yzerman19

CHay is UND's version of Paul Coffee on the 80's Oilers...obviously he isn't Paul Coffee, but he has the green light to take the puck up ice, just like Coffee did. In my perfect defense scenario, I have two pairings that have one stay at home defensive defenseman and one offensive minded puck-mover. My third d-pairing would be two big, physical defensive defensemen. So, I like 4 defensive minded and two offensive minded dmen...We might have something that looks like that next year...I'd love to put Blood and Mac out together every once in a while just to keep our opponents honest...Maybe pair Forbert with Mattson and Simposn with Panzarello and put Blood and Mac together to clean house.

As my cousin said: You can't hurt Mac...just feed the scott some scotch

I absolutely LOVE Mac. He is a great defensive defenseman, a potential NHL player, and arguably our most important defenseman. I value him above most defenders in the league, but I don't think his plus/minus is good enough to make the short list. I'd love to be proven wrong. Oh, and WE NEED HIM BACK IF WE HOPE TO HANG #8

Agree, but I haven't verified the math, and I am too busy to do so. It doesn't pass my initial sniff test.

NHL.com has a new history will be made about wishes and it shows old video of a young Jonny Toews...pretty cute

I would assume that if they decide to put UND in St Louis, they will simply move the entire bracket there...not swap any other parts of it.

So all the Gophers have to do is get to the Final Five and then have the favorites win in the other tournament games and they are in? That doesn't seem right...if the favorites win, then UMD beats UMN on the Thursday night game.

If memory serves, the center in the offensive zone has to put their stick down first. On a center ice faceoff the visiting team's center has to put their stick down first (someone help me out here, but I think that is the rule). Common reasons to get tossed: encroaching over the dot, not squaring up, not putting your stick down first. I can't remember ever seeing a faceoff go to a third guy to take the draw...sounds like an unlikely infraction.

It's crazy around that bubble...yesterday RPI is in, they lose on Sunday and now CC is in...crazy

MacWIlliam is a great defensive player, well suited for a pro career. Smart, physical, tough. I originally thought he should be on an all-WCHA team over Blood until I saw Ben Blood's +/-...

What a moron!!! The leading goal scorer and total points scorer is left off the first team and does not make POTY?! Serious rube.

I put Dell on the first team and Patterson on the second team. I recognize that Patterson is the Gophers' MVP and that he had an outstanding year leading the conference in save %. My criteria is Wins, GAA, sv%, and Shutouts with the tie breaker being team success. Dell wins the comparison against Patterson in 4 of those 5 criteria. They both deserve to be all conference, and they will be. I don't know how you put the goalie on the 5th place team over the goalie on the conference champion all else being considered. I think Patterson is a great goalie, but you don't make the first team on save % alone.

No doubt...talk about a coach getting the most out of his team...

I still predict that Gregoire comes back for one more year...enough former SIoux have stated that they would rather have stayed than gone to the minors that Gregs will need to seriously weigh his probability of skating in the NHL right away vs the AHL. Kristo...well there was a whole stupid thread of speculation. I would be surprised if he comes back...

This one is more art than science. Regarding difficult PK situations, basically all your guys become penalty killers if you're skating shorthanded for an extended period of time. Always short shifts on the PK if you can get off, get off. But you might roll 8 forwards killing off a 5 minute major. Deciding when to go head to head: top scoring line vs top scoring line vs checking against scoring really depends on what you're trying to accomplish with a particular shift. It also depends on how your other lines match up. Certain game situations such as faceoffs at critical times might dictate a line based on your best centerman for draws and right vs left handed. This year the Sioux are highly effective because 2 of the 3 guys on our #1 scoring line can physically punish almost any line or d-pairing in the WCHA. It makes it difficult for other teams, because if you send out your checking line, well Pony and Fratts can simply beat them at their own game.

Yeah...Dell is #1 in wins and GAA, but much further down in save%...Patterson is the leader in save% and like 3rd in both GAA and wins...

8 games, 8 wins...4 weekends, 4 sweeps...that's it. Prediction: If we win the Final Five, we will win the national championship. If we lose at the final five, we will not win the NCAAs. Why? We need to believe that we can not be beaten. We need the boys to believe that they are an unstoppable force, an unbeatable family. Each weekend from here on out, we have to believe that its just 2 games...we don't need to win 8 in one day...2 per weekend, just like the regular season. Our strength of schedule says we've played teams like this ALL year anyway, every weekend. Frattin and Chay are both in green and white this season for a reason...if asked in October of 2009 if Frattin and Chay would be playing for the Fighting Sioux in March 2011 no one would've said "yes". This team is meant to be together, it is meant to win it all in the last year of the name and logo.

So it is...they can't have our number four straight meetings, can they...

My only issue is that the current pwr would have (assuming the favorites advance) UND vs BC in the semi-final...These are the two best teams in the country IMO, so it would be too bad to not have them face-off for the big prize. I think that they re-seed the Frozen Four, so let's hope that someone knocks Yale out

As of right now (no adjustments)- Bridgeport: Yale vs Atlantic Hockey Merrimack vs Miami Manchester: BC vs Western Michigan UNO vs Notre Dame Green Bay: UND vs Rensselaer Union vs UMD St Louis: Michigan vs Dartmouth DU vs New Hampshire Only problem is NH is a host in Manchester, so switch Notre Dame and New Hampshire Bridgeport: Yale vs Atlantic Hockey Merrimack vs Miami Manchester: BC vs Western MI UNO vs NH Green Bay: UND vs Rensselaer Union vs UMD St Louis: MI vs Dartmouth DU vs Notre Dame I think this is solid for attendance, avoids first round matchups, etc...only beef might be that the Regional finals might have a bunch of intra-conference rivalry games...

Prediction: Miele, Thompson and Frattin are the Hobey Hat Trick

UND in two...simply better at every position and in every aspect of the game Denver in three...MSU will win one, but in the end DU is just better. All games are close. UNO in three...Matt Read may or may not be on the bench; Dean Blais will be SCSU in three over UMD...Huskies are looking good as the season winds down, tUMD is looking the opposite...these are not your November Bulldogs... Minnesota in three over Alaska...The Gophers post season hopes lie on the back of Kent Patterson. An already weak Gopher d-corps might've lost Ness CC in three over Bucky...Home ice tips the scales in CC's favor... So, I predict all series go 3 with the exception of UND v Tech

Only way I can see it happening is if you had two #1 or two #2 seeds and three #4 or three #3 seeds or vice versa. They would move within the global tiering bands (1-4) to avoid intraconference, but they won't have a #1 seed play a #3 seed in the first round just to avoid an intraconference.

Chay had very good points per game numbers...I think that plus his reputation and the fact that he was captain of the conference champion lands him on the first team. Knight was top 9 in conference scoring on the conference champs... I could see Roe making it.