dagies

I go to Senser's occasionally. From what I've seen it can be spotty to packed with Sioux fans depending on the game. I expect a pretty good crowd for the playoffs with Duluth. And a deciding game will be pretty full, especially if it's a 3rd game on Sunday. I went to the 3rd game against Denver a couple years ago and it was PACKED and LOUD. Really fun atmosphere.

Great pic of Jones taking a shot.

I think a real positive for this weekend is the play of the bottom couple of lines. Last week I looked at stats and of the 9 forwards who had played on the last 2 lines (which included 2 D men who have played at forward, Bina and Marvin) they had scored a total of 11 goals over the year. Prpich had 6 of those goals. When I compared that to MN's last 10 forwards who had played the last 2 lines the total was 33 goals. THAT significantly points to part of our offensive problem right there. Anyway, I had totalled all points, just goals. This weekend, the forwards on that "bottom 9" list accounted for 2 of the 4 Sioux goals scored, and 8 of the total 12 points awarded to Sioux players. Way to go, guys!

Barriball = Hoogsteen? He was fun to watch.

Yes, getting through Duluth is no sure thing. This series worries me greatly. However, if we were to get through Duluth, my Final Five tournament exp would be more fun if we played MN on Thursday night. Then we'd have the satisfacting of having finished them, and then I could still have the anticipation of a Sioux game on Friday!

No kidding. In control, in position, and didn't give up much for rebounds. Hope that kid likes Green and White!

AHA deserved to win that game, but it's a travesty that Moorhead goal was waved off so the teams could decide it on the ice. Who knows what would have happened if that goal had been counted. Maybe Moorhead doesn't score with one minute left and the outcome doesn't change. But you don't know, and it was suck to be on the losing end of that one. Moorhead didn't do a good job of getting the puck deep into AHA's end. I'm no expert but Nanne pointed that out and I had to agree after watching Moorhead repeatedly try to stickhandle through a wall of defensemen at the blue line. That gave AHA too many chances, and removed too many for Moorhead, who had a pretty good forecheck going. Lee didn't seem to have a great game but was more noticeable in the last several minutes. VandeVelde was a machine out there. I echo the sentiments that I'd prefer Oshie to play a year in the USHL, but if it means that Hakstol has to recruit a "body" who will take up space for 4 years (we've got too many of those now) then might as well bring Oshie in and try to recruit a strong forward in his place for the following year. This late in the year there might not be too many Kessell's left on the table.

SCSU announcers are saying Parise just made a save lying down on his face and doing the splits, with one skate against either post! They say Boron is keeping SCSU in the game, could be 5-0 Sioux. Way to go, boys. Keep it up! Nice to see Canady get a goal. We need more goals from our bottom 2 lines.

Matt Greene breaks up a 3-1!

Penalty on SCSU. Also the announcers say Brockelhurst is jawing with Fabian. I noticed Brockelhurst getting into it with a number of players last night.

Almost exactly what I thought about the game and Oshie's performance. Occasionally a little to individual, but he also showed great ability to use his teammates too. This game was incredible. I started watching half-way through. Had other things to do and almost stopped watching with a couple minutes left in the game but couldn't turn away. Wasn't going to watch OT but couldn't turn away. Both goalies had some luck and made incredible saves on sure-things in the OT period. Oshie made the big time play in the end. What an exciting game to watch.

Hammy, just ignore this. He didn't mean it.

When I finished that post I thought about adding something about Prpich but figured no one would be reading by the end of that thing anyway! Yes, I think Prp had a good game. He was creating chances, and pestering opponents that way he always does. But he appeared to keep his head straight and not get caught up in things that would put him in the box. I'm trying to remember, but I think he got one high sticking call but it wasn't a chippy play. He raised the other guy's stick but apparently got his blade up high and that's what the call was for, so it could have happened to anyone. Prp was active all over the ice and I thought he played well. I don't clearly remember that shorty situation other than remembering people comment on "why didn't he shoot". If I remember it correctly Zajac came in with Stafford 2-1 and Zajac tried to pass across to Stafford rather than take the shot. Had he taken the shot, I think the goalie was in decent position, but you hope for a rebound that Stafford might have potted. The D was in between the 2 of them. However, I think Zajac was hoping to get the puck to Stafford who would have had a better opportunity. Next time he might shoot that puck. It was a good try, but you hate to see a 2-1 shorthanded go by the boards without at least a shot on goal.

Was at the game last night. Officiating. I felt a couple calls against the Sioux were pretty weak. The first call against the Sioux for hooking was pretty weak, as was another later in the game, and so was the roughing or high sticking call on Schneider in the 3rd. As per the hooking calls, maybe they went both ways but my kelly green clouded glasses blocked that from my vision. Schneider's call was pretty weak, though I will admit it was on the other end of the ice. It looked incidental to me. The play was blown dead, a player was skating into Schneider and was trying to stop, so leaning backwards. Schneider threw up the stick to protect himself and caught the guy in the chest. Since he was already leaning backward over he went, and Schneider went to the box. Looked accidental to me, but I guess you never know. Other than that, nothing much to complain about on that front. I thought Murray looked pretty good out there. I always stopped breathing when he got close to the boards. Was surprised to see him on the ice. Genoway seemed to be skating well during warm-ups. Radke looked good out there to me. I'm not knowledgeable enough to say he was always positioned well, or handled his responsibilities well, but I thought he did a good job, and got off a GREAT one timer at one point that was high of the net. He's a very fast and agile skater. Was happy to see him play. He had a bit of trouble handling the puck a couple times early in the game but no more than some other players, and got better as the game went on. Greene and Jones looked very good. Fuher struggled a few times with good passes and getting the puck to the net. Sometimes fired away without looking to see if the alley was open and the shot would get blocked high in the zone. Zajac looked great out there, and Spirko was good, but didn't stand out as much as I'd hoped. Massen had a great game, I thought, except for losing control of the puck and having it center, leading to a goal. That hit he put on the Husky player was absolutely bone-crushing, and happened right underneath us. A real highlight. He was good with the puck all night, and skated aggressively. Canady was really flying around. Bina looked good. On one power play the D opened a lane up for him so he drove to the net. Put a good move on and a shot but was stopped. Stafford can really dipsy-doodle in tight spaces, but often ends up losing the puck. He had one 3rd period chance where he dipsied and doodled to the goalies left, bought himself some room and a chance, and the launched a quick wrister about 10 feet over the net. It was an excellent play and a real quick shot, but was a bit surprising to us that he missed my so much. McMahon really put on a nice move to open himself up on that shorty rush. Unfortunately he thought he had five hole which ended up being well covered. I think the difference between a good hard working forward and a real goal scorer is right there. He'd worked himself into the open and cranked off the shot which was easily blocked. I think a goal scorer would have held that puck a little longer until a better opening was created and then buried it. But what do I know, I was questioning why Prpich came out as the 6th attacker on the delayed penalty call and he promptly scores!!! Anyway, was fun to see a game again live.

Let's see.... Leading scorer in the BCHL is trying to knock down Hak's office door (and from what you read on the 'net has the "size" to do it) and Hak's apparently not opening. I wonder why that is?

Interesting notes about VandeVelde in this Trib article today VandeVelde

Nice pics, John. Thanks.

I'm laughing out loud!

From what I've read on the BCHL board, you'd be getting an older player who has trouble with his weight. If true, it's no real surprise that even though he appears to want to go to college, no one has coughed up the big schollie.

Blah blah blah. Sioux fans diminishing Kessell's impact here, and gopher fans already posting the 2005-06 championship banner on GPL. And someone wants to make a distinction between the two groups....

While Zajac/Chucko could be Parise/Vanek II I don't think that one has much of an argument to carry it. It seems to me that Zajac, at this point in college hockey, outclasses Chucko.