PHE Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 I was trying to determine which Sioux player thus far has furthest exceeded my expectations. The list got to be pretty long.....Bochenski, Parise, Lundbohm all deserve a spot on the list but my three finalists were all defensemen: Matt Greene-He has adapted to the WCHA quicker than I thought he would. He made the World Junior Cup team despite (1) not scoring a point (2) taking numerous "dumb" penalties (quote Dean Blais) and (3) not getting an invite to the WJC pre-season tryout camp. Andy Schneider-leads the team in +/- with a +19 (tied with Lundbohm). He's taken a huge step offensively which is just what the team needed. David Hale-I think we all expected DH to improve over last year but he has gone way past my expectations. We've heard a lot about team chemistry this year and I think the captains have much to do with that. A few weeks ago I heard Blais say that in the coaches' scoring system Hale was at the Parise level. After the Friday night Mankato game one of the players was asked about Hale's fight and he said that as DH was skating off the ice he went along the Sioux bench and said something to the effect of "You guys take it from here." IMO this is, without a doubt, David Hale's team. Thoughts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 I can't believe the amount of post from people who claim UND schedule is filled with creme puffs. I actually think UND is a good team. They didn't beat Michigan by accident. What is going to happen when Blaiser takes them on the road and they start knocking off the so-called big boys of the block? Actually SCSU already did it with C.C. and even the mighty Gophers haven't beaten C.C. yet. Today I had to listen to some A$$ Hole gopher fan spout the same exact crap that Happy is spouting off on USCHO where are they getting this crap, I have a feeling it is coming from KFAN, you can't measure the SOS this early in the season it is out of wack. Apparently like I have said before UAH must be a really good team and now they have the audacity to play Yale in their rendition of the Marriucci Cream Puff Tourney of the South. The only good team in the tourney is B.C. and this is the same team that lost to Dartmouth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Bad1 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Actually CC has only lost to denver and lowell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Actually CC has only lost to denver and lowell Lowell and Mankato, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Bad1 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Sorry, what i meant to say is that st cloud beat Denver not Colorado College. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OETKB Posted December 24, 2002 Share Posted December 24, 2002 One player I'm surprised at is James Massen. As a freshman, he had a pretty slow start. This season, especially since the WCHA schedule started, he's been a major offensive threat. He and Lundbohm are working well together. Anybody else think Prpich was a great find? If he can add another 15 lbs. to his frame, he'll be an excellent college player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted December 24, 2002 Share Posted December 24, 2002 My surprises for the first half would be: Parise - enough said Prpich - rather unheralded player. Needs to keep up recent play to remain in the "exceeding expectations" catagory. Massen - on pace for 20 goals after 3 last year! Bochenski - really improved his skating and strength. Success not totally dependant on star center. Schneider - not flashy but great offensive numbers D Hale - healthy again, and dominant according to Blais Greene - seems to have adjusted fairly well. Not a liability on the ice by any means. Does need to avoid a few penalties. Team Defense - let's hope it can hold up in the 2nd half. This list does not mean any disrespect at many others on the team who are having good or great years. But in those cases they are meeting what I hoped to see from them this year. The above group have exceeded my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forecheck Posted December 27, 2002 Share Posted December 27, 2002 I would definitely put Chris Leinweber on the surprise list of players who exceeded expectations. Last year he was often benched in favor of freshmen defensemen. This year, I don't cringe when he steps on the ice, and dare I say, he has developed into a fairly solid defenseman. With 0-3-3, 6 PIM, and a +5 rating in 17 games, you tend not to notice him much (which to me means he is doing his job as a defenseman). But when you compare his numbers so far this year to his total numbers last year, 0-1-1, 4 PIM, and a -3 rating in 17 games, I would say that is a pretty good improvement. The coaches must also see improvement, since Chris has equaled the number of games he played in the total season last year before Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted December 27, 2002 Share Posted December 27, 2002 But remember we were noticing his improved play at the end of last season. For that reason I wouldn't put him on my "exceeded" list. Which isn't to say I don't congratulate him on having a good season. But it is what you would expect, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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