burd

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.

Merry Christmas everybody. If you're traveling, be safe. Enjoy whatever time you get with your family (but don't be afraid to sneak off and listen to some Sioux hockey).

I don't think any of the Ivies give merit scholarships. The give a ton of need-based aid, though, and I think their thinking is that the academic threshold is high enough that it is all merit money in a way. Cornell is often seen as being the easiest Ivy to get into, but that is relative. In any top notch school, a recruited athlete will have a little more slack on the academic side of the admissions package. Still, the middle 50% of admitted students at Cornell scored between 630 and 770 on the critical reading and 660 - 730 on math--pretty good.

Great sweep. Eidsness was out of position quite a bit last night, but positioning is usually one of his strengths--at least with regard to body. I guess that makes me less concerned, but I'm not sure, actually. The Lasch goal might seem soft, but that was a pretty microscopic hole he got it through. I like BE. The players must have confidence in him too, judging by their willingness to play the up-and-down game. Speaking of that, these recent scoring outbursts are what many had hoped for when this season started, based on the number of highly talented but not elite players we have. A pleasant surprise that many of our goals have come from the "regulars." Our defensemen still aren't controlling the boards very well, though. Come back, Joe.

Well, the best teams never beat teams who are better than they are.

I thought LaPointe had his best game of the year. Played with a little confidence.

I'm probably alone on this, but I still believe that Hak is a very good coach and that this team has a good blend of talent, including goal. The Eternal optimist. I think we might get stomped by the gophs this year, though, which would hurt.

I wouldn't put Blake at an elite level in '97, and he wasn't on the '00 team. He was at that level in '99 and possibly in '98, both teams that were better than the '97 team, but they didn't get out of regionals either of those years, if I recall. Panzer was probaby at or near his best level in '00 and they did win it, but he wasn't Parise or Toews or even Oshie. Absolutely wonderful player, though--the kind I prefer to have on a college team, especially if they stay for 4. I agree about Gregoire.

Which bounce is that? Cornell deserved to win, IMO.

That's OK. Blais and Hak couldn't get us a title with any of those guys except Panzer. The teams that won the last two NCs were closer to what we have now. Not that having a Parise or Toews isn't a true pleasure, but we've won more titles without elite stars than with. Only '87 is an obvious exception. We lack authority at D, though (at both ends of the ice), and I hope Joe's return can change that. It is easy to overlook how much the forwards have to play defense, especially if we do not control our own defensive zone well.

There is truth to Redwing's last post.

To top it all off, we bitch about our bitching (or, in my case, bitch about bitching about bitching). Should be fun tonight.

So do you get into more trouble now with a zoom lens up your sleeve than a dead gopher?

And thanks to the great Ephram C. Hockey for giving us this great game.

Saying we don't have enough blue chippers on this team is also not fair. Since 1987, when have we won a NC with blue chippers? We have had blue chippers coached by Blais and Hakstol, but we have not won the title with them. We do have some very high end talent on this team, and the top-to-bottom talent is what I like about it. Time is running pretty short if we want to get into the tournament, but these guys will gel, I think. Maybe I'm alone on this, but I don't think Eidsness is going to steal many games yet, but he won't lose one with sloppy play either. His fundamentals are very strong. We do need Finley to get well, though.

This bad fall semester thing has to have a simple explanation. Like maybe Hak watches a lot of college football. Does he duck hunt?

You know the Sioux are not getting it done when they continually try to rely on the long pass--and not in just the last 5 minutes. It also seemes like they haven't discovered yet how to make that last setup pass off the cycle. It's early, but this one hurt.

Couple of observations: Hextall does not need to be a Prpich or Kaip--I think he is already playing at a level that will contribute more to winning than either of them often did, particularly early in their career. Sure, he is supposed to have a natural edge, but he has proven to have scoring instincts too, and I'd rather someone else take the bonehead penalties. We are getting pushed around in the Dzone along the boards and behind our own net, not winning many battles for the puck. I like LaPointe a lot, but he needs to step it up with the body. His offensive skills are not good enough to make up for being soft in the Dzone. Z Jones may not be blessed with elite talent, but I sure wish everybody on this team played with his sense of urgency. Toews will be good, but he is not close to being where Gregoire is now. Miller has really contributed on the blueline in Finley's absence, but he sure gets a lot of shots blocked. I also appreciate Bina's ability to get a shot through to the net now that he is gone. Too many attempts to dipsy-doodle around the dman last night. That hardly ever works in this league (Oshies and Toews notwithstanding), and there were a few times when it resulted in rushes in the opposite direction. Hak is good. This team will get there, I think. Minny, though, will definitely be a force this year. Eidsness may not have JPL's glove, but his positioning is sure good. He's one of those goalies Bill Howard would have liked at UW. I usually don't know what I'm talking about.

Although there will probably not be as many jaw-dropping moves from this team as we've seen in the recent past, I really like what it has to offer, top to bottom. And let's not overlook the fact that the one obstacle standing in the way of a NC banner in the new Ralph has been removed--a dead badger has finally hit the ice. The rumor out here in Wisconsin is that the hated Mike Prpich was the thrower.