Blog: It Is More Than Just a Game

The mere thought of the game makes my spine tingle. It is without question the biggest regular season game in the history of Maple Grove High School.

Period.

The number one team in boys high school hockey, the Duluth East Greyhounds come to town to faceoff with the number two rated Crimson. This game represents more than number one against number two. We have already seen that this season when the Hounds dismantled then number two Minnetonka at the Schwans Cup. Wednesday night represents an opportunity for a young hockey program to stand up and prove to the state that they belong in the conversation of the elite teams in the state.

I have watched the squad six or seven out of their 11 games this season, and have had countless people, both fellow Maple Grovians and otherwise who say 'this is our time, this is the team', to which I try to douse the flames of expectations in my own mind. The truth is I know this edition of coach Gary Stefano's team is the real deal.

During the St. Louis Park Holiday Classic, I ran into a former co-worker and her husband who also call the Grove home. They don't have any kids that attend school here, he is just a big time hockey fan and they both love the squad. We talked at length before the semi-final game against Wayzata about past season heartbreak and how this year just felt different.

During the championship game of the same tournament against a Benilde-St. Margaret's team that the Crimson faced twice in 10 days, our play-by-play guy Ryan Phelps turned and gave me a wink and a nod after Tony Paulson scored to put the team up 3-0. It isn't just a blind belief on this guys part that the team is legit, everyone knows they are. That is the problem though. You know in your mind that the team can skate with anyone in the state. You also are afraid that it is a matter of when not if the other shoe will drop.

Which brings us back to Duluth East and what the game means. It is a non-section game, a regular season meeting between two of the best in high school hockey. The entire high school hockey world will have its eyes on this game as it is the only match-up on Wednesday. The game really doesn't mean anything. The winning team doesn't get a trophy or the right to call themselves champs. As a matter of fact, the winner walks away with more pressure of being the undisputed number one team.

There will be an overflow crowd at the Maple Grove Community Center. Tickets go on sale at 4:30 p.m. and there will be a sellout. The atmosphere will be of playoff intensity with the student section no doubt in full throat. The teams battled last year with the Crimson picking up a win in Duluth. It was the signature win for the program, and gave last years team legitimacy. This season, that adjective was added early to this team. A Crimson win would not be a surprise to anyone but more of an expectation.

No matter what the scoreboard says at the end, maybe there is one ending that would satisfy everyone.

Let's call it a tie and finish it in March.