skateshattrick

Really troll? And what do you base that upon? What is your definition? The last 2 weeks? The last month? The last 2 months? UMD in December: @Wisconsin--swept H UND--split (lost 5-1 Friday; won 4-3 Saturday on late goal) UMD in January: H Denver-tie and a loss H AAU--tie and a loss H St. Cloud --split @CC--win and tie @UM--split That is a total of 2 points in December out of a possible 8. That is a total of 9 points in January out of a possible 20, and 3 were home series. UND in December: H AAU--split @ UMD--split H Canisius--sweep UND in January: H MSUM--split @ CC--2 losses H BSU--win and tie That is a total of 4 out of 8 points in December. That is a total of 2 points in January out of 8. UMD has stumbled much more at home. The only difference is that UMD got 3 points in CC and UND got swept in 2 games that they badly outplayed CC but lost 2-1 and 1-0. UMD then played a UM team that has lost 5 of 6 at home and cannot beat anyone. I'm not sure how you translate that into "UMD is playing a lot better than UND is" unless your maroon and gold glasses prevent you from being objective. Please do us a favor and spare us your "insight", which is nothing more than the so-called "perspective" of an immature Rodent fan trying to stir up trouble. For at least the 100th time, please go away troll.

I agree. The Sioux should get home ice with 2 games in hand, but absolutely must take at least 2 points this weekend against Denver and in 2 weeks against Wisconsin. The Sioux probably need to go 7-3 (or at worst 6-4) to get home ice. That is not going to be easy the way this team is playing and with Brady Murray out. I was absolutely disgusted with the performance this weekend. With all due respect to Bemidji State, a very hard working team, they should not be close to the Sioux in their own building. BSU has some talent, but let's be honest about it. They have players that even Mankato, AAU and the other lower tier WCHA teams did not want. If the Sioux are landing the blue chip talent, there is no reason that Bemidji should be able to tie us at home and hold us to 6 goals including an empty netter. Bemidji simply outworked the Sioux much of this weekend and played with more heart and passion.

Ignore this clown. He does not represent the sentiments of Sioux fans. ND players in particular should be thankful for the opportunity to play juniors. Absent that exposure, most of the ND players who are or have played college hockey would not get that opportunity. Junior hockey has opened the door for many ND kids to show that, despite the lack of competition and exposure in ND high school hockey, there are a number of kids that are good enough to play college hockey. Lincoln in particular has been very good for ND players. Besides, Lincoln is a great town.

I agree with you, and I should rephrase. The Canadians have been known to play both styles equally well. Gretzky and Lemieux exemplify the skating, passing. However, as Goon correctly notes, there is also the Don Cherry style Canadian hockey, which is to beat the crap out of the opponent. The Flyers and Leafs play this style, and the old Flyers (remember the game where the Russians skated off of the ice?). However, I still believe that Olympic size ice favors the players with better individual skills (skating, passing and stickhandling) and the smaller ice favors the bigger, more physical player. I much prefer the Herb Brooks/Dean Blais style to the old Gino days. And yes, I was at every world junior game. Clearly, the Canadians were more skilled, but the smaller ice sheet also helped them. It would be interesting to see the 2 Russian stars on a larger sheet of ice where they are not getting pounded every shift.

I agree, but this team also needs some speed. The problem with this team is that we have gotten too big and too slow. We look like Denver, Wisconsin and UMD of about 5 years ago. If you look at CC and Minnesota, they are getting smaller and faster. Those were the types of teams that the Sioux won with from 1996-2001. The name of the college game, as opposed to the pro game, is speed, puck control and passing. That is why guys like David Hoogsteen, Jason Blake, Curtis Murphy and Jeff Panzer thrived. Those skills thrive even more now with all of the WCHA teams with Olympic size ice.

That game at home against CC was lost as a result of poor goaltending on JPar. Two, if not all three, of the goals were very weak. I'm not a JPar basher, but I also don't understand why the Sioux do not go with the goalie who is clearly playing better. JPar's mistake on the 3rd goal against Mankato was another example. Another poster criticized Drew Stafford's play. I beg to differ. I admit that he can play uninspired at times, but I thought that he looked good this weekend. On Friday, he moved the puck very well on the powerplay with good, crisp passes. Unfortunately, unlike the defense on the US World Junior Team, Genoway was not able to handle either pass and both times, they had to regain the zone. I like Genoway, but I have no idea why he is on the point on the PP when you have defensemen like Jones and Fuher who can handle passes and have big shots. The same thing happened on Saturday when the Sioux had a 5-3, but Genoway was not able to handle the pass, and had to hook the MSUM player to prevent a scoring chance. Part of Drew's problem is that some of the players around him do not play to his level, which I am sure is very frustrating. This team has many more anchors that you can blame (including the coaches--how many teams with the Sioux's skill dump it in on the powerplay!! ) without having to rip Stafford, Murray, Zajac and Jones.

Some of the points that you make are valid, but several are not. You make reference to the fans booing while the Russian was laying on the ice in a pool of blood is not fair. First, based upon the other dives, the fans incorrectly thought that this was another dive. There was no "pool of blood" on the ice. Granted, there was some a small amount of blood on the ice, but it was not visible until AFTER he got up off of the ice and after the booing took place. He obviously was not hurt too bad because he came out on the next shift. Second, the fans were upset because the officials clearly did not see what happened and yet made a call several minutes after the fact, presumably because the Russian coaches and players made a huge incident about the play. Third, although I did not see the high stick (much like the referees), my 17 year old son did and thought it was a questionable call because it was incidental. O'Sullivan actually was trying to go around the Russian player to get to the puck, and the Russian player stepped into him. Granted, his stick was up, but it certainly did not justify a 4 minute double minor or major, particularly since the referee and linesmen did not see what happened. Finally, it appeared to many US fans that the officials were biased. Keep in mind that the official for the Sweden-US game refused to review a goal that clearly was in, as shown by 3 separate ESPN replays. Additionally, Stafford got high sticked twice in the US-Russia game and no calls were made. There was also a phantom call against Suter right behind the goal where the Russian skater lost an edge and was never touched. I know, it was right in front of me. The Swedish referee made the call while he was out of position, and reacted because he saw the Russian fall. You also attempt to justify the actions of some of the Canadian fans, which is disingenuous and just after-the-fact spin. The Belarus chants were only part of the lack of class by some of the Canadian fans. Some of the Canadians were clearly cheering for the Czechs, the Russians and anyone else who played the US. I found it to be totally classless, and is not the first time that I experienced this. I attended the playoffs between the Red Wings and the Jets in the final year of the Jets in Winnipeg, and I will never forget the entire arena booing when the US National Anthem was played. It was classless and embarassing, especially considering that the top line for the Jets at the time were Americans. The radio announcers after the game were apologetic and embarassed, but it reflects a very disturbing anti-American sentiment. I had hoped it was just emotions after losing the Jets, but I am starting to wonder. We have always cheered for the Canadians, and I have many friends from Canada, some of who played for the Sioux hockey team. My son even wore a Canada jersey to every one of the Canadian games. However, he was so upset by the Belarus chants and the other antics that he may cheer for the Russians. I told him that it is only a vocal minority, and I believe that was affirmed by the very classy contingent of older Canadian fans in section 106 who donned T-shirts that said "USA Rocks" during the US-Russia game. I can only hope that they are the majority. Right now, I have mixed feelings whether to cheer for Canada because of its fans or the "cocky" Russians.

I would be surprised if Lee does not see ice time. He was more highly regarded than Goligoski from Grand Rapids last year, who is only one year older after successfully moving from high school to college. Goligoski is doing just fine, is on the USA roster, and is arguably UM's best defenseman. Don't let his age dissuade you--Brian Lee can play. It is also presumptious to say that he will be playing against 19 year old forwards who are close to making it in the NHL. There are a few, but very few who fit in that category. Most NHL rosters are not filled with 19 year olds, let alone 20 or 21 year olds.

Jordy was always a little slight when he was in youth hockey. Has he filled out? <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Diggler. I was starting to get worried. Is REA sending them out?

We ordered World Junior tickets over a year ago, but still do not have them. Does anyone know if: (1) the tickets have been sent out? (2) who to call or write to inquire about the status of the tickets? Thanks.

He is the most talented and best player in the state. He should win Mr. Hockey. The only thing that will hold him back is that Central is not very deep and does not have the skill level that they have had the past few years. Smooth, fluid skater with very good speed, great lateral movement, great hands. According to Tarek Howard, he is the real deal. He does need to fill out some, but he's pretty tall. I don't know anything about the rumor of him going to the Gophers in 06, but he is a lifelong Gopher fan and I have heard that the Gophers are interested.

Thanks for the recap. I also appreciate the comments--most are dead on.

Now this is the type of debate that I like! Your post is very reasonable. Although we don't necessarily agree on every point, these are at least reasonable arguments. People have to understand that these posts, whether postive or negative, are made because posters are passionate about the Sioux hockey team. I agree with you about Matt Greene. He is not selfish, and he is a good player. He does get calls against him based upon size and reputation. He does, however, need to start playing smarter, especially since he wears a C. I am also cautiously optimistic, but the Sioux need to start sweeping opponents at home, particularly seemingly inferior opponents like SCSU.

I agree patience is in order, but you are comparing apples and oranges. When Dean Blais took over, the Sioux had very little talent and had been a cellar dweller for 3 years, resulting in the dismissal of Gino Gasparini. Quite frankly, he revived a dead or dying program, much like Scott Sandelin has done in Duluth. By contrast, Hakstol inherited a senior laden team that was 30-8-3, and only lost 3 significant players. Granted, Parise and Bochenski were probably the best forward combination in the country, but the well was not dry. The Sioux returned ALL of the defense, the 2 goaltenders, and 3 lines of forwards. Plus, this team was expected to compete for a WCHA title and a national championship without Zach and Bo. With the returning defense, one would not have expected the Sioux to get outshot most nights and rarely hold the opposition to less than 25 shots. Granted, it is early, but that is cause for concern.

Wow! There are certainly two extremes on this message board. The first extreme are those who are calling for Hakstol's head. The second extreme are those with green-colored glasses who view it as blasphemy to even utter a disparaging word about Sioux hockey and Dave Hakstol. An objective view will tell you that you are both right and both wrong. In other words, there is cause for concern, but it is early. Obvious concerns: 1. The powerplay. The Sioux dump the puck in, send 3 forwards into the corner, and about 1/2 of the time, gain possession. Additionally, no one moves, meaning that if the opponent pressures the puck, there is a good chance that the Sioux will have no success. On the other hand, this is a problem that has plagued the Sioux for several years, including last year when they had the 2 best forwards in the country. Is this Hakstol's issue (he ran the PP last year) or is it Dean Blais? 2. Passion and hustle. The game against the Gophers that the Sioux lost 6-0 was one of the most uninspired and worst performances that I have ever seen by a Sioux team, and I have watched Sioux hockey for many, many years. It is one thing to come out flat, but against the Gophers?? at home?? This has been a problem to a lesser extent all year. On the other hand, the Sioux played hard on Saturday against Wisconsin, so they are showing signs of life. Consistency is still a problem. 3. The Sioux seem too big and slow. When is the last time that you saw a Wisconsin team that was quicker?? CC and Minnesota are also quicker. We need to get back to the teams of the last 90's that were smaller and quicker. We look like Denver and Wisconsin of past years. Along with that, we are becoming a dump and chase team, which is not the style used by Dean Blais, who learned from Herb Brooks. Recall that Herb Brooks said that dump and chase hockey went out with short pants. On the other hand, this is not all Dave Hakstol's fault. Yes, he recruited these players, but Dean Blais was the head coach, so presumably that is the direction that Coach Blais wanted to go. 4. Discipline. The Sioux take too many penalties, most of which are untimely and wear them out. This is a major issue. It is simply an excuse to blame the new rules, because everyone knew that they were coming and you have to adjust. Plus, we can't have it both ways. We clamored for tighter officiating when Parise was getting mugged every night, so we should theoretically be happy that the game is being called tighter. Besides, excuses are unbecoming and make us look like Woog, Mazzoco, Sid Hartman and the numerous Gopher posters on USCHO, most notably Happy. This has to get better and will get better. The Sioux have too many senior leaders. When it does, the Sioux will have more success. 5. Recruiting. I also have concerns about the style of players that Hakstol and Berry recruit as opposed to Sandelin. They generally recruit bigger stay-at-home defenseman who play an NHL style. However, the college game is different, thank God. In college, there is room for Larry Olimb, Mike Crowley, Curtis Murphy, Russ Parent, Keith Ballard, and other "smaller" defenseman with great offensive skills. In fact, those players typically thrive in college hockey because of the bigger ice sheets, speed of the game and less obstruction. The forwards are also getting bigger and slower. I am also concerned that we will ignore Minnesota and ND as recruiting grounds. We need balance---western Canada, Minnesota, ND, etc. On the other hand, it is way too early to tell. We need to at least finish this year and see where this team is at. This was supposed to be a team that competes THIS YEAR (every team has a tough schedule at some point). Next year was supposed to be the struggle. BOTTOM LINE: It is way too early to panic. We have played a tough schedule and there is a lot of hockey to be played. However, I agree that we need to have a very short leash. If this team does not have success this year, this program simply cannot have patience for several years. The new rink is dependent upon being full, which is directly tied to winning. I was a season ticket holder in the early 90's when the Sioux were at the bottom, and it was not fun. You could have thrown a rock in any direction without fear of hitting anyone. This is one of the top 3 coaching jobs in the country, and there will be no shortage of applicants should Dave Hakstol not succeed. We can't simply spew the company line and get mad at posters because they see problems with the coaching decision. I thought that is why we have a message board where persons can express opinions and dissent. Personally, I'm very concerned as well and I don't like what I see. However, I am not going to panic---I am going to see what happens the rest of the year.

Overachievers---how about Scott Dub from Park River? He turned himself into a very solid hockey player through hard work. I also liked Peter Armbrust. Maybe not the most skilled guy, but seldom hurt the tea