jk

Hey, no lighthearted jabs. When I heard of Finley's injury, I immediatly thought of poor Goli's wrist, broken last year by a wicked slash by a cheap UND player, almost certainly an overage Canadian. As for Finley (and at the risk of jinxing him), he has seemed much better this year at avoiding the penalty box than his predecessor monsters were as freshmen. I'm thinking mainly of Commie and Greene, who seemed unable to rein in their aggression. Hopefully Finley will start to work some punishment into his game, too.

Take your problems with jloos to a private message. He stated his opinion on a forum that exists for the expression of opinions. You disagreed and responded. Let it go now. The horse was dead long ago. jloos has a good reputation here as a hockey observer, and I welcome his opinion, even if I don't always agree with it.

Ooh, the sky is falling! A bunch of internet Gopher fans were sure their season was over last week after getting swept at home by a big rival. It's not pretty, and it's especially hard to take here in the Twin Cities, but it's just another part of the process of building the team. It's fair to note the Parise had an off weekend, and especially an off Saturday, but any such notation should include the comment that he's been brilliant most of the year. Spare me any "Lucia has passion and I wish Hakstol had some" talk. This team is a work in progress. If you thought they were going to play four freshmen defensemen avery night, and five freshmen forwards, and not struggle from time to time, you weren't properly prepared for the season. It would be nice if the offense scored more, but they are still first in the WCHA in goals scored per game (league games only) at 3.75. As for Toews, I noted last night that he's not nearly ready for the next level. Actually, that's not true. He has already proven that he's able to prosper at the next level. It's just that college IS the next level for him, and he's here a year early. Not only would he be a high school senior this year, he'd be a young senior. Cut him some slack as he's out there against guys seven years older than he is. This'll be a nice thread to look back on later this year when they've come together.

OK. Kaip ran Kaufmann and got called for charging. He didn't hit him from behind. It deserved a two minute penalty and he served his time. I was glad he did it, because the team needed a spark, and a big hit will do that. I must have missed the controversial part of him getting called for a penalty he deserved. Uncalled elbows and crosschecks? I saw nothing out of the ordinary at all, and no more from the white than the visitors. Last year's Sioux team was quite a lot more vicious, and got called for quite a lot more of it. Smaby's center ice wipeout of Potulny was entirely clean, which is more than I can say for every one of Irmen's shifts on the weekend. (I'm not complaining about Irmen, though, because I know chippiness is part of the game.) You seriously think the late call on Irmen, the grabbing, tossing to the ice and laying on, was weak? The fact is that penalty calls get made and missed all the time. Actual goal calls don't, and arguably there were two misses this weekend in two one-goal games. I haven't complained about it, but I understand people who are upset about it. The several Gopher posters in a row who visited the board to rub it in are a nice reminder of why "Gopher-haters" exist in the college hockey world. I work with good Gopher fans, my kids play hockey with good Gopher fan families, some even post here. Then there are the ones who would visit SS.com after a sweep just to rub it in. Thanks for the reminder, and good luck the rest of the way, except when you play anybody.

Thanks for the lectures. Now go away.

My first chance to see the team play this year. This is one freaky team. You can see that they have the ingredients to be something special, but it's like they're not quite all on the same page right now. All weekend it seemed like they were **that** close to a nice play, but were just inches or milliseconds away. They probably got outplayed on the weekend, but not dominated (not like a year ago, when MN deserved to win Friday and killed 'em on Saturday). MN probably deserved to come away with about three points. Also, aside from Chorney's goal, it seemed like there weren't many good bounces to be had. Parise has been UND's MVP this season, hands down, but tonight he'd like most of those goals back. He's been so good that you have to cut him some slack on a night like this. Just my opinion, but I don't think Kessel or Toews are even close to being ready to move on to the next level. Based just on tonight's game, I would rank the freshman forwards: Oshie, Stoa, Kessel, Toews, Wheeler. (I'm aware of Kessel's and Toews' ages; just talking about current effectiveness.) Duncan never seemed to get it going. I like what I see from Watkins and Kozek, but they're not going to be impact players right now. Stepping back for a broader view, I thought before the season that MN had a chance to be a great team this year, and UND would struggle to be .500 at the break. I would not have been surprised then if you told me that MN would sweep this series. Even two weeks ago, when MN was coming off two impressive weekends in Denver and Michigan, and the Sioux were struggling in St. Cloud, my expectations were tempered. Despite getting swept, after watching this weekend, I think there is not much of a gap between these two teams, certainly much less than I expected two months ago, and less than there was a year ago. Here's the rub though. They have to win enough to qualify for the extended season. This weekend was a pretty significant set-back in that department, and they can't be giving up too many more points along the way and still hope to play in the NCAA tournament.

Looks like Matt Greene has been called up to the Edmonton Oilers. Congrats to Matt and good luck. Just in case you were wondering how good last year's Sioux defensemen were, this will make two now that have spent time in the NHL this season.

I can say the same words about the 2004 game. Wow, the talent on the ice in that game! The building was electric, the teams were flying, shots something like 38-37. When they showed the game again during the NHL lockout last year, it held up very well. Then it was followed a few weeks later by that abomination of a title game between Maine and Denver. College hockey at its best and worst separated by just a few weeks.

Even when those years fall off, MN still has only won the season series once in the last ten years. Of course, that one year was a season when MN had arguably its best team of the decade, and UND had unarguably its worst, and the two teams just had to play seven times that season. You think you're dying to see the games this weekend? I'm probably the most rabid UND fan left who has not actually seen the team play yet this year. (Despite that, I'm allowed by this strange medium (the internet) to pretend to be an expert on them.)

I agree. Because MN's recent defensive weakness has been so widely viewed (what with the TV contract), it's easy to see the Sioux forwards getting their chances to score. Most distant observers don't realize how many chances the Sioux are giving up this year, though. Here are UND's shots allowed this year. It's remarkable how many more shots UND goalies have faced on Saturday than on Friday. 37 Miami 35 MSU 19 NE 18 NE 23 UNH 43 UNH 28 DU 25 DU 24 Wisco 46 Wisco 29 UMD 43 UMD 26 SCSU 43 SCSU 19 MTU 44 MTU That's right, on the last four Saturdays, UND has allowed an average of 44 shots per game. That includes allowing more than 40 to UMD, SCSU and Michigan Tech. What is MN going to get, 70? Jordy Parise has truly been UND's MVP this year.

Over the last few weeks we have heard (in coaches shows, etc.) that Watkins and Kozek were turning the corner, and now it's starting to show on the scoreboard. As for Wisconsin giving it to MN this weekend, a few things: First of all, MN isn't the first team to get hammered by Wisconsin lately. Second, they're getting drilled because MN's defense hasn't been airtight, and Wisconsin's has. UND's defense has given up more than 40 shots in a game to both SCSU and MTU in the last two weeks, so UND isn't exactly airtight right now either. Third, you can bet MN is going to get hammered more by Lucia this week than they were by Wisco this weekend. I'll bet they will be absolutely flying Friday night. Of course, so will UND, which should make for superb hockey. Last, aside from the WJC a year ago, next weekend's games will be the most watched REA games to date, with EVERYONE wanting to see Toews and Kessel.

I don't feel badly for them anymore. Go Sioux, play smart now.

Tech just hates the world right now. For about 30 minutes they played as well as they can play, and they could have been up about 3-0. Instead it was 1-1. Then Stafford scored again, UND started moving, and the next thing you know it's 4-1 ... 5-1 now. Really stinks for them, and I feel bad for them. I hope they take it out on CC or DU or Wisconsin or MN. Pretty good for us UND fans though.

Tech has a player whose name sounds something like "Skorchenski," and every time I hear that from Hennessy it brings back memories of a recent era. It used to be a sign of impending excitement, and my heart quickens just a bit until my head takes over and reminds me that the era is over. Belongs in another thread, but there was a pretty lengthly article in the Strib today about Zach's uneven adjustment to the next level. Zach might be taking a little heat from buddies about his cookie-baking.

It is my impression from the radio call that Tech has owned UND for this entire game, in every way but on the scoreboard. The Sioux have converted on two of their few chances, while Parise has stoned Tech on nearly all of their many chances. Sounds like the second Stafford goal may have turned the momentum a bit, and the Sioux have actually had possession of the puck for a few moments.

No offense to UND's academics, as I did earn a degree there, but as a parent I think it's fantastic that a kid like this could go play at Harvard. What a great way to leverage hockey talent into a terrific life experience. I've always thought another non-traditional way to experience college hockey would be to go play someplace like Alabama-Huntsville. You still get to play hockey, but you also get warm weather and Southern belles. The old US International U. in San Diego would have been a similarly good setup.

There are some old and newer Sioux names that might be showing up in the 2007 or 2008 recruiting classes, such as Christian, Marvin, Lamoreaux, Zajac and Toews. I don't know anything about any of these particular cases, but history suggests that family ties play a role in the recruiting process. This is all pending continued development, etc.

I'd love to see it, but I think the league is tougher than you guys do. I don't know how they'll do, but the numbers suggested seem tough to reach, to me.

Good. It's a great building and event. The championship game a few years ago with Parise, Bochenski, Ballard, Vanek (all of whom started the season on NHL teams) was a jaw-dropping display of the college game at its most exciting. The wrong team won, and I think UND might have gotten burned up emotionally a bit, but it was a heck of an event.

Oooh, uninformed but intelligent speculation. Count me in. Kermit, I agree with your projections for departures next year. I think it's possible depending on New Jersey's offer and the brothers' desires that perhaps Travis Zajac could stay to play with his brother for a year, if he were to come to UND. Maybe UND's offer could be: Darcy's scholarship kicks in when Travis' ends. And then a few years from now Darcy's could end when the next brother's begins. Sort of a decade long Zajac family sholarship. (I have no idea if the next brother is a D-1 type player; just playing.) On Genoway, I have wondered if he would come in and be the jack-of-all-trades person on the roster, similar to what Marvin has been. Injuries on defense, play Marvin. Injuries up front, play Marvin. I have heard that the Vernon fans love Genoway's skating game. The step to the USHL is a tough one for a lot of players, even some who become good college players. Wheeler apparently looks great at MN, and he had a solid but not at all spectacular USHL year. Chris Porter came on in the second half at Lincoln, but overall didn't have a great USHL year. He was very ready for college, though, a brick house on skates from his first game. Hopefully Vandevelde and Marto can use their USHL seasons well.

Good news. Another name for us to follow this winter. Welcome aboard, Michael.

I think this weekend will be tougher than last weekend. Wisconsin has its whole team back from last year, less a few bench players and plus a few budding offensive stars. Despite their slide down the stretch last year, I thought Wisconsin was very tough at the Final Five: good at every aspect of the game save perhaps putting the puck in the net. And they seemed to figure that out last weekend. I expect it to be very tough for the Sioux this weekend. Whatever the results, and I could imagine the entire range of possibilities, I hope they just continue to get better each week. If they do, then the results will ultimately take care of themselves.

Bit of a wakeup call for the boys tonight. All the talk of how far ahead of the curve they are may have gone to their heads. Next weekend will be really tough, with a very experienced and tough Wisconsin team, one that's waking up, in town. The tough part about tonight is that you have to take advantage of scheduling breaks, and getting a shorthanded DU team tonight was an opporunity to get a few more points.

There's always the Eddie Belfour don't-camp-in-the-crease stick swing. You know, the one that starts on the ice and goes straight up, until ...

I wasn't party to the on-ice conversations, but I guess I wouldn't be at all surprised if the tough Sioux defensemen last year, especially the captain, did have plenty to say. It also may be pretty accurate that last year's Sioux team was that type of team, where intimidation played a big role on the ice. That may be why some teams wanted nothing to do with the crease after a period or so of pounding. I wouldn't say it in the press if I were him, because it seems pretty inflammatory. But it doesn't seem wildly off the mark.