jk

BTW, I also would have included a fourth player, Fournier, on this list, as he seemed to have quite a lot of untapped potential. His absence means the margin for error is even slimmer.

I think there are a few key players who could have a big impact on how the Sioux do this year, based on their potential and past inconsistency. I look at it this way: I know what players like Spiewak and Notermann bring to the team, and I fully expect to receive it. Ryan Hale really seemed to be on the edge of being an impact player in the second half last year, and I expect him to have his best year. I saw enough of Bochenski and McMahon to expect very solid play from them this year. I know what we'll get from Canady (a few goals bouncing in off his butt and shinpads) and Connelly. I have decent expectations for Fylling and am excited to see Parise. But, for the forwards, the key players (not the "best" or most important, but the ones who could show up and make a big difference) are Lundbohm, Massen and Genoway. Lundbohm has shown hints of being one of the top forwards in the league, and can really handle the puck in tight places. But, at times, he seemed to disappear. Only some of those times were injury-related (as far as I knew). Massen had some highlights - first collegiate goal against some stiff named Miller, beautiful breakaway goal in Mariucci, lighting up MTU - but seemed to be not strong enough on his skates at times and just plain uninvolved at others. If he could consistently use his size to get into position to use his above-average hands, he could be a force in the league. He reminded me last year of Grant Paranica, another big, plus-hands player who seemed to get knocked around a bit. Of course, he was only a freshman, so improvement wouldn't be a shock. Genoway is an enigma to me because his resume and Blais's willingness to bring him in and let him sit through the eligibility clock suggest that he may eventually have an impact. But since I haven't seen him, I don't know whether to expect a fourth-liner or someone who works his way onto the special teams. I do know that having bookend impact (by late in the year) freshmen forwards would be a big boost to the team. So that's my opinion: Lundbohm, Massen and Genoway need to assert themselves for the team to do well this year.

I forgot Palmiscno again. Twelve it is. With Genoway and Canady back, there are going to be some tough decisions on who sits in the stands. At least I hope the players make the decisions tough for the coaches.

Thanks for the info again. Too bad about Brian. I hope he's able to keep his legs in hockey shape while he recovers. With Brian out at the start, and Genoway not yet eligible, the Sioux will actually be short a forward for the first weekend. Perhaps that's where a walk-on will see some ice. As for the walk-on candidates, I guess it's just the pursuit of a dream. Better to try now than to wonder later.

Nice article. That Karl continues to prosper is no surprise to those of us on this board. All he does is stop the puck.

Since the Sioux season is still four weeks away, I though I would look in on the progress of some future Sioux players. Of course, their seasons are just starting as well, so there's not too much going on yet. Feel free to post updates throughout the year, especially if someone happens to actually *see* someone play. Thanks. Brady Murray's Salmon Arm team is 1-1, playing only two games in the first 14 days of BCHL play. They follow that by playing six games in nine days. Murray had one goal (an e.n.g.) in SA's win, and I haven't seen stats on its loss. Topeka played in the preseason Buc Bowl, where Erik Fabian (has he ever been confirmed as a recruit?) put two assists up in one game. Layne Sedevie also won his only outing there, stopping 25 of 26 shots in a 2-1 win. I know that Shattuck has played Bozeman in the AWHL, but I'm not sure of results or stats. Even so, I would think that it won't be much of a year for stat-watching for Matt Smaby, as his strengths lie elsewhere.

But has he been working on making that glove hand quicker, when he's tending the goal? Seriously, I hope he turns out to be a great player, but he's just a freshman (and small and young) and I think I'll keep my expectations in that neighborhood and hope for an upside surprise. If he's that good, then it should be an historic year for newcomers into the WCHA, as Brett Sterling outscored Parise in the World U-18 tourney, and Guyer, Vanek, Gauthier and Skinner all have outstanding resumes as well. OK, so my expectations are a little higher than for a small, young freshman, but you get the general impression.

Thanks, Sockeye. Just looking for little tidbits since the opener is still a month away. Sicatoka, so it's eighth on this board and sixth at USCHO?

The thoughts of both Blais and Berenson in deciding to compete in the season-opening tournament, I'm sure. Anyone have any insight from watching captain's practices? Or from talking to their children, who may be watching (or otherwise involved in) those practices? Doc Nodak, are you still around?

HKNTSMN, If by your post you mean it's time to move on, past Chris Fournier, and think about the players who are here and their upcoming season, I agree. As unlikely as it may seem throughout the league, let's see if the boys can earn some hardware this year. The Sioux have an abundance of good, quick forwards anyway, so let's get 'em the puck and turn 'em loose.

Is Mr. O'Leary still in school at UND? The team work ethic would certainly not suffer if he were around.

Without Fournier, I've been thinking about this set-up: Spiewak, Parise, Bochenski - Speed and experience, speed, and hands. McMahon, Notermann, Hale - Together at the end of last year, and I really liked it. Lundbohm, Genoway, Massen - Line of big boys that will score more than most third lines. Fylling, Canady, Connelly - Good skating and energy line. Bubble boys: Palmiscno and Prpich The third line lacks a natural left wing, but that's not a big concern for me. You could balance the third and fourth lines better by moving one of the larger third-liners down in favor of a quicker Connelly or Fylling. Genoway will be missing for the first three games as he waits for his major junior banishment to end, so the lines in Buffalo will be different.

Here is the Anchorage paper's story on Fournier. It's an interesting read. It definitely sounds like he chose to leave on his own, and that Blais is not happy about it. It will be interesting to hear the whole story, when it comes out. I only know what I have read on the internet, but there are some oddities. It doesn't make sense to me that he stayed in GF to work out for the summer and then came in out-of-shape. Would not teammates and trainers (if contact with them is allowed) have had an idea a problem was developing as summer progressed? Did he really skip captain's practices? There is talk of Fournier wanting to transfer to another school. Is this really why he left, and not the conditioning issue? Is 19.4% body fat really terrible for a college hockey player (I really don't know; it does sound like a lot)? Did the captains come down too hard on him, and is that why he left? My answer right now would be one not based on all the facts, since I don't know them. But I think if the captains want to set the tone of commitment, then that's fine with me. (I'm guessing this is what most Sioux fans will think, especially ScottM and Goon). Stepping back from the details, I think that if a player thinks he made a wrong choice and is not happy where he is, then he should feel free to move on. This isn't the Soviet Union. He should go where he wants to go, and I hope he prospers, except against UND. http://www.adn.com/sports/story/1717399p-1834188c.html

Sprig, I was going to reply right away but I had to go and throw up first at the memory of those passive third-period collapses. Remember the Frozen Four third periods against Maine, MSU and BC (in 2000)? Pressure the puck, get it going the other way and generate transition chances. It's hard for the opponent to catch up when they're trying to play defense in their own zone. Greyeagle, talk about going for the low-hanging fruit! I'll have to go correct sig just to get even. Clever catch, though, I'll give you that.

I too am disappointed that Fournier will apparently not be around for the next three years, as I saw enough flashes of skill last year to think that he would be a good producer down the line. The Sioux have a lot of size and speed, but uncanny ice vision is pretty rare, and he may have it. Without knowing the situation or the people, it's hard to say whether the door remains open at all for the future. That would be the best case scenario, IMO: that Fournier would realize the steps he needs to take, do the work, and eventually join the team and prosper. This situation reminds me of the times a few people (one in particular) have noted that we have no idea what these guys go through to compete at this level. The commitment must be enormous. And not everyone is apparently willing or able to do it. I also hope that, wherever he goes and whatever he chooses to do, Fournier prospers down the line. It's easy to think "he blew it... what was he thinking." But the truth is that a lot of people, myself included, screwed up somewhere along the line, especially at that age. You make a mistake, you learn, you grow and hopefully you're eventually better for it. Good luck, Chris. I hope to see you again in the green and white (if that's possible).

We all know about Michigan and have our own opinions there, but here's a little information about the other participants. The Sioux open with the Canisius Golden Griffins (anyone hungry for breakfast cereal?). Seven of Canisius's top nine scorers last year were seniors, including four of the top five. So it's a rebuilding year for Canisius. Last year Canisius played only two games against teams from the Big 4 conferences, losing a pair of close games to Western Michigan. This year, besides traveling to the Ralph, the Golden Griffins' only other "real" nonconference games are a pair against LSSU. Niagara is another story altogether. The Purple Eagles had only three seniors on last year's team, and the team had a big group of 10 sophomores leading the way. They played Lowell (L), Amherst (L,L), Princeton (W,W), Merrimack (L,W,W), Cornell (L) and CC (L). This year they play Bowling Green, Miami, Michigan, Union, Lowell, the Sioux, Michigan State, Western Michigan and Colgate. Heck, their non-conference schedule is better than UND's. Canisius looks to not be very good. Niagara looks capable of beating Michigan or UND. As a reminder, Niagara's senior-led team faced the Sioux in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2000.

It's easy to get excited about the newcomers when their past accomplishments are laid out like that. It's only fair to note that last year's preseason analysis of the freshmen was also a fun read, with piles of points and accolades to match. While that class still has a chance to be very good, it would be revisionist history to suggest that they didn't struggle at times last year. I've heard some nice things about Genoway and Parise, and I hope Fylling does well, as a Western ND boy, but the biggest factor in the team's success this year (besides the obvious - decent goaltending) will be the progress made by the big fat sophomore class, IMO. I'm already counting on solid production from Bochenski and McMahon, but two or three of the rest of the group (Canady, Connelly, Fournier and Massen) need to step up and produce offensively, not be just hard-workers. Likewise, the three defensemen need to have grown, especially in their own-zone puck movement. In terms of production, for some strange reason I expect Fuher to step up and be one of the leaders there. He seemed to have a pretty decent knack for stepping up into the play. Despite the fact that my post has a cautionary tone, I'm very excited about the season. Even though I know some players will disappoint, and others will surprise, right now I can only imagine the best for each. Several months ago I predicted that at least ten Sioux players would score ten-plus goals this year, and I still think that. Lots of balance and depth, similar to the 1997-99 teams. To complete the comparison, though, they need a few players to develop into stars.

I really disliked last year's schedule, and this one is nearly as bad, I think. The non-conference schedule is the worst in recent memory, which should be good for the win-loss record, but will be a real anchor dragging the team down in the RPI. Plus it won't do much to get the team ready for the rigors of the WCHA season. I'm not worried about it affecting the team's preparation for the postseason, as the non-conference games are all done in 2002. The wicked WCHA stretch in 2003 will do plenty to get the team ready for the postseason. As for the conference schedule, it once again is heavily home early/ away late. UND plays five consecutive conference home series, followed by six of eight on the road (including five of six) to close the season. If the Sioux stumble out of the blocks in those early home series, they may be toast because wins could well be tougher to come by later. The good news is the Sioux only see Minnesota and Denver for one series each. Unfortunately they're both on the road. My hopes/predictions: Buffalo tourney: They had better pound Canisius. I'd like to see a win against a still very good Michigan team to announce the Sioux's arrival. Manitoba: Whatever Niagara: See Canisius above. Genoway makes his debut on Saturday. at Yale/Princeton: These ECAC teams can play better than people think. For instance, last year St. Lawrence had a terrible conference year, but they still played UND very tough. The Sioux will probably have the advantage of having played more games at that point. at SCSU: Even though SCSU should be good, and this will be before the Husky Swoon, payback should start this weekend, with at least a split. AA: More payback. Wisconsin: We get to see a bunch of freshmen skating around REA. Anybody remember what that looks like? Kabby and Bruckler combine to see 100 shots. Mankato: More payback. SCSU: Welcome to the new REA, SCSU. Hopefully, you'll leave wishing you could have seen it last year instead. Canisius: See Niagara. Brown/BSU/Manitoba: See Canisius. CC: With all the road series coming up, the Sioux need to gather points in this home series. at MN: A headliner series to see where the Sioux really are. Will they start to even out that ugly 1-6 record from last year? at AA: A travel nightmare. Points would be nice. at CC: The rough road continues. Who knows at this point? MTU: Home at last. Thank God almighty we're home at last. And getting well. at Denver: Now we're big too. The bodies should be flying. at Mankato: More payback, please. Duluth: It should be interesting to see where UMD is at this point. TJ Caig should be up-to-speed by that point as well. The Sioux will need the points. at Wisconsin: The youngsters should be coming of age, the fans will be happy to see UND, and the Sioux will need points as they jockey for playoff positioning.

I'm personally not going to get too worked up about weight as listed on a roster. I'm guessing the measurements weren't taken by Central Scouting. They could even have been taken like this: "OK, Ryan, what do you want to be listed as?" "How about 220." "OK." But who knows.

smitty (DE) at POI has declared another verbal today for the Gophers. I have to assume it's the younger Potulny. If it's true, that would be completely expected, and depressing nonetheless.

Certainly the sky isn't falling, but I have to admit to being opposed to the general idea of good GF kids playing elsewhere in the WCHA, if UND had interest. Considering how well Irmen and R. Potulny have done in the USHL as high school juniors, they could turn out to be among the best players GF has produced. If that turns out to be the case, and they both play elsewhere, I would be unhappy. The local recruiting picture has certainly produced some odd results lately - GF kids to MN, Twin Cities kids to UND. What's next? Cats and dogs...

It's possible that in 2003-04 UND will have four future NHL defensemen on the blueline. Obviously a lot of big defensemen drafted in the first three rounds don't develop and don't make the NHL, so it is perhaps not likely, but it's definitely in the realm of reasonable possibility. Hale, Jones, Greene and Smaby are all big, tough and apparently pretty highly thought of. Of course, I've only seen two of them play, so I'm going completely on what I've heard and read. Personally, I think Hale will be in the AHL in 03-04, having signed professionally after an outstanding junior season. In addition to those four giants, UND will also have four local boys, Schneider, Fuher, Marvin and Dahlen, at least one of whom is apparently on the brink of stardom. Of the others, we know that Schneider and Fuher have the makings of good to very good college defensemen. Marvin I haven't seen and don't know much about. One thing we should all be prepared for in the next three or four years is a run of early departures for the pros, and not just from the defense. This kind of talent just doesn't stay around for four years. (ps. Just having fun about Dahlen. I hope he does well.)

Wisdom.

I know nothing of the situation, but this sounds like the classic case that ends with the Gophers winning the recruiting battle for the MN kid, like Guyer and Ballard. I'm sure Blais has a shot, but I won't be surprised if a close decision goes to the M. I think it's in their blood.

I wouldn't get too worked up about the situation. I think he's just Adrian Hasbargen for the next group - local boy who got into a bad situation (Talafous, Anzalone) and wanted to come home to go to school. He'll be nice insurance for a depleted roster. Hasbargen played on teams that advanced to consecutive national championship games. I doubt there's much money involved.