ScottM

Any word on who's coming in for the Holiday tourney? Hopefully, the Edina Squirts team is already booked.

While it is reasonably fun to speculate on who goes/stays, most Title teams do have a runoff of their core players to the NHL. Minnie lost most theirs due to them being seniors. I wouldn't be surprised to see 2-3 juniors head out this summer. Rather than worrying about Vanek et al., I'd rather concentrate on Money, Parise, etc. ... and let them worry about Vanek et al. Right now, as I look at the WCHA, I think it will be another fight to the end, and most likely we should have at least one team in the FF. Hopefully, it's UND.

POI has been down for a week(?) or so. I guess there's some issue with POI's host, or some other "gee whiz, techno stuff" I don't understand.

I tend to agree with Taz about Lucia rebuilding Minnesota's program in short order. Personally, I like it when our "traditional" hockey rivals in Minnesota and Wisco have strong programs, as I think it forces us to play at a higher level. Plus, it's just that much sweeter when we beat them.

On a somewhat related note, the Strib reported that Brad DeFauw with Carolina was selected for a US team that's playing this month in Finland. He'll be teamed with Jordan Leopold, Matt Cullen and a few other NHL players from the college ranks.

Nice win for Minnesota. Have Ayers and the UNH found their jocks after Vanek did that move on them? That was one of the prettiest goals I've seen in a long time. Ayers was the only reason the game wasn't a complete massacre. I wasn't overly impressed by UNH, little offensive momentum, but okay defense most of the time. Minnesota kept digging and working hard the entire game. Good for them, and congrats to their players and fans, except for the losers who tried to repeat last year's riot in Dinkytown.

I think every great team to win a Title just has that intangible "It" ... where everything goes right, and their play is solid when it really counts. The '00 Sioux team had It, even when they went into the locker room down to BC. BC had It, but almost lost It in '01. Minnesota has It this season, and had It last season. UNH doesn't know **It.

Don't all/most HE schools have NHL or similar ice sheets? I seem to remember somebody telling me that. That may/may not work to UNH's advantage. If they dink around long enough, Minnesota will make them pay for it.

Since I live in "the belly of the beast" and know a number of Minnesota fans personally not just board posters, including those who lived through Woog's last days, it's kind of difficult to at least not support them, even if I don't cheer them on. I have no affinity for UNH, and I don't think they have the horses to beat Minnesota. If Cornell was there instead, I'd probably pull for them somewhat, as it's nice to see the Ivies there once in awhile. Even though certain Minnesota "fans" might be insufferable if they won, it might hasten the departure of Vanek, as well as a few other players who would be juniors and seniors next season. I know that a number of players did say they'd stay around no matter what, but so did Taffe last season.

I have very high expectations for next season, and I'm planning a trip to Boston for this time next season. I agree that we should be pretty loaded on the offensive side, but I had expected some of the sophomores to produce more, especially McMahon and Canady. I was pleased by the progress Money made with his footwork, but his skating still doesn't match his hands. I would expect Parise to develop into a more well-rounded hockey player in the offseason. I hope he spends some time in the weightroom so that getting mugged is less of an issue for him. Same for Money too. Maybe that much of the hype is gone, Zach and the rest of the team can concentrate on winning and getting to the Big Dance. Massen was a good earner, especially early on. However, like some of the other forwards he as MIA at critical times. Prpich was a great find, and I expect him to really develop into a major threat. The addition of Murray and Porter, (do we get Stafford next season?) should definitely bring some talent, but I expect a bit of a learning curve to be built in too. I pretty much expected David Hale to be gone after this season. However, I also expected Jones to develop into a more potent threat, but he's still a keeper. Schneider was a great player this season, and really picked it up. Greene had flashes of defensive brilliance, some dumb penalties and was schooled a few times. However, I think he'll still fit into Commie's skates as he matures. Marvin was a nice surprise, and I hope he'll grow into a major force on D. The addition of Smaby should help, especially if he puts on about 10-15 lbs, and I could also see him on the PP at some point as he has nice hands and good wheels. Goalie ... only God, not the Savior, knows this one. I like the fact that Ziggy is going to try and walk-on. A strong goalie with solid confidence, and some attitude, is a good thing. I was impressed that Brandt seemed to find his game towards the end, but I think he still needs work. Siembida was a disappointment and I held out hope for him until the end. He was brilliant his first few college games, but for whatever reason, he just lost something. I hope he finds his stride again, now. Sevedie may be a question mark, given his neck injury. Even if he's fine physically, he's mental strength may be an issue, especially if he gets run. I think the biggest question mark is who is going to step up and take command of the team. Successful Sioux teams have always had one or two guys who kicked ass when necessary and got the guys to play harder. I hope Ryan Hale assumes that mantle, but I could also see one of the younger guys like Prpich or even Parise wearing a letter next season. At some point, the chemistry of the team seemed to break down. In years past, a good rush almost always meant a goal. This past season or two, it often led to a dumb mistake or a lost puck. The intangibles have to fall into place. We have the talent, now we just need to take it to the next level and play like we're capable of.

I agree "size" shouldn't matter in college hockey, especially if one has other skills. But ... it helps especially if you're trying to protect your own zone or play a physical game like most d-men are supposed to. At 34GP-4G-9A-13Pts This kid doesn't really strike me as a Murphy or Crowley-clone or anything remotely close to Hoogsteen, let alone one of the Panzers. I like to think there's more to this kid than the fact he played in GF, and I hope he proves me wrong. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

Fargo has never really been a hockey town. Hockey is bigger in Moorhead due to the relative success of the HS program and more neighborhood involvement. The lack of a college program at 'SU probably has something to do with it. However, there really aren't/weren't the facilities and/or leagues at the local level that you see in GF or even small-town Minnesota. I don't see an AWHL team doing any better than the USHL clubs, or 'SU's club teams.

Yeah, but his job generally didn't involve hitting guys and getting hit. If he can do the job fine, more power to him. However, Leinweber wasn't really an impact player on D, and he's a bit bigger than Bina.

What exactly is your purpose here, yellowsnot? Slow day at the drive through?

Since it appears that Yellowsnow's untimely, and unwelcome, presence deals little with hockey and more with insults and flames, I'd move that he be banned from this board.

I believe we also have an LOI for Luke Beaverson, out of WBL, and now with Green Bay for the '04 season. It's possible that he might be brought in early. He's 6'4" and 205, and is alot like Smaby as far as wheels and puckhandling.

Be careful what you wish for.

I always find it amusing when the "lil' school that couldn't in Fargo" talks hockey, of any stripe. That's like asking a guy to describe menstrual cramps.

Best bet is to fly directly into MSP. Rent a car and take a nice, "scenic" 4-5 hour cruise to GF. You have more flexibility given the number of airlines coming in/out and will probably be able to find a good deal if the carriers keep limping along. My sister recently flew into MSP from SF, rented a car, stayed with me a few days and then visited my mother in Fargo. I think she saved about $400 than if she had flown to Fargo, even with the 3 day car rental.

After some thought, I tend to agree with Skateshattrick with a few exceptions. Parise frankly was better in many aspects than I expected him to be. However, he still has alot of work to do, especially when it comes to working through somebody hanging on him. Anybody who thinks he's ready for the NHL now is seriously deluding themself. I think if he puts on 10-15 lbs of muscle over the summer he should be more formidible. That said, the rest of the forwards really didn't step it up when other teams leaned on them, and some were nowhere to be seen. This team needs to be as physical as necessary to get and keep the puck in the other end. And when they have the puck, shoot the f'ing thing. Good god, the games I saw, heard and got recaps on in the second part of the season were replete with guys dinking around with the puck. Cycling is nice, but shooting the puck scores points. Then you have to pursue it to pick up the rebounds and garbage shots. I agree that for the most part the sophomore class was MIA, especially down the stretch. I would not be surprised to see a few of them gone next season. Defense ... they were strong initially. However, nobody stepped up when David Hale got sick. They're young, but with the draft choices on D, I would have expected somebody like Jones or Schneider to pick it up. We need to find somebody on D, who can carry the puck more effectively. Schneider has potential in that department, but I would hope it would be spread across more of the D. Jones needs to work on his offensive skills at this level, or he won't last in the NHL. He's not big enough to be a goon, so a more polished game would help him down the road. Greene is a good defensive d-man, when he keeps his footing, but he also has alot of work to do. He needs to grow and choose his shots wisely. He has the potential to be better than Commodore, but not if he's DQ'd or sitting in the box. Marvin seemed to be a nice surprise, rather than the "legacy" many of us pegged him as. Fuher also shows promise. Goaltending is the biggest ? we have right now. Will Brandt actually step into the role? Will Siembida actually revert to the brilliant goalie we saw in the tech-color pads? Will Sedevie or Ziggy come in and send those two down the road? Will we play musical, mediore goalies again next season? We need to get back to the fast-paced, offensive minded teams we had in the past. I agree that if Hacks or Berry is designing the offense, they need to quit it. Now. In the teams from the late 90s-01 you could almost smell a goal when the team got moving down the ice ... now, you worry about them overshooting the goal, or not shooting at all. Special teams? No guys, it's not Special Ed Teams. This has been a problem for the past couple of seasons. We really need to make the PP and PK more effective, especially if we're going to take dumb penalties. I am a big proponent of bringing in more western Canadian players. It's nice to get guys like Parise, Money, Smaby and Murray out of Minnesota schools, but the BCHL teams play a tough, gritty style that used to be a hallmark of successful UND teams. I also disagree with trying to recruit NoDaks "just because they're local boys" or their dad or whomever played in the past, as certain people seem to advocate. Yeah, it would have been nice to get Grant and/or Ryan Potulny, but not just because they're from GF. Overall, I was pleased with the team's general performance, as I believe they can really rise to the top of the WCHA next season, and I viewed this season as a rebuilding season. The second half of the season was an abysmal disappointment, due to the fact it seemed not many guys were interested in winning and seemed to be coasting into March. Naturally, this is contrary to other fans who viewed the first half of the season as a harbinger to league play down the stretch. However, there are still some holes to fill, and some serious work to do to make to Boston. We have the talent, now it's time to find the stones to take this program back to the top. One more thing, I really wish coaches, players, fans, etc. would quit bitching about bad reffing, bad ice, bad luck, conspiracies, road schedules, etc. as excuses for losing. This is hockey, not f'ing figure skating, and the team that buries the biscuit the most wins.

I'm not really into predictions, but my "gut" tells me that Cornell seems to be this year's "Team on a Mission" just like Minnesota was last year. Then again, Michigan always seems to play at another level this time of year ... again.

I agree wholeheartedly, Flatspin7. This place is starting to remind me of USCHO, and the whining about favortism, chippy play, lucky shots, bad ice, bad reffing, bad karma, etc. from Sioux "fans" is pretty damn embarassing. No team has a monopoly of good or bad fans, every program has its share of each. The gophers got to where they are because they took care of business on the ice, where it matters, and our guys are cleaning their golf clubs because they didn't. Hopefully, our guys hated the ending of their season so much they work just that much harder to get to Boston next April.

Couldn't listen to the game, thanks to f'ing firewalls, but had to rely on updates. Basically, a dismal ending to a dismal second part of the season. However, overall, I am pleased the way the team played when they really wanted to win. Unfortunately, we didn't put it together when it really counted in league play, or tonight. We have a nice corps of players coming back, and some good guys coming on board. The team went further than I anticipated they would, and I expect a lot more out them next season. Hopefully, they work hard, and focus on where they want to go next season. Congrats and thanks to the seniors. Too bad there's not another game or three in it for you.

IMO Zach's second half production drought shows that while he is truly gifted and hard working, he still has a long way to go before he's ready for anything close to an NHL team. Hopefully, he and his family see that he still has a lot of developing to do before he's ready for the big show.

I would agree with those who think the team is "too cute" with the puck. Cycling the puck is an integral part of the game. Dicking around with it because you don't know what to with it is not. This team needs to take shots, good shots, bad shots, whatever, and then get after the puck and work for the rebounds and other "lucky" shots that seem to have eluded it recently. Blais teams have tended to be opportunistic in the past, and this team should follow suit.