The Exiled One

Fri: 2-1 UND Sat: 2-1 UND

Yes, I believe they have wifi at the arena.

Lizotte usually. Borgen and Ahcan are together on the second pair, another solid duo.

Here's the NTDP Eval Camp invite list. At some point in a different thread somebody complimented Motzko on his ability to recruit without the benefits of the REA or the history of UND. He has zero recruits being considered for the NTDP. I'm not complaining about this because it backs up my point: SCSU doesn't compete with UND for recruits. You win every one of those battles. Look at where the kids on this list are committed... those are the schools competing with UND for recruits. Motzko is a good recruiter, but he (and his staff) are phenomenal scouts and coaches. He finds the players that UND, Minnesota, UMD, Notre Dame, and USA Hockey miss. Still, plenty of uncommitted kids on this list to keep an eye on, but none from Minnesota or North Dakota. All of them have already committed.

Hmmmm.... Nah, I think we'd rather play in Sioux Falls sans North Dakota. Besides, the Eagles are going to win the HE tourney and push the Gophers out anyway. See you at the X

SCSU doesn't beat UND for recruits. They just don't. You wanted Randklev, you got him. You go head to head with any SCSU prospect with a standing offer and you'll likely get him. Your lunch is being eaten because your coaches are BAD at identifying the best players early and getting to them before other teams do. Like Goon mentioned above, Denver coaches saw something before your coaches did and they acted on it. That's the key to good recruiting. Sadly, it's the same reason BC recruits so many 13 and 14 year olds.

As far as I know, none of those guys had offers in hand from UND, UMN, or even UMD. SCSU just got to them first. The last two guys I can think of that had offers from both SCSU and UND were Randklev and Poganski.

The vast majority of SCSU’s players were recruited before Motzko was named WJC coach for the first time, but it can only help going forward. Honestly, the Huskies very rarely win recruiting battles for all the reasons you mentioned. Also, Gibbons should get most of the credit for recruiting. He has a knack for finding the rough diamonds. Motzko just gets the most out of them.

And only three seniors, none of whom are significant contributors. Seriously though, I expect mass early departures. At least four.

We’ll settle for the Challenge Cup for tonight

So sick I had to get a flu shot

https://blog.siouxsports.com/2016/11/17/the-undscsu-challenge-cup-8/

That would be their primary motivation, I think. There's a "Challenge Cup" on the line too. If you're surprised to learn this even exists, you're in good company. SCSU can lock it up with one win. I expect SCSU will rest any players with nagging injuries. They'll probably put Smith in net for one or both games, but Hrenak will the the #1 goalie from there on out.

On their behalf, thanks!

On average, I'd agree with you. However, I think there is a big and understated difference between college hockey potential and pro hockey potential. One example that comes to mind is Justin Holl and Andrew Prochno. Both were defensemen in the same class at Minnetonka HS. Prochno was smaller, led his team in points, and went undrafted. Holl was bigger and was drafted in the 2nd round. Prochno had a stellar career at St. Cloud while Holl had a modest career at Minnesota. Holl made his NHL debut this year. Prochno flamed out of the ECHL in 2016. Here's my point: Good recruiting is about more than landing the obviously good prospects, it's about filling your roster with underrated prospects then coaching them to their full potential. Though most of the best players will be drafted, most drafted players will be overrated as college hockey prospects.

That depends how you frame it. SCSU is ahead of UND in the conference standings and all the computer standings that count. You could say that UND isn't on SCSU's level in that regard, but I get what you're trying to say. No, SCSU doesn't have the same resources or history as UND, but that doesn't mean a hill of beans concerning the present.

Not at all. I was speaking in future terms, and we're in as good of shape as we can be for that. I'd be happy to join you all in bagging on the goofers. I'm sure we can all agree that their current program is in terrible shape compared to our two.

For all of you bagging on SCSU, from an SCSU fan's perspective, I don't really care how the team is perceived. First of all, it's my alma mater because they offered the programs I was interested in at the right price. I have two degrees from there and a well paying job because of them. I will always be loyal to them, good or bad. As far as their reputation, I don't care as long as we win championships. I don't care if the championship roster has Randklev or Benson or Poganski or Lizotte on it. We're #1 in the conference and #1 in the nation after taking 4 of 6 points from the Fighting Hawks this past weekend, so I'm feeling pretty good, and nothing you say about SCSU's past will change that. Congrats on the new recruit, he looks like a real good one.

Definitely excited for this weekend, enough so that I felt like chiming in for the first time in a long time. UND boasts the most high end talent SCSU will have seen since the Denver series, which bodes well for the Hawks. What SCSU has is a deadly power play that is just starting to find its groove and depth of scoring from all four lines. Personally, I think Jimmy Schuldt is a top Hobey candidate and an outside candidate for the US Olympic team. We'll see if you agree after this weekend. Can't wait!

Hey boys, for those of you traveling to Omaha this weekend, have fun. I was there on Saturday for the SCSU game. My notes... • Weather was great. Everything was walking distance. Good time. • Stayed at the Marriott Courtyard, also where SCSU was staying. Short walk to multiple bars and the arena. • Lots of budget hotels on the south side of the arena, but fewer bars. • D.J.'s Dugout was the place to be pregame. Filled up by 4:30 with a long line by 5:15. • Dudley's was nice too, but was neither a sports bar nor a dive bar. No niche might hurt them. Friendliest staff in town though! Good folks. • Pauli's is just a plain old bar. It's small and gets full, but I honestly don't get the appeal. It was full though. Those were the only three places we visited. • All of the establishments are new, which is fine, but they lack the charm of a small town "bar district". Kinda sterile. Not like a Canal Park or a State Street at all. • I really like the arena. In a few ways, I liked it better than the REA *ducks*. Tons better than the HBNHC if that makes up for my blasphemy at all. It has a pro feel, unlike the REA which has a well done college feel. • The whole setup of the area was great. As far as setups go, I like Duluth, Madison, Omaha, and Mankato in that order. Duluth and Madison have the charm. Mankato just lacks the fan support. That's about it! Hope you have a good time, other than enjoying the results of the game.

We were much easier to please back then. Unlike 2000, it looks like we'll avoid Michigan in Yost this year. Minnesota in St. Paul is still a strong possibility. I'm both excited and nervous about that prospect.

Oxbow is right. NCAA won't mess with top seeds like that. If SCSU finishes top four ahead of UND, they'll play in St. Paul... guaranteed.

Close, but looks okay.

Thanks!

St. Cloud plays six of their next eight games against Arizona State, Colorado College, and Western Michigan. Their SOS will take a huge hit, but hopefully they can survive the pummeling and retain the best SOS in the nation. By fortune or design, SCSU has a knack for compiling one of the best Strengths of Schedule seemingly every year. That's really helpful in getting them into the Tourney just about every season. This year will make it four in a row.