Bardown- During the Minnesota Class A state hockey championship this past Saturday, with the score tied 3-3 between the Hermantown Hawks and the Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake Moose in double overtime, Hermantown junior forward Tyler Watkins found the back of the net and the team went absolutely crazy. Gloves and sticks flew into the air, and helmets sat scattered around the ice, as they piled on each other in the corner to celebrate the victory.
That's when the public address announcer came over the speaker to let the teams know the goal was under review. The players immediately stopped celebrating, and were stuck in hockey purgatory. Sure enough, the goal was overturned. The Hawks had to find their gear, get suited back up, and refocus as double overtime would continue. Unfortunately for the Moose, they wouldn't be able to take advantage of the momentum swing, and the Hawks would win the game and get the opportunity to celebrate for real. --- How about Minnesota high school hockey having goddamn goal reviews that include slo-mo overhead video? I know technology has advanced, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the country is still relying upon the initial eyesight of overweight, under-compensated officials to decide games between teenagers. That's why you really have to hand it to these refs. I don't know if high school coaches can challenge the call on the ice, but if they can't then there's no way I would have upheld my duty to the integrity of the game and made a team full of kids going absolutely apeshit gather up their equipment and line up for the ensuing face-off. No. fucking. thanks. I honestly can't think of one thing I would want to do less than voluntarily make myself the target of a stadium full of crazed hockey parents and their hormonal children by overturning a goal after it had already been celebrated. I don't care if the overtime "hero" booted the goalie in the junk with one foot and used the other foot to blatantly kick the puck in the net. As soon one single kid jumped the bench in ecstasy I would have already been blasting my seat warmers in relief. Officials catch a hell of a lot of flack for their judgement calls, but the dudes that would likely wouldn't hesitate to tell you "I don't get paid enough for this shit" deserve a medal of honor for overturning theirs and making things awkward as fuck in the spirit of fair competition. I don't think you have to ask them twice if they think the right team won...twice.
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