yzerman19

I'd love to see it at the REA, but who is going to travel to GF to watch it? How many die hards get to go to the F5 simply because their wives can go to the MOA while they go to the games. Having the F5 at someone's home rink wouldn't be so foreign to the NCAA, Michigan seems to get toplay at Yost every other year for the NCAAs. Home ice would be nice. Did you know that we are the only team in the WCHA with an all-time winning HOME record against the Goofs

JPAR from here on out. You have to stick with one goalie when you are making a playoff run, and he is HOT right now! JPAR is definitely playing all games this weekend. It sounds like the guys really have confidence in him and that is huge. He seems confident in himself right now too.

The X is a great place for the final five. There is obviously much more to do in the Twin Cities than any other WCHA city (except possibly Denver). It is a destination city. Does this benefit the Goofs? Well, yes it does. Does it make it lopsided in favor of them? No, it doesn't. The guys still have to do it on the ice. Last year at the Final Five Championship the seats were probably 65-35 Gopher-Sioux, and in one of the best games I've seen in a while MN toppled a more skilled UND team. The fans didn't stop Parise, Murray, Bochenski and Stafford from winning the game, Koalska, Riddle, Ballard, Waibel and Briggs did. Just like in the Goofs first championship in 2002 when they made an improbable comeback against Maine. The point of this is that although the fans help, MN had some pretty good teams those years and couldn't have beaten the competition they played if they weren't talented. The home ice factor is there, but it isn't that significant.

It's his lifestyle choice.

I think we should do a big thunder line with Zajac, Stafford and Porter on the other wing and have them really rock UMD's small forwards on the forecheck. I watched UMD's win over Denver on TV a few weeks ago and saw UMD run a nifty little power play trick play where Schwabe and some other forward both went behind the net and each went out a different way for the wraparound and the goalie couldn't tell who had it or which way to go. Schwabe stuffed it home. I hope Dave's seen this tape and knows about this play if we are in a tight game. Has anyone else seen them run this play? The 7-11 portion of the money line was reunited at the AHL all star game and they picked up right where they left off. Phil Kessel can't hold ZP's jock!

I guess blow up is a bad choice in phrasing. I'd really like the guys to break out of their collective scoring slump this weekend. We dearly miss having a player who can create during any shift from anywhere on the ice...11

I agree that a hot goalie in the playoffs is a dream come true for any team. The Sioux need a scorer to get a hot hand too and we could actually make a push at another title. We have some seriously talented offensive players in Murray, Zajac and Stafford. One of them needs to get hot. My vote is Murray.

Woog nows a ton about hockey, that is why with the pick of the recruiting class he could never wina title.

OSU knocking off the Goofs? Please. That's as good as INCH having Cornell number one in the power rankings. IMO Mankato could beat Cornell.

Brady Murray is going to blow up this weekend. Hat trick on Friday. Zajac will score 4 pp goals in the series. Prpich will score 2. GWG Friday: Murray GWG Sat: Caig GWG Sun: Mcmahon

No doubt about that. I like how they have a virtual cakewalk to the frozen four for Denver and BC and a hornet's nest in Michigan and Minneapolis. The PWR is not the best rating, KRACH is, but that is beside the point. I think MN deserves to be just slightly higher than the Sioux, and based on the last couple weeks, I think Wisconsin should be just behind them. I think all three are better than any team in the ECAC or the CCHA.

INCH is way off. With the 3-2-1 bonus UND is 8th (a number two seed). They also have way too many intraconference matchups posted.

I don't like the perpetual Gopher-loving and Sioux-hating in the polls, but I do like not having any pressure on us.

I've seen that Bluto guy too! UMD fans will be at Senser's in droves. Show up and represent.

I didn't realize it was last week's poll either.

DO these clowns even follow college hockey? Wisconsin should barely be hanging on, not ranked ahead of the Sioux let alone the Goofs. As far as the ECAC and CCHA representation. I would love to have Cornell end up a number one seed and get that draw in the NCAAs. Give me Dartmouth, Ohio State and Cornell and I'll see you in the Frozen Four.

I'm hearing that there is a large group of UMD fans gathering at Senser's in Bloomington all weekend. Sioux Fans need to show up and take ownership of the joint.

If any two of the top four teams get knocked off and the Sioux win, then they do not play the play in.

CC or Denver wins the Final Five. Both the Sioux and Gophers have a better chance at winning the NCAAs than the Final Five. Wisconsin is done.

I think the coaching staff is trying to fill in the gaps well. Lee is the most important piece, as our transition game is really lackluster due to our defensemen.

Really either team's series. I have more faith in Sandy than I do in Dave to motivate the troops. I think that UND's size advantage will help. It'd be nice to see Schwabe get his bell rung a few times, but someone has to catch him first. I think that UND is a deeper team and will win a three game series because of that. Duluth needs to win the Final Five to have a shot at an NCAA bid, so they will definitely have incentive to play. Peluso is a hot-head, so I think Dave should send Prpich out to irritate and see if we can't get Marco tossed. It should be very good hockey. UND wins if they can shut down UMD's first line.

The BC league is known throughout junior hockey as a scorer's paradise. It is VERY wide open. Skill levels in US Tier 1 and canadian tier 2 are very comparable. The tier 2 canadian provincial jr leagues like the BC, A and M generally have better talent than the USHL, simply because the majority of really talented hockey players are canadian, and these leagues are close to home for the kids. The USHL was primarily created to create a developmental system for NCAA hockey. The Canadian leagues often send players to Tier 1 (major junior) teams as well as college teams. A typical progression for a skilled player in the US is high school, USHL, NCAA. In canada you generally go bantams, tier 2 junior then to major junior or NCAA. Of course some kids go other routed ala Jamie Langenbrunner who went from Cloquet HS to Peterborough in the O.

I would've loved for Kessel to have committed to a team like UMD. I heard he went MN because of his girlfriend? SOme hockey player...jeez...

In all seriousness, UMD is a great program and Duluth is a fabulous hockey town. I have a lot of buddies who went there, so I just like to rub in the titles fact. Next weekend is anybody's series. Duluth does need a new facility. In recent years, however, the student section up there has become a great force. Sort of like at the old Ralph. It is a lot of fun to go to UMD home games. It is important that Duluth plays well. I am truly a WCHA traditionalist and hate SCSU and MSU being part of the league.

Definitely not a bandwagon jumper. I was watching the Sioux win from before I could walk. I remember clouds of cigarrette smoke in the concourse at the old winter sports arena so thick It looked like LA in springtime. UMD is a fine program, if you don't get scholarship offers from UND or MN or WI