skateshattrick

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That may be the biggest problem. The Sioux are very talented, but also very young. The Gophers under Woog used to recruit a lot of high school aged kids (blue chippers) that struggled against older teams. It's a real fine line. On the one hand, a program wants to get the top talent, regardless of age. Most of those blue chippers want to go to college without playing juniors, so they commit early (Jordy Christian is one of a long line). On the other hand, that young talent is going to have difficulty matching up against kids who have had a year or two in the USHL or the Canadian junior leagues. The answer may be that you need a mix. You need some older, veteran players who have more physical and mental maturity. The Sioux have very few. Prpich and Marvin and Porter are about it. Even some of the junior leaders are very young---Smaby and Stafford were only 20 to start the year. The other problem is that many of the blue chip players leave early. Lucia-pet has tried to balance that by also recruiting some older kids from the USHL. Grant Potulny was a good example. Even Ryan Potulny and Danny Irmen, although they are young, did spend 2 years in the USHL. I don't think that the problem is coaching. It is more a function of inconsistency and leadership due to the youth of this team. It should, however, serve as a wake-up call when a not very talented St. Cloud team not only beats you, but sweeps you at home. I cannot ever recall St. Cloud sweeping in Grand Forks, and this is one of the least talented St. Cloud teams that I have ever seen. Give them credit--they work extremely hard, play patient defensive hockey, and have excellent goaltending. However, getting swept at home by St. Cloud is just inexcusable. The coaches may have to reevaluate recruiting to make sure that there are Adam Calder type players. Mark Fabian is in that mold, but he's one of the few.

Great post! I could not have said it better myself!

I'm pleased with the result. No disrespect to Joe Finley, but one of our top forwards is more important than a 5th defenseman. Yes, I understand that Radke is also gone which leaves the Sioux defense short, but a rotation of Smaby, Chorney, Jones, Lee, Marvin and Alexander is not bad, particularly for one night.

1. Wisconsin--44 points. They play UM at home (2-4 points), @UMD (4 points), @ MTU (4 points), @MSUM (2 points) and SCSU (2-4 points) 2. Denver--38 points. They play @ AAU (4 points), MSUM (4 points), @ UM (2 points), UND (2 points) and CC (2 points). 2. Minnesota---38 points. They play @ UW (0-2 points), @ MTU (4 points), DU (2 points), @ AAU (4 points) and UMD (2-4 points) 4. UND--34 points. They play St. Cloud (4 points), @ CC (2 points), UMD (4 points), @ DU (0-2 points), MTU (4 points). 5. CC--33 points. They play UND (2 points), @ SCSU (2 points), AAU (4 points), @ UMD (4 points), DU (2 points).

Good post, but you missed on one. Taylor Chorney was the best defenseman on the ice for the Sioux (yes, even better than Smaby). He had the long, breakout pass to Toews that led to Stafford's second goal. He also constantly covered for Brian Lee, who had an average to below average night. He made good decisions and never got beat. I have been critical of him for not playing physical, but he looked great last night. Watkins and Kozek, although they did not score, played very well. Watkins drew a great penalty, and they gave up nothing defensively. Kaip was horrible. He got walked on several faceoffs that lead to great scoring chances, contributed nothing offensively, and took two stupid penalties, one of which led to a goal. I would rather see anyone--Marvin, Miller. He's just not getting it done and is holding back Fabian and Prpich who played very well. Drew Stafford should also get credit, not just for scoring goals, but playing very, very well. He gets criticized for his inconsistent play, but he came out on fire last night, moving his feet and creating opportunities. When Drew plays like that, he is one of the elite players in the league. Overall, a good effort, but Kaip is not getting it done. Finley is getting better, but still makes me nervous. Radke also got beat a few too many times and got bailed out by Phil Lamoreaux.

I echo ND Pride's sentiments. There is no reason to rip high school players who also read this board. If you have something positive to say about a player, great. Otherwise, please keep it to yourself.

pretty close id say G-Eli Rosendahl D-Jarret Gahlbreath D-Erik Galt F-Marc Mihulka F-Paul Weisgarber F-Thomas Campbell

You are indeed speculating and you are incorrect. They are not a JV team. Shattuck has 3 teams: (1) the prep team; (2) the AAA Midget team (3) the Varsity. The prep team generally is a step above the top high school teams in Minnesota. This is the team that has produced many D1 players, including the Parise brothers, the Eaves brothers, Chris Porter, Matt Smaby, Jonathan Toews, Sidney Crosby, Taylor Chorney, Ryan Duncan and many more. The last 2 years, Holy Angels made much of the fact that they played them tough but lost, and Holy Angels is a Minnesota high school power. The AAA Midget team is better than most teams in ND, but is made up of primarily sophomores and juniors. It is the team that plays in the Elite II league in the fall, so there is talent. About 1/2 of its current roster will make the prep team next year. The rest will be relegated to the Varsity which is the weakest team. The varsity team is basically a JV team or an average high school team.

Erick Galt could have gone to the USHL this year and continues to have the opportunity to play after this season. He likes golf and is an excellent golfer, but I think that he will play next year in the USHL. Paul Weisgarber has also had interest since before the season, but it really peaked after the Moorhead game and he received a few more contacts. Paul will definitely play in the USHL given the opportunity. There are a few other Fargo players who are on the radar screen according to area coaches, but it is not appropriate to comment until something definitive happens.

Did you even see the game? I saw it live and have it on tape. It was a clear penalty shot situation. He then beat Eli Rosendahl like a rented mule. Rosendahl is very good and there is nothing to be ashamed of--Marc Harrie is also very good.

Thank you troll. What is "ludacrist?" Is that a form of Rodent meat soaked in lye, similar to lutefisk? If you are going to use "big" words to try to convince us that you have credibility, please at least learn how to spell them. The word that you are seemingly looking for is ludicrous. I will not try to explain what it means because it is beyond the ability of anyone who uses the name "Gopher Domination." Please report back to the daycare because it is time for the nice ladies to change your diaper.

Excellent post. As a person from Fargo with a child who attended Fargo South, I think that I have some objectivity on this issue. First, despite what DaveK believes, Fargo South does not necessarily deserve respect until it does win a number of state titles. They clearly are the favorites this year, but nothing is guaranteed. The senior class is probably the best class ever through Fargo South. However, they have not won yet. They lost in the championship to the Grand Forks Wheatkings at PeeWees, and lost to the Grand Forks Wheatkings at Bantams and took 3rd. Grand Forks may still be the favorites if Mario and PJ Lamoureaux had stuck around. Second, until the last 2 years, South had missed state for 3 years. Thus, Grand Forks really has been stronger. Third, although I agree that the Flyers have gotten much stronger, they do not dominate, at least not until you get to the 1st year PeeWees and Squirt As. The junior class at South won Bantam A state, but had not had much success before that. Ian Powers, Danny Wurden (a couple of Grand Forks kids) and a few other new kids helped. The sophomore class at South is good, but lost to Grand Forks at Bantam State last year, even with Galbraeth who played at Red River as a 9th grader. They also lost to Grafton most of the time until last year. This year's Bantam A and PeeWee A team are not favorites to win. I suspect Grand Forks is the favorite based upon early success. The bottom line is that South has improved tremendously and should be one of the top 3-4 teams in the state for awhile. They also should win state this year as they are very talented. However, to say that they have replaced Grand Forks without having similar success is simply a Fargo South fan lacking in objectivity.

Who knows? Erick Galt is getting plenty of interest from the USHL, but Paul Weisgarber has not had as much interest. Hopefully, he will get more exposure after the Moorhead game. I would never count either of them out as they are talented and extremely hard-working, but the USHL is a tough league and even success in the USHL does not assure success in D1 college hockey, particularly at a top program like UND. I suspect both would need at least 1 if not 2 years in the USHL before anyone could predict whether they can play at that level. I believe they both can play D1 hockey based upon their success in the Elite league.

He is a senior and is playing in Chicago.

Yes. The saves were 46-19, so Grothman apparently played well. Amazingly, Jamestown's best player, Zach Welding, did not even have a goal.

jloos, I have to beg to differ with you on this one. You are one of the best posters, and I usually agree with you. However, I have real concerns about Jordan Willert being another James Massen. He's a big kid and can really shoot the puck, but he has many weaknesses in his game. He's scoring, but he's also playing with the top scorer with Tri-City. I don't think he's nearly as good as Paul Weisgarber from South or Jordy Christian from Moorhead. The only reason that Paul is not getting looks is his size, and conversely, the only reason that Willert gets so many opportunities is because he is huge. I hope that I'm wrong and that your assessment is correct, but I don't see Willert as a top prospect, at least not yet.

Tyler Magura is a great kid from a very good family. I suspect that his comments were taken out of context. I doubt that he was recruited by the Sioux, and was talking about whether to walk on at UND or go to Harvard. He's a very bright young man and I believe that his mother is a physician. As a result, since academics are his first priority, Harvard should have been a no-brainer for him. The bonus is that he is able to play for a good D1 program, and he probably would have been a longshot to play for the Sioux as a walk on. I think it is great that a local kid is able to play D1 hockey. I certainly do not condone a "cheap check" even against the most hated rival players, and most certainly not against Tyler Magura.

The Wisconsin rivalry was much larger in the 80's when the Sioux and Badgers were consistently good and competing for national championships. It may have lost some of its intensity in recent years because the Badgers have not been as dominant, or even as competitive, as they were in the 80's or 90's. However, Wisconsin has always played the Sioux tough, even when they were down. Remember the 2 OT losses in Blais' first year as coach when Toby Kvalevog gave up the dump in with no time left in the 2nd OT? In some ways, I dislike Wisconsin more than any other school because of their fans. I actually moved my season tickets from the visitor end of the rink at the old Ralph because of the drunk and obnoxious Wisconsin fans every year. It got to be too much to take when they cheered when Sioux goaltender Corey Cadden got hurt, and then a few started picking fights when Sioux fans asked them to show some class. I had a similar experience at the Target Center a few years ago when drunken Wisconsin fans spilled their beers, creating a river under my feet. I don't have any problem with drinking at the game, as long as you don't spill it all over or around me, or start shouting obscenities or cheer for injuries. I personally think Wisconsin fans can be the most fun, but are also the most obnoxious. Go sit by them during a game and you will see what I mean. On the other hand, Wisconsin fans generally cheer for other WCHA schools in the NCAA tournament, which I have always respected. The bottom line is that it is a great rivalry, probably on par or just below the rivalry with the Gophers. As much as I dislike both, I respect both programs and it is great that Wisconsin and Minnesota are very competitive because it makes for the best rivalries in college hockey. It is a lot more fun when you beat a very good Gopher or Badger team. It makes it all the more fun and satisfying when you win!

I'm not sure what you are talking about. Are you referring to last year's playoff game? If so, I was at that game and Cornell certainly did not dominate. In fact, the Gophers dominated for 2 periods. I believe that the shots were 30+ to 9 after two periods. The 3rd period was a draw or a slight edge to Cornell, but frankly, the only reason that they were in that game was because of their goalie who was outstanding. Cornell would not have finished in the top 5 of the WCHA last year. They were well coached, but big and slow. This is entirely objective as I was hoping that Cornell would win. Clearly, the better team won.

Is Pops connected to TailGators? I plan to be there.

Mario is a 1988, but a junior in high school, so unless he did accelerated education, he would have to wait until 2007.

Regardless of how Sioux fans may feel about the rivalry with the Gophers, I hate to see any player hurt. If we begin to cheer when rival players get injured, we have certainly lost our perspective. After all, it is still a game. We are also talking about players careers. I hope that the bantering is good-natured and we do not lose sight of that. From my perspective, that is particularly true of Danny Irmen who is from Fargo and is a very good person from a nice family. As much as I cheer against him when he is playing for the Gophers, I never wish injury upon any opposing player, particularly Danny Irmen. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to the Sioux beating the Gophers and Danny on the ice.