be an all IRC Final.  Those are the ones I enjoy the most as there will be a guaranteed entrant into next week's State Tournament.  Virginia-MIBC is chomping at the bit to make a return trip as they have yet to win a game on that level.  They got one step closer to that opportunity with last Saturday afternoons's overtime victory over Duluth Marshall.  Hibbing-Chisholm, one of the more successful teams at the state level throughout the years is foaming at the mouth since their win last Saturday night over International Falls in the semi-finals.  I am sure that both teams are elated to have the chance to take this rivalry to the next level having split their season with both teams winning in their home rink.  Tonight may be neutral turf, but very familiar ice.  Both have had the thrill of victory with VMIBC more recently.  Hibbing-Chisholm has suffered five straight losses and after defeating VMIBC a couple weeks ago in overtime, they are hoping to turn the tide.  As for me, well, I want a head to head, up and down, back and forth, anybody's game between these two titans with no excuses and everything left on the ice.  A game for the ages and maybe an overtime or two thrown in!  See ya there!   

Just Another Day At The Office

How about this for a scenario?  You are down by a goal and there are 41 seconds left in regulation and the other team gets a delay of game penalty with a face-off in their end, so you pull the goalie and set up a 6 on 4 and with 19 seconds left in regulation you score to tie the game and send it into overtime.  Then in the overtime period, it is fast and furious with plenty of opportunities for both teams, but the goalies come up with superstupendous saves to keep the crowd on their feet.  Then with 16 seconds left, the come-from-behind underdog scores and the place explodes with the thrill of victory.   Does this sound familiar?  Been down this ice before?  This may be new to some of you readers, but to us hockey pucks, if we had a dollar for each time we have witnessed this, we won’t need Gino Paulucci (hope he reads this) to build us a new arena.    Now you may ask, “is this true?”  Well, countless times, only the team names have been changed to finger the guilty.  The last time I had seen anything like this was, let’s see, um, oh yeah, a couple nights ago at the Historic Hibbing Memorial Arena in a typical conference clash between (in the words of announcer Dan Marich) “the Virginia MIBC Bluedevils and your Hibbing-Chisholm Bluuuuuuejackets!!!!!!   More about that later, first this commercial break!

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We’re back? Okay.  As I was saying, I had witnessed a dramatic game of the week two weeks in a row.  They both involve Hibbing-Chisholm teams and overtime.  Last week it was Maddy Wheelecor’s heroics in the Girl’s Section 7A Q-Final against Moose Lake when she scored while sprawled out on the ice to tie the game and then to go on and score on a penalty shot in overtime.  Back to back drama.  How did I happen to be in the right place at the right time two weeks in a row?  I must have done something worthy in a previous life.  These past two games will be a tough act to follow, but I am looking forward to it.  See ya at the rink!

And Away We Go

reasuse (ri zju:s) n. the act of formulating a reasonable excuse || a weak attempt at begging forgiveness and to grovel before the masses of the hockey inquiring public || a stroke of genius designed to baffle the rink rat review IRC hockey fans that have grown to know, love and forgive the publisher's usual ineptitude.

Okay, enough of the dazzle them with diamonds jargon.  Let's get down to brass tacks since the 2009-2010 IRC hockey season is half over for the boys and more than half over for the girls.  It doesn't matter what has happened as no amount of reasuse is going to get Sullie off the hook.  Never mind that the computer that held the last 13 seasons of inglorious RRR information had crashed and burned, never mind that the penniless hockey hobbyist had to purchase a new laptop, never mind that a program had to be developed, never mind that the man-hours are all voluntary, never mind that my computer guru has other lives, and never mind that I have run out of reasuses cause we are now up and running.  So, on with the rest of the season.  

I suppose it is easier to prognosticate how the season is going to go when it is half done.  Fortunately for me, the season is turning out pretty much the way I imagined.  The conference is up for grabs, as usual, but it is not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination.  The point spread is not equal as 20 points are available for Eveleth-Gilbert; 18 points for Grand Rapids; 16 points for Hibbing, Int'l Falls, Virginia MIBC; 4 points for Greenway as their only conference game is against Eveleth-Gilbert at the end of the season.  With that in mind, I now look to the overall record and I have Virginia MIBC on top for the boys and Eveleth-Gilbert on top for the girls.  The big question with all of this is who is going to come out on top in Sectional play.  I am afraid that I do not venture forth into that arena.  That is a whole other matter and all I can hope for is that it will be the IRC.  More later & see ya at the rink!