Positives from this weekend

[Sioux17]

My take on the season so far:

Goaltending has potential. he looks good at times and looks soft at others. We aren't going to be able to ride the coat tails of our goalie this year. Walski is done. I like him has a goalie but its obvious who the go to guy is this year. Our d men need to get healthy before we can start pointing out their mistakes. Once we get Finley, genoway and jones back get our lines together i believe it will work itself out. it sounds like they blocked alot of shots which is what is needed until eidness gets is confidence up and stand on his own. Up front we have to finish. No reason to miss an empty net. At this level you have to score no excuses. Duncan and the boys need to lead this team while our freshmen get going.

Except for 17 they all need to grow.

My main concerns are what happened to trupper's offense and when does the Toews that scored around 160 points last year get going? I love that line with those three. I think this team can be good there are just some holes to fill.

[siouxforce19]

My take on the season so far:

Goaltending has potential. he looks good at times and looks soft at others. We aren't going to be able to ride the coat tails of our goalie this year. Walski is done. I like him has a goalie but its obvious who the go to guy is this year. Our d men need to get healthy before we can start pointing out their mistakes. Once we get Finley, genoway and jones back get our lines together i believe it will work itself out. it sounds like they blocked alot of shots which is what is needed until eidness gets is confidence up and stand on his own. Up front we have to finish. No reason to miss an empty net. At this level you have to score no excuses. Duncan and the boys need to lead this team while our freshmen get going.

Except for 17 they all need to grow.

My main concerns are what happened to trupper's offense and when does the Toews that scored around 160 points last year get going? I love that line with those three. I think this team can be good there are just some holes to fill.

in regards to trupp, i think leave him on the line with gregoire and toews and he'll get going. he was with frattin and malone before and those two just haven't done anything this year... keep him with gregoire. As for toews, he hasn't played much so far, so I'd expect him to get going somewhat in the near future... it might take a while since he has played like, what 4 games in the last 7 months or so? The 3 of them on a line have a lot of potential.

[rochsioux]

Since the refs seem to be actually enforcing the hooks/holds/interference this year (along with some phantom ones), I think it is best to be in an offensive mindset. The more pressure that can be placed on the opposing teams defense the more powerplays I would expect to see. We can draw a lot of penalties if we keep up a relentless forecheck and cycling down low.

So far this year we are averaging 37 shots/game and giving up 28. I like those numbers.

I think the goaltending will improve as we go and getting the defense healthy will also help the goaltending.

Even though we are only 3-5 so far, IMO we are passing the puck MUCH better than we were at this stage of the season last year or any year under Hakstol. If that continues (and gets even better), and the goaltending and defense comes around, I think we stand a very good chance of winning #8 this season. Goaltending and getting/staying healthy are the keys.

[Goon]

in regards to trupp, i think leave him on the line with gregoire and toews and he'll get going. he was with frattin and malone before and those two just haven't done anything this year... keep him with gregoire. As for toews, he hasn't played much so far, so I'd expect him to get going somewhat in the near future... it might take a while since he has played like, what 4 games in the last 7 months or so? The 3 of them on a line have a lot of potential.

I like the 17-18-19 line. They are fast...

[The Whistler]

I like the 17-18-19 line. They are fast...

"The Consecutive Line."

"Two Primes Line"

"5814"?

All good possibilities.

[burd]

Although there will probably not be as many jaw-dropping moves from this team as we've seen in the recent past, I really like what it has to offer, top to bottom. And let's not overlook the fact that the one obstacle standing in the way of a NC banner in the new Ralph has been removed--a dead badger has finally hit the ice. The rumor out here in Wisconsin is that the hated Mike Prpich was the thrower.

[Siouxman]

Just got back from Colorado Springs (took a couple extra days) so here are some additional observations that I didn't feel like punching into the Blackberry. This team makes a lot of shots, which we've had before. What is impressing me is the quality of the shots. One of these days things are going to cut loose and this team could score 10 goals on someone. One thing I've always been impressed with the Gophers (as hard as this is to say) is that they always seemed to have the extra open man come flying down the slot. At CC, UND was doing it consistently. They flat out dominated CC at times, controlling the puck in the CC zone for a couple minutes at a time. It was impressive. The Sioux breakout is impressing me this year. They didn't have much trouble against WI and they didn't have any against CC. Create a turnover in the Sioux zone and the puck is headed to the other end so fast it is incredible. I know they have had a rough start, but I am seeing a huge upside to this team. Eidsness is showing real promise, and the young forwards are progressing faster than I thought possible.

To me it is a matter of getting our D back healthy and in place.

As for Trupp, he was the best player on the ice a week ago on Friday night against WI. He may need some time to get his consistency back. Remember, he missed the end of last season with a serious injury.

And finally, with the new emphasis from the refs, I am impressed with how the Sioux have adjusted. Things need to get a little better yet, but they have adjusted quite well for the most part.

Bring on UAA.

[stickboy1956]

Since the refs seem to be actually enforcing the hooks/holds/interference this year (along with some phantom ones), I think it is best to be in an offensive mindset. The more pressure that can be placed on the opposing teams defense the more powerplays I would expect to see. We can draw a lot of penalties if we keep up a relentless forecheck and cycling down low.

So far this year we are averaging 37 shots/game and giving up 28. I like those numbers.

I think the goaltending will improve as we go and getting the defense healthy will also help the goaltending.

Even though we are only 3-5 so far, IMO we are passing the puck MUCH better than we were at this stage of the season last year or any year under Hakstol. If that continues (and gets even better), and the goaltending and defense comes around, I think we stand a very good chance of winning #8 this season. Goaltending and getting/staying healthy are the keys.

It's too bad our horses we've had here the past few years could have played with the current rule enforcement. The goal judge would have been very busy at the Ralph.

It's obvious we haven't been finishing like we should (see our power play numbers). It will be interesting to see if a team with few offensive stars can succeed this year now that more penalties are being called.