dagies

Great catch

On fightingsioux.com I watched the booster lunch video from last Friday. Hakstol admitted that he's analyzing this from the point of view of being the coach of the team, but he said he watched the replay and felt that the commentary unfairly characterized the Sioux in that situation, that the Sioux didn't start it but they finished it. He said Zajac did the right thing. He said that Carman took 2 swipes at Oshie, one a swipe and 1 a cross-check, and then Anderson's knee, and that Zajac came to back up his teammate. He also said that if the Sioux were looking to start anything, why would they have put Oshie on the ice? This brings me back to a couple of points: 1. A former player said to me it's possible that Zajac overreacted but "who knows and who cares?". He said you only have a split second to know if an opponent has taken a cheap shot at your player and you cannot allow the opponent to think for a moment that they can take cheap shots at your teammate, especially the stars. And this didn't come from a Commodore type player. 2. Everyone blames the Sioux for starting these situations. Well, in this case Zajac cross-checked Anderson after the whistle....something that happens in almost every game by almost every team. Lucia took exception and went after Zajac. I don't blame him for that. But conveniently we're left with the Sioux being blamed for starting a fight. When the tables are turned and the Sioux player drops the gloves and initiates the situation then again the Sioux are blamed as instigating things. Well, which way is it? I was thinking of that today. If the Sioux really were the big bullies everyone makes them out to be, you'd think it would have been the big rugged teams of a few years ago rather than a smaller, much more skilled team that Hakstol has on the ice these days. I agree. Many teams can play with the Sioux which is evidenced by the very close games being played even during this unbeaten streak. The Sioux aren't heads above everyone else, but they are a very good team. This team is still very vulnerable.

So we've got MN and Denver fans/coaches/players complaining about the behavior of the Sioux and here they were last year involved in a pretty good fight themselves. I don' think the Sioux were even in the state at the time... Hmmm....seems like everybody gets involved in this stuff after all.

Is this video posted for the world to see?

You're right, but I don't believe it helps the cause to lay these kinds of threats out there. This is the exact sort of thing that the anti-nickname crowd can use when they are pointing to the "hostility" they are subjected to surrounding the name. We can argue until we are blue in the face whether or not this actually exists, but the reality is they can and will use this sort of thing against us. That, and I just don't think it's a constructive argument in the first place.

I didn't get that either, at the time. They should have been tossed, both of them.

Of all teams that might have a gripe about the Sioux, the Mavericks are the lowest on the list with the behavior of their team in games against the Sioux in recent years. Give me a break.

This could happen to any program at any time. The Sioux were very fortunate to have guys like Oshie, Duncan, Chorney and Finley decide to come back this year. In fact, for the most of them it was probably an unusual decision (compared to their peer group) to come back. While that is partly a credit to the program, it could just as easily have gone the other way, or the Sioux could lose a player mid-year, if the player's personality or circumstances are different than any of these guys.

I don't know what the league would say to Gwoz but they'll have a hissy-fit on GPL regarding that kind of behavior.

That's exactly what I thought of when I saw that play. Good catch. Watkins couldn't buy a goal tonite. That whole line of Watkins/Kaip/VandeVelde was awesome tonite and generated many chances. They deserved a couple of goals, just didn't get them. Nice game by the Sioux. This was a pretty good effort top to bottom with just a few mistakes here and there, and a couple of intensity drops, but overall great effort and execution throughout. DU hit a post or 2 of their own, but this could have been a 6-3 game easily.

With the Saturday night Feb 16th pick in the 2008 Sioux Survivor game, dagies selects........ Taylor Chorney!

That is one of the funniest things I've read on here in quite a while.

I'm so happy for Kozek. It seems like we saw the very best of Kozek tonite, well into his 3rd year. He got a couple open shots, made the best of them, played well in other ways (i.e. the beautiful feed to Chorney who nearly scored). That work with Dane Jackson on his shot paid off a bit more tonite.

There were some big individual efforts in tonite's game. Like Eades said, the team played with a lot of heart tonite and you have to give credit to everyone on the ice for this win but I'm going to mention a couple that stood out to me: Oshie's awareness to ensure Genoway's goal wouldn't be waved off. Oshie's effort on the wrap-around that SHOULD have rewarded him with a goal, but fortunately Kozek validated the effort by cleaning up the garbage. Obviously, Kozek deserves his for a couple of fantastic shots. It's fun to watch that stick bend. Duncan eating the puck and 4 Denver players with 10 seconds left in the game. JPL shutting the door after a rough 2nd. Genoway's desire. Genoway wasn't flawless tonite, at times trying to do a little too much, but with that you get beautful efforts and passes that lead to things like Kozek's first goal. Gotta give credit to that whole first line who played like monsters tonite.

Wow, what a game. GO PK!

I love (hate) Denver's aggressive PK. They seem like they have 5 skaters out there the way they cover the ice.

Oshie did a great job to make sure the ref couldn't wave that goal off. Great awareness by Oshie.

DUNCAN! I'm IN THE GAME!

Sometimes it seems like a team has so much confidence that they know everything they do is going to work and Denver looks like that right now.

I don't know if I've ever seen a team as opportunistic as Denver. They haven't had a ton of chances but what the Sioux have been giving them they've made good in this 2nd period.

Kaip pipes it at the end of the period. Would have been nice to get that one there. Oh well, I like how the Sioux are playing. If they keep this up they win the game. I like the apparent confidence you see in Trupp and Frattin's body language out there. They seem very comfortable on the ice. That bodes well down the stretch.

Was that Genoway that fed Kozek? I didn't catch who, but what a great shot by Kozek! Used the D as a screen and ripped one top shelf....WHERE MOMMA KEEPS THE COOKIES!

Wow, Kaip is an animal. I like how the Sioux are playing. That goal was a fluke. Keep working hard!

Actually, better than winning because I'm not at Sensers.... WIN ONE FOR NICK!

DROP THE PUCK! Gasboy has banned me from Sensers because of my poor record there, so the Sioux better win now.