The Flames proved to be too strong for the stubborn Solar Bears.  The Flames had swept their pool going undefeated; the Solar Bears played three tough pool games and won their pool by a total goal differential of 2 goals.

Most of the Flames players are from the St. Cloud area (District 5-St. Micheal/Albertville, Little Falls, Sartell, River Lakes, Sauk Rapids).  Some Flame players will end up playing high school in the 2013-2014 season and some will play bantams for their association.

The Solar Bears are from the area of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota.  Solar Bear teams have played in other tourneys this summer in the Twin Cities areas and have done well making it to several championship games.

The Flames took charge of the game in the early minutes of the first period, scored early, weathered a Solar Bear counterattack, and finally put the game on ice late in the second period.  The Solar Bear’s goalie Kaden Ericson kept the Flames doused until an errant pass and two deflections put the Flames on the road to a championship win 7-0.

The errant pass came at the 11 minute mark of the first period.  The Flame’s Lucas Spainer picked off a dangerous cross ice pass by the Bear defense at the Solar Bear’s blue line and broke open on a rush to the Bear’s net.  The Flames’ Ryan Murnane went with Spainer.  Spainer beat the goalie on the left side.  Murnane never touched the puck, but his move split the Bears goalie Ericson’s attention forcing him to be aware of a weak side pass.  That opened the net up for Spainer’s shot.  Murnane got the assist.  The Flames led 1-0.

Twenty seconds later, the Flames James Anderson’s shot from the Solar Bear blue line caromed in the slot and bounced of a Solar Bear defender on the weak side into the net to the Flames up 2-0.

The last half of the opening period was marred by penalties.  In all five were called, two on the Solar Bears.  The Flames added a goal late in the first on a shot from the blue line that was tipped on the way to the net.  The Flames’ Luke Benson got the goal; Kendrick Frost got the assist.  The first period ended with the Flames up 3-0.

The second period was cleanly skated and the Flames began to dominate.  Solar Bear teams this past summer had often fallen behind early and hung in the game to come back to win or give their opponent “fits” in the final seconds.  Not on Sunday.

Four minutes into the second period, the Flames scored to go up 4-0.  Derek Dropik scored on a backhand shot from the right slot.  He put a rebounding puck into the net.  Sia Mcquillan got the assist.  The Flames added a fifth goal when Spainer scored his second goal of the game; Landon Johnson got the assist.  The Flames’ Graham Lorsung scored unassisted late in the second period to put the Flames up 6-0.

The final period was cleanly skated.  The Flames’ Luke Benson scored his second goal; Keith Holme got the assist.  The Flames won the American Division Championship 7-0.  Flames goalie, Jaeger Reed, stopped 15 shots to earn the shutout.

This game matched the Bauer Supreme and the Bandits.  The Supreme, mostly players from the Twin Cities’ western suburbs (some were from as far west as Willmar) played strong in the first half of the game and led 2-1 late in the second period.  It was clear that the Bandits wanted the championship.  That became obvious when late in the second period, the Bandits tied the game and went into celebration mode.

That goal spurred the Bandits onward.  When they took a 3-2 lead early in the second period, the Bandits really celebrated.  On the Supreme bench, it was game on.  Both teams worked hard the remainder of the third period, but with four minutes left on the clock, a Bandit forward ended up “dueling” the Supreme goalie at the top of the crease with the puck on the ice between the two.  The puck rolled left and the Supreme forward managed to gain enough control to slide the puck into the open net.

That was the insurance goal.  The Bandits won the National Championship game 4-2.

A pair of sevens opened the scoring in the second period of the game after a scoreless first period.  The Bauer Supreme’s #7 Luke Posner scored halfway through the period on a breakaway.  Posner beat the goalie moving right and backhanding the puck into the upper left corner.  The Bandits’ #7 Carson Simon scored two minutes later to tie the game 1-1.  Thirty seconds later Bauer’s Jack Doherty scored from the right face off putting the puck in the left side, to put the Supreme ahead 2-1.

The Supreme lead lasted three minutes.  The Bandits’ Simon notched his second goal of the game to tie the game 2-2 at the end of the second period. The goal was an emotional one for the Bandits.  Two minutes into the third period, the Bandit’s Hunter Kivley scored the game winner putting the Bandits ahead for good 3-2.

“For what!” a Supreme coach snapped out loud at no one a minute after the tie breaker.  His comment came before the ref could give the penalty call.  The Supreme penalty was for interference.  It was the first of six penalties called on the Supremes in the last 10 minutes of the game.  The Bauer Supremes could still generate pressure, but it is tough to skate shorthanded for long periods of time.  The Bandits won the National Division Championship 4-2 and started celebrating.

They are probably still celebrating.  It was a good game to watch.

So what is the problem with the Vadnais Heights arena?  The teams, parents, and tournament sponsors had no complaints.  In this corner, we are unaware of the financial and political matters revolving around the arena.  But we have a user view, having been then many times.

Three things that cause the arena problems can be pointed out.  The first is simple-construction.

The whole complex of interstates, state highways, and local streets that surround the place has been continually under construction on one side or the other for the past three years.  On Sunday, two parents were talking about their travel time taking an hour or more and they were coming from the Blaine area.  Interstate 35, a major route just west of the arena, is undergoing improvements.  Improvements are still being done on major routes south of the arena.  It has been this way since the arena opened.

There is a problem like access.  Parking is not a problem, but the wast side access is poorly marked.  There is no signage and few visitors are aware that taking the west side entrance allows for parking behind the local restaurant with a west door into the arena.

The east side entrance off Highway 61 is not marked and there are no directions to either the west or north entrance parking.  It is useable only to drivers going south on Highway 61.  Few strangers are aware that it is there just as they are unaware that far west access on the north side actually takes drivers to a parking area outside a poorly marked west entrance to the facility.

The result is most people opt to use the east entrance on the north side.  It is the most visibly marked entrance and can be seen from the south, east and north streets; but it has a big problem.  One coming from those directions has to make a left turn across double yellow stripes and three lanes of traffic into an entrance posted on both sides with one way no entrance signs.

That makes a driver feel like a camera will catch them for a $135 ticket, especially when they have to leave the same way and make a left turn to re-cross three lanes of traffic.  No one really likes to break the law.

But the final and biggest reason, there is no McDonald’s, no Burger King, no real fast food nearby.  Instead there are acres and acres of car dealerships in all four directions.  Only a hockey parent can understand what that means after a game when they pile their hockey player and two siblings into the back seat of the van.