jk

Grande Prairie's season ended last night with a loss to Vernon, so another recruit is done for the year. Nice season for Rowney and his team though. I believe that leaves just Cichy and Forney (and again we don't know Forney's status for next year), who are playing against each other tonight.

Cichy's Indiana team won the deciding game 5 tonight 7-6 on the road, with the winner coming with 15 seconds left in the third (an eternity by our new standards). They advance to play Forney's Green Bay team. Rowney's AJHL champion Grande Prairie looks like it might be in over its head against the BCHL's Vernon Vipers in the Doyle Cup series. Vernon won game one last night 2-1, although the game and shots were much more lopsided than that. I listened for a bit and Vernon had the puck the whole time. Tonight Vernon's up 4-1 in the second. Maybe Grande Prairie can turn it around at home later in the series.

I think the league will be better next year. Denver's beat writer recently posted on his blog that he expects next year to be Gwoz's best team yet. They bring back a deep group and add a great class. Wisconsin also has high hopes for next year, as they were very young and have the really high-end talent that just needs to mature. MN didn't lose much and I'm guessing their fans expect them to be better.

Must be the offseason.

Don't be surprised if Knight is the first Sioux recruit taken in this year's draft. Yes I know his rankings were not that high. All it takes is one team who really likes a player.

http://www.ushl.com/news/0708/20090405Awards.pdf RBK First-Team All-USHL Goalie: Brett Bennett

Des Moines was playing short-handed because of its actions in a game against Waterloo on Friday night. Six Buccaneers were suspended

Always a good laugh reading about guys who don't show up. Frattin has gotten steadily better in his time at UND. The game was just a touch too fast for him in his first year, and I thought that even carried over to the first few weeks of this year. Then, all of a sudden, his near misses started to click, and he was suddenly a good college player. He contracted a serious case of Notermann Syndrome down the stretch this year, but he was still playing very well (as Notermann did when his great chances caught iron). He especially picked up his physical game when the puck wasn't going in (perhaps something he picked up from Kozek). He'll be a huge part of the team's success next year.

The best thing he accomplished by waiting a year was getting his high school diploma.

I'd take McDonagh before Wiercioch, but that's it.

W.W.H.D. What would Herb do?

It can't be done well. You could live with a little inequity and imbalance for a few years while you court a twelfth team. IMO letting BSU go under is unacceptable; it's not good for anyone. And since when do we listen to McLeod.

Just based on that analysis, look for UAA to maybe finally snag home ice.

If we've learned anything from last weekend, it's that none of the analysis matters. The only thing that matters is to get into the NCAA tournament and take your shot ... and pray the bounces go your way. Seeds don't even matter. Just get there and win your games. So I guess you have to win enough to get there.

Senior I think.

The guy's fishing for something good for Columbus on the hit. First, it's Nash going for the big hit on Oshie, then it's Oshie with the cross-check, then it's an elbow. Ha. Not one thing remotely cheap on that hit. Nash just learned the same thing that Russian guy did in the WJC. If you line up TJ for the big hit when he's carrying the puck, get ready to be inspecting the rafters with your butt on the ice. At least Nash held on to his stick, unlike the Russian.

Yeah but he was top 10 pretty much all season and slid just as the draft approached, and even on draft day.

How about all the GM's who passed on him for some 6-4 guy? Lou got the last laugh on that one.

And it's not even just speed, because Panzer has that to burn. It's fireplug type speed, like Gerbe and Gionta.

That hurts. It felt like BU was vulnerable this weekend and I thought the Sioux were just the team to take advantage of it.

The Sioux played with plenty of jump yesterday, gave it their all and obviously care a lot more about it than any of us do. That said, I'm trying to make sense of all the goals allowed in the last games of each of the last four years. In 2006, the Sioux gave up 7,6,7 during the year, then 6 to BC. In 2007, they gave up 6,6 during the year, then 6 to BC. In 2008, they gave up 7 during the year, then 6 to BC. In 2009, they gave up 7 during the year, then 6 to UNH. So that's it. In the last four seasons, they gave up 6 or more goals in 7 games out of 171, not counting the last game of each season, when they gave up 6 in 4 games out of 4. (Admittedly there were 2 ENGs in 2007.) In comparison, in 2004-05, UND was losing forwards to injury and had an experienced, huge defense corps, so in a bid to change the team's fortunes, the coaches went to a more defensive philosophy. Famously, the team bought in and went on a fantastic run to the title game, where they lost 4-1 to Denver (with an ENG). That year, the team gave up 6 goals in 1 of 45 games. Sioux hockey is puck pressure and playing on your toes. We all love it because it is fun to watch and usually pretty successful over the long run. Is that one of the things costing the team when it gets bombed for goals in the last game of the year? Should they clog the neutral zone and go for the counter-punch in the NCAAs? Denver won twice that way, Wisconsin played that way, Michigan St. played that way. It makes me sick to think of it, but so does that big number on the other side of the scoreboard. Or could it have something to do with non-WCHA play being so different than the regular season? Most weeks, it is a battle to advance the puck up the ice, and the Sioux need to interfere too just to stay in the game. If they played in free-skating games all the time, would they be better at positioning? Or is it coaching and the certain group of players? The defense in the clampdown year was Jones, Schneider, Fuher, Greene and Smaby, and Brad Berry coached the defense. Those guys weren't the cutest with the puck, but they were heartless b*stards in their own zone. Coach Hakstol said to the press that he wasn't happy that UNH scored in transition and in front of the net, which is an area UND should've taken better care of. So maybe this year it was defensive execution. I don't know the answer, but that's a lot of goals to give up.

In the closing seconds of regulation, I agree. Who cares about a penalty with three seconds left? UMD hauled down Stoa on a prime scoring chance in just that situation; time ran out before the penalty could be called. In this case, when the puck came out the other side so quickly, Genoway did the only thing he could, which was to dive to keep the puck out. It was just the classic hockey bounce in UNH's favor. Total accident too according to the UNH players afterward. The guy just shot the one-timer wide.

It's tricky without knowing exactly who will be on the team next year, but there are a few general areas I think you can look to. 1. The defense will be more physical. Sounds odd losing Jones and Finley, but in a way Jones is physical without the size, and Finley is size without the physical (partly because he often gets penalized because of his size, and partly because he just doesn't have the killer mentality of a Smaby or Greene). Blood will play more, and he crushed a few people this year. Fienhage and McWilliam will probably play a lot, and they are both big and I think nasty. This will look at times like a shift back to the crushers of a few years ago. There will also be more penalties, so I hope the PK is good. Also, I'm no doctor, but I think LaPoint will be ready to go. 2. The forwards will be less gritty. The incoming class is smaller and quicker, with the exception of Forney, who is big but not a grinder. They're replacing seniors who, while not all bangers, are sturdy physical guys who are good on the wall. There will still be plenty of size and grit, as VV, Zajac, Malone, Frattin, Hextall, Gregoire and Mario all know how to throw a check. Still, next year will be a continuation of this year offensively, as it was a throwback to the days of rolling four dangerous lines. There will be some nifty offensive players on all the lines. That will make for some fine, entertaining games with MN and CC, and perhaps continued struggles with the bigger older clubs like UAA, Tech and Mankato. 3. Who will play the point on the PP? This year it was Genoway, Marto, Miller and usually Martens. Two of those guys are gone for sure. Who can step into the other two or three spots? LaPoint and Blood both played there in juniors; maybe LaPoint will be ready at this level. Trupp seems to have the skillset. Another poster talked about Toews in that kind of a role. It's obviously crucial that these spots are filled effectively.

Don't ask why I did it, but I had to go back and see the GTG. You won't believe this, or maybe everyone already saw it this way, but that goal rang off the far post and went in. If you slow it down, the puck goes off the back boards to Pollastrone, who shovels it out front. Genoway sees it coming and dives, reaching the puck first. His stick pushes the puck away from the net, just as Fortney takes his swing. Because Genoway got there first, Fortney's shot is not clean, and the puck flies across the crease in the air, where it hits the far post and goes in. Which of course makes it even more frustrating. A game of inches and tenths of seconds.