Let's hear it for the boys!

• Bantam boys

The North Shore Bantam boys made an impression at Crookston--it's all good. Submitted photo.

Talk about it

The North Shore Bantams boys’ hockey team played at a tournament in Crookston this weekend and showed that winning isn’t just about the final score.

The story goes that the boys met a Canadian team at the tournament. The boys from across the border were giving their games all they had, but it was apparent that they were not prepared for the level of play they were facing. They lost all their games by several points, according to one parent.

The North Shore boys, witnessing the struggle of the Canadian team and facing the prospect of playing them again, decided that sportsmanship dictated a change of plan. They chose to divide the teams, 50-50, so each squad had equal numbers of Canadian and North Shore players.

“Several different sets of parents came over to us after the game,” a parent wrote in an email to the team, “and told us to tell you all (players and coaches) that because of you, their team was going home with a huge positive experience instead of hanging their heads. That is so awesome! It's not all about playing good hockey — but it is all about being a good person. ”

Way to go, boys. Way to go, coaches. Way to go, parents, for raising children who understand, in the words of another great Minnesotan, “we all do better, when we all do better.”

Tags: opinion