tnt

Tim Hennessey said they wouldn't be having a coaches show until January 4th, and even then they aren't sure how many coaches will be there. The Sioux will probably leave early for Anchorage.

Let's not forget that Willie Marvin went and played for Minnesota too, although I don't think that worked out too well.

There is no way they should expand the WCHA, unless you want to see rivals like Minnesota and Wisconsin less. I thought the WCHA was stupid for taking Alaska to begin with. There were some regional teams they could have considered.

Last summer there were people on GPL questioning Hakstol saying that he was going to bring in Oshie without regard to Brady Murray leaving. Some, not all, were saying they were very happy that Oshie was coming in, because they were certain he wasn't ready for this level of play. Turns out he seems to be more ready for this level than some of their freshmen.

I would love to see Bemidji State in the WCHA. Another driveable road trip and regional rival couldn't hurt. I hear every year WCHA coaches saying what a hard trip it is to Anchorage, and I wonder why they ever took them into the league. Anchorage used to pay for WCHA teams to go out there, but now the teams agreed to remove that stipulation. Why schools put that extra strain on their budgets along with the fatigue which affects not only that series but the next (the gophers this year), is beyond me. Nevermind the fact that Anchorage isn't the model WCHA school and not exactly a big draw, and my vote is to get rid of Anchorage and replace them with Bemidji. It would be nice to have our own home and away opponent like Minnesota/St. Cloud and Denver/CC. Let's see, a short bus trip for a spirited battle or a ton of money to fly to a series that not many people give a rip about now that Chris Fournier is gone. Find a way to get it done.

Don't hear much from the people on GPL saying that they were glad Oshie was coming in right out of high school because he wouldn't be ready. For that matter, you don't hear many people on here questioning the coaches wisdom for bringing him in right out of high school. Safe to say the coaches know what they were doing, and that it wasn't just a numbers game after Brady Murray left.

I am one of the biggest Sheppard detractors, but despite two disputed goals last weekend, he was hardly the reason the Sioux lost. When was the last time the Sioux had a power play in the last minute of the game, nevermind two times in a weekend and top that off with two five on three powerplays. The linesmen were more noticeably bad than Shep.

I am glad you don't write for the Herald either, with some of your quotes on GPL. I do think the Sioux have some leadership with the upperclassmen, and you obviously haven't seen Parise play much, because he has been nothing short of spectacular this year and the end of last, which hardly qualifies for the inconsistency you seem to imply by saying an NHL star one night and poor mini-mite goalie the next. But then again, you don't write for a paper and don't need to be objective. One thing we can both agree on however is that this should be some great hockey to watch.

The officiating in the WCHA has been suspect for a while, and how do they propose to fix this -- make Greg Sheppard a full-time position. He and his good ol' boys network are the reason for the problems. For instance suspending a linesman for making a good checking from behind penalty against the gophers years ago. Evidently Shep has changed his tune about checking from behind now, but back then he was amazed that a linesman would take it upon himself to do the right thing.

Anyone know who the ref will be this weekend? My bet is on Derek Sheppard, and daddy will follow him to town. Hoping that isn't the case, but I'm bracing myself for it.

If Jay Caufield, who played one game for the Sioux, can play in the NHL, I am not surprised that Leinweber is playing in the AHL. I know that Caufield was an enforcer, but still... On an unrelated note, what happened to Brad Bombardier? He was a top defenseman for Minnesota a few years ago, did he retire, or what's the scoop?

I guess my question is where was Weston Dressler when we needed him to be involved in the offense to get a few key first downs? Yes, he made that nice catch to get the Sioux in field goal range, but other than that, he was not used much in the fourth quarter. A few strategic first downs in that fourth quarter, and it was game over. If the Sioux wouldn't have wasted 20+ seconds after they ran the ball they could have made it a much more manageable field goal. A loss next week, which certainly isn't out of the question, could take a great year, and turn it into one of the most disappointing years in Sioux football history, simply because of how they destroyed most of their opponents. Apparently, not having anyone challenge them in the fourth quarter really came back to bite them yesterday.

I think Parise would have given up some of the goals that Phil did last night, but certainly not all of them. What Parise seems to give us is that key save that keeps us in the game. The Sioux had several chances to get up 3-2 and when they didn't, I knew it could come back to haunt them. Who knows how Denver would have reacted had the Sioux taken the lead. The Sioux could have used a few more key saves to give us a chance to stay in the game. In hindsight, I would rather win on Saturday, but as a fan, I would rather win on Friday, as it assures you of no worse than a split. I am sure it is a great relief to the players to get that first one as well, which may explain why they come out with less urgency on Saturday. Keep getting that Friday win and come out with more intensity on Saturday and things will be looking up again.

I agree that the official was very patient with Parise's mask problem, but looked like the problem resulted from getting hit in the crease by a UNH player. No penalty was called, so maybe it was his way of making up for that.

Darcy Zajac moved up to 7th in BCHL with a 5-point night the other day. I would think a feisty player who can score would be playing somewhere in college next year.

The one thing I've learned is not to speculate who will stay and who will go. How many times have people said they would be back and then don't. The odds that Jason Blake would be back for his Senior season were slim and we were all pleasantly surprised that he stayed. Bottom line is to enjoy them while you can, because nobody but the players themselves has a clue to what they will do. The best the coaches can do is make contingency plans and hope for the best.

The last thing we need this early in the year is to have someone booted for an early season game. One moment of anger or lapse in judgement for checking from behind in the post season or when the fight for home ice and playoff position comes right down to it, and we will be without some leaders for games we need them. Remember this is a young team, leadership is important. I think it would show leadership to let this circumstance go and save themselves for the stretch run.

Can people from Canada play for the NDTP? I thought it was a training ground for developing U.S. talent for international play. Do these players have dual citizenship?

I agree with you JK because I don't like the flaming either. In fact I think both programs are developing great NHL defensemen, albeit different styles, and I think NHL general managers and coaches would like to have their talent in either program. I guess when fans from opposing teams come on and try to flame rather than make respectful posts with thoughtful points, I tend to get sucked in every now and again. See Sagard and Greyeagle for examples of thoughtful posts with sometimes opposing views. I guess I should follow my own advice and hit the ignore button.

How many UND defenseman play every night in the NHL? 1. Leopold 2. Martin 3. Ballard Finley wanted to go to the Sioux or the Gophers. Hakstol could promise he would suit up for every game while Lucia could not. I'm glad he didn't come here....we expect a little more than 3 points and 198 penalty minutes from our defenseman. He commited to UND and then the scouts shot him up 2 rounds? Smoking too much fertalizer up there man. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought that Brandon Wong committed to St. Cloud last year at some point. Did that fall through? If so, does anyone know what happened.

I had already clicked to reply to Skippy but then I figured the best way for him and others like him to disappear is not to respond. He is just looking for attention that his mother didn't give to him which is why he goes through life constantly intoxicated and identifies best with a sponge.

While I share your appreciation for how Matt Smaby played late last year, he didn't play great all year long. I do believe it is a sign of what we can expect of him this year, but traditionally points are focused upon a lot when determining All-American defensemen. I am sure Matt will put up more points with his new role, but I don't believe it will be enough to garner All-American status. I hope I am wrong.