Sioux Recruits

[specifics]

According to todays Eau Claire Leader Telegram it looks like LaPoint is going to play in Green Bay next season and enter UND in 2007.

And I'm not even gonna reply to the two ridiculously jelous posters commenting on him earlier.

Jelous? I said he was a great player and I wish him the best of luck. Not everyone can have the hype and talent a lot of these kids have and thats something another athelete should ever be jelous of. All a kid can do is work with what he has, and work his tail off and take whatever opportunities that may come his way from that hard work. For anyone who has more opportunities than him because they have more skill, or better potential, good for them. I'm just commenting on what I saw. In my opinion, Derrick LaPoint is getting a lot more hype than he deserved from his play at the Chicago Showcase. That's it, theres no hidden psychological theory that I'm jelous of his success. Good for him, I hope he proves me wrong and goes on to have a great career at UND and in the NHL.

[sprig]

Jelous? I said he was a great player and I wish him the best of luck. Not everyone can have the hype and talent a lot of these kids have and thats something another athelete should ever be jelous of. All a kid can do is work with what he has, and work his tail off and take whatever opportunities that may come his way from that hard work. For anyone who has more opportunities than him because they have more skill, or better potential, good for them. I'm just commenting on what I saw. In my opinion, Derrick LaPoint is getting a lot more hype than he deserved from his play at the Chicago Showcase. That's it, theres no hidden psychological theory that I'm jelous of his success. Good for him, I hope he proves me wrong and goes on to have a great career at UND and in the NHL.

SKippies have never seen a Sioux recruit that was any good.

[Sioux]

i was wondering if marvin is right handed, because even though i think dzajac and vandy may be rh, if oshie was to leave too then we would only have miller as a rh forward...

[redwing77]

i was wondering if marvin is right handed, because even though i think dzajac and vandy may be rh, if oshie was to leave too then we would only have miller as a rh forward...

Vhat?

(Long live Sparky)

[dagies]

Sioux Hockey Blog on Genoway

Looks like this answers some questions i.e. when is Genoway coming (seems like 2006) and is he going to play D or O (looks like primarily D but depending on need).

Another nice comment about Berry. Seems like people can't say enough great things about the guy.

UND has sent a number of defensemen to the pros in recent seasons, and the coaches have done a good job developing blue liners. Did this factor into your decision in choosing UND?

Absolutely. Brad Berry works with the defensemen and he knows a lot about the defensive part of the game. I'm excited to learn from him.

[redwing77]

Sioux Hockey Blog on Genoway

Looks like this answers some questions i.e. when is Genoway coming (seems like 2006) and is he going to play D or O (looks like primarily D but depending on need).

Another nice comment about Berry. Seems like people can't say enough great things about the guy.

I liked what Chay said. He seems to be real level headed. Doesn't seem to come across as wanting too much and is willing to do and play wherever the coaches want him to play, including forward if need be.

They brought up him being a lot like Lee Marvin and I really do think that is the role he'll play with the team. Only I think Chay may get more game time than Lee.

Again, like Marto, size is an issue. 5'9" 170 is SMALL for a defenseman. I really think that the closer you are to 6'0" 200lbs the better. I'm not saying UND should nab up every 6'5"+ Dman out there, but I don't see a 5'10" or less 180lb or less defenseman matching up real well in the corners. I know that slights Bina too, but I really think that, in the corners, size is your friend.

[skateshattrick]

[

[siouxtatoo42]

Really? I beg to differ. Tell me then how Russ Parent, Curtis Murphy, Dubie Westcott, Larry Olimb and Mike Crowley were ever able to succeed in the WCHA? Curtis Murphy is one of the best defenseman ever to wear a Sioux uniform, and led them to a national championship in 1997. I watched Russ Parent paired with Murray Baron at UND, and Baron was not even in his class. At the next level, it makes a difference, but not college. College is a skating game, particularly with the Olympic sized ice in many rinks (Minnesota, CC, St. Cloud, AAU, MSUM, UW). Size may be a factor, but it certainly is not indicative of whether a player is capable of playing at a high level in college hockey.

russ parent, different era, different game

larry olimb and mike crowley, different system where banging wasn't a big part of their game

curtis murphy was 5-10, but he was 200 pounds of bowling ball.

the bigger you are in a system like UND's where banging around in the corners is a big part of your game, size matters for many reasons, winning the battles, durability, reach, easier to force forwards to the corner, durability, and durability. (especially in this system)

[skateshattrick]

Curtis Murphy is only 5'8", and he did not weigh 200 lbs in college. Look at the old rosters. Different eras?? The league was more physical 20 years ago, and there was no Olympic sized ice.

russ parent, different era, different game

larry olimb and mike crowley, different system where banging wasn't a big part of their game

curtis murphy was 5-10, but he was 200 pounds of bowling ball.

the bigger you are in a system like UND's where banging around in the corners is a big part of your game, size matters for many reasons, winning the battles, durability, reach, easier to force forwards to the corner, durability, and durability. (especially in this system)

[skateshattrick]

russ parent, different era, different game

larry olimb and mike crowley, different system where banging wasn't a big part of their game

curtis murphy was 5-10, but he was 200 pounds of bowling ball.

the bigger you are in a system like UND's where banging around in the corners is a big part of your game, size matters for many reasons, winning the battles, durability, reach, easier to force forwards to the corner, durability, and durability. (especially in this system)

Curtis Murphy is only 5'8" and certainly did not weigh 200 lbs in college. Look at the old rosters. Different era? It was much more physical 20 years ago (remember Gino's teams?), and there was no Olympic ice.

[specifics]

Curtis Murphy is only 5'8" and certainly did not weigh 200 lbs in college. Look at the old rosters. Different era? It was much more physical 20 years ago (remember Gino's teams?), and there was no Olympic ice.

Agreed. You don't need to be 6'0 tall and 200 pounds to succeed in division one ranks, even at defense. I dont know many forwards who would rather go up against a smaller, quicker defenseman, which probably has more coordination and balance, than a defenseman that is larger and slower. In a comparative sense, the bigger guy could be more like a pylon. Example, small BC forward Nathan Gerbe forcing towering Sioux d-man to fall unto his backside because maybe of coordination issues. Put a smaller, quicker sioux d-man in that same spot and that may never have happened. Who knows, just a thought.

[Sioux-cia]

Two words>>> Robbie Bina.

[tnt]

The smaller players like Glen Klotz, Corey Howe, Curtis Murphy, Russ Parent and Robbie Bina are some of my favorite players. The thing I liked the most about Klotz, Murphy and Parent was that they were well versed in a lost art in college hockey today -- the hip check. I loved seeing the opposition flipping head over heels. It may be a little tougher pinning a guy like Drew Stafford to the glass for a smaller player, but most small players are great positionally, and a lot of times just getting in front of the opposition is half the battle. Add to that the fact that they also make up for size by making great outlet passes in the transition game, and you can see that there is still plenty room in college hockey and in the Sioux lineup for the smaller D-Men. That said, a nice mix on defense of physical players and offensive ability would be ideal, especially if they came in the same package.

[ATLSiouxPhan]

Size doesn't mean squat. Somebody lock this topic up and save everyone some wasted time.

[Walsh Hall]

How often did players try to go wide on Commie or Greene? After the first try it didn't happen again. Murphy played a very physical game despite his size, but forwards don't have second thoughts of going into the corners or going wide against guys that aren't bangers.

There have been excellent d-men in college hockey that are big and small, but all things equal, in the defensive end the big guys win. Look a couple years back where the Sioux D-man punished the other teams. They may not have been as skilled on the other end of the ice, but in their own end it was lights out.

Nobody was scared of Mike Crowley in his own zone, and although I love the way Bina plays the game, he is not in the same category as the other names mentioned. I'd say Murphy was best two-way short D-man I've seen at UND. He was well above average at both ends of the ice, and the hip-checks were legendary.

[Snake]

Agreed. You don't need to be 6'0 tall and 200 pounds to succeed in division one ranks, even at defense. I dont know many forwards who would rather go up against a smaller, quicker defenseman, which probably has more coordination and balance, than a defenseman that is larger and slower. In a comparative sense, the bigger guy could be more like a pylon. Example, small BC forward Nathan Gerbe forcing towering Sioux d-man to fall unto his backside because maybe of coordination issues. Put a smaller, quicker sioux d-man in that same spot and that may never have happened. Who knows, just a thought.

It's a nice thought, but two years ago BC couldn't stop talking about the punishment they received from Greene & Co. in the regional. Unfortunately both examples we've cited are only single games and don't tell us anything about the tendency of teams to win or lose with small or big D-men. Experience probably has more to do with it than anything.

I'll take kids with skills - big or small.

By the way - Curtis Murphy had the greatest hip-check ever & Aaron Schneekloth did a pretty good pylon impersonation for a smaller guy at times !

[sprig]

Example, small BC forward Nathan Gerbe forcing towering Sioux d-man to fall unto his backside because maybe of coordination issues. Put a smaller, quicker sioux d-man in that same spot and that may never have happened.

Maybe, but not the case with this example. The dman was Smaby, caught out on an extra long shift, and being tired, tried a lunging stick check rather than playing the body like he did all year. It may have been his only whiff all season

[Goon]

Maybe, but not the case with this example. The dman was Smaby, caught out on an extra long shift, and being tired, tried a lunging stick check rather than playing the body like he did all year. It may have been his only whiff all season

I am not so sure I agree with this assessment because if you go back to the Devils vs the Canes you will see that Carolina's speedy Gionta had Commodore shadowing him all series. Mike was pretty much able to shut down Gionta for most of the series as he only scored one goal.

[DAR]

It's a nice thought, but two years ago BC couldn't stop talking about the punishment they received from Greene & Co. in the regional. Unfortunately both examples we've cited are only single games and don't tell us anything about the tendency of teams to win or lose with small or big D-men. Experience probably has more to do with it than anything.

I'll take kids with skills - big or small.

By the way - Curtis Murphy had the greatest hip-check ever & Aaron Schneekloth did a pretty good pylon impersonation for a smaller guy at times !

Yeah like when Kolanos went wide on him......that was a tough one to take. I thought we had em'

[specifics]

Maybe, but not the case with this example. The dman was Smaby, caught out on an extra long shift, and being tired, tried a lunging stick check rather than playing the body like he did all year. It may have been his only whiff all season

I cannot argue whether or not he was caught out on an extra long shift because unfortunatly I did not stop watch all of his shifts to see, which in comparison, was an extra long one. Maybe he knew his only hope was to poke at the puck because if he would have crossed to go the direction Gerbe was headed, Gerbe would have used his quickness to cut back the other way leaving Smaby looking more foolish than he did. Who knows though. Not me. You don't have to be 6 foot 200 lbs to hit hard or to be a force in the corners. As a matter of fact, the taller a player is, the easier it may be for him to be knocked off the puck when in any other skating motion other than forwards. For example, think of it as a sports car vs. a SUV. If your driving a sports car at full speed and take a sharp corner, the odds of it rolling are far less than that of an SUV. This is due to its low center of gravity, obviously. If you take that same SUV and take the corner at the same speed the odds of it rolling are tremendous. What I'm trying to get at is, when a player makes a sharp turn or stops on a dime say in the corners to elude a defender or a defender trying to elude a forward they have over 800 pounds of force on a single leg at any given time (It's physics, take my word for it). So if that big tall defender does not have adaquet leg strength to withstand the force of the turn, and the forward pushing on him, the odds he's going to drop are great to very great. Small forward, same situation, low center of gravity less force on the legs, given he also has very strong legs, he's not going to budge. I'm sorry that was kind of confusing but I had so much to say I just threw it all out there.