yzerman19

Looks like an all east winners bracket is inevitable. Maybe the west should get to make an all-star team to try and compete with the east

No Murray, no national tournament. This breaks my heart. Our inability to score goals this year is sickening. Murray is one of the few players who has proven his ability to burry the puck; without him our line chemistry is diminished. One solid scoring line is all that remains. We aren't going to win many games with that.

2-1 Bismarck after 2. Go Rough Riders. As to Marto and Juniors. I am very well versed regarding the junior hockey leagues throughout North America. There are many players who make the transition directly from high school. The Gophers to this day take a lot of kids right from high school. Yes, many program's rosters are full of junior players, but many special players can make the jump. It is a case by case decision, and I think that Marto is ready for the college game. Like I said earlier, he reminds me of Paul Martin who made that transition. The better the competition, the better for a player's development, and obviously the college game is better than Tier I US or Tier II Canada. I agree that Marto is not a Sidney Crosby, and I am not saying that he could step up to Major Junior. I just think that he is ready for the college game.

I just figure an hour to fargo and a little time to cross the river. On Marto, I don't believe he needs junior hockey to prepare him for the college game. He is such a nice player already. Junior is great for a lot of kids, especially those who haven't had any scholarship offers yet. Marto has been scouted extensively already. I heard through the grapevine that MN is number one ona short list for him right now.

I agree, i hate seeing homegrown talent scoring for other teams (especially MN). I grew especially sick of it when it lead to MN titles.

It will be a clean sweep for the east. Additionally, no Mr Hockey should ever come out of the west. Put a top east region player out west and watch his stats triple.

Kessel is going to Yost. If I were him I'd be in CHL next year.

I'm comparing Marto to Martin when Paul was at Elk River. He obviously developed significantly in the three years he played at MN. Marto has been down to Minneapolis on an "unofficial" visit. I think Lucia sees the same things I do. Western ND hockey will never equal the east. GF has an elite DI program and the best facilities in the nation. It has a rich tradition. It is 2.5 hours to Winnipeg. It is 2 hours to Roseau, 2.5 hours to Warroad and 1 .2 hours to Moorhead. Proximity to the best competition and hockey schools and programs make it superior.

This weekend is everything as far as a national tournament birth is concerned. We have to sweep. We want Maine to sweep Lowell, we want Tech to sweep Alaska, we want Bemidji State to sweep UMD and SCSU to sweep the Gophs. Dartmouth v Harvard is either or. We can move way up in the pairwise if that sequence of events occurs. As far as this team. I don't know what to think. I think we lack a third period, carry the team on my shoulders, and win the f---ing game kind of guy. We've lost a lot of 1-goal games this year against some very good teams. I place the lack of success of this year's team squarely on the shoulders of the defensive corps' inability to create offense.

Marto reminds me of Paul Martin when he was at Elk River. Same build, same smooth skating defenseman who can really lead the transition to offense coming out of the defensive zone. He could very easily become an every day NHL defenseman. Mr Hockey here it comes. I don't want to see him in Maroon and Gold next year!!!

I am not surprised at all about the Central-Minot score. When you play for a Grand Forks school, you don't ever think that you won't go to state. It is a forgone conclusion. We were never nervous, and we played at Englestad against Central every year. We know the ice, we expect to be there, and we sleep in our own beds at night. Proximity to MN is everything for ND hockey. Being able to play Roseau and Warroad and Moorhead growing up is huge. For that reason alone, the East will always dominate the west.

Hockey East will always get the media attention etc. simply because of the population of the area it encompasses. Major city universities and universities with successful D-I programs in other sports also get more attention. If you look at the WCHA, only MN and WI meet that criteria, that is why whenever they have a decent player he gets the Hobey or everytime they have a decent year the media can't stop talking about it. Bottom line is that hockey is a regional sport that has a couple of highly successful programs and a bunch of also rans. UND, MN, MI, ME, or BC will win the NCAAs this year and every year that follows.

I just read my post and I meant split not sweep.

Here's how I see the series breaking down. Forwards: Advantage UND. Bochenski, Parise and Murray are all in the top 5 for ppg. Vanek does make the top 10. I think that every one of UND's scoring lines is more potent than the comparable UM line. Additionally, UND's forwards backcheck and play both sides of the rink. Vanek play D? Please. Defensemen: Draw. Although MN has much more highly skilled offensive defense men (think Ballard), UND's bruisers will hold the blue line and will match up well with MN's goal-mouth garbage collectors (Potulny has had a great career out-bruting defensemen and banging in rebounds and tips). Goaltending: Advantage UND. Although Briggs has been playing well lately, Brandt and Parise are both superior. Special teams: Advantage MN. Although UND has a decent pk, MN's pp is lethal. The Rodents just move the puck too well. The men in green better stay out of the box. Incentive: Advantage MN. The Gophs have home ice and motivation to test their mettle. There is nothing that the Mariucci crowd would rather do than chant "over-rated" after a sweep. So it is a toss-up. I am looking forward to some exceptional hockey. MN is one of the few teams that can actually skate with UND. That could be exciting. I predict a sweep 7-4 UND on Friday and 4-2 MN on Saturday with an empty netter. I can't wait fort his one.

The plexiglass partition in the penalty box was the result of legendary Sioux tough guy Dean Dachyshyn who fought a Wisconsin player when they were both in the box. The fights that occurred were legendary at the old Ralph. The best part of it was that a fighting penalty usually only drew a double minor back in the 80's. I remember Dan Brennan fighting the same guy three times in a game once.

We are nostalgic about the old Ralph because of all the memories there. The building itself is just materials. When we hang another NCAA banner up in the new Ralph it will start to feel like home. I grew up going to the old Ralph. I remember my Dad used to park by University Park and we would run against the bitter cold up to our seats, and I can remember leaving and pretending to be Troy Murray in my basement the whole next day. I will always love the old Ralph for those memories with my dad, of my childhood, and of the times I was fortunate enough to play there in the state tournament. I'm sure it means just as much to students who had great times supporting their team. Once the new Ralph has been around long enough to have created memories like that for kids and for students it will take on that same level of nostalgia. I agree that the new Ralph doesn't have the same home ice advantage and ferocity as the old one, but it is definitely a nicer facility. It's like moving from your childhood home. It takes a while for any new place to feel that comfortable. Let's break it in with the first of 2 consecutive NCAA titles this year.

Sorry, Mr. Troy Riddle lover, I didn't mean to insult your boyfriend. I guess Riddle isn't a prima donna, It's not like he went to Blake or Breck. He was forced out to BSM in St Louis Park. As far as mediocre/prima donna gophers go...Whatever happened to Woog's kid? Also, I saw in the Star TRib last weekend that Mike Crowley is now working for his uncle in the bond business in CHicago. For all the Hobey winners MN has had, only Neal Broten became anything in the NHL. At least UND's one Hobey winner has had a long career. Oh, How many members of the gold medal winning WJC team USA play for the Gophers? Also, aside from the Shattuck players (who really don't count as being from MN any more than Marian Gaborik does) were from MN?

I'd avoid throwing down with Potulny, but none of the other Gophers could fight their way out of a paper bag. I'm sure the cheap-ass Gophers will try and pick a fight with Murray or Parise at the end of the game when they look up at that Mariucci scoreboard and are embarrased. My prediction is that Troy Riddle cheap shots Brady Murray (because Riddle like all Gophers is a coward and will seek out the smallest player to fight). I hope Murray, who played Jr in Canada and probably has been in a brawl or two despite his frame will school Mr private school prima donna Riddle in the art of hockey fighting.

I think we could lessen the garbage play by lessening the penalty for fighting in college hockey. I hate fighting in hockey as it takes away from the game, but if a player new that if he mauled Parise he was going to have to drop the gloves with Matt Greene he might think twice. That's how Gretzky got a lot of open ice. Opposing players new if they rode him or cheap shot him they would have to fight McSorley or some other tough guy. The threat of fighting deters players from cheap play. Maybe that's what the WCHA needs. If I were Blais next time I saw Parise get mugged, I'd get the guys number and send one of our less skilled players out to beat him up. If the officials aren't going to do anything about it, then the team needs to.

Skill wise ZP is ready to turn pro, he demonstrated that clearly at the WJC where he stood out amongst players where most Russian, Finnish, Czech, Swedish, Canadian and US players will be or currently are pros. His supposed lack of point production this year will only be mentioned by stats dorks who don't watch the kid play. A great offensive player will get his points, but what's more important is how many opportunities he generates for himself and his teammates. Not only when he is on the ice, but also by what happens when he's on the bench. Zach digs pucks out of corners that touch three other players sticks before going in the net (no statistical assist), Zach exhausts opposing players so other teammates can score. The bottom line is ZP makes plays at the pro level. ZP also backchecks ferociously and is tough to knock off the puck in the corners. Playing at the highest level is when ZP shines. At his size and everything, he reminds me of my namesake here. I predict one more year at the NCAA level not because ZP isn't ready for the NHL, but because he isn't quite ready to be a first line center in the NHL. As skilled offensively as he is right now, I can't picture him going head to head with guys like Forsberg, Modano and Fedorov in the corners. Watching him at the WJC showed me that he is almost ready. We've got him one more year. Why don't we win two in a row and shut up those Gopher fans!!

The big number to use is pts per game, as Crosby is playing way more games in the Q than any NCAA team plays...bus life.

One thing to remember when comparing major junior to NCAA is that you can only play in the CHL (to anyone unfamiliar with major junior hockey the CHL is the collective of the three major junior canadian(mostly) leagues of the OHL, WHL and QMJHL) as a 16 to 20 year old, and teams are limited as to how many "veteran" 20 year olds they can carry. The overwhelming number of NCAA schools carry very few players under 20. There is a lot more finesse, but they also play NHL fighting rules.

As much as I love college hockey and the Sioux, The Q is in most ways superior to NCAA hockey in preparing a player for the NHL. Crosby will be the number one player taken in the 2005 draft. He will more than likely transition directly to the NHL as an 18 year old. Players of that level (usually Canadians) usually don't even think about a route other than major junior. Crosby made the decision as a 16 year old to not play college hockey, because for a player of his caliber the CHL is the shortest distance between two points..

The Hrkac circus was the greatest college hockey team of all time period. Anyone who wasn't around GF at the time really missed out. Other squads have put together more NHLers, but top to bottom the 86-87 Sioux were so unbelievable...just think if Hrkac, Joyce, Ian Kidd, and Ed Belfour had stuck around another year (they all had remaining eligibility)...If they had played together again, I have no doubt in my mind that UND would've repeated.

I'll always remember Andy as Toby's pudgy little brother trying to play with us "big kids" at the Kelly elementary outdoor rink.