Sioux vs. Gophers, Saturday Night Game Thread

[AZSIOUX]

I think the Gophers will sweep. Denver is in a steep dive right now and I don't think they will be able to pull up before impact.

gophers sweep? yeah... ......1 goal per game wont get any sweeps, split at best and thats asking a hell of a lot from that team

[NorthDakotaHockey]

Blake Wheeler is going to have to learn to watch his mouth, especially if he ever gets a shot at the NHL. When the Capitals play the Coyotes, Wheeler is going to have to face Joe without a face mask, and with officials who won't step in.

Fortunately, in this regard at least, here is saying that Bloke Wheeler well never see more than a cup of coffee, if that, in The Big Show.

The Capitals will play the Coyotes for sure. Finley will be playing for the Capitals. Wheeler will be at home watching the games on TV,

or from his job waiting tables in downtown Minneapolis.

[Sioux-cia]

for the first time in my life I can say I will be pulling for the gophs this weekend against denver to get at least a split. plus I really hope we don't face them in the first round unless we can figure out way to solve kangas.

I can't, I just can't pull for the goofy's....

[The Whistler]

One TUC win for us or loss for New Hampshire means we're a #1 seed in a regional. If I've got my math right of course.

[HeidiSioux62]

I think the Gophers will sweep. Denver is in a steep dive right now and I don't think they will be able to pull up before impact.

It would kill me to pull for the goofers, but it really would be best for us if they did sweep. History of teams we've swept (I know we didn't sweep MN, but took 3 points) over the last few weeks bodes well for the goofs. Swept Mich Tech, they came out and swept the next team, swept Mankato, they came out and swept the next team and swept UAA and they came out and got 3 points the next weekend. If by chance the goofs have a good weekend next week, they should probably send our boys a thank you card.

[Goon]

I can't, I just can't pull for the goofy's....

I would have to take a 4 hour shower just to wash off the yucky feeling.

Also if people think this game is rough you should check out the Habs and Rangers on NBC, old time hockey...

[AZSIOUX]

I can't, I just can't pull for the goofy's....

dont have to but we want a split at worst case scenerio for the sioux, doesnt mean you have to route for anyone. just hope du doesnt get more than 2 points

[AZSIOUX]

It would kill me to pull for the goofers, but it really would be best for us if they did sweep. History of teams we've swept (I know we didn't sweep MN, but took 3 points) over the last few weeks bodes well for the goofs. Swept Mich Tech, they came out and swept the next team, swept Mankato, they came out and swept the next team and swept UAA and they came out and got 3 points the next weekend. If by chance the goofs have a good weekend next week, they should probably send our boys a thank you card.

gophs sweeping halarious, im guessing they will get 1 point and du gets 3 for some odd reason

[yzerman19]

Does Bruce McClown attend every gopher game? I saw him at the John last night, my buddy saw him in Duluth when MN was up playig the Dogs. They showed him in Madison on TV.

I am going to reiterate one of my points. Last night's total loss of control by the officials could've been taken care of if fighting were allowed in the game. THe guys fought anyway. I am a strong believer in letting the players police the game. Too many soccer moms and Princess Goldy fans who would come unglued if the likes of their precious players got hurt. Blakey "tough guy" Wheeler would have to oen up for his actions and words, and then when he got beat up, he'd hire Mike Cerisi to sue.

[Siouxmama]

Not cheering for either DU or UMinn.

If we want to win this thing the guys have to work their butts off.

[RexBanner]

gophs sweeping halarious, im guessing they will get 1 point and du gets 3 for some odd reason

Didn't the Sioux come pretty close to getting swept by the Gophers this weekend...and vice versa?

[Sioux-cia]

Didn't the Sioux come pretty close to getting swept by the Gophers this weekend...and vice versa?

Woulda, shoulda, coulda...

Sioux 3 points Goofy 1 point

[hrkac]

Didn't the Sioux come pretty close to getting swept by the Gophers this weekend...and vice versa?

i wish the goofers blue line didn't suck so bad so they'd play a more up-tempo style of game like in the past. kangas is good and stole the 1 point the goofs got this weekend.

[RexBanner]

Woulda, shoulda, coulda...

Sioux 3 points Goofy 1 point

Absolutely...but I just don't understand why Gophers sweeping is so far fetched after this weekend. Especially when there where so many people predicting a 4-1, 5-2, etc routing before Saturday's game.

[AZSIOUX]

Didn't the Sioux come pretty close to getting swept by the Gophers this weekend...and vice versa?

my point is the gophs havent swept a thing this year but wayne state, keep those 1 point weekends up....

[RexBanner]

my point is the gophs havent swept a thing this year but wayne state, keep those 1 point weekends up....

Good point.

[fightingsioux4life]

for the first time in my life I can say I will be pulling for the gophs this weekend against denver to get at least a split. plus I really hope we don't face them in the first round unless we can figure out way to solve kangas.

Before we annoint Kangas the next Rob Stauber, let's keep some things in mind:

1) He is a freshman and freshman are going to have ups and downs. Yes, I know Karl Goehring was great right away, but that is rare. He is heads and shoulders above Frazee in terms of stopping the shots he is supposed to stop and not letting in soft goals, but let's watch him over the next several weeks to see if that continues. Let's see if Kangas can continue playing well down the stretch against teams that will be desperate for league points. I sure hope he plays well next weekend in Denver.

2) He made some solid saves on Saturday night, but there were also a lot of saves from long range and some rebounds that he didn't control that we were in no position to take advantage of. Most of our PP action was on the perimeter. I wonder how solid he would have looked if we had crashed the net more and gotten some screens set up. I was much more impressed with him on Friday, when we DID generate some sustained pressure from time to time.

3) As solid as Kangas looked this weekend, I think Lamoreaux looked just as good or even better. The Goofs had the better of the chances in the first period both nights and in the overtime on Saturday and couldn't beat JPL. I think the Goofs will have to worry about JPL in a potential playoff matchup as much as we will worry about Kangas. But that's playoff hockey.

4) I think the bad ice severely limited the scoring punch for each team. The playoff matchup will be in Grand Forks if it happens and I think the ice will be better. I think we'll have more up and down action and more offensive chances for both teams. Both goalies will get tested more than they were this weekend.

Bottom line: No matter who we face in the playoffs, they will have solid goaltending. The good teams overcome that. Let's hope we are one of those good teams.

[siouxkid12]

Blake Wheeler is going to have to learn to watch his mouth, especially if he ever gets a shot at the NHL. When the Capitals play the Coyotes, Wheeler is going to have to face Joe without a face mask, and with officials who won't step in.

Just like what Greene did to that b!tch from DENVER THIS PAST FALL!

[Sioux-cia]

Kangas should not be judged on his 'freshman' status. He's 21 years old and has played in the juniors since leaving high school. He's a good goalie and we're going to be wishing he goes pro very quickly!!

[fightingsioux4life]

Kangas should not be judged on his 'freshman' status. He's 21 years old and has played in the juniors since leaving high school. He's a good goalie and we're going to be wishing he goes pro very quickly!!

I didn't say he wasn't good, I said lets watch him a little longer before bestowing greatness on him. Goehring wasn't considered great right away and Kangas shouldn't be either. Sure I wish Frazee was still the starter, but he's not, so we'll just have to get the job done somehow. If Kangas is as good as people think, we'll just have to step up and find a way to beat him. That is what championship teams do. The next six to seven weeks will be fun.

[AZSIOUX]

I didn't say he wasn't good, I said lets watch him a little longer before bestowing greatness on him. Goehring wasn't considered great right away and Kangas shouldn't be either. Sure I wish Frazee was still the starter, but he's not, so we'll just have to get the job done somehow. If Kangas is as good as people think, we'll just have to step up and find a way to beat him. That is what championship teams do. The next six to seven weeks will be fun.

exactly. hes a damn good goalie but lets wait until he is given the job from the get go and see what happens. phil is a the best goalie in the wcha and the nation right now

[The Sicatoka]

Last night's total loss of control by the officials could've been taken care of if fighting were allowed in the game.

Alternatively, call the game by the rulebook!

I said it on USCHO; I'll say it here: Start calling by the NHL standard.

I don't care if it's 3x3 hockey for a whole game plus OT. The players and coaches will figure out pretty quickly that the stick stays down, period.

Last night was caused by uncalled stick infractions and obstructions. If you can't move without getting slashed or tripped up of course the negative emotions are going to come uncorked.

[dagies]

When did you start watching hockey, yesterday? Because I remember Blaise' teams being waaaay more physical that Hak's!

I remember the game I was most disappointed to be a Sioux fan. It was in Duluth in the early 2000's, don't remember the year. Blais lost control of the team. The Sioux got handled pretty well, and gooned it up most of the night, and I didn't see the kind of provocation that might have come from the gophs side this weekend. Say what you will, but IMO Blais and Hak run similar hard-nosed programs and occasionally things might get out of hand. It doesn't happen as much as they are accused of, but it can. Dean's teams were no better, IMO.

This is what I want to know? Only 3 seconds left and a faceoff at center ice, why have Oshie out there?

Martens did a great job, IMO, this weekend, not counting the assist to Trupp. He was effective. Davidson is bigger and not quite as good a skater as Martens, and on the big ice it probably made sense to have Martens in the lineup. As for Oshie being out with 3 seconds left I remember a couple of things.

1. With 8 seconds left Oshie making a pass to Kozek the night before from his own blueline that resulted in a scoring opportunity that was 98% cashed in.

2. In December, the gophers scoring with less than a second to go in the period.

Oshie was taking a face-off just outside the gopher blue line. Who else in our lineup has the slightest chance of winning the face-off and carrying the puck THROUGH the resulting scrum to a point where he can get a shot on net. 1 guy...Oshie.

I think Hak had that line out there because it was 3 sec. left, a face off just outside the zone, and weird things can happen with a bounce and a shot that finds it's way to the back of the net. obviously, Oshie tried to drag the puck thru Anderson and get a lane to the net. the attempt to stick a knee out was probably more reaction to the move Oshie put on than trying to injure. Zajac didn't see it that way and retaliated. I have no problem with the scrums. i was at the game and the atmosphere was intense on the ice and in the stands. the extra stuff also made up for the lack of goals but the goaltending was great for both sides all weekend. The Sioux are goons.....? I'd rather have a team that is physical and intimidating than a bunch of sally's. The guys on the other bench weren't wearing halos for their actions either even though the FSN-Gopher cheerleaders would like everyone to think that. Gopher fans also can't accuse the Sioux of being classless when they throw stuff on the ice and at the UND players after the game. Ben Gordon said it best.

"With the rivalry that we have and the history of the series, it's going to be like that," senior forward Ben Gordon said. "Tempers are going to flare up and guys are going to be having high emotions. That's just the way the series is."

Great post, hrkac!

[dagies]

jk, I agree. I was thinking the same thing last night. I was really worried that MN was going to have the mo to get the 2nd, killer, goal. But the Sioux seemed to come back with a vengeance, especially Genoway. He did NOT want to lose. When I saw the intensity I had a small feeling that the Sioux would score. It would have hurt bad if they hadn't, or if the gophs would have gotten the 2nd goal, but it was an expected relief to get the 2nd one.

Both teams deserve a lot of credit for how they rose to the occasion last night.

As for Kangas, I'm not too excited about playing him. He's not a lucky goalie. Lucky goalies are flopping around making miracle saves. Kangas is like a robot out there, almost never out of position. I fear that he won't be an up and down type of goalie. He'll always be there.

I also fear that the Sioux helped galvanize the gophers in the middle of a very tough season. With Kangas in nets (yes, I like him that much) I think they have a chance to beat anyone, and I don't believe the gophers will never score more than 1 goal a game this season. I believe the gophers will be in the Final Five, and with a goalie like Kangas they could win it and make the NCAA.

My worst concern is that they come to the Ralph for the first round. If Kangas can win the first game they could play Frazee the 2nd and come back with a fresh Kangas in the 3rd game while Phil has to play 3 in a row. That's not a favorable scenario in a building where the Sioux struggled to play the gophs in December, and recently struggled against Alaska. I can be guilty of looking on the non-bright side of life, but that's a scenario I can readily see.

[Goon]

3) As solid as Kangas looked this weekend, I think Lamoreaux looked just as good or even better. The Goofs had the better of the chances in the first period both nights and in the overtime on Saturday and couldn't beat JPL. I think the Goofs will have to worry about JPL in a potential playoff matchup as much as we will worry about Kangas. But that's playoff hockey.

10-04 on that Post...