Yttrium

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux: I've held off writing my comments on the name issue surrounding UND. It's interesting how many people have added their thoughts and feelings in perhaps the most "visible" issue right now in the NCAA. First, and foremost, I'm a Native American. I'm not a Sioux ... just a hint ... we drove the Sioux to the West out of MN. I'm ashamed of some of the comments produced by the Pro-Natives on this issue. This name was given to "your" people in the 19th century. Why now? Why are you so ashamed of being called a Sioux Indian? I'm proud to be a Native American Indian as are my children and my extended family. I would be honored if my college would have been called the "Fighting Chippewa's" because that's what we have done since our inception. Fighting solely for survival to exist is this ever changing world. Fighting to make our people a strong nation; educating our children; educating the generation that currently is raising those children; making a difference by voluteering our time to give our children those opportunities we didn't have; having goodness in our hearts with compassion and forgiveness for our fellow people. The issues right now in Native America are well documented in these forums on SiouxSports.com. We need to quit crying over spilled milk. My family lost all of our land in a dispute with our reservation back in the 1930's and now I don't have any rights nor I'm I even eligible to be on tribal rolls. I'm almost 3/4 Ojibwe but not able to be called a "Tribal Affiliated" Indian. I'm educated plus I've spent the last 25 years of my life in the Youth Movement in both private and public sectors. I want to leave my legacy over to my children and my people. "I" will make a difference during my lifetime! This entire issue over the University of North Dakota naming issue has been labeled "hostile and abusive". Wow. That is the most pathetic thing I've ever heard. The Sioux Nation doesn't want the state's university using their namesake. Why? Because they feel it's abusive. Abusive. That is what's happening right now on reservations and has since the Treaties. How commited are those tribal councils right now to the educational process of their children. Their future generations. I would say they're more focused on Casino's and the lack there of. I pick up the Indian News magazine and primarily see all the corruptness going on across the nation. Why shouldn't those magazines be filled w/ success stories of kids making history. Well, by letting people influence them on issues like this where history is repeating itself in the regard "the white man is once again telling the Native Americans what's right and wrong for Native America." And why? Because it's giving those councils a chance to puff up the muscles and emerge as the good guys and yet giving away their namesake from their state's university. It will be the demise of your nation. Have you ever realized that all the athletes who've donned the Fighting Sioux jersey or uniform since Day 1 would die for one another in competition. Are the people on the Tribal Councils around North Dakota former athletes? Probably not. Because you don't know how important things like wearing your state's colors are like representing your country. I will forever consider the University of North Dakota as the Fighting Sioux. May the Great Spirit bless us all.

Oshie - WCHA Rookie Of The Year Looking over the roster there's no doubt UND, U of M and other colleges are loaded with incoming freshman. Although Toews is very talented, T.J. Oshie is the player to look out for coming out of that Fab Frosh Class at UND. Rookie of the Year would be a great attribute but his #1 goal is to bring another NCAA Championship to Grand Forks. He has the make up to make teammates around him overachieve and attain greatness. The kid has shattered every scoring record wherever he's played at (Seattle, Warroad HS). Scoring 100 points in 31 games this past season for Warroad can't go unnoticed. And he set up perhaps the most memorable State Championship goals in MN State HS history by diving for the puck after winning a draw vs. Totino Grace on the tape of Aaron Marvin who pocketed the wide open net. His mental and physical toughness helped guide the Warriors to another MN State HS Hockey Championship and his tenacity is unparalleled. On top of that, he's the consumate "team" player who will do anything for his team to win as witnessed on that goal to clinch the title last March.

Oshie To St. Louis: Wow! UND w/ 3 first rounders and 6 total so far drafted. Congrat's to Brian, TJ and Joe for all getting drafted in the first round. Who says dreams don't come true. The Fighting Sioux will have a very gifted, talented and aspiring freshmen class this season. With Lee, Oshie, Chorney and Jones attending the USA Hockey World Jr. Camp next week in Lake Placid we could see several players representing the US colors this December / January in Vancouver, BC. Minnesota has been and will continue to be the hotbed of skilled hockey players. Playing HS hockey has proven after all a great choice for kids like Oshie, Lee and Vandy.

It's interesting that T.J. Oshie moved up from 109th in the midseason rankings to 43rd in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings. Obviously, winning another state title for Warroad ... plus a successful stint with the Sioux Falls Stampede ... and coming to UND next fall helped that jump. Not sure where things will stack up for him on Saturday at the NHL Draft in Ottawa but a very exciting time for Sioux fans knowing that several incoming players will be drafted. Good luck to all the boys!

Nice story on UND Sioux recruit T.J. Oshie from his home newspaper back in Stanwood, Washington, just outside of Seattle.

Oshie v. Meuller & Oshie v. Wheeler Great subject matter. Can't compare athletes boys. Oshie and Mueller are very talented players. Oshie chose playing for Warroad HS Warriors from 2002-2005 and many people up north think it was the right thing. Hockeytown USA produces legends in every decade. He will go down as one of the legends as he left as their All-Time Leading Scorer (104G + 137A=241 points in 3 years). And, for the quote it's just Class A hockey, just ask the 16 Class AA teams they played in 2005 how good this team was. Tied Moorhead 1-1 in their barn and tied Osseo 3-3 @ the Gardens in Hockeytown Classic. Other then that, they destroyed the other AA teams they played. Warroad, under the direction of Cary Eades, replaced the lower Class A teams they used to have on their schedule w/ top end AA programs. So put that issue to bed. Class A hockey is just as good as AA. If you watched the 2005 Class A championship with Warroad winning 4-3 in 2OT in the longest game in championship history, you'd agree both these teams could have won a duel between either Moorhead or Holy Angels. Second to that, Oshie should have won the 2005 MN Mr. Hockey. Take nothing away from Brian Lee, Oshie was the most prolofic HS player in 2004-05. Lee had a great summer in Europe and was a favorite to join the WJ team. Put, in terms of the 2004-05 season, Oshie hands down was the top gun. Led the State Of Hockey in scoring with 100 points. And, he did lead his team to 2 State Titles in 3 seasons. That is more important then Mr. Hockey bar none. Oshie vs. Wheeler? Two totally different players. Wheeler needs good players around him when Oshie is a player that "makes" players better around him. Plus, plays incredible defense. Let's wait until the WJ Camp in Lake Placid to answer these ?'s.

THETRIOUXPER: Great comments on what it takes to make a "special" team and the quest for a national championship. So many things must happen all at the right times. Preparation meeting opportunity. It's important to look at the positives in kids / young men and find the beauty in what they possess. UND has such a proud tradition and history of winning. This Class of 2005 recruits and returners have all had successes in different capacities. Now, they all must become ONE. That's perhaps the most critical ingredient to making champions. There is only 1 puck. One shift, one period, one day at a time. Brady Murray had a short but substantial career for the Fighting Sioux. Now the torch is handed over to the a new stock. Can't compare athletes. Impossible. People on these boards truly don't know what it's like to develop solid people and hockey players. It takes a combination of research, recruting, knowledge, human resources, the ability to trust, true love of the game and passion to make these kids the best they can become. Coach K of Duke Basketball says it best when he says, "I'm not making basketball players .. I'm making solid human beings."

Oshie 4th or 5th Line? It's better to come in as a dark horse than thoroughbred. Oshie brings an uncanny attribute to UND next fall. He's guided Warroad to 3 consecutive trips to Xcel Energy Center (2 State Titles) and probably would have won another at the 2004 MN State Class A Championship if his team would have played as one. What he brings is grit, skill, passion and unselfishness. He makes every player around him better. He's a triple threat player where he can snipe, make unbelieveable passes to set up back door goals and can run you over. I realize he will be playing w/ older athletes but don't put a price tag on heart. Warroad has developed great players and he ranks right up there as he leaves Hockeytown, USA as it's All-Time Leading Scorer. Not only that, he will bring it every weekend night and every day at the practice rinks. UND will win a National Championship sometime during his and the recruiting Class of 2005-06 tenure.

HARDWICK ? From sources close to Warroad and the 2005 MN State Class A Champs ... Kyle Hardwick is being looked at very closely in a Harvard / Yale deal. He's an unbelievable student / athlete and will get the respect he deserves. His goal is to become a Dr. and I know he will.

THETRIOUXPER .. it sounds like you know this kid pretty well. In Warroad, we may not see a kid like this again for generations. He filled the arena's these past 3 years and will leave a legend like his grandfather Buster Oshie, great uncle Max Oshie and cousin Henry Boucha. His Class of 2005 teammates will also go down as perhaps the greatest Warrior team ever and the only one to go unfeated at 29-0-2. The fit is perfect for the Sioux and Oshie. He's a leader and tremendous competitor. He will make the players around him better and thus him better too playing w/ the caliber of talent the Fighting Sioux have. He's won a National Championship as a USA Hockey InLine player for the Washington Jr. Stars last summer in Atlanta. Plus another State Championship this year for Warroad.

Oshie will bring many valauble intangibles to the Sioux. He's nearly 6'0" now and packing on mass tuning up for the 2005 NHL Combine Camp in Toronto on June 4-5, 2005 and the 2005-06 WCHA season. He brings with him 2 MN State Championships where he helped the Warroad Warriors to 3-consecutive trips to the Xcel Energy Center as the Warriors finished 85-5-3 during his tenure. Among those stats one is startling ... they went 38-0-0 vs. Section 8A teams. Perhaps one of the toughtest Sections in MN. He also leaves Warroad as their All-Time Leading Scorer w/ 241 points in 3 seasons. That's quite an accomplishment in Hockeytown USA. Also, Seattle Junior Hockey Association named him their "Player of the Decade" during a ceremony in April. He would have attended but was playing that night for the Sioux Falls Stampede.

Looks like Warroad's T.J. Oshie will be playing for the Fighting Sioux for the 2005-06 season. He will be attending the NHL Combine Camp in June w/ Brian Lee and Chris Vandevelde.

The Fighting Sioux brass wouldn't put Oshie in a position that would hinder his development. I would have to say playing w/ much better players at UND then USHL will only enhance his development and exploit his playmaking, ice vision and leadership qualities. His off ice training this summer at UND & Grillo's Hockey Camps in Nisswa, the NHL Combine Camp in June w/ Vandy and Lee and skating w/ the Pro's at hockey camps will only make him better and more prepared then heading to Sioux Falls next year. His on-ice leadership and passion for the game is contagious to the players around him. Plus having Berry and Eades working with him every day with extra on-ice training with be beneficial..

Oshie is meeting with the UND staff this evening at The Ralph.

On the TJ OSHIE FRONT: I just heard from some one that I work with that T.J. Oshie has only been skating 3 years or something close to that. Does anyone know if that is true? Can someone give me the straight low down on that. That sound kind of fishy if you ask me. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oshie played the first 10 years of his hockey career at Seattle Jr Hockey Association. NW Admirals is the AAA program there and he left as SJHA's all-time leading scorer averaging close to 200 points per season. He was very active in USA Hockey InLine going to the USAHIL National Championships 5 times since 1999 and captured the U-17 National Title this past summer playing for the Washington Jr. Stars AAA program. Oshie also represented TEAM EAST which won the Gold Medal in the USAHIL National PREP Festival last year in LA. He currently sits at 34+59=93 points for the #1 Class A Warroad Warriors heading into the Section 8A Championship game on Thursday vs. LOW or TRF. He leads all MN HS scorers through 27 games.

Warroad's T.J. Oshie 2nd In State In Scoring w/ 70 Points & Warrior's Remain Unbeaten @ 19-0-2 The Warroad Warriors Boy's Hockey team defeated the defending North Dakota State Champion, Grand Forks Central Knights, 6-0, last night at the Cliff "Fido" Purpur Arena. Senior winger, Ben Bengtson, recorded the "natural" hat trick tallying 3 goals + 1 assist while linemate, T.J. Oshie, notched 1 goal + 3 assists in the 6-0 rout at GF Central. Bengtson now has 29+20=49 points on the season while Oshie stands at 24+46=70 to lead Warroad. Senior defensemen Eric Olimb scored a goal and added 2 assists to up his totals to 10+26=36 while linemate Kyle Hardwick had 1 assist for a 11+38=49 season tally. Warroad dominated the game start to finish displaying a very unselfish style of playmaking and goal scoring. The line of Oshie, Bengtson and Brodeen finished with 10 points and missed numerous other chances. The Warrior's scored 1 power-play goal upping the season total to 47 goals in 101 chances for a 46.7 clip. Warroad's penalty kill has been even more impressive killing off 111 of 119 kills for a 6.7 mark while scoring 17 shorthanded goals on the season. Josh Brodeen added 2 assists to his total of 16+20=36 and senior defensemen, Bryan Hamlin, scored his second goal of the season and added a lone helper. Junior goaltender Tyler Potts stifled the Knights stopping all 13 shots to push his season totals to 7-0-0 with a 1.31 GAA and .913 save percentage. Potts also assisted on T.J. Oshie' third period breakaway goal to give him 2 assists on the season. The victory pushes Warroad to 19-0-2 as they remain the only unbeaten team in Minnesota going into a tough 2-game series at Bemidji on Friday night and a matinee tilt at Duluth Marshall on Saturday.

Warroad's Oshie Update Warroad's, T.J. Oshie, has amassed 13 points in the last 2 games vs. Orono and Bemidji. Oshie leds the Warriors w/ 18 points (6G, 12A). His 7-point performance (3G, 4A) outburst vs. Orono, the team that ousted Warroad in the MN State Class A quarter-finals last year, was amazing on Saturday night. The Warrior's defeated the Orono Spartans in Hockeytown, USA, by the score of 8-2. Oshie then turned around last night and dished out 5 assists and sniped a break-away 7 seconds into the 3rd as Warroad beat Bemidji, 10-4.

My comments on Oshie were from watching 3 games that mean little to nothing, it was not to be taken as anything more than that. He may have been sick or tired, I don't know. The third game he gave much more effort than the first two IMO. Even then he didn't forecheck very hard nor did he backcheck hard - you can tell he is used to being the guy that gets set up. "you can tell he is used to being the guy that gets set up." Just a quick reponse to the final JLoos comment made as to Oshie always getting set up on goals. Oshie is a playmaker first then goal scorer. If you've had a chance to watch him over the past couple years you'd notice that he complimented Tony Selvog very well since Selvog was a natural goal scorer. If you remember some of the '03 State Tourney goals I'd say he produced those goals w/ hard work, hockey sense and savvy. He by no means relies on his linemates to set him up on the backdoor. He's a proactive offensive player that creates scoring opportunities w/ his puckhandling and vision. If it's not there he always is looking for a late breaking teammate going to the back post. You could probably ask his Warrior's teammates who they'd want centering their line as their goal production is always up.

I think the report on Oshie that he only turns it on 10% of the time is very misleading statement. The talent pool w/ the Great Plains team is very drastic. The North Dakota kids as a whole are less talented then the MN kids and most of the time playing more defensive to keep in the game. If you have a chance to watch Oshie you'll see that his play is very defensive which is the way Warroad players are trained and taught. The free flow is more for the wingers which Oshie is usually setting up on back door. To mention that Oshie is a Vanek is horrible. This kid plays 100% each and every shift in games and practice. Maybe you should ask Eades to confirm this.