skateshattrick

I have 2 lower bowl tickets for sale for the Sioux/Gopher game on Saturday. They are 11 rows up directly behind the net where the Sioux shoot twice. Call me on my cell at (701) 371-0195.

I do expect a sweep by the Sioux, but even if MSUM is greatly improved and we are down a little, I still believe a worst case scenario is a split. I would not be satisfied, but at least I would have some expectation that this team will be fine and have a chance at finishing in the top half of the WCHA. Two points on the road in the WCHA is not necessarily bad, but like many Sioux fans who have posted here, I am concerned about this team even though it is early. Anyone who saw this weekend's games would have some of the same concerns. This weekend will tell a lot about this team. If the Sioux do get swept, I don't want to hear the excuses about how much improved MSUM is or that it is a tough place to play. The good teams do not get swept by MSUM, home or away.

I agree that Zacharias is good, but the Sioux did beat him twice last year at MSUM. The 2nd game, they put up 5 on him and he was pulled in the 3rd period. I realize that MSUM is improved, but it appears that they getting a lot of respect for a team with 1 or 2 NCAA appearances and very few finishes in the top 1/2 of the league. They may prove to be very good this year, but I'm not ready to say that they are a legitimate contender like Denver, CC and Minnesota. If the Sioux do not get at least a split, then I have very real concerns about whether this Sioux team is very good and with the team's recruiting. If the Sioux are truly getting the blue chip prospects like Minnesota, Michigan, Denver, etc., we should be able to beat teams like MSUM. MSUM does not win many recruiting battles with the traditional powers. I frankly expect the Sioux to sweep MSUM every time and anything less than 2 points is a major disappointment and a cause for concern.

Mario is the youngest of the boys and is the freshman at UND that I was referring to. If that is who were referring to, you are right. PJ is 1 year older, but cannot play college because he played Major Juniors in Red Deer. Jacque was the one at Northern Michigan and then transferred to Air Force. The girls are the youngest, and they are at UMTC. They might be the toughest of all.

I agree. No one really knows who will play. It depends on their performance. However, I suspect that Davidson will have a tough time cracking the line up. Hextall was one of the top 10 players in Canadian Junior hockey last year, and he was a very good player in a league (BCHL) that is far superior to the league that Davidson played in (MJHL). The MJHL is a notch below the NAHL, and NAHL kids don't usually get a lot of playing time at UND. Hextall and Malone were recruited kids on scholarship, and Davidson is a recruited walk-on. Lamoureux is a skilled kid who may surprise you. Don't let his numbers fool you--he played for a very defensive-minded coach in the USHL, but he's tough and he can score. I suspect that he will play before Davidson as well, but he will have a tough time beating out Hextall and Malone. I am told that Hextall is a Prpich type player with more scoring touch. If that's the case, he will play and will soon be a fan favorite. Martens will clearly play before Davidson. He plays with a lot of heart, is an upperclassman, and is one of the most improved players. Miller is the wild card. He's very skilled offensively, but he needs some work defensively and in physical play. I suspect that he will be given every opportunity to play because of his offensive abilities and because he's an upperclassman.

Size is fine, but I hope that they can skate. I recall many people on this board complaining about Finley because the BC forwards skated past him like a pylon. Finley is actually a good skater, but not quick. The name of the game is quickness, skating and puck movement. BC ring a bell? How about the Red Wings? I'll bet the Penguins would trade their big but immobile defensemen for the Wings' smaller and much more skilled defenseman. Lidstrom, Kronwall and Rafalski are dwarfs compared to Hal Gill. But, they can skate and use their sticks for something other than to crosscheck and obstruct.

Why feed the troll? Happy is just a computer nerd with no life that jumps from message board to message board with his inane comments that are made only to get a reaction.

Do you leave room for the possibility that BC was just better, at least this last year? I have been to the last 4 Frozen Fours, and I felt that the Sioux were the better team than BC in 2006 and 2007, but poor goaltending combined with a few untimely defensive miscues cost the Sioux both games. However, upon reflection, maybe the Sioux were not superior. Clearly, Toews was better than any player on BC, and the same argument could be made about Oshie and a few others. However, even in 2006 and 2007, BC seemed to have better overall team speed, something that past Sioux teams were built on. This last year, 2008, the difference in speed was very noticeable. It appears that BC and other teams are beating the Sioux at their own game. While the Sioux have gotten bigger and more physical, BC has taken advantage of the rule changes (less obstruction, at least in leagues other than the WCHA) by having quicker and often smaller skilled players. The game last year was probably not a reflection of the difference in talent, but again, a few defensive miscues early and not great goaltending contributed to the game being over before the end of the 1st period. However, it was hard not notice the advantage that BC had in quickness and speed. I saw the same thing from Michigan and Miami (in regionals). They appeared quicker than the WCHA teams. We like to blast Wisconsin for it's boring defensive style of play which uses physical play and bigger wings and Dmen, but the style of UND, UM and most of the WCHA was pretty similar. Personally, I would like to see the Sioux go back to the style when Blais was there when they had Blake, David Hoogsteen, Jeff Panzer, Curtis Murphy, etc. Speed, superior skating and puck possession skills are the way to win now. Look at the Red Wings in the NHL. BC is the college hockey model of that, and they beat us at our former game. The Sioux need to adapt. They more closely resemble the Lake Superior State teams in the 90's, or even the Sioux teams from the 70's and 80's when Hakstol and Eades played. I'm not saying that the Sioux don't have good skaters, because they don't get much better than Genoway, Chorney and Toews. You are going to see more and more of those type of players throughout college hockey because the game is changing. If the Sioux do not continue to recruit those type of players, they will have a tough time winning championships IMHO.

Chad had the same position in Lincoln for his brother Steve before he became the head coach of the Bismarck Bobcats and then the Jets. I'm not really sure that it is really all that newsworthy.

Read your original post. You said that if Hak makes it to the tourney every year after 10 years but wins no title, he should "absolutely" be fired according to your words. Now, despite using a poor comparison, you attempt to withdraw from that statement and play the typical "all you Sioux fans are so unfair to me because I'm a Gopher fan." I don't care if you are a Gopher fan or a Sioux fan--if you don't want criticism, then don't make ridiculous and unsupported statements and then cry foul when someone calls you on it. You also have a history here. I probably give you a pass if you were like Sagard.

Here is the difference--Woog coached for 10 more years after those 1st 4 years, for a total of 14 years AND the last two years he had losing seasons. In other words, the program was going south when he was fired. Besides that, he was stubborn in his recruiting, arrogant and not well liked by players (e.g. Ryan Kraft). Woog did not make the tourney every year, so you are comparing apples and oranges. But what the heck, don't let the facts get in the way of your attempt to be a pain in the ass troll.

I agree. I think fans are indiscriminate in ripping or supporting players. For example, Jeff and Jay Panzer, Jason Blake, Robby Bina were all fan favorites, but not anymore than Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, David Hoogsteen, Ryan Duncan, TJ Oshie or Karl Goehring, to name a few. On the other hand, James Massen got ripped a lot, as did Tim O'Connell his first few years. I consider Brian Lee a local, and he took a lot of grief, mostly because of the lofty expectations coming in. Andy Schneider also had his critics, at least in my section. A few fans constantly ripped him in a very loud and boisterous manner. The fans can be equally hard on non-locals such as Andy Kollar, Aaron Schneekloth, Toby Kvalevog and many others. I frankly don't care where they come from. Although I love to see a few local players, especially if they are successful, many of my favorites are from Canada, Minnesota (both Metro and rural), as well as from Illinois (Justin Duberman, Kevin Spiewak, the Jones brothers), Michigan, or anywhere else that they play hockey with passion and intensity.

Definitely Pivy! A very good defenseman, an even better guy. I have to admit that I'm a bit biased because I know him very well. Personally, I don't think Trevor Hammer was too bad. He just got hyped and didn't live up to some person's expectations. I thought he was solid after his freshman year. Brian Lee also got ripped a lot, but I think he was a very good defenseman. The Senators love him.

Better.

I actually expect Minnesota to be pretty good, but I am surprised with how high they are picked. I believe Denver is going to be the team to beat in the WCHA, but I expect UM, UND and CC to battle them for the title. I think SCSU is a bit high, Wisconsin has talent but is young and lost a lot, and MSUM ahead of the Sioux is a joke. However, ANY EZAC team ahead of the Sioux is a bigger joke. UMD and MSUM would finish top 2 or 3 in that conference every year.

No, that so-called obsession is created by you. Explain why you sent an email to Hammy today telling him about another thread on the Sioux message board with 8 posts and the 9th post talks about your beloved Gophers? Busted again. I frankly could not give a crap if a few Gopher fans on GPL obsess about the Sioux or the Badgers or anyone else because it does matter. Apparently, you want to reinforce your own belief that everyone obsesses about the Gophers. Fish in a barrel? Hardly. You claiming to be clever is like bragging about being the smartest kid with Down's Syndrome.

And here you are trolling and waiting to pounce on it so you can report back to GPL about how "all" of the Sioux fans turn every thread into a Gophers-bashing festival. Please get a life. Again, don't you have a crappy and biased blog to write??

The only other ones in between were Jake Brandt, who was good, and Josh Siembida, who did not work out. Kollar started out well as a backup, but struggled as the top goalie. I'm not so sure that Blais didn't also recruit JPL. I'm pretty sure he did, because Phil almost went to UM when Irmen and Ryan Potulny committed to UM. Blais' reputation for goalies is undeserved. A lot of teams, including UM, would have liked to have Schweitzer, Goehring, Brandt, Parise and Lamoureux. Kollar and Siembida did not work out well, but every program has that (except maybe Wisconsin).

He didn't do too bad. He recruited Aaron Schweitzer and Karl Goehring. I believe he also recruited Jordan Parise.

Mike Lee did not commit to SCSU until long after the Greico problem, so that is not the issue. From talking with several Roseau people and former Roseau players, Mike Lee wanted to play for the Sioux, and was talked to by the Sioux, but the interest appeared lukewarm. Apparently, the coaching staff is very high on Brad Eidsness, which probably explains why they did not recruit Mike Lee very hard. You know the old saying about "you go where you are wanted." It remains to be seen whether the Sioux made a mistake or missed, but it appears that Mike Lee is very good. Recruiting is not a perfect science. As great as Dean Blais was/is as a coach, he made a mistake with Grant Potulny and Dan Irmen. You can't get them all.

Great post. I could not agree more. It is also a matter of one's perspective. A person from Chicago or New York might find Minneapolis to be too small, or not diverse enough, or not enough to do. Now, let's get back to talking hockey.

So? It also happens on GPL relating primarily to the Sioux and the Badgers. It may be annoying to some, but it certainly is not done by a majority of posters, nor does it reflect an "obsession" as Cardinal and a few other arrogant trolls would like to believe. In fact, many times it is started by Gopher fans who want to get under Sioux fans' skin such as Happy aka Dubay. A lot of threads here also turn into discussions about the NHL, particularly the Wild, or other random topics. Apparently, those also qualify as "obsession" threads if you take Cardinal's argument to its logical extreme. Again, if you don't like it, ignore it. To some, there cannot be enough Gopher bashing. It certainly is not a one way street.

Really?Who is trolling around a Sioux message board searching for a few isolated posts to attempt to verify this very old and tired argument? Is your ego so fragile that you need reinforcement that everyone bashes the Gophers to support your argument that everyone is obsessed with the Gophers because they are so important and they set the bar for college hockey? Get a life. Like no one on Gopher Puke Live ever bashes the Sioux. The difference is that most Sioux fans don't run to GPL and announce it every time that happens. Don't you have a biased and crappy blog to write?

Why was it "unnecessary"? BringbackDean is a Gophers fan who took a shot at the Sioux always losing to BC, and the Sioux's recent success against the Gophers is analogous. Get over it. You don't know how to spell, but I don't whine about it.

Better yet--play the Gophers and guarantee a win.