skateshattrick

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.

What does a national title have to do with anything?? Apparently, you have never played any team sports like hockey. Following your logic (or lack thereof), that means that many of the so-called Gopher greats between 1980 and 2001 "did not dominate." Add UMD great Brett Hull to that list, Rob Blake, etc. I don't recall any posters on this board saying that he was better than Crosby, but he is certainly better than you give him credit. He was the best player in college hockey as a 19 year old sophomore regardless of whether he won the Hobey, was the MVP at World Juniors, and was the highest scoring and most dominant player at SSM (and most heavily recruited player in the country) before Crosby broke his scoring records. Shouldn't you get back to mopping the floor before the head janitor finds out you are the computer and fires you?

I disagree. If you watched the world juniors, or saw how he did in Major Juniors, you would realize that Crosby is special. Ovenchkin is only one year older and did pretty well for himself last night. Of course, I hope that Zach or Bo get the Calder, but I think that there will be some spirited competition from Ovenchkin, Malkin, Crosby, Vanek and others.

Aside from your incohert rambling, and with no disrepect to the Sioux football team, how can you even compare a D2 football program to one of the top D1 programs in the country? How many D1 football programs are there that would destroy any D2 team, let alone D1AA team? The Sioux hockey program consistently has a number of players in the NHL and has had a number of first round NHL draft choices, including 3 this year alone. There are currently at least 5 first round draft choices on the current roster, and several other first round draft choices are currently playing in the NHL. How many NCC or even D2 football players are in the NFL, let alone were drafted in the 1st round? I assume that your post was either tongue-in-cheek or intended to get a reaction because no rational person could support the position you have taken.

That is my recollection of Rory McMahon as well. In fact, I think he had quite a few goals in juniors before coming to the Sioux. I was under the impression that he was a very good prospect.

EDIT: Here's an interesting add on. I spoke with a postal worker yesterday whose sun is a freshman at Moorhead High School. He knows all of the varsity hockey players and their folks from the past year and he spoke to me about Brian Lee and Jordy Christian. Apart from telling me that Lee is going to be a great Dman for the Sioux (he did say Brian needs to put on some weight), he said that Jordy wants to follow in Dad's footsteps. Right now, though, he's off playing in midgets in Illinois, so that's not good news for the runner ups of the state hockey tourney. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not sure that I understand. I thought Mario was in the USHL at Tri-City. Is he at Red Deer instead? Also, what do you mean he has an offer North Dakota? Do you mean he has a scholarship offer from UND? If so, for when? He is an 88 and is the equivalent of a junior in high school. Thanks.

What is the status of Carle? I have not seen any articles indicating that he has signed with San Jose or is about to sign. If DU loses Carle, that will be a huge loss.

Denver has has success in recent years with mobile defensemen and good goaltending. Aaron MacKenzie, Brett Skinner, Ryan Caldwell and Matt Carle are all very skilled and can jump into the play offensively. All were recruited hard by UND, and narrowed their final selections to UND, but chose DU. Skinner and MacKenzie played at Thunder Bay where UND used to land a lot of recruits (Hrkac, Greg Johnson, Hoogsteen's, etc.). However, Gwozdecky is from Thunder Bay and has been able to attract those players from Thunder Bay. Brett Skinner is from Brandon, MB and also was recruited hard by the Sioux but chose DU over UND. I'm not sure about Carle, but he was recruited by just about everyone. He is from Alaska, so why he chose DU may have something to do with location. DU has an edge in recruiting based upon its scenery and temperate climate. TJ Fast is going to DU next year, and narrowed his choices to UND and DU. He ultimately chose DU over UND (he loved the arena) because he is from Calgary and the mountains made him feel more at home. DU and CC have also been successful in landing California kids (Sterling, Gauthier) and if you look at the rosters, both DU and CC have many kids from Colorado, particularly Colorado Springs.

I know Tarek very well and trust his judgment on this one. Why you continue to have to compare Jon Ammerman and say that he is not as good or does not have as much upside perplexes me. Have you even seen him play? I am willing to bet that Tarek would describe Jon Ammerman as an "unbelievable" player. I suggest you ask him. I intend to.

You are misinterpreting my message. This is not a negative on Jon Ammerman, who is exceptional. Rather, it is considered to be the main strength of Brian Lee, who shows exceptional poise and rarely makes turnovers. That is why Brian Lee was selected to the World Junior team and is getting a scholarship right out of high school. What I'm telling you is that the difference between the two is not that great. Ask the players who play against them---they have an awful tough time telling you who is better and why. Make no mistake---Jon Ammerman will play D1 hockey and will be outstanding. He is that good and always has been. If he wasn't, the Sioux would not be talking with him right now. Perhaps you didn't know this, but the Sioux have been talking with him about coming in possibly next year if Matt Greene leaves. I doubt that he will because he wants to play a year of USHL so that he is ready when he gets to college.

Ammerman was one of 4 Minnesota players invited to play in the Czech Republic 2 years ago. Brian Lee was one of the others. 2 years ago, Jon Ammerman made the US Development Team in Ann Arbor. He chose not to go because family is very important and cannot be recaptured and because he wanted to win a state championship. If he had gone, he would certainly have all of the D1 teams after him because it is a "reputation" program. Until the time that Brian Lee grew, Jon Ammerman was the better youth hockey player. He was better as a squirt, better as a pee wee. Brian Lee caught and arguably "passed" him in the eyes of others when he was a bantam. Jon Ammerman is a better skater and has better offensive skills than Lee. Not to take anything away from Lee, who is an outstanding player, but the reasons that Lee is being recruited more and is more highly regarded are two fold: (1) he is bigger and thus, has more potential (2) he is more poised and makes betters decisions. You should know that scouts typically recruit the bigger player with more potential. In fact, a scout at the Minnesota HS tournament said that the primary reason that Ammerman is not being recruited more is because he is under 6' (which is actually wrong because the measurements are old). The fact that a player is bigger or has more "upside" rarely tells which will be a better college player. That is why Jason Blake was recruited only by Ferris State out of the USHL, David Hoogsteen only by UND, and Jeff Panzer was an afterthought compared to the "highly regarded" Wes Dorey. I agree that Lee is a tremendous player and prospect. However, you don't need to downgrade Ammerman just because you believe that Lee is better. In fact, Ammerman has been recruited by UM, UMD and UND, but they all want to see him play a year of USHL. He is currently being talked to by Maine, Ohio State, UNO and even UND. Apparently, my bias must have forced these programs to talk with him. The same is true of Hardwick. In fact, if you talk to virtually any scout or recruiter, they will rate Jon Ammerman higher than Hardwick because he is bigger and Hardwick is being labeled as having slow feet. I personally think they are wrong about Hardwick because he has great instincts and intangibles, but Ammerman is more highly regarded. In fact, many regard Olimb higher than Hardwick. You can say with a straight face that you believe that Lee is a better player than Ammerman and I respect that. But Hardwick or Marto?? Please. You need a dose of objectivity.

I would not be concerned. Zach Jones is built like his brother and will be the same type of defenseman. Brian Lee is 6'3" and is getting bigger. He will be very solid after a year in the weight room. Smaby is a monster. Plus, you do not need to be big to play defense in the WCHA. Minnesota has had great success with smaller, mobile defensemen with offensive skills--Larry Olimb, Mike Crowley, even Ballard before he bulked up. Some of UND's best all-time defensemen have been smaller, mobile defensemen with offensive skills--Russ Parent, Curtis Murphy, Travis Roche, Nick Naumenko. Even Ian Kidd was a finesse guy with good offensive skills. The WCHA and college hockey are skating leagues so you do not need NHL defensemen. Yes, the Sioux won with big defensemen this year, but they also had some growing pains and struggled in the transition game and offensively at times. The ideal defensive corps is to have both, which it looks like the Sioux will have. Look at Denver with Caldwell, Skinner and Carle. They are all pretty good size, but they are offensive-minded and great skaters that jump into the play. They are the main reason Denver has won back-to-back championships, ever more than goaltending. Hakstol and Berry were both defenseman, so they probably know what they are doing.

Thanks for the clarification. Jon Ammerman would be a huge pickup for the Sioux. I'm a little biased because I know the family, but I think he is going to be a very good D1 player. I also agree that Ammerman and Hardwick are pretty far ahead of Marto right now. However, I don't want to sell Jake Marto short because he does have a lot of talent. Tarek Howard has said since Marto was a sophomore that he has the talent to play D1.

You have got to be kidding me! The rivalies with CC and Denver are some of my favorite and are longstanding. I much prefer to see the Sioux play DU or CC to St. Cloud, MSU-Mankato or BSU.

First, I wish Nick a full and speedy recovery. I truly feel he has the skills to play for a long time at the professional level. Having played hockey both with a full facemask and without any mask, I would play with no mask at all if given the choice. I guess I might consider wearing a half-shield, but I've never used one, so I'd have to try it first. Playing without a mask improves your vision on the ice immensely. I know, you don't really see the mask when you're playing, but once you take it off, you can really tell that there is a big difference. It would be my guess that most of UND's team would wear either a half-shield or no mask if given the chance. Also, I have to say I disagree that mandating half-shields would be worth the effort, even if it meant more high-stick play. While the shields obviously provide protection, the number of eye injuries would most likely be higher than it is now, just because players would be more careless with their sticks up high. If hockey officials (league reps, etc.) required the players to wear shields, fewer players would choose to play in that league, and the quality of play would be less. Also, I believe it would encourage more illegal and reckless stick work because A) the players will think they can't hurt others with high sticks and therefore be more careless, and B) because they won't have to deal with getting hit in the face by the retaliation (high-stick, punches, etc.) if they stick someone on purpose. Players at the elite level, like Nick, know the risks of choosing not to wear a facemask. They may feel pressured to not wear a mask because of pressure from others on the team, but ultimately, wearing one or not is the decision of the individual. The choice should be left up to the individual player, not mandated by the league that player belongs to. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>