skateshattrick

I don't know about robbed, but I probably would have given him the edge over Bachman, particularly since he's a senior and Bachman is a freshman. The Sioux did very well, but you could make a case for Joe Finley and even Vandy.

There is a person posting on USCHO under the same name. It is under the thread for WCHA Final Five Predictions. If you say it is not you, then my apologies. I was frankly surprised because you have always been reasonable on this board, but I understandably did not like someone making the blanket statement that "ND fans suck."

Other than to demonstrate that Gopher fans all wear halos, why are you posting here? After all, you are the same person that said on USCHO that "ND fans suck." If you don't like us, do us a favor and go away.

There is no conspiracy. There is also no doubt that Shep is an awful ref. However, he is probably a lesser of evils. If you request a change, you have to be careful what you wish for because you might end up with Campion (remember the previous incident with MSUM and UM? By the way, does he wear his Gophers jersey when he refs?), Don Adam (there is a picture of him next to the word "incompetent" in the dictionary) or Todd Anderson (old school NHL style ref--if there is no blood, there is no penalty). Interestingly, everyone rips on Randy Schmidt for how bad he is, and he is no worse than middle of the pack in the WCHA.

If you have ever met Dave Hakstol, you would also know it is sincere. He's a great guy. He's passionate about the game, but he understands what it is all about. He has tremendous respect for the game and the players. He may be a fierce rival of the Gophers, but he has an enormous amount of respect for the program and all of the young men that don the jersey or the jersey of any college hockey team. Please continue to give us updates on Tom Pohl. If anyone knows where cards or letters can be sent to his family, please post it. I can speak for many Sioux fans and say that we are very concerned about Tom Pohl. These type of incidents put everything into perspective, whether it is Travis Roy, Robbie Bina or Tom Pohl.

Great post. I could not agree more. These are very young men that we are talking about, and my thoughts and prayers go out to Tom Pohl and his family. As a parent of several hockey players, this is the worst nightmare.

Or maybe, as has been rumored, he just really didn't like school that well. D1 sports are a huge commitment because you still have to go to school full-time.

There is a vast difference. No one ever doubted Jordan Parise's talent. His numbers in the USHL, which is a far superior league, were very good. He was only recruited by UND and MSUM, but he was also older. Keep in mind that he was added as a recruit AFTER Zach Parise had already committed to UND.

What bothers me is that some people on this board rip on an 18 year old kid who left the team for major juniors because he was not going to play, and in the same breath, hope that we recruit a kid that they have never seen play solely based upon his name. If you are going to rip on Greico, at least be objective and know what you are talking about.

Have you seen him play? If his name were not Belfour, I doubt he would even be playing in the MJHL. Hopefully, he's improved or will continue to get better. I saw him many times at UND camps growing up and at tryouts for the FM Jets, and he would not even get a sniff without his name.

Those numbers are very close to the numbers of Dayne Belfour, who is playing in a far inferior league. Dayne Belfour will be 19 in May, and his numbers are 3.73 GAA (good for 12th out of 18 in the MJHL), save % of .886 (15th out of 18) and a record of 21 and 22.

What do you base this on? Have you seen him play recently? I'm not saying it is not possible, particularly with his lineage, but the MJHL is not the strongest Junior A league. He was at the FM Jets tryout camp in 2006 and was not WCHA material at that time. Hopefully, he's a late bloomer like his father.

CC over AAU in 2 UND over MTU in 2 DU over UMD in 3 UM over MSUM in 3 UW over SCSU in 3

Meland and his father were talking with Cary Eades in the lobby of the REA on Sunday before the game. You are correct that Eric Meland was leaving for Lincoln that day after the meeting with Coach Eades.

True, but they don't have room for a defenseman this year. He is playing with the FM Jets this year. Look at www.fmjets.com or www.pointstreak.com.

RIT didn't need to fight with the Gophers because they knew they could beat them and did.

I meant to say unlike Moorhead, Fargo is not a hockey town.

I'm not convinced and I am from Fargo. The level of play in Fargo has improved dramatically over the past 5-10 years, and the number of players and interest has also increased dramatically. However, unlike Fargo, I sincerely believe that Fargo is not a hockey town. Fargo gets absolutely no support from the community or public support. The rinks being built with private money are a great step forward, but I have my doubts about the success of the Force. USHL teams are very expensive to run, with franchise fees of over $500,000. Rough estimates are that it takes 3000 fans to break even. Fargo has never shown that kind of commitment, and I don't think they will with the Force. I expect the Force to do well for 2-3 years until the novelty wears off, and then fans will disappear like they always do. Fargo just has too much competition for the Friday and Saturday night dollar, including Sioux hockey, youth and high school hockey, NDSU and other college basketball, etc. USHL teams typically do well where there are not established major colleges (Sioux Falls, Sioux City) or larger markets without great youth and high school hockey (Lincoln, Omaha, Des Moines). I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see it working long term any more than in the past. The new arena will only hold people's interests for awhile. Ultimately, it is the product that needs to succeed. The rink will hold people's interests for only so long. Blais is the wild card--he will help. The question is, how long will he stay? Fargo is a perfect NAHL town. It can draw 1000-2000 fans (especially with a new rink that is not like the craphole called the Coliseum), but I seriously question 3000+ fans. If this doesn't work, this may effectively kill the NAHL and Fargo may never get a team here again.

Ignore him. The only way he is relevant is if we pay attention to him and he gets under our skin. I don't find him to be worth the time of day. As I've said before, he's just a Barreiro or Royko wannebe, and in reality is a pathetic hack journalist with no talent, no credentials, is not funny, and is not relevant outside a very small market. He makes Sid Hartman seem knowledgeable about sports, and McFooly will never, ever be as successful as Sid. Seriously, what makes him any more relevant than a writer with any small town newspaper in ND or Minnesota? The only sport that he knows anything about is golf.

Jeff.

I'm not sure that we disagree that much, but you miss at least one point. I'm not going to make excuses for Prpich and I do not condone cheap hockey under any circumstances. However, Peltier shouldn't get a free pass either. As much as I don't like 3rd men in like Malone, he did what most players would do in that situation when an opposing player is gooning up one of the smaller players. I have no problem with Zajac going after Anderson for what he at least perceived was an attempt to harm the best player, TJ Oshie. I also have no problem with Lucia going after Zajac. He should in that situation. I do have a problem with Finley going after Wheeler regardless of who started it. It was after the whistle, in the handshake line and unnecessary. He could have skated away. My overall point was that the actions of Peltier really started everything. However, IF Don Adam had called that correctly at that time, he could have controlled the game. By giving Peltier only two minutes and putting the Sioux down a man, Adam set the tone for the rest of the game, which was already intense. The rest was predictable. My point was that if Peltier wants to play that way and pick on smaller skill players, he should expect some pay back. As much as I hate goon hockey, I hate pussies even more. Pussies are guys who pick on the smaller, skilled players and start things after the whistle when the ref is standing between them to protect them. The classic example is Claude Lemieux who is only tough when someone's back is to him. I'm not saying that Peltier is ordinarily that type of player, but I would definitely keep an eye on him after what I saw Saturday.

Dirty, you're right. Comparing Happy...er, I meant Dubay to Sid was perhaps a bit over the top.

You are missing the point. I have absolutely no problem with announcers who are also fans such as Doug Woog or even Anthony LaPanta. Yes, Woog bleeds maroon and gold, but he is also very knowledgeable and is usually objective. Dubay has gotten better, but he is still a fan first (homer is more fitting) and his hockey knowledge, though improving, is certainly not to the level of Woog, Nanne, etc. I appreciate the fact that Dubay talks about college hockey, but his lack of objectivity is at times laughable. It remains to be seen if he will continue to develop into an objective journalist or will become another Sid Hartman (not intended to be complimentary). Kevin Gorg is even worse. He is such a Twin Cities homer that it is pathetic, whether it involves the Gophers or HS hockey. As far as what happened, you are correct that a number of different calls could have been made at the Sioux-Gophers game on Saturday, but I am getting a little tired of the apologists and Gopher Halo wearers regarding Peltier. It is always the alleged thuggery of the Sioux that starts everything in every Gopher fans' eyes, but I was at the game and the assault by Peltier on Trupp was right in front of me. That, in my opinion, is why the game got out of control. Don Adam, as is typical, did not control the game starting with that cheap shot. No amount of spin can convince me that was not a cheap shot by Peltier. Peltier is fortunate that this Sioux team does not have Mike Prpich or Matt Greene.