jk

UND played pretty well and had plenty of decent chances, but UNH had the best chances of the period, where they had a guy in all alone a few times. Have to tighten that up.

Sorry to hedge but I'm not 100% sure. Would not be surprised if it's the latter.

Speaking of character, Dale Tallon was interviewed on the Blackhawks' website about 11.5 months ago after returning from the WJC. Of course he raved about JT after the show he put on there, but he also said he told JT that Chicago was ready for him whenever he was ready, whether that was tomorrow or six months from now. He basically implied that he talked to JT about signing after the WJC. He then said that JT is a captain and didn't want to let his college teammates down.

Don't think Kozek's going to be scoring tonight as he may be one of those guys who is dinged up a bit. I guess we'll see soon enough.

I wouldn't be surprised if this helps the Gophers. He obviously was not invested in the team this year, and it showed on the ice. Their team will now have this adversity to rally around. As for talent, they're the Gophers: they still have more talent than all but a handful of teams in college hockey. OK, maybe two handfuls now. Seriously, KO wasn't the reason MN dominated UND for 4 or 5 periods a few weeks ago. The whole team was pretty solid. If they can plug an invested Carman into a dogging Okposo's spot, I could see them still winning a lot of games in the second half.

Hextall's a tough kid. Prpich wasn't big either and he could handle himself. From a game summary on the BCHL board about a week ago: "Was at tonights game as Penticton defeated Vernon 7-2 in front of 1,501 fans at Memorial Arena. 1st Period: Just seconds into the period Penticton went on the early PP and was in full control outplaying the Vipers. Vernon killed off the minor but couldnt stop the speedy Vees as they were dominating the edge in play early. Penticton was flying playing with loads of jump & energy just outskating & outhustling the Vipers in there own zone. Vernon didnt record there first shot on net till the 4 min mark. With the Vees on another PP it would be Brett Hextall scoring at the halfway mark to put Penticton up 1-0. The Vipers seemed to get some life within the next few mins as they finally got some chances down low, but just 3 mins after the Vees first goal, they would go ahead 2-0 after Zac Dalpe found the back of the net after Lucas Gore gave up a huge rebound on the first shot on net. Gore didnt look strong for the 2nd straight night. The Vees wernt done, as just 2 mins later Michael Guzzo went fivehole on a weak shot wich Gore should have stopped to put Penticton up 3-0 and in full control. Brock Palasty & Brett Hextall would drop the mits as Palasty left the ice bleeding from his face. This period was all Penticton as they were up 3-0 after 20 mins of play. Penticton outshot Vernon 11-8." http://www.network54.com/Forum/146929/thre.../Vipers+at+Vees

Woog is fine. When the Sioux have carried the play in recent years, he has had plenty of good things to say.

I can't take seriously anyone who would list Kaip and Watkins as disappointing or lacking in effort. They play their roles terrifically and have chipped in on the scoresheet as well. The team disappointed this weekend, no doubt, but Captain Kaip shows his leadership on the ice every shift. By the way, Oshie was really nicked up. Couldn't do a thing with the puck in practice all week, from what I heard. MN was just really good this weekend. When they get Carman back, they'll go on a good run and have a good shot at third in the league, behind the Colorados. UND's goaltending should keep them in the top five, but until they actually sweep someone, it's hard to see them in third. The next two games are absolutely crucial for qualifying for the NCAAs.

I completely agree that BC will be there again in the end. Parker has gone the way of Gino, Woog and Sauer. For whatever reason, even the greats sometimes can no longer get the job done. It seems that York and Berenson have been immune to this. One of the great things about Blais transitioning the program over to Hak is that we weren't forced to discover whether Blais would succumb to the slide. Usually a program has to hit rock bottom, and suffer for a few years, before new blood is brought in. So Blais brought the program back from a dark period, got the arena built, and then managed a seamless transition to a new era. Thanks Dean.

I personally appreciate hearing from someone who has, in fact, actually seen the recruits play. Whether he turns out to be right remains to be seen, but it's nice to get an opinion anyway.

People are getting a little too optimistic. MN's not as bad as some people think, and UND hasn't been able to sweep a home WCHA series in almost two seasons. Seriously, if they haven't swept Mankato, UAA, MTU or UMD in that stretch, why does sweeping MN seem so easy? If the Sioux play like they did for most of Saturday, they will be tough to beat. However, the ability to consistently play at that level has been the problem.

I loved his poise when I saw him play. No extra movement, no flopping around. I don't know how hard UND went after him, but I was hoping he would end up in GF.

Danny Kristo with the GWG in a 2-1 win over Yale tonight. I believe he continues to lead the U18 team in goals and is near the top in points. Ben Blood and Bruneteau also scored in the USHL tonight.

Watched the first and third periods. For about the first 14 minutes of the game, I thought the Sioux looked fantastic. If they play like that all the time, they're going to win a lot of games. Then the third was painful to watch. They did play smart and keep DU away from the front of the net, but I wouldn't have minded if the puck was down in the other end a bit more. Someone said they thought DU only had 6 good forwards. Geez, it seemed to me like they had about 15. DU could very well win the whole thing again this year, which would make me sick. I wonder if the altitude got to the Sioux in the third. Maybe it was the big ocean effect, but the UND/DU game seemed like it was in fast-forward compared to the MN/MTU game. Despite that, the odds for a split next weekend are huge. UND just flat-out doesn't sweep anyone at home.

!!

Gleason was electric, but to be fair he is a senior and as an elite prospect he should dominate. He was very dynamic with the puck and easily faster than everyone else. As for the negatives, he might have been playing defense but you wouldn't know it for how many times he was the first Hornet in the offensive zone. In addition, I'm not sure how much work he's going to get in the defensive zone this year on this Edina team that is going to be in the other end for most of their games. Obviously the coaches know best, but I wouldn't be bothered if he played a year in the USHL to learn how to play defense against other great offensive players. I'm guessing the pro scouts will find his skating irresistible. As with, "you can't teach size", you also can't teach world class skating, which he appears to have.

I'm guessing Miami and Michigan are better than most here think. I also think the Sioux schedule seemed tough at the time, especially because they gave the Sioux such a tough time, but in hindsight perhaps it wasn't so hard. For example, MTU skated well, but since splitting with UND they are 1-4-1 and haven't won in a month. Wisconsin, since splitting with the Sioux, is 0-3-1.

Nick Mattson scored his first goal of the year for the U17 team, and added an assist. He's been off to a bit of a slow start, as this doubles his point total on the year to 4. Must have been the commitment that got him going. Also Bruneteau scored his first goal for his new team.

This pretty much guarantees that the Sioux will score 1 or 2 goals tomorrow. The only question is whether they can hold Duluth to 0 or 1.

That is really terrific news. I had heard he was leaning heavily to the Sioux this Summer, but then when he didn't commit at that time I figured UND had lost him to MN. I guess "Double T's" won't work for Danny Mattson's nickname at UND.

I agree that there are certain matchups where Radke's presence in the lineup would be welcomed, for the reasons stated. Let's leave Archie out of it though; he scored 37 goals as a senior and was one heck of a well-rounded hockey player.

Canada West beat Canada East 4-1 for the title. Eidsness stopped 22 of 23, and Hextall added two assists. UMD recruit Connolly was named MVP.

CC is really good up front and is going to win a lot of games this year. Walski can really fly and I could see him ending up on an all-league team; UAA must be PO'd that he left. CC has had a lot of odd-man rushes, especially in the first, and the Sioux goalie has been the biggest difference in the game.

All it takes to see the Frozen Four is a two-game winning streak. Miami's probably a lot better than most here think. I'll just worry about the Sioux and let the rest happen.

I think the hype machine got a bit overheated, especially after the Michigan State game. Right now the Sioux seem to be about equal to the good teams in the major conferences, but they're not dominant by any means. That's just fine, as Hak builds his teams throughout the season, and we know they'll be a lot better in the spring than the fall. It sounds like they're getting rolling a bit here in the third, though.