DAR Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Does anyone hold out any hope that Massen can come around this year. I usually do not like to single people out but he has the talent to do it and it is just not happening. What a boost he could be to the team down the stretch if he could start scoring and play the way he is capable of. After looking at his stats from last year and to fall to 1 goal on the season is hard to believe. Maybe there is something going on in his life that we do not know about so I do not want to be too hard on him. I kind of would like to see him play some on the second line with Lundbohm and either Porter or Stafford to try and get him jump started even though his play does not warrant second line status. It is just frusturating because he has the talent and "could" be a huge boost down the stretch. Let's hope he can get it going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 I hold out hope for his turnaround. I may be too much of an optimist, but I'm hoping. The problem is that if he's not scoring, then his spot is better taken by a grittier player who may also be scoring-challenged. He's now gone about a full calendar year without scoring much, so I'm sure he's more frustrated than any of us. You are correct that Massen scoring would be huge for the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 He certainly has the capabilities to be a very good player as shown by the first-half of last year. He is big and strong, and when on his game, good with the puck and around the net. Perhaps his groin injury earlier this season set him back more than any of us realize and has made him a bit tentative? But, when he is playing well, he is fun to watch. Here's hoping he is saving his best for the last eight weeks of this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 He certainly has the capabilities to be a very good player as shown by the first-half of last year. He is big and strong, and when on his game, good with the puck and around the net. Perhaps his groin injury earlier this season set him back more than any of us realize and has made him a bit tentative? But, when he is playing well, he is fun to watch. Here's hoping he is saving his best for the last eight weeks of this season. Great Hands and a great shot but it just does not seem that he has the skating skills of other players on the team. With the talent this team has this year, that has really hurt his chance to play. It just seems he has a tough time keeping up with the pace of the game at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Great Hands and a great shot but it just does not seem that he has the skating skills of other players on the team. With the talent this team has this year, that has really hurt his chance to play. It just seems he has a tough time keeping up with the pace of the game at times. I think he skates well - he certainly did at Mariucci as Freshmen when he blew by everyone on the ice and went topshelf scoring a goal with a backhand shot. And he skated well last year as evidenced by his play against St. Cloud at REA when he zipped up the right side and blew a slapshot over Moreland's glove for the GWG. If he is having some skating issues, that may go back to his injury earlier this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 I think he skates well - he certainly did at Mariucci as Freshmen when he blew by everyone on the ice and went topshelf scoring a goal with a backhand shot. And he skated well last year as evidenced by his play against St. Cloud at REA when he zipped up the right side and blew a slapshot over Moreland's glove for the GWG. If he is having some skating issues, that may go back to his injury earlier this year. Disagree - when you compare him to a Stafford, Porter, Fylling etc.. he does not skate near as well and therefore has not had the opportunity to play as much. If you go back to comments Blais has said about Massen it is pretty much verbatim as to what I am saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 If you go back to comments Blais has said about Massen it is pretty much verbatim as to what I am saying. Such as? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Such as? Articles written in the Herald have indicated this. Watching him in relation to other skaters on the team has indicated this. The scouting reports of the days back when he was in the juniors indicated this, and the lack of playing time also indicates this. You tell me who Massen should replace - right now the fact of the matter would suggest that he does not have the same skating ability as those ahead of him on the depth chart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 I hold out hope. I saw Massen doing a fantastic job cycling the puck on the top couple of lines last year. Looked like he played with confidence and was very strong. I don't know what happened this year but he did it once and I hold out hope he can regain that form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 I believe the Wooger pointed out that Massen looks overweight and must be in the doghouse. Unfortunately, there's some truth to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Such as? Hey Man don't leave us hanging, nor can we remember what Blais said about him. I would actually like to see it was the same thing that you are saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 For the record: Massen lit me up like a rented mule in pee wees, so I know that he has scoring potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Articles written in the Herald have indicated this. Watching him in relation to other skaters on the team has indicated this. The scouting reports of the days back when he was in the juniors indicated this, and the lack of playing time also indicates this. You tell me who Massen should replace - right now the fact of the matter would suggest that he does not have the same skating ability as those ahead of him on the depth chart. Out of respect for other members of this board, this will be the last post I contribute to this thread: Simply citing articles that may contain quotes and then attributing them to the coach does not further your point. You ask who should Massen replace? Well, it appears to be a ridiculous question considering he played both games last weekend, and when weighing the importance of the series, apparently DB felt he deserved to be on the ice, but evidently he forgot to consult you. As for his skating, when he broke away from everyone as a freshmen in the Ucch box score and scored his goal, DB said after the game that there are only about 10 skaters in all of college hockey who could score the goal that he scored. High praise for such a poor skater - from the coach nonetheless. I have a copy of the tape if you care to see the goal. That being said, I will agree to disagree. JM is clearly not UND's strongest skater, but he clearly is not their weakest. With his combination of size and skill, if he can get on track, he should be a very nice contributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Out of respect for other members of this board, this will be the last post I contribute to this thread: Simply citing articles that may contain quotes and then attributing them to the coach does not further your point. You ask who should Massen replace? Well, it appears to be a ridiculous question considering he played both games last weekend, and when weighing the importance of the series, apparently DB felt he deserved to be on the ice, but evidently he forgot to consult you. As for his skating, when he broke away from everyone as a freshmen in the Ucch box score and scored his goal, DB said after the game that there are only about 10 skaters in all of college hockey who could score the goal that he scored. High praise for such a poor skater - from the coach nonetheless. I have a copy of the tape if you care to see the goal. That being said, I will agree to disagree. JM is clearly not UND's strongest skater, but he clearly is not their weakest. With his combination of size and skill, if he can get on track, he should be a very nice contributor. Hey buddy kMA - bottom line is that he does not skate as well as others on the team. You need to get a life. Have you ever laced up the skates in your shallow life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Hey buddy kMA - bottom line is that he does not skate as well as others on the team. You need to get a life. Have you ever laced up the skates in your shallow life. Apparently SFSioux doesn't know what he is talking about, he is probably one of these rookie band wagon Sioux fans or a student at Lewis and Clark Middle school in Grand Forks. Ok, So I will make it simple for you, first off, James Massen had two (2) pretty strong seasons at UND, last season he had 35 points, this season however has been a struggle for Massen, James suffered a Groin Injury and has had trouble getting going, sure its tough to crack the line up with so many good players. If you have ever suffered a Groin Injury you would know that you really never heal from this injury until you give it some rest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Hey buddy kMA - bottom line is that he does not skate as well as others on the team. You need to get a life. Have you ever laced up the skates in your shallow life. Its morons like you that will ruin this board and turn it into USCHO west, with your petty little arguments. We don't need that BS here. Before you go on any further and make an @$$ out our yourself move on Skippy. Schmiddty is a good guy and a knowledgable hockey fan, this I know for a fact. You obviously don't know what the heck your talking about. Time to nuke this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Apparently SFSioux doesn't know what he is talking about, he is probably one of these rookie band wagon Sioux fans or a student at Lewis and Clark Middle school in Grand Forks. Ok, So I will make it simple for you, first off, James Massen had two (2) pretty strong seasons at UND, last season he had 35 points, this season however has been a struggle for Massen, James suffered a Groin Injury and has had trouble getting going, sure its tough to crack the line up with so many good players. If you have ever suffered a Groin Injury you would know that you really never heal from this injury until you give it some rest... For your information, I grew up in Grand Forks playing hockey, played college hockey, coached hockey and have continued to be a Sioux supporter even though I no longer live in GF. I have read this board for several years but never got into posting messages. I now see why I have never posted - anything said contrary to what you believe is open season for ridicule. I thought this was supposed to be for Sioux fans to express their views in a fun fashion. This will be my last post - thanks for a very pleasent time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggin42 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Boy. Sioux fans jammin' each other. Goofy polls about all that's not-hockey about the Sioux, and a Bison fan taking delight in the fact that fellow Americans are losing money....I guess from where I'm sitting, there's nothing wrong with this forum this week that an 8th banner wouldn't fix p.s. Baxter from Virginia, you picked one heckuva week to dive headlong into becoming a Fighting Sioux fan. A sincere welcome from a 22-year fan. Don't let all the noise of this week distract you from Sioux hockey becoming a cool part of your life. Oh, and just so I contribute something to this thread that's on topic (sort of) -- skating ability and weight issues aside, I understand Massen is a very good walleye fisherman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedorov Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 For your information, I grew up in Grand Forks playing hockey, played college hockey, coached hockey and have continued to be a Sioux supporter even though I no longer live in GF. How many UND games have you been to this year then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 How many UND games have you been to this year then? Most of the home games as we have season tickets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 For your information, I grew up in Grand Forks playing hockey, played college hockey, coached hockey and have continued to be a Sioux supporter even though I no longer live in GF. I have read this board for several years but never got into posting messages. I now see why I have never posted - anything said contrary to what you believe is open season for ridicule. I thought this was supposed to be for Sioux fans to express their views in a fun fashion. This will be my last post - thanks for a very pleasent time. Lets cut James Massen a little slack, he is a decent player... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Boy. Sioux fans jammin' each other. Goofy polls about all that's not-hockey about the Sioux, and a Bison fan taking delight in the fact that fellow Americans are losing money....I guess from where I'm sitting, there's nothing wrong with this forum this week that an 8th banner wouldn't fix p.s. Baxter from Virginia, you picked one heckuva week to dive headlong into becoming a Fighting Sioux fan. A sincere welcome from a 22-year fan. Don't let all the noise of this week distract you from Sioux hockey becoming a cool part of your life. Oh, and just so I contribute something to this thread that's on topic (sort of) -- skating ability and weight issues aside, I understand Massen is a very good walleye fisherman A buddy of mine is actually friends with James Massen and apparently weght isn't the issue, from what I have been told is that he worked out pretty hard in the off season and gained some muscle and strenght. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSIOUX#1 Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Lets cut James Massen a little slack, he is a decent player... Agreed he is playing on one of the most deep teams in college hockey with a lot of talented players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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