Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Soccer and Hockey

I'm going to try another parlay today, this time with some soccer and hockey. Not much analysis needed so I'll keep it short and sweet.

Copa del Rey
Barcelona (+115) at Real Madrid - The two biggest Spanish clubs face off in the first leg of the Copa semifinals. Barca is on the road, but look to have the much healthier lineup for today. These games are always exciting because they feature several of the top players in the world.

AND

Chicago (-135) at Minnesota - The Wild managed to squeak by Columbus last night while the Blackhawks were able to rest and watch. They might be the best team in hockey right now. Being favored on the road is tricky, but they will keep their hot start to the season alive.

Total Bet: $400
Potential Win: $1097

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

NHL Parlay

I'm not sure why but I'm going to try a 3-way parlay again. I'm going with 3 home teams that are all fairly big favorites. I'm not really going out on a limb, but that is why I'm putting them together in a parlay. Don't have time for much analysis so I'll make it quick.

Minnesota (-190) vs. Columbus - The Wild will bounce back against a bad team who had to travel the day of the game.

AND

Tampa Bay (-170) vs. Florida - The Lightning have the offensive potential to make this game a blowout.

AND

Detroit (-160) vs. Dallas - The Red Wings are one of the best home teams in sports over the last decade. The Stars lost to Columbus last night.


Total Bet: $400
Potential Win: $1175

Return to Winning Ways

Things have not been going well for me recently in the betting department. I see a good opportunity in tonight's Minnesota Wild matchup at home against Columbus to break that losing skid.

MN Wild (+155) -1.5

Columbus did get a victory at home last night against Dallas, but weren't able to fly to Minnesota after the game due to fog.  They arrived in MN late morning which means they won't get a morning skate in, however that likely isn't a huge factor.  Don't let the recent good showings by the Blue Jackets fool you, they aren't good.  The Wild at home, with a couple days rest; verses a Columbus team playing back to backs and flying in day of. Obviously the straight up win is a more likely outcome but at -190 I just don't see any value in it, especially when I think the Wild will take the lead early and not look back. But I am prepared to be crossing fingers hoping for a possible empty netter in order to cover.

Bet: $200
Possible Win: $510

Monday, January 28, 2013

Don't Try This At Home

Alright I have to draw this up pretty quick because the match starts in about 30 minutes from the writing of this so try and follow along.  Haven't had much time to look at sports betting in the past week as I gear up what I consider the beginning of horse racing season next weekend. So here goes nothing.

Exeter City WIN (-105) over Torquay United

I know what you are thinking.......never heard of these squads. And honestly, unless you are reading this from the U.K., or play ungodly amounts of FIFA '13 (raises hand), you wouldn't know these are two teams in the English League 2. That is 3 steps BELOW the Premier League.  I do follow roughly enough to know that Torquay is not doing well, Exeter scores and are non loosers in their last 5.  They get their leading scorer back from suspension, I'm throwing in $500.


BET: $500
Potential Win: $476

P.S. This wasn't available where we normally bet, I looked at all the major places taking action on this game and went with the average line which was 1.95. (-105 in the american form, we hate decimal systems)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

UFC 6 on FOX Bets

I thoroughly enjoy the UFC and while I consider myself a fan, I've still got a long way to go when it comes to handicapping fights. I'm going to throw $50 on each fight and see how we end up in the end.

Eric Koch -200 over Ricardo Lamas
Featherweights get very little attention, but this should be a very entertaining fight. Koch is an up and comer in the weight class, look for him to be able to end this fight

Bet: $50
Potential win: $25

Donald Cerrone +120 over Anthony Pettis
They say to stay away from emotion when betting, but it is very difficult to do in this fight. I'm a fan of The Cowboy Cerrone and I think he'll be able to last in this one. Pettis is a very dangerous fighter and usually doesn't go to the decision, but I think this will last all 3 rounds with Cerrone getting the decision.

Bet: $50
Potential win: $60

Quinton Jackson +260 over Glover Teixeira
Teixeira has only had 2 UFC fights, but ended them both in style. With that said, Jackson's ability on the ground and the huge odds make it hard to not take a chance on the underdog in this bout. He's a bit of a wild card for if he's gonna show up during the fight, I'm hoping for good things here.

Bet: $50
Potential win: $130

Demetrious Jackson -260 over John Dodson
Despite the odds, this should be a great matchup. Each fighter has great defenses against the other's strengths so I could see this title fight going the whole 5 rounds and that is the reason I am going with Jackson. His conditioning is impeccable and I look for him to retain his belt.

Bet: $50
Potential win: $19

Bankroll: $1050

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Australian Open

Maybe I'm getting desperate but I'm going to call it being creative. Since this is one of the major tennis tournaments I'm going to make two different bets on it. One for the men's side, and one for the women's.

Friday Men's Semifinals

Roger Federer (+120) over Andy Murray

These are two of the top tennis players in the world right now, and Federer may be the best ever. This should be a very entertaining match. Murray is 10-9 against Federer, but has never beaten him in a Grand Slam match. Federer knows how to play big on the big stage so I'm going with the veteran.

Total Bet: $200
Potential Win: $240

Saturday Women's Final

Victoria Azarenka (-145) over Li Na

I can't say that I'm a huge women's tennis fan, but I will watch it occasionally if it is a big tournament. Na has the head-to-head advantage 5-4, but I'm going with the favorite on this one.

Total Bet: $200
Potential Win: $138




Wednesday, January 23, 2013

NCAA Basketball

Usually I stay far, far away from NCAA basketball until March Madness comes around, but looking at today's games I saw a few that stuck out to me and figured I'd try and make up the ground I've lost with a little bit of a crazy 3-way parlay. It may be fairly obvious by now, but I prefer 3-ways.

Butler +2.5 over LaSalle
This could be the bet that ruins the parlay, but it is too enticing to not take a chance on. This isn't the Butler team that went to the NCAA Championship game, but Brad Stevens is no slouch and has them playing extremely well as of late (13 game win streak). It looks like leading scorer Rontei Clarke won't be playing for the Bulldogs due to a sprained neck, but this isn't a 1 man team and should dispatch the Explorers on the road.

Duke -3 over Miami (FL)
It's hard to not like the #1 team in the nation to only have to cover 3 points. Yes, it is on the road and yes, this isn't your typical Hurricane's basketball team and yes, Ryan Kelly is still out with a bum foot. But with all that said, Duke comes to play and they rarely lose an ACC game. Look for Duke to jump out early and not look back.

Minnesota -9 over Northwestern
Typically I wouldn't be big on a 9 point spread, but I watched the first meeting between these two teams and the Gophers played absolutely horribly in the first half, they still won by 18 points. The Gophers are coming off of 2 consecutive Big 10 defeats, but even more of a reason for them to bounce back with a strong game against a very sub-par Wildcat squad.

Total bet: $150
Potential win: $900

Bankroll: $1250

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

More Hockey Bets

Last weekend was a little rough, looking to rebound with some weekly hockey bets. We're going to give the parlays a little break and stick to single game bets. Let's see if the new strategy will pay off.

Philadelphia (-105) at New Jersey

The Flyers are 0-2 right off the bat. They are hungry for a win and have way too much talent to not get it done tonight. I'm taking the Flyers.

Total Bet: $100
Potential Win: $95

Minnesota (-130) vs. Nashville

The Wild are looking good to start the season and had the day off yesterday. The Predators are coming off back-to-back shootout losses, including one late last night. I'm going with the home team off a day of rest and no travel.

Total Bet: $100
Potential Win: $77

San Jose at Edmonton OVER 5.5 Goals (+110)

This game features a lot of offensive talent and unproven goaltending. Both teams have potential superstars who can put up a lot of points. Should be an entertaining game.

Total Bet: $100
Potential Win: $110


Saturday, January 19, 2013

Hockey Is Back...Football Is Still Around

Since the NHL is finally ready to drop the puck that means it is time to place some hockey bets. Apparently this is also an important weekend in the NFL so we can't just ignore that. Here are my picks for this weekend's action:

NFL Money Line Parlay

New England (-360) and Atlanta (+170)

I can't get a good read on the spreads for these games so I'm going with the money line. I think the Patriots will win comfortably. I just can't go against Brady at home. Nobody is giving the Falcons a chance to win this game. For some reason I am. I think Kaepernick is overrated, no way he repeats what he did last week. The Falcons offense has enough firepower to win this game. It may come down to a last second play like last week, but I have faith the Falcons will get it done.

Total Bet: $100
Potential Win: $245


NHL Parlay

Chicago (-105) and Carolina (-105) and Minnesota/Colorado Over 5 goals (-130)

Chicago underwhelmed last year and has too much talent to not make some noise this year. Carolina added another Staal and Semin and that should help them score some goals this year. Minnesota and Colorado is a pretty decent rivalry game that features a lot of young offensive talent. I expect a high scoring game to start the season.

Total Bet: $100
Potential Win: $574

NHL Grand Salami (Total Goals Scored in All NHL Games) UNDER 72

I have never seen this bet before but it is very intriguing. There may be some sloppy play to begin the season and I think most teams will play a safer and defensive style. That is why I am taking the under on 72 goals scored for the day.

Total Bet: $100
Potential Win: $91

That is it for this weekend, good luck on your plays.



Saturday, January 12, 2013

Wagering Some Football and Futball


OK, so last week didn’t work out so well….or at all. As a result I WAS going to dial back the crazy just a little bit and place two separate wagers, but I just couldn’t help myself so I parlayed 3 together (again).

Manchester United WIN (-125)
First, an English Premier League matchup that I don’t think will be nearly as close as the odds are suggesting. Manchester United verses Liverpool at Old Trafford.  Man U will be without their marquee striker Rooney, but I don’t think it will hinder the Red Devils as much as betters think.  Robin Van Persie has 16 goals so far this year and I believe he tags on another one in this matchup. Finally, while Liverpool has been in good form recently, they haven’t won at Old Trafford in four years. Worried for a draw, but think Man U comes out on top 2-1.

Denver Broncos (-9) AND the over 44.5
I won’t give too much analysis on this game only because I don’t think it’s needed.  I think the Ravens are emotionally (and likely physically) spent from last week’s win over the Bengals, and they travel to Denver to play what I believe is the best team in football.  The Broncos have methodically beaten down opponents so consistently over the 2nd half of the season that people hardly talk about it anymore. I think the over is a hands down lock, but a spread of 9 points is always a little bit to worry about, even with the expected beat down I think Manning will deliver on Saturday.

Wager $300
possible win: $1,668  

NFL Divisional Bet

After getting shut out the last two weeks, I've decided to simplify my bet and not get quite as crazy with it. I like both Denver & New England to win this week, but 9 point spreads are too big to mess around with in the playoffs. With that said, I'm going to go with a $300 2-way parlay:

Falcons -2.5
The Seahawks bandwagon seems to be doubling in size every week, but I just don't see the appeal. They are going up against a very good Atlanta team at home where the speed and skill of their offense is on display. Seattle's defense will be able to keep it close, but when I say close I mean within 2 touchdowns. Atlanta wins this game easily.

Packers M/L
If history has proved anything over the last few years, it's that you need a QB to win in the playoffs and because of that, I'm seeing good things for Green Bay. San Francisco is starting a rookie QB who can't throw very well, that doesn't equal victory. Aaron Rodgers has been here before and knows what it takes to get to the Super Bowl. I have great faith in the Packers to win this game.

Total bet: $300
Potential win: $910

Bankroll: $1400

UPDATE: A total loss. Packers looked completely overmatched and Falcons missed out by .5 point

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Wildcard Bet


Alright, here goes nothing. There are a couple of large spreads that are very attractive bets in this NFL Wildcard week, so my decision was to parley the two into what will hopefully be a nice little score.

Minnesota +8

This line opened up at +9.5 which is huge for ANY NFL game, let alone one where the team beat their opponent last week. I know the game is at Lambeau, but the weather looks to be cold and I expect the Vikings to control most of the game with AP. The only worry with this is Christian Ponder is questionable, I expect him to play BUT if he doesn’t this bet could be ugly.  I still expect the Vikings to be within a touchdown in this game.

Indianapolis +7

I don’t expect this to be a high scoring game, and the Ravens have not looked anything like the playoff teams of the past.  The Baltimore defense will probably play inspired with the pending retirement of Ray Lewis, but I think Andrew Luck and the Colts will put up enough of a fight to stay within a touchdown. (My guess is lose by 3)

The Ponder question mark is the only reason why I’m not betting more in this situation.

Total Bet: $200
Potential Win: $514

UPDATE: In the time I wrote this the MN spread bumped up to +9.5 but I’ll still go with the +8. The recent news that Ponder has been downgraded to questionable likely means some large players are moving some BIG money onto the Packers to beat the spread.  

Friday, January 4, 2013

NFL Wildcard Bets

Missed out on a chance at decent money last week, I'll again throw my hat in the ring. I wanted to tie in the BCS National Championship game, but a 9.5 point spread is just too big when I'm leaning towards Alabama. Regardless I'm feeling a little more confident this time around, here's my $200 3-way parlay:

Houston -4.5 pts
The Texans will open up their offense and put away the Bengals early and easily in this matchup. I don't think Cincinnati will be able to keep up with Houston on either side of the ball. Highly confident in this game.

Colts/Ravens under 47 pts
Not as high on this pick, but I do think emotion plays a factor in this game. With Ray Lewis announcing his retirement following the season, Baltimore's defense comes to play and shuts down Andrew Luck. I don't see the Ravens offense putting up a lot of points, so I'm going with a low scoring affair.

Washington M/L
This is the big wildcard in the bet. I haven't been on the RGIII bandwagon all year, but I'm even more against the Russell Wilson experiment when he's playing outside of Seattle. The Redskins have the more talented team and I think they'll win this one and I'm punting the 3 points that the odds makers are offering.

Total bet: $200
Potential win: $1440

Bankroll: $1700

UPDATE: Looking good going into the final wild card game, then RGIII went down and any hope at a big payout went down the drain.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Week 17 NFL Bets

Week 17 in the NFL is usually a week to stay away from at all costs when wagering. Teams are locked into their playoff spots and star players find their way to the bench early in the games. With that said, I'll be putting down $100 on a 3-way parlay. Not super confident in it, but it could pay off nicely if it hits.

Colts +7
Way too big of a spread to not take action on. Chuck Pagano will be making his return so you know Indianapolis will come to play. Houston could potentially be playing for home field advantage (depending on New England's outcome), but with the Colts at home they will easily cover.

GB/MIN under 46
Minnesota's defense has really been turning it on as of late and with their playoff fate on the line, this game should be no different. The Packers come in with 2 new starting lineman including a new starting center in the very loud Metrodome. The Vikings offense hasn't been explosive at all this, I see this being a low scoring affair.

Cowboys +3
This is where things get tricky. Dallas has been on fire as of late and I can see them beating the Redskins in Washington, but it could very easily become the RGIII show. I feel confident in the line only because it is an NFC East battle and those games always seem to be close.

Total bet: $100
Potential win: $614

UPDATE: And there is a reason I wasn't very confident in it. The only bet that hit was the Colts, way off on the other two. Better luck next week.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Nowhere to go but up?

With Kevin Love coming out this week and questioning the personnel decisions and direction of the Minnesota Timberwolves, I took a step back and looked at all of the professional teams in MN. I never thought I'd be saying this, but Minnesota might currently be Loserville, USA.

Minnesota Vikings- Somehow have a winning record currently, but could very easily be sub-.500 when the season ends in 3 weeks. I do like the moves that GM Rick Spielman has done and appreciate his acknowledgement that the team needed to start from the bottom. A youth movement is the only way to do this and he appears to have the wheels starting to turn. With that said, there is still one glaring weakness on the team and it involves the most important position in the NFL. Christian Ponder is not and will not be a legitimate starting QB. With the season they have turned in, they won't be drafting in the top 10 and thus won't have a shot at a top QB prospect. This means they could have a great roster of players in a year or 2, but still no shot at the Lombardi trophy because of a lack of QB play. Hopefully Spielman has an answer for this very important question.

Minnesota Timberwolves- Yes, everyone is very excited that they are a legitimate team again and will possibly be able to make the playoffs this year. Ricky Rubio is cute and can play, Love is the top PF in the game and Nikola Pekovic is coming into his own. Besides those 3, what do the Wolves have to show for drafting in the NBA Lottery since 2006? Nothing. The NBA is a superstar driven league. The Wolves have someone in Love who is capable of playing at a superstar level and he has a trusty sidekick in Rubio. Beyond that, they have nothing but scrubs. They were desperately hoping that Brandon Roy's fake knees would last longer than 15 games and he could provide a spark, but that has shown to be nothing but disaster. GM David Kahn needs to get a proven commodity and a couple of firecrackers to come off the bench on this Wovles team in the next 2 years or KLove will be taking his talents to LA.

Minnesota Twins- Yet another MN team in the process of rebuilding. Recently traded their starting CF's away for pitching help and all but gave up any hope of contending for a playoff spot in 2013. And I'm nothing but excited! The Twins had no arms in the farm system and as evidenced lately, pitching goes a long way in determining success. They are hindered by Joe Mauer's huge contract and won't be spending big on any FA's in the near future (not that any of the top players would want to come to MN currently), but GM Terry Ryan is taking the correct approach and dealing from strength to make up for weakness. 2013 will be a long season, but the run that the Twins will be able to make from 2014-2017 will be well worth it.

Minnesota Wild- This is probably the only team that I truly had high hopes for coming into 2012 and the NHL Lockout has killed all hope. With that said, they are exactly what the Vikings and Twins are looking to create in the coming years. They have an elite farm system full of highly talented prospects and because of that, they were able to spend big on a couple of FA's to fill gaping holes. Hopefully Wild fans will get to see Zach Parise and Ryan Suter on the ice soon.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Clown Show

A New Low For The NHL

This debate could go on forever and this could turn into a lengthy article. But I'll keep it short and sweet and get my main points across. Being the hockey guy on this blog I feel I have to say something about what took place between the Rangers and Devils two nights ago. I am most likely in the minority here when I say that fighting doesn't belong in hockey. If you are and old-schooler you are probably outraged and probably quit reading. This is a new NHL and as fans our mindsets need to evolve along with the game. I'll give you a few reasons why fighting should be taken out of the NHL.

Head Injuries: Over the last few years we've been bombarded by the increase in concussions across all sports. Players today are now bigger and faster than ever, but they're still playing on the same size rinks as players of the past. In hockey we all know the stories of enforcers who have died as a result of brain trauma that can lead to a multitude of other complications. Why would we want to increase the occurrence of concussions over something that barely impacts the game?

Quality of Play: Having “enforcers” on every team lowers the quality of the game. These goons sit on the bench all game and play a maximum of five minutes a game. However, those five minutes are brutal to watch. Almost always they cannot skate, cannot stick handle, and cannot pass. What they are actually doing is stealing a roster spot from a skilled player. I would bet that there is at least one player on each AHL team that deserves the roster spot that these guys take up.

It's Outdated: The NHL of today is so different than the NHL of the 70's and 80's. We no longer have the Broad Street Bullies who roam around the ice looking to scrap with the other team. What we do have is an incredibly high amount of skill. The NHL should be focusing on highlighting the speed, agility, and hand-eye coordination of its players. Fighting had its place when it was done to protect the superstar players. They don't need to be protected anymore. There aren't players running around the ice trying to cheap shot guys like there used to be. The NHL has cracked down on head contact and illegal hits, and it has resulted in a cleaner and better game.

There's nothing wrong with playing a physical style, but there is a big difference between hard hits and staged fights at the opening faceoff. Fighting may have a place in the minor leagues where any gimmick is used to get fans in the arena. But in the NHL, which I admit is a niche sport, fighting should be saved for the rare occasions where a goalie is hit, or a cheap shot does occur. True hockey fans would much rather see a well played clean game every night.

Just another example to prove my point. In my opinion this is the order in best quality of hockey, and the order in which games I would most like to watch:

  • Olympic Hockey

  • College Hockey

  • High-School Hockey

  • NHL Hockey

Note that in the top three there is no fighting allowed. It's skill vs. skill which is the way it should be.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

WCHA Final Five Quarterfinal Recap


Some of the best hockey you will see all year long takes place at the Xcel Energy Center with the WCHA Tournament.

Denver wins 3-2 in OT over Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech has usually been at the bottom of the WCHA, but made huge strides this year and found themselves at the X for only the 2nd time. They were able to play a very feisty game and keep up with the more talented Pioneers. Denver was the faster team, but Josh Robinson kept the Huskies in the game with a very impressive performance in net ending with 41 saves. Michigan Tech looks to be a program on the rise and will hopefully be able to build upon this impressive performance. Denver as usual has a lot of top end talent and their top 2 lines matchup against any in the country. Michigan Tech's defense played very conservatively and made Denver work for their scoring chances. Minnesota Wild prospect Jason Zucker was able to put a shot past Robinson just a few minutes into overtime to claim the victory for Denver.

North Dakota wins 4-1 over St. Cloud State
A much closer game than the final score indicates, this one was up for grabs going into the final few minutes before the Sioux scored 2 empty netters to clinch the victory. Coming in North Dakota needed a W to guarantee them a spot in the NCAA tournament and St. Cloud would need the automatic berth from winning the WCHA Tournament to prolong their season. Both goalies had solid games, but the defense in front of them stymied most chances. North Dakota played their typical physical game and wore down the Huskies with their depth.

The semi-finals on Friday should be some great games with the Bulldogs of Minnesota-Duluth taking on Denver in the afternoon game. At night the best rivalry in college hockey continues as the regular season champion Minnesota Gophers go against North Dakota. Be sure to tune in as these next two days of hockey are the best of the year.

March Madness Predictions

Final Four Picks

Here on the blog none of the contributors are exactly basketball aficionados. However we do like to think that we are “experts” no matter what sport it is. So this is where we try and prove who knows best. Or maybe with March Madness it will be who is the luckiest. Either way bragging rights are on the line.



Dr. Dangle's Picks:







Evil Empire's Picks:






The Godfather's Picks:


It looks like we are all very original when it comes to making our predictions. It must be the years of ESPN that have us so brainwashed as to only pick #1 and #2 seeds. Feel free to post your own picks in the comment section, and don't be afraid to tell us why you think that we are wrong. Or right, but most likely wrong.


Monday, March 12, 2012

Besse Boosts Benilde

Record setting night gives Benilde its first AA state title

Saturday night at the Xcel was a night for the record books. Grant Besse scored all five goals for Benilde and gave the Red Knights their third overall state championship. Besse took advantage of his speed and some opportunistic turnovers as he set the record for most goals scored in a championship game. Back in 1951 the great John Mayasich scored four goals for Eveleth in the championship game. Even more amazing is that Besse scored three shorthanded goals. A stubborn Hill-Murray power play was prone to giving up the breakaways which cost them in the end. A five minute major late in the game gave Hill-Murray another opportunity to pull the game close. It didn’t take long for that power play to turn into a penalty kill as the Pioneers took two costly penalties. In the end Benilde had too much offensive firepower and they peaked at the right time of the season. It was another memorable state tournament with a title game performance that will be talked about for years to come.

Kloos wins Mr. Hockey

Justin Kloos wrapped up an incredible senior season with a third place trophy and the Mr. Hockey Award. He finished the season with 103 points, the 10th highest total in state history. He tallied a point in all but one game this season. Not bad for a player who every other team’s main goal was to shut him down. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing him wear the maroon and gold for at least a couple of seasons.

It was a great season followed by a great tournament. I’m sad to see it end, and now we must transition to a month of college basketball. However, not too far down the road is the NCAA hockey tournament, followed by the NHL playoffs. There’s still plenty of more puck talk to come so check back here for future articles.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Private Affair

For the first time since 2002 we have an all private school final.

Friday Night Recap

One game went to overtime and one game should have gone to running time. Hill-Murray was outplayed in the first period, and then went on to dominate the last two periods. They even held Moorhead to one shot in the third period. Moorhead relied heavily on their goalie, but he could only slow down the Pioneers for so long.

The second semifinal game was over after the first 17 minutes, if not sooner. Benilde jumped out to an early five goal lead in the first and never looked back. Their top end talent was too much for Lakeville South to handle. The Cougars shocked Duluth East on Thursday night but couldn't seem to find that same energy again. They looked over-matched and couldn't capitalize on the few chances they had.

I have now picked every AA game incorrectly, let's see if I can stay consistent.

Championship Game Preview

This should be a well played and hard fought game. Both teams play solid fundamental hockey, but they also have plenty of talent up front. Each team has a Mr. Hockey Finalist and will look to them to get the scoring started. Depth is not an issue for either team and should lead to a fast pace all game long. Benilde is in the championship for the first time since 2001. It would be their third state title, but first one at the AA level. Hill-Murray is back in the title game after winning it all in 2008. This would be there fourth state championship, and second at the AA level.

This game almost feels like a coin flip. They have the same record going into this game at 25-6. They have both allowed three goals in their first two games at state. They played way back on Dec. 1st at Hill-Murray where the Pioneers won 3-2. I see this game finishing in similar fashion. I would not be surprised if this games goes into extra time. For my first correct prediction of the tournament I'm going with the Pioneers in this game. Hill-Murray wins 4-3 in OT.

Follow up tomorrow with a Championship Game and State Tournament recap. Only 364 days until next year's tournament. We're already looking forward to it.