Scuffle, Spear, Solitary, Salvation

I finally had a chance to watch the 2012 Class AA Minnesota Boys Hockey State Championship game on DVR. The March 10 game featured Benilde-St. Margaret's, looking for their first Class AA boys hockey title, against state tourney regular Hill-Murray. Both teams were unseeded coming into the tournament. The major story surrounding the Red Knights' presence was the terrible on-ice accident suffered by Jack Jablonski during a December 30 junior varsity game against Wayzata. Jabs and his family were at the X-cel center to watch the title tilt from a suite above the BSM student section.

The pace of the game during the first period was furious, and it appeared to me that the Pioneers had a slight advantage, managing to keep the puck in the Benilde end more often than the Red Knights could dominate at the other end of the rink. Stellar goaltending by BSM's Justin Quale kept the game scoreless. Then Red Knight forward Grant Busse scored, and once that happened HM couldn't stop him, even when the Pioneers went on the power play. Busse ended up with all five BSM goals (three short-handed), leading his team to a 5-1 victory.

Every time the Red Knights scored, the cameras would pan into the Jablonski suite, where Jack managed to celebrate by raising his arms. The smile across his face was heart-warming to say the least. This was a story the whole state of Minnesota, if not hockey fans worldwide, was following. As the game progressed it became apparent that a second major story line would be the exploits of Busse, who kept putting the biscuit in the basket. The announcers heaped obviously well-deserved praise on Besse for his once-in-a-lifetime feat.

Other than the Jablonski and Besse focus, there was a third, albeit relatively minor, human interest story going on which I found fascinating. With 9:13 left in the final period and the Red Knights leading 3 to 1, BSM defenseman Jake Horton, one of BSM's two senior captains, was called for spearing Hill Murray's Andy Faust. The play started out innocently enough when Horton was chasing down a long pass into the corner of his defensive end. Faust was hot on his tail, but Horton reached the puck first and swept it up ice. A second later, both Horton and Faust came face to face, and Faust delivered a legal check up against the boards. At the instant of the collision, both players had their sticks and gloves chest high, Faust to administer the check, and Horton to defend himself. It looked like words were exchanged, and as they skated out of the corner, Horton speared Faust in the stomach with a quick jab, causing Faust to double over momentarily and fall. Unfortunately for Horton, the referee was close by, and Horton was not only assessed "five for fighting" but was disqualified from the game (hockey talk for "kicked out"). Thirteen seconds of playing time later, Besse scored his second short-handed goal of the night to make it 4 to 1, and play-by-play announcer Clay Matvik guessed that the happiest guy in the arena was probably Horton, banished to solitary confinement in his locker room. At least, thanks to that Besse goal, Horton's stupid spearing penalty was not going to cost Benilde a state championship. If HM had scored after the Horton penalty, it might have been the turning point leading to a Pioneer comeback.

When the final horn sounded, the victorious Red Knights leaped on their goalie, Quale, in celebration, the teams shook hands, and the all-tournament team was announced. Finally, each Pioneer and Red Knight was called up individually to receive their silver and gold medals. Only one thing was missing: Horton. Apparently, State High School League Rules (or its policies) prohibit a disqualified player from taking part in the awards ceremony on the ice. This became obvious first when Horton did not line up on the blue line for the medals ceremony, and again when the team captains were called forward to receive the championship trophy. Captain Christian Horn, together with alternate captains Besse and TJ Moore, skated up to the trophy table, but there was no sign of Horton. As I was watching this, my heart bled for Horton. Sure, he deserved the major penalty and the disqualification, but come on! Did the punishment fit the crime? High school is about making memories. Horton served his time, viz., the five minute major and the game disqualification, but was being deprived of a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the sun because of an impulsive mistake made in the heat of battle. By the way, Faust was not seriously injured by Horton's spearing. In fact, Faust played several more shifts thereafter.

Apparently Horton's fellow captains felt the same way as I. Horn, Besse and Moore accepted the trophy, but did not raise it. They had something else in mind. Instead, they skated over to the BSM bench where Horton had reappeared and presented him the golden prize over the boards. Horton held it high above his head. Now, when he shows the DVD of the game someday to his kids, he will have his theretofore deprived seconds of glory. After a few moments, Horton returned the trophy to his teammates, who then skated over to the student section to give their schoolmates an up-close look at the award. Incredibly, the announcers did not say anything about this chain of events. Louie Nannie was preoccupied with repeating, for seemingly the hundredth time, that Hill Murray should have shot more and passed less. Yes, the two main story lines were Jablonski and Busse. But the mini-drama involving Horton was a study in human nature, and what it means to be a teammate.

The last chapter of the story was not televised: the hockey team hooked up with Jabs after the game in the locker room, and he had the privilege of taking the trophy home for a night.