BOYS' STATE HOCKEY SCHEDULE

[Chewey]

Hockey should be a big sport in Williston. It really is not that far to Regina, Moose Jaw and many SJHL venues. One would think that Williston could schedule a few games with some Sask. teams.

[extremerouge]

I know but it's the only thing were better at then you

you guys have wrestling most the time...

[Fighting Sioux 23]

I dont think South losing to Moorhead 5-3 is JV hockey.

Are you saying South is relatively close in play to Moorhead? While I agree with you, wouldn't Williston losing to Red River 4-2, or Minot losing to Grafton 5-2 be similar situations to South losing to Moorhead, in that they are relatively close in play to those top Eastern schools?

Anyway, I'm really rooting for Devils' Lake and Grafton. Devils' Lake probably had the best day in the first round, but will probably face a steaming Red River squad, and we all know the difficulties that Grafton has had with Fargo South. Either way, hopefully the games are competitive.

[extremerouge]

how can u bash the east when they never lose the first day of the tournament.

bismarck beat grafton three? years ago. it happens, that's why they play the games...I am an east sider, but agree with the west kids that the east rips on the west way too much. its fine to be proud but there are limits...

[puck71]

Just got back from watching all the games (minus one period). First game I missed the first period, but the 2nd and 3rd periods South completely dominated Century. The score reflects that (6-1 in those periods) but it could have been even more lopsided than that. South's defense is down from last year (how could it not be?), but they have a lot of offense and a good goalie, and seemed to be playing pretty well. The first period looks like it was a lot closer though - someone else can comment on that, but it was 1-0 Century after 1 and I think only 10-6 shots advantage for South.

The second game was probably the best of the day (not the most exciting, but the best overall). Grafton was clearly the better team, but not by a huge margin. They stepped it up at the end with a couple late goals, but this game was tight all the way, before ending up 5-2.

The third game ended up being the biggest blowout, but was a lot closer than the 6-0 score indicated. I didn't follow much hockey this year, but how did Bismarck end up winning the West? Were they favored or was there an upset? For my eyes, they were the third best team from the West (after Minot and Williston). Anyway, Devils Lake outplayed them from beginning to end and were rewarded with a lot of goals. I think a 4-1 or 4-2 score would have more closely represented how close the game was, but Devils Lake clearly was the better team.

The last game was the most exciting by far, but was also probably the most lopsided on the ice. The shot margin is a little deceiving, but Red River definitely dominated play throughout. Williston actually played a lot better at the end I thought, until the last 3 or so minutes. The first period was all Red River, but Williston withstood it and improved from there and almost held on to the end. They really had a good game plan to try to counter Red River's superior skill and experience - they hit hard and played the positions and got sticks on almost every pass and shot. They didn't take any chances and never gave up any odd-man rushes. They also played smart and only took a couple penalties. I don't care what the shot count was - Williston played a great game and deserved to be as close as they were. There were a lot of shots, but they were all contested and only a few "great" scoring chances.

Overall, I think the West played pretty well but it's clear they're still a notch below the East. I think Century was definitely outclassed, but the other three West teams belonged there and could have won at least one of the games.

I tried to be as neutral as I could, but I do live in Fargo and probably can't help but be a little biased.

[siouxfan4life99]

Just got back from watching all the games (minus one period). First game I missed the first period, but the 2nd and 3rd periods South completely dominated Century. The score reflects that (6-1 in those periods) but it could have been even more lopsided than that. South's defense is down from last year (how could it not be?), but they have a lot of offense and a good goalie, and seemed to be playing pretty well. The first period looks like it was a lot closer though - someone else can comment on that, but it was 1-0 Century after 1 and I think only 10-6 shots advantage for South.

The second game was probably the best of the day (not the most exciting, but the best overall). Grafton was clearly the better team, but not by a huge margin. They stepped it up at the end with a couple late goals, but this game was tight all the way, before ending up 5-2.

The third game ended up being the biggest blowout, but was a lot closer than the 6-0 score indicated. I didn't follow much hockey this year, but how did Bismarck end up winning the West? Were they favored or was there an upset? For my eyes, they were the third best team from the West (after Minot and Williston). Anyway, Devils Lake outplayed them from beginning to end and were rewarded with a lot of goals. I think a 4-1 or 4-2 score would have more closely represented how close the game was, but Devils Lake clearly was the better team.

The last game was the most exciting by far, but was also probably the most lopsided on the ice. The shot margin is a little deceiving, but Red River definitely dominated play throughout. Williston actually played a lot better at the end I thought, until the last 3 or so minutes. The first period was all Red River, but Williston withstood it and improved from there and almost held on to the end. They really had a good game plan to try to counter Red River's superior skill and experience - they hit hard and played the positions and got sticks on almost every pass and shot. They didn't take any chances and never gave up any odd-man rushes. They also played smart and only took a couple penalties. I don't care what the shot count was - Williston played a great game and deserved to be as close as they were. There were a lot of shots, but they were all contested and only a few "great" scoring chances.

Overall, I think the West played pretty well but it's clear they're still a notch below the East. I think Century was definitely outclassed, but the other three West teams belonged there and could have won at least one of the games.

I tried to be as neutral as I could, but I do live in Fargo and probably can't help but be a little biased.

Nice post puck. At least there are a few decent ones on here. All the teams play hard. Good luck to all the teams going forward in the tournament.

[Stromer]

Nice post puck. At least there are a few decent ones on here. All the teams play hard. Good luck to all the teams going forward in the tournament.

I agree with most of this but not so much with the DL stuff. While the shots on goal were pretty similar, many of them were not quality scoring chances. Groves made some good saves but you never got the impression that Bismarck was a threat to score. They had an open net one time and the puck almost went in, but that was as close as they came. DL, on the other hand, had a lot of shorthanded opportunities and cycled the puck really well. I think the score was indicative of how the teams played. I was very suprised that Bismarck was the top team from the west and I hope DL can keep it going and finally knock off RR.

[nodak hockey fanatic]

Pretty good wrap up puck, with a few ommissions, but hey you admitted the bias, at least your honest...

the few late goals you were talking about for Grafton were empty netters, it was a one goal game up until that point

and although I agree that GFRR was the more talented team last night, the Coyotes played with more heart, and the Roughriders didn't have a lead in that game until the beautiful Vigan goal with 2:12 left in the game. that individual play won the game, add the empty netter and the #1 team in the state barely snuck by the #3 team in the west. coach malm talked pregame about rolling four lines and playing six defensemen, well Galbreath and Ladeucer played over half the game on the blue line and their first line was the only one that did any damage, so I'm not sure it was as lopsided as you think, considering that was our #1 team in the state.

Good wrap though, should be another great day of hockey. And I agree with alot of the other posters here, why do some of you from the east feel the need to validate yourselves by putting down other teams from your home state? does it make you all feel better? Oh well, what do you do, hope we have some good crowds at the Ralph today. Nothing better than watching the HS hockey state tourney on a Friday... well maybe the Sioux beating the Goofers, but its close.

[extremerouge]

Pretty good wrap up puck, with a few ommissions, but hey you admitted the bias, at least your honest...

the few late goals you were talking about for Grafton were empty netters, it was a one goal game up until that point

and although I agree that GFRR was the more talented team last night, the Coyotes played with more heart, and the Roughriders didn't have a lead in that game until the beautiful Vigan goal with 2:12 left in the game. that individual play won the game, add the empty netter and the #1 team in the state barely snuck by the #3 team in the west. coach malm talked pregame about rolling four lines and playing six defensemen, well Galbreath and Ladeucer played over half the game on the blue line and their first line was the only one that did any damage, so I'm not sure it was as lopsided as you think, considering that was our #1 team in the state.

Good wrap though, should be another great day of hockey. And I agree with alot of the other posters here, why do some of you from the east feel the need to validate yourselves by putting down other teams from your home state? does it make you all feel better? Oh well, what do you do, hope we have some good crowds at the Ralph today. Nothing better than watching the HS hockey state tourney on a Friday... well maybe the Sioux beating the Goofers, but its close.

the Riders are the #2 team in the state right now...that's why they played williston and not bismarck century...

[ND_Transplant]

It looks like I will be able to catch the DL/RR game over the Net on KZZY radio. How 'bout the South/GPR game? Anyone know who's broadcasting it?

Also, who is really the best West team? I don't follow ND hockey very closely, but I've seen some posts stating that it's not Bismarck High, despite being the #1 seed. In other words, who will win the Consolation bracket?

[Spoiler92]

It looks like I will be able to catch the DL/RR game over the Net on KZZY radio. How 'bout the South/GPR game? Anyone know who's broadcasting it?

Also, who is really the best West team? I don't follow ND hockey very closely, but I've seen some posts stating that it's not Bismarck High, despite being the #1 seed. In other words, who will win the Consolation bracket?

I don't know of any station broadcasting on internet for the GPR vs Fargo South game!

[nodak hockey fanatic]

the Riders are the #2 team in the state right now...that's why they played williston and not bismarck century...

actually the Roughriders are the #2 seed based on the EDC tourney only, still the #1 team in the state by all accounts. and to answer the latest post, I think Minot probably was the strongest team out of the west this year, but it would be fun to see Williston succeed if their goalie can play like he did last night, but since they rotate two senior goalies, they will have to get past Bismarck today for him to get one more shot.

[gilles meloche]

I don't know of any station broadcasting on internet for the GPR vs Fargo South game!

This is getting ridiculous with the eastern dominance/. I hope I have an answer:

I was happy to see Century and Williston give South and Red River relatively close games yesterday; however, both were

ridiculously outshot and were only held in the games because their goalies stood on their heads. It seems that twenty years

ago or so the first round games used to be a lot closer and western teams like Minot, Jamestown, and Bismarck would at least

occasionally win their share of the first round games.

The real problem is that they play these silly regional tourneys now just to make sure that we have 4 teams from each region

represented. They should go back to the "play-in" method they had years ago. That way you would get the eight best teams to state. The ironic thing is that under the old method the west used to be a lot more competitive. There were many years in the

80s and early 90s that there would be 4 west teams and 4 east teams using the "play-in" method. Some times it would end up

being 5 east, 3 west or even 6 east, 2 west, but at least the kids who deserved to be there would be there.

I'm not sure if North, Central, or West Fargo would have beaten the likes of Williston or Century in a head-to-head play-in game

this year, but most years you would get the 8 best teams to state. The old format actually gave byes because there were only

13 teams in the state. #1 and #2 in the east and #1 in the west would automatically go while teams 3-7 in the east would play

against teams 2-6 in the west for the right to go to state. As it is now with 9 teams, teams 8 and 9 in each region could play a Monday or Tuesday Pre-Play-in game to narrow it down to 8 teams in each region. Then just have the top four teams in each region host the bottom four in the opposite region for one game to go to state. Here is how it would have looked this year:

*Shanley over Wahpeton and Hazen over Mandan in the play-in games.

Shanley (#8 east) at Minot (#1 west)

Central (#7 east) at Bismarck (#2 west)

West Fargo (#6 east) at Jamestown (#3 west)

North (#5 east) at Williston (#4 west)

Century (#5 west) at Devils Lake (#4 east)

Dickinson (#6 west) at Grafton (#3 east)

Bottineau (#7 west) at South (#2 east)

Hazen (#8 west) at Red River (#1 east)

This would be the best way, and I have already answered the arguments below:

Myth #1: Too much travel

Please don't give me that sorry excuse about "too much travel". Actually, under this method fewer teams are travelling, but

the ones who travel have to go further. Under the current system, 6 teams from the east have to travel to Grand Forks where

only two teams get to stay home, and 5 western teams have to travel to Bismarck when they host the west regions while 7 teams travel when Minot hosts it. That means 11 or 13 teams travel while only 3 or 5 stay home most years. Using the play-in method 8 teams would travel, but 8 teams would get to stay home.

Ask Jay Erickson (North head coach), Ross Richards (WF head coach), or Tony Bina (Central head coach) and their players which way they would prefer. Travel a couple extra hours to face a Bismarck, Jamestown, or Williston OR stay closer to home but have

to get through the likes of Red River, South, or Grafton. I think the answer would be unanimous. Besides North and West Fargo

travel back and forth each day to Grand Forks for the east region tourney each day. By the time they are done with it they may as well have travelled to Williston or Bismarck.

Myth #2: It would weaken western hockey

NO! It would actually strengthen it. They would know that they have to keep up with the east. Like I stated earlier, under the old

method you would often get 3 or 4 western teams to state anyway.

Myth #3: A lower seeded west team would never stand a chance against a high east team

Wrong, and history actually proves that. A few times in the 80s a western team like Bottineau or Devils Lake would come east

and upset a higher seeded team. Is it likely? No. But that what makes Cinderella stories like that so special- they are rare, but

they do happen.

I am not trying to bash the west. I am just looking out for what's best for ND hockey overall. This method is the fairest by far.

[Siouxmama]

Just got back from watching all the games (minus one period). First game I missed the first period, but the 2nd and 3rd periods South completely dominated Century. The score reflects that (6-1 in those periods) but it could have been even more lopsided than that. South's defense is down from last year (how could it not be?), but they have a lot of offense and a good goalie, and seemed to be playing pretty well. The first period looks like it was a lot closer though - someone else can comment on that, but it was 1-0 Century after 1 and I think only 10-6 shots advantage for South.

The second game was probably the best of the day (not the most exciting, but the best overall). Grafton was clearly the better team, but not by a huge margin. They stepped it up at the end with a couple late goals, but this game was tight all the way, before ending up 5-2.

The third game ended up being the biggest blowout, but was a lot closer than the 6-0 score indicated. I didn't follow much hockey this year, but how did Bismarck end up winning the West? Were they favored or was there an upset? For my eyes, they were the third best team from the West (after Minot and Williston). Anyway, Devils Lake outplayed them from beginning to end and were rewarded with a lot of goals. I think a 4-1 or 4-2 score would have more closely represented how close the game was, but Devils Lake clearly was the better team.

The last game was the most exciting by far, but was also probably the most lopsided on the ice. The shot margin is a little deceiving, but Red River definitely dominated play throughout. Williston actually played a lot better at the end I thought, until the last 3 or so minutes. The first period was all Red River, but Williston withstood it and improved from there and almost held on to the end. They really had a good game plan to try to counter Red River's superior skill and experience - they hit hard and played the positions and got sticks on almost every pass and shot. They didn't take any chances and never gave up any odd-man rushes. They also played smart and only took a couple penalties. I don't care what the shot count was - Williston played a great game and deserved to be as close as they were. There were a lot of shots, but they were all contested and only a few "great" scoring chances.

Overall, I think the West played pretty well but it's clear they're still a notch below the East. I think Century was definitely outclassed, but the other three West teams belonged there and could have won at least one of the games.

I tried to be as neutral as I could, but I do live in Fargo and probably can't help but be a little biased.

The coach doesnt use all the d-men he has. There are a couple sitting on the bench all the time.

[proudsioux]

I think the ralph will be packed tonite. Dl had a good showing of fan support yesterday and im sure most of there town will be there. RR had decent support but they also had a bball game against none other then DL which they one. FS looked a little lackluster but tonite im guessing they should have more. GPR always brings there whole town.

[ni9ls-sioux]

The Minot High/Century game is in the 2nd period, 0-0.

[ni9ls-sioux]

Minot scoring the first goal of the game, Eathan Fillipek from Brett Fiddler and Jared Schumier.

[ni9ls-sioux]

Power Play goal for Century. 1-1

[ni9ls-sioux]

Goal for Century. 2-1

[puck71]

The coach doesnt use all the d-men he has. There are a couple sitting on the bench all the time.

I don't really know the details of the Defense situation. All I was basing it on was what I saw yesterday compared to last year's State tournament, and the fact that they lost Erick which almost guarantees at least a small drop in defense.

[cold]

actually the Roughriders are the #2 seed based on the EDC tourney only, still the #1 team in the state by all accounts. and to answer the latest post, I think Minot probably was the strongest team out of the west this year, but it would be fun to see Williston succeed if their goalie can play like he did last night, but since they rotate two senior goalies, they will have to get past Bismarck today for him to get one more shot.

By all accounts? I think the teams from North Dakota that beat them might have a small disagreement with that statement. With the level of play Grafton, South, and Red River are all at it's much too subjective to have a team that is clearly the best. With Red River beating South twice and losing once while splitting 1-1 with Grafton, South going into tonight's game against Grafton 2-0 against them, it's just too close to call.

[ni9ls-sioux]

Century up 3-1, if Minot keeps this up they will be playing for 7th place.

[ni9ls-sioux]

4-1 Century, what is Minot doing?

[ni9ls-sioux]

5-1 Century, Minot just looks like fools now.

[ni9ls-sioux]

OH yeah!!!!Minot gives up the open-netter.