1979 will it end.

[Goon]

Down to two teams.

[sprig]

Don't see how Minnie can lose as good as they are playing (defensively unlike any Gopher team I've ever seen, which goes back to the 70's). However, if Maine somehow keeps it close, the Hauser factor may rear its ugly head.

[Goon]

Sprig I am going out on Record that UofMaine will win. I just can't bring my self to cheer for the Gophers. I don't want to have to listen to their fans all year. Actually if they win your just about assured they won't win it all next season.

I don't believe in the cheering for the Conference, for instance if BU is playing SCSU I will chear for  BU. I can't do it.

Not with some of the players Minnesota has Jeff "After the Wistle" Taffe, Adam Hauser and Mark Demarchi and also with some of their fans like Happy... I will watch with interest though. I really like that Metcalf guy...

[sprig]

Goon,

I feel the same way you do, and I've always liked Maine since first seeing them in the P. Kariya days. The gophs have a multitude of fans that are hard to take, many have shown up with their success this year. I can discount Happy as a Minnie Moron, we all have 'em. That doesn't explain, however, why some of those seemingly more reasonable fans, (ie handy and sl) have become so full of themselves as the year went along.

Also will not forgive Lucia, the Arrogant for his vote "against" Panzer for the Hobey. Can guarantee that he, unlike Sauer, will not lift a finger to support maintaining a WCHA with the small schools like UND, if/when the topic of a "BIG 10" or similar conference comes up again. He would be more than happy to dump the Sioux.

Maybe by winning it Lucia can drop his "program envy" that apparently runs him right now.

[Greyeagle]

For the record, It's "Matt DeMarchie."

I agree Taffe needs to stop the stick work after the whistle.  I suspect that problem will be rectified after a week in the minors.

I didn't know Lucia voted against Panzer.  That is disappointing.  I'm not sure about the suport of small schools arguement because personally I wouldn't A) consider UND small when it comes to hockey and B) Mn has made sure to schedule schools like BSU & MSU-M to promote the growth of the sport.

As for the Big Ten hockey confernance MN (and UW) is stuck between a rock and hard place.  Big Ten rules require the confernce to have league play if more than 6 teams are playing. IF (big if) PSU or Illinois were to add hockey, we may be required, along with UW, to join a Big Ten conference.  Unfortunately, from a hockey perspective, we're a Big Ten school first and WCHA second.  I suspect if you polled MN hockey fans there would be little support for the B10 idea.  We're also a founding member of the WCHA and it would be a travesty to leave it.  Only dopes like grandpa sports and other hockey neophytes would find the idea intriguing.

[sprig]

Greyeagle,

Thanks for the other perspective. I didn't know the B10 rules you mentioned.

As for Lucia's vote, I'm sure he'd say he voted "for" someone else, rather than "against" Panzer. However, after the way Panzer played against MN and CC (as well as other teams) in his four years as a Sioux, it would be hard to imagine that a vote for a player in another conference as being something other than a vote "against" Panzer. Certainly Lucia saw several in the loss column at both CC and UM, in no small part due to the play of Panzer.

[Greyeagle]

It seemed like Panzar played for 7 years there.  God he just killed us and couldn't wait for him to graduate.  

I don't know his rationale but I do know Panzer would have had my vote and did online.

[sprig]

I think most of the goph fans on the board were supporting Panzer. Didn't make it to the hobey site much this year, but voted for Leopold when there.

[sioux_hockey]

Sprig I am going out on Record that UofMaine will win. I just can't bring my self to cheer for the Gophers. I don't want to have to listen to their fans all year. Actually if they win your just about assured they won't win it all next season.

I don't believe in the cheering for the Conference, for instance if BU is playing SCSU I will chear for

[Goon]

I have a lot of respect for the Maine program and Minnesota as well but I can't bring myself to cheer for Da Gophers, the rest of my family is goo goo over the Gophers and my brother-in law's comments (an ex-Gopher hockey player) at Tom Reids during the final five in St Paul helped me make up my mind.

I will watcha the game and hope that Maine wins. Nice to see Leo win the Hobey, I will enjoy watching him play in the NHL. I am sure Calgary is licking their lips with the prospects of him playing for them.

I also know that UofM will not be at this high level for ever and all things being equal UND will return to the top of the league and make a run at the Frozen Four, you can count on that being that Blais is the coach. This season should be a big motivating factor for his boys. I would have loved nothing more watching UND win it all this year but as my father said your team can't win them all.

[Greyeagle]

Goon - who is your brother-in-law?  I've seen you refer to him a few times but I've never figured it out.  If you want to keep it private, no worries I understand.  Then just give me an obvious hint.  

[Goon]

Grey_Eagle,

I sent you the answer on a message because I didn't want to post it here.

[sprig]

Shoot, Now we won't all get to see if it's a former Goph that we didn't like much Wife's brother, or sister's hubby? Gotta be tough being a Sioux with a Goph in the family.

[Goon]

Sprig,

Sister's Hubby, I think actually the Grand Forks Herald loved to write articles about him. Let me tell you this he wasn't a goon like Demarchi nor did lay many bone crushing checks on Sioux players. He was more of a finese type player, played a number of positions.

You should have seen the wedding it was like a who's who of Gopher hockey, I was told no UND jerseys and that I had to behave myself and keep my comments about Gopher hockey to a minimum. This of course was the summer after the Sioux has won the NCAA title in 1997 so I had something to be happy about. I met quite a few of the players. Really nice guys actually.

Tough being a Sioux fan with so many Gopher fans in the family, however, one of my sisters was actually a UND chear leader for Football and Basketball during the late 1980's-early 1990's. So not all of them are deranged Gopher fans.

My father is a fence sitter who chears for the team that's better at the present time, or he claims he likes them both, philosophically speaking I am think that is an oxi-moron but to each his own. I am sure dad will be back on the UND band wagon soon as UND is a top of the WCHA again. My father is also a big fan of the Baudette goons Waibel and Ballard, but I won't fault him since he is from that area. By the way he also thinks Demarchi is a thug/goon too.

Someone left the Minnesota Rouser on my answering machine yesterday and I have yet to determin who the culprit was, I have a good idea but I am sure that person will call if the Gophers win the NCAA title.

[sprig]

Sprig,

You should have seen the wedding it was like a who's who of Gopher hockey, I was told no UND jerseys and that I had to behave myself and keep my comments about Gopher hockey to a minimum. Tough being a Sioux fan with so many Gopher fans in the family, however, one of my sisters was actually a UND chear leader for Football and Basketball during the late 1980's-early 1990's. So not all of them are deranged Gopher fans.

Get the feeling it took quite an effort for you to behave yourself  Must have been a bit easier being a fan of the national champions at a wedding full of, at the time, under-archievers. Can't fault your dad on Waibel, he plays fairly hard, but Ballard? He looks like he could be the future Goph hack, taking over from DeMarchie, although probably a bit more like Taffe - taking after the whistle cheap shots only when there's a safe place to hide if the opponent gets angry.

I will remember the hit that Denver's MacKenzie put on him at the X in the final five, and hope that Andy or a teamate manages the same more than once next year.

[Goon]

As far as behaving, I just went around chanting to myself Golden Chokers and other cool things like 1979. When I walked into the church for reshersal I wanted to wear my UND jersey but told that I shouldn't catholic wedding you know, and with me being a lutheran I didn't want to pi$$ anyone off.

However, my brother-in-law kept saying he goes to UND. I kept waiting for the ussal UND sucks or someone ready to toss me from the party but no one did. At the reception I had met Brian Bonin and I never realized how small he really was. It is no wounder why he didn't stick with the NHL, I am woundering if the same thing happens with Panzer too, its kind of a shame... I also sat at the bar and drank beer with a Gopher hockey player that was going on to dental school/med school (to me they are both the same) but the alcohol and time has erased that players name from my memory... For the most part really good guys that mistakenly played for the wrong team.

On to the current Gophers, I am not too impressed with the way Ballard handles himself on the ice as far as his attitude goes, although a good player he runs his yap too much and for some reason thinks he has to compete with Demarchi for penalty box time and record numbers of face rubs... Although Demarchi has cleaned up his act as of late.

I think Ballard has fit/slid in quite well into the gopher head case role as well as the Grant Potulny from Grand Forks, add Jeff "after the wistle" Taffe to the mix and they have a great line of goons... Personally I still like Jones better than Ballard as well as Schnider better than Jud Stevens. But hey I spent over 70,000.00 grand at this school so of course I am going to be biased.

Personally I am so glad that Potulny never became a Sioux hockey player. I heard a rumor about Potulny and how Grant's father met with Blaiser and said that you take both of them or nothing, refering also to Grant younger brother Ryan. I guess the answer was nothing.

As far as Leo winning the Hobey good for him, I think he is a classy player with a lot of talent and comes off as being very unassuming Gopher fans should be proud of him.

One side bar (that is for the lawyers) though the Minneapolis StarTribune ran down how many Hobey winners teams have gone on to win the NCAA title and the Hobey Baker winner's team ussually does not ussually win the whole ball of wax. In fact according to the Red Star (Minneapolis StarTribune) the all time record is 3-16, two of the teams didn't make the NCAA. Ironically, here are the three exceptions, 1) Tony Hrkac of UND which beat MSU, 2) Lane McDonald from Harvard which beat the Gophers 1989 clank game, and 3) Maine's Steve Kariya which beat LSSU in 1993.

[sprig]

For the most part really good guys that mistakenly played for the wrong team.

No accounting for some people's taste, is there?

Maine's Steve Kariya which beat LSSU in 1993

Wouldn't that have been Paul K.'s year?

As far as the Potulny's, I went to school with their dad, and frequented a frat he belonged to; didn't belong myself, just had quite a few friends there. Wouldn't be suprised if Jay P gave that ultimatum; he was an athletic wannabe at UND, when he was a frosh, there were not enough BB players for a frosh team, so he joined as the frosh teams' 6th man. He seldom played, but when he did, the PA annoucer would introduce him as Jay "superstar" Potulny (tongue in cheek, of course, would guess he didn't like it much). He became known to all of us as Jay Superstar. Played some baseball also for a team short of players so he got a Sioux lettermen's jacket to wear around campus which I guess is what he wanted anyway. Was shocked he had kids good enough to play HS hockey in GF, much less play in the WCHA. Maybe his wife has a bit of athleticism, had to come from somewhere

[Goon]

Yeah, your right Spring that was Paul. Woops my bad. Steve isn't half the player his brother Paul is, I guess he is playing for the Moose up in Winnepeg.