March Madness Dispatch
Steely Dan sang in “Deacon Blues,” “They got a name for the winners…I want a name when I lose.” We are still searching for one for the two teams whose seasons ended Saturday at the NCAA West Regional men’s hockey semifinals in St Paul.
The first game was a “what could have been” contest between St. Cloud State and Ferris State. “In a one-and-done tournament…it’s going to rip your heart out,” bemoaned SCSU Coach Bob Motzko after his team’s 5-4 overtime loss. His season ended nearly 20 seconds into the sudden death period.
“You can’t help but realize what the other kids are going through and how hard they’ve worked,” adds Coach Bob Daniels, whose Ferris State team plays Denver Sunday.
Denver knocked Boston University 7-2 in Saturday’s nightcap.
Saturday’s winners play Sunday in the West Regional finals.
The two other teams leave town without an appropriate name after their lose. Maybe it’s like Muhammad Ali said, “No one knows what to say in the loser’s locker room.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.
Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.