Rumor on Lee

[SiouxTupa]

Andy Schneider majorly stepped up his Defensive game, and concentrated less on the offense in those years. He was one of our best his senior year because of his sound position play, hard hitting, and leadership.

[nodak hockey fanatic]

couple of things... i was just wondering what the facebook stuff is about brian, i don't have an account nor will i be getting one so it wont let me see it. no matter what junk is out there, whether it is on facebook or here or other internet forums, i have a feeling that mr. lee has a pretty good head on his shoulders and is not going to let this type of stuff affect his decisions reguarding his future. i agree with that majority that he should have a good junior year if he stays, and he will be missed on the blue line if he leaves, you can't replace that experience on the blue line quickly. also... i guess i didn't follow that careers of the earlier sioux players that closely, but patrick played for 20 years in the NHL! pretty impressive.

[PCM]

First Two Seasons

Andy Schneider 14 goals 41 assists

There are always exceptions. And I don't recall Schneider being touted as an "offensive defenseman."

[SIOUXELEVENS]

People should be ashamed of themselves,Brian Lee is a Fighting Sioux and once he pulls the sweater on I for one will support him until he no longer wears it no matter what his short comings might be. Hakstol said in the press conference that the Sioux were pressing to score and that's why the BC player made it down behind the Sioux players,if Brian had quit like some have said why was he the only one making an effort to get back and try to prevent the ENG.Come on people support our team through good and bad lets not be fair weather fans.( there is nothing wrong with bringing up poor play or systems lets just not single one person out)

[Stack]

I do not want Brian Lee to leave school.

However Ottawa or even Brian himself may look at his development progress and think differently. There were times I thought Brian was very good like in the Regional finals against Minnesota and there were times I thought he had not improved as much as I expected. Being a Number 1 draft pick the expectations for Brian were set very high before he arrived. I think people thought he would be a dominant force defensively. On the surface it seemed as if Brian regressed somewhat this year. He seemed steadier than last year but also did not jump into the play as much as I would have expected.

He may not feel that he is developing as much as he'd like at North Dakota and by moving to the AHL and playing 70 games that development process may be accelerated.

I've always felt that defensemen should stay in college at least three years to develop their strength and skills and then decide after their junior year if they are ready for the pounding of the AHL or the NHL.

So I think Brian should stay another year at least. Then decide if he needs new surroundings to improve his skills even more.

[mikejm]

Nice to see the blog with a direct quote from Brian. I certainly hope that puts all this b.s. to rest.

OTOH, there's a poster among us who certainly has the official word as to Ottawa's position regarding Brian Lee. I know that poster won't say anything to jeopardize her position of confidence, but perhaps she'll chime on with something.

I can't recall this amount of prolonged bad-mouthing of a Fighting Sioux player on these boards; ever. I think most of it

[choyt3]

Nice to see the blog with a direct quote from Brian. I certainly hope that puts all this b.s. to rest.

OTOH, there's a poster among us who certainly has the official word as to Ottawa's position regarding Brian Lee. I know that poster won't say anything to jeopardize her position of confidence, but perhaps she'll chime on with something.

I can't recall this amount of prolonged bad-mouthing of a Fighting Sioux player on these boards; ever. I think most of it

[Sioux-per Villain]

There are always exceptions. And I don't recall Schneider being touted as an "offensive defenseman."

Me neither. Andy was a bruiser and despite his reduced offensive production in his Jr. & Sr. years, he was a tremendous asset to our physical defensive corps. He is not a legitimate comparison to Brian Lee as they come from a completely different mold but we can't judge our D based on offensive stats alone. The loss of Brian's experience will hurt. I hope he stays.

[mccarsu]

Nice to see the blog with a direct quote from Brian. I certainly hope that puts all this b.s. to rest.

OTOH, there's a poster among us who certainly has the official word as to Ottawa's position regarding Brian Lee. I know that poster won't say anything to jeopardize her position of confidence, but perhaps she'll chime on with something.

I can't recall this amount of prolonged bad-mouthing of a Fighting Sioux player on these boards; ever. I think most of it

[7>4]

[#1Hakfan]

If your a true Sioux fan don't throw your players under the bus. Either cheer for all the team or cheer for the gophers. You are totally bandwagon if you only cheer for the players and the team when things are going good.

The difference between these athletes and most sports fans is they can overcome adversity. Bandwagoners quit watching when the team is losing. If these players played that way and quit the Sioux would have went 10 and 25 this year. In my opinion that is the difference between REAL athletes that have been competitive there entire lives and fans who have probably NEVER played.

Brian Lee is a great kid with a lot of skill. I am sure every team in the WCHA would love to have him.

[HockeyMom]

You are totally bandwagon if you only cheer for the players and the team when things are going good.

It's all good we started throwing people from the bandwagon yesterday.

[skateshattrick]

If your a true Sioux fan don't throw your players under the bus. Either cheer for all the team or cheer for the gophers. You are totally bandwagon if you only cheer for the players and the team when things are going good.

The difference between these athletes and most sports fans is they can overcome adversity. Bandwagoners quit watching when the team is losing. If these players played that way and quit the Sioux would have went 10 and 25 this year. In my opinion that is the difference between REAL athletes that have been competitive there entire lives and fans who have probably NEVER played.

Brian Lee is a great kid with a lot of skill. I am sure every team in the WCHA would love to have him.

Very well put, particularly your last sentence. Anyone who knows Brian Lee and has followed his career knows that he is a class act and a very talented player. As a person from the F-M area, I am very proud of his accomplishments and that he is a member of the Sioux hockey team. Those vocal critics are an outspoken minority.

[Sioux_Hab-it]

I have yet to see a plausible explanation of how anyone would replace Lee with someone better for next season. How many of you hockey intellects who want him gone can name teams that have won the national title with a D that is led primarily Sophomores and Freshmen. It doesn't happen because good D-men who can play mistake free hockey take longer to develop. While Lee didn't meet some of the lofty fan expectations, he is still a very good DI player and I look forward to bigger and better things from the whole Sioux D over the next two seasons.

[Fetch]

Yeah they use the "TRAP" - Who was it - that said the last four teams,, to win the Frozen Four have been "Trap" teams ?

Is there a place that shows & tells exactly what this is ?

- I know Wisco used it too

So why don't we ? (besides it's boring)

[Goon]

It's all good we started throwing people from the bandwagon yesterday.

Then we put the bandwagon in reverse shortly after.

[Fetch]

carefull the Lee crowd will call you names - (I don't recall calling anyone names) ?

[yzerman19]

Aw, the trap. It is basically a 1-2-2 forecheck with the center in the middle of the ice, the two wingers on the red line and the two defensemen on the blue line. It clogs up the neutral zone with bodies, forcing the play along the boards. It is horrible to watch. I would cease to be a fan of SIoux hockey if we ever became a team like that.

[mikejm]

Yeah they use the "TRAP" - Who was it - that said the last four teams,, to win the Frozen Four have been "Trap" teams ?

Is there a place that shows & tells exactly what this is ?

- I know Wisco used it too

So why don't we ? (besides it's boring)

Google it

This one has pictures

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1571/neutrap2.htm

[mikejm]

Aw, the trap. It is basically a 1-2-2 forecheck with the center in the middle of the ice, the two wingers on the red line and the two defensemen on the blue line. It clogs up the neutral zone with bodies, forcing the play along the boards. It is horrible to watch. I would cease to be a fan of SIoux hockey if we ever became a team like that.

More accurately, I think the team would cease to be the Fighting Sioux if they resorted to the trap.

yechhhhhh, I feel dirty just typing the word "trap"

[SIOUXELEVENS]

If your a true Sioux fan don't throw your players under the bus. Either cheer for all the team or cheer for the gophers. You are totally bandwagon if you only cheer for the players and the team when things are going good.

The difference between these athletes and most sports fans is they can overcome adversity. Bandwagoners quit watching when the team is losing. If these players played that way and quit the Sioux would have went 10 and 25 this year. In my opinion that is the difference between REAL athletes that have been competitive there entire lives and fans who have probably NEVER played.

Brian Lee is a great kid with a lot of skill. I am sure every team in the WCHA would love to have him.

Nice to see your still lurking around #1Hakfan. We need as many true fans as we can on this site. Brian Lee seems very humble and and very shy but lots of talent.

[franchise]

If I recall correctly, and I try not to, it was Chorney's errant drop pass near the blue line that led to the Wheeler goal.

He should probably be forced to leave early because no one on the Sioux makes mistakes.

[KEH]

I never had very much respect for Lee until last year's frozen 4 meeting with BC. The Sioux were going to lose that game 6-4 but it was Lee that scored to make it 6-5 it was Lee along with the rest of the team that carried on that Sioux tradition of never giving up until the horn sounds. And it made the loss a little easier to swollow.

[TheJake]

I don't think people really understood my thread topic. I think the loss of brian lee would be big and the learning curve for Freshman defenseman (especially) is one that you cannot rush. Obviously a seasoned D-Man is an asset. Maybe I should have hit the "enter" button about 6 times before mentioning that I felt Chay Genoway is ready to play a more regular role. Never did I say I wanted him to leave!

I find it funny that people are quick to jump on me and assume I am a fairweather fan. They could not be more wrong.

Let's go Sioux!

[NorthDakotaHockey]

We are BIG Lee fans, just as we are BIG fans of damned near every Sioux player, except for a handful of selfish and self-centered dicks who have come and gone over the years. Lee has done everything asked of him. He is solid, smooth, and clever. Granted, he may not be the prototypical Sioux d-man that many of us have come to know and to love, but we have never considered him anything but an asset both to his team and to his University.

Does he make mistakes on the ice? Sure. Just like we all make mistakes in whatever our chosen miserable avocations in the work world may be.

That is one of the many things that make college hockey great. It is played by kids, and kids make mistakes. Mistakes lead to odd-man rushes, spectacular goals, spectacular saves, and sometimes frenzied play. These kids are not pros, and most all of them will never be pros. Pro hockey, by comparison, is boring. Players are rarely out of position. The rarely get their skates crossed. You rarely see odd-man rushes. The players are too good, and the game is too precise.

I'll take college hockey any day, and it kids like Lee, solid both on and off the ice, that make the game as great as it is.

I really get tired of folks griping about Lee. Give the kid a break. He has obviously done much more, and has gone much farther, than any of us here,

at least in his presently chosen passion in life.

We hope he comes back, but would not criticize him if he does not. If he does not return, there will be BIG skates to fill, and we have all seen how long it takes for a young d-man in the WCHA to adjust to the greatest game on earth.