Sioux vs the Gophers Saturday

[Washburn Sioux]

It was really a bummer that the Sioux did not win last night.

The Sioux are playing three games this week-end, if the Sioux win tonight and if SCSU wins tonight, that will mean that the Sioux would be playing in the Thursday night game.

If the Sioux were to win on Thursday, they would then have another 3 game week-end. That would be two consectutive 3-game weekends before the regional, expanding alot of energy and chancing injuries.

The way the WCHA playoffs are set up, it makes it very diffcult for the 4 or 5 placed team to advance and do well in the NCAA tourney.

Denver proved in 2004 that it is better to miss the final five, than go through back to back three game week-ends. Denver was rested enough, got lucky by beating the Sioux 1 to 0 in the regional; and ended up winning the NCAA championship. Something to ponder.

Regardless, I really want the Sioux to pound the goofers and that diver Seapiss.

[stickboy1956]

The game reminded me of our last loss in St. Cloud - we win territorialy, but we do not get the big save from our goalie and theirs stands on his head.

If Eideness is in position - out of the paint - on goals 2 and 3, the puck hits him (even if he doesn't see it) and we still win.

The team that will win Sunday will be the one with the best goaltending play - I hope we see the Eids that we saw during our win streak.

And stop looking for excuses (diving, refs) - just beat them like we did Friday.

[BTK]

I don't get to watch the games, but I am fortunate enough to listen to them and it's hard to hear the games over the black helicopters flying overhead all of the time. Granted, they are REAL helicopters, but still. In MMA, the cliche is "you can't leave the fight in the hands of the judges, you have to finish the fight" and we need to be the same way, we need to repeat Friday and take away the opportunity for the refs to have a negative impact on the game.

It's the WCHA, crappy refs are nothing new!

I also haven't heard of any gophers being thrown on the ice. (Well, other than Cepis throwing himself...) Did I somehow miss it or is there a gopher drought going on in GF right now? I understand it's winter now, but surely if you look there has to be a few sitting around in someone's freezer!

Summary: LET'S GO SIOUX!!!

[SiouxTupa]

The game reminded me of our last loss in St. Cloud - we win territorialy, but we do not get the big save from our goalie and theirs stands on his head.

If Eideness is in position - out of the paint - on goals 2 and 3, the puck hits him (even if he doesn't see it) and we still win.

The team that will win Sunday will be the one with the best goaltending play - I hope we see the Eids that we saw during our win streak.

And stop looking for excuses (diving, refs) - just beat them like we did Friday.

I have to disagree with this. Eids made some HUGE saves, including a breakaway stop on Cepis. The two goals in the 3rd were deflections and screens. They could have been stopped, but I'm not faulting Eids. He's been great lately.

The Gophers are going to test him tonight by throwing everything on net looking for the same stuff. I do agree that the team with the best goaltending will take it, though. So tonight he'll have to be razor sharp. I don't care how we win tonight, as long as it happens.

[Goon]

I have to disagree with this. Eids made some HUGE saves, including a breakaway stop on Cepis. The two goals in the 3rd were deflections and screens. They could have been stopped, but I'm not faulting Eids. He's been great lately.

The Gophers are going to test him tonight by throwing everything on net looking for the same stuff. I do agree that the team with the best goaltending will take it, though. So tonight he'll have to be razor sharp. I don't care how we win tonight, as long as it happens.

You can't blame the loss on the goaltender, he did a pretty good job last night. I blame players on the ice. They have to get pucks deep and stop coughing up the puck. I also think they need to get to the net with a purpose. Kangas is a head case and it won't take much to rattle him. Make him remember why he hates North Dakota so much.

[SiouxTupa]

You can't blame the loss on the goaltender, he did a pretty good job last night. I blame players on the ice. They have to get pucks deep and stop coughing up the puck. I also think they need to get to the net with a purpose. Kangas is a head case and it won't take much to rattle him. Make him remember why he hates North Dakota so much.

Yes, the key is hustle on every play. At times last night guys were missing on passes, but not hustling to get it back. When that happens it's an automatic turnover. The guys need to work for every loose puck, and protect it when they have it.

[ticklethetwine]

Although I totally agree Cpiss is a big time diver the sioux really need to do better on the PK then they did last night. Also what happened to our pp this weekend I think we are 0 on the pp. I also agree that we need to rattle kangas early and he will be done. The sioux also need to tighten up the passing a little bit better tonight. They didn't seem like crisp, precise passes last night. There are a couple sioux who are due to explode. Trupp, Toews, Hextall, Knight.

Lets go Sioux and kick these rodents down the road to the golf course.

Love me some Sioux.

[Let'sGoHawks!]

Although I totally agree Cpiss is a big time diver the sioux really need to do better on the PK then they did last night. Also what happened to our pp this weekend I think we are 0 on the pp. I also agree that we need to rattle kangas early and he will be done. The sioux also need to tighten up the passing a little bit better tonight. They didn't seem like crisp, precise passes last night. There are a couple sioux who are due to explode. Trupp, Toews, Hextall, Knight.

Lets go Sioux and kick these rodents down the road to the golf course.

Love me some Sioux.

Agreed. The non-calls on Cepis are frustrating, but there are many other areas that contributed to the loss.

2 seasons ago, Michigan Tech beat UND in the 2nd game after being shutout 4-0 the night before to send it to a 3rd game. MTU played their hearts out and lost a 1 goal game the next night.

Mankato took it to 3 games a year or two before that.

My point: teams play desperate when they know their seasons are on the line. I expect a war tonight, but I think the Sioux will pull it off.

[ticklethetwine]

Agreed. The non-calls on Cepis are frustrating, but there are many other areas that contributed to the loss.

2 seasons ago, Michigan Tech beat UND in the 2nd game after being shutout 4-0 the night before to send it to a 3rd game. MTU played their hearts out and lost a 1 goal game the next night.

Mankato took it to 3 games a year or two before that.

My point: teams play desperate when they know their seasons are on the line. I expect a war tonight, but I think the Sioux will pull it off.

I totally agree. When the season is on the line you better play your heart out. I knew yesterday the gophers would not go down without a fight. As much as I hate them I know they are still capable of being a really good team. With that said the sioux just have something that the gophers don't. Call it grit, determination, heart, whatever you will but the gophers don't have "it". I would say the sioux will prevail more times then not.

How much energy did the gophers expend last night? That might be a factor tonight in the later portions of the game.

Go Sioux.

[The Whistler]

Robbie Earl wasn't the problem. He's gone and voila there still is diving. Cepis isn't the problem now.

The problem is that the WCHA, despite clear instructions from the NCAA has decided to turn a blind eye to diving.

Diving would be very easy to stop. Have a coaches meeting and tell the coaches that players caught diving will be on a watch list given to all officials.

The officials will be warned that said players are known to dive and to be certain of any calls they make concerning that player.

As it is, the referees should know that Cepis is a diver and shouldn't call marginal things concerning him.