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This is from a Q&A at USCHO regarding Jeff Jackson being hired as Notre Dame's new head coach: ---------------------------- Q: Of course, the obligatory question is, what is your favorite memory? Obviously, you won the two championships, but is there something outside of that, a moment that really captures the essence of your time at Lake Superior? A: It may stick out just because of recent events. In my first year

Believe it or not, that was the only home game that season that I missed a part of. I had to work and got there about halfway through the game. In the interest of the team (as I know they must have been worrying about me, hence the performance), I was never late again.

sprig, I saw that picture quite a while ago and got a kick out of it. Around the same time someone commented that they were going to paint the golden arches in the crease so he would feel at home there. Good stuff, but I'd love to see Reaney come to UND and succeed.

Surrey's loss means that all of the committed Sioux recruits are done playing hockey in the 2004-05 season. 38 pages in this thread following the future Sioux. Wow. Here is how their teams finished: Toews - SSM won the national midget title. Miller - Green Bay failed to qualify for USHL playoffs. Duncan - Salmon Arm lost in the second round of the BCHL playoffs. Watkins -Vernon lost in the BCHL finals. Kozek - Surrey won the BCHL playoff title, then lost to AJHL champion Camrose. VandeVelde - Moorhead was the MN state HS Class AA runner-up. Oshie - Warroad was the MN state HS Class A champion. Jones - The US Under-18 team won its World Championship. Chorney - SSM won the national midget title; also played on the champion US Under-18 team Lee - Moorhead was the MN state HS Class AA runner-up. Marto - GF Central was the ND state HS runner-up. It was a lot of fun following the recruits, and I'm sure next year will be fun as well, with perhaps a bigger focus on the USHL. For many of us (myself included), most of these guys are just numbers and letters on a page or screen. It'll be great to get to know them as players over the next few years.

I hadn't gone through all those pictures until now. Thanks to the photographer who did a marvelous job with them. Unfortunately, now I'm mad all over again. How many of those pictures are of Mannino making saves or with the puck bouncing around in front of him? Argh. It's also interesting that there are no pictures of Porter without a Pioneer between him and the glass. Devsrule, I may have met you a few hours after the title game in the computer room at the Holiday Inn. I was the frustrated Sioux fan reading USCHO when you came in to print boarding passes. If that was you. Either way, nice job with the pictures.

Athough it was a tough penalty to take at the time, Greene crosschecked BC's Bertram right in front of the net while the Sioux were already killing a penalty. The photo of the aftermath of this hit was on USCHO's front page the next day. Although it was very nasty, it was one of those crease-clearing hits that the NHL guys on ESPN basically condoned as needed in front of the net. You could see Bertram on the ice immediately afterward, wondering exactly where he was: "let's see, I was standing in front of the net trying to corral a loose puck, and now I think I'm lying face first on the ice ... am I still alive?" Anyway, I don't think Bertram got close enough to the crease the rest of the game to even tell you what color it was.

I still think there is not much of a gap between the two players, even as collegians. Size is valued by professional and college scouts for a reason, as big players who can skate can do things that smaller players cannot. Someone described hockey as a bunch of footraces to the puck and wrestling matches for the puck. Bigger guys win more wrestling matches. I was in awe of some of Zach's shifts, but the fact is that the defenders he was wearing did diminish his effectiveness. I saw Zajac able to fight through checks that would have slowed Parise down, which is why I think he is a similar caliber player, despite having a slightly lower skill level.

I appreciate your thoughtful post but respectfully disagree that it was so clear Denver was the best team at the end of the year. (Going on memory on the seeds here, so might be off a bit:) In the tournament, Denver struggled with the #15 seed and had a tough game with #8 before dispatching #3 relatively easily. UND simply dominated the tournament's overall #1, #4 and #10 seeds. Going into the final game, UND in fact was playing the best hockey of any team in the country. As for the final game, if that game was enough for Denver to clearly demonstrate they were playing the best hockey, if they were that dominant, then we just have different standards for that conclusion. I have yet to read a game story that failed to mention how brilliant Mannino was in goal for Denver; a goalie doesn't get the chance to be brilliant if his team dominates a game. I can agree that Denver was a great team, and they played especially well with the lead, but halfway through the third period the game was 2-1, and the two Denver goals bounced in off a skate and Stastny's butt. Don't misunderstand, Denver was a deserving champion. They got the bounces, their goaltender played great, they tightened up defensively with the lead (allowing UND just 45 shots on goal), and most importantly they scored more goals than UND. However, I don't think they were CLEARLY playing the best hockey in the country at the end of the year.

Congrats to the entire US Under-18 team and especially to Sioux recruits Jones and Chorney for winning the world championships yesterday.

Surrey got run out of its own building last night, losing 8-2 and getting outshot 54-32. Here's the stat of the game: Surrey was 1 for 4 on the PP, while Camrose was 7 for 19. That's just hard to believe. This is what the second period penalty summary looked like: PERIOD 2 Surrey Eagles at 0:53 - Dan Idema for Misconduct Surrey Eagles at 2:45 - TJ Mulock for Cross Checking (2 Min.) Camrose Kodiaks at 2:45 - TJ Fast for Holding (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 7:02 - Tyler Eckford for Slashing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 7:34 - David Moncur for Spearing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 7:34 - David Moncur for Spearing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 7:35 - Kyle Nason for Misconduct Surrey Eagles at 10:08 - Stewart Thiessen for Elbowing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 10:55 - Team Penalty for Bench Minor (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 12:39 - David Moncur for Roughing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 12:57 - Andrew Kozek for Slashing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 12:57 - Andrew Kozek for Misconduct Surrey Eagles at 15:48 - Tyson Angus for Roughing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 15:48 - Tyson Angus for Misconduct Surrey Eagles at 16:45 - David Moncur for Slashing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 16:45 - Tim Crowder for Roughing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 16:45 - David Moncur for Misconduct Surrey Eagles at 16:45 - David Moncur for Game Misconduct Surrey Eagles at 17:30 - Korey Diehl for Charging (2 Min.) Camrose Kodiaks at 18:11 - Travis Friedley for Interference (2 Min.) Camrose is firmly in the driver's seat now, with a 2-1 series lead, and the rest of the series set to be played in Camrose.

Actually, the Sioux had the same solid goaltending and airtight defense in 2003-04 as they did this year, IMO. I do agree with you, though, that the team played more like a team down the stretch this year than the previous year. It's hard to have this discussion without diminishing either Zajac or Parise, and I think they're both terrific. I do know that I wouldn't trade two Zajacs for one Parise, and I'm not sure I would trade Zajac for Parise straight up.

I don't feel like starting a new thread for this, and this one is a typical worthless off-season thread anyway, so ... I work with a guy from Norway, and he pointed out to me that Norway beat China today in the World Championships 25-1. I went to the IIHF site and found the boxscore: they outshot 'em 89-7. After Norway got to 15-0 (the worst lead in hockey), they eased up, and China started the comeback with a goal by Fu from Hu. China's main goalie, Yu, stopped 45 of 64 shots. Did Morinville sneak over there to coach Norway? (I didn't make up any names.)

Looks like Surrey will be facing Camrose from the AJHL for the right to advance to the RBC. Camrose has on its team a future Michigan forward, two future UMD Bulldogs, and a future DU defenseman.

Simply put, #27 has the potential to be more physically imposing than #2, without taking quite as many penalties. I don't think he's naturally as nasty as #2 (which accounts for the penalty differential), but good luck with either of them in the corners. My only concern with Smaby is going to be conditioning next year, because he's going to have to play 30-40 minutes a game.

To clarify, Surrey has to beat the AJHL champion to qualify for the Royal Bank Cup. Surrey just won the Fred Page Cup as the BCHL champion. This is from the BCHL site: "The Eagles will now host the winner of the AJHL Champions in the best of 7 Doyle Cup Championship beginning Friday night in Surrey. Games 1 and 2 will go Friday and Saturday - a 3rd game would be played in Surrey Sunday if the teams split the first 2 games." I ripped this off (excuse me, borrowed this) from a message board post on HF. I can't vouch for its accuracy, but it at least is presented nicely: ------------------------------------------------ 2004/05 RBC Royal Bank Cup CJAHL & Hockey Canada Jr.A National Championship Weyburn, Saskatchewan Teams Host - Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL) Pacific - Surrey / Camrose / Ft.McMurray West - Yorkton / Battlefords / Portage Central - North Bay / Northern Michigan / Ft.William / St.Mike's / Georgetown Atlantic - Nepean / Hawkesbury / Vaudreuil / St.Jerome / Truro / Yarmouth Schedule (All Games at Weyburn Colosseum) (All Times Central) Sat. May 7 WEST vs. Weyburn - 7:30pm Sun. May 8 PACIFIC vs. ATLANTIC - 2:00pm Weyburn vs. CENTRAL - 7:30pm Mon. May 9 PACIFIC vs. WEST - 2:00pm CENTRAL vs. ATLANTIC - 7:30pm Tue. May 10 Weyburn vs. PACIFIC - 7:30pm Wed. May 11 WEST vs. CENTRAL - 2:00pm ATLANTIC vs. Weyburn - 7:30pm Thu. May 12 CENTRAL vs. PACIFIC - 2:00pm ATLANTIC vs. WEST - 7:30pm Sat. May 14 Semi-Final - 2:00pm Semi-Final - 7:30pm Sun. May 15 RBC Royal Bank Cup Final - Time TBA Live on TSN ------------------------------------------ One crazy thing about the Vernon/Surrey series that just finished was Surrey's goalie situation. Prelude: Vernon won its preceding playoff round by defeating Prince George and its goalie, Michael-Lee Teslak. Now, the crazy part: One of Surrey's two goalies was hurt in its preceding series. Then, early in the Vernon series, a Vernon player ran Surrey's second goalie, injuring him. Surrey was then allowed by a Canadian hockey rule to add any goalie from another BCHL team, so long as that team was already eliminated from the playoffs. So they called up Teslak and asked if he'd like another shot at Vernon. He played in the last three games of the series and exacted his revenge on Vernon just a week after having his season ended (!?) by them.

sagard, Nice post. I agree that MN will be right there next year. It's not just adding Kessel, it's also adding Stoa, Wheeler and Bostrom. And it's not like they stunk this year - they played a game in April. While they lose some numbers (and real character guys like Fleming (a Sioux nemesis but one of those contributors I really respect)), they don't lose much top-end talent. The babies on defense will be a year older. It'll just be a heck of a team. UND's forwards should be just plain nasty next year. The top line (frosh, frosh, soph) was outplaying pretty much everyone at the end of the year, and that was without Murray. There will be a lot of new kids, but hopefully some with a real jump in their step. I think the questions on defense are more significant than you indicated, and Greene's return, though I don't expect it, would be key. Without Greene and Bina in the lineup, UND would be returning only one of its six regular defensemen. That must be unprecedented, and would be very difficult to overcome. I think a key for MN's and Wisconsin's chances next year is the state of the NHL. If they fix things there, I imagine at least Stuart, Carle and Greene would be pretty likely to go. I'm sure there are quite a few others who might go, but not too many on either Minnesota or Wisconsin. That could soften the Colorado schools up maybe just enough. Denver was darn good this year and obviously a deserving champion, but I think they've used up their good fortune after the last two years. 2004 was just ridiculous, and despite how good they were in 2005, the last game was just a few bounces away from a different result against a team that was equally as good.

After considering some key features, Hakstol could end up with some of these lines for next year: The Silverback line: Murray, Zajac, Duncan The Old SSM line: Murray, Stafford, Porter The New SSM line: Toews, Duncan, Miller The BCHL Frosh line: Duncan, Kozek, Watkins The (Winni) Pegger line: Zajac, Toews, Murray The Z line: Zajac, Kozek, Parize (he does love to handle the puck)

Surrey pounds Vernon again, 7-4 this time. Kozek was 2-2-4 and Watkins 1-2-3. I don't follow it too closely, but I think Surrey's recent success is a big surprise, as Nanaimo and Vernon were considered the class of the league. After falling behind Nanaimo 2-0 in the last series, Surrey beat them in seven games. They're now up 2-0 over Vernon. Check out the third period penalties from last night: PERIOD 3 Surrey Eagles at 2:29 - Kyle Nason for Roughing After Whistle (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 2:59 - Tim Crowder for Misconduct (10 Min.) Vernon Vipers at 2:59 - Matt Watkins for Elbowing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 5:53 - David Rutherford for Roughing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 10:39 - Korey Diehl for Elbowing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 10:54 - Matt Girling for Roughing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 13:52 - David Moncur for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 17:11 - Tyler Eckford for Slashing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 17:17 - David Rutherford for High Sticking (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 17:57 - Tyson Angus for Slashing (2 Min.) Surrey Eagles at 20:00 - Kyle Nason for Fighting (5 Min.) Vernon did chop Surrey's 6-1 lead down to 6-4 on three PP goals before Surrey ended it with an ENG. Must have been some pretty unhappy Surrey fans as it was happening, though.

I have been thinking of this all year, as Gauthier, Tambellini, Sterling/Sertich and Eaves excelled. It was an exceptional year for forwards, and Parise and Vanek were at the top of the class. Unfortunately, they left. Just think how good BC would have been if they all had followed through with their psychological commitments there.

...

After traveling home, I was thinking about the comparison between UND and Denver. Denver won the regular season, won the Final Five and won the national title. Of course they're the better team. They also beat UND and CC in the Final Five, then three weeks later beat CC and UND in the Frozen Four. What more could they do to prove their superiority than that? My sentiment last night was that Denver didn't seem any better than UND last night. Denver didn't "outplay" UND. Since then it has occurred to me how stupid it is to argue about whether a team outplayed another. A team won, period. I guess, for me, it was best summed up by Hakstol when he said something to the effect of "we played as well as we can play. There was nothing left in the tank." I felt the same way watching it. They weren't perfect, but they played hard and well, and things didn't go their way. I was proud of the effort and performance.

Still in shock here in Ohio, because I thought they'd pull it out. I'm surprised to see so many opinions in cyber-space that Denver was clearly the better team, because it didn't seem that way in the rink, and neutral fans I visited with never offered that opinion up. I think the teams were pretty much dead even, and a real key to this game would be which team could get to the third with a lead and apply the python death grip. It turns out it was DU, but they didn't exactly keep UND away from the scoring areas in the third. I haven't heard what the shots were in the third, but UND must have had 20. DU got some bounces, and converted some nice scoring chances. How many grade A chances did UND generate tonight? A bunch ... breakaways, close deflections. A few things Denver did really well from my view: on the PK, they picked off those off-target shot-passes UND loves to send in from the point. The Sioux scored on one, but DU got in the way of a lot of the rest of them. Also, the few times that there was a rebound or loose puck near the net, every UND player was tied up. Denver also won a ton of short races to the puck. Not that UND wasn't trying as hard as it could in those cases, but DU was just there a stick-blade ahead of UND. Even with those things DU did well, UND still played very, very well. The officiating did not cost UND the game, but I wish it had been called differently. Once the parade to the penalty box started in the second, UND seemed to lose its momentum. I'm quite disappointed, and I'm sure the team is down too. But they gave it a heck of a run down the stretch. Congrats and go get 'em next year.

Yes, I'm pathetic enough to post from Columbus. Terrific night to be a Sioux fan. I'd say they dominated pretty much in the same fashion as in Worcester. They had to make it interesting in the third for a few minutes, then regained composure and put them away pretty quietly down the stretch. It was a blast sitting in the middle of a green group that was entirely into the game. Cheering their butts off. Tough game coming up, but I'm cautiously confident. It is in fact tough to get to the front of the net against the UND defense.

When you put it that way, I guess I'm at six boards - SS, GPL, USCHO, BCHL, MN high school, Hockey's Future - but I don't post on all of them. Pretty weird.

I have 2 ticket packages for sale, and I may have 2 more. I think they are in Section 313 (when I get home tonight I will look at the tickets and edit my post). The tickets are in the Twin Cities, which is convenient for TC buyers who would like to skip the exchange hassle. Will also gladly ship. PM me here or e-mail me at kellyjohndiane@comcast.net. Thanks.