jk

I'm not sure which format makes the most sense, but I'll try this. It shows points earned last year and this year for each series. An "x" means the series is/was not on the schedule that year. ............... Last ... This at SCSU ..... 0 ..... 2 ... AA ......... 1 ..... 4 ... Wisc ...... 2 ... MSUM .... 0 ... SCSU .... x ... CC ........ 4 at MN ........ 2 at AA ......... x at CC ........ 0 ... MTU ...... 4 at Denver .. x at MSUM .... 3 ... UMD ...... x at Wisc ...... 0 at MTU ....... 4 ..... x ... MN ........ 0 ..... x at UMD ...... 2 ..... x ... Denver .. 2 ..... x

Golly, this topic is tired. Reusse respects Blais. I've heard him refer to Blais as "the best coach in college hockey. No... the best coach in hockey, period." I paraphrased that, so I hope Reusse doesn't come after me. This might fit with a view he may hold that it is a miracle that UND can compete with MN, given MN's recruiting and resource advantages.

I've now watched three games, Friday against SCSU, and two against UAA. I've yet to see Parise tally a point. I'll stop watching now so he can get back to business. It seems to me that Zach shows flashes of brilliance, but, given his size, he won't be ready to move on after this year. Still, he was fun to watch. One of the neatest things for me to see, more than once, was his pursuit of a loose puck in the corner. For me, it was complete deja vu for the former number 17, and it went like this: See the loose puck, and skate to the open spot where it's going to end up. As soon as your set your body in motion to get to that spot first, it's "head up" and looking in all directions to see where to go with it when you get there. Impressions of other players: Bochenski seemed to struggle a little Saturday, but he is faster this year. Lundbohm, Massen and Fylling worked the offensive zone for a while Saturday like they were on the PP. Lundbohm looks faster also. Massen is locked in a battle for most-improved honors with Notermann and Fylling. It looks like he's getting more comfortable, his effort looks more consistent, and his talent seems to be shining through as a result. Spiewak called his Saturday goal-scoring move lucky, but it was beautiful. I thought he had a nice puck-control game Saturday, better than Friday. That line, with McMahon and Hale, makes just as many nice, short passes as the first two. The puck movement is really impressive, and it will pay off for the team down the stretch. Even the fourth line moved the puck well. I thought Prpich looked out of place against SCSU, but he looked much better against UAA. (Perhaps that says something about SCSU and UAA.) He was really drilling people late in the game Saturday. I've said it over and over, but Canady can fly. He must be one of the fastest guys on the team. He needs to work on play-making at high speed, but the guy was winning foot-races to the puck all weekend long. I saw some of the good and bad from Genoway. He made a really nice touch pass on a rush, and I was asking "who was that?", and some other nice offensive plays that required vision and touch. I also saw him get muscled off the puck more than once. I think he may not be strong enough right now, which is reminiscent of some freshmen last year. By contrast, more than once I saw Fylling muscle an opponent off the puck in the neutral zone; he has matured physically. From what I saw, the Sioux committed hardly any "dumb" penalties. UAA's first goal on Friday came on the 5-3 that resulted from Greene sticking up for Parise. I have no problem with that. I didn't see what Hale did to get called on Saturday, but when a UAA forward is laying on the ice in front of Brandt, and Hale is standing over him, I consider that a good penalty. I continue to really enjoy watching Jones play. He wins races to the puck, preventing the other team from getting the forecheck going. Also, when he decides to pressure someone on the PK, he doesn't do it halfway. He goes after the guy with gusto. Physically punishing. Leinweber played a nice defensive game; I wish he had another year. Not only are the Sioux fresh in the third from rolling four lines, but also from rotating six defensemen. Brandt looked solid. I don't fault Siembida for the goals, but he looked shaky when the puck was bouncing around in his end. I just didn't feel very confident with him in there. Overall, the team looks solid. Good defensively, and dangerous offensively. Fun to watch. I felt like they used up a month of bad puck luck and still got four points. If they were to advance far nationally this year, I wouldn't be surprised. They will need good-to-great goaltending to get there, though, because the attacking style of play that is so easy to cheer for does yield chances the other way. (See the loss to SCSU). One of the best impressions I left with is that the team played hard for six periods, shift after shift. That's really easy to cheer for.

Back from the "Grand Cities," after my first look at this version of the Sioux. I can be a big homer, so sometimes I see too much of the good and go into denial about the bad. (I thought they looked pretty good when they lost 7-3 to SCSU.) For instance, I should be concerned about the lack of finishing. But even that doesn't bother me; if a team works as hard as the Sioux did this weekend, the goals will come. It's also worth noting that the opponent was a pretty badly outmatched UAA team, so maybe that should temper my enthusiasm. With those concerns noted, my initial opinion about this Sioux team is: WOW. They looked fabulous. This was the most lopsided 4-2, 1-0 sweep in history. All four lines worked and worked all weekend long, and the defense was stifling. I guess they eventually have to score more to prove that all is well, but my concerns about scoring depth are gone after watching the team. On Friday, the third and fourth lines may have applied the most consistent pressure, even though the top lines definitely had their chances. I have to laugh now when people think this is a one-line team, like the last few years. This year's second and third lines are better than the second line on either of the last two teams, even though the second line two years ago (Spiewak, Notermann and Lundbohm) played great down the stretch. I have no problem seeing any of the top three lines out against anyone, which is different from last year, when it seemed like the freshmen needed matchup protection. More impressive than the forwards, who I really like, are the defensemen. When UAA tried to go wide, whichever defensemen happened to be there stapled the opponent into the sideboards. Even a lot of the rushes up the middle ended up with someone getting drilled into the side or end boards. Did anyone get beat wide all weekend? I didn't see it, but I didn't have a good view of the other end of the rink. I would love to hear what all the pro scouts showing up to watch Parise think of the Sioux defense, because I was impressed. Someone mentioned somewhere their concern about the defensemen leaving early. I agree. Hale, Jones and Greene will all be pretty big early departure risks. After Friday's game, I commented that I was pleased the Sioux didn't have Wisconsin's Heatley syndrome, where everyone stood around waiting for Dany to do it. One of the advantages of having a hungry scorer like Bochenski on the same line is that he's not going to watch anyone do anything. Goal scorers have a selfish streak by nature - they want to put the puck in the net - so I like that Bochenski wants the puck and wants to score. By the end of the weekend, though, I thought the Sioux were trying too hard to get the puck to Zach. The PP point men love to fake the shot, then pass it to Zach down low to the right of the net. But if you try it every time, the other team has an idea that it's coming. It's been kind of shocking to see Blais stick with his line combos so consistently; I hope Dean's feeling OK. He put Spiewak in Fylling's spot Saturday against SCSU, and Notermann there Saturday against UAA. But other than that, the same combos have been going out game after game. I noticed that sometimes he spotted Fylling or Prpich into lines after Notermann or Spiewak had just finished a PK shift. Notermann, Fylling and Parise have got to just be dying to see the red light go on. Notermann looked great. Friday he had the play where his shot went through Reiter, only to have Reiter dive backward and knock the bouncing puck away just before it crossed the line. Shortly after that, he had the rebound of the Massen shot (Massen made a gorgeous move on the left-hand side to get to the middle and take the shot - the kind of move that makes him an early-departure risk as well) that Reiter somehow got his glove on. Then Saturday he had the breakaway where he got hauled down - penalty shot? - and that stunning shorthanded rush - spin-o-rama at the blueline to lose one guy, then deke the next guy to get the shot off. After all that, he's due. I can't get on Fylling's case about all his missed chances, because you don't get those chances by accident. He had to be fast enough and see the play well enough to get those breakaways and open chances, and they will eventually go in. The one I can knock him on is the 3-0; when you're in with two of the top snipers in the country, move the puck over to one of them to pick a spot. They weren't even close to being in too deep yet. I'll post this now so I don't lose it.

An article from NHL.com. Pretty interesting, with a few insights into recruiting, moving on to the next level, and Zach's background. http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/college/index.html

Does anyone know or care to say if there is a particular area where the Sioux parents sit at games? Since I will be in attendance, I might like to stop up and meet some of my cyber-acquaintances, if I get a chance. If you'd rather not post that publicly here, you could just e-mail me at kellyjr@wellsfargo.com. Thanks.

This speaks to me of the important role that Spiewak, Notermann, Hale and Leinweber are playing in the continuity of the program. They are bridging the gap from the Blake/Panzer/Goren era to the Parise/Bochenski/Murray(?) era, teaching the next generation what it means to wear the sweater. As the wise one in St. Cloud said, talent can only take you so far. He actually was right. The seniors have won a ring, they know what it takes, and they are trying to build a committed team of their own. I'm glad that Blais isn't talking about contending for a national title this year, but I'll bet he'd like to see the team take a shot at putting together a four-game winning streak to end the year. Just make it to the last sixteen teams, and play that tight-checking transition game and see what happens. And while I don't think the Sioux are a Top 5 team right now, it's interesting to see BC and UND in the one and four spots. Deja vu all over again.

Favoring UND: - Better players. - Revenge factor. Revenge may be too strong a word. Trying to atone for last year might be closer. - Home ice. - Lots of freshmen on UAA, which is adjusting to the graduation of senior leaders. Favoring UAA: - They are desperate for a WCHA win. - They played CC tough last week, leading Saturday after two. - Confidence after doing well at REA last year. - Sioux goaltending will remain a question until someone plays well consistently. Favoring me: - My first trip to GF this year, and my first look at the team live. Really, really looking forward to it. If the Sioux want to contend this year, this is the kind of series they need to sweep.

Here are some updates: Murray 23 gp, 12-30-42. Tied for third in BCHL scoring. Just had a 1-5-6 game in a 7-6 win. Missed one game with a slight concussion. Stafford 19 gp, 9-19-28. Last I heard he was not playing on Crosby's line, which makes his numbers more impressive, to me. Crosby, BTW, is 20-31-51 in 19 gp. Porter 17gp, 2-6-8. Seems to be having trouble adjusting to the USHL, at least based on the stats. Ugly -7 so far. Fabian 13 gp, 5-2-7. Smaby 18 gp, 2-7-9. 31 PIMs. Lamoreaux 5-3, 2.805 GAA, .906 Sedevie 5-3-2, 2.535 GAA, .900 As for their teams: Salmon Arm (Murray) is 16-8 and in second place in its division. SSM (Stafford, Smaby) is 15-4. Lincoln (Porter, Lamoreaux) is 12-4-1, the best record in the USHL. Topeka (Fabian, Sedevie) is 6-5-2, which puts them last in the USHL's West Division, but would be good enough for second in the East.

http://www.collegehockeystats.com/0203/box...es/mndkprn1.n01 If this link works, it looks to me like there were two Sioux players in the box, and one Princeton player, when Bochenski scored his last goal against Princeton. So it should be a SHG.

Since this has turned into a referendum on Coach Dahl, I can chip in with my opinion that I have no problem with the guy. I think I have probably said just about the same thing before - the junior-senior league thing. I also think it's pretty amazing that the SC program is where it is; there's really no reason it should be any more successful than Ferris, Miami, Western Michigan, UAA, Michigan Tech or any non-major school. But they are pretty consistently near the top now. I also think it's safe to like him there, in much the same way I didn't mind Woog staying at MN. But that's just my opinion.

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.