PondRocket heads to The State of Hockey
I just got back from one heck of a roadie to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” (that’s Minnesota to you and me).
I had the opportunity to take in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament…aka The Tourney. This unique state tournament fields the best of 156 teams that compete in 2 classes based on size of school enrollment.
One of the coolest things about this tournament is that the entire state stops to watch. From the games broadcast on local television, to the alumni and communities that cheer all weekend, to the 19,253 in attendance for the Friday night semi-final game. You read that right, 19,253 for a high school hockey game. I don’t know about you, but that just doesn’t happen where I come from!
I was able to grab a couple of pics along the way…
The semi’s and finals are played at the Xcel Energy Center…home of the Minnesota Wild.
A statue of Herb Brooks greets you at one of the entrances to the St. Paul RiverCentre, which is part of the entertainment complex.
I just can’t get enough of US hockey history. Taking in the statue really makes you appreciate the accomplishments of Herb Brooks and the ‘80 Olympic Team.
You ever see a guy scalping high school hockey tickets before? Me neither…
I have to admit that I was on a side mission while attending The Tourney. Each year there is a hockey expo that coincides with the tournament that exhibits equipment, apparel, training tools and so much more. I was doing a little recon and my goal is to represent the PondRocket brand at the expo next season.
Here is the Class AA championship game between Edina and Minnetonka. The previous night, Minnetonka had to survive a 4 overtime game to have a crack at the state title.
A crowd of 17,833 was onhand for the the AA State Final!
The Minnetonka student section was actually 3 sections deep. Due to my sub-par photog skills, Edina student section pic was a complete blur…sorry guys!
At the sound of the final buzzer, the Edina Hornets were crowned the Minnesota State High School Hockey champs. And in the Class A final, Breck defeated Hermantown for the state championship trophy.
What an experience it was to catch this tournament. These teams featured some great hockey games, some D-I prospects and players that have a passion for the game. Minnesota truly is The State of Hockey…