dagies

MN - AA = MN doesn't lose important games that it should win. MN sweeps handily. DU - UMD = UMD has some young talent and they play hard but it's been a long season and they struggle to get it done. DU seems to find a way to get it done, though my gut says they're not that good of a team. DU in 2. WI - MTech = This is the first 3 goal series I'll predict. Teslak closed the shop for long periods this last weekend against relentless Sioux pressure. Can Bucky put forth that type of sustained pressure? Not so sure. If Teslak isn't suffering 3rd period nightmares after this last week he will steal one for Tech. But just one. Tech can't score. Bucky in 3. Sioux - MSU = Mankato is playing solidly and has a history of giving the Sioux some trouble in first round playoff games. Totally different teams and coaches but I'm still running with that. Mankato is playing better and will find a way to take Friday's game, even though they should be logey after a late season week off. The Sioux struggle to find out how to replace Fabian in the lineup. The Sioux rebound and take the next 2. Superior talent and home cooking prevail. Of my 3 goal predictions this is the one I feel has the best chance to be just a sweep for the good guys. CC - SCSU = SCSU can't score either, but Goepfert will make a statement in his last college hockey games and CC will be forced to go to 3 games to win the series. Of all the series, this is the best chance for an upset, especially if Sterling is out. If so, CC will have lost 2 very important offensive players in the last month. Looking at the silver lining of playing a tougher team (as most are assuming), the Sioux will be forced to keep playing at a high level, and it will be another victorious weekend over a quality opponent at home. This should help provide confidence and force a continuing strong level of play going into the NCAA's. As long as they win. Just win, baby.

It seems to me that GWG is kind of a meaningless stat. Your team could score 7 straight goals, you score the 4th, and you get a nice GWG on your stat page because your team gives up 3 goals in the last 5 minutes of the game. Big deal. It doesn't seem all that often that the game is tied going into the 3rd, and a player from one team bears down enough to score the go-ahead goal that stands up as the winner.

I'll repeat myself. Sure, cupcakes are nice but if the Sioux are the team we want them to be, who can make and do some damage in the NCAA's, then a 3 game series at home with Mankato should not be scary. I'm not discounting or disrespecting Mankato. Mankato is obviously playing well and is a dangerous team. I just expect the Sioux to prevail.

Interesting, as last night on the radio GL thought Lee scored, but TH thought he didn't touch the puck and Duncan would get the goal. Then GL saw the replay and complimented TH on his good eyesight. After the game I was surprised to find that Lee got credit in the boxscore.

I don't see as many games as you but I thought Finley was playing with more confidence back during the MN series at Mariucci. Even then he looked better than what I'd seen earlier in the year.

Had said he noticed a bunch of people who did try and get the standing O started.

For a guy who is not very big, and who is known as a scorer, Kozek has really impressed me with the physical play he's willing to dish out. As he gains experience, and gets time on more scoring lines, and on the power play, I think he's going to become another favorite, combining his shooting ability and his physical play.

Fabian has really developed into an effective component of the team Hak puts on the ice. Good luck in recovery, Eric!

Hak's comments: Feels they just wore Tech down as the game went on. There were some soft spots in the game but the team kept playing hard and wore Tech down. Stafford's SH goal broke Tech's spirits. Kozek had 3 big hits tonite. Knocked Scott down, went to the net and scored. Need guys like that to keep stepping up their play as the years goes on. Team D was very good. Zajac line, Smaby and Jones on Conner all weekend and they did a great job. Thought Prpich was going to get a standing O after his goal. Hard to see Fabian go down and it doesn't look good. Looks like a longterm injury. Mankato will come in rested. We feel good with how we're playing and feel we're prepared for a playoff series. Stafford comments: Pretty overwhelming to see all the goals, especially Prpich's goal since he's a senior. They were all very happy for him. Said Tech is pretty stationary up top on the power play, so sometimes you can take a few risks now and then. Felt he could have had a couple more tonite but Teslak frustrated him. Happy to get what he did. Gives Zajac a lot of credit for his SH goals. Fabian comments: Toe stuck in the ice when the guy checked him. Didn't fault the other guy. It's the kind of thing that happens in hockey. Looks like an MCL tear, and maybe an ACL too. Looks like he's out for the year. My comments: Fabian's attitude is OUTSTANDING, IMO. Had you not known he was hurt, you wouldn't have known by listening to the rest of the interview as they discussed the rest of the game. I really believe this is a huge blow to the team, as I think Fabian is probably looked up to by the young guys. Just my opinion. In listening to Fabian talk, I have to wonder if maybe we'll see EF as a coach with the Sioux at some point in the future...

Sounds like the Sioux have been all over Tech, just can't get it past Teslak yet. I haven't been listening real closely, but that's what I've felt from what I've heard. Prpich at 324 penalty minutes so far in his career. I didn't catch the Fabian injury. If so, I think that would be a huge loss for the Sioux as I think he's quite a leader on the ice.

Listening to TH on the radio in the first minute or so tonite I'll doom the Sioux by saying I believe the Sioux will be scoring in the first few minutes tonite.

I have a question. What makes it a "home game" or a "road game"? Is it the fact that the majority of the crowd is rooting for you? Or is it because you are skating on a rink that you practice on every day for the whole season? Is that familiarity with the surroundings make it an advantage? Or is it that you have a crowd cheering for you that makes it an advantage?

If the Sioux are the team we want them to be in the postseason, then they should be able to beat Mankato in a 3 game series at home, even though Mankato is playing very well right now. Assuming we take care of Mankato, finishing 4th gives the Sioux a slight advantage in the play-in game as the Sioux would be the home team with last line change. Take anything you can get. And like someone else mentioned, and small percentage chance that an upper tier team gets knocked off gives the Sioux a chance to move out of the play-in game. All-in-all might as well be 4th than 5th, IMO.

Toews says he feels real comfortable playing with Stafford and Duncan and seems to like playing center. Appears to have a lot of confidence. Says he played with Duncan at Shattuck, and they both communicate really well on and off the ice, so they work well together on the ice.

Watkins with a hooking penalty.

ores...ores...ores...ores...ores...ores

Teslak apparently makes a great save. GL says Teslak should make the Sign of the Cross because "He got some help from Jesus there". Now Porter gets a roughing call. Tim and GL a bit perplexed. Porter apparently heads straight to the box. TH thinks it might have been interference, not roughing. Hak is apparently giving the ref an earful.

I've never enjoyed analyzing the PWR rankings and reviewing the scenarios too much. I'd rather let WINS do the talking. Let's get 'er done. GO SIOUX!

I love this argument. I wonder if a lot of Gopher players were coming from Warroad in recent years if Gopher fans would rip them as much....

Just to be clear, I wasn't reading that you made this into an issue where the Sioux are being screwed. Nor did I intend to make that point myself. My point was that if McLeod's attitude is that there was an overreaction to the Bina incident, he may not be fit to lead the WCHA. We've all felt that the officiating in this league is less than the quality of the hockey being played. My point was maybe it's time for McLeod to go, and if he went, maybe we'd get a commissioner who wanted to raise officiating to the same plane that the hockey is played on. It's in this argument that I meant to head off the accusations that this is just another Sioux fan complaining about the refs again. It's not. Better officiating for the whole league would benefit everyone.

I just found out that it is IMPERATIVE that the Sioux sweep Tech. There's more at stake than just PWR rankings here. More importantly, a close friend will experience a life changing event if so.

How about idiotic? How about this is an example of why the WCHA might need a new leader. Maybe one who will review the officiating, and look for ways to improve it. Handyman will think this is another example of Sioux fans who complain, but if we got better quality, more consistent referring they'd save bandwidth on other fan sites including GPL. The quality of the game would improve in the WCHA, and maybe, just maybe, Bina incidents wouldn't happen.

That's exactly what I was thinking. If it's obvious the player turned in order to draw the penalty, then diving would be a good penalty to call. However, the difficulty there is the natural inclination to turn your back to danger to protect your "vitals" (eyes, chest, mouth, etc). Some of that turning HAS to be a natural reaction to danger, and not just an attempt to draw a larger penalty. Me? I would like to see all CFB called as they are right now. But I'd like the refs to have the latitude to decide whether this was just less serious or more serious hit or even intent to injure type penalty. Given that, then I think the league should have the ability to tack on a 1 or 2+ game suspension to the aggregious penalties after the game. If a coach thinks his player was attacked and the ref didn't give the higher, more proper sanction, then the coach sends a tape to the league who can decide to tack on more to that player if they agree.

Schools Face Academic Sanctions