skateshattrick

Sagard, please spare your sarcasm. Did you ever see Grant Potulny play growing up? Did you see him play at Red River High School or in the USHL? This would not have been the 1st time that Lucia has recruited an older brother to get another. Remember Ian Petersen and Toby Petersen from Bloomington Jefferson? Ian was okay with the F-M Sharks in the USHL, but was hardly recruited. His younger brother Toby, on the other hand, was always very good and was heavily recruited. Lucia took both while at CC as a package. As I said, Grant has turned out to be a very good player, but has also been a pleasant surprise because no one would have predicted that he would have done this well if they had seen him in high school or the USHL. Most Sioux fans will tell you that they are disappointed Grant was not recruited based upon hindsight and because everyone knew about Ryan and how much potential he has.

Where does the article about Jordan Parise appear on USCHO? I looked for it and could not find it.

Greene--He reminds me of Commodore, except that he is bigger, stronger and a better skater than Commodore was at this stage of his college career. They both had a penchant for taking stupid and untimely penalties as freshmen, but I expect that to improve as he matures. If he can stay under control, he will be an impact player. Hopefully, it will come this year and not his junior year.

redwing77--That is a new one to me. Ryan and Grant Potulny's father, Jay, grew up in North Dakota in a small town near Grafton. Their uncle, Dan Gaustad from Grafton, told me the reason Grant went to Minnesota is because he was not recruited by UND. Grant was set to go to UMD until Wisconsin and Minnesota showed up in the picture later. That is not to say that he would not have gone to Minnesota anyway, but UND made his decision pretty easy. Even after he was recruited by U of M, Jay Potulny went back to Blais and was very interested in playing for the Sioux. The Sioux had finished their recruiting and offered him no money. His dad was very upset about Grant not being recruited. As a result, even though Ryan was recruited hard by UND, he and his dad never gave it real serious consideration. If you want the straight scoop, talk with Dan Gaustad, an attorney in Grafton. Although Grant has had a great career, there has been a lot of speculation that Lucia wanted Grant to get Ryan who was much better as a youth hockey player. Only Lucia knows, but Ryan has been talked about as a top prospect since Bantams. Grant has been a surprise.

The Wild are done. As great as Giguere has played, he is not the only reason that the Ducks are beating the Wild. They have outplayed the Wild the last 2 games and these teams are pretty evenly matched. Giguere is unbelievable, but Minnesota certainly has less to complain about than Detroit and even Dallas. I watched every game of Anaheim v. Detroit, and Detroit outplayed the Ducks badly 3 of the 4 games, and outshot them badly in all 4 games. Giguere had 63 saves in the 1st game, and Anaheim seldom had the puck in the Detroit zone. Anaheim played more competitively against Dallas, but were also outplayed and outshot most of the series. Anaheim reminds me of Carolina last year, Buffalo a few years ago when Hasek stood on his head, and even Washington when Kolzig was playing extremely well. The Ducks are playing well defensively, getting unbelievable goaltending, and are getting all of the bounces. I have a feeling that they will crash and burn when they play New Jersey or Ottawa in the finals.

Did I miss something? Did somebody ask Slapshot to post the Central Scouting rankings of the rodents? Slapshot, why don't you weave in something about your grades or something also--in other words, something that NONE OF US CARE ABOUT. The term for that type of person is called a "bore."

Nobody knows except for Dean Blais whether he is signing another contract, but someone well connected to Sioux hockey (former player/announcer) said that Blais told the families of Zach Parise and Brady Murray that he would be around as long as they were. That is one reason that they are at UND rather than Minnesota or elsewhere. I have also heard that Roger Thomas has met with Dean already to discuss signing another contract.

I believe that several posters are minimizing the problem of students standing. It was not 10-20 students, but many times, was an entire section. I know several families from Fargo who commute to the game, and it was a major, major problem. The students are important, but how do you think it looks for the university that is trying to fill an 11,500 seat arena when boosters who pay thousands for tickets and "donations", many of whom travel for the game, complain loudly about not being able to see games because students refuse to sit even after being asked? This is to give you a little different insight and perspective into the problem. I agree with Ryan Bakken. I was a student at UND also, and it is extremely important to have students, even rowdy students. However, lack of civility and refusal to follow rules are not tolerable.

I agree with JK. Our defense will be better if for no other reason, the Sioux played much of last year without Hale. Jones will have a breakout year, Schneider and Fuher are a year older and better, Greene will start to mature and play more disciplined (like Commodore, only Greene is more talented), and Smaby is coming in. The rest are unknowns, but you only need 6 solid defensemen. The goaltending will be better. Brandt was better, and Zieglemann will push him. Sedevie (is he still coming?) is very good when healthy. If Sedevie is not coming, look for the Sioux to get another goalie. Forwards will be much better IF Bochenski and Parise return. They will be one year older and much better. Massen and Lundbohm should be as good or better, and I expect more scoring from Prpich and McMahon. Murray is the real deal, and I hear that Stafford is very good. I also get the feeling that this team is not complete. I would not be surprised to see the Sioux bring in another forward or defenseman from Western Canada. I am very excited about next year. I will be extremely disappointed if the Sioux do not compete for a WCHA title and a national championship.

There is a post on USCHO by a Sioux fan using the name "MyPowerPlay" entitled "Scholarship Pulled???" Does anyone know who or what they are referring to?

Pivetz was Canadian. Mitch Vig is from Bismarck. So was Theel (Notre Dame) and Peluso (Duluth). There were a few other Bismarck kids that played out east. Jacob Hipp is playing for Shattuck and is very good. Hopefully, he will go to UND.

I'm not sure that you can claim Dan Irmen. He played his sophomore year at Red River, but he's a Fargo kid. He played all the way through the Fargo Raiders. He played one year at RR because his dad lost his job and was invited to stay with the Potulny's.

Nate Metcalf, EGF, Mankato.

I think Sioux 7 is absolutely correct that the success of the programs has to do with facilities and ice sheets. Fargo has poor facilities, even though the talent is good. The Fargo Flyers beat Moorhead at Squirt A, Pee Wee A and Bantam A earlier in the year, but lost later in the year at Pee Wee and Bantam, albeit close games. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Moorhead has more ice sheets and the Bantams get on the ice every day for 1 and 1/2 hours, as opposed to Fargo where they get 1 and 3/4 hours per week practice time for each team. The other factor is competition--Moorhead plays Minneapolis competition regularly. It is a myth that Fargo is not a good hockey town--success is tied to facilities and competition. Fargo has the interest and talent, just not enough ice time.

Sioux 7--where did you get your information that Moorhead patterned its program after Grand Forks? I have been saying for a long time that Grand Forks combined is as good as Moorhead, but the systems are not at all similar. Moorhead's program was started by Terry Shercliffe, who brought in Terry Cullen from International Falls. Moorhead's teams play the same style of position, support and passing, whether it is a Squirt Orange (B2) or a Bantam A. The only difference is the skill level, but the system remains the same. Moorhead also has only 1 youth program, which is privately run by the Moorhead Youth Hockey Association (MYHA). They have dryland and Blue Line camps for all of the kids in one system. By contrast, Grand Forks has a blend of private and public. The dominant teams at Mites, Squirts and 1st year PeeWee are the Supras and Blues, private organizations. When they get to 2nd year PeeWee (primarily PeeWee A), it goes back to the park board, where they play for the Wheatkings or Sugarkings at A level, or the Spartans, Jets, etc. at B level. There are also private teams like the Blackhawks that played Bantam A. The systems, however, are not similar. You may find one Grand Forks team that plays passing and position, another that plays dump-and-chase. Although the skill levels are good, they do not have 1 system like Moorhead and it is not privately run.

The Ducks sweep of a clearly superior Red Wings team emphasizes the importance of goaltending in hockey. The Sioux should be very good next year, but they clearly need better and more consistent goaltending to make it to the Frozen 4. It is rare for a team to win with mediocre goaltending, although Hauser comes to mind. That tells how talented the Gophers were in 2002-03 when they won it all despite Hauser.

Slapshot is right that Minnesota got the right man for the job in Lucia and that it makes little difference where the kids are from or if they are older. The goal is to win, and to make the kids better people and better hockey players. I disagree that Minnesota could not win with the best Minnesota talent. There were many years where the Gophers appeared to be the most talented team but fell off at the end or lost in the NCAA tournament. I attribute that more to Woog. Although Woog knows the game, I don't believe that he was the best coach. I have heard from parents of kids who played for Woog who wished they had gone elsewhere because of the mind games that he played. If you cannot get the kids to play for you, you will not be successful. Lucia could win with Minnesota talent, but why should he have to feel that type of pressure? He should be able to recruit what he thinks is best for his team and what gives him the best chance of winning. He is an excellent coach, and proved that by turning around a CC program that was the doormat of the WCHA for many years before he took over. He also has excellent assistant coaches, and that is also important. The Sioux losing Sandelin was a big loss because he is an excellent recruiter and the kids like him and want to play for him. Having said that, I hope that the rest of the league underrates UND next year. Minnesota will be the favorite, but UND will challenge them next year. Dean Blais is an excellent coach and extremely competitive. He will not hesitate to address weaknesses and has a good group coming in next year.

Nice post JWG. Although there is a mutual dislike (hatred?) by many Sioux fans of the Gophers and vice versa, most Sioux fans would concede that the Sioux-Gopher rivalry is one of the best in college hockey and we look forward to playing the Gophers. The games are intense, nerve-wracking and fun. There is also a great deal of respect for the Gophers program because they have a long and great tradition, and they are generally one of the better skating and passing teams in the country, much like Dean Blais coached teams, without the clutch-and-hold style. One of the reasons that Ralph had REA built was so that the Sioux could continue to compete with the big boys like Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, BC, BU, Maine and Michigan State. Finally, as much as I hate seeing the Potulny's and Dan Irmen go to Minnesota, and even local kids like Ryan Kraft of Moorhead, I always wish the local players success when they are not playing the Sioux. I have watched Danny Irmen since he was a squirt, and you will not be disappointed in him.

Relax streakygopher. Not every UND fan feels that way. Minnesota has won 5 legitimate titles, just like North Dakota has won 7 legitimate titles and Michigan 9. The post probably is in response to posts of Yellowdog and others that UND's titles are tainted because we had Canadians and older players and other unmentionables that did not fall into the category of Minnesotans directly out of high school. Apparently, that is a requirement in some persons' minds, although I'm betting that Nebraska won't give back its football titles by recruiting primarily from out-of-state and Duke and UCLA won't give up basketball titles. Minnesota really would not compete well at D1 basketball and football if it had to rely exclusively on homegrown talent. It is just ironic that for so many years, some Gopher fans threw back in Sioux fans' face that UND did not win legitimately because it recruited Canadians, and now, Minnesota is finding out that great hockey is played elsewhere as well as Minnesota and are winning with out-of-state talent. That is not intended as a dis to Minnesota, which is a great hockey state, perhaps the best in the US (although Massachussetts and Michigan may beg to differ), only to emphasize: Who cares where the players come from as long as the NCAA says they are eligible? I love it when the Sioux have Canadians on their roster, as well as Minnesota kids, North Dakota kids and a blend of kids from Illinois, Colorado and elsewhere. Congratulations to the Gopher hockey team. They accomplished a lot, and there are no asterisks by their titles just because they have great players from out-of-state complimenting great players from Minnesota. As far as UND or Minnesota having a greater program, that is debatable. They are clearly both among the elite programs in college hockey and have been for years.

Yellowdog, there was nothing "tongue in cheek" about your flame on USCHO offering excuses why the Sioux won national championships. You meant it, you admitted it, but finally sheepishly backed off after literally hundreds of posters, including fellow Gopher fans, told you what a fool you were and to shut up. How convenient and disingenuous to now state it was a "joke." Your true colors already came through today when you started it again in this forum. One thing you are is predictable. I predicted on this message board that if the Gophers won, you would appear on this board to gloat and flame. That is all that you have ever done on this board, on POI and on USCHO. Then you cry about how everyone is being "mean" to you. Please go away. We appreciate serious comments and insights from Gophers fans, but no one on this board believes that you provide any insightful comment or are here for any reason other than to express your opinions about the so-called Gophers superiority and the "tainted" UND championships. The administrator banned Siouxrock, and I certainly find his posts a lot less offensive than your posts.

Yellowdog, every time that you post you make my point for me. Please go back to USCHO and continue your thread that you started "The Real Reason That UND Won So Many Championships." That earned the distinction of least intelligent post of the year. Congratulations.

Yellowdog, you do sound like Sid, except he's more intelligent. You just happen to be equally biased. Please don't let the facts get in the way of your opinions. As I challenged you on USCHO, please look at the rosters. DeBus and Woog were the oldest players in the WCHA when they played for the Gophers. The Sioux have won with 18 year olds like Trevor Hammer, Jason Ulmer, Jeff Ulmer, Brad DeFauw, Peter Armbrust, Aaron Schweitzer and countless others. You incorrectly assume that because some of these kids are Canadian, they are older when in fact many are 18 or 19. Is everything in your world mythical or do you just make up the facts as you go along? The statement that there are more Minnesota players playing professionally makes no sense. More than whom? North Dakota? Michigan? Massachussetts? Ontario?

Where is the Sioux schedule for next year?

I agree with Streakygopher that the Sioux depth is of concern, as is the ability of the Sioux defensemen to carry the puck and help the transition game like Ballard and Martin. One poster insists that Schneider's stats are similar to Ballard's and makes a pretty convincing argument. I have not seen Smaby, but I understand that he can carry the puck. In my opinion, that [along with goaltending] are the 2 most glaring weaknesses of the Sioux teams the past several years. The Sioux have always had that type of player, from Ian Kidd, Russ Parent, Curtis Murphy, Brad Williamson to Travis Roche. They seem to be missing that part of the game. I also agree that the Gophers defense is very underrated, and the strength of the team. Paul Martin is very good, Ballard is great offensively, Harrington is a very impressive freshman, and DeMarchi finally stopped taking penalties and started playing hockey and looked very good after Christmas. The Sioux forwards will be fine if everyone comes back. Parise-Bochenski-Murray Stafford-Massen-McMahon Lundbohm-Prpich-Fylling. If the Sioux get good goaltending, and an offensive defensmen, they will compete with anyone. Blais said before this year that he did not think this team would compete for a national championship, but that his goals were a top 5 finish in the WCHA, an appearance at the Final 5, and an NCAA appearance. He repeatedly stated,however, that the Sioux would compete for a national championship in 2003-04. I tend to believe him after what he did from 1997-2001. Parise and Bochenski will be a year older, and Murray and Stafford should be impact freshman.

Great objective analysis by JK. MavsFan is correct that Joseph is probably too small to go pro, but Stevenson leaving would not surprise me. I'm counting on both returning. Mankato also will have Backes, but I agree with JK that the Sioux recruiting class of Murray-Smaby-Stafford looks stronger on paper. The key again will be goaltending. Anyone who predicts that the Sioux are slated for 4th or 5th is not being objective. Yellowdog has no objectivity. This is the same person who started a post on USCHO about why the Sioux have won 7 national championships, and then proceeded to spin the same garbage that Sid Hartman has for years about 25 year old Canadians, etc. When he was called on it, he babbled and backtracked, exposing the fact that he's one stage below developmentally disabled. I would love to sit down with Yellowdog for about 30 seconds some time and have him tell me everything that he knows about hockey. He should have some time left over to do other things.