jk

This is no help now, but I was able to watch at Sensers in Roseville, so the feed must have been at least partially working.

I understand the Friday UND/CC game will be on one of the TVs at Sensers in Roseville, if anyone has interest. I may stop out and watch.

No. All four of the semifinalists play games on Sunday. The semifinal losers play for the bronze, and the winners play for the gold.

A few things: The medal-round set-up is brutal for the 3-6 teams. Play a tough quarterfinal and then move on the next day to play a rested top seed, Canada in this case. The boys could get pounded tomorrow, but with continued strong goaltending perhaps they can keep it close. I hope Blais takes the three Sioux players' skates away until Friday. Seven games is a lot, including four in the last six days. They are going to be gassed.

I was able to attend my third game of the year Saturday. Even though UND just squeaked by UAA in the first two games I saw, they could hardly have dominated them any more than they did. Completely suffocating defense. The Sioux were just a little puck-luck away from blowing UAA out that weekend. The BSU game was a different story, sadly. The Sioux played well enough to win, but they didn't dominate. I think the defenders were missed badly, as everyone has said. Also, with Ryan Hale moving to defense, the WJC have effectively cost the team two defensemen and two forwards. A few things I noticed: Ryan Hale was a riot as a defenseman. At least twice he led the rush into the offensive zone with such zeal and disregard for defense that I wondered if he forgot. Also, at least twice BSU had clean 2-on-1's, with Hale as the absent defenseman. BSU didn't convert either chance. If the Sioux are relying on him for anything significant on defense against CC, the Sioux are in big trouble. For me, this raises the question of how thin the Sioux are on defense this year, numbers-wise. If they run into any significant injury problems, things could get tight back there quickly. Fuher got completely out-muscled once racing for a puck in the defensive zone. I was surprised. I guess he's just a sophomore but he still needs to get sttronger. I think between Notermann and Bochenski, they have a regular amount of puck-luck. Bochenski's using it all up, and there's none left for Notes. I really like Notermann on the wing with Parise and Bochenski, and I hope Blais leaves him there. He adds toughness and defensive responsibility to the line; I don't see them getting abused by an experienced top line like they did against SCSU in the first game. Also, I still think his luck will turn this year, and he will score some big second-half goals. He and Spiewak both just have the look of the senior who is stepping up. When he hit the pipe in the waning seconds of the first, after a great shift by that line, my Dad suggested that they paint the twine red and the pipes white. Massen had one flash but seemed to not have much of an impact otherwise. Hopefully he's just saving it up for the league games, because I think he has the potential to be one of the best players in the league. I don't think Prpich has the skill or experience yet to be on the top line, or the top PP unit, which he was for at least a time in this game. I like him, and think he has been a pleasant surprise, but he looks a bit out of place up there, to me anyway. The guy who I was really impressed with, who I still think could be an important player, is Ryan Connelly. I can't believe he hasn't scored yet this year, as he must be second only to Spiewak for speed. I thought he hustled all game long, carried the puck well at speed, and forechecked tenaciously. Canady seems tentative right now, which takes away from his game. At least once, though, it was the right thing to do. He had a BSU player lined up behind the net and could have just splattered him, but he pulled up at the last instant, sparing the Beaver. Considering the angle of impact, which was not from behind but not exactly from the side either, I think he would have drawn a boarding or checking from behind penalty had he nailed the guy. Since this is a family board, can I write Canady's penalty, "two minutes for nailing the Beaver from behind?" Palmiscno was cruising into the offensive zone at one point and had his head down again, for too long, IMO. I thought he was lucky that no one lined him up. He really needs to watch that. It will have been almost a month since the Sioux played a good team when they take on CC. I could see a first-period Friday deficit of 2-0 before the team adjusts to the talent and speed on the ice.

This link has some nice WJC photos. There is a wonderful photo about 20th from the bottom of our pal Matt Greene leveling a Swiss boy. http://www.sportsline.com/photos/gallery/HOCKEY/OTHER

I believe Schutte scored and gave the "shhh".

I think UND has little input into the WCHA schedule, but they largely determine their own non-conference schedule.

Sounds a little personal for a message board, dagies. As for the recaps, you two (and kr?) are the absolute best. Thanks so much.

Since they've had the best recruiting class in the country for many years, I'm not worried about their depth. They'll probably have to face BC without those guys, but BC will be missing two players as well. Then they have SCSU, which doesn't have anyone on the US team. That will be a tough one for MN.

The roster at USA Today shows that Matt Greene did indeed make the team, in addition to MJ and ZP. Congrats to him and the Sioux. Now about playing an up-tempo CC squad with just four of your regular defensemen, and five total... UND is the only school to place three players on the team. http://usatoday.com/sports/hockey/juniors/...nior-team_x.htm

Thanks for updating it. I guess they've greatly improved over the worst of last season's results: +10 points so far. Some of the trickier comparisons lie ahead, but it's nice to put some points in the bank.

Blais indicated in the Herald that it was due to their play. sprig, the better reason for Prpich to wear #19 is Scott Dub, for me. Maybe he'll have a little better touch than Dub, and be a little rougher than Bayda. That would be a nice combo. I'll admit to being surprised by Prpich's development. I thought that he and Palmiscno would be wearing suits most often, just because the lineup would be so tough to crack. I guess if you're on the bubble, you have to make it impossible for the coach to sit you.

Well, the team earned two points Saturday night, and after last year, you just have to tuck the points away without much concern for style points. I listened Friday, and just read the score update thread Saturday, so my feelings are based on my imagination. It is a little troubling that on consecutive Saturday nights the Sioux let three-goal leads slip away, and had to hold on at the end. Not since Yale have they pulled away and put someone away in the third. The funny thing is that they haven't played the passive prevent; they've pressed and just been unable to score. Nice to see the offense get going. And the balanced offense. Since I couldn't listen Saturday, what were the line combos, and who sat out? Thanks. Outshooting an opponent for one game does not equate to "outplaying" them, because it can be deceptive. But consistently outshooting your opponents, game after game, by noticeable margins, is encouraging. Now for a big weekend with SCSU.

A thread on USCHO suggests that Parise and Jones from UND are locks to make the US WJC team. The US team plays the following preliminary schedule: 12/26 Russia 12/28 Switzerland 12/30 Belarus 12/31 Slovakia Then medal round play takes place from January 2-5. UND would be without those players for the holiday tournament games on December 27 (Brown) and 28 (Manitoba/Bemidji). They would also miss the CC series at REA on January 3-4. Just to keep things fair, CC's Brett Sterling and Mark Stuart are also expected to play for Team USA, and miss those games. I'm guessing everyone will be ready for the next weekend, when the Sioux visit Mariucci. Thankfully, the tournament is in Nova Scotia, so the players won't be dealing with European jet lag and should be able to get back on schedule pretty easily. Here's a link to the IIHF site for the tourney: http://www.iihf.com/hockey/htm/ws202003.htm

Lost in his colorful legacy is that he was a heck of a hockey player. Sometimes in the WCHA, a guy reaches his senior year and suddenly he towers over the league. Archie had that kind of a senior year. I was in Duluth for the WCHA Playoff Championship series, in a two-game total-goals format, in 1985, Archie's senior year I believe. UND lost the series (4-4 Friday and 4-3 or 4-2 Saturday), but it was a fantastic series that featured two third-period comebacks by a loaded UMD team. With Watson, Hull, probably Kurvers, and others on the ice, I had UMD fans afterward tell me that Archie was the best player on the ice. By the way, the Sioux squad must also have included Chris Jensen and a couple of freshmen by the names of Hrkac and Joyce. Even though UND lost, that series has a special spot in my memory, for how good the hockey was, how passionate the city was about the Bulldogs, and how nicely we were treated by the UMD fans.

"Goehring has allowed only one goal in his last five games (0.20 goals against average and a .993 save percentage (145 saves

After slipping down the scoring leaders list, Brady Murray had a 3-2-5 game last night in a 7-6 win to jump back into third in BCHL scoring with 18-34-52 in 28 games.

Looking at UND's recent scores has me asking: Who are they, Michigan State? Having seen UND play UAA, I can say that I was impressed with the chances generated. However, the pragmatist in me has to admit that if they don't start finishing soon, we may have a bit of a problem here. In Bochenski, Massen and Parise, I believe the Sioux will have three top-notch finishers. Unfortunately, they're not getting most of the chances now and aren't finishing the ones they do get. Fylling and Notermann have worked their butts off to get great chances, but just haven't been able to get the puck in the net - they could each have had two goals per game in the UAA games, and it sounded like Notes had his chances again last night. Genoway sounded active last night. I assume Canady will play tonight; I wonder who will sit. I'd like to see something like a 6-2 win tonight. As for the MSU comparison, the Sioux aren't playing anything like that ugly trap. The pressure is there, just not the results. The good news is that, despite scoring just 13 goals in 5 league games, UND is 4-1. After last year, we should all be able to appreciate the value in gathering points, even if the wins haven't been perfect.

Thanks for the great update. I had to laugh reading the quoted line, as it would be wrong in many message board posts (sad to say). Your right, their they're for each other, you can bet you're farm on it.

I typically don't paste things from other boards, but I thought I would share the following, not to stir controversy or take shots at it, but just as a reminder that the early 80's rivalry still lives on in the hearts of Wisconsin fans as well. This is from the badger (small b) board: -------------------------------------------------------- first of all, i grew up in milwaukee, which was not the hotbed of hockey in the 70's and 80's. but i read about the badgers whenever the milwaukee journal had a small space to print an article about my beloved badgers. so my first recollection of seeing/hearing about them was in 1981 when they became the back door badgers. my dad mentioned the article about how UW got in the playoffs and had a chance to win it. so in 1981-1982, i dedicated myself to being a bigger hockey fan. And that year, when we went to the final, they showed it live on regular tv for the final game ( a local station carried it). man, was I stoked!!! a chance to see the badgers with "badger BOB" (God rest his soul) win the title!!! and then it happened...... those ba$tards from the sheep fields open my chest, ripped out my heart and stomped on it. I'll never forgive and I'll never forget what they did to my beloved UW that year. so, this week, I gaze upon the schedule chart posted in my office and see we play them this week. 2 games at their palace that a construction/gambler mogul built for them with his own money.And I see RED, not just RED, but a cardinal red, and it blots it the green that is clouding my thinking, disturbing my judgement, causing an imbalance in my every waking moment this week; and I just have to implore Mike Eaves and the gang to win 4 points this weekend. not just for the standings , but for that liitle kid in me who had his hopes dimnished by those scoundrels from the west. so you see, this week is a torment for me. mondaytuesdaywednesdaythursday (swimmnight for the girls) and finally 6am -2pm work on friday. a nice fish fry friday night,and then it all comes loose at 7:00pm so when others talk about the "rivalery" with the goofers from minnesota, i just chuckle. For i know the only rivals i have are the little green men from the west. and losing to them is not an option.

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.