Top ND High School Teams 04-05

[#1siouxfan22]

Well RR has alot of good players coming back and should be the front runner IMO. Whoever said shanley thats a good laugh unless they illegally recruit some more players. North will be decent GPR ok South fairly good Central will still be decent with the losses since they are central. the west doesnt really count in my mind. Bis. High will be good but not good enough to win, Minot has many returning in the junior class but thats not going to cut it either. The person who said Bis. High beat central a few years back, central was bad a few years back and i remember WF beatin them by like 6. It wasnt a good year for central but it turned around quickly.

[Wilbur]

Alright, I'm from a western school and here is my opinion on the matter.

Of course the eastern schools are better than the western schools, we all know that, and it ticks me off that people keep bringing that fact up. East teams don't like playing west teams. Minot (where I'm from) used to play Red River every single year. Now Red River won't even think of traveling west of Jamestown. Instead of playing against west teams they play against tough Minnesota schools (I can't blame them, they want to get better). But then they are just being hypocritical because thats all the west wants to do, play better teams and get better. The only time Minot plays Red River or Central nowadays is when they go to the Holiday tournament (In Grand Forks) and the state tournament. The only east team that will play Hazen Buelah and Mandan is Wahpeton, and I have often heard them classified as "unworthy" of playing eastern hockey.

As far as state being in Grand Forks:

It has to be held in Grand Forks, its the hockey capital of North Dakota. But you can't tell me that REA (both the new and old) aren't major advantages for the Grand Forks teams, and Grafton. When I was a senior my team won the west region championship and played Central the first round of state in the old ralph. There had to be 5,000 people there cheering for GFC and maybe 200 for us. In the third period we had the game tied, but I believe the crowd (and Phil Lamoureax, to be fair ) made a difference in that game and we lost. And now with the new "no practice before your first game rule" some teams are coming into the Ralph with no experience in that building, and getting to play Central or RR in the first round when those teams have easily played five or six games in that facility. Facts are facts, there is no other facility that can hold State hockey like the Ralph, but I do believe that if Bismarck high was the number one seed in the West and played Central in Bismarck (at say the Civic Center, used to be ice there) wouldn't Bismarck have a helluva better chance at beating them there then in Grand Forks.

Might as well throw out my top five teams

1. Red River

2. Fargo North

3. Minot (a West team, ALAS )

4. Central

5. Fargo South

[BostonSiouxFan]

Are you serious? They must have some big time players coming in from out of town that nobody knows about because the senior class last year was the only reason they came even close to making state. They have very little coming back.

No, I wasn't serious. As a Shanley alum I'm just happy that we finally have our own team again. The period between 1990 and two years ago (joint teams with Wahpeton and later West Fargo) sucked.

To me, for a school of 250 to knock off Red River in the Regionals last year (before losing the next two games in OT to be knocked out) was a huge moral victory. I just hope the Deacons can start being consistently respectable.

[skateshattrick]

Whoever said shanley thats a good laugh unless they illegally recruit some more players.

Please get off of this topic because you do not know what you are talking about and have already been exposed in a previous post entitled "Recruiting in High School Hockey." I challenge you to name one player that Shanley "illegally recruited", let alone recruited. We put up with a lot of your unintelligible posts, but you should have some basis in fact before posting on this board.

By the way, how was it that Danny Irmen attended Red River while his parents were living in Fargo? Or Krebsbach from Minot? How was it that Spooner ended up in Grafton? Perhaps you should re-read the posts in which you were previously shot down.

[skateshattrick]

Alright, I'm from a western school and here is my opinion on the matter.

Of course the eastern schools are better than the western schools, we all know that, and it ticks me off that people keep bringing that fact up. East teams don't like playing west teams. Minot (where I'm from) used to play Red River every single year. Now Red River won't even think of traveling west of Jamestown. Instead of playing against west teams they play against tough Minnesota schools (I can't blame them, they want to get better). But then they are just being hypocritical because thats all the west wants to do, play better teams and get better. The only time Minot plays Red River or Central nowadays is when they go to the Holiday tournament (In Grand Forks) and the state tournament. The only east team that will play Hazen Buelah and Mandan is Wahpeton, and I have often heard them classified as "unworthy" of playing eastern hockey.

As far as state being in Grand Forks:

It has to be held in Grand Forks, its the hockey capital of North Dakota. But you can't tell me that REA (both the new and old) aren't major advantages for the Grand Forks teams, and Grafton. When I was a senior my team won the west region championship and played Central the first round of state in the old ralph. There had to be 5,000 people there cheering for GFC and maybe 200 for us. In the third period we had the game tied, but I believe the crowd (and Phil Lamoureax, to be fair ) made a difference in that game and we lost. And now with the new "no practice before your first game rule" some teams are coming into the Ralph with no experience in that building, and getting to play Central or RR in the first round when those teams have easily played five or six games in that facility. Facts are facts, there is no other facility that can hold State hockey like the Ralph, but I do believe that if Bismarck high was the number one seed in the West and played Central in Bismarck (at say the Civic Center, used to be ice there) wouldn't Bismarck have a helluva better chance at beating them there then in Grand Forks.

Might as well throw out my top five teams

1. Red River

2. Fargo North

3. Minot (a West team, ALAS )

4. Central

5. Fargo South

Wilbur, I'm not sure that it is accurate that east teams don't like playing west schools. That makes it sound like they view the west as inferior, which is not true. It really boils down to room on the schedule and logistics. The NDHSAA allows only so many high school games, and mandates so much against ND competition. As a result, the east teams only have so many slots to fill. You have to understand that GF has longstanding rivalries with Roseau, Warroad and other teams from that section. GF would prefer to play those teams because the travel is less, because of rivalries, and yes, because the competition is generally better if you go east. The same is true of Fargo. If Fargo has an opportunity to play Moorhead and Fergus Falls, geography dictates that Fargo will prefer to play those schools as opposed to traveling 3 hours to Bismarck or 5 to Minot. Minneapolis, which has the best competition, is only 3 hours from Fargo, only slightly farther than Bismarck and closer than Minot. You can pick up several games in a tournament in Minneapolis against better competition.

It does work both ways. 2 years ago, Minot and the Fargo Flyers had very strong Bantam A teams. They tried to schedule, but neither wanted to travel 5 hours for 1 game. Minot was no more willing to travel to Fargo than the converse.

[jloos]

Alright, I'm from a western school and here is my opinion on the matter.

Of course the eastern schools are better than the western schools, we all know that, and it ticks me off that people keep bringing that fact up. East teams don't like playing west teams. Minot (where I'm from) used to play Red River every single year. Now Red River won't even think of traveling west of Jamestown. Instead of playing against west teams they play against tough Minnesota schools (I can't blame them, they want to get better). But then they are just being hypocritical because thats all the west wants to do, play better teams and get better. The only time Minot plays Red River or Central nowadays is when they go to the Holiday tournament (In Grand Forks) and the state tournament. The only east team that will play Hazen Buelah and Mandan is Wahpeton, and I have often heard them classified as "unworthy" of playing eastern hockey.

As far as state being in Grand Forks:

It has to be held in Grand Forks, its the hockey capital of North Dakota. But you can't tell me that REA (both the new and old) aren't major advantages for the Grand Forks teams, and Grafton. When I was a senior my team won the west region championship and played Central the first round of state in the old ralph. There had to be 5,000 people there cheering for GFC and maybe 200 for us. In the third period we had the game tied, but I believe the crowd (and Phil Lamoureax, to be fair ) made a difference in that game and we lost. And now with the new "no practice before your first game rule" some teams are coming into the Ralph with no experience in that building, and getting to play Central or RR in the first round when those teams have easily played five or six games in that facility. Facts are facts, there is no other facility that can hold State hockey like the Ralph, but I do believe that if Bismarck high was the number one seed in the West and played Central in Bismarck (at say the Civic Center, used to be ice there) wouldn't Bismarck have a helluva better chance at beating them there then in Grand Forks.

Might as well throw out my top five teams

1. Red River

2. Fargo North

3. Minot (a West team, ALAS )

4. Central

5. Fargo South

I have to give in and agree that there may be a slight advantage at state to GF teams. My senior year we (North) were ranked #1 in the state, beating every team in the east at least once. We ended up playing RR in the semi's and lost in double OT. Being it was during the afternoon on a school day there wasn't too many from Fargo there. Still I've never thought much of the crowd when I was playing, and I'd much rather have the chance to play at the REA (even the old one) than have to play in Bismarck or even Fargo. My junior year was the first year of the EDC/WDC and EDC was in Fargo. I believe Central still smoked us like 10-1 in the championship game.

Also when I was in high school (I think they still do this) North traveled to Bismarck and Minot every other year, and to Devils Lake opposite years. So we made one western trip every year. Also we hosted only one western team every year, and Minot never came to Fargo even though we traveled there twice. Again this was 8-10 years ago (man I'm gettin old )

I agree Minot has some real talent and should be good next year. I would probably put South at #1. North will not be in the top five unless Oakland plays consistantly well, which he has not done in the past. They still have no scoring and some discipline problems that are ignored by the coaching staff. If North ever wins a state title with Smith behind the bench I'll pay everone on this board $100.*

*Disclaimer - I will not actually give anyone on this board $100 under no circumstances This statement was clearly puffing and only used to prove my point that Smith is a terrible coach. It is in no way enforceable. How's that for a disclaimer Skates, Schmidty and any other legal experts?

[MafiaMan]

In all seriousness, I am curious about the quality of "western" North Dakota hockey since 1992. I am originally from Belfield and was at UND when Bismarck played Minot for the state high school championship. Dickinson had just gotten a team organized that season and although their varsity played everyone else's jayvee squads, at least it was a start. Anyone know the 4-1-1? Have Dickinson and Williston improved? How do Bismarck Century and Bismarck Demons hold up against the Red River's and Central's. And does Minot continue to wear the Gopher wanna-be jerseys? Where can I buy an old Devils Lake Satans jersey? I guess that should keep everyone busy for a while. I miss bein' in the h.s. hockey loop in Grand Forks...

MafiaMan

[Csonked Out]

Williston and Dickinson have improved in the last few years, but they still have a ways to go. Bismarck Century is usually pretty good against western teams, but usually always have trouble against the demons, minot, and the eastern squads and that is usually because of depth of the team. Minot will probably be the best team this year in the west but it will be close because the demons only lost 3 of 4 players, and still have there top player returning(Aide), and the team is no longer young and inexperienced. The west(bismarck and minot) will have a better chance against the east this year being older and more experienced, while teams like central and Red River lost a lot of players from last year, so it should be interesting to see what happens.

[MafiaMan]

Funny how timing is everything. I went to Belfield High School and was a decent (10 ppg) basketball player there. Had I been born a few years later, there's no question I'd have wanted to go to Dickinson and play hockey.

[squirtcoach]

Might as well throw out my top five teams

1. Red River

2. Fargo North

3. Minot (a West team, ALAS )

4. Central

5. Fargo South

Wilbur, I'm excited to hear Red River is one of the top teams. White Bear Lake (my squirt is now a Junior) is coming up to play Moorhead and Red River this winter, and none of my friends or relatives from GF will give me any indication how much competition the Rough Riders will give the Bears. Looking forward to the game already.

[Sioux1]

At first I wasn't going to offer my two cents to this topic but being a grad from the west and a strong supporter of bis high and century, I had to speak up. I have many friends who played on east teams that I met in college at UND and can state for a fact that the east believes they are superior to the west. Granted, I do see far better hockey out east, but my belief is that they are more established due to the simple fact that they are closer to minnesota (obviously superior hockey to ND). Switch the west with the east and have them play the likes of warroad, roseau, and so on and you will see a vast improvement in play. I will agree that the east is a better quality of hockey, but to hear over and over that the west isn't even "considered" to be worthwhile really makes me upset. I think I'll start considering teams from the east to be non-existent when it comes to BB, FB (the only worthwhile FB team is West Fargo), and so on.

[Wilbur]

At first I wasn't going to offer my two cents to this topic but being a grad from the west and a strong supporter of bis high and century, I had to speak up. I have many friends who played on east teams that I met in college at UND and can state for a fact that the east believes they are superior to the west. Granted, I do see far better hockey out east, but my belief is that they are more established due to the simple fact that they are closer to minnesota (obviously superior hockey to ND). Switch the west with the east and have them play the likes of warroad, roseau, and so on and you will see a vast improvement in play. I will agree that the east is a better quality of hockey, but to hear over and over that the west isn't even "considered" to be worthwhile really makes me upset. I think I'll start considering teams from the east to be non-existent when it comes to BB, FB (the only worthwhile FB team is West Fargo), and so on.

Very well said sir. Every year I attend the state hockey tournament and often times I hear, "Why does the west get four teams", "The West should just play the Minnesota girls teams", etc. People do think that west teams are inferior, hands down.

I actually have to eat my words a little bit today because I just saw the recent hockey schedule for Minot High School and Red River is actually making a trip to Minot this year. The last time that this happened was seven or eight years ago if I can remember right.

Squirtcoach,

Red River is tough at home, I'm thinking they'll play the bears pretty tight.

[FrozenTundra]

At first I wasn't going to offer my two cents to this topic but being a grad from the west and a strong supporter of bis high and century, I had to speak up. I have many friends who played on east teams that I met in college at UND and can state for a fact that the east believes they are superior to the west. Granted, I do see far better hockey out east, but my belief is that they are more established due to the simple fact that they are closer to minnesota (obviously superior hockey to ND). Switch the west with the east and have them play the likes of warroad, roseau, and so on and you will see a vast improvement in play. I will agree that the east is a better quality of hockey, but to hear over and over that the west isn't even "considered" to be worthwhile really makes me upset. I think I'll start considering teams from the east to be non-existent when it comes to BB, FB (the only worthwhile FB team is West Fargo), and so on.

You just made everyone's point without realizing it. Have you ever wondered why it is that the East is best at hockey while the West usually has the edge in Football and Basketball? Maybe the best atheletes in the West gravitate towards FB and BB while the best atheletes in the East tend to play hockey. It is not rocket science. I moved to Grand Forks from Bismarck during Junior High and the interest in hockey is not even close. In Bismarck, the big event was watching the BHS vs CHS basketball game. Here in Grand Forks, most people don't even know when there is a GFC/RRHS Basketball game going on. Different strokes for different folks.

[matt_9]

You just made everyone's point without realizing it. Have you ever wondered why it is that the East is best at hockey while the West usually has the edge in Football and Basketball? Maybe the best atheletes in the West gravitate towards FB and BB while the best atheletes in the East tend to play hockey. It is not rocket science. I moved to Grand Forks from Bismarck during Junior High and the interest in hockey is not even close. In Bismarck, the big event was watching the BHS vs CHS basketball game. Here in Grand Forks, most people don't even know when there is a GFC/RRHS Basketball game going on. Different strokes for different folks.

I have to agree that there is more interest in b-ball and football than hockey in the west unlike the east. Interest in hockey is growing in the west IMO though.

Also why are so many people ranking Red River so high? They lost their goalie and I just don't see how they are going to be so good.

[Wilbur]

Alright, its time to put the east-west discussion aside, and time to talk hockey.

Central probably won't win state. They lost a ton of talent off of last years team and I don't think that they have the goaltending to win state. Red River only lost four or five players, and I'm pretty sure that they will fight for the title. Fargo South lost a couple key guys, but return their goaltender and that Weisgerber kid. Fargo North has a good goaltender and was pretty young last year, so you can't count them out either.

As far as the west goes....

Minot and Bismarck will battle for the title. The juniors on Minot's team this year won the Bantam A state title as freshman, and they have a couple of returning seniors that can score. They have an unproven goaltender (who's also my neighbor), but the kid is playing predators this summer, and doing pretty well. With Bismarck high, a lot depends on whether Sam Aide leaves or not, he's Mr. Hustle for them, and a major impact player.

East Region

1. Red River

2. North

3. South

4. Red River

West Region

1. Minot

2. Bismarck

3. Century

4. Hazen

[#1siouxfan22]

Who is the Minot goalie playing preds? Aide is good he is playing preds also and has some crazy moves. RR has so much talent, the select 86-87 is basically all RR players. North has some players who can score Klenow, Herzog.

[jloos]

Below is the top 25 scorers in the state from last year, note the absence of North players. North's leading scorer Cusey had 22 points, Klenow had 18. These are respectable numbers for a second line player. I realize North only loses one impact senior (who was injured most of last year). But I still don't see how people can list them as one of the favorites. Again they have no scoring and Okland's numbers last year were 3.0GAA and 89.5% SV, respectable but not great. I hope I'm proven wrong but I doubt North will make it in the top 4 in the East.

1. RR

2. FS

3. GFC

4. GPR

I haven't seen enough of the west to say much other than Minot could earn the west title #2 next year.

1 Alan Jechort B.C. Sr. F 27 26 36 62

2 Jordan McIntyre GFC Sr. F 27 29 29 58

3 Justin Mauch F.S. Sr. F 27 29 23 52

4 Matt Moreland GFC Sr. F 24 28 17 45

5 Mario Lamoureux GFC Fr. F 27 16 29 45

6 Paul Weisgarber F.S. So. F 27 19 24 43

7 Jordan Willert MIN So. F 26 22 21 43

8 Chris Paulson GPR Sr. F 26 24 18 42

9 Brandon Mayer B.C. Sr. F 27 25 17 42

10 Kade Larson WIL Sr. F 22 22 17 39

11 Adam Kankelfritz F.S. Sr. F 27 22 16 38

12 Mike Bosch B.C. Jr. F 27 21 17 38

13 Tom Campbell GPR So. F 26 22 14 36

14 Sam Aide BHS Jr. F 21 16 20 36

15 Luke Brehmer F.S Sr. D 27 8 28 36

16 Jerrel Burkhart MIN Sr. F 26 10 24 34

17 Cam Landenberger H-B Sr. F 26 17 16 33

18 Kyle Graalum SHAN Sr. F 20 17 16 33

19 Paul Campbell GPR So. F 26 12 21 33

20 Elliot Hitt SHAN Sr. F 20 19 11 30

21 Tyler Dalbey F.S Jr. F 27 11 19 30

22 Ben Sargent H-B Sr. F 24 15 14 29

23 Chase Rehak WIL Sr. F 23 17 12 29

24 Caleb Luecke F.S Jr. D 27 7 21 28

25 J.C. Strang GFRR Sr. F 27 13 14 27

26 Preston Wetzel H-B Jr. F 26 14 13 27

27 Shawn Erickson WIL Fr. F 23 8 19 27

28 Jared Kopp BHS Jr. F 27 12 15 27

29 Charlie Bair MAN Jr. F 23 18 9 27

[skateshattrick]

Below is the top 25 scorers in the state from last year, note the absence of North players. North's leading scorer Cusey had 22 points, Klenow had 18. These are respectable numbers for a second line player. I realize North only loses one impact senior (who was injured most of last year). But I still don't see how people can list them as one of the favorites. Again they have no scoring and Okland's numbers last year were 3.0GAA and 89.5% SV, respectable but not great. I hope I'm proven wrong but I doubt North will make it in the top 4 in the East.

1. RR

2. FS

3. GFC

4. GPR

I haven't seen enough of the west to say much other than Minot could earn the west title #2 next year.

1 Alan Jechort B.C. Sr. F 27 26 36 62

2 Jordan McIntyre GFC Sr. F 27 29 29 58

3 Justin Mauch F.S. Sr. F 27 29 23 52

4 Matt Moreland GFC Sr. F 24 28 17 45

5 Mario Lamoureux GFC Fr. F 27 16 29 45

6 Paul Weisgarber F.S. So. F 27 19 24 43

7 Jordan Willert MIN So. F 26 22 21 43

8 Chris Paulson GPR Sr. F 26 24 18 42

9 Brandon Mayer B.C. Sr. F 27 25 17 42

10 Kade Larson WIL Sr. F 22 22 17 39

11 Adam Kankelfritz F.S. Sr. F 27 22 16 38

12 Mike Bosch B.C. Jr. F 27 21 17 38

13 Tom Campbell GPR So. F 26 22 14 36

14 Sam Aide BHS Jr. F 21 16 20 36

15 Luke Brehmer F.S Sr. D 27 8 28 36

16 Jerrel Burkhart MIN Sr. F 26 10 24 34

17 Cam Landenberger H-B Sr. F 26 17 16 33

18 Kyle Graalum SHAN Sr. F 20 17 16 33

19 Paul Campbell GPR So. F 26 12 21 33

20 Elliot Hitt SHAN Sr. F 20 19 11 30

21 Tyler Dalbey F.S Jr. F 27 11 19 30

22 Ben Sargent H-B Sr. F 24 15 14 29

23 Chase Rehak WIL Sr. F 23 17 12 29

24 Caleb Luecke F.S Jr. D 27 7 21 28

25 J.C. Strang GFRR Sr. F 27 13 14 27

26 Preston Wetzel H-B Jr. F 26 14 13 27

27 Shawn Erickson WIL Fr. F 23 8 19 27

28 Jared Kopp BHS Jr. F 27 12 15 27

29 Charlie Bair MAN Jr. F 23 18 9 27

Jason,

I think your predictions are dead on. I could see North sneaking in, but they will need some discipline and good goaltending. Don't overlook that Jay Erickson is now an assistant coach at North and is very big on discipline. Jay Erickson was the Bantam A coach for the Flyers for several years. He is an excellent coach, and puts up with no BS. If North doesn't make it this year, it will be a long time before they appear again. North's squirt, peewee and bantam teams from the Junior class on down have been atrocious. South, on the other hand, is loaded for years to come. If Dean Wilson doesn't win it this year or next, there is something wrong. He has tons of returning talent, most of which are from the junior class, and many of whom played on a very good JV team last year that ended Moorhead's winning streak at 78 games.

[jloos]

Jason,

I think your predictions are dead on. I could see North sneaking in, but they will need some discipline and good goaltending. Don't overlook that Jay Erickson is now an assistant coach at North and is very big on discipline. Jay Erickson was the Bantam A coach for the Flyers for several years. He is an excellent coach, and puts up with no BS. If North doesn't make it this year, it will be a long time before they appear again. North's squirt, peewee and bantam teams from the Junior class on down have been atrocious. South, on the other hand, is loaded for years to come. If Dean Wilson doesn't win it this year or next, there is something wrong. He has tons of returning talent, most of which are from the junior class, and many of whom played on a very good JV team last year that ended Moorhead's winning streak at 78 games.

I hadn't heard Erickson was hired, who did he replace? I agree, Erickson is a very good coach, I wonder if he was hired to eventually replace Smith.

If South doesn't win State in the next couple of years the Southside parents yearly calls for Wilson's head may actually be heard by the South administration.

I remember the good old days when the North side ruled South in hockey

Schmidtdoggydog needs to move to the Northside, his kid has a heck of a shot .... of course he's just out of diapers.

[Wilbur]

Who is the Minot goalie playing preds? Aide is good he is playing preds also and has some crazy moves. RR has so much talent, the select 86-87 is basically all RR players. North has some players who can score Klenow, Herzog.

The Minot goaltender playing preds is Tyler Stahl. He would have started for MHS last year, but some goalie from Arizona transfered in so he kind of got pushed out for a year.

I'll still remain with my pick of the Rough Riders winning the state championship. Unproven goaltending, but they'll be there at the end.

[skateshattrick]

I hadn't heard Erickson was hired, who did he replace? I agree, Erickson is a very good coach, I wonder if he was hired to eventually replace Smith.

If South doesn't win State in the next couple of years the Southside parents yearly calls for Wilson's head may actually be heard by the South administration.

I remember the good old days when the North side ruled South in hockey

Schmidtdoggydog needs to move to the Northside, his kid has a heck of a shot .... of course he's just out of diapers.

I'm not sure who Jay Erickson replaced, but the thought is that he was hired to eventually succeed Don Smith. Don Smith did not choose him, he was hired by North. The Flyers hated to lose Jay.

[#1siouxfan22]

Stahl is good now i know who your talking about thanks

[Jack Mickleson]

I hadn't heard Erickson was hired, who did he replace? I agree, Erickson is a very good coach, I wonder if he was hired to eventually replace Smith.

If South doesn't win State in the next couple of years the Southside parents yearly calls for Wilson's head may actually be heard by the South administration.

I remember the good old days when the North side ruled South in hockey

Schmidtdoggydog needs to move to the Northside, his kid has a heck of a shot .... of course he's just out of diapers.

I agree with south winning the championship at least once in the next few years but I disagree with getting rid of Wilson if they dont. He is the BEST coach in the state, hands down.

[Wilbur]

Wilson does seem to get the best out of his players. The only coach that I can really think of to rebut your statement would be Tarek Howard of Central.

PS: Brad Solemsas of Mandan is an awesome coach, but nobody knows about him because of the lack of numbers/talent he has in Mandan.

[#1siouxfan22]

souths best chance of winning will most likely be 07