When the RIIL switched to the Frozen Four format for the boys and girls hockey championships, there was a lot of criticism from the hockey world.
But after two years, it may have been the best change the league has ever made.
Before this change, the hockey playoffs were obsolete. Sure, the championship series was great, but the semifinals lacked the magic and the outcome, which should always be in doubt, became increasingly predictable.
The format of the university changed everything. In three straight games, the underdog doesn't have much of a chance of winning. In a one-game, winner-take-all format, a good goalie and some puck luck are enough to clinch the title.
Last year, fourth-place Warwick almost beat eventual state champion Hendricken. On the women's side, No. 4 South County had a similar performance to No. 1 seed La Salle, but ultimately lost to No. 2 SCMB.
There were a lot of upsets this year. It was a thriller, with No. 4 Burrillville defeating top seed Prout, and No. 2 Hendricken defeating No. 3 La Salle in last place. The Broncos left everything on the ice for two periods before the Hawks won.
more:Hendricken boys hockey skates with perfect third period to win third straight state championship
more:Portsmouth completes redemption and wins first men's hockey title in 14 years
The Division II semifinals were even more frenetic. No. 5 Portsmouth got hot at the right time, defeating one-loss Ponaganset, then beating No. 3 Blackstone Valley and then upsetting No. 2 Nariho to qualify.
Before Portsmouth, the last team not seeded in the top three to reach the finals was La Salle in 2009-10, when they were seeded No. 6. The last No. 4 seed to win the title was Lincoln, who defeated No. 3 seed Moses Brown to win the Division II Large Championship. The last time a team seeded outside of the top four won was in 2003-04 when No. 6 Moses Brown defeated No. 2 Burrillville.
This year's girls team was a bit of a whitewash, but it was exciting to watch No. 3 La Salle defeat No. 2 South County in the final minutes of the semifinals for the win. The excitement and drama that comes from No. 1 SCMB's come-from-behind victory over the Rams in the title game is something you can't get from three straight games.
more:'They found an extra gear': How SCMB won its second straight women's hockey title in OT
Still, this format is not perfect. The time between the semi-finals and the final is too long. The RIIL has booked venues all over the country, and while Schneider Arena is the perfect location to host these games, the league cannot hold the semifinals one weekend and not play the finals until the next weekend. Can not. He would schedule the semi-finals and finals one day apart, which would make the sport even more exciting. Even if it means sacrificing Premier Arena, that's fine.
That being said, kudos to RIIL for taking a risk, making a bold change, and hitting it out of the park (I don't see the hockey analogy there). I hope this format sticks around in the long run.
RIIL's schedule is almost perfect
This winter, RIIL performed best in terms of scheduling. This is extremely important when trying to generate interest in a big game.
Indoor track and gymnastics shared their first championships on Saturday. It wasn't bad, but for two sports that don't get much coverage during the regular season, it would have been better to move one to Sunday to give one the spotlight.
Pro wrestling had a day of its own. It was a fitting day for a niche sport with a passionate fan base. The Journal sent three reporters to the state convention, but so far no one remembers what happened.
The state championships held on March 2 were just for boys and girls swimming. Sure, there were the basketball semifinals and New England wrestling, but swimming also had a chance to shine.
The division hoop tournament, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, was a success, allowing each division to have a productive day, when normally the lower divisions would take a backseat.
Having the state basketball and hockey finals on the same day wasn't great for the two major sports this season – it's like scheduling the football finals on the same day as the Super Bowl. -However, it seems that the availability of the arena was more important than anything else.
It would be great for all sports if the RIIL could continue to be aware of avoiding multiple championships being held on the same day. Nontraditional sports need their time to shine, and they got it this winter. Hopefully it can continue.
Realize your dreams through teamwork
This felt like the most in-depth coverage of winter high school sports since I started at the Journal. The real answer isn't hard to find, although schedule played an important role.
We did it as a team.
Bill Corey is a great boss who puts puzzles together when I'm throwing a million pieces at him at once.
Our desk staff, Mark Castonguay, Steve Cummings and Bobby McGarry, do an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. Our photographers, Chris Craig and David Delpoio, are there to document the game in a way I can't. Because they actually have the talent to take pictures, and I'm just an idiot with good equipment.
I call Bill Koch “The Goat” because in the world of RI sports journalism, he is the Goat. He embraces high school with the same vigor as college hoops. No one in the industry today can match his institutional knowledge of high school sports. That's why I love reading stories like his great article about Mount St. Charles' last game.
Jake Rousseau is new to us, but he's settling in quickly. He's not afraid to work, he's not afraid to try new things, and he's always asking the right questions to get better. Jake is just starting out in the business, but he's off to a great start and I can't wait to watch him evolve.
I am the most visible member of the staff, so I receive a lot of praise. Koch is avoiding the spotlight, but I'm going to have Jake embrace it soon. I am overwhelmed sometimes when people thank me for my work and tell me how great the reporting is. But don't get me wrong about that. He is one of the reasons I am able to do my job.
my teammate.
We can be better, just like any other team. We will learn from our mistakes this winter and apply those changes in the spring to be the best we can be.
I can't wait to get started either.
