That was a long, exhausting and ultimately fun week. We knew it would be going in, with the boys’ state hockey tournament taking over our life. We wrote several things from the tourney, including this rather sappy piece about how it never lets you down and never becomes predictable, even if it’s essentially the same thing every year. And, from an editor’s standpoint, we cursed when Edina and Benilde-St. Margaret’s went into overtime in Friday’s Class 2A semifinal (because it threatened the paper’s ability to publish the next semi for a certain edition; as it turned out, we made it by the skin of our teeth). That game was, of course, the best of the tournament; but it must have paled in comparison to what happened in Michigan on Saturday. Many thanks to Don S. for e-mailing this story about the Division I championship game in Michigan’s state hockey tournament, which was declared a 1-1 tie after 8 overtimes. The teams, after playing 109 minutes of hockey (more than twice a regulation game in Minnesota) were awarded co-championships. Minnesota has had its share of epic games (Duluth East v. Apple Valley, of course, springs to mind), but we can’t imagine 8OT. The players seemed fine with the co-championship; predictably, some of the commenters to the article (likely the adults) dismissed it as political correctness run amok. We disagree completely. We like winners and losers as much as the next person — you learn something both ways — but this was a special circumstance. That’s your question of the day: How would you have decided this game. 1) Just as it was decided. 2) Keep playing all night until there’s a winner. 3) Suspend the game and resume it the next day. 4) Decide it with a shootout. Perhaps Mr. Marthaler has a particular point of view.

Fasola-link! Rap map. And: Hand map.

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