yes but ... Marshall kids really played their hearts out and have nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever. Nothing. I'm not sports expert, but maybe St. Thomas SHOULD switched classes next year and give someone else a chance. Hopefully Marshall will get another shot at the title. they are really fun to watch

that should read switch to AA that is ...

Does anyone think private schools should have their own league? They can recruit to such an extent that comparing them to similar sized public schools seems unfair. I have no answer to this but think it's worth discussion.

...right...and maybe CCM can custom design some Jack Boot blades for your elitist league...

Marshall officially set a State Tournament record for most consecutive championship losses in a row. I feel bad for them, I don't care if you are a rich kid or not, when you are a young hockey player, the State Tournament is a dream come true.

I feel bad for the kids who don't make it to the state tournament, the kids who don't have rich parents to send them to private schools and perhaps can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars a year so their kid can play hockey. I say the Marshall kids are damn lucky.

not all marshall students come from rich families.

I lived briefly in Roseau, MN, in the early 90s. Both Roseau and Warroad--public schools--recruited like mad. If the Warroad coach found a player he wanted, Marvin Windows (who built the arena in Warroad) would offer that player's parents jobs at the window factory and pay to relocate them to Warroad. Many of these families came from all over Canada. In Roseau, Polaris handed out the jobs.

And it goes both ways as far as the private/public thing: A player from last year's Class A champion St. Thomas transferred to Edina (public school) over the summer so he had a chance to win state titles at both the A and AA levels. Only Hill Murray's hard-hitting approach stopped that. Speaking of which, do you know why old hockey schools like St. Paul Johnson and South St. Paul don't make it to the tourney any more? Much lower incomes suburban schools. When the east side produces a quality player at Harding or Johnson, nearby Hill Murray offers scholarships....

I'm not saying any of this is right or wrong--just adding info to the dialogue. Keep in mind that East and Cloquet often make it to the spring dance, and those are public schools (and not wholly immune to recruiting, I'd guess).

Personally, I think the cost of youth hockey has gotten out of hand. Hundreds? Try thousands. A firend of mine in Duluth estimated that in 2006-07 he and his wife spent nearly $13,000 on ice time, equipment, and travel/hotels/meals in out-of-town tournaments (two kids involved)! My ten-year-old nephew's economically unrealistic parents (they live in a Woodbury McMansion with a pool!) bought him TWO $180 sticks this year, and next year the sticks will be too short for him to use....

I believe Wisconsin's athletics programs have stopped this recruiting practice, handing out sanctions to schools and students who engage in recruiting at the high school level. Perhaps MN should look into it.

MSHSL already prohibits recruiting. They simply fail to enforce the rules with any effectiveness as powerful interests wish it otherwise.

Remember all those years Marshall sucked at sports? Hockey included? Now they have been doing amazing, that's worth some recognition. These kids played hard and got to the state tournament because they played hard, not because they are rich.

godsey is right. graduted class of '97. i received scholarship money to attend. and helped out the janitors as part of a work-study program after school and during the summer. and feel damn proud of my edjimication. even if some of the student body left a little to be desired. of course i never was involved in sports, so maybe i missed out on all the cake eating?

Godsey is always right.