ND Pride

Just to follow-up on CoteauRinkRat's comment, here is a quote from the Phillip Morris website that I cited earlier: http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/health_i...ource=home_fca1 Addiction Philip Morris USA agrees with the overwhelming medical and scientific consensus that cigarette smoking is addictive. It can be very difficult to quit smoking, but this should not deter smokers who want to quit from trying to do so.

In the best of all possible worlds the cigarette industry would not exist - in fact, it should not exist. As I pointed out earlier, it is one of the most unethical, manipulative and exploitative industries that exists. If we did not have the "rights" issue we could ban it with the only problem being that the areas that depend economically on tobacco crop revenue would have to have some form of economic development to replace it. One of the problems with the tobacco debate is the fact that the focus on tobacco gets blurred when other issues (alcohol, seat belts, helmets on motorcycle drivers/passengers, etc) is brought into the discussion. Each of these has their own set of facts. Smoking has no benefit to humans. It is addictive. Ideally it should not exist. Hopefully, those who smoke will have the willpower to change their behavior with or without the various programs available to them to break the addiction.

Cratter makes some excellent points. Although I disagree with the position that there should not be a law. Much of the effort to accomplish social change - eliminating the health risk behavior of smoking - needs to be accomplished through the exercise of power. The passage of a law creates the power to control smoking in the environments to which it covers. It is an important force because smoking is an addiction that exercises significant power over the people who engage in it. Many want to quit but have difficulty because of the power of the addiction. The force of law can add another element that helps to, hopefully, eliminate a behavior that benefits one of the most unethical and exploitative industries in human history.

Both bismarck teams will be weak even in the west? I can see minot being the team to beat in the west again but Williston? <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Minot has lost both goalies and a number of seniors including the cornerstones of their offense. Rody Selk graduated, and may be playing juniors somewhere, and Jordan Willert, the leading scorer on the team (and in the state) left to spend his senior year in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm. Because of that, and the graduation of several senior defensemen, Minot will not be near the team they were last year. On the positive, the team returns their 3rd (Andy Dittus 16g, 26a, 42pts), 4th (Nathan Stemick 12g, 17a, 29pts), 7th (Tyler Lundy 11g, 9a, 20pts), and 8th leading scorers from last year (Jordan Kelly 9g, 10a, 19pts). Several defensemen return including Hildahl (3g, 10a, 13pts). Brandon Tollefson (12pts) and Brandon Schmitt (8pts) also return as forwards. A key for Minot will be in the goalie pipeline - if there is a good goalie from JV or bantams that could help a lot. There are some defensive spots to fill but I think the offense, which should be fairly good, will not match last season's output. Developmentally, Andy Dittus should be prepared for the high school season as he is currently playing in the Fall High School Elite I league (Great Plains) and Nathan Stremick, a junior, is playing on the Elite II team. They will have enough firepower to contest for the top spot in the West.

Let's take a look at the Bismarck schools first. Bismarck Century loses 12 seniors including seven of their top eight scorers. For forwards the top two returning players include senior Alex Bortke (9g, 15a, 24pts), senior Calvin Patch (3g, 1a, 4 pts) and junior Drew Flurer (1g, 3a, 4pts). They have four returning defensemen led by senior Ian Emery (2g, 6a, 8pts). Both goalies return (Steve Farmsworth GAA 6.0/ save % 82.1 and Nick Dehne GAA 3.88/ save % 89.0. It looks as though it will be a major rebuilding year for Century. If there are 6-8 kids who are improving by skating and working out all summer then there might be some light in the tunnel by the end of the season but on paper Century will have a tough time with Minot and Williston and will have a major struggle in any games against top tier teams from the EDC. Century does not have any players in the Elite I League this fall and there were no players on the USA Hockey Select 87/88 team last spring. At Bismarck High the picture is not quite so grim. They lost ten seniors including six of the top seven scorers from last season. At Forward they return senior Ross Monson (4g, 13a, 17pts), senior Justin Connell (8g, 7a, 15pts), junior Brent Job (4g, 8a, 12pts), and a couple of others. Clark Dingeman returns on defense (2g, 6a, 8pts) but he has also played forward. Senior Erik Reis (1g, 5a, 6pts) is a capable defenseman who is a leading midfielder on the soccer team. Connell and Dingeman are playing football while Ross Monson is the only Bismarck player on the Fall High School Elite I team (Great Plains). All three goalies return led by Michael Hillman (GAA 3.0/ 88.8%saves). The prospects for Bismarck High are better than those for Century but the Demons will also have a major rebuilding job. Monson, Connell, Dingeman, Hillman, and Reis have had some involvement, off and on, with the North Dakota USA Select program and they should be the most effective players on their team. The current group of seniors and juniors at both Bismarck schools had major struggles as bantams and finished low in the standings. Without major improvement both teams will most likely find themselves at a competitive disadvantage against Minot and Williston and will have a tough time against the east.

Again, we have a type of individual making posts that are inappropriate and this behavior puts the entire thread at risk. I do not want to see this thread shut down because of this type of behavior.

It is unclear what post you are referring to as you did not cite it. In paging back I can see that Wilbur made a reference to Charlie Bair and Jake Marto in one a page or two back. In that post Wilbur indicated that Marto was a better player than Bair. I think any fair reading of what Wilbur said clearly indicates that meaning. If you want to raise an topic for discussion it is helpful if you fully understand the post you are referring to. It is also helpful to quote it. Marto is an excellent player and I think those participating on this board agree with that opinion. In addition, you might want to look up the definition of slander in the dictionary as well. A better selection of terms will also help any type of point you are trying to make.

Wasnt there a central player from back in the day who went to Wisconsin? maybe a Capouch? <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would think McIntyre has a very good chance of catching on with a D-I team. Portage has a decent program and a number of their players have ended up in the WCHA over the years. Is he good enough to be considered by the Sioux? I have no idea as I have not seen him play since he was in high school. Good luck to him - I heard that Jake Vigen is going to play in Portage this coming year.

Red River has had one of the better soccer teams in the state over the past few years. In 2002 they were state champions, in 2004 they were 2nd, and this year they have a stong team again. The growth of soccer has had some impact on the football programs. As an interesting sidelight, I have heard a couple of dads who played football at the college level steer their kids toward soccer because of all of the football injuries they had and the aches and pains that they have in middle age. With the growth of soccer you need a fairly large school to be able to compete effectively in all fall sports. On the other hand, Red River has a good enrollment size.

I suppose you could count Irmen although he only lived in Grand Forks for 9 months of his life. Basically, Ryan Potulny only attended high school (or more accurately played high school sports) for one year in Grand Forks. The key to their D-I success was their two year experience in Junior "A" with the Lincoln Stars as they left Grand Forks after their sophomore year. It all depends on how you want to define "schools producing scholarship athletes." In hockey it is tougher to trace when they leave school so early and the Junior "A" program is a major factor in their development. Interesting discussion though.

Here is one opinion on the prospects for West Fargo High School Hockey. West Fargo finished the 04-05 hockey season with only 5 wins on the season. They also lost a total of six games by only one goal. So, what are the prospects for 05-06? They only lost five seniors but sophomore (junior this fall) defenseman Trevor Anderson transferred, again, this time to Fargo South. Leading scorer (tied) Troy Wambach is gone along with three senior defensemen. Steven Burdick is back (16 points) along with Josh Issertell (16 points) and Darek Knaus (14 points). There should be plenty of senior leadership as 12 players are in their final year. The defensive corps is thin as only three return (Tyler Swanson 6 pts, Garison Hoovestol D/F 5 points, and Matt Crist 3 points). Goalies Colin Guidinger (85.7%, 4.43 GAA) and Brady Houkom (87.0%, 4.50 GAA) both return. The key for West Fargo will have to be improvement over last year for the substantial number of players that return and maybe some support from a couple of the high quality bantams coming in. A better season is possible if the scoring punch develops, a few solid defensemen step-up, and goaltending improves. Without that improvement West Fargo will fight it out with Shanley and Wahpeton in the second tier of the EDC.

Let's look at the East Region only and toss some names around. Based on last season's performance, participation in the USA Hockey Select Program over the past few years, National USA Hockey Select Festival participation, Minnesota Model Camp, interest expressed by Junior "A" teams, Elite II, and Elite I team participation here would be several forwards who should be projected at the top for 05-06 - in no particular order: Paul Weisgarber, Marc Mihulka, Nick Klenow, Paul Campbell, and Thomas Campbell. Other forwards who might gravitate to the top include Zach Welding, Zach Miller, Tyler Klein, David Spies, Adam Campbell, Grant Larson and Jon Greicar. The defensive side is harder to pick as there was tremendous turnover in dmen this year. Clearly, Erick Galt and Andy Peterson would be at the top, after that, I do not know. I could toss out some names but it would be speculation. Goalies - that's tough too - probably Tony Kringstad, Kelvin Shane, Eli Rosendahl, and maybe Justin Welk and Sean Deichert. Easier to come up with some ideas after about 5-10 games.

Now let

While that system may help hinder geographical biases, I just don't think it's a realistic possibility to have two finalists from the each region. As Wilbur and the rest of us know, the west is usually significantly weaker than the east, and their two candidates might not be better than even the third best player from the east. Take this upcoming season for instance, the east would only get to nominate two players, while clearly their top four or five players are better than any player from the west, which isn't fair to those players in the east. Any thoughts? <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe I should not have brought the issue up. To evaluate it you really need to know the entire procedure. Actually, I think there is the potential to have 3 finalists from only one part of the state. I probably need to know more about the procedure to comment in an informed way about the selection. This past season the west had two finalists - Charlie Bair and Sam Aide while the east only had one - Jake Marto. The state hockey tournament program says that, "The seventeen head coaches select the Mr. Hockey winner." (That would be 18 now with Fargo Shanley). My main point is that if you have two excellent candidates from one region those coaches would know those players best and the votes could be split thus putting the players in the two finalist region at a disadvantage. It is not really that big of a deal as there is no college scholarship or monetary award at stake. Here are the Mr. Hockey winners from the first year (1991) to 2000 - don't have a recent program to get the others. Matt Stockert (Jamestown, 1991), Tony Gasparini (GF Central 1992), Jeremy Asheim (Bismarck, 1992), Tom Philion (Minot 1993), Jay Panzer (GF Central 1994), Joe Vannett (Jamestown 1995), Paul Murphy (Red River 1996), Mark Bry (Red River 1997), Joe Markusen (Grafton/Park River 1998), Cory McLean (Fargo North 1999), Brandon Askew (Fargo South 2000).

First of all, the way the Player of the year awards (Mr. Hockey/Ms. Hockey) are made for girl's and boy's hockey needs a procedural change. There should be a balanced number of finalists for the spot. That means four finalists instead of three. When you have two finalists from one region (West or East) the result might be a diluted or split vote based on geography and the best candidate is not selected. The current procedure does not guarantee a geographically biased vote but there should be an equal number of finalist candidates from the EDC and WDC. I did not follow girl's hockey very closely but last season I think the odd number may have created a problem. For the boys it was not a problem as Marto is a good player which was underscored by his recruitment by the Sioux. Any other thoughts on this issue?

The scouting report on Central and Red River is already posted - check back a couple of pages (page 2, post #35)

Let's take a look a the prospects for Jamestown next season. It appears that they lost eight seniors including four of their top eight scorers. Both goalies return including Corey Grothman who played in the majority of games. On defense they return two juniors (Spenningby and Lindberg) and a senior (Beckman). The brightest lights for Jamestown may be their returning forwards which include Brett Ritchie (33 points), Zach Welding (27 points), Ryan Lindberg (16 points), Brock Burkett (13 points), and Mikael Foss (7 points). Welding is the most traveled of the group as he attended two USA Hockey National Festivals and has drawn some interest from junior teams in the US and Canada. He had no goals but five assists in the Select 17 Festival this past summer in St. Cloud. He played on the Elite II team last fall and is projected to be on that roster again this fall and is only a junior. Jamestown should be able to put together a very strong first line. The goalies have seen a lot of shots in that program and that may help make them better. The key is getting a second and third line and developing enough defensemen to support the goalie in keeping all three lines of the opposition out of the net, as much as possible. Jamestown gave some of the larger programs in the EDC some problems in 04-05 as they only lost to North 5-3 and 4-3 and lost to Grand Forks Central 3-2. On the other hand they could not skate with Grafton or Red River in any of those games. It will be an uphill season for Jamestown - they will have some powerful offense but their defense needs to develop to help break out the puck and also to keep the opposition away from their net. Not sure that they can accomplish that and I have picked them sixth in EDC.