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Finley was also uncharacteristically weak on a bunch of clearing passes last night too. I guess Denver deserves credit.

The question has been raised in the Denver game thread about our pairwise ranking, and I thought it might deserve a separate thread. I know little about the system and usually just enjoy the games and hope things work out--a "you win and you're in" way of looking at it. But I'm a little concerned that, even though this team is really playing good hockey, they might find it difficult to make the cut. You can win and move down in the rankings or lose and move up, depending on the ranking of your opponent. The Sioux have no more games on the schedule where they play a team ranked above them (T 14). If they run the table for the remaining schedule (not talking about the conference playoffs), you have to figure they will be in, but if they lose even a game or two against poorly ranked teams, it seems they might face some real problems. Even if we make it to the Final Five, only the gophs and Pios are there to provide highly ranked opposition. It would be especially unfortunate for this team, which appears to now be as good as anybody, to miss the cut. But that seems all too possible, even if they win most of their games from here on in. I know that you can only play one game at a time on the ice and that the computer games play themselves, but anyone else concerned about how difficult it might be for this team to get in?

Falling below the cut-line would be especially hard for this team, since it is starting to play like the team we all were expecting this year (solid D and goaltending and scoring up and down the lines). This could be a very good tournament team, especially if BE can be that big-game player, but I'd hate to have to rely on winning the conference tourney to get in.

We're getting to that time of year when goaltending means everything, and it's huge that BE had the kind of game he had tonight. He's been very good this year, but this was he first showing that he can be the difference maker against a playoff caliber team. The point is nice, but getting that game out of Eidsness is bigger IMO. Speaking of points, is anyone else a little concerned that pairwise points might be hard to come by from here to the FF, given the low rankings of the teams we will play from here on out? I don't understand the system very well (even Algebra made my head hurt), but there don't appear to be many point-rich weekends ahead.

Pretty good, Chuck, but you totally overlooked the quality of cheerleaders. Your credibility took a little hit here, I'm afraid.

Vossberg was begging for a beatdown all night, but I wouldn't characterize his getting into it from the bench as an attack. Grabbing, pushing, face-washing, chickensh!t stuff, yeah, and illegal. He was properly flagged, but it was lightweight. As far as I'm concerned the Pios got just the beatdown that was coming to them--an 8-3 arsekicking. I hope the Sioux stay out of the box tonight and hang 8 more on them.

You almost have to count Dustin Penner, though he played D1 for two years. Couldn't make a junior team in Canada and was looking to hire on with somebody as an apprentice electrician, I believe, applied to Bottineau at the last minute, rode the pines quite a bit the first year, then blossomed. For the locals up there, he's a come-from-behind success story.

I think we have as much talent on this team as we have had on any team since the new rink--it's just spread more evenly up and down the lines. A lot of people will say that's crazy, and with the record so far, maybe they're right. We do miss that player who can destabilize the other team's defense every time he's on the ice. Vanek, Heatley, Parise, Toews, Gerbe all did that. Still, I really like this team. If they can get stellar performances from BE and sweep this weekend, look out.

I think you flipped it, Stack. Denver has 7 of its last 12 on the road, including 5 straight in Feb. Their schedule from this point on is not an easy one. I think if the Sioux take two this weekend, Denver will end up in our rearview.

Yeah, you're not quite there yet at 42. You'll have to take your chances from the upper deck for a few more years. If this were a Badger event, the cutoff would have to be around 36 . . .

In a perfect world, they would have an "old throwers" night when old guys like us would be escorted (or wheeled) down to the glass during the second period to chuck a dead gopher onto the ice. They could hand out slightly thawed dead gophers at the door for those who prefer not to freeze their own.

It's a problem. I usually keep a gopher team picture at hand so I can throw up on it. Hope that helps.

I love what Chay G brings to the team, but he he's also scary with his turnovers. Some notable ones tonight. Maybe having Finley back and in shape is even more important in that he knows Genoway and covers for him well.

It was tough to tell with Tech's video whether some of those third period goals were soft. A couple looked that way. Nice night for the Sioux. Nice for BE get a shutout, especially with some big time saves.

We dipped a little in the pairwise after last night. Can any nerds out there say if we will lose ground even if we win tonight, Tech being Tech (assuming nothing too strange happens elsewhere).

Goon's been living in his own head for a long time. Better let him have his win.

Not sure whether you can generalize too much on whether Lucia's decision no to go with Jones was best for his team. If the game is close, you take the PP, especially if your guy is not the one playing enforcer. If the game is out of reach, I would like to see my player go if our team is getting pushed around. The gophs were getting man-handled in both games, and I think they needed to do something to slow that down or stop it, if only to gain some respect for future games. Lucia should not have turtled, but seeing the blood in Jones' eyes up close and personal probably had something to do with his decision.

Some day, I think some Sioux faithful needs to put together a truly worthy Clark Griswold Christmas Vacation style rant that describes what we all know gopher players and their fans to be. We have been letting them off the hook calling them just arrogant all these years. Just by reading this thread, you can see that beside being arrogant, they're a bunch of gutless, whining, cheating, spearing, excuse-making, yellow-bellied, chicken-livered, rug-wearing, panty-wearing chokers. That's just the obvious stuff.

True enough, but then Brian Lee and Drew Stafford certainly were not entitled to any excuses playing in their home rink in 2005.

Come on, guys. Our own coaches, including Hak and Blais, routinely would say that players coming back from Juniors would be pooped for a week or two--routinely. They always said it was worth it and that the team was better for it in the long run, but they always pointed out the tiredness factor. Great series by the Sioux. Best I can remember for a long time. Jones is a bull. Little L might have lost some honor, but he probably kept a tooth or two.

Damn. For a young hockey player to be on the Sioux bench before a gopher game looking up at a juiced-up crowd at that rink must be a goose-bumpy experience. Then a game like that. Tough recruitment to match for UMass.

Both Blais and Hak have said the same exact thing about our returning junior players in past years.

Regarding "dirty" goals, the players should watch playback of ZPar's 22 goals this year: Very few sniper shots--just hard work, desire, and a nose for the net. Add in a bunch of assists on those that didn't go in but rebounded for someone else.

I hear Trupp has switched his Sakic for a 33 Roger Maris for the Gophs.

I think we can thank the Europeans and former soviet states for the style of play we now have in the NHL. Not that long ago, NHL hockey was fantastic during the playoffs but sucked IMO during most of the regular season. The rules changes that have emphasized speed and finesse were made partly to facilitate more European style hockey. Canada is the heart and soul of the game, but other countries deserve credit for some important improvements.