yzerman19

Oshie's move that resulted in his banging one off the crossbar on Friday was just sick. He is our best one on one forward. The Sioux defense had some problems on the breakout this last weekend. It is a combination of not being able to make a guy miss, and the forwards getting up the ice too quickly. We need short crisp passes, not these 30-40 footers. we really need Chorney to get going back there. He is not having his best season. We also are being to cutesy with the puck. They don't all have to be highlight reel goals. The toe-dragging, dropp passes, etc. have to go. We can do that on odd-number transition play, but not in an even up break in. Get the puck on the net, keep the feet moving, stick on the ice and try and dig for some rebounds. We haven't had enough ugly goals. Our second powerplay unit offers nothing. It is definitely time to change that up. Last complaint is too much stick work, not enough foot work. I don't care how strong or how good a stickhandler you are, a guy with his feet in motion underneath him will take the puck every single time. Our defense was less effective on Saturday night than friday night at transitioning the puck and pressuring the Gophers. How many odd-mans did they give up??? In my opinion the players receive passing grades for their performance are as follows: Oshie, Vandevelde, Duncan, Watkins, Kaip, Malone, Genoway, Finley, Chorney, Bina Of them Oshie, Vande, Watkins and Genoway receive A's. Kaip, Duncan and Malone B's, the rest C's. Although Finley was working the enforcer role pretty well, taking on the Gopher bench and asking Bickel if he wanted to drop the gloves. The rest do not achieve a passing a grade. Zajac gets an incomplete, as he did well on the draws. LaPointe regressed a little, Trupp and Kozek and Miller and Martens were non existent. Frattin had a wide open net and tried to be cute instead of banging it in. Marto and Jones looked like they were overmatched and scambling. It is mid-way through the season, and we have done better than last year. We continue to win periods when pressed, however the urgency is not there, and you can't spot a team a couple goalsand expect to win. While it is unfortunate that we haven't swept anybody, but we also have not been swept and we have played at least three maybe four teams that barring strange events will make the NCAA tournament field. We know that we can beat CC, Denver, Michigan State, MN, Northeastern...we've done it. We haven't blown them off the rink, and in fact the wins have been good hard-fought victories (except MSU in the first game of the season). My point is we are currently capable of competing and beating any team in college hockey on any given night. We are doing this minus our best two two-way forwards from last year ( Toews and Porter). We can't expect to cruise through the season. It is a tough, long road. I am not afraid of Notre Dame or Miami, they haven't palyed a tough schedule. The ECAC is weak again. Hockey East leader is Northeastern, who we;ve beaten. Michigan is the only team that I don't know if we can match up with right now. Remember that come playoff time, the freshmen won't be freshmen anymore. Remember what happened to Vande last year in the playoffs. He was nonexistent until the Final 5. Gophers outplayed us most of the series. That is fine, the Gophs match up well with our style of play. They have a ton of skilled forwards, and we don't trap and box, don't let their record surprise you or lull you into thinking they aren't that good. They are very good. On a talent level they are at par with us and Denver. We were able to beat them both 3rd periods after being beaten for the first 40 both nights, when we came out desperate. In a one and done, I think Hakstol can get that fire from the boys for 60 minutes.

My understanding from talking with various players throughout the league that very few are on a full ride and most are on a partial. A lot of the scholarships are structured to pay more as the student-athlete gets older. There are the obvious exceptions: the Zach Parise's and Phil Kessel's (can't believe that I used them both in the same sentence)were on full rides from the get go. A guy like proter was probably on one after his sophomoreor junior year, and a guy like Bochenski after his freshman year. It doesn't take too much thinking to believe that Chorney, Oshie and Duncan are all full rides, Kaip and Bina and JPL probably are too. I don't know these things for fact, but I do know that it isn't full rides across the team.

Someone with some online graphics skills needs to turn that leafs picture into a Gopher uniform

I paid for the reservation, not the specific seats. I went through ticket@#$%! I was directly behind the net the Sioux shot at twice against Rascist State and stuck in the boonies for the Wheeler miracle goal game. I reserved early this year in anticipation of a rematch and not wanting the boonies again.

I paid for and reserved my seats on September 17th. Is it first come first serve for location? When I've purchased tickets before, I bought game by game and was able to select my individual seat.

From USCHO: "One thing is for sure though, the last time the Gophers had only Minnesotans on its roster was the team

Without a doubt, MN will be a better team in Feb. They will be dangerous in March as well. Especially if at the end of the regular season they are still on the outside looking in from the PWR analysis. That will make the Final 5 a must win for them. Playing in St Paul, with the season on the line...could bode well for the Goofs. MN is a team loaded with talent (again); so far they lack leadership and identity. Maybe that will change. It is still EARLY although it is no long VERY EARLY

I hold everyone in the utmost respect until they choose to disrespect myself or something that I hold dear. Once that line is crossed, the person is subject to my full and complete attention. Why should I respect Jeff Dubay when he allegedly makes derogatory comments against my home town? I don't rip other people's hometowns in order to get a rise out of them or make myself feel berrer. In fact, polite conversation and manners would suggest that you speak highly of another's hometown even if it is different than how you truly feel. He doesn't like Grand Forks? I don't like fat boys who speak out of line. I don't like the Gophers, but I respect their hockey program, and would not bash it in a manner other than good-sporting fun. There are parts of the metro that I don't like, but I wouldn't look at one of my friends who bought a house in one of those towns and insult the city they've chosen to live in. Enough about Jeff Dubay. I think this series is going to be a lot tighter than everyone thinks. Remember, the Goofs took CC to OT. They lost, but they still went to OT

Why does he even get to make the trip? I sort of get a kick out of the Wooger I can tolerate his homerness. With Dubay, you just get a guy who you can tell never laced 'em up a day in his life. Gopher by degree, Fighting Sioux by choice

Did fat boy Dubay really make that comment? He is such a loser. He is totally the jock sniffer from high school. The man goes and gets bariatric surgery and still has that wimpy fat boy face. At least he doesn't have to live in GF? Well, last I heard neither do the 50,000 residents of the city, they choose to live there. I grew up in GF, but I have lived in MN for the last 13 years, with the last 11 in the metro. The metro is a good place to live for a young professional, lots of opportunity. It is by know means Shangri La (not referring to the now defunct Chinese restaurant). People, whether by circumstance or opportunity choose to make their lives all over this country. If Dubay chose to knock my home town, I would like to knock him on his wimpy fat boy a$$. I am not blinded by the fact that a metro area of 3 million has more of everything than a college/agriculture/healthcare regional little city, but puffy face needs to show a little respect. I am going to call him a pear-shaped, wimpy, fat-face one more time for good measure

Gophers have a ton of highly skilled, highly drafted forwards. They have not been able to click this year. Look for lots of goals this weekend, as both teams like to play wide open hockey. Much like the Sioux, the young Gopher skilled forwards have had to deal with teams that like to clog the net and slow down the game. These two teams are more similar upfront than one might imagine. Edge goes to Sioux due to more experience on the point (despite playing 2 freshman D on regular shifts) and better performance so far this year by JPL. One place we hurt this year over last is who we stack up against Okposo. Last year Toews was able to contain him; this year the responsibility will most likely be Captain Kaip's. Okposo is a challenge due primarily to his physical strength. Toews was good in that shut down role, because he was so strong on his skates and played fundamentally sound defensive hockey.

I hope we can finish strong tonight. Feed is good. Great series. I do think its funny regarding the goof balls who think a comment like "season over" like I made last night was serious. For all seriousness. We have had some ups and downs. The fact that every team we have played so far is ranked is a big deal. I tell you what, if you split with all the Top 20 teams, you are in fine shape.

I will say it. The season is officially over.

We didn't play well, but we definitely were hurt by the officiating. In the first five minutes of the game, I commented it was the fastest, best hockey I'd seen. Then come the penalties. 3 or was it 4 in a row. Give me a break. Two on Duncan??? What, does that match his career record??? Rook job by Mason. Sioux aren't as good as we thought. Look at what Toews is doing in Chicago. He ran the team last year. Case in point, we sucked last year until he got rolling in world juniors. We are a middle tier team. I have loved the sioux for 3 decades. Get the job done. I I am losing interest in this middle of the pack group of never wil be's.

We definitely didn't play with any fire. We look like a team that doesn't care right now. I noticed a lot of trouble from the D corps getting the breakout going. Clearly the 50 foot goal was a game changer, but as Hak said, we certainly had more opportunities before and after. I would put Chay back in at D when he is healthy. He makes a big difference back there. Key stat of the weekend: UND 0-fer on the pp. Very disappointed in another split. This was a very winnable game. We gave away 2 big points. CC is clearly the cream of the WCHA, and along with Michigan and Miami, the cream of college hockey right now. Denver and UND look like good teams, but not in the same league of the other 3. Very disappointing loss. The boys need to get fired up.

City/State you were born and where you live now? Grew up in GF, live in Minneapolis Did you attend UND? Nope, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Favorite current sioux player? Oshie, Chorney Favorite all time sioux player/s? Zach Parise, Jim Archibald, Dan Brennan, Phil Sykes Favorite all time NON sioux WCHA player and team? Keith Ballard (nothing but class on and off the ice). UMD

I predict that March 2008 will be a Big 10 free Final Five

I do have to call it a charge. Although the Kozek's charging penalty looked pretty clean to me. I think Rylan takes about four strides into the scrum. He went for the wrecking ball effect. He wasn't trying to hurt anybody. He wanted to rock the player and rock the scrum in order to kick the puck loose.

I am surprised that Donald condescends to post on this board if he believes that we are all so intellectually inferior. Hockey is a rough sport. If you don't want to get hit, go out for the band. Referring to Kaip as an enforcer clearly shows someone who doesn't know hockey and doesn't watch the Sioux. Enforcer? Please. Grinder? Hell yeah. Hard working, physical player? Hell yeah. Anyway, I shouldn't waste my time, but sometimes it just feels like you have to educate people. As for the quality of posts and comments from an academic perspective, I didn't know that I was writing a thesis when I comment on a web site. The inferiority complex statement is silly, inferior compared to whom?

There have been some really silly statements regarding the Kaip charge. It in no way resembles the Bina hit. Bina was head down 6 feet off the boards facing into the boards. The Badger that Kaip hit was probably the same distance from the boards, but he was facing the ice. If Kaip does not take a run at him, but simply gives him a two step shot, it is not a penalty. If Pauko hadn't ran Bina, it still would've been boarding or a check from behind. The initial hit by Kaip was given a 2 minute penalty by the officials on the ice, because that is what the penalty warranted. Hakstol's post game comments showed class. He stated that any issues were between the coaches and the players on the ice. Eaves, of course, had to comment publicly that he was displeased and "how often do you see that in college hockey". Of course his squad is completely innocent. You want to talk about further ramifications, how about the third man in on Jonesey! That is not called for. Proper hockey etiquette calls for each player to match up with an opponent (typically your counterpart or a similar sized man) during a line brawl. Not two on one. You could tell Wisconsin was frustrated all game. The cheap shot (from behind) on Osh after his goal really started the bad blood. Finley could've taken care of it on the ice, but the Badger he was jawing with in the penalty box clearly had some brains in his head, as he did not pursue the fight with the Monster from Edina. Emotions run high in WCHA games. I think that Wisconsin realized (as their broadcasters stated) that they have alot of work to do to match up with the Sioux or any other top tier team come March and April. They were frustrated and emotions started to get the better of them. Once that happens, it snowballs. It looked like playoff hockey. Sioux are ready. Badgers are not.

First of all, great win by the boys. Wisconsin was never in it. They can try and win by defensive strategy, but talent and hard work prevail every time. I would love to hear what Hak and Eades discuss over a cold one tonight at the hotel bar. Hak has shown himself to be nothing but a class act. I have to question what came out of Eaves's mouth. Didn't he get in trouble for punching a player a couple years ago? The scrum at the end...When it became third man in, the ref should've stopped it. That two on one fighting on Jonesey should've resulted in a game for that badger. Isn't third man in a game in the NHL? Anyway, Wisconsin was outclassed on the ice and after.

Thanks man. I just really, really want it this year.

Noone has supported and loved this team more than me over the last three decades. I am just sick of getting my hopes up and then having them dashed. It hurts. I can't stand to lose.

I would be lighting scholarships on fire tonight if I were DH.

We are overrated. We have played well three times this year. That's it. I quit. I am sick of the pain. I thought we'd win it with Parise, I thought we'd win it with Zajac and Stafford, I thought we'd win it with Toews...NOTHING