yzerman19

TJ was the most snake bit player on the Sioux team at the start of the season. Last year the pucks that were ringing off the pipe were ricocheting into the net, this year they were deflecting into the seats. That being said, he was still playing good physical hockey and doing the things that he's always done. He was getting chances. As long as you are doing the same things and geting chances, the puck luck will return. I think that we are seeing the beginning of this. I have a feeling that goals are going to come in waves for JTand TJ, while RD will continue to pump them home.

Only two really bad calls in Friday night's game IMO. I was not at Saturday's game. The call on Duncan in the slot was terrible, as he just hit a guy right as he released the puck...how you play defense as coached by every coach I ever had. The other bad call happened in the third, when Gopher stepped on a Sioux player's stick (I think Fabian). He certainly has the right to keep his stick on the ice, and if a player steps on the blade and falls, that is not a trip. Great series all in all. Hakstol lead Sioux have shown struggles to start and fabulous finishes. I think Dave does this on purpose, it gets the guys to buy into the system. Struggles that lead to success equal wins in March and April ( when they matter). TJ Oshie was snake bit the whole first half of the season. The kid couldn't buy a break...pipes, a lucky glove, etc. JT started slow last year too, but then turned it on. If TJ and JT stay hot the rest of the year, the Sioux will go a long way. Defensively, Finley ( who I have often bad-mouthed) is playing like a top end draft pick. I loved how he jawed with Okposo ( talk about a heavy weight bout). Brian Lee still needs to work on his physicality. Bina and Z Jones are just fiesty. Chorney is smooth back there. I think the contributions made by Fabian are often overlooked, but it certainly appears to me that when he gets going, the Sioux get going. Every time he was on the ice he just worked and wore out the Gophjs. This could be another good ending for a slow startig season! Refs don't win or lose games for you, and the Sioux answered the call.

Wow! I have bled Sioux green for almost 30 years, and this could be the worst team I have ever seen. We don't move the puck, we don't play sound positional hockey. Aside from Toews,Duncan, Oshie and Porter, the team is pathetic. They need a big time wake up call. Noone moves their feet. Now Zaba robbed both Oshie and Duncan tonight with the glove, but all the opportunities were generated by the four guys I mentioned. We can't even roll two effective lines.I live in Minny, and I am not going to have a good Monday.

Faces anyone?

Great Thread!!! While I don't think that this year's team is done already and ready to call it a season; I do think that there are some serious fundamental flaws. People have picked out the defense as struggling to build an identity and play well, and I agree with that, however, we are also having a lot of trouble putting the puck in the net. We have not scored more than 3 goals in a game except for against Mankato and Quinnipiac. We've also scored a grand total of 7 goals in our 5 losses. That is pathetic. Obviously the guys aren't clicking. Toews isn't playing like a number three overall, and Oshie is not playing the kid we saw last year. Duncan and Porter IMO seem to be the only two guys pulling their weight.

This is pretty good humor

OK, I am done with my ranting about the penalty shot. A few things from this weekend's series: 1) Sioux goaltending was terrific. I hope Greico drank free last night on his defensemen. 2) Sioux defensive corps need to have a gut check. I am usually the first person to blast Joe Finley, but he played very well this weekend. The Genoway-Bina goal was pretty, but awfully dangerous to pinch two d-men like that. The D need to play better when we have the puck deep in our own end. It appeared to me, that the SCSU forwards beat the Sioux D to the loose pucks in the corner on a very consistent basis. Play the body, play your man, and stick to sound fundamentals. Way too many odd-man ops for SCSU. Brian Lee is supposedly an elite level player, he showed flashes of it last year, he needs to show me more this year. I don't know what happened to Zach Jones, but he reverted back to how he was last year before the playoff run...God awful. The laziness to the loose pucks and the stick checking is worthy of end boards till you puke in my opinion. Win the races and lay the shoulder. Can we get Berry back? Part B: I thought it was the Sioux D, but it might be the Sioux wingers, but we need to be able to break the puck out better. D need to be able to skate by one man, and the wingers need to be low enough to take the pass take two strides and make a pass. Get low, head up, short passes, move the puck quickly up the ice. Part C: Forwards need to play their damn position. I never, ever want to see all three forwards down in one offensive corner again. Too much chasing the puck. SCSU's wingers did a great job at staying home, and it resulted in a couple really good opportunities. 3. PP unit 1. Alright guys, I know you're all super stars, quit playing with it and shoot the puck. We are trying to be way too pretty. 4. Line combinations. I like Porter and Oshie together. I like Toews and Duncan together. Hak has proven to be the absolute master of the late season line cohesiveness, so I will say in Dave We Trust and let that go for now. 5. Strong on the puck, only Toews and Oshie seem to have good leverage when they have the puck. Gophers have really impressed me with how strong they are on the puck this year. 6. Feet moving. Way too many passes hitting coasting players. You need to want and expect a pass at all times and be prepared to do something with it once you get it. Passes do need to be tape to tape, way too many have been off target. We are a decent team right now. I would say that we are under achieving. The skill level on the team should be putting 4 or 5 goals in per game. Hopefully Hakstol can get the boys to peak at the right time again. Gophers are looking awfully good right now, especially considering how many freshmen are getting regular shifts. They will be dangerous in March.

Rules don't say anything about having to be in the clear to warrant a penalty shot. Maybe they should specifically call out that a penalty shot be awarded when a penalty prevents a scoring opportunity and not enough time remains on the game clock to allow for a reasonable power play opportunity. Say less than twenty or thirty seconds. The way it is now, if I am playing D and a player like Oshie or Toews is coming at me one on one with time running out, I'd just tackle him. The SCSU defenseman made a nice play. There are good penalties and then there are great penalties; that was a great penalty.

Should've been a penalty shot. With time running out and a pretty good scoring opportunity, it is the only call that will allow for an equal opportunity to the one that was disrupted by the penalty. Although most people, myself included, generally believe that you have to have a step to have a penalty shot awarded, the rules are actually a bit more generous. Tripping is listed as a penalty shot/optional minor in the NCAA rule book and is followed up by a reference to section 58 b. 58 b states: A player shall not trip or foul from behind a player in control of the puck on the opponent's side of the center red line, thus preventing a reasonable scoring opportunity. I contend that the penalty came from behind, Porter had control of the puck, it was in SCSU's end, and it certainly prevented a reasonable scoring opportunity. So, It doesn't have to be a clear breakaway to warrant the penalty shot.

Toews has been really quiet this series...

getting there

Finley sucks and shouldn't even be in a SIoux uniform

thanks azsioux. bummer though

Stuck in Minneapolis, listening to TH, but looking for a video stream online, any help?

Are there any streaming video feeds online? I know foxsports WI is televising.

Jones did not make the squad, but he was invited to try out, not that I am a huge zach jones fan either. I hope shattuck, hakstol and washington know what they're doing. Clearly they are more qualified than a washed up high school player like me to evaluate talent. Joe's size should afford him the ability to punish players. I want him to be like Commodore and Greene and jones sr were, players that every opposing forward was looking for their whereabouts everytime they went into a corner. in a lot of ways, I believe that joe's season could determine the sioux season as a huge one, or just a good one.

Joe has shown me little more than size. In fact at the end last season, i believed he was the worst defenseman on the team. Joe will have to fight for a spot on this years' squad with little Genoway coming and Bina back. Joe oviously has not shown the coaches for USA hockey much either, as he was not invited to try out for the WJC squad where Chorney, Lee and Jones were all invited. Joe is probably a nice guy; at 6-7 255 on the ice, that is the problem.

Did I miss his season in the USHL?

I presume that the "if they don't play in the USHL they can't be that good" comment was meant tongue in cheek.

Great Recommendations DAR. My understanding is that Oshie is one of the most popular guys on the team too, and could very easily sport the A this year (Grant Potulny did as a soph for the Gophs). Obviously Toews has sick skill, but he is so young.

I think that we are going to see a monster year out of Toews. I would like to see them put Duncan on one side and Kozek on the other and see what they can do. Big point to remember...he is the youngest out of himself, Okposo and Johnson and he is already a proven 20 goal man in the WCHA. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 30 goal season out of the kid. I like that as a second line with Oshie, Porter and Zajac as the sweet and nasty first line. Score on you and beat you up! The word on Zajac is that he is a little less skilled than Travis, but he plays with more of an edge. Hopefully he produces like big bro and not like Chucko!!

I agree with a lot of what Dagies says, but I don't think MN has the firepower that he does. Great incoming class, but the returners aren't top end scorers. Will Wheeler become the first rounder he could be or will he be another Tallackson? Can Howe make the next step going from good to great? The one piece that is ultra important that Dagies missed onthe report card is coaching. While Delta Don is a fabulous coach, Hakstol has been remarkable with Frozen Four appearances in his first two years! Before the Holy Cross let down I would've given both head coaches an A, but after that I give Delta an A-. Slight edge UND. If Okposo has a year like Oshie did last year, it will make the difference between a contender and an also ran.

I like the wink! I was thinking more about the Gophs other goalie...Briggs is ok.

UMD has 3 highly skilled freshmen forwards coming back who all scored double digit goals in their inaugural campaigns. Niskanen is a first rounder who will only get better each year he plays college. Wisconsin returns 3 double digit goal scorers (2 freshmen-skille and street) and Elliot. Carlson and Dowell are decent, but not great. MN returns 4 10+ goal scorers and adds the best incoming class. Weak in the net. I still must stick to the fact that UND is returning two 20 goal scoring first rounders, Duncan added 16, Porter's scored double digits before. The D-men are mostly highly touted top draft picks. decent incoming class, watkins and kozek should elevate their game too. Fabian and Kaip will keep the pressure on. Dingle's the only double digit scorer coming back to Denver.

Only five 20 goal men return to the WCHA. UND has two in Toews and Oshie. SCSU, Denver and MSU all return 1 a piece. Elliot will keep Whiskey in a lot of games, but they lost an awful lot up front. Top 5: 1. UND 2. UMD 3. MN 4. SCSU 5. WI