yzerman19

How is my last post whining? In numerous threads here I have posted props to Lucia and to the Gophers. I also quite clearly state on one post that I don't blame the refs for the loss. I did think that the calls should've been even out of the ruckus. EMBARASS you. Please. I hate the Gophers. I hate their fans. I went to school at MN and have lived in the twin cities for over a decade. I have to deal with them all of the time. It is not easy to deal with the tremendous amount of ignorance, arrogance and homerness. I am posting to try and get over the loss. I was at the game yesterday and had the great joy of being heckled down West 7th by fans referring to the game as an a$$ kicking. I am posting not to enlighten anyone, but to try and work through my severe disappointment in losing to the team that I despise more than all others. If you are looking for enlightenment, I would clearly state, as I did previously, that the Gopher game plan was a perfect way to shut down the top Sioux line and we were unable to mount any kind of successful attack with lines 2-4. The tight checking game seemed to surprise the Sioux, and we were unable to cycle the puck or have any success on the attack or along the boards. I do think that the frequent early penalty calls moved us off our game and the 2-4 lines did not play the aggressive style that we are used to seeing.

Duncan is tough, and he went after Vanelli as soon as he regained his skates. I love a good hard, clean check. When you are standing still and the puck is away from you, that is not good or clean. The check could've bordered on charging as well. I am quite aware of the 911 pass, I got leveled a few times myself. But you take those lumps when it is clean. That was not. I wouldn't care so much if Vanelli and the rest of the Goofs hadn't run to the bench. If you are going to cheap shot Duncan, then you need to be prepared to back it up. Now neither team can afford to lose a player for the Regionals, but if you do that, you need to be prepared to take the consequences on the ice. I look forward to that check and the ensuing team unity being the motivation behind UND's next four wins!!!!

Earlier on this thread or another, I commented that MN had an elite hockey program, and I don't think there is debate on that. My small comments are related only to the ridiculous comments that I heard last night.

I definitely did not see a fast and loose game. I saw a tight checking game. It was a good game, but not the game that i have seen from the Sioux the last month or the Gophers for that matter. Living in the Twin Cities, I watch all Sioux home games, but often watch the Gophers when the Sioux are on the road. Neither team played the game that they usually do. I give the win to DL for outcoaching DH last night. DL also spun it nicely to make the rodents on ice motivated like an underdog. My compliments to him. My compliments to Blake Wheeler for a fantastic game winner, although I still believe it had a lot of puck luck. In an OT game where you have the talent that both sides have, all it takes is one shot. Much like the near misses at the end of regualtion by the Sioux. Clearly an Okposo, Bariball, Toews, Duncan, Oshie or Chorney can bury an open look. You never want to be in that position as an opponent.

Not a cheap shot! He ran a guy without the puck. That is not green colored glasses, that was cheap. I give MN props for winning the game and am not blaming officials for the loss. Gophers won yesterday, bu they are still the fourth winningest program in the conference in terms of national championships and the laughing stock of the Big Ten in football and hoops

Here's what I saw last night: Minnesota's game plan seemed to be to frustrate the DOT line with their top line and let the game get decided by lines 2-4. MN clogged up the ice well and didn't give anyone time or space. When the Sioux had time and space with the man advantage, they made them pay. MN also was doing some hail Mary type breakouts with one winger just going gang busters ala the Wheeler goal. MN seemed to be very effective at cutting off the passing lanes and then going after the puck handler. MN used the body very well and really set the tone of the game. The aggressive UND forecheck was beaten by the speed of MN. I think the forwards couldn't cycle and grind and hit the corners hard due to the Gophers great ability to transition. MN is a very good team and they played their game last night. The Sioux needed to play theirs, and they did not.

My hatred of the Gophers is bordering on mental illness. It doesn't seem rational to hate a program as much as I hate the Gophers.

I want the refs to let 'em play. Did you know that more than the Sioux are upset about the officiating seeming to be pro-Gopher. There has been a grievence filed with the WCHA regardign officiating by a number of schools. To my knowledge, UND is not one of them. I don't blame the officials for losing last night. I just think it was poor officiating. There is holding, hooking and interference on every shift. You don't need to call it all. I like a fast loose game, and that was not what we had last night. 2 Sioux goals on the PP, yup, on 5 man advantages. MN had 8. Goal disallowed: yup following a mandatory objective replay. I take offense to the Duncan cheap shot and would've ordered the code red.

I agree, with the shot barrage. I posted elsewhere that I thought we were definitely trying to be too pretty. Clearly Chorney, Duncan and Toews can pick corners with the best of them. Bottom line, Sioux need to have offensive production out of the 2-4 lines. We need goals from those guys or else we will lose.

Just put a picture of a B-52 up! Of course I am a Sioux fan, but if we lose, I am the biggest fan of whoever is playing the Gophers

We definitely tried to be too pretty at times. The drop pass from the D is about as stupid as it gets!!!! Drop pass to the D not from the D. Where was the Fabian Kaip connection last night? Porter played well on the pk, but we were definitely spending too much time killing penalties. MN shut down our high powered O. They played an unusual style for Gopher hockey last night. I used to think that POI stood for Prima donnas On Ice. Last night they looked like a grind it our working class team. That is scary. Who needs to step it up: Brad Miller. The man has been a non-factor down the stretch run. Come on buddy!!! Best player in the WCHA skill wise: Jon Toews. Best defenseman in the WCHA offensive skill wise: Taylor Chorney Best sniper: Ryan Duncan Most fun to watch: TJ Oshie Let's go Sioux

Appreciate the post Wookie! Good Luck! Michigan and North Dakota combined: 3+ times as many national titles as MN

Thanks for the backing I was trying to be reasonable in my assessments. It is clear that reason is out of the question for many Gopher fans. I gave props to Lucia and to Wheeler for the win. I bashed the officiating, because there were clearly some bad calls. The extra penalty for Chorney after the cheap shot on Duncan really got me going. To argue that the waived off goal supports fair officiating is ridiculous. That call is not subjective; as all goals are reviewed, and Lucia definitely was harassing Phil. Was it the most blatent GT interference ever? No, but he was definitely in the crease and made contact with Phil. The subjective calls, penalties, were heavily lop-sided towards the Goofs in that first period. It started to even out, but 8 to 5 is not right. MN is clearly an elite program, but many Gopher fans seem to believe that it is the only elite program. When you challenge that with statistics such as the fact that three teams in the same conference have won more NCAA titles you get comments back like "you're dumb". Many Gopher backers don't seem to know hockey. Many do, and they are usually fine to deal with. It is the others, like the ones who want a Big ten hockey conference, who frustrate me. I guess due to being the laughing stock of the big ten in football and basketball, the Gopher sports clowns have moved their support to hockey. The logic is always so corrupt, before the wins in 2002 and 2003, MN hadn't won a title since 1979. That's 23 years by my math, I was educated at the U of M, so maybe my math isn't the best, but I think I'm right. You'd think that without winning in 23 years you would be somewhat humbled, but not so with la Gophere. MN won two very close contests this weekend. I don't know how much they have left.

Michigan is an interesting draw. The Goofs pounded them back when the Goofs were really rolling, but Michigan beat Wisconsin. Leads me to the conclusion that if we can get them into a run and gun affair, we can beat them just like last year. I think Red likes to open it up, so this one could be a high scoring event. The Sioux coaches need to watch plenty of tape from last night's game and figure out how we can get more open ice for our top forwards. Surely Red will be watching that tape, as MN and Denver are the only teams that have been able to leg one out with us. Conditioning will also be a huge factor, as you have both the end of the season and the altitude to deal with. Number one for us is to stay out of the box, but not change our aggressive play.

I am U of MN alum, Carlson both undergrad and grad school, and I have always hated the rouser. I don't like the name calling. Make a statement, don't call me dumb. It is infantile. Also, this is the Sioux board, I am not posting on any Gopher sites. I did hear the comments, and I was bashing what I heard. The shot was a miracle. I gave Wheeler props for the effort, but to just take a whack at the puck and have it pick the far corner, one in fifty, maybe one in a hundred.

Wasn't trying to bash Lee, I just think his lack of physical play can hurt us down the stretch. I definitely do not blame him for the Game winner, which was just a miracle. I said before the game that we needed to score first and score early. Neither happened. The soft goal that Johnson scored was the one that really hurt us. I don't know how that snuck in the five hole. The officiating did settle down after the first period, but the first period was attrocious. I still do not see how you can give the Gophers a power play after they ran Duncan. If they really felt the need to give Chorney the extra 2 for instigating, then the Gopher who ran Duncan should've gotten four minutes also tack on a rough to the interference call. Good Loss? I don't think so. Minnesota has had confidence problems, and a victory by the Sioux would've really hurt their psyche. Now they think they can win it, which is dangerous.

You clearly asserted your superior intellect with the statement: "God you're dumb".

Unfotunately, I don't think playing mad is this team's strength. We play fast tempo, loose hockey the best. Run and gun! MN employed the defensive style to beat us last night. That being said, what the Sioux didn't get last night was any performance out of the second and third lines. We will not lose if the likes of Porter, Watkins, Fabian and Kaip get on the score sheet. We had two beautiful power play goals sniped in by two of our top players. We need production out of the latter lines. Also, our defense is still a weakness. I'd be almost tempted to move Lee up to forward and put Radke back on the point. Lee is not a physical player, and it hurts us tremendously.

If the projections hold true, Go Air Force!!!!!!!!!!! Even though I would like another shot at the Gophers.

You saw a great example of home ice advantage last night, not because of the X being in the metro, but the earned home ice advantage of the last line change. The Okposo line did a great job on the DOT line, and they were out there shift for shift. If we could've had the DOT line out against one of the other Gopher lines, they definitely would've produced an even strength goal. Although JT owned Okposo on the draws, Okposo was draped all over him away from the puck, legally I might add. The defensive style that MN employed last night is not as fun to watch as a horse race, but they were successful with it last night.

By the way, Oshie, Toews and especially Chorney all deserve a ton of credit for how they stepped up after the Duncan cheap shot. Too bad Prpich and Greene weren't still on the team to handle that one. The only bad piece of all of that, is that our studs shouldn't have to be protecting too. I would like to unleash the fury of one 6-7 260 pound beast man on them, too bad he doesn't throw that size around alittle more, but I guess when you get a penalty every time you touch someone, because you are bigger and stronger you have to be careful.

I bet the Goofers were mad the game went to OT, what with the Blarney on campus and it being St Patty's and all. I'd be curious to hear what some of the Sioux players have to say today. I think that this loss, the cheap shot on Duncan, and the overall tone of the game favors UND if they meet again in the NCAAs. Unless, of course, Sheperd is reffing in Denver too.

Couple take aways from the X last night: 1. Gopher fans remain the most arrogant of all WCHA fans. The entitlement attitude is so sickening. The state of hockey? Please, one need only travel straight north about 7 or 8 hours and you'll see a state or province rather of hockey. 2. The officiating in this league is terrible and favors MN. We did not lose because of officiating, we lost because MN played a very frustrating defensive styled game last night and took us off ours. Lucia deserves props, he clearly studied how you beat the Sioux and executed his plan perfectly. It was just like Wisconsin, Tech, Anchorage and Maine did to us this year. He is an outstanding hockey coach. 3. Gopher fans are whiners. You'd think we were watching girls hockey or basketball given the way that they whine over every bit of contact. If you didn't want to get hit, you should've joined the band. 4. Gopher fans honestly do not see talent if it is not in maroon and gold. I actually heard someone say Toews "really isn't that good." Not that good? He is in the top five nationally in points per game, he lead Canada to a World Junior gold medal last year ( his second). Oh, and how old is he? He is still 18!!!!! 5. Gopher fans do not understand the difference between winning and kicking someone's a$$. 3-2 in OT on a miracle goal ( great hard work by Wheeler to get the shot off) in not an a$$ kicking. Wasn't it RE who said the harder he worked the luckier he got? Wheeler finally played like a first round pick this weekend. First time in his career imo. 6. The X is mariucci 2. The X is a great venue, but it is in the backyard of the rodent fans. You can see why the Gophs have had the success there. the stupid M-I-N-N-E... chant was as loud at the X as it ever is in Mpls. It sickens me.

It is tough to win when the opponents have an extra skater wearing black and white. I think the aggressive penalty calling took the Sioux off of their game. Sioux second and third lines didn't get the job done, and the defensive corps (other than Chorney) disappointed. Even though he was penalized for "instigating", the response by Chroney was completely appropriate under the circumstances of the Duncan hit. I like that the team stood up and saif no way to that. Refs should've called 2 minutes on four players and let them skate 5 on 5. The extra penalty was poor officiating. You want to go into the tournament hot, but maybe a loss right now is what we need to get that last bit of gumption in order to win it all. I guarantee that mn doesn't want to see us again, and I desperately want another crack at them.

You have to respect MN,but they clearly have the biggest recruiting advantage in the wcha due to the mn hockey talent at the prep level who are corrupted by woog and mozocco