planetearth

I think Skarperud had a post about GF being in 63/68 state tournaments somewhere on some platform after the ND title game this year. Idk which one, maybe Facebook?

IMO, the real issue in ND is AA at the youth level and one class at the HS level, and I don’t have an issue with either, but think about it this way: In MN if you play youth “A” level. You can still play the towns and associations that you will play in HS class A. AA associations typically play AA in HS (some smaller towns opt up from year to year like EGF). In ND you could be Grafton and have a nice A PW and Bantam team but never play against the best AA kids that GF, Fargo, Bismarck, ect have to offer. It’s a speed of play, speed of decision, and creating space issue. At HS level Fargo waters down with so many HS’s. Bismarck too. Minot should be better than they typically are. But in reality everyone is playing for 2nd or 3rd behind pick your GF team from year to year. Unless a Grafton or Jamestown can get every athlete in town and play AA on the way up, I don’t see this changing.

My question is if they’d stayed would it make a HS difference? Did these minot/bismarck kids from pw to ban win at AA on the way up? and I’m not arguing that leaving early for the pay to play AAA is smart. I agree that’s a poor decision, especially given Canadian juniors can play NCAA now.

Isn’t he from Wahpeton?

That’s right! Big noggin. Good player

Thanks all

Did a little checking, Jay was born in 75 and Jeff in 78, so they would have graduated or been near end of HS in 93 and 95.

Pretty sure 95 bantams were older Potulny, Johnson, Mcmenamy, and some kid whose head was as big as a pumpkin idk his name, among others. Not sure if Tanabe was still there then or not. panzers woulda been older right?

Grand forks South specifically as I remember. Narrowly beating Grafton without Park River those years in Bantam state champ games as I recall. The talent on the north end of the valley was unreal back then.

Thats a pretty accurate summary

The CHN podcast this week was sure interesting on this hire.

lol. that’s good material right there. Northern Lakes (Crosby/Ironton/Aitkin/Pequot Lakes) defeats Alexandria in section 6A. Second trip ever to St. Paul for the Lightning.

I’m not around NDAHA anymore but a couple of years ago they were proposing that not every program makes a state tourney at every level. Basically only the top 4 east and west, which is fine with me. This is likely the reason why the 4th team in a 4 team league doesn’t make it… if they indeed followed thru on the proposal above

Not sure if this was mentioned on the forum or at tonight’s game, but a member of Augustana’s coaching staff, Grafton, ND native Chad Demers, recently passed away. Condolence's to the Demers family. https://goaugie.com/news/2024/10/4/mens-hockey-augustana-mourns-the-loss-of-coach-chad-demers.aspx

I’d take Lane Hutson over Blake and he’s a second rounder