Snow cuts into support for southern Minnesota team at boys hockey state championships

The snowstorm that descended on the southern half on the state Wednesday morning didn’t have any effect on the teams scheduled to play in Wednesday’s first Class 1A evening quarterfinal between Luverne and Hibbing/Chisholm.

The teams were already in St. Paul, put up in hotels in preparation for the game.

But it did wipe out a significant amount of Luverne’s support network.

The snow caused the closure of Interstate 90 from Luverne to Jackson crossing the southern part of the state.

“They had to cancel the fan bus and the band bus,” said Carrie Overgaard, who spent the night in St. Paul with her husband, Chad.

“We’ll have a lot less fans,” said their friend Becky Ahrendt. “We’ll have to make more noise.”

Luverne play-by-play voice Max Hodgdon said the snow added about an hour to the drive from the southwestern corner of the state.

“We had to drive north and pick up Highway 212,” he said. “It was a little dicey in spots with the wind.”

There were some snow concerns in Duluth on Tuesday night, but snow was not a factor for fans of Hibbing traveling to the Xcel Energy Center. The snow was lighter north of the metro.

“Nothing to worry about,” a Hibbing fan said before the game. “Maybe a light dusting, that’s all. When we got past Cloquet, it was clear sailing.”

“We’re from the Range,” said another. “Nothing bothers us.”