redwing77

Stafford's projections are pretty stable, but look at Zajac. His projected draft position is all over the place. With everyone having their own seperate opinion of where he'll be drafted, I find it hard to think myself on where I think he'll be drafted. 4 days!

Several things. First, thanks for contributing to our knowledge base about Moorhead hockey. I seem to recall them always beating my alma mater (Fargo South) back when I was in high school. Don't know if it was an exhibition game or if it counted. Secondly, I think Back to Back can be retired now. Everyone on this board knows that Denver won the NC last season, ending Minnesota's NC run at 2 straight. Not diminishing the feat of winning back to back NCs, but it's at least a year in the past now. Time to move on. Lastly, Where Minnesota ends up may not be as low as you say. I'd say UND is still the team to beat in the WCHA, but I think the top four will be UND, UMD, Minnesota, UW. Vanek's passing will actually, I think, help them focus their game on a broader game instead of always trying to get him the puck. Therefore, the Gophers should play better. The big loss is Ballard, not Vanek should he leave.

You and me both, pal.

As much as it would be nice to see Drew stay close to home, I'd rather see him wearing a jersey other than Minnesota's. [rant] I'm starting to question just what the Minnesota GM intends to do about scoring on that team as he seems to pursue rejected defensive forwards all the time. It would seem that they need a player like Hull, Nash, Datsyuk, et. al. You know, goal scorers? I think they have an organization chock full of defensive players. Until they start seeking out goalscorers and playmakers aggressively, the Wild will just be another mediocre team based around a goaltending tandem that is underrated (yes, I say this: If Roloson and Fernandez were to both get injured, the Wild would make a run for the worst team in the NHL. NO goalscorers, no offense at all. Just defensive players, role players, and Marion Gaborik) [/rant]

I don't know how this will affect Karl, but the Blue Jackets just acquired Arturs Irbe... Karl falls down another notch on the depth chart It makes me wonder what he has to do to get to the big time.

He's not terribly underweight. There's a defenseman going into SCSU who is 6'2 or 6'3 and less than 180lbs.

somewhere between 5th and 7th round for Radke. I THINK it was 5th Round as a projection.

Apart from medical reasons, is there any reasoning that would allow Moreland to redshirt his first year? As stupid as that sounds, if he isn't spending a year in Sioux Falls, then perhaps he can wait that way and get quality playing time without giving up a year of eligibility. Matt may be good, but he's not ZPar (meaning he's not so good that his draft position will make him a key part of leaving early). That is, if he's even drafted (don't know the whole deal with when you can be drafted or if Matt is past his draft year).

If this is indeed the case, wouldn't the top USHL scorers and the top BCHL goaltenders be the most recruited? Any goaltender that can best a league based on offense should be good, right?

If this event is free, I'll eat my hat. I was surprised they didn't charge admission for the autograph signing when Zach, Brady, and Drew returned from the World Juniors to begin with. These are tryouts, which would be converted to a "sneak preview" of the WJC US team. There's no way this would be free if it were open to the public.

Actually, I've seen more intense fights at the grocery store between two 80 year old ladies and the last bag of prunes.

Just to state the obvious: If I want to find a team to win the WCHA title, I look to the Gophers. If I want to find a team to win it all, I look to the Sioux (among WCHA teams).

Bah. Using facts again to manipulate the masses!

That's your opinion and you are entitled to it. However, the state of the area stands. Where else are you going to see the big boys of hockey? WHere else are you going to see professional venues? If you don't count DI-AA, the REA is the ONLY place in North Dakota where you can catch DI sports. That may sour the whole thing, but that consitutes a monopoly on the act unless you wish to drive 96 miles east to catch a Bemidji State game or perhaps drive to the Twin Cities or Duluth, because that's the closest place to offer something similar to what the REA offers. They could charge $5000. In fact, I think some sections in the Ralph do cost that much. The suites cost $25K over 5 years (I think. Someone can correct me). The fact that they want more people to see the games and the demographics economically of the region show that it is not feasible to start at that price. And, in case you are curious, $400 (or whatever they cost for the general season ticket prices) are markedly less than what it costs for corporate america to view the Gophers on a season ticket basis. Heck, students play around $240 for season tickets... sagard, Greyeagle, is that still true? Single tickets and the Moochi cost $10 a game for students. The only places that may feature less costly season tickets in the WCHA may be found in Duluth, Mankato, or Houghton, though I cannot be sure. The REA is only rivaled in the WCHA by the Kohl Center, and even the Kohl Center has other means of revenue that the REA cannot offer to dillute the cost index (DI basketball, for example). This isn't saying that the Maryoooooochi isn't a great venue for hockey, but it is aging and is thoroughly outclassed by the Madison and Grand Forks arenas. And, for your Twin Cities folks, don't bring XCell into this debate. The Gophers haven't moved to that arena yet. When they do (if they do), I'll modify accordingly. XCel is the best facility in the NHL, but it isn't a college hockey venue save for the playoffs.

Because you can legally drink as a freshman

Whoops! I seem to recall UND winning the title in 2000. Runner up in 2001.

I don't think it will be as bad as we all think it will be. The only decline I'd forsee is defensive scoring by the Gophers. Otherwise, I think their defensive corp can hold things together if Briggs returns strong. Of course, defensively, they will not be as strong as we are.

It is hard to say whether or not it will be a real thorn in MJ's sides because of their (apparent) Committment to signing players who are not going to leave mid season for NHL contracts or committments. What it is good news for is for players who are Undrafted free agents who are facing job loss should there be no NHL next year. Players like Notermann, Schneekloth, Spiewak, etc. This is another pro league from the looks of it whose main competitor is the NHL. It may target Sidney Crosby, but who isn't? And by the looks of it, the ticket prices are a little steep for a startup league.

I'm guessing they do. Whether or not those on the waiting list has the disposiable income to do it or not is the big question. You have to understand that the REA and the Athletic Department are revenue based entities. They are out to make money. It doesn't matter how they do so just as long as they get the money. They are just as happy with selling out all the season tickets and having people being upset about it as they are about selling the seats and making people happy. What matters is the money. Your father-in-law was just another former season ticket holder to them. One person doesn't make or break an entity regardless of the bad blood. Word of mouth spreads 5 people, they say, for every one person who was wronged. However, the problem is the REA is the only act in town. So, they could piss everyone off and they'd still sell seats. Of course, this is just my opinion.

If I am going to go by posts, I am going to say we should spend all our time recruiting Jones. Ammerman will most likely end up a Gopher and Hardwick will end up a Bulldog. However, there is one thing in DI Football and Basketball that could affect Jones. Who recruited Matt for UND? If it is Sandelin (if that is possible, I'm not all thinking mathematically right now), there is a possibility that Jones could consider UMD. In Basketball and Football, this happens all the time. It happened with Neuhisel (sp?) when he moved from Colorado to Washington. A top QB recruit that he recruited wanted to get out of his letter of intent at Colorado to follow the coach to Washington. I don't forsee this happening the Jones, but it is a possibility. Scott is an excellent recruiter.

The Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL won this year's Calder Cup (AHL's version of the Stanley Cup). This team features our own Tony Hrkac, Curtis Murphy, and Bryan Lundbohm. Curtis Murphy was named the Eddie Shore Defenseman of the year winner this year. Congrats all! Tony was among the team leaders in goals scored this season, too.

I agree. IMO he was last year's best Gopher player. In the big picture, I'd rather have a 2 way dman than a 1 dimensional scoring sensation. Ballard will be missed more than Vanek (should Vanek leave next).

A question: which dman has a bigger upside? Ammerman or Hardwick? Has Hardwick committed yet?

I THINK he said that Leopold was underrated and the Ballard was overrated. I think we all need to read the post again.

Tough loss for Commie. I feel really bad for him. He played so hard and tried so hard. I had real mixed emotions about this series. I wanted Tampa to win because that would give them their first Stanley Cup and take them out of the doghouse. I wanted Calgary to win because I'd love to see the Stanley Cup up close and to see Commie sporting some new jewelry. I feel bad for Calgary.