WCHA Yearly Honors

[DMT]

WCHA announced there yearly honors today.

http://wcha.ocsn.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/031804aaa.html

[iceberg]

Congrats to Junior for WCHA Player of the Year

Congrats to Sandy for Coach of the Year!!

Congrats to Junior, Beau, Zach & Brandon for being on the All WCHA 1st team!!

(that would be Lessard, Geisler, Parise & Bochenski...hey I'm a UMD fan but will root for the Sioux......sometimes)

[jloos]

WCHA announced there yearly honors today.

http://wcha.ocsn.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/031804aaa.html

2003-04 All-WCHA Academic Team Announced

University of North Dakota

Brian Canady, Jr, F, Kenai, AK; Nick Fuher*, Jr, D, Grand Forks, ND; Quinn Fylling*, Jr, F, Minot, ND; Matt Greene, So, D, Grand Ledge, MI; Ryan Hale*, Sr, F, Colorado Springs, CO; Matt Jones*, Jr, D, Lisle, IL; Lee Marvin, So, D/F, Warroad, MN; Zach Parise, So, F, Faribault, MN.

Looks like someone wasn't serious about only going to school to play hockey.

[DMT]

Congrats to Matt Greene on making the all academic team.

Not bad for a guy only here to play hockey for the "hockey factory".

Edit...you beat me to it, jloos.

[Diggler]

I think the highlight is a whooping one player from UW made the All-Academic team.

[airmail]

I agree with Coach of the year and rookie of the year.

I'm disappointed in player of the year. (not saying Junior doesn't deserve it, I'm just disappointed)

[Greyeagle]

I agree with Coach of the year and rookie of the year.

I'm disappointed in player of the year. (not saying Junior doesn't deserve it, I'm just disappointed)

The D-POY perplexes me. How does a WCHA 2nd teamer get it over Bruckler, Ballard or Geisler?

It's not a big deal, I would just assume whomever gets that award would also be on the first team.

[PCM]

First, what's a "steadkhouse?"

Second, tell me how Adam Berkhoel makes the WCHA third team ahead of Jake Brandt? For that matter, how does Matt Zaba make the all-rookie team ahead of Jordan Parise? It boggles my mind.

Goals Against Average

1 Bernd Br

[Diggler]

Silly PCM. Brandt/Parise suck. They just look good and their stats are good because of the defense. Much like the goalies suck, so does Jonesy and the rest of the Dmen. They only looks good because of the backchecking forwards. These are the same forwards that don't backcheck. It's so simple, how can you not understand? I mean duh.

I guess the POY awards are voted on by the coaches while the All-WCHA teams are voted on by the media, coaches, etc.

[sioux fan in phoenix]

The D-POY perplexes me. How does a WCHA 2nd teamer get it over Bruckler, Ballard or Geisler?

Don't forget about Greene, Jones, Schneider..No recognition for these guys who played a major role in the Sioux finishing #1. Maybe if they were seniors one of them would have landed it.

[PCM]

Nice performance tonight by Mr. "WCHA Rookie Team" goalie Matt Zaba.

[Marty]

Does anyone else think they gave the WCHA Player of the Year award to Junior because they thought Zach or Bo might win the Hobey? To me it just seems stupid to give your conference award to one player because another player might win the national player of the year award.

No doubt in my mind that Zach and Bo were better players this year than Junior. It could be my Sioux bias talking but I really think that Zach and Bo were better this year than Junior was.

Zach or Bo will win the Hobey. Amen!

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Does anyone else think they gave the WCHA Player of the Year award to Junior because they thought Zach or Bo might win the Hobey?

No.

And Jonesy got screwed on the Hobey

And they wanted to let people know there were more teams than North Dakota in the WCHA, since we seemed to be gathering quite a few awards

[fightonsioux]

What I find interesting is that Dean Blais said the only WCHA coach to call and congragulate Dean and the Sioux on winning the WCHA was Scott Sandelin.

Dean said all the other years the Sioux have won every coach from the WCHA and some from outside of the WCHA have called to congragulate them, but this year only Sandy called.

What's up with that?

[dagies]

I tend to think it is one of 2 things

1. Everyone's jealous (or they just don't like Blais).

2. It's not "custom" that everybody calls you when you win. Not expected. It's like everybody comes to your first wedding but no one bothers to come to your 5th.

I tend to think it's #2.

[jojordan23]

What I find interesting is that Dean Blais said the only WCHA coach to call and congragulate Dean and the Sioux on winning the WCHA was Scott Sandelin.

Dean said all the other years the Sioux have won every coach from the WCHA and some from outside of the WCHA have called to congragulate them, but this year only Sandy called.

What's up with that?

It's because Sandy knows where he learned how to be such a great coach, and he is grateful...

[redwing77]

Why did Sandy call? Because he's a class act. The reason why the rest didn't call leads to imagination and conspiracy theories.

As for why Matt Greene, Jake Brandt, and Jordan Parise not making their prospective all WCHA teams is because they didn't want to fill the teams up with too much of one team. Everyone knows the Sioux are good, but aren't there any decent players on other teams? I think that's the statement they were making, as ludicrous as that sounds.

As for DOTY- the only award that didn't make sense, I think Ryan Caldwell deserves the award. After all, true class acts that embody what they are all about only make 2nd team All-WCHA and they treat all fans with respect and dignity by only chopping them once with the blade of their hockey stick and not cross checking them.

Sorry, plenty of other Dmen were more deserving than Caldwell. Ballard certainly deserved it, but so does Jones, Geisler, and even Greene has an argument. Hell, I say screw them all and give it to Bina

[PCM]

As for why Matt Greene, Jake Brandt, and Jordan Parise not making their prospective all WCHA teams is because they didn't want to fill the teams up with too much of one team.

Edited March 20, 2004 by PCM

[Basil]

But Berkhoel over Brandt on the third team was absolutely asinine

Brandt 21 games 2.10 0 shutouts .909 played in 50.7% (51.8% conf. game time) of UND games

Berkoel 35 games 2.60 5 shutouts .914 played 81.7% (87.1 conf. game time) of Den games

PCM, you are always throwing stats on the board - what is it about these stats that make the pick asinine?

[PCM]

PCM, you are always throwing stats on the board - what is it about these stats that make the pick asinine?

I guess you couldn't be bothered to scroll up a few posts, huh? Try it. You might learn something.

In the WCHA, Berkhoel's stats aren't even close to Brandt's. That's what should count the most in picking the WCHA all conference teams.

[Basil]

and Brandt didn't play nearly as much WCHA game time as Berkhoel. You have think that plays a role in it.

[PCM]

and Brandt didn't play nearly as much WCHA game time as Berkhoel. You have think that plays a role in it.

So Brandt should be penalized because UND has two good goalies? Oh, and I forgot, he has backchecking forwards, too.

What did Brandt do for his team?

1. At a time when the Sioux were 3-4-1 and UND had to play four of its last six games on the road against WCHA opponents, Brandt helped the Sioux get a road sweep at Mankato. In the first game with the Sioux in the penalty box for more than half the first period, Brandt made some huge saves that kept UND in the game (USCHO game recap).

2. With the WCHA title on the line, UND went to UMD, trailing the Bulldogs by two points in the league. The Bulldogs had the top offense in the nation, the top power play in the nation, a 14-game unbeaten streak going and the highly touted Isaac Reichmuth in goal. Brandt gave up only two goals for the series while Reichmuth gave up six. Brandt was the difference in the second game that enabled UND to take sole possession of first place USCHO game recap).

3. Brandt held Michigan Tech to one goal on 23 shots in a game that gave UND sole possession the WCHA championship. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, Reichmuth allowed two goals in 26 shots in a game that cost his team any chance at the WCHA title.

What did Adam Berkhoel do for Denver in the WCHA this season that was so outstanding? I noticed that the Pioneers were conspicuously absent from the Final Five this year.

[redwing77]

So Brandt should be penalized because UND has two good goalies? Oh, and I forgot, he has backchecking forwards, too.

What did Brandt do for his team?

1. At a time when the Sioux were 3-4-1 and UND had to play four of its last six games on the road against WCHA opponents, Brandt helped the Sioux get a road sweep at Mankato. In the first game with the Sioux in the penalty box for more than half the first period, Brandt made some huge saves that kept UND in the game (USCHO game recap).

2. With the WCHA title on the line, UND went to UMD, trailing the Bulldogs by two points in the league. The Bulldogs had the top offense in the nation, the top power play in the nation, a 14-game unbeaten streak going and the highly touted Isaac Reichmuth in goal. Brandt gave up only two goals for the series while Reichmuth gave up six. Brandt was the difference in the second game that enabled UND to take sole possession of first place USCHO game recap).

3. Brandt held Michigan Tech to one goal on 23 shots in a game that gave UND sole possession the WCHA championship. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, Reichmuth allowed two goals in 26 shots in a game that cost his team any chance at the WCHA title.

What did Adam Berkhoel do for Denver in the WCHA this season that was so outstanding? I noticed that the Pioneers were conspicuously absent from the Final Five this year.

I think the big issue here, PCM, is you are clouding the issue with logic. The committee isn't about logic. Try to be more irrational next time.

Seriously though, I'm in agreement.

[Diggler]

You coulda just quoted me PCM cause I said the same thing. Though you did say it much better. Like Jake said yesterday on the pre-game show, oh well. He is gonna be lifting a plaque in about 2 weeks and that is all that matters.

[Basil]

all he'll be lifting are some more pull tabs