I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but I stayed home last night instead of catching some of the state playoff action live and in person.  Boy, was that a mistake!  In my defense, I've been dragging a bit lately and actually fell asleep at 7:30pm, so it was probably best that I didn't go out.  But if only I did...

If you were savvy enough to check out Jeremy Kuntz's Tourney Preview,  you might have taken notice that his prognosticating skills have improved over the course of the season.  He pulled off a Meat Loaf last night ... two out of three ain't bad.

The only game to disappoint was the 2A showdown between South Stars and Crown Point.  The Stars were looking to ride the momentum of their Hoosier League Commissioner's Division title into the tourney, but Crown Point brought them quickly back to reality with a 6-0 drubbing.

Here's a quick look back at the highlights of yesterday's action:

4A

In what was thought to be a fairly cut & dried division with the top three teams - Carmel Gold, Culver A, and Zionsville - the only real contenders, a couple other teams made it perfectly clear that they aren't willing to step aside just yet.

As expected, Zionsville and Culver traded punches all evening, with neither team able to seize control of the game for very long.  Culver won the battle in OT 4-3, but the Eagles showed that they plan to be in the thick of things all weekend long.

If that wasn't enough to rattle the rafters at Pop Weaver Pavilion, Lakeshore/St. Joe's nearly took the whole place down with their 3-2 OT upset of Carmel Gold.  The odds-on favorite (if there was one in this division), the Greyhounds were frustrated at every turn by Warriors netminder Nicholas Wilford.  With the firepower that Carmel has, it's nearly impossible to keep them off the scoreboard for three periods, but Wilford did everything he needed to give LSJ a chance.

Combine that result with Carroll's 6-0 thumping of Columbus, and this morning's opener looks to actually be something worth getting out of bed for.  The rest of the day's action looks rather ho-hum, but the Chargers are hoping to keep the reeling Greyhounds on the ropes long enough to pull off another shocker.

Bloomington topped Penn 3-2 in the mildest of upsets, but neither team looks poised to challenge the top seeds.  Still, if day one taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected.

3A

There were goals a-plenty in the first day of action, but unlike the other two divisions there were no blowouts.  St. Joseph's showed why the race is wide open in 3A with a 6-4 slugfest victory over HSE-A.  Westfield showed plenty of grit but continues to slump late in the season, falling to #3 Central Indiana.  The CI Knights are a solid bunch, yet their inconsistency remains a big question mark.  Get hot, and they're tough to beat.  It all depends on which Knights team shows up at any given time.

In what could potentially be the highlight of the weekend in 3A, top-seed Lake Central Blue and #2 Evansville stood toe-to-toe for three solid periods.  The Indians came out on top, winning 4-3 in overtime, but don't think for a moment that the Thunder won't be back.  We may just see these same two teams squaring off in South Bend next weekend.

2A

Elvis said it best... the 2A division is "All Shook Up"!  This group defines the term unpredictable, which is why it's also likely to be the most exciting.  Bishop Dwenger kicked things off with a 4-1 toppling of #1 seed Riley.  Not to be outdone, Adams/Marion followed things up with a 6-3 whuppin' of second-seed Munster.

We don't know "who let the dawgs out" in game 3, but it was clear to see the South Stars wouldn't be able to put them back in.  The nightcap was a bit more entertaining, with #7 Leo edging out #6 Valparaiso.  Today's slate will tell us for sure if 2A is truly anybody's ballgame or if it's more a case of the Haves and the Have Nots.

1A kicks off with two rounds of games crammed into one day.  Don't be fooled here... just because this is the lowest bracket doesn't mean there won't be plenty of quality hockey.  If you were smart enough to get up with rooster's crow, that coffee and breakfast burrito will go great with the first two matchups.

On paper, most of Day Two's games don't look to be as exciting as the opening round (with a few exceptions: Carmel v. Carroll and Lake Central v. Central Indiana).  But that certainly doesn't mean hanging out at the Fuel Tank or Pop Weaver will be a waste of time.  This year's tournament is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're going to get.