specifics

With statements like that it seems as though one would come to the conclusion that Tyler Klein believes that he is a far superior player to those around him, and has an arrogance about himself. That is hardly the truth and statements like that are uncalled for. Statements like that are made by people/players who believe that in some sense are better than, or feel they have the power over a person to make sarcastic statements about the abilities you believe that they do not have. When all is said and done I'm sure Tyler can't wait to prove you wrong.

I cannot argue whether or not he was caught out on an extra long shift because unfortunatly I did not stop watch all of his shifts to see, which in comparison, was an extra long one. Maybe he knew his only hope was to poke at the puck because if he would have crossed to go the direction Gerbe was headed, Gerbe would have used his quickness to cut back the other way leaving Smaby looking more foolish than he did. Who knows though. Not me. You don't have to be 6 foot 200 lbs to hit hard or to be a force in the corners. As a matter of fact, the taller a player is, the easier it may be for him to be knocked off the puck when in any other skating motion other than forwards. For example, think of it as a sports car vs. a SUV. If your driving a sports car at full speed and take a sharp corner, the odds of it rolling are far less than that of an SUV. This is due to its low center of gravity, obviously. If you take that same SUV and take the corner at the same speed the odds of it rolling are tremendous. What I'm trying to get at is, when a player makes a sharp turn or stops on a dime say in the corners to elude a defender or a defender trying to elude a forward they have over 800 pounds of force on a single leg at any given time (It's physics, take my word for it). So if that big tall defender does not have adaquet leg strength to withstand the force of the turn, and the forward pushing on him, the odds he's going to drop are great to very great. Small forward, same situation, low center of gravity less force on the legs, given he also has very strong legs, he's not going to budge. I'm sorry that was kind of confusing but I had so much to say I just threw it all out there.

Agreed. You don't need to be 6'0 tall and 200 pounds to succeed in division one ranks, even at defense. I dont know many forwards who would rather go up against a smaller, quicker defenseman, which probably has more coordination and balance, than a defenseman that is larger and slower. In a comparative sense, the bigger guy could be more like a pylon. Example, small BC forward Nathan Gerbe forcing towering Sioux d-man to fall unto his backside because maybe of coordination issues. Put a smaller, quicker sioux d-man in that same spot and that may never have happened. Who knows, just a thought.

Agreed. Luckily the NHL has changed the style of it's game and it is more favorable to the smaller players than it had been in previous years. That could result in more attention being paid to these smaller skill players than the big bruisers. It was quoted in one book that Americans would rather "train players to be big, strong, imposing players that can clutch, grab, and impede the progress of the oppenent; rather than spend the time to teach him how to stickhandle, skate, and pass." Interesting I thought.

I cannot report sorry, but the teams are called selects until the senior year, when they are then called Team North Dakota. Just so there is no confusion.

Nate is an excellent hockey player. I had the privilege of playing with him recently at the Shattuck eXposure tournement. It wasn't until our 3rd game that I was told he was only an 8th grader. I would have never guessed. His speed, and puck control were that of a seasoned high school player. At one point in our 2nd game, we had one defensman missing, and two sitting in the penalty box. Nate played D for us. He looked like he played their all his life. He flattend one guy in the corner, and rushed the puck into the zone moments later. The kid has definitly got some skills.

Jelous? I said he was a great player and I wish him the best of luck. Not everyone can have the hype and talent a lot of these kids have and thats something another athelete should ever be jelous of. All a kid can do is work with what he has, and work his tail off and take whatever opportunities that may come his way from that hard work. For anyone who has more opportunities than him because they have more skill, or better potential, good for them. I'm just commenting on what I saw. In my opinion, Derrick LaPoint is getting a lot more hype than he deserved from his play at the Chicago Showcase. That's it, theres no hidden psychological theory that I'm jelous of his success. Good for him, I hope he proves me wrong and goes on to have a great career at UND and in the NHL.

Agreed, but players don't always get selected in order of ability. For example, Michael Forney was drafted right before Andy Dittus. Does that mean Forney is a 5th round player? No way. It means teams may have expected him to go to UND next year and do not want to put alot of stock in him and maybe waste a draft pick. There could be similar issues with Weisgarber, however obviously not with him leaving to a D-1 school as of right now. What I'm saying is there could be underlying issues as to why these players were selected where they were. In any case, congratuations to Paul, Andy, and Tyler for being recognized as elite players in the country. Good luck to you.

Hockey_9, I'm going to go ahead and agree, despite what those of you who have yet to see him play think. The Sioux could sign a Taiwanese rice farmer, and you guys would still be saying he must be good. Obviously a very good player, the best player at the Chicago Showcase? No way. The best player on Team Wisconsin? I didn't think so. Obviously he could care less if I notice him or not, but I'm not making this a personal issue between him and I. In fact I wish him all the luck in the world, but that still doesnt change the fact that in my mind (and I'm sure anyone elses who watched him play at the Chicago Showcase) he is over rated.

Where did Chucko go?

We took 2nd. The best a North Dakota team has ever done, and we were within one goal of wining the whole thing. We did very well. Any accomplishment I had is irrelevent because the only thing that matters is the team was a success. And any success I had was a direct result of the hardwork of the team. Thanks Team ND.

I certainly agree that great players come from both ends of the state but, the East is a stronger conference than the West. Just look at how many championships the West has won... Andy Dittus is a very, very good foward. He definitly deserved that award. He absolutly undressed UND recruit Derek LaPointe in the teams first of two meetings.

Because teams never lose to teams of lesser value... Holy Cross? It's hockey it happens. Team ND's consistent play throught the tournement proved they were the real deal.

Since you feel compelled to minimize the accomplishments of Team North Dakota, perhaps you should ask yourself how many players South had that have a scholarship to a DI program like UND. Team ND beat Team Wisconsin twice, and Team Wisconsin had Derrick LaPoint, a heavily recruited defenseman who was recently signed by UND. There were many players on Team Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, New Jersey, etc. that were of comparable ability. Team Minnesota had Brian McMillan, one of the top players from Roseau. Please stop these petty attempts to minimize Team ND's accomplishments and give them the credit they deserve.

Thanks Skateshatrick; You know when people from your own state doubt you it gives you that much more determination. Marc Harrie-Jon Greicar-Andy Dittus Nick Klenow- Paul Campbell- Marc Mihulka David Hovet-Ross Monson- Brad Benke Steven Burdick-Brandon Schmitt- Peter Jerome Andy Peterson-Tyler Jundt Tim Gregoire (sp?)- Lane Smith Greg Slominski- Alex Olson Jake Delisle I'm not sure if this guy knew much of anything about hockey but he had to pick a team for some big tournement in 1980 and he said something like "I'm not looking for the best players, I'm looking for the right ones." I think his name was something like Herb Brooks.