Hockey super sectional should draw fans to Wilson Park

Veteran area prep hockey coach Maco Balkovec isn't too proud to admit that he steals good ideas from other sports if those ideas help promote his.

Hence the idea of the "Hockey Super Sectional" at Wilson Park Ice Arena in Milwaukee on Saturday, as the two Greater Milwaukee area WIAA sectional finals will be held back-to-back at 4 and 7 p.m., respectively.

"We've been trying to work on it for seven-eight years," said Balkovec, whose North Shore co-op team, based in Whitefish Bay, is hosting the event. "We tried awhile back but we got a lot of opposition from the hockey powers that be, but we all know that hockey is not a sport of leadership.

"We looked to other sports to get the ball rolling, see if we can get more exposure for our players and our teams. Basketball and volleyball really got this idea rolling."

Specifically, it was the boys basketball 'Super Sectionals" held at the Al McGuire Center on the Marquette campus in Milwaukee for several years that provided the template for Balkovec and his supporters. Up to three sectionals would be hosted there over a long weekend, with thousands upon thousands of people coming to see high-level competition in a pristine setting.

"We were always the ugly stepchild," Balkovec laughed. "Basketball was what really got it going."

The idea was finally approved recently, so at 4 p.m. Saturday, the more southern sectional, with Kettle Moraine as its top seed, will take to the ice. Following that game, the 2,000- to 2,200-seat arena will then be cleared and the more northern of the two sectionals, with Homestead as the top seed, plays its final at 7 p.m.

Colored coded tickets will allow fans to stay for one or both games, with a two-game pass going for $8.

Getting more eyeballs on it

Balkovec understood the resistance at first.

"Look, I'm all for the concept of home ice," he said. "It's been a good advantage in the past, but I'm just thrilled at the prospect of getting as many eyeballs as possible on our sport."

Balkovec credits his athletic director at Bay, John Gustavson, for his endless help in the project. He has also been heartened by the volunteer turnout for the manpower-heavy event.

"Our fans, our youth club, they've all been greatly involved," he said. "We had a call-up (for volunteers) and we had all the positions filled up on the first day (40-plus people) with others handling security, tickets, etc.

"And we've talked to the kids about it, they're excited about it. We would love to be playing in it (the Storm lost a recent WIAA regional game to finish at 12-12-1, its best record in quite some time). We would love to be a part of it, but if it comes off looking and acting like a professionally staged event, I'll be ecstatic anyway.

"I'm hoping that this will be a huge success," Homestead coach Chris Donovan said, "because the logic behind it is great. Just the idea of bringing more people to one spot should even bring in the nonhockey fan just out of curiosity."

Homestead to sectional

Highlanders look for second state berth

UP NEXT: Top-seeded Homestead (19-5-1) took on Brookfield in a sectional semifinal on Tuesday. If it won that game it would play the winner of St. Mary's Springs and Fond du Lac in the 4 p.m. Saturday sectional final. Fond du Lac took out traditional area power University School Milwaukee in a regional final, 4-1, on Friday while Homestead routed the Germantown co-op, 8-2, to advance.

"We're feeling pretty good about things," Homestead coach Chris Donovan said. "… We're a pretty confident bunch right now and our kids should be ready to play. We're just trying to stay focused and play our best hockey."

He highlighted senior Peter Schmitz for moving from wing to center to give the team a little more offensive depth. Homestead earned its only state berth in 2007 with Balkovec as head coach. The state tournament will be held at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, March 1-3.