skateshattrick

JBB--You are welcome for the spelling corrections. It is the least that I can do for the academically/developmentally challenged friends who have no choice but to attend the high school with ashtrays. What was your major---cows? tractors? You were wrong, however, about one thing. Although I attended UND, I am one of the many UND fans living in Fargo. The fact that you interrupted the UND message board confirms that: (1) NDSU is irrelevant, particularly in athletics [is women's volleyball still the major sport?]; and (2) that you have too much time on your hands, which is not surprising since a degree from NDSU means you are probably unemployed or working the night shift for Burger King.

JBB does make a few valid points, mainly that the Clear Channel contract is valuable to UND because it has coverage throughout North Dakota and much of Western Minnesota. Schultz also has his value for UND football, but should have nothing to do with hockey. However, JBB should at least learn how to spell "impetuous" and "blame" before using them in a sentence. I suppose that is above average spelling for someone who graduated from NDSU aka The High School with Ashtrays. Many of the UND football recruits cannot get into NDSU because they either have too high of grades or no criminal record.

Connelly did not turn the puck over on the 3rd goal. It was right in front of me. Leinweber came around the net and cleared it up the middle. The CC defensemen picked it off, took a quick shot, and it was tipped. It was ugly, but put the blame on the person who did it. Connelly had a very solid night. Leinweber was brutal. He did the same thing shortly before the 3rd goal, which fortunately did not result in a goal. Even though Brandt made some nice saves, the 4th goal was all him. It was a harmless slapshot and he kicked out a huge rebound. Schneider had a chance to clear, but fanned. Cullen came right up the middle untouched and had an easy goal.

Phil Lamoreaux is not coming in until 2004. They need a goalie either now or at the beginning of next year to compete for a national championship. This team is not too far away right now, and they are expected to be better next year. One of the posters indicated that the goalies are not bad, just inconsistent. Other than the 2002 Gophers, tell me a team that has won a national championship with an inconsistent goalie? Also, consider in 1997 that the Sioux were sputtering with Toby until they went with Aaron Schweitzer. Toby was not a bad goalie, but horribly inconsistent. The same could be said of most of the goalies when the Sioux were down in the 90's and last year [Chris Dixon, Andy Kollar]. In St. Cloud, our goaltenders game up 7 goals on 25 shots on Friday night. That is a pretty high percentage to score on breakaways. This weekend was more of the same. Jake Brandt struggled in the USHL, which is why he was traded by Lincoln. Siembeda has obvious talent, but has not shown that he can consistently play to the level of a No. 1. Its a little ironic that Ziegelmann was never given the credit he deserved because he played in front of a good team. The excuse was that his GAA and save percentage were inflated because he did not face many shots. Now, some persons excuse the low save % and GAA of our current goalies because its tough when the defense is doing such a great job and the goalies are not facing many shots. You can't have it both ways. If that is true, then Ziegelmann must have really been good. I think he's showing that in the USHL this year where he is the No. 1 in Lincoln and continues to have impressive numbers. As for the comment that he would have been recruited if he was so good, the answer is that he is being recruited. Please also consider that Grant Potulny was not recruited by UND and Danny Irmen had scholarship offers from Minnesota and CC. I realize its tough to get all of the local kids, and UND's record speaks for itself, but it may be a mistake to let Ziegelmann go elsewhere. I recognize and respect the argument that it may be disruptive to bring in another goalie at the break. I'm sure that the coaches have to weigh that against whether they think the Sioux can go very far this year if they brought in another goalie. Its obviously a tough call. However, they do need to address this for next year's team. I hope that Josh Siembeda steps up and plays like he's capable, but until he does, the Sioux need to find a top goaltender. Whether that is Nate Ziegelmann or someone else, it has to be a major concern.

I have heard (from a former Sioux player and USHL coach) that Minnesota is also very interested in Nate Ziegelmann and that there are unsubstantiated rumors that they may bring him in after Christmas. If that is the case, I hope that UND does whatever is necessary to bring him in. Nate is very talented, and I would hate to lose another local kid to the Gophers. Several weeks ago at Sioux Boosters in Fargo, Dave Hakstol was asked if they were going to bring in a goalie at Christmas. He denied that that was even a consideration, claimed that they were happy with the goaltending and said that the No. 1 goalie was Josh Siembeda. However, after saying that Josh was No. 1, the Sioux did not play or even dress Josh Siembeda for 5 games until last Saturday, which is odd, and seems to fuel rumors that the Sioux are not happy with the goaltending. The Sioux have obvious problems with goaltending. The only question is whether it needs to be addressed this year or at the beginning of next season. It depends on whether one believes that they are good enough to compete for a national championship this year with a good goalie. I do not believe they can win with average to below average goaltending, which is clearly the situation now. Virtually every WCHA team has better goaltending (CC, Wisconsin, AAU, Duluth, Denver, St. Cloud, and maybe even MSU). The one obvious exception is Minnesota, and they are looking.