Last night, as I sat waiting for the score updates from yesterday's third round of high school tournament action, my head was buzzing with all sorts of hockey related thoughts. I grabbed my trusty pen and started jotting down everything that came to mind. I originally planned to clean it up into something more coherent, but then I thought it would be much more fun to publish my raw, un-edited thoughts and really get a conversation going.
So here, in no particular order, are my thoughts about this weekend's tournament:
1. It's now Monday morning and we are still waiting for the IHSHA website to be updated with scores. That's ridiculous. I hope no serious hockey fans are trying to follow the tournament....*ahem*.
2. Carmel Gold's loss to Lakeshore/St.Joe on Friday night blew my mind. As you all know, they were my pick to win the class 4 A state title. Parents have to be asking why they spent all that time traveling to Illinois to play in the Scholastic League when they laid a big egg in the Indiana State tournament. I know I am.
3. The IHSHA is lucky no kids were seriously injured during the tournament. There is no excuse for the lack of qualified training staff at each and every game when local sports medicine programs would have supplied it for free. As a parent, the more I think about this, the more it pisses me off. HUGE mistake. Get your act together.
4. I thought the Central Indiana Knight's consistent play all year long sealed the deal for them in the tournament. Consistency is the hallmark of a mentally tough team.
5. I was not expecting Crown Point to come out punching like they did. The Bulldogs had a 10 goal differential headed into Sunday's game against Dwenger. But Dwenger got the win and advances to state finals. I told you they were better than their fourth seed.
6. Can we go back to the fact that we're still waiting for the IHSHA to update the scores on their website? What in actual hell is happening here? I run a wesbite....it takes three seconds to input scores. You're killing me, Smalls.
7. For all the bashing, I really like the fact that the IHSHA recognized academic all stars before the games. I'm pretty sure more kids qualified than were actually recognized, they just didn't fill out the paperwork. Come on parents, put your foot down.
8. I thought the officiating was great at times and poor at other times. Does the IHSHA tournament committee meet with officials before the tournament to discuss the rules, watch-outs, etc.? Not a criticism, just a question because I don't know.
9. Bloomington played very well in the tournament and took Culver to a shootout before losing on Sunday. Gotta hand it to Culver, they are good when it counts.
10. I would highly recommend that the IHSHA consider having security at the games. After the fight that broke out this weekend and parents rushing onto the ice, having a uniformed police officer would help to keep things in check.
11. Happy to see Coach Jack Manard inducted into the Indiana State High School Hockey Association Hall of Fame. Well deserved!
12. What the heck happened to the Columbus Icemen? They started out on fire and the train came off the tracks somewhere mid season.
13. Did you see Valpo's comeback against Munster on Saturday? Probably my favorite game in the tournament. This is what it's all about.
14. Culver B is better than I expected but I think Bishop Noll is going to wrap up this class 1 A title.
15. I know I've spent some time beating up the IHSHA and believe me, I do realize they are all volunteers and it takes a huge amount of effort to pull together a tournament. Their efforts don't go unnoticed and I am extremely thankful to have people willing to volunteer so our kids can play hockey.
16. That being said, this is THE premier hockey event in Indiana, or at least it should be. If we want the sport to be big time, then we have to act big time. The things I mentioned, lack of score updates, no medical staff (this one kills me), and no security just aren't going to get it done. Oh and not to mention, the state finals are being held at the Ice Box in South Bend next weekend. Now look, beggars can't be choosers and I know we have a severe ice shortage in this state, but you can't hold the state finals at the Ice Box. We're trying to showcase the sport, not lock it away in the basement. Let me clarify, this is not an indictment of the Ice Box facility. In fact, I love to play there. But in my mind, there are only three locations in Indiana that should have the finals - The State Fairgrounds, Compton Family in South Bend, or the War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. And don't give me the "hard to schedule thing." It's not like we just found out that the state finals are happening in March. If you want to be big time, you have to act big time.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Post a comment below and let's kick this conversation off.
