dagies

Pretty sure Woog would pronounce it "Lundblom". Yep, that was him.

When the Big 10 conference gets going their regular season Champ can win the DQ Cup.

Some interesting reading on Corban Knight here.

Welcome Derek Rodwell! Nice to read. It won't hurt to have a guy like this around:

tnt was referring to the fact that Chris likes to rip the Sioux for being cheap hacks but this weekend it was his team doing the majority of it and, no surprise, no mentions from Chris. Yes, he talked about the LaPoint incident and the majority of fans don't think there should have been a penalty on Bruess. What a coincidence that's what Chris decided to write about.

No one asks why Schack HAD to beat anyone up. He was criticized for being just as cheap as the Mankato players he was supposedly protecting his teammates from. That, the much of the criticism came because gopher fans like to complain about other teams being more cheap than they are.

I was glad to read that as well. I hope indeed the surgery was perfectly successful and he's a good healer. Would be good to have him back at full strength if that can happen.

Derrick, get well soon. Lots of people thinking and pulling for you.

This is exactly what I thought last night when I saw the photo of the injury. Poor kid. I'm no expert but I don't expect him back on the ice next year. If he is it will be a bonus.

We're all expert paper scouts around here. Thanks for your first hand input and welcome to the board.

I totally agree and how many people sing the anthem really gets to me as well. It's not a love song, nor a song to be beutified. It's an anthem, sing it like we're happy to be there.

FWIW: RECORD LAST 8 WCHA GAMES SIOUX (MN, Tech, DU, SC) = 5-1-2 Home = 3-0-1 NHL ice = 4-0-2 MAVS (CC, AA, Duluth, MN) = 4-4-0 Road = 2-3-0 NHL Ice = 0-2-0 OFFENSE SIOUX = 34 GF = 4.25 GF/gm.....269 SOG = 33.63 SOG/gm MAVS = 25 GF = 3.13 GF/gm.....250 SOG = 31.25 SOG/gm DEFENSE SIOUX = 17 GA = 2.13 GA/gm....198 SOG = 24.75 SOG/gm given up MAVS = 25 GA = 3.13 GA/gm....234 SOG = 29.25 SOG/gm given up POWER PLAY SIOUX = 7/46 = 15.2% (0 goals in last 3 games) MAVS = 12/43 = 27.9% (Have scored at least 1 PP goal in 7 of 8 games) PENALTY KILL (both teams average 6 penalty kill opportunities per game) SIOUX = 3/49 = 93.9% (0 goals given up in 5 of 8 games) MAVS = 11/48 = 77.1% (Have given up goals in 7 of 8 games) GOALTENDING SIOUX = Eidsness = 5-2-1 GA = 2.13 SV% = .914, 1 SO MAVS = Zacharias = 3-2-0 GA = 2.6 SV% = .910, 1 SO Tormey = 1-2-0 GA = 4.0 SV% = .86 The Mav PP has been significantly better than the Sioux PP over the last 8 games. The Sioux PK has been significantly better than the MAV PP during the same 8 game stretch. Something is going to have to give here. Possibly the most important factor is that the Sioux have scored 79% of their goals at even strength over the last 8 games, while the Mavericks just 52%. While it's a given that these two teams will spend their time in the box this weekend, I think it will be important for the Sioux to avoid going on the penalty kill as much as possible. If so, and the statistics play the game, then I think the Sioux would stand a good chance on the weekend.

They used to hate Blais when he coached the Sioux, and ripped him for "cutting" players, but they sure do like to have Blais train, and retrain, their prospects and rejects.

Amen, brother.

From what I have heard as well, he should be considered more than just the designated back-up. Could be he will be the back-up, but it's not automatic.

Kind of like the "over-rated" chant during the 2nd period of a hockey game? Totally agree. (Although I have to admit, when that happened up in Grand Forks during the Saturday game, and the Sioux came right down and scored DURING the chant, that I just had to shake my head and laugh.) Now is Lucia trying to remove the heat from his team by complaining about Maverick and Sioux fans because alcohol is served in their arena? Is he still trying to blame other teams for the ugly play? Take a look at the tape, Don. The gophers have been involved, and instigated, as much or more than any other team in the WCHA this year. The halo has got to be getting awfully tight.

We've learned how that works.

In my opinion, there would only be 50% of the angst on this board if the majority of gopher fans didn't have their halos screwed on so tight at all times when discussion the Sioux. If you're going to throw out the accusations then you have to take them. I think Schack was over the line but understand what he was trying to do. However, the execution was bush league. Sioux players have likely done this in the past and will again as well. As will players from every other team. But because the Sioux play a physical/intimidation style they are constantly being accused of being cheap. I challenge anyone to objectively look at this year and say the Sioux are the leading cause of these situations because I honestly believe they are not but fans of other teams continue to point the finger. When the Sioux aren't in the game and these things continue to happen, it's no surprise that Sioux fans are going to be overly loud about calling out the double standard. And I couldn't be happier for it. If we want to talk about another double standard, it's pretty interesting to read the complaining about the refs over on GPL. I guess Sioux fans were just ahead of the curve, it turns out. I know a lot of this criticism may not apply to you, Sagard, but that's just how I see it. There we go. I emailed Greg Sheperd this past week after hearing both Hakstol and Lucia, in person, complain that the standards have been relaxed in this 2nd half. GS insisted the standards have not relaxed, and pointed to the same number of obstruction penalties being called as proof that they haven't changed. I challenged that assumption by saying that players will play to the ceiling of what's being allowed, so it's natural there will always be a similar number of penalties being called regardless of what level the standard is set at. I received no response to this.

We've taken enough holier than thou shots from gopher fans. What goes around comes around.

Malone's penalty was legit after watching it on DVD this morning. I did think the hit on Duncan could have been 5 as well. How come the Sioux kept falling down last night? I think the game was fairly evenly played, except for goaltending. I would have hoped the Sioux would have exposed the Huskie defense a little more. The Huskies seemed to collapse around the goalie. People complain if the coach says they didn't get bounces, but last night the Sioux had several shots on goal where the puck did bounce around, and just didn't find the right place to land. SCSU also won too many battles on the boards. You might have known it wouldn't be the Sioux's night when in the 2 period, desperate for goals, Duncan get's an open look from the slot and hits Weslosky right in the logo, and a bounce finally finds a Sioux player in front of an open net, but Kozek didn't know it was there and couldn't find it. I think Weslosky made the Sioux look like they didn't challenge him because he was always in the right place and didn't have to look acrobatic. I doubt Sioux fans would give the gophers as much grief on this incident if the gophers weren't constantly wearing their halo's about their own behavior and accusing everyone else of being cheap hacks. Fact is the gophers are involved in about as much of this stuff as anyone else, and instigate as much. Accept it and move on. You've certainly lost the moral high ground now. I hope they didn't catch me flipping the bird at anyone.

My point is that the Sioux have played well but their best games by far have been at home. Unfortunately, last night's game followed the game played on paper. Hopefully tonite will be different.

Not to mention that they certainly lost the moral high ground last night. The gophers don't need Conboy, they have Schack. Conboy was suspended for the season. I wonder what Schack will get?

Some numbers I put together earlier: Scoring offense for the season: Sioux 3.61 g/gm SCSU 3.28 g/gm Scoring defense for the season: Sioux 2.78 SCSU 3.08 Sioux scoring on the road: 46 goals in 15 games = 3.07 g/gm Record = 6-7-2 SCSU scoring at home: 60 goals in 13 games = 4.62 g/gm Record = 10-3-0 Likely goalie GAA: Eidsness = 2.41 Weslosky = 3.08 SINCE THE LAST MEETING: Sioux: 6-2-2 4g/gm 2.2ga/gm (2-2-1 on the road, 2.8 g/gm) SCSU: 3-3-2 3.875g/gm 3.5ga/gm (2-1-0 at home, 5 g/gm) Overall since last meeting: Sioux win overall offense in all games (road and away), but SCSU wins the home games vs. Sioux road games handily.

I suppose he's earned that since he went against the "experts" here and brought Oshie in right from HS. For the record, this is one of the only times I'll refer to myself as an "expert".

The backpedaling and rationalization on GPL, if this was to ever happen, would be humorous at the least. Fans of other teams like to accuse the Sioux of being cheap goons. Hastings seems to understand how the Sioux play: