EP 74: Grabbing the Ox by the Horns: A State Basketball Tourney Special with Lakeville North’s John Oxton!

Before an interview with the 31st year head coach of the State-bound Panthers, Logan, Matt, & Bill circle back up to first to recap last week’s action at Williams Arena in the Girls Basketball State Tournament (2:37)! Topics discussed include Tessa Johnson’s herculean performance in the 4A title game for St. Michael, Stewartville’s suprising shakeup in the 3A tourney, and Maddyn Greenway’s dominant showing on the big stage for Providence Academy.

Next, the trio break down the entire Class 4A Boys Tournament field (15:50), discussing standout players, favorites, and potential upset bids in the large school division. They also key-in on the Mr. Basketball Final Five, who will all be showcased this week on the big stage, and discuss title favorites in Class 3A and 2A!

Interview with John Oxton, the Lakeville North Head Coach, starts at (51:00).

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EP 73: X Gon’ Give It To Ya & A Battle at the Barn with Bally Sports North’s Sam Ekstrom

Before welcoming in guest Sam Ekstrom, the TV voice of the Gophers and high school hockey on Bally Sports North & play-by-play broadcaster for last week’s Boys Hockey Tournament on the radio, Matt and Bill get together for a Girls Basketball State Tourney Preview starting at (5:07). They discuss every team in the field in Class 4A, upsets in last week’s slate of Section Finals, predictions, top players to watch, and deep dive into favorites in all four classes!

Starting at (36:31), Ekstrom joins the show to help break down the Boys Hockey Tournament last week at Xcel! He discusses Minnetonka rising to the top in a wide-open Class AA field, Mahtomedi’s suprise run to a Class A title, standout players, and some way-too-early predictions on contenders in the State next season!

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EP 72: Hockey at “the X” and a Basketball Section Preview with Ryan James from Prep Hoops Minnesota

Before welcoming in guest Ryan James to talk about the Mr. Basketball race and preview the boys Section Tournament, Logan, Matt, and Bill are back to discuss the Boys Class AA and Class A Hockey Tournament field (7:02)! They talk about a wide-open field in Class AA and make their picks in a loaded bracket, talk about top-tier goaltending on display, and talk about a key loss to Lakeville South’s lineup heading into their fifth consecutive appearance.

Starting at (24:03), they preview the week of Girls Basketball Section Finals, including key finals between Lakeville North & South, Chaska and Eden Prairie, Wayzata vs Hopkins, Centennial vs Blaine, and more!

Interview with Ryan James starts at (40:21). Topics discussed include favorites in the Mr. Basketball race heading into the postseason, the favorite and a dark-horse pick from each Section of Class AAAA, and a discussion of State title contenders in the Class 3A field.

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EP 71: The Vandals Heights Parade, Boys Hockey Section Chalk, and March Madness!

On the latest episode of the “TC Game Time Podcast,” the gang’s all here as Logan, Matt, and Bill reconvene to start by discussing the Girls Hockey State Tournament, including Gentry Academy’s revenge tour to the Class AA title, signs of increased parity in the girls field, Warroad’s second straight title, standout players, & more!

Starting at (18:25), they discuss upcoming Section Finals in the boys hockey scene, including an all-Lakeville Section Final and if any upsets could present themselves in what has mostly been a chalked section field so far in Class AA. They also break down the Mr. Hockey finalists list unveiled in the past week.

Finally at (35:27), they transition to girls hoops, and preview the upcoming Section 2AAAA tournament streaming on gametimemn.com, as well as talk about some of the other favorites to make it from the State Tournament in the #StateofGirlsHoops

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EP 70: Hockey Upset Recipes & Transfer Musings

On this episode Logan and Bill are joined by David Lavaque of the Star Tribune. We figure out the recipe for a potential upset in every A & AA girls tournament matchups. They also dive deep into the rules, problems, and potential solutions for the transfer trend taking over high school sports. Later we are joined by Lakeville North Girls Hockey Coach Buck Kochevar to discuss his team, season, and snowy trip to the X!

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EP 69: Dropping into a Zone, the Bison Herd, & Girls Hockey Sections!

On the latest episode of the podcast, Matt, Logan, & Bill discuss the biggest stories in high school hoops and hockey, including two number one teams matching up on the hardwood, the girls hockey section playoffs, & what’s at stake in the final week of the boys hockey regular season!

Starting in boys hoops (3:19), they discuss key results on the hardwood including an upset win as Maple Grove went down on the road, a battle of top juniors in the State, and a Park Center vs Totino-Grace rematch before they talk about the Buffalo Bison putting themselves on the map with a pair of top-10 victories as their “Game Time Deep Dive” team of the week.

Moving to the ice (24:03), they discuss the surprises of the first week of Girls Hockey Section playoffs, including Apple Valley’s stunning first-round exit, a six overtime thriller in Blaine, and Thursday night’s Section 1AA Final between Lakeville North and Northfield coming up on Panthers Live! In boys hockey, they debate who has the most at stake in the regular season’s final week, including STA & Cretin jockeying for position in a competitive Section 3AA, casting lots for the Section 1AA No. 2 seed, & Chanhassen looking to regain confidence down the stretch.

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EP 68: Now Dialing the 507 with Mankato Adapted Floor Hockey’s Dylan Boettcher!

On episode 68 of the podcast, the guys shake their Metro bias and talk about plenty of interesting teams in the Southern portion of the State. Guest Dylan Boettcher of Mankato Adapted Floor Hockey then joins the show to talk about the growth and energy surrounding the seldom discussed sport seeking to make hockey more inclusive for everyone!

Matt, Logan, & Bill start the show by breaking down the girls hockey Section playoffs that open up this week (1:47), beginning with favorites to advance to “the X,” locks in each Section, a collision course in 4AA between Hill-Murray and Gentry, and Owatonna’s chances to bust up the all-Metro monopoly in 1AA. Next on the boys side of the ice (9:32), they take on the next “Game Time deep dive,” as they spotlight Rochester-Mayo, who are coming off a big win over Lakeville North next week. The guys discuss standout players and the Spartans’ chances to knock off favorites Lakeville South in the postseason in 1AA. Also discussed is Minnetonka separating themselves as State title favorites in Class AA, and other results of interest from the past week.

In boys hoops (32:40), they talk about a shocking loss by Hopkins & reflect on the career of one of the greatest Minnesota High school hoopers in history, who recently has his number hung in the rafters of his alma mater last week.

Interview with Dylan Boettcher starts at (39:19)

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EP 67: Friday Night Ice & Powder Blues feat. YHH’s Tony Scott!

Section Playoff season is almost here! The TC Game Time Podcast is back talking prep hockey and hoops, including a guest appearance from Tony Scott of the Youth Hockey Hub!

Before Tony joins the show to talk hockey, Matt, Logan, and Bill break down a busy week in high school hoops (3:12), starting with the first “Game Time Deep Dive,” as they take a deeper examination into Bloomington-Jefferson Boys Basketball, who have struggled this year despite featuring the top junior in the State, electric guard Daniel Freitag. Also discussed is Park Center’s unbeaten run to start the year, Mahtomedi’s winning streak in Class 3A, and the possibility of two of the top teams in the State meeting in a Section Final this year. They also discuss what they see as a two-horse race for the “Mr. Basketball” award at the season’s midpoint.

The interview with Tony Scott starts at (37:45) with topics discussed including boys & girls hockey! On the boys side of the ice, they talk Wayzata’s recent skid, a suprise omission on the NHL Central Scouting list, the possibility of a Chan vs Tonka Section Final in 2AA, and a big week in the Section 1AA seedings, among other topics. On the girls side, they discuss Owatonna’s big upset of Lakeville South, Hill-Murray’s ascent, and more.

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EP 66: Metro Gerrymandering, the Boys Hoops Top-20, and Crunch Time in Hockey!

On the latest episode of the “TC Game Time Podcast,” Logan, Matt, and Bill circle up to discuss the latest in prep sports and pose big questions about where to draw the line of what defines the Twin Cities “Metro.”

Starting in boys basketball (7:42), the guys check in on the current top-20 ranked teams in the State in Class 4A just before the midpoint of the season, including breaking down the top-6 and Park Center’s surprise omission from the top spot. Also discussed are suprise teams like Cambridge-Isanti, Moorhead, Edina and risers that could break through in the top tier by the season’s end.

Moving to the ice (23:03), they discuss their on-again, off-again relationship with the Lakeville South Cougars, who recently flashed their dominance in a win over Shakopee to shake up the South Suburban race heading into the weekend. They also look at the possibility of Hastings and Mayo trying to break up the all-Lakeville party in Section 1AA, talk Rogers’ big win over Centennial in the North ‘burbs, and discuss the Section 4AA implications of this weekend’s “Hockey Day in Minnesota” matchup.

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EP 65: Closing the Gap with Prep Girls Hoops’ Grant McGinnis

Before welcoming in guest Grant McGinnis of Prep Hoops Minnesota to talk about some of the standout teams and stars of girls basketball in the State, Logan, Matt, & Bill react to some of the top stories and news in boys basketball and hockey this week!

Starting with boys basketball (4:06), Logan discusses last week’s overtime win by Eastview over Lakeville North in a battle of top South Suburban teams. Also discussed is Wayzata’s dominant win over Eden Prairie, how the top of the rankings have shaken up in 4A, and a breakdown of the Mr. Basketball Watch List!

Next in boys hockey (17:23), the guys hit the ice to talk about a shakeup in the power dynamics of the South Suburban conference, and some of the top high schoolers in the State featuring on last week’s NHL Central Scouting list. Bill Hupp closes the first segment of the show with an angry uniform rant about the Mahtomedi Zephyrs.

Interview with Grant McGinnis starts at (32:53). Topics discussed include top contenders in Class 4A, including Hopkins, Wayzata, STMA Chaska, Minnetonka, and more as McGinnis dives into the far reaching corners of the State to talk about the top girls talent to watch for in the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

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