StarzUND

The person who started the rumor isn't exactly a reputable source. I know a few years ago there was an article in the Lincoln paper about the possibility of Steve becoming the coach at UND after Blais's contract expires. Isn't Hakstol an associate coach or something? Wouldn't it make sense for him to step up after Dean leaves? I haven't heard any recent talk about Steve leaving though. Personally I hope not, I realize that he's not going to want to coach Jrs his whole career but he's one of the most successfull coaches in the USHL and it would be very hard to replace him.

There's been talk ( primarily from one person) that Steve Johnson is leaving Lincoln after this season to coach at UND. Didn't Dean just request a contract extention? Has anyone there heard anything?

You want this kid on your team and don't even know where he plays? He plays for Topeka. Last I heard he would be out 6-8 weeks, that was shortly after his injury. *As of March 4th 6 weeks*

Uh, could you repeat that please, Sioux rock, in english? Maybe you should spend some more time in High school english and learn how to form a complete thought or sentence, maybe then what you are saying wouldn't seem so ignorant. I'm just not following how Jr's is a joke. In the Jr A leagues they play more games than in High school and with higher level of competition. There are players who can go right from HS to College and never miss a step, then there are players who perform great in HS but once they get to college they see the level is a step higher than when they were in HS. Jr's is a stepping stone for players to hone their skills and get more time to develop. Minnesota does have an "elite" league that was for the "best" HS players in the state. I don't know much about it, but I'm sure if you did some searches you'd find out more information. Is that the best route for the players? I don't know. You'd have to see how many gained scholarships after playing in that league, Or if anyone improved. Or what ever your critieria is for a successful program. Seems that more and more coaches want or expect a kid to go to Jr's first before offering them a scholarship. Maybe it's a result of getting burned one to many times by offering a scholarship to a kid straight out of HS and not having him perform as good as they had hoped. On the note of Ranfranz, I remember when he was the goalie for Billings (?) During Nationals in Lincoln, during one stoppage of player he started clapping his hands and enouraging all of the fans in the crowd to do the same. He seems to have great character and a love for the game, or at least a love for attention

Why would Dean want to get rid of Phil? It seems a bit to early to get rid of the kid, Especially since his offer isn't until the 04 season. I realize that the Lamoureux's have tradition at UND, but I hardly think Blais would recruit a kid only based on who his father is. Phil is a good goalie and stands on his own merits. I know there are several people who have watched Phil play since he's been in Lincoln. Sioux Rock, are you one of those people? I haven't heard of a coach offering a player a scholarship only because their dad or grandfather or uncle or who ever played for the team. Blais is his own person and I'm sure if he didn't think Phil would be an asset to the team, He wouldn't have offered the scholarship. As far as Ziggy is concerned, I've not heard anything one way or another regarding his plans to walk on or to go another route. Either which way it goes, I wish Ziggy luck when his time in Lincoln is done, and I'm sure Phil will do just fine when he suits up for UND.

Phil is currently a SR at Lincoln Southeast, so yes, he would be a SR at GFC this year.

I think your posts would be much easier to read if you would look them over before hitting send. On the subject of NDHS hockey, I was looking at Central's stats and see that Jacques Lamoureux is leading the team in scoring. What type of player is he? It looks like all of the Lamoureux kids are talented hockey players.

Are you basing this off of fact or because they attended rival high schools? Both Ziggy and Phil are talented goalies and I don't think it would hurt the team to have either one playing for UND. Ziggy ages out of the USHL this season while Phil still has at least another year left and isn't going to UND until the 2004 season. I don't think/know if Phil would leave Lincoln early if Blais could arrange it. As far as wanting a goalie for next year, the most logical choice (between Phil and Ziggy) would be Ziggy. How ever with the abundance of goaltending the sioux currently has, who would have to get cut to make room for another one?

Walleye, who are you and how do you know Ziggy and Phil don't get along? They get along just fine, they have a healthy competiveness that pushes each one to do better. There was a local news feature here in Lincoln talking about that, and both of them say they get along just fine.

I think one major problem would be the fact that he is still a Senior in HS. I'm pretty sure it is a requirement to have a diploma before starting college. I believe Phil has signed for the 04-05 season. He still has another year to play in Lincoln. Besides, if Minnesota takes Ziggy mid season and UND takes Phil, where does that leave Lincoln in the goaltending department?

It's too bad Chris spent a lot of last season injured. He has a good sense of the ice. He's one of the few players I've personally seen who has an almost natural talent, that could be part of the problem? I wonder if because he had a sub-par season if he became frustrated? He has good speed as well, I've seen him race to avoid an icing call where the opponent was about at the red line and he was back at the blue line, and still beat the guy. I'm still in disbelief about this I'm sure/I hope UND will have a good season, looks like they got some good recruits.

Sounds like Chris showed up with the physique of his younger brother Mike. I was wondering when I saw his weight listed as 180, since he's only 5-8 ( with skates ) I thought that was a bit heavy for him. When I saw him during X-mas or so, he didn't look that bad, must have been a rough summer. I'm really hoping that if he did leave on his own, there's a possibilty that Dean leaves the door open for his return.

Is there a source for this? Just how out of shape was he that Blais didn't think he could be ready for the season? Does the ironman competion determine the roster? How exactly does it work? It's such a change from Chris, usually during the off season he's working out, so it's rather surprising to me that he's let himself go. Edited to add, I'm not doubting this, I'd just like to see the article or find out the source, I've been following Fournier hockey career since he was a 15 yr old playing for Lincoln and would like more information about this.

Didn't Lamoureux's dad play for the Sioux? If you do land Phil, he's a very good goalie, very quick and agile. I had the opportunity to watch him play last season when he was with the Stars. What he doesn't have in size( he's listed as 5-8 135) he makes up for in flexibility and talent. What makes him even more impressive is the fact that he was only 17, and one of the top goalies in the league. He set a new Lincoln record for shut outs with 5. Ziggy is also a very good goalie, through out the year Phil and Ziggy battled it out for the starting position. There was a stretch where Ziggy was in a funk and was having trouble keeping his mind in the game. But when he is focused he is as good as any goalie out there.