Jackson

As of this morning there are still SRO tix available for the Friday night game at Mariucci.

Goon, you gotta admit, that number one ranking (as meaningless as it is) is based on much more than just Kessel. Both of these squads were Final Four teams last year, and seemingly Nodak lost more than they gained while Minnesota gained more than they lost (take Kessel out of the equation and Minnesota gained more with Stoa, Frazee and Wheeler than they lost in the outgoing seniors)

Thanks Dagies. So is there a buzz about this kid? if he goes the college route would he be a big "get"?

Anyone know which way Mario might be leaning? I have heard Major Juniors is a definate possibility. If he chooses the college route I assume NoDak has the inside track but is he considering any other schools?

You said Toews would be ROTY but you didn't give any odds. Hmmmm.

Fair enough. I guess I have never paid that much attention to INCH articles regarding the Sioux. I did think the writer was using the ice melting on the Red River as a metaphor for playoff time and was in fact complimenting Drew.

I read the article twice and I didn't see where they took a shot at Grand Forks?

WooHoo!! Just kidding, it sucks losing the "voice" of the team, Gopher fans went throught it recently when Jamie Verbrugge left. Hope your new guy doesn't suck.

Is there something you have to do to get the changes to take effect when using the NHLview editor? I am pretty sure I am editing the correct DB. Is there a selection under rosters you have to make?

I think the pressure is going to be on the upperclassmen because of the large freshman class. For Minnesota a lot of that pressure fell on Chris Harrington last year, and we'll just say he didn't handle it so good.

Talent aside I think Jack Johnson is much more ready for the NHL before entering college than Vanek was. I think Jacks physical game will carry him until he adjusts to the speed of the NHL game. Vanek just plain needed to get better before making the jump.

He wouldn't count as an early departure but Jack Johnson might go right to the NHL bypassing Michigan.

That would be amazing. I didn't realize Dowzak was rated that high by NHL'ers.

Actually I was a little surprised they took Montoya with highly regarded prospects Henrik Lunqvist and Dan Blackburn already in the system.

Thanks!

I got NHL 2004 off of EBAY for $10. Some auctions have a "best offer" button, I chose this option and offered the seller $10 and they pay shipping and it was accepted almost immediately. PCM - What is the URL to download the add on file(s)?

Why would we need this recruiting class to kick the '80 Soviets a**, thats what Neal and the boys were for.

Agreed refs should call the game by the rules. I was thinking more of those situations where a skate in the crease has absolutely no bearing on the play. Kind of like in the NFL when they can choose not to call pass interference when the ball is deemed not catchable.

Well said oldralph. Rarely do teams who are great on paper pan out. Look no further than my 2003-04 Gophers. Defending champs who returned almost everybody. The chemistry was lacking. If the Gwoz can steer this next group of Pioneers to an NCAA title it will be a huge accomplishment. They have the talent, but it will take an excellent coaching job to counter the feelings of complacency.

I wholeheartedly agree with the skate in the crease rule. Too many goals have been waved off by this, a classic case of the officiating helping to determine the outcome of a game. As far as the "Michigan rule", on the surface I don't like it. A team should be rewarded/penalized for their ability to hold the zone. I will reserve final judgement until I can see the rule in action.

Congratulations Sioux on a good season.

That didn't help Lucia. I think a strong criteria for COY is if you look at the general consensus of where a team was predicted to finish in relation to where they did finish. Both Denver and Minnesota were picked as middle of the pack WCHA teams and both made the Frozen Four. I think the winner should be either Lucia or Gwozdecky.

Hopefully there won't be any of that, but there are always a few bad apples.

It took me a little while to find my way over here (been a rough 24 hours). Congrats to the Sioux, the better team won. They out-skated, out-hit and plain old out-played Minnesota. I swear every time these teams get together when the stakes are high, us fans see some INCREDIBLE hockey. I look forward to the next several years, both programs are bringing in lots of skill. Right now the east is shaking its collective hockey head. Good luck against Denver, I say that to be polite. I have no favorite on Saturday.

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