SAT. NITE HOCKEY GAME

[redwing77]

[airmail]

Our defense is doing ok.

[siouxtatoo42]

[PCM]

There's a difference between a goalie making a mistake in a game that leads to a goal and a goalie choosing to deliberately disobey his coaches' orders about playing the puck too much.

[The Sicatoka]

As a team, Saturday was one of the least inspired performances I've ever seen from a Sioux team. I'm wondering where the passion for the game is from these guys.

Jordan Parise needs to be held accountable. Any mite defenseman knows you don't move the puck up the slot in your own zone, and he's an NCAA calibre goaltender so he has no excuse. He's been told to let his defensemen handle the puck. In that situation he should have covered it or put it into the corner (so his defensemen could handle it). He needs to answer to himself, the coaches, and his teammates for that play. Remember those two points when home ice is assigned in March.

Someone was quoted post-game as saying they were playing for OT. Too bad Mankato wasn't. But also in that statement is something that really bothers me: PASSIVITY. It sounds like they believe they can just turn it on at will whenever they feel like it and get what they need. Welcome to a harsh reality check courtesy David Backes. Also, if they think they can turn it on at will, how does that mesh with ....

I believe this team has convinced itself that it can't score. There are three forwards with a combined five WJC tournaments of experience (and two gold medals) on that team. And it can't score? No, they've convinced themselves that they can't score. They soothe it with "but we're still getting chances." Chances don't go under the "W" on the stat sheet. If you are generating chances, why aren't you scoring?

I'll answer that: They're going for "pretty"; they aren't going to the net. I saw more guys go to the net in one period by CC (against Minnesota) Sunday night than I did for UND all weekend. Not going to the net says passive and no passion for the game.

That "turn it on" attitude and undercurrent of passivity smells like a lack of maturity to me. That should be the last problem on a team with this many seniors. Mentioning seniors ....

Remember when this group of seniors were freshman and I preached "patience"? Forget that.

This is the home stretch for that group. Last call boys. What do you want to be remembered as?

[sprig]

QUINN FYLLING was the man on the ice watching backes sit on the far post waiting for the game winner.  what the hell is quinn fylling doing on the ice in the last 30 seconds watching.  closed circuit to the sioux hockey team    WHEN YOU ARE ON THE ICE IN THE LAST MINUTE OF PLAY IN A TIE GAME WITH THE PUCK IN YOUR OWN END......TIE UP YOUR MAN, TIE UP A MAN, TIE YOURSELF UP, TIE UP YOUR SKATES,  DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WATCH THE PUCK.  that was one of the most dissapointing games i have seen.  there have been bigger losses,  but how is backes alone in front of the net with quinn fylling on the ice??anyone....anyone......bueller

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hakstol in the GF Herald said a dman got caught along the boards up by the blueline when the GWG was scored. Caught how and why? Schneider had a Cow tied up at the net but no other Sioux was in the TV picture, no other dman or forward, none on the passer nor the scorer, as well as noone in the passing lane betweeen the two. Chances of not scoring were almost zero. Can't tell on TV, but were all Sioux except Schneider standing still watching the clock run out?

[sprig]

BTW:  Eades has seemingly turned the PP around since it was "assigned to him."  maybe the rest of the offense should be assigned to him too.

The PP is much better, but what made the PK go down the tube. Once aggressive, it's now passive, especially at the point.

[tnt]

Very disappointed is all I can say. It feels even worse with Minnesota getting swept. We could have put ourselves on par with them had we taken care of business. We'll see what this team is made of this weekend against CC. If they can catch CC in their afterglow and win twice, top 3 is still within reach. If they continue to play uninspired hockey and be satisfied with slipping into the last home ice spot, then I don't imagine they will have what it takes to go far in the playoffs. It is all ahead of them if they can get a sweep or two on the road. Splitting at home against CC and Minnesota isn't the end of the world, however when you compound it by playing unemotional hockey and splitting with Anchorage and Mankato and nearly losing the second to St. Cloud when you were coming off a losing spell, well that isn't Sioux hockey and what fans have become accustomed to. I wish I could say that goaltenders have stolen games from us, but it really doesn't feel like that this year. Here's to hoping they start to play like the team that was predicted to finish second.

[DMT]

Sic...3 forwards with WJ experience?

edit...I forgot about Spirko.

[The Sicatoka]

Don't forget about Sparky. He's one of the few guys that showed up both nights this weekend (and what a sweet one-timer Friday).

[BBELOFF]

Cry, Cry, Cry.  This is the WCHA for crying out loud.

It appears that too many of us have been spoiled for too long. 

The league is no longer what it was a few years back.  Check it out.  It

is the premier conference in all of college sport.  Consider yourself

lucky to follow a great team in a great conference.

This year especially, any  team can beat any other team (except, perhaps, Clown and the Bullpups)any given week of the year.  The Mavericks are no slouches.

I would not want to get them, or any of any number of other teams in the league, for the playoffs.

Fair Weather Fans?    See you in St. Paul, Mariucci, and Columbus come Spring.

Fans taking what I consider to be cheap shots at the Seniors?  Go watch the Vikings, or any of the pro sports where you have legitimate reasons to take

cheap shots at players.    These kids are kids, and solid kids, top to bottom.

Now, go drown your sorrows in your bowls of ice cream.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[BBELOFF]

[The Sicatoka]

Since I went on a mini-rant above, let me add one more item addressed to the team:

Quit whining about "no Parise, no Bochenski." If you're going to do that why not add "no Hrkac, no Joyce, no Greg Johnson, no Curtis Murphy, etc." They're all gone too.

If you want to be known as a bunch of guys who couldn't do it on their own, so be it.

[DamStrait]

The problems, IMHO:

1. Not playing as a team. (ever heard of puck support?)

2. Total lack of intensity

3. Often not smart with the puck. (too many poor passes in UND's zone that end up on the opposition's stick; not enough skating the puck out when they have the chance).

I hope these issues get taken care of in practice. I hope Hak sits underperformers and if necessary just goes wilth a short bench. I like JPar as a goalie, but with the team struggling on offense, he can't give any away and he's been warned of his wandering repeatedly. After MSU-M's 3rd goal he should have been pulled in order to emphasize past instruction.

This team would benefit immensely from studying Team Canada's recent WJ games. Yes they were talented, but they NEVER took a shift off, and they played UNBELIEVABLE team hockey.

[OETKB]

Some things I noticed about the Saturday game:

CRASH THE NET! Too many times this year I've seen all the Sioux forwards blow past the net and get caught way behind the play going back toward the UND net, all because no one hit the brakes to pursue a rebound. Watch some tape of Ryan Bayda if you need to see how it should be done.

OUR FORECHECK DOESN'T WORK. Again, I've seen our forwards go three deep behind the net and work the puck back and forth two or three times, only to have it stolen without ever attempting to put the puck in front for a shot. This happens every game. The focus of the forecheck needs to change somehow so the puck comes off the wall and in front of the net.

[redwing77]

Some things I noticed about the Saturday game:

CRASH THE NET!

Edited January 11, 2005 by redwing77

[siouxtatoo42]