Breaking News - Denver Regional

[cfm567b27]

That's great, but I after Friday's game I can't see how anyone could pick the Sioux over the gophers. Don't get me wrong, the gophers aren't an automatic win over the Sioux but IMO certainly outplayed the Sioux and earned the win on Saturday. They've now put together a couple or a few good games in a row, where inconsistency was a problem in the recent past. Will that return? It could, but they don't strike me as a team that's lacking in confidence. We've already seen a time in this year when they played well enough where pretty much no one could beat them, and they seem to have that groove back.

The Sioux will give them a battle, but I can't pick 'em over the gophers right now.

I respectfully disagree - I think the game saturday was fairly even on all counts. Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation with the Sioux darn near at :02 left in the game on Kaip's bid. The Wheeler swipe as about as fluke a thing as Holy Cross winning last year. I think these teams might be fairly close matching up again but with 16,000 less Gopher fans I give the edge to the Sioux in a re-match.

[mikejm]

That's great, but I after Friday's game I can't see how anyone could pick the Sioux over the gophers. Don't get me wrong, the gophers aren't an automatic win over the Sioux but IMO certainly outplayed the Sioux and earned the win on Saturday. They've now put together a couple or a few good games in a row, where inconsistency was a problem in the recent past. Will that return? It could, but they don't strike me as a team that's lacking in confidence. We've already seen a time in this year when they played well enough where pretty much no one could beat them, and they seem to have that groove back.

The Sioux will give them a battle, but I can't pick 'em over the gophers right now.

I'm with you on this dagies; the Sioux need to figure out how the Gophers closed the ice to their passing lanes and create some space or they're in trouble.

Michigan first, of course; but gotta open up the ice somehow. Lucia's matching his top line (as opposed to a checking line) with the DOT line was genius.

[dagies]

I respectfully disagree - I think the game saturday was fairly even on all counts. Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation with the Sioux darn near at 2 left in the game on Kaip's bid. The Wheeler swipe as about as fluke a thing as Holy Cross winning last year. I think these teams might be fairly close matching up again but with 16,000 less Gopher fans I give the edge to the Sioux in a re-match.

I prefer your optimism.

mikejm, you are right. A rematch with MN is not guarenteed. Hopefully the boys take care of business against MI first.

[sagard]

Michigan first, of course; but gotta open up the ice somehow. Lucia's matching his top line (as opposed to a checking line) with the DOT line was genius.

I'm a big fan of Lucia, but the credit really goes to the players. Okposo and Stoa were match up vs. Duncan's line at Mariucci as well. The Gophers played virtually flawlessly and still barely won. UND is still the same team that has been steamrolling for three months and that is why I'm bummed about the draw. This game could easily have been a Frozen Four game instead of a regional with better seeding guidelines in place for the NCAA tourney.

[sprig]

I respectfully disagree - I think the game saturday was fairly even on all counts. Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation with the Sioux darn near at :02 left in the game on Kaip's bid. The Wheeler swipe as about as fluke a thing as Holy Cross winning last year. I think these teams might be fairly close matching up again but with 16,000 less Gopher fans I give the edge to the Sioux in a re-match.

The extra noise alone as gopher fans yelled at each Sioux hit caused Shep to call a couple on the Sioux, while not enough loud complaining when the gophers did something, made a difference. A crowd can affect the calls more than anything else.

[pstar]

After reading this, I have one thought. When you Sioux fans have nothing to cheer about, you attempt to belittle those who do. I hope it helps you folks sleep well at night. As a proud Gopher fan, I don;t need to knock others to love my team or feel good. Good luck against Michigan. I'd like one more shot at you guys.

[PCM]

Michigan first, of course; but gotta open up the ice somehow. Lucia's matching his top line (as opposed to a checking line) with the DOT line was genius.

Genius? He stole the idea from Motzko.

[sappysieve]

Genius? He stole the idea from Motzko.

Watch the NHL playoff games, you'll see scoring line A vs scoring line A. It was a good move by Lucia

no matter where the idea came from. Like mikejm said, you gotta fight fire with fire.

I think we're in for another wide open, race horse battle if the Sioux and Gophers meet up again. Too bad the NCAA didn't think these guys playing for the NC would be a good idea!

[cfm567b27]

After reading this, I have one thought. When you Sioux fans have nothing to cheer about, you attempt to belittle those who do. I hope it helps you folks sleep well at night. As a proud Gopher fan, I don;t need to knock others to love my team or feel good. Good luck against Michigan. I'd like one more shot at you guys.

Who is knocking others? The game saturday was one of the best in recent memory. I have no heartache over the loss or outcome - it didn't end our season nor did it end yours. I can always borrow the line from your leader Lucia where he basically said the Final 5 was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. We'll hopefully see you in Denver for the game that will mean something.

[PCM]

Watch the NHL playoff games, you'll see scoring line A vs scoring line A. It was a good move by Lucia no matter where the idea came from.

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea. I'm just not prepared to label Lucia a "genius" for using it when Motzko did it before him.

[UNDintheNHL]

After reading this, I have one thought. When you Sioux fans have nothing to cheer about, you attempt to belittle those who do. I hope it helps you folks sleep well at night. As a proud Gopher fan, I don;t need to knock others to love my team or feel good. Good luck against Michigan. I'd like one more shot at you guys.

I jsut have one question in response to your one though: Do you happen to read the GPL boards? Do you see your players popping their jerseys at the crowd? Do you see all of the things that Gopher players do that basically say "I AM THE BEST" even when they are losing? I understand keeping the faith when you are in a slump, but there are extremes. Popping the jersey like they do, i.e. on Saturday, is just showy. You won the WCHA. woopie. who cares? no one for the next few weeks. all anyone will care about is the NC. The GPL boards are full of BS and gopher fans talking down to sioux fans, just because they are sioux fans. so, thanks for the hypocracy. If you DONT knock others, then congradulations on being one in a million gopher fans who doesnt. Congrats on being an exception. Good luck against AF. As much as I'd love another Holy Cross incident, I'd much rather see the gophers in the next game and reclaim the dominance of them we showed during the regular season.

And just for the record, we Sioux fans have PLENTY to cheer about. We DO happen to have the best record in the NCAA right now. We DO happen to have a Hobey Baker Finalist. We DO happen to have the, and I quote Mr. Lucia, "possibly best line in college hockey", in Duncan, Toews, Oshie. Please, stop your banter and trolling and go back to GPL. thanks.

[Goon]

I jsut have one question in response to your one though: Do you happen to read the GPL boards? Do you see your players popping their jerseys at the crowd? Do you see all of the things that Gopher players do that basically say "I AM THE BEST" even when they are losing? I understand keeping thi faith when youa re in a slump, but there are extremes. Popping the jersey like they do, i.e. on Saturday, it just showy. you won the WCHA. woopie. who cares? no one for the next few weeks. all anyone will care about is the NC. The GPL boards are full of BS and gopher fans talking down to sioux fans, just because they are sioux fans. so, thanks for the hypocracy. If you DONT knock others, then congradulations on being one in a million gopher fans who doesnt. Congrats on being an exception. Good luck against AF. As much as I'd love another Holy Cross incident, id much rather see the gophers in the next game and reclaim the dominance of them we showed during the regular season.

And just for the record, we Sioux fans have PLENTY to cheer about. We DO happen to have the best record in the NCAA right now. We do happen to have a Hobey Baker Finalist. We do happen to have the, and i quote Mr. Lucia "possibly best line in college hockey", in Duncan, Toews, Oshie. Please, stop your banter and trolling and go back to GPL. thanks.

Well Said.

[sagard]

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea. I'm just not prepared to label Lucia a "genius" for using it when Motzko did it before him.

Lucia is a genius because the players played great.

Nevermind Okposo and Stoa got lit up like a Christmas tree the Mariucci series when facing the DOT line.

[pstar]

Ummm, best record in the NCAA? Only if you put qualifications on it. As for trolling, nothing I said was rude. I made an honest comment. I like this board because of the pasion and different takes on things, but there's always more bashing of opposing coaches, players, fans, refs, you name it, than talking up your own team. GPL has its bashing, but nothing comes close to the bashing here. I see Lucia rips hourl;y on here. Hakstol's named is hardly mentioned on GPL.

Oh, and jersery popping is pying tribute to the treasured M over the player who is wearing it. I have no problem with showing pride in your team/school.

[Goon]

GPL has its bashing, but nothing comes close to the bashing here.

[Southernmn]

Ummm, best record in the NCAA? Only if you put qualifications on it. As for trolling, nothing I said was rude. I made an honest comment. I like this board because of the pasion and different takes on things, but there's always more bashing of opposing coaches, players, fans, refs, you name it, than talking up your own team. GPL has its bashing, but nothing comes close to the bashing here. I see Lucia rips hourl;y on here. Hakstol's named is hardly mentioned on GPL.

Oh, and jersery popping is pying tribute to the treasured M over the player who is wearing it. I have no problem with showing pride in your team/school.

The jersey pop is showing off.......no matter who does it, no matter what the circumstance.

[Southernmn]

You won the WCHA. woopie. who cares? no one for the next few weeks. all anyone will care about is the NC.

You, and others have spent the last year bashing the Gophers for playing the Final 5 games 'as if they don't matter'

Now that they win it, you're one the one saying it doesn't matter. A little consistancy please...........

[Big A HG]

I know North Dakota is boring, but seriously...who cares so much that people keep posting over and over about some kid that just won a championship game in OT in front of many home fans about popping his jersey. WHO CARES?!?!?!? It isn't that big of a deal. IT REALLY ISN'T!!!

I love the Sioux and all, but who really cares. To me it just seems there are A LOT of sore losers on this board.

[skateshattrick]

You, and others have spent the last year bashing the Gophers for playing the Final 5 games 'as if they don't matter'

Now that they win it, you're one the one saying it doesn't matter. A little consistancy please...........

The opinion that it does not matter is a minority opinion and is not reflective of every Sioux fan any more than it is for any Gophers fan. Please do not generalize based upon comments of a few. It was very important for the Sioux this year, because if the Sioux had won, they probably end up a No. 7 and get shipped out to Clarkson's bracket. That would have been a win/win for both UM and UND. However, I understand why Minnesota came to play this year--they wanted to build momentum for the tournament so that they did not have a repeat of last year, they wanted to prove that the sweep earlier by the Sioux was not a reflection of what they are capable of, and they were tired of hearing from everyone in the media that the Sioux were the better team. However, be careful what you wish for---neither UND nor Michigan are going to be pushovers. Although I admittedly have a WCHA bias, I truly believe that Minnesota and UND are 2 of the top 3 or 4 teams in the country right now along with BC and possibly Notre Dame. New Hampshire and Michigan are probably next.

[PCM]

Nevermind Okposo and Stoa got lit up like a Christmas tree the Mariucci series when facing the DOT line.

The tactic didn't work well for SCSU at the Final Five, but they did have some success with it in past games.

[stickboy1956]

The opinion that it does not matter is a minority opinion and is not reflective of every Sioux fan any more than it is for any Gophers fan. Please do not generalize based upon comments of a few. It was very important for the Sioux this year, because if the Sioux had won, they probably end up a No. 7 and get shipped out to Clarkson's bracket. That would have been a win/win for both UM and UND. However, I understand why Minnesota came to play this year--they wanted to build momentum for the tournament so that they did not have a repeat of last year, they wanted to prove that the sweep earlier by the Sioux was not a reflection of what they are capable of, and they were tired of hearing from everyone in the media that the Sioux were the better team. However, be careful what you wish for---neither UND nor Michigan are going to be pushovers. Although I admittedly have a WCHA bias, I truly believe that Minnesota and UND are 2 of the top 3 or 4 teams in the country right now along with BC and possibly Notre Dame. New Hampshire and Michigan are probably next.

If we win Sat - we end up 7 and MN drops to 2, which would put is the same region anyway.

[yzerman19]

OK, teams have been able to frustrate us by taking time and space away from our top line. How can we effectively open up the ice when a team takes a defensive, counter-punch strategy against our beloved DOT line?

What about this idea: Can we try and put two of our gunners deep? Maybe Oshie and Duncan sitting way up just outside the opponent's blue line on the same side of the rink? You can't pinch the two D on the same side or you risk getting beat on speed into an odd-man, so you need to bring your center back. That would limit the forecheck to the two opposing wingers. It would also open up the rink on the side away from those two forwards, creating space for Toews, Chorney and Lee to tic-tac-toe it up the ice. As you enter the offensive zone the middle winger can cross with Toews and attack normally.

Any thoughts or feedback? I think it is a thought. I think Chorney, Lee and Toews can stick handle up the ice as well as anybody and open up that space to enter the zone with speed.

[Southernmn]

The opinion that it does not matter is a minority opinion and is not reflective of every Sioux fan any more than it is for any Gophers fan. Please do not generalize based upon comments of a few. It was very important for the Sioux this year, because if the Sioux had won, they probably end up a No. 7 and get shipped out to Clarkson's bracket. That would have been a win/win for both UM and UND. However, I understand why Minnesota came to play this year--they wanted to build momentum for the tournament so that they did not have a repeat of last year, they wanted to prove that the sweep earlier by the Sioux was not a reflection of what they are capable of, and they were tired of hearing from everyone in the media that the Sioux were the better team. However, be careful what you wish for---neither UND nor Michigan are going to be pushovers. Although I admittedly have a WCHA bias, I truly believe that Minnesota and UND are 2 of the top 3 or 4 teams in the country right now along with BC and possibly Notre Dame. New Hampshire and Michigan are probably next.

I wish they were in different regions............if we could get a repeat of the type of game played on Saturday, in the Frozen Four, in front of a national audiance, would be big win for all of NCAA hockey.

[mikejm]

Any thoughts or feedback? I think it is a thought.

This is actually a pretty funny turn of a phrase.

I think Chorney, Lee and Toews can stick handle up the ice as well as anybody and open up that space to enter the zone with speed.

Well, as long as they don't try any ill-advised blind, drop passes we should be okay.

[GoldyGopher]

I'll be at the Pepsi Center... Of course I only live about 45 minutes away!!!!

I hope to see UND vs U of M again.. That was an awesome game to watch (in the Final V) no matter who won. That's the way hockey was meant to be played..

I wish they would not have put these 2 teams in the same Regional... They are the 2 best teams in College Hockey right now!!!!