Hockeyland (2021) Movie Script

- Oh! NO!
You might concuss him!
- Yeah, I don't want.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Is your brain okay?
- Bryce just got off
concussion protocol, come on.
- This is crazy, this is-oh!
- Just stay with it! Stay
with it! At an angle.
Go Trenton go!
- Okay switch! Switch sides!
- That's better, now come here.
- You guys have earned a
great opportunity on Saturday.
Don't wake up Sunday
thinking I blew an opportunity
'cause I
could've went harder or I
could have tried more or I
could've given more for my team.
So you're going to give
everything you got
for all the guys right here.
All right.
We want Herman town.
That's who we want.
That's who we got.
You guys ready for this?
Come on in.
Hey, "bears" on 3, 1, 2, 3.
- Bears!
- Enjoy every moment of this.
This is what you've worked for.
Your whole young adult
lives. This is your dream.
This is what you wanted.
And it's all laid out for
you to take it right now.
- Seen it all week. Sick
of talking about it.
I'm proud of you, boys.
Love everybody in this
locker room.
Go out there and just
kick their asses, for you.
- Great atmosphere,
great atmosphere.
There's nowhere else to
be, right.
This is what I've been working
for one game at a time.
Now it's all about
the first period.
You know, you're the best team,
you need to play like it.
Okay. You need to play like it.
- I've been hearing it,
slay the dragon.
Slay the dragon,
we'll go slay him together.
No one of you can slay him
by yourself.
Go slay the dragons together.
Let's get ready to go.
Come on.
- Why is everyone
snowshoeing lately?
- Who else is snowshoeing?
- I've seen so many people
snowshoeing.
Yeah. All over the place.
Haas you kind of came out
that. Yeah, it's different.
- I haven't been here in ages.
- Here, Haas.
It's a little, it's oh God.
Well, the bread got a little...
We got enough bagels.
- Hey, thanks, man.
- That's what we got and the
bread's a little squishy,
but you know, you were late.
- I appreciate it though.
Thank you.
- Oh yeah.
Haas the twigs came in,
check out these beauties.
- What kinds?
- Old 2.0s,
but they're pro stock.
- They're pretty dope.
McDavid curve.
I don't know. Should I
use them today or not?
I think it's got a fresh
pop. So I got to use it.
- Yeah! If you're confident
with them
then use them.
- I've used them before,
- It's not like you're
going to be bad with them.
It's not a possibility, so.
- Thank you, Haas.
That was clever.
- For what?
- It was right there.
- Oh!
- That's where I got hit.
I got hit right there.
- Crushed.
I was turning left,
come right here.
I was turning on this road and
someone came through
the intersection,
smoked me.
And their car ended up in
the ditch down in there.
- All right,
it is our first-last game.
That's crazy to think
about dude.
- It's scary, man.
Like we got one year left.
- We're in mining country and
these communities were created
because that's where
the mines were.
Well, Eveleth
is still a mining town.
It's just,
there's not as many mining
jobs as there used to be.
It's a hard feeling to
know that, you know,
this whole place was
built for one way of life.
And that way of life
is changing.
Today,
even if you've put all of the
Eveleth-Gilbert kids together
and the Virginia kids together,
which has maybe 215
kids a grade.
Virginia alone in 1970 had
over 300 kids
per graduating class.
Well, Eveleth is
the home of the big stick.
It's home of the U.S.
hockey hall of fame.
And how did those big things
end up here in this town,
in the middle of nowhere
in Northern Minnesota?
The answer is because,
at one point,
the best hockey in
America was played here.
So as we take
a closer look at 6, at 7:00
AM looking right at the
Eveleth-Gilbert Golden Bears.
I see this team as somebody
who could
make a lot of noise this year.
And they're
a team that comes back with
15 returning seniors
this season,
they got a lot going for them.
Eveleth, you know,
they've got that rich,
storied hockey tradition.
Really known as the home
of hockey
here in the state of hockey.
And how many
more seasons, as a, as a Gilbert
do they have left?
We know about the consolidation
talks with the rival school,
Virginia.
We know about all those seniors.
You look at Will Trout wine.
You look at Elliot Van Orsdel.
Can they break the playoff
drought?
This team hasn't won a play-off
game in over a decade.
The forwards have
to be a little more intense
as you're going down on
your two on one.
'Cause you can't slow
play it now.
'Cause you got a back checker.
We have a very good
offensive player
in Elliot Van Orsdel.
He was our leading scorer
last year.
He can see things on the rink
that other guys can't see.
Plus he brings a lot of energy.
Sometimes that energy needs
to be reined in a little bit,
but he's, he's a very good,
very good offensive player.
You know, it's
so scary moving forward
and I, you know, it's,
we're not going to have
the Eveleth team anymore.
So this might be the,
one of the last teams
that people remember.
Yeah,
that's pretty special.
To be one of the last players
to wear a Golden Bear Jersey,
I guess we should just strive to
have the best possible team
that we can.
- There's a lot of history here.
And I think there's no reason
we can't make some more.
The name,
Blake Biondi,
Blake Biondi,
Blake Biondi.
Is probably
one you've heard before,
especially if you're a
high school hockey fan
in the state of Minnesota,
Blake is returning for his
senior season where a lot of guys
in his situation would have
maybe gone straight to Juniors.
But as head coach, Pat Andrews
says, "if you know Blake,
it isn't surprising that he
made the choice to come back."
I think our
entire sports landscapes
change, every sport.
It's much more about
the individual,
less about what's great for
the community.
There are not many kids that
would do what he's doing to
give up playing in the National
Development Team two, twice.
He's told them no twice.
You know?
So Blake's decision to
stay in high school,
I think is the exception to
what used to be the norm.
- Hi!
- Hey buddy.
- Blake, where's your stall.
- You know where my stall is.
You come down there every time.
- Oh yeah, right... here.
- Why you've got all
the broken sticks?
- This guy,
that guy gave it to me.
- Oh that guy?
- His name's Jack,
- His name's Jack, not that guy.
- He doesn't care.
- Have you broke a stick yet?
- Uh, no.
- Do you want to?
- Nope.
- I'm gonna play in the NHL.
'Cause you know, I love
the game. I love it.
I love it so much that
I'm going to find a way.
And um, especially
growing up here,
like, to shows, like, there's
guys that have done it.
Like if, if Neil Pionk can do it
and Sandberg can do it.
Like I'm going to do it too.
Like I want it, I want
it just as bad as them.
And that's the goal
obviously, to get drafted,
and go as high as you can.
So like I love the game and,
and that's what I want to do.
I don't wanna do anything
else. I'm obsessed with it.
- In the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit,
amen. Bless us, oh Lord,
and these our gifts which
we are about to receive
from the bounty of Christ,
our Lord, amen.
- I will say going into
this season,
I've never thought more about
what to do different or how to
try to make a season better
then I have that pressure of
that feeling that every
single morning I woke up,
the first thing I thought about,
which is pathetic on
me probably.
But the first thing you should
think about is probably your
children and your wife and
their health,
and be thankful that, to God
that everybody's healthy and,
and right. Like I am
going into this season.
It's yeah, I feel pressure.
Absolutely.
Gonna come off the half wall,
I want you to send it back
to the half wall, right.
Herman town is a
community on the grow.
Lots of people are moving here.
What we've done well with our
male and female sports and
and we're vigil-,
we're proud of our student
athletes and the coaches
and the community is just continuing
to grow in those meaningful ways.
- You know, at some point
back in, back in the nineties,
you know, Eveleth and
Herman town crossed in the night,
as, as,
as Herman town was on its way up
and Eveleth was on its way down.
There are some,
who'll get tired of losing
to Herman town.
You know,
you're going to run into that.
Success,
often times has its detractors.
- The range schools are
getting tired of it.
It's just a murder almost
every year.
Herman town always, always wins.
You know, they're always tough.
They're never out of it.
- Three is our net
front presence.
We have to have a net
front presence. Okay?
If we want to revert
sides, we run this puck.
Everything with face-offs
is just
man up and do your job.
All that matters in that moment
is that puck and your guy.
- How many guys worked out
this summer?
Coaches here. Raise your hand.
Everybody.
Everybody? Good.
All right.
Did you, did you lift, did
you skate, did that stuff?
How many of you spent time
working on your mental health?
You can't be the best
hockey player you can.
If you have a separated
shoulder, a bad knee,
if you don't get that stuff
repaired, well, guess what?
Can't be the best hockey
player you can.
If you don't take care of this,
either go to your phones,
go to settings.
What you look at is your
screen time for social media,
whatever that is these days.
Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter,
Tik Tok, whatever's going on,
I don't know. That stuff.
- You got it.
If you spend more than
four hours a day on that,
- tik tok
- Listen,
Four hours a day.
You're at a higher risk for
depression.
Is what we're seeing now,
coach didn't have to have me
come in here.
I know the program that's
been run here at Herman town.
You are some of the best
hockey players in the state,
which puts you at some of the
best hockey players in the country.
And that's great.
Okay. But to your
coaching staff,
you're more than just
hockey players.
- Figure out how to
make the rice.
- Turn it sideways.
- And I need probably...
- Sit.
- I was a hockey player.
So I suggested when they were,
you know,
four or so, you know,
Hey, you guys should,
we should let them play hockey.
"No, no, no, no, no.
They're not playing hockey."
And then they met Blake
Biondi and Ryan Dobbs.
He met him in kindergarten
and he came home and said,
"I want to play hockey."
And the next day there's a whole
pile of equipment on the floor.
She went and bought 'em.
Mrs. "I'm not gonna
allow him to play." Yeah.
So I was like, Hmm.
And then of course his
little brother was like,
"I want to play too."
So he got some and he
was four at the time.
And so yeah.
That's how it started.
- When we first had kids,
he would work day shifts and
I would work night shifts so
that one of us was always
with them,
we just decided that that's
how we wanted to raise them
was no daycare. We didn't want
to miss out on anything.
So that's kind of how our
schedule still works today.
And I think there's been times
where it kind of sucks
that we're not together more,
but in two more years,
we'll start dating again.
What do you think about
this? This first game?
- I don't know, I don't know.
Are you ready? Are you excited?
Are you nervous?
- I don't see a challenge in it.
- What?
- It's Eveleth, come on.
- I'd like to introduce you
to Aydyn, he's confident.
- It's Eveleth.
- There's gotta be some
butterflies though.
When you get your skates on.
- I mean, yeah,
it's the first game,
but I don't know. It's Eveleth.
Welcome to
another year of high school
hockey here in northern
Minnesota.
That's
right, Brian.
It's an exciting time of year.
The rinks are being flooded.
The kids are back out there.
Skating.
What better way to get
things going
this hockey season then with
a section 7A
match up with the old Iron Range
stalwart,
the Eveleth-Gilbert Golden Bears
and the top-ranked
Herman town Hawks.
- Last season is over.
You've been waiting for this
moment since February 28th or
at least I have.
I asked you this summer,
who's ready to come on
a journey.
That journey starts tonight.
- Gotta be willing to be second.
Good players are good players,
great players make other
players better.
That's what being second
is about.
It's about giving up yourself
for your team
for your line mate.
- Seniors, this is your
deal. It's your year.
It's your show. We here, will
follow you to hell and back,
but this is on you. Okay?
You guys got to come together,
live for this moment.
This is what you've been
waiting for
since you were four years old.
- You only get so many
opportunities and then they're gone.
This is one of those
opportunities.
And it's nice that it's
really early.
So what do you want to
do with that opportunity?
Do you just want to show
them that, hey,
they don't want to mess with us.
And come play-off time,
they run into us.
It's going to be a,
it's going to be a fight.
- Go hawks hey! Go hawks hey!
- Yeah! Yeah!
- Guys, c'mon!
- Who the fuck do you think
you are, huh?
- Your mouth.
Stop or you won't play.
Do you understand me?
It is not your show.
You are not respecting the
name on your jersey right now.
You're running around like
a bunch of prima Donna,
undisciplined, little pricks.
This is not the way you play.
And you know it, this is
the only way they beat you.
You are not respecting
this room.
You are not respecting
this arena.
You are not respecting
these fans.
You are undisciplined.
It will end.
We got fricking hanging
lights and all this shit.
It doesn't mean anything.
What matters is here and
representing yourself
in the right way.
- And I guarantee,
if you come out and you stand
up to them right off the bat,
it's not a period they want
to get into.
It's not a period they want
to get into.
Stand up to the big,
bad bullies out there
and work them into the ground.
- No reason they can't be
outworked.
Let's go out there right
now, and shut 'em down!
Let's go!
- Go, go, go!
- Yeah!
- Yeah! C'mon!
- Yeah baby!
- Way to go! You got 'em!
- He's rattled! He's rattled!
- That was the real deal,
what you just did there.
You got a 'W' in our own
building and it was hard and they
made you earn every inch of it.
There's one way to
play the game.
And it was like the third
period.
And we will remind you of that.
Anytime you sway off
the wrong path.
- Nothing to hang your
heads about,
this is a stepping...
This is a stepping stone.
- Another first,
- We move forward.
All right.
It's a good battle boys.
We'll be better next time.
- What you're going to I earn
about over the course of the
semester are different
groupings of moral theories.
Why is it considered morally
permissible to wear brief
swimsuits in some cultures
and immoral in others?
This is our operating
list of wrong behaviors.
And throughout the semester,
we're going to reflect on that
list of particular ones and
try to think about why
that's wrong behaviors,
because that's what ethics does.
It looks at the arguments
beneath our moral judgments about
what is right and what is wrong.
- Which country hosted
the first Olympic games?
- Greece.
- Rome.
- Rome is not a country.
- I don't know what,
Will has got this.
- Bangladesh is,
Bangladesh is located at
the apex of which bay?
Bay of Bengal.
- Yes.
- What? Will, how?
Seriously, that's a
joke. I don't even know.
- Elliot might get this one.
What was the nickname
given the mechanical sharks
created for the movie 'Jaws'?
- The mechanical shark.
Oh, it was,
the mechanical shark?
- Yes.
- I don't know. I mean,
Jaws? Sure, Jaws.
- It's not Jaws!
Will Trout wine
has been my best friend
ever since I was little,
but I know what Will's thinking.
I can read him very well
because we've just spent
so much time together.
And so I can put it out there.
I can be his voice. Same
with like knowledgeable.
That kid is a genius.
Just like one of the
smartest kids I've ever met,
but he's too shy sometimes,
too scared to speak up.
So he'll come over to me
and say something that I
can get it out
of my bud. It's just funny
how something will happen.
He comes up to me. He's
like these kids, they hit.
I'm like, dude, I know.
I'm like, I can't be the
bad guy all the time.
I'm like,
can you say something for once?
'Cause like, I don't care
if everyone hates me.
Whatever. I speak the truth and
people don't like to
hear the truth sometimes.
Sometimes I'm
thinking too much or
thinking too much to
like, keep talking about it.
I just think about what the
right thing to say or like what
I need to say.
And then I kind of,
sometimes I'm thinking too
fast for what I have to say,
you know?
So like I kind of slow down
or when I'm talking to think
about what I need to respond
with or something instead of
just like firing all
the words out.
I mean,
it's probably more thought,
but I keep thinking in my head
about stuff when I say it.
I've always been pretty
good at school.
I have my good grades.
I'm smart.
And I do good on my tests.
I mean.
That'll help with like
getting into college
or if like teams are
looking at me and say,
"oh, this guy is smart".
Like, and I'm like, if you're
looking at me, another guy,
the other guy, his grades
might not be as good.
Hockey, if I don't end
up doing it,
like as a career for my
whole life,
obviously being smart and like
getting the good schoolwork,
that'll help out a lot.
So it's always been pretty
important to me. I guess.
- Nice going Elliot!
- You're a legend!
- We just got a talk between
Shucker and Will there.
Just make sure we
communicate so we can always
pick up that puck.
- No it's 'cause you are by
the puck and you left it there.
- You want to take it
every time?
- Yeah.
- Okay, go ahead.
Just skate it up!
- No, you can do some.
- Okay. Well,
I can burn them every time.
- Fucking a! Fuck!
What is? What are they doing?
You can't do that purple.
I had the puck!
- C'mon.
- No way.
- You're back in.
- Oh!
- He cut you off, so.
- What?
- He cut you off.
- What am I supposed to do?
Brought it straight to the pine.
Come on.
You know coaching
Elliot has been one of the,
and I, I've told him this
and I've wrote to him.
This has been one of the more
challenging
things for us as coaches.
And when I, you know,
when I say challenging,
challenge us to be better
coaches at times too,
just like I hope we challenged
him to become a better player
and a better person.
- I love it up here.
I wish there was more
opportunities for kids up here to
stay. Other than going
into mining.
Biggest goal for Elliot was
to get him off the Range.
Cause up here when he's
not playing hockey,
he gets in trouble.
There was a stretch there at
the beginning of this year
where I was afraid when I
picked my phone up and said
Elliot, 'cause it was like,
"what's this going to be?"
And Elliot was a little
lost in life.
And as a parent,
you're trying to help them
figure it out.
But at the same time,
if they're scaring the
hell out of you, you know,
are you in jail,
are you beat up?
As a parent,
it's just hard to watch
kids make choices like that.
And then how to,
how to guide them and hopefully
keep them on the right path.
- I can't really play if I
don't do this,
it loosens up my back a lot.
So my muscles are always
really tight.
That's just, just how it works.
Get my muscles a little looser.
If I don't loosen them up,
my back will start to seize
a little bit.
And I can't move my muscles.
So it's kind of an issue,
a little bit.
I've had back pain for as
long as I can remember,
just been like acute little pain
and then eventually it got
bad enough where I was
in agony frequently.
I had opportunities with
different Junior teams and looks
and stuff like that.
But it just,
at the end of the day,
I didn't think I could put
myself through the grind of
Juniors to try and make
that college level.
Well, it, it sucks.
That was a dream of mine,
but you know,
to play college hockey,
but it just.
Ended the day, didn't,
it's not in my future.
I personally don't like sympathy
for it. Like it's there.
I know it is.
I go through pain every day.
I don't want people to feel
bad for me.
I don't want people to
think of me any differently.
Like I don't want to be the
kid with back pain, like I am,
but I don't want to be known
as that kid.
- Indie is just that
classic hardworking kid.
Like he's a captain because
of just pure hard work.
It has nothing to do
with talent.
He works his ass off with
what he has, his back's awful.
His back's gotten worse from
his sophomore year to now.
I mean, his back has put
a ceiling on his belt.
When the puck goes behind
the net, he'll pick it up.
We always want a guy in
front of the net.
You understand being mindful
doesn't mean you're soft.
It doesn't mean you're nice.
It's just being mindful of
where your emotions are taking
you and being able to
calm your mind.
Here we go.
There was one summer there.
I did a lot of soul searching
and like, is this worth it?
Is this truly worth it?
If I'm only doing this because
I'm concerned about wins and
losses and the wins and
losses can consume me,
then I can't do this
because it's not worth it.
But if I can somehow reach
kids and make it more than just
about wins and losses and try
to have a positive influence
on their life and, and try
to teach them the game.
So that allow them, the game
to teach them and kind of a
bigger purpose,
then it's worth it.
- Well, let's think about
what happens
in your brain when you're
in combat.
Getting an enormous amount
of adrenaline
pumped through your system.
Young men will go to
great lengths,
to have that experience.
The mortality rate for young
men in society is six times
what it is for young women from
violence and from accidents.
Just the stupid stuff that
young men do.
Jumping off of things they
shouldn't jump off of.
Statistically, you are
safer as a teenage boy,
you would be safer in the
fire department or the police
department in most
American cities.
Than just walking around the
streets of your hometown,
looking for something to do.
- I'd be so nice if he
did my math or
I got a phone or I gave
him a suit jacket,
I'd be so nice to him.
- Every time somebody asks
me, oh, that's nice too Jack.
I said, yeah, it's my items.
So I dunno how that's my fault.
- I am the best driver.
- I go-no I am, 100%.
- Speed doesn't matter.
- I never got pulled over.
- You were literally
about to say I go so fast.
- I do go so fast. I
don't get pulled over.
I'm never.
And why do you think that?
- Cause he just rolled
the stop sign.
You're going to jail.
- Nope.
- Sorry.
The laws don't abide by you.
You can just do whatever,
I guess.
Cops probably look at
you and go,
"oh that's Blake Biondi".
"We'll let him go 75 down a 30".
- Oh there's this, this,
one's got a sinker here
about 12 inches up.
So that minnow will
float up off the bottom
and walk 12 inches.
- It's fun out here. Yay. Woo.
It's too
cold out here.
Too cold in Minnesota.
On a scale of one to 10,
how cold are you?
10 being coldest.
Not cold at all.
- I'm about a two right now.
What the hell was that?
- Oh my, all right.
Time to pack up. Let's go.
I gotta be at
the rink at nine o'clock.
- We're not going to
see you at all, though.
- No!
- Like for two days.
- You'll see me tomorrow
in Brainerd
- I won't be in Brainerd,
I'm working.
- Oh, then I won't see
you until Christmas.
- You're not getting money
to eat if you don't eat here.
Dude, just hold on.
I'm eating at Brooks.
No, you're not.
- Yes, I am, we ate last year.
- You're literally lying to me.
You can go.
So I have cancer and
sometimes it affects life.
So I don't know. I just,
it's been about,
about a year.
A little over a
year and a half almost now.
- It really varies, a lot.
Like one day. She's good.
I mean, it can even vary
like some,
like she'll be good in the
morning and that night she'll be
horrible, but it's, it
just kind of depends.
You just gotta go with
what it seems.
I feel like you just
said, "I love her a lot".
- I, I don't...
Is that what you said?
- Sure. Yeah.
- I also have MS.
So sometimes like my friends
will know after the game I'm
exhausted. I can't walk
down the steps by myself.
So they'll just be like,
"Hey Lori, what's up"
and they'll grab my arm
to help me down the stairs.
- Well, this is the, what?
The third different kind of
chemo that she's tried in a year
and a half. So.
- My doctors at Mayo
had said, "good luck...
I mean, I was young
mom. Right. You know, young.
So I, for my kids,
I would like for them to go
out there and experience a lot
of different things,
try different things,
make some mistakes and I'm
looking forward for that to
happen with Elliot, you know,
I'm, for him to get out
in the world,
figure out who he is and
hopefully enjoy it. You know?
I hope he gets to travel
some, I mean,
like I tell Christian I'm like
there's a big giant world
out there at,
beyond the Iron Range.
- When you graduate from
your thing at the saw
you can put your app in
at the mines
and just work there instead.
- I know.
That's what I said,
I was like, well,
worse comes to worse I
can always just, you know,
work at the mines.
Kidding.
- 19 years old and...
- I know. That's what I said.
I mean, that's how Derek is
he's just loaded right now.
It's stupid,
you know he's pulling...
- Full medical,
- That's everything seriously.
- Totally off my paycheck.
- Well,
- Oh here, put this stuff back.
- All right, okay, I will.
I swear to God,
just the other day.
I was like looking at
those, the red things that
just sit in the stand the
whole time. I was like,
I could probably use
one of these
to learn how to skate.
There's like five of them.
I guarantee I used one of
those things. I remember that.
- And then you kept
falling and then
you would get up and
you'd just fall again.
And I was like crying and
laughing at the same time.
I'm like,
this is the most horrifying
thing in the world to watch.
But you were stubborn.
You were stubborn.
You were just not gonna,
- Everyone was just
blowing by me.
I was embarrassed.
- Oh yeah.
And that's what probably
got you keep going up
because you were just
pissed off about.
- Dad, did you ever go
to the rink?
- That's all we had to do.
- So you went to,
you're our rink rack.
- We had two options at
my house in winter time,
- That's sick.
- Get outside or go to the rink.
Those were the two options.
Those are
both outside.
- Outside meant like play
in the snow.
- You're just dumb for
doing this.
- Dude, I didn't even
see the road.
Gabe was in front of me.
Bunch of snow...
- You gotta, you gotta attach
it to one of those circles.
Any one of them just don't burn
yourself because that any of
those pipes are really hot.
- Yeah, Will, just be
in reverse and go slow
like three miles an hour.
- This is great.
- Gabe! You almost cranked
those things.
- Do I have class
tomorrow? What day is it?
- No.
- Hey, what are you going
to school for next year?
- Like marketing and
entrepreneurship.
- Oh yeah, you gonna sell stuff?
- Well yeah, decide
what to sell, basically.
- I'm not exactly sure
what I'm doing next here.
I want to be...
I just want to play
hockey still is a goal,
but I don't exactly know
where yet, but after that,
I mean the end goal, obviously
I'm going to go to school,
get a degree for something.
I don't really know quite yet.
I could be a policeman.
- I could not picture that.
- Or a sheriff or something.
That'd be sick.
- I could see you being like
an engineer.
- Yeah.
I also was probably gonna
go... Yeah.
That's what, that's
what everyone's thought.
And that's what I was going
to do. See,
like everyone says
like engineer,
but I don't know what the
hell I'm supposed to be
engineering. Like what
does that even entitle?
- There's so many different
types of engineering.
- Yeah, and do what it's
like, where do I work?
I can't. Where, do I go down
to my local engineer store?
And I get a job.
I don't understand.
Could be the president or
something.
- You could.
- Don't you gotta be 35?
- Yeah.
- That's so old. Why?
That surprises me.
I just don't know. I
don't know what to do.
I haven't thought that
far ahead.
- I was just doing
kids stuff and
I got caught in a situation
I shouldn't have been
in my sophomore year.
Ended up getting like a
suspension, but you know,
I've moved past it for
sure. I definitely matured.
And I think it was a one thing
is just being suspended from
the team. But it's that
public embarrassment.
'Cause like, I think you,
everyone could tell up here
everyone's so tight knit and
everyone knows everything.
So it spreads around
pretty quick.
And for me going into my
sophomore year and you know,
I had a lot of expectations
and being out
some of it really sucked.
Any coach can't put
a player on the team in the
position of a captain, who's
made some major mistakes,
that are not only public,
but against all hockey rules
and all high school league
rules and all youth hockey
rules. I mean,
it it's all against the
rules. And if you're a coach,
you have to set the example
and it is what it is.
- Everyone is aware of it.
But I guess coach didn't
want a captain that has that.
That's had that in the
past, which kinda sucks.
'Cause you know, you look
at like, my points and like,
I'm not bragging or anything,
but like stuff I've done,
I've done extra hockey
and stuff.
And I definitely feel like
I'm a captain,
you know, a leader of the team.
And I don't think I need an
'A' or a 'C' to display that,
but you know,
I was a little disappointed
in not being able to have a
letter, but you know,
it's whatever.
And I, I have to deal with
the consequences that, that I,
you know, I caused.
- And if we win this
we're the same champions.
From
head to toe,
these nine-year-olds are
decked out.
Best friends,
Drew Sams and Blake Biondi,
know that to one day play
in this rink.
They must eat, sleep, and
breathe hockey starting now.
When asked how badly these
two want to play on this rink
come the year 2018.
When they're on varsity,
they say there's no measurement
that would do their desire
justice.
- You could kind of reach
around the world
and if your arms could
fold around the world,
that's how much you'd want it.
- Hey guys!
Hey James, how are you?
- Can we get a team
picture with you after?
- Sure yeah.
- Are you 70? I saw you
score a lot yesterday.
- Thanks.
- Yeah, I saw you score a lot.
Yeah.
- Means a lot to these kids.
- Of course, oh yeah.
Yeah. Perfect.
Oh no. However many.
Hey buddy, your name Blake too?
Awesome!
- We've been watching you
for four years.
- Perfect! Good!
- So I just came to get
a picture of you too.
- Oh yeah, for sure.
Yeah. All right.
- What's your contact
coach, I can?
Or where do you want me to
send them to?
What am I doing now?
- Yeah.
- You can send them to me.
I'll give you my Coyotes'
email address.
- Okay. Well, great.
It's great to meet you.
- Good luck today, take care.
- You guys don't even
need any hype for this one,
big as it gets during the
regular season. Let's go.
Have fun, let's go!
Welcome
to another edition of
high school hockey and the
Greenway Raiders from
Hodgins-Berardo Arena.
It takes one shot on
Logan Wright.
He makes that save.
And then the rebound is
stuffed in.
In the second goal for
Biondi here.
Oh, he'll make a move.
One shot, top shelf,
nice goal, Zach Kilen,
Herman town Hawks come to town,
the number two team in
the state of Minnesota in
single 'A' and they take
the Raiders to town with
an 8-3 win.
See the darkest hour,
right before the dawn.
They say the darkest hour,
is right before the dawn.
You wouldn't know it by me.
Pretty
good front check here,
and Biondi, he scores!
- That's seven in a row!
Let's keep it going.
Well, you know, I'd even
outrun the hound dog.
- Are you here for lunch?
- No, no, I just had breakfast.
- Oh, okay.
- Go ahead. It's fine.
- It'll be Nick later.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Is there any sports yesterday?
- Sports section there.
What'd you guys do in
Trivial Pursuit?
- Ah, I got $20 Wednesday.
So we won two of the rounds.
- Oh, okay.
- But we didn't get first
place overall.
- Who did?
- I don't know. I didn't
know who it was this time.
- Okay.
- So I think the teachers
got second.
- Did you come in ahead of
mom and dad?
- Yeah.
- Yeah. My mom, dad...
- Yeah, mom, dad, Sam.
Should I come back later
for lunch too?
Yeah. Well when?
Probably like 11:30 today.
- Okay. Well before next.
- Yeah.
All right,
see you in a bit, yup.
- See you later!
- We'll start it out
and I'll get,
I won't give you a hard one.
We'll just,
you can go right there
and just try to get
a quick shot off on it.
I mean a lot of the time,
on shots,
it don't matter how hard it is.
I mean, it's true when you're
the up close like this,
get a quick shot off right away,
surprise the goalie as well.
So around the corner, top, try
going to get a shot on net.
There you go.
I mean, you probably have
a stick handling ball,
they match is this. And then
there's a little Velcro one,
goes on the end of your
stick here.
And you can just work on, it
just adds a little weight,
to the end your stick
for your stick handling,
if you want to do something
at home.
Yeah, but I don't use it
anymore. It's all yours, man.
- Thanks.
- Yeah. No problem.
- Yeah. That's what, me and
him we're on the same path.
Right now,
we got to play Juniors
for a year or two maybe quarter.
- Me? Of course.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Every year.
- Sophomore and up.
- Who you guys playing?
- Tomorrow we play Greenway.
Yeah. Big game. Next week...
- Rematch.
- Huh? Yeah.
Rematch, that's right.
- It's in our place tomorrow.
It's not in the piss palace
over there.
It's here. This crap with
Greenway is done tomorrow.
You guys have played
them all the way through,
tomorrow night. It's done.
You take care of it.
You come out quiet.
You come out hungry.
All right.
Do you think all night,
"oh that's it with Greenway,
tomorrow's the night we
kick their ass." Let's go.
Welcome
back to the Hippodrome,
just about ready to
get this baby underway.
The Golden Bears and
the Greenway Raiders.
It's fun to see these
range rivalries renewed.
They're probably out
there to take the drop
and use it against Elliot
Van Orsdel.
That's the leading scorer.
He scored 35 points on the
season and then another good
defense man is Will Trout wine.
The number two goal scorer
for the Eveleth Golden Bears.
Troumbley all the way up the
rink. Gernander in front.
Shot. Goal!
Troumbley and Gernander!
- 15. Okay.
15, try to control and
get a quick shot, boys.
Comes
in front. Another shot.
There is the goal and
the goal should be Meyer.
And on the helper, Van Orsdel.
We've got two periods in the
books from the Hippodrome.
And the Raiders 1,
and the Golden Bears 1.
How do we pick each
other up in this locker room,
you work for one another,
every shift.
Can't be scared to win.
Everybody else in this room
better have the same mentality.
What about Bryce?
He's feeling like crap.
He's going to go and work
for you guys.
Go out and beat this team
for once in your damn lives.
Come on, boys, let's go.
He's going
to take a second one.
That's a goal, on a slap
shot from a terrible angle
and into the net.
Keeps it
in with his long reach.
Shoot that puck he does.
Rebound. That's a goal!
Not even a minute later,
that's behind the net.
Now a check by Ezra Carlson.
Beaudette moves in,
that's a backhand.
Boy, that was quite a shock
to get down
one in the net.
Note
how it shifted a little,
3-2 a hockey game.
Drops it
for Van Orsdel
right in the front of the net.
And there's one save.
And then a rebound,
tapped in by the Golden Bears.
- Let's go! Let's go!
And that ties
this game up all of a sudden.
Holy moly from the Hippodrome.
- I'm proud of everybody
on this team.
I love each and every
one of you.
Go win it! All right.
"Bears" on 3, 1, 2, 3.
- Bears!
The face
out is going to be deep
in the Raiders' zone.
Van Orsdel in there against
Ben Troumbley.
There's the goal!
Won by Eveleth!
And looks like Van Orsdel
tipped it in.
14 from 40 and 5.
- First time ever.
First time ever,
you guys finally got 'em.
- Nice job buddy!
So there
it is. Folks.
The Golden Bears win in
overtime, 4-3, you're listening
on the 96.9 KMFY.
- All right. You guys ready?
Let's do this.
- We're making highlights
for you.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Like, I mean, you can see it.
It's just on huddle.
'Cause I have no other
way of doing it anyways.
- That's what I do, I just
watch all of 'em anyways.
- So I have one called
Blake goals
and one called Blake
play-making.
This is literally,
I made this for,
Coach Guentzel wanted this.
So I got to go back through
some film and look at some stuff.
And if there's anything you
think of Blake that you want
included, by all means.
- Okay.
- Blake has not just a chance,
like a real chance of
playing in the NHL.
He's that type of talent.
So you have scouts and,
and advisers and people
telling you,
"Well, if you do this, then
this is the consequences.
If you do this,
this could happen."
And so he's been living with
that for three years now,
three and a half years.
Third period, in our building,
you gotta be better.
Okay? You gotta bring this home.
Dig down deep.
You got one period left.
We have a couple of days of
just practice. We can, you know,
we, you have nothing to
save this for.
You got to dig down
deep and bring it home.
Just go.
Stop doing the slowdown thing
and use your goddamn
speed and body.
If you fight, everyone fights.
Finish a game! Win it, take it.
Everybody, simple, that was
a simple, great rotation
we just didn't clear pucks.
And this guy's got, gotta
be really watchful of this.
Cause they're coming back
door on the zone entry.
D you gotta be a little tighter.
Forwards,
you can be a little looser.
You gotta dig deep here.
Gotta dig deep.
That's all this is.
Five seconds, three, two, one.
- I don't know,
but they're clearly sick.
- Do you ever remember like
bouts of flu
taking out an entire team,
the whole team,
what the fuck is going on?
- No, I'm with you.
It's flu season and it's
hockey season.
And it goes hand in hand.
Every year, you have sicknesses
and you have injuries.
And it's not a matter of if, it's
just a matter of who and when.
It is a grind, they
really don't have a day off.
They get Sunday off and
that's it.
And we go hard for an hour
and a half to two hours every day.
It's short,
but it's intense.
We had it pretty easy for
about a month.
We were the better team in
every game and we out played
everybody and it was fun.
And we got confidence and you
were playing great hockey.
And now we have some
adversity. Okay, you're sick.
And we got some third period
disasters that still haven't
even turned into losses.
Those are places to build on,
but how are you going to
handle it?
- I didn't realize so
many people worked here.
I saw Mr. Wicklin yesterday.
He came in to workout.
- Am I supposed to know
who that is?
- He's the guy I told you
about that.
- The Marshall coach.
- Okay. Got it.
- So I was trying to convince
him that he needs to quit his
current job and come hang
out with you guys. Okay.
So I have to get back to the
Y and then I had the hockey
meeting tonight.
So I'll see you at home.
- I'll be in bed.
- Thanks for helping
with pizzas.
- Yeah.
I finally went to the
specialist and he diagnosed me.
So I have kyphosis and
scoliosis.
So kyphosis is like the
hunchback look and scoliosis
is the 'S'-like kinda look
in your spine.
So basically it was the two
extremes that my spine could be.
But basically there's nothing
I can do about it unless I
want to fuse my spine together,
which would mean no physical
activity,
basically for the rest
of my life.
I wouldn't be able to move my
back at all.
So that's not really an option.
So basically I just deal
with the pain.
Here's the test.
Here's the expectation.
Go and beat them. You can
top out at that two seed.
That should be your
expectation right there.
Two seed.
I can't remember the last time
Eveleth Gilbert was a two seed.
That should be your expectation.
- Seriously, there's no
reason we can't come back.
Guys, we got the fucking
two seed right here.
It's two goals, we've done
it before we can do it again.
- They ran into each other.
- We ran into each other, he
literally moved out of the way!
- Shoot it!
- Good job.
Good job. Good job.
Okay. I hope your brothers
are okay.
- Thank you.
- Things started turning
around and seeing the momentum.
- You could see shift
after shift.
Guys just grinding.
Who did you want to talk to you?
You want to talk to
the brothers or
you want to talk to Will
and Elliot?
- I'll talk to Will and Elliot.
- All right. You want them
both at the same time?
- Yeah.
- I'm proud of the way we
battle back.
Three. Nothing.
We could have folded up
the tents and went home.
You didn't. Five minute penalty.
You could have just sat back.
Let him score.
4-2 game eh,
but you didn't, you battled,
you battled right to the end
and that's to be proud of.
Okay. We want to win every one,
but hey,
that's something to be proud of.
That's something to
take forward.
All right.
I'm proud of you guys tonight.
Love y'all.
- He might still be sleeping.
He probably still is sleeping.
- I'm sorry. The person
you were trying to...
- What's going on here?
- Nothing much. Just
making some sandwiches.
- How long were you and
Dylan out yesterday?
- I was up till seven.
So I'm trying to get
myself together.
I'm going to call Dylan.
- You need to get new skates
or something.
- Yeah. He needs new skates because
he wants to go to the rink and stuff.
- No way those fit.
- I bet they will.
- Shut up.
- Which ones are they?
- X.
- Oh, those are a good
skates Dylan.
- $99 at least,
that's a hundred bucks.
- Yeah. Perfect.
Get them home molded.
There you go.
- Yeah. My hip,
doing that to my hip,
and it's just been killing
me the past few days
and I can't skate and I
might have a tear
in my shoulder too. It's
just hard to shoot the puck.
- How'd that chiropractor
thing go?
- I didn't end up going.
'Cause they couldn't get me
until Monday.
So I'm going to go to
the chiropractor,
hopefully I can do something
from there,
but on Monday I got an
appointment, man.
So.
- That may be a good idea to
put gloves on or something.
- Aydyn's got gloves on.
- Oh good job.
- I don't know where you
found those, but.
- Show off!
Indio, don't hit those people.
-Nope, I win.
- I think you splashed
down a little, but...
- Yeah I got stuck in there.
- That's good though.
- I hate that door.
I had a side effect from
the chemo
and I had some cysts and
abscesses that needed to be drained.
And I thought it was
going to be super easy,
in and out done.
And it was not.
I thought I was coming home.
Like surgery was going to take
a half an hour and I was on
my way home.
I woke up in a hospital
bed. I had been admitted.
And I wasn't,
it wasn't prepared for that
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
I miss six shifts in four days.
So three, three of those
four days I was doubling, but
I couldn't go anywhere.
Nope. My body just says
"stay home, that's enough".
And all three of my boys
forget that,
sometimes it sucks.
Then sometimes I need help.
Then sometimes I just
want to cry
and sometimes I just
wanna be normal.
I just want to be a normal
person,
vivacious Lori.
So. Today is better.
- Probably not going to
get better.
Just that's how
the disease works.
I try not to worry about it
a lot just because
there's ultimately,
there's nothing I can do,
but it's something that's there.
It's something that's
in the back of my mind.
I'm concerned about, I,
I want a way to fix it,
but ultimately I have to accept
the fact that there's not.
- 44 and 6, but I have two boys.
Okay.
All right.
And then let's see 1, 2, 3.
I don't know, somehow.
For Indio Dowd,
Lori Dowd.
- Aw!
Big round
of applause!
Your captain, number 27,
Blake Biondi.
Defense,
number 44, Indio Dowd!
- Hi pumpkin!
I love you!
- I need some Advil.
- Let's get a shot in
front of the blue line.
Do you have Advil?
- Yeah I got one.
- One, two, Hawks rock!
- This is what you played for.
Playoffs. Senior year.
In front of a packed house.
Tonight,
you play for each other.
Go out, you play hard, physical.
You come out on top. You
earn a ticket to AMSOIL.
When we look at the start of
the season, going to win that
IRC, we were right there.
Next goal. Get to AMSOIL.
Next goal past that is
to move on,
get into that championship
game. Next goal
past that
get to a state tournament.
I'm so jacked up right now.
I wish I had a little bit of
eligibility.
One shift just to get you
guys going.
I'm juiced up boys.
Are you juiced up?
Are you juiced up? Let's go!
- Enjoy this one, but your
focus is on Herman town.
That's what we wanted.
Semi-finals championship game.
It doesn't matter.
That's who you wanted.
Right?
Couple of things, we give
out pucks. Not that often.
I got two pucks.
First of all, Elliott won
the IRC scoring title.
Yeah!
- 50 points, something we
haven't seen in a while
from this squad.
Very nice job.
And tonight I think it
was announced.
This is the hundred career
point puck.
What a night to get it
on. Congratulations.
- Will is an actively involved
member and knowledgeable
and has been known to
never miss a practice.
Will plans for after
graduation, to try out in hockey
for juniors,
and hopes to play in college.
- Congratulations to
King Will Trout wine
and Queen Ashley Pionk
they are our 2020...
- And like we played,
and after the first day I
played well and
Blake Biondi, he was the first
one that actually like he's
like "atta boy"
'Cause like I just
talked to him yesterday.
I sat next to him in the
locker room, him and Joey.
And like, we just
talked. And that weekend,
we were buddies or whatever,
but I hadn't really talked
to him since,
but I just remember that was,
that was funny back then
thinking he was so good
and like just
what he's turned into.
I don't like know him, you know?
Like we don't...
but he's also intimidating
because you know,
he's like one of the best
players in the country, you know?
So, from what I know
from, he's a great guy.
Zach said I've talked to
Zach. I just.
I like a lot of guys on
that team.
- See ya Blake.
- Hey, take a seat, buddy.
It's an awful call.
- They said no goal?
- Breck can actually
shoot the puck,
unlike others for girls' teams.
- The chick just called
that slap shot too.
- 6 is better.
No 17.17's way better.
- Isn't there a kid from St.
Cloud Cathedral that's going-
- Jack Smith.
- Jack Smith, yep.
Isn't he going to UMD?
- Do you know him?
- Yeah.
- Okay. So have you
played with him before?
- Yeah a lot.
- Okay. When did you
play with him?
- In the summer.
- Okay. So then this,
these are your 10.
You're always listed first.
- Because alphabetically,
I'll take it though.
In other
high school hockey news,
Herman town standout
Blake Biondi,
been named a finalist
for the Mr. Hockey award
in Minnesota, Biondi is one of
10 players up for the award.
In 25 games this season,
the future Bulldog has
37 goals and 39 assists.
- Just doing all of them.
Where's Aydyn?
- Home.
- Why?
- He's in bed.
- Future Mr. Mr. Hockey sticks.
- That's how you make
your money.
Steal all of his sticks,
make some money.
- And all four your sticks up.
Could you just sign
a couple for me?
Can you sign a couple of them?
So I can just remember our time.
- You won't forget after
you win state, buddy,
you don't forget that stuff.
- You'll forget about us.
- Why would I forget
about you guys?
You're going to replace us with
Cole Koepke and Quinn Olson.
- Yeah, that'd be very
lucky, but no.
- Oh, very lucky.
It's gonna happen, so.
- Blake was officially named
to top 10 finalists
for Mr.Hockey,
which is pretty awesome.
- Our plan is to be there
with him on the Sunday,
after the state
tournament. Right?
So we'll all be there
supporting him,
celebrate with him and hopefully
he gets what he deserves.
But I know he doesn't
really care about that.
Right?
It's all about taking care of
business tomorrow and working
for our end goal. All right.
Going forward here,
play fast,
play free and have fun with
this. Okay.
You need to enjoy this
process. It goes fast,
but you got to get a body on
the big kid, five. He will.
He's dangerous. He is.
He's a nice player.
And 14, okay,
you gotta be mindful when
you're on the ice against those
two guys,
they are very nice players.
- I'm struggling.
No big deal.
Three sport athlete.
- I'm confused.
- Are you like not
doing that or?
- You still asked.
I'm gonna go...
- I got one girl I'm kind
of talking to.
So I dunno.
Kind of see where that goes,
but so it kinda met her through
a mutual friend who does,
they do cheer together because
she's like on a competitive
cheer team.
She's kind of friends with
my whole friend group.
So we'll all hang out then.
Or I'll go over to her house
or something,
kind of just depends.
- Two fucking days.
- You have two days left to
prepare for a team and we got
maybe five guys taking
it serious.
You guys have earned a great
opportunity on Saturday.
Don't wake up Sunday thinking
I blew an opportunity 'cause I
could have went harder or I
could have tried more or I could
have given more for my team.
Get focused right now.
You're going to give everything
you got for all the guys
right here. All right.
We want Herman town.
That's who we want.
That's who we got.
You guys ready for this?
Come on in.
Hey, "Bears" on 3, 1, 2, 3!
- Bears!
- They're just kids.
There's no reason boys.
Telling ya,
they're fucking worried.
- 30 Seconds.
Get your head right.
Here we are. Another game.
Just another game,
doing our thing.
- All I've been hearing
is slay the dragon,
slay the dragon.
No one of you can slay him
by yourself.
Go slay the dragon together.
Let's get ready to go.
Come on.
And
good evening,
Welcome to AMSOIL Arena
in Duluth.
It is semi-finals Saturday.
The Golden Bears are riding
high from their first playoff
victory in 18 years,
they'll face number one
seed Herman town, tonight.
It could certainly be
an emotional evening.
As you know Eveleth was the
first state champion
all the way back in 1945.
And this could be the last
time ever,
we see the old Golden Bear
sweater out on the ice.
- Golden opportunity in the
offensive zone for Herman town,
it was key,
getting an opportunity for it.
- Gotta wake up a little
bit, boys!
Now it's
Aydyn Dowd,
Aydyn Dowd runs up the spot,
he scores!
Hello! Herman town makes the
early imprint on this game.
It's one to nothing, Hawks.
- Keep it simple all game.
Outs and ins boys.
Come on now.
Meanwhile,
Noah Shuck is being peppered,
and this one's gonna go
in the net!
On the rebound,
the Hawks will score.
- Oh shit, I fucking said that!
- There's the onslaught.
Let it go from there. Come on.
Fight 'em, battle 'em.
Don't lay down to these guys,
come on.
It's two
to nothing Herman town.
They have all seven shots
in this hockey game.
Yeah, it's
been all Herman town
from the get go
on this one though.
When this one started, Eveleth,
obviously trying to find
some way to battle back,
but the more and more it keeps
going this way is definitely
shaping out for
the Herman town Hawks.
- Herman town came out
on a mission tonight.
As soon as that puck
was dropped,
they came out wanting to
take control of this game,
not give Eveleth any really
chance to feel like they were
really into this game.
- Bloomdahl over the blue line.
With three seconds to go, two,
one, here comes your horn.
And with that, comes the end
of Eveleth-Gilbert's season.
Last
Tuesday night, Herman town's
Pat Andrews experienced
the thrill of a lifetime.
His goal with 21 seconds
remaining, gave the Hawks to
a four three win over arch rival
Proctor for the section two hockey title.
- I dreamed of this moment
since I was four years old
on the driveway, scoring
the game winning goal,
and I did it!
It's the most unbelievable
feeling in my life!
- Two and a half years
ago, Pat lost his father,
Pat Sr. to lung cancer.
His father coached Pat through
youth hockey and the two
often spoke about one day
winning a big game like this.
- I found I was on ice
and I was like crying
and I was happy.
I mean, there was like
tears of joy,
but yet it was also two
sentence because it was,
we had dreamed about this.
We, it wasn't just me.
I mean, it was like a family,
but me and my dad in particular,
it was the greatest moment.
But yet you wished that he
could be there to share it with you.
- That experience of going
through that and having that
support system and seeing these
very influential people in my life,
teachers and coaches who kind
of helped me through that
is really what solidified in my mind
that I wanted to teach and coach
just cause I don't know where
I'd be without those people.
When I was growing up,
I just wanted to be a part
of a hockey community.
Like I was just like in
awe of War road
and even the Iron Range
at that time,
where you just have this
like ingrained sense
of hockey culture and
we did not have that.
So they were, my senior year
we were the second team ever
to go to state.
And I just remember coming
back saying "one day,
I hope that you know,
people think of Herman town,
they think of hockey".
Well, I mean,
my Lord that's become,
I mean, that is what
people think of
when they think of Herman town.
And good
evening, I a dies and gentlemen,
welcome to AMSOIL Arena
in Duluth.
It's time for the best of the
best in terms of hockey games
in section 7A.
This is for the trip to
the state tournament,
it's Herman town,
it's Duluth Denfeld.
This is going to be fun.
It's
going to be a lot of fun.
It's the number one seat
against the number two seat.
So when they drew everything up,
this is how they thought
it might play out.
These two teams are gonna
be flying.
- Biondi back behind,
as he centers for
can he gonna get it in?
Yes they do!
Chocked a goal!
Herman town's on the board.
- Meanwhile, Aydyn Dowd
is perfectly positioned,
he's got a two-in-one, he
goes top shelf on his own
and scores!
Two to nothing, Hawks, Aydyn
Dowd has done it again.
- Drew Sams backing Lucia's
trying to-
and he does! Jackson Lucia,
and it's five to nothing.
Meanwhile, here comes Blake
Biondi, a shot and a goal!
Blake Biondi with a near
wing rush sneaks it by
Jacob Schneider, it's a
half dozen for Herman town.
- Yeah, this is unbelievable.
Like I came back for
this reason.
I wanted to win a state
championship with these guys and we
got three games to do it
here and we're not done.
We're not done, but we're here
to win a state championship.
We made that super clear and
that's what we're going to do.
- I wonder if we have an ice
dam outside, right there?
- It's because that ice buildup,
- Is there a bad ice build
up up there?
- I told you there was.
- Oh shit. Well that sucks.
- Yeah.
- Wild play tonight.
- Yeah.
I watched the Caps and
the Pens play today at 12.
- Oh you're kidding.
- Goes four to three.
It was a sick game yeah.
- You know,
you're just sad for them.
They, all the kids,
of course it's a game, has
to have a winner and a loser,
you know, so pretty damn
envious of the Hawks, you know,
their program and what they,
what they can pound out and
what they can do and stuff like that.
So you're envious of that,
you know,
and kinda wish your kid was
a part of a team like that
in some ways I feel if I'm
being honest.
And you see these kids
down there have
so much more opportunity on
some stuff.
I don't know if Elliot,
well, you know,
I know he's trying to,
but you know,
I don't know if he'll be seen
by the right people or get
that chance the same opportunity
or a chance, you know,
as maybe some kids down in
Herman town,
because they're going to go
down to state and they're known,
you know, they, you know,
they're known as this powerhouse
school and stuff like that.
And you know,
I would feel like any of us,
parents from a small town
kind of feel that way
a little bit. You know.
- It's crazy how,
when it comes to an end,
especially being a senior
this year, I'm
just looking back at, looking
back at the, the team.
'Cause I grew up with
these guys, you know, and
it's been a long time coming
and it's tough to see it
come to an end.
But hockey is a,
gave me more than anything
I could ever ask for.
And the friends and the family
and the opportunities that
I've gotten because of it.
I'll never forget about, and...
No, hockey's just,
it's been so good to me
and I can't,
I can't express how
passionate I am for the sport.
Yeah.
Oh God, sorry I...
Wow.
- How many of you are pretty
excited about tomorrow?
Okay. How many of you are a
little nervous about tomorrow?
It's the young dogs.
The eyes first.
Okay. Here's the deal.
And this is, I,
I like this analogy.
I like this old story of an
Indian boy, a young Brave,
going out on his first hunt.
And the night before the
hunt, he couldn't sleep.
And the grandfather says, you
have two wolves inside you.
And they're battling.
And the boy says, okay.
And he goes, the one wolf is
nervousness, fear, anxiety.
And the other wolf is
excitement, energy positivity.
And they're doing a battle to
the death right now inside you
and the boy says to
them, well, grandfather,
how do I know which one wins?
And do you know what he says?
Whichever wolf you feed,
good energy.
Feed the positive wolf.
Feed the energy wolf.
Feed the excitement wolf.
Good morning and
welcome to the Xcel
Energy Center in St. Paul.
It's the Herman town Hawks and
the St. Cloud Cathedral
Crusaders.
A lot riding
on the team.
Both of these teams know what
it takes to get to the state
championship game. Herman town's
obviously been there before.
St. Cloud Cathedral is the
defending class A state champion.
And we
are on the way
off the drop of the puck.
First control of the puck
belongs to Blake Perbix
for St. Cloud Cathedral.
He really dumps it down deep
into the Herman town end.
Herman town back to get it,
try to run through the zone.
They will, they quickly
get an offensive attack.
Ethan Lund with the
shot, oh he hit the pole.
- Fast and physical, right.
Fast and physical.
Let's go D!
And again
the Crusaders and Hawks meet
for the second time of
the season.
Off the rebound,
Herman town scores!
Working it down the ice
quickly was Aydyn Dowd,
burying a rebound was
Cole An cliff.
And it's one to nothing,
Herman town.
We talked
about Herman town wanting
to be more physical in
this game.
Kilen, over the
blue line, wanted to go back
to Lund that got deflected away,
but Joey Pierce supports,
fires a wide.
Kilen on a rebound,
Biondi-Biondi scores!
Kilen and Biondi just
relentless on the rebound,
the poke it by and now two
to nothing, Herman town.
There's
the horn. Wow.
What a flurry to end period one.
So many
opportunities here to end,
period one.
We get a little fisticuffs here
at the whistle.
- Absolutely. We've got players
sprawling throughout here.
Blake Biondi, thrown down.
Ethan Lund, thrown down.
- This isn't good.
We gotta get all these flares
off the ice.
Right now there's too many.
Both the teams kind of came
out onto the ice at when
the horn went and we got
players that all over right now.
- This was bound to happen.
They've been running 'em
and running 'em. Right?
I know. I know.
I looked this way.
I didn't know that.
St. Cloud
Cathedral's got a small
village in the penalty box.
And now here comes Herman town's
as well.
Five Crusaders in the box,
three Herman town Hawks.
Two minute
power play for Herman town
to start this second period.
And again, the
Hawks already lead it two to nothing.
We're under way in period
number two.
There's a quality rush
by Jon Bell,
his shot is saved by back stick,
order on the rebound. He scores!
- Still with the puck,
down deep,
perfect, perfect setters.
He scores!
It's three to two.
- St. Cloud Cathedral on
the board again!
Good sticking here by
Joey Pierce.
Now he's on the way over
his offensive blue line,
get a turning player, saved
by a rebound, oh what a save,
oh they score!
But Joey Pierce stayed
with it. He buries it.
It's four to two.
- We always talk about the
two goal lead and hockey being
dangerous. I tell you what,
it never felt so good
compared to one.
- We had a good gut check
there, the boys took it serious.
And you know, sometimes we
talk as a coaching staff,
like "are we too hard on
them", like, you know,
we expect a lot and we
go hard in practice.
And sometimes I think maybe
we're burning them up a little bit,
but this is why they're a
pretty driven group right now.
Like I slept great.
But then I woke up at like
five, just wide awake and then
trying to go back to sleep
for a little bit and all those
what if scenarios go through
your head and you try to block it out.
Because we've been in this
game before we were
the better team and you
win by eight.
And we've been in this game
before where these,
we've ended up in overtime.
See ya babe.
Is that everybody?
Enjoy every moment of this.
This is what you've worked for
your whole young adult lives.
Since you were a little
kid all the way up, right?
This is your dream.
This is what you wanted.
And it's all laid out for
you to take it right now.
- Yeah. This is what it's
all about.
This is what you played for
all those hours of practice.
- Championship Saturday, Jim,
goal tending will be big.
Both of these guys
who've been playing well.
The starting goalies,
Herman town has got to find
a way to get
to Ben Dardis, with Mahtomedi,
its first ever
championship game.
Championship games are no
stranger here for Herman town.
- I think the biggest story
of today's game right now for
Herman town is the fact that
Aydyn Dowd,
after he was assisted on
a goal for Herman town,
he didn't come back in that
game with an upper body injury.
- No, we can use his
speed if you can't go.
One though, biggest thing is
he's trying, he's trying to go.
- Hey, here we go boys!
Let's have some fun.
- Blake Biondi is a marked man.
He's getting knocked down by
three or four
Zephyrs again at the point.
And once again with it,
his back,
he deflects to the goal!
- JD Metz will get the assist
looks like
Colin Hagstrom buried it,
one nothing Mahtomedi.
- Listen. You've had
that better of it now.
Right? You've got,
it's little shit.
It's nothing fancy. Drive wide!
They want you to slow down
and cuss and do those things
keep driving wide, keep
pressuring their D.
- Hopefully on the
Herman town side of things.
They didn't feel like that
they got over that St. Cloud
Cathedral hurdle.
And then it was all gonna
be downhill from there.
And just being able to coast
to a state championship just by
showing up. 22 seconds here
into this second period,
Mahtomedi is going to have their
fourth all back for this game.
- Yeah.
- How many times have we
talked about
how big specialty teams
have red in this game?
And Mahtomedi is making it
count with two power play goals.
- You took their big punch.
We got a counter punch, now.
Just do your job and chip
away at this.
Just worry about winning
your match up. Win your shift.
- An cliff feeding the
point, there's Drew Sams,
Sams fires towards the
net, through traffic,
they score!
- That's a big goal and
it could be a
momentum changer for the Hawks.
- We're starting to pick it
up a little bit. So we'll see,
how bad that they want it
in the third,
it's going to be a
heck of a third period.
Listen. That was fine,
but it wasn't great.
It wasn't. Hey, you have another
goddamn gear.
Five on five, you kicked their ass
but we also weren't quite just going.
It was there,
but it wasn't there.
And it's a championship game.
You need to be great. Right?
Let's go!
Who's
going to be the hero today?
We played
two periods
are moving into the third
in a one goal game shots,
19 to seven.
They're not used to having
only 19 during the third period
Always take
control of the next play.
- Shot wide with the gloves...
had to be ready for it.
How long can Mahtomedi,
how long can they continue
holding this offensive
charge of Herman town off
for another eight and
a half minutes.
- That all Herman town here,
but it stays two to one.
We passed the midway
mark of the third period.
They're starting to get tired
and Herman town and starting to
smell a little bit of blood
in the water.
- Beautiful play by Pierce,
Kilen right there, off the post.
And then it gets off, it
sneaks out the back door.
- And of course we see
Biondi right now. And hey,
it's three minutes left. We're
going to see a lot of 27.
They'll give you a lot of
Blake Biondi, everything he can
handle, he will be on the ice
these final three minutes.
- Shots on goal
this period 15 to one,
in favor of Herman town,
23 minutes and 10 seconds
between shots on goal for Mahtomedi.
They just bend and bend but
do not break.
And the biggest one minute
and 17 seconds of their lives
right now.
- Herman town with the
puck, Biondi up high,
45 seconds here,
for Mahtomedi to hold on
for a state championship.
- There's the shot, off the
glove of Dardis, shot by Sams.
Right-side shot, rebound,
Dardis missed the puck.
And oh!
- And this game is tied on
a scramble around the net!
For the Herman town Hawks.
Brand new game, tied at two.
You're the better
team the
whole second half of that
game, you owned that period.
Win the game! Go win the game!
- Incredible hockey
game, state championship
come down to an overtime.
These are moments you
dream about when
you're a kid, getting a chance
to play in overtime for
the state championship, your
high school, your best friends,
your buddies that you
grew up with.
Getting it as Piper from
Mahtomedi up to the line,
and now grabbing,
taken out of the zone.
Tried to go back to a mess
and he does connect with him.
And he scores! Mahtomedi! Colin
Hagstrom. It's a yard sale!
And the Zephyrs have won
their first ever title.
- How do you not get frustrated?
You aren't getting that many
shots and they are kind of
packing it in down there.
- Yeah, I don't know,
it was frustrating.
I don't know. I was just
trying to get shots. Yeah.
- We pushed these guys
really hard
to be the best they can be.
And it definitely wasn't
for lack of effort today.
And to tie that thing up when
I didn't know if we'd ever
get another goal on that kid.
I mean,
he played out of his mind
and, and what'd he say,
I don't know it was,
our guys battled.
It was just,
it wasn't meant to be.
- Coach,
players thank you very much.
- Thanks.
- That finality of just being
over and not be able to go to
the rink and hang out with
these guys.
And they're such a big part
of your life.
And then all of a sudden
it's just,
they're gone and they're going
to move on with their lives
and which is awesome. And
that's what you want, but it's,
it's almost like you're
letting your kid go away or
you know, or something.
So it's, it's pretty cool,
but it's, it's, it's,
it's tough to not be able
go to rink and see those
guys every day.
I lied to you, didn't I?
And I said, we're going
to win, sorry, kiddo.
- It was a good game though.
- Yeah.
- Wasn't it? I'm lucky.
- On behalf of the Minnesota
All Sports Alliance,
I am pleased to announce
the winner
of the 2020 Mr. Hockey Award
is Blake Biondi.
- And obviously the boys,
my family back there.
I love you all and without
you guys, obviously,
I'm nothing. So thank you,
thank you guys for
the best season of my life
and I love you guys forever.
- And obviously the investment
coming back my senior
year to play for Herman town and
try and win a state championship.
And obviously we fell short
but I have zero regrets.
I just love this family a
lot, they're all my brothers
and it was the best year
of my life.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
- See you bud.
- Oh my god, I love you man.
You deserve this so
fucking much.
Nice job!