jk

Big win for the Sioux. It's just the second league game of the season, and on the road, but you just have to collect points when you can, and the Sioux played well enough to earn points this weekend. Like in the Michigan game, it seemed just about over until Parise made a great play in last five minutes to tie it up. With five minutes left, the game had slowed to a crawl, with hardly a chance by either team, and it seemed like the Sioux were going to go home swept. So great effort by the team to get points, first one, and then the second one, tonight. Tim and Berry very complimentary of Notermann's work in the OT. Berry thinks he has really stepped his game up this year. Also fantastic job shutting SC down for almost the whole game. When SC's big line did have a few great chances late in the second, Josh made the big saves and kept the team in the game.

This was my first look at the team this year, and I can tell now why people think the team looks better than last year. They do simply move the puck better up front, and the defense does not yield the zone nearly as easily as it did last year. They made mistakes, and SC made them pay for every one of them, but they played well enough to win. After Friday night last year in SC, I felt like the team had been run over by a truck and was not nearly as good as SC. Getting pounded 7-3 bites, but I don't feel the despair that I did after last year. Actually, I am anguished over one thing. As a hint, let me just say that the first thing I checked on the internet after the game was how Sedevie did tonight for Topeka. (Topeka won 3-2 in a shootout; Sioux recruit Fabian scored 2 of Topeka's 3 goals in the shootout; Sedevie saved something like 10 of 12 shootout attempts.) It must just be killing the coaches to see that they have put together what could be a stunning team, in time, that looks to be undone by goaltending. I would hate to have to bring in another goalie mid-season, but one of the guys currently on the roster has got to step up soon. Let's see: SOG 43-25. Score 7-3. Sounds about right ... oh, 3-7. Something's wrong here. Not that SOG is necessarily the end-all of statistics, but the Sioux definitely carried the play for at least a lot of the first two periods. It's not like they were going to go undefeated or anything, so there's no point in overreacting to a bad loss in November. I saw a lot of things to like. Massen seems to be getting a lot more comfortable. Lundbohm and Notermann played well. Parise's line seemed quiet, and I think a lot of that was because they seemed to spend many shifts in their own zone. They just had trouble getting into the offensive zone. Connelly is faster than I remember, and Canady was a presence at times. I was hoping for more from Genoway; he seemed to really nonchalant it on a first-period power play. He obviously is taking time getting adjusted. I didn't think Marvin looked out of place at all, but Prpich didn't do much for me. Even though there were encouraging signs, this isn't last year - there aren't moral victories. The Sioux need to get points this weekend, so they're going to have to get them tomorrow. What did Blais have to say afterward?

Agreed. We can all be thankful that Matt wasn't badly injured. The picture is chilling, with the angle of his impact into the boards and his helmet visible elsewhere.

I was glancing at recent WCHA scoring statistics and thought it notable that for at least the last four years (all that I could easily check) UND has had at least two of the WCHA's top five scorers. Considering how college teams turn over, that's pretty amazing. 98-99: Blake, Jay Panzer, CC, Denver, Goren/Panzer/Williamson (tie) 99-00: Panzer, MN, Wisc., Goren, Wisc. 00-01: Panzer, CC, Lundbohm, CC, Wisc./SC 01-02: SC, MN, Bayda, Skarperud, CC Has this been the result of great offensive players, Blais's philosophies, or both? The Sioux haven't played any WCHA games yet, so it's hard to say whether it will continue. It seems to be a reasonable possibility, though.

Just a few stats to start with: Quinn Fylling: 2000/01 42 games 4-3-7 2002/03 6 games 3-7-10 Team SHG: 2001/02 37 games 4 SHG 2002/03 6 games 5 SHG (I think) I don't think anyone is "on a pace" for anything, but I do like the comparisons above. I'll have a few more thoughts later.

My post from this afternoon looks silly now, and I'm glad of it. Seven Sioux goals, and none from Parise or Bochenski. (Not that I have a problem with them scoring.) Notes, Spiewak and Lundblom (c. DW) seem to be really stepping it up this year. It mus be tough to be a parent and have to listen to a player down on the ice, potentially injured. It sure was great that Jones was able to play later. One of the unexpected bonuses of the schedule this year was going to be catching SC shorthanded early in the year. Now I guess it's a push. I guess Marvin goes back to D and you have six defensemen. Then you have 11 forwards: P, F, Bochenski Notes, Lundblom, Massen Genoway, Canady, Connelly Palmo, Prpich Obviously losing four guys for a game stinks, but if it is the result of the captain sticking up for one of his guys that he felt got mistreated, then I'm glad he did it. It's just like Greene giving the Tiger a slash after he ran Parise. The guys are taking care of each other. I'm sure the first team that really runs the goalie is going to get the treatment, as well. It's good team-building. It sounded to me like Siembida had a good weekend, and has earned the start next Friday.

You guys are right in my area of concern, and I can say that my concern is growing as we wrap up the "preseason." It's not just that the lower lines aren't scoring, it's that they're not scoring against cupcakes. I can give a hall pass to the second line for last night, because they've pretty consistently applied pressure so far this year. But the lower lines haven't scored at all. And despite Blais's opinion of Niagara (I fully recognize my opinion is nothing compared to his), our depth lines should completely dominate their depth lines. Wayne State and Alabama were picked to win the CHA, with Niagara in the middle of the pack. Niagara lost at home last night to Air Force. I feel like a home game with Niagara should be double digits, not tied in the third. UND beats Niagara 6-4, 5-3, and MN beats a supposedly better Alabama team 12-1. This is not a good omen. This is a pretty negative post, but I think we may be in for a bit of a rude awakening when the games against good teams start. I hope I'm wrong. On the other hand, the object is to score more goals than the team you're playing that night. Maybe whatever the opponents happen to do at other times in the season just isn't relevant. Hopefully the Sioux take it to Yale tonight.

Sorry I jumped the gun on the goalie thing. Thanks again for the radio updates. The Sicatoka, very interesting about the goalies. Could Ranfranz (also known throughout cyberspace as LaFranz, LaFrench, Dennis Franz and whatever else people can come up with) actually play this year? Also, great news about Canady. The team has been good, but a boost of energy is never a bad thing. Speaking of which: Sockeye, how was your trip? Does Brian elbow for position watching a game from the stands? It must have been frustrating for him to want to be involved. I can't wait to see this team. I'll see one of the SC games on TV and then I'll be in the palace to see UAA.

I don't mean to be critical, but I just don't understand the goaltending situation. JB had a weak outing against Niagara on Friday, then got sent out again Saturday. Then he got pulled on Saturday, so he gets the nod for the next game? This seems like the time of year when rotating goalies makes sense, so I'm surprised to see JS on the bench again. For most of the second half of last year, it seemed that JB was in the doghouse, not playing even when JS had begun to struggle. Is JS now similarly in the doghouse? Or is it just as simple as one guy looking better in practice so he plays?

Part 1, of course, was a thread with a few Blais comments about the Gophers that ended up on another board. Turnabout is fair play, so I thought I'd highlight the following Lucia comments from the WCHA preview column on USCHO a few weeks ago. Gee, I wonder which unnamed team he's referring to. ----------------------------------------------------- "We have enough good players where we don't have to rely on one freshman to carry the mail," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "We don't need a freshman to come in and be our No. 1 center or quarterback our power play. We have guys returning that can do those jobs." ----------------------------------------------------- Gophers forward scoring through 5 games: Riddle 5-3-8 Guyer 5-1-6 Vanek 3-2-5 Hirsch 1-4-5 Looks like the freshmen are carrying the mail for the Gophers. Guyer leads the team in PP goals with 3, and has been the team's best player. Where are the returning guys who are supposed to be doing those jobs? (I know the Gophers have some injuries.) If Parise played for MN, who do you think would be centering their number one line? Disclaimer: I still think MN's going to be very good this year. I just think the shot from Lucia shouldn't go unnoticed.

I'm looking for scoring from Canady, Connelly, Massen, McMahon, Genoway and Hale... say, about four goals on the weekend for the group. Considering they have combined for one so far, it sounds like a lot, but considering their abilities, it doesn't seem too far-fetched.

I only got to hear pieces of the game, as I was busy parenting this evening, but I was pleased to hear that the upperclassmen stepped up - 3 goals between Spee and Notermann. Two shorties on the same PK shift, when you started the PK down two goals - that's senior leadership. (It's too bad NU scored later in the PP, or it would have been perfect.) I should "not listen" more often. I stepped away down 0-2 and came back to 2-3, then I left just after NU made it 4-4, and came back to 6-4. I would enjoy reading people's impressions of players, including Genoway, Massen, Connelly, Fylling, Prpich and whoever made an impression on you. Thanks.

If Canady's pre-game interview at the Ralph was broadcast on the big-screens there, that must have been fun for his parents. I too would love to see Ryan Connelly have a nice year here, so the positive reviews on his performance are encouraging. After all the shots he took on this board last year, I've been kind of pulling for him. He seemed to be just figuring things out last year when he got hurt. After playing on the third line for a lot of last season, he should be ready to contribute. The reviews for Connelly and Fylling also make me think about team speed. In the last game of the year last year (granted, just one game), the Sioux played well against MN. Forwards in the line-up now (or soon) who did not play in that game are Parise, Fylling, Genoway, Connelly and Canady. Guess what? They can all skate! Well, Parise, Fylling and Connelly obviously, Genoway by reputation (how did his skating look, BTW?), and I was surprised by how much Canady buzzed about when I saw them live last year. I had not expected him to be that fast, since he was more of a banger by reputation. Anyway, my point is that I think the team is a lot quicker this year.

PCM, I heard from someone in Anchorage that journalism school might help you keep your facts straight. Thanks to all for the game information. More than the score and the statistics, it's nice to hear that they look good.

In best Emily Littella voice: What's this I hear about Viagra at North Dakota? Is it so cold there that "things" don't work properly? And why will Viagra be there for only one weekend - won't that just be torture, to have one warm weekend before all those cold months ahead? Apologies to those too young to have heard Ms. Littella's editorials.

I'd love to stop by to say hello, but I'll be home, which unfortunately is 300 miles away. I think I'll be in town to watch the UAA series in a month, so I'm pretty excited about that. Hope you have a great trip.

Someone who claims SSM connections noted on another board that Stafford centers his own line, separate from Crosby. Of course everything you read on the internet is true.

We report on the bad as well as the good. Salmon Arm took its 10-game winning streak on the road this weekend and came home with a 3-game losing streak. Murray was 1-1-2 in the three games.

A few thoughts: Sprig, your spartan writing style was easy to spot on the Salmon Arm board. I recall seeing somewhere that Nikiforuk had been in contact with Brown last year (hey, they beat SCSU), but that there has been interest from other schools (not named) this year. Stafford is really young. He's 16, turning 17 in a few weeks. Do we know if this is for 2003 or 2004? That also makes his size even more impressive. Blais's recruiting in the last few years makes me wonder if perhaps his first few teams were filled with smurfs because that's what he could get at that time. Now, after the program's recent success and with the arena, he seems to have this image of a team with giant defensemen, generally big wings with a few small skill guys, and tiny goaltenders. That's fine with me as long as the big guys can get up and down the rink.

BTW, it's just my nature to be a contrarian on the board. I was pumping my fist like Tiger Woods and jumping up and down like an XFL cheerleader (oh yeah, they didn't jump) late in the game, just like the rest of you. (One more contrarian note: Duluth opened the year by beating Michigan last year. I like our chances to continue improving at a better rate than Duluth, though.)

If I'm allowed to be at all negative, a few things troubled me a bit. One is production down the line-up. I don't want another line of fire team. I really want Spiewak, Notermann, Hale, McMahon, Connelly, Massen and Canady to score. It's just one weekend and I'm certainly not on anyone's case, but I'd like to be more dangerous four lines deep (or at least three). The other concern right off the top of my head is 4 GA on 19 shots. I didn't see it, but it doesn't sound like great goaltending. Tons of positives, though. What can you say about Parise? I don't know what he was thinking, being so productive. Isn't that just going to drive up the expectations? Fylling's emergence sure is a big surprise to me, and a huge bonus for the team. It's also great for Western ND hockey. Lundbohm had a nice weekend. Were these the PP units? Parise, Fylling, Bochenski, Fuher and Lundbohm. Then Spiewak, Notermann, Hale, Schneider and Leinweber? Against Michigan I heard McMahon out there some, but I got mixed up a bit. My biggest positive for the weekend is the defense. Only 19 shots allowed against a good MI team (although it is young and missing its best offensive player), and, better than the statistic, it didn't sound like they ran aroung much in their own end. Michigan's fourth goal came on a shift when the Sioux couldn't clear the zone, but that was one of the few times in the game when they got bottled up. Otherwise they seemed to move the puck up the ice pretty well. The Sioux's second line sounded like they played well all weekend, but just didn't finish. I hope they finish more. It sounded like Blais went with three lines down the stretch, with McMahon, Hale and Connelly on the third line. I didn't hear Palmo, Massen, and Marvin much. And is that right, did Marvin have Prpich's spot on the fourth line? Great opening weekend. Congrats to everyone involved.

They have video clips of goals on the Salmon Arm site, in the "Clips of the Week" section. You can see a few of Murray's goals there, which is fun, but it's very interesting to watch his linemates' goals. I don't think I saw one where #24 (Murray) didn't touch the puck just before someone put it in. It made me think of Blais's comment on Parise's linemates getting rich. Murray's linemates are currently getting rich. I also got the impression during goal celebrations that Murray is bigger than Nikiforuk, which may explain why he isn't committed to a college yet.

Murray's Salmon Arm team continues to cruise, with a 9-game winning streak and a 10-1 record. His linemate Nikiforuk is the BCHL's leading scorer with 12-12-24, Murray is third in the league with 7-14-21, and the other linemate Viedeman (Denver) is 10-7-17. In his last five games, Murray is 3-12-15. Three points per game in a good league. This is obviously THE line in the BCHL this year. I wonder how BCHLers compare it to last year's line at Chilliwak, where Tambellini (Michigan, 117 points in 54 games), Vandergulik (BU, 100 in 56) and Gauthier (Denver, 99 in 50) lit it up.

I agree about Spiewak - Notermann - Lundbohm from two years ago. They were very potent in the drive to the frozen four, generating many chances. I remember thinking at the time that if Lundbohm was a little better finisher they could have scored even more, as he seemed to miss a few golden opportunities. I couldn't understand why they weren't together again last year, but I guess Blais was looking for a top line, and rotated many people through there. This doesn't seem like a "Line of Fire" situation to me. No disrespect to the rest of the team, but the Panzer line was really at the top of their game, and quite a bit more dangerous than anyone else on the team. I think this year will see very balanced scoring. I also don't see this year's top line being dominant. Exciting at times, but we're still talking about a frosh and two sophs in an upperclassmen's league.

To your last point, I am one of the grateful readers from afar, but I think it would be fair for the person summarizing the conversation to use some discretion on the Sioux board. It's a fact of life that college hockey fans visit here (why wouldn't they, as they try to get a little of that winning tradition to rub off (added for our friends in the TC)), so things are sure to be spread about. So part of me thinks discretion would be good. The other part of me that really enjoys reading the updates recommends that such discretion be used sparingly.