kr Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Someone on this board said UAA an Tech are what they are. UAA yes Michigan Tech no. Will Tech be a force to reckon with, probably not. Are they a team that can steal a win or a final five appearance away from you, absolutley. While Tech and UAA appear to be fixtures at 9 & 10 in the league race next season, it'll be really interesting to see what strides they make. Tech will have a new coach -- will that result in a tumultous transition (ala Wisconsin/Eaves)? There are 18 returning jrs/sophs/fresh that have played at least 27 games for Tech. Colin Murphy a soph had a 40 point season -- Chris Conner a fresh had 37 points and 3 short-handed goals and Brett Engelhardt a junior had 32 points. Throw in Cam Ellsworth (currently a soph) a decent goalie who had 4 freshmen d in front of him (the 4 played in 38, 28,31,30 games respectively) 2 soph d (38,27 games respectively) and 1 junior (37 games). What about UAA -- did the hockey voodoo curse run its course this year? Looking at their stats can blow you away -- they only had 6 players whose overall point totals were in double figures (28,23,17,15,11,10) and in WCHA play only 4 of them notched double digits. They should have more wins next year (goalies will both be seniors - Chris King & Kevin Reiter) but it looks like it's going to be a rough year next year too. Does anyone know who UAA is bringing in next year? Curtis Glencross looked good this year (freshman) as did Ales Parez but that was about it. (Yes, Fournier is suppose to come in but that has been discussed ad nauseam -- and most of us are familiar with what Chris will likely "bring to the table".) -- I'm sort of angling for someone to relay what Chris H.'s site lists as recruits for UAA as I don't know his website address. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Please forgive what is certain to be terrible formatting: Jason Dupuis-G (3/4/03) Merritt (BCHL) 3-19-82 54-3034-176-3.48 Brett Arcand-Kootenay-LC (1/8/03) Powell River (BCHL) 6'1 180 1-23-83 53-28-46-74-106 || 60-23-23-46-103 Justin Bourne-RC (11/26/02) Vernon (BCHL) 6' 185 12-12-82 60-32-44-76-52 || 60-27-28-55- #Mark Smith-RD (11/12/02) Sherwood Park (AJHL) 5'10 170 4-13-83 54-9-23-32-41 || 62-9-30-39-38 #Chad Anderson-D (10/22/02) Tri-City (USHL) 6'2 202 6-16-82 59-8-19-27-119 |60-3-10-13-53 Chris Fournier-LC U.North Dakota 5'7 175 4-10-82 Transfer eligible 2003 http://members.aol.com/cheisenber/Recruit03.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWG Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 This is all well and good, but paper really doesn't matter. I expected Denver to run the table this year. I expected SCSU to finish in the top 3 or 4. I expected the Gophers to be jockeying for home ice in the 1st round of the WCHA's. What matters is the actualy season played. On paper the Gophers look good. To finish #2 in the league, be in the Frozen Four, currently #2 in the country (USA Today 3/31). But injuries, early leavers, etc. could make huge changes. I sure hope we're better. But I don't know that I want to tear through the league like CC did, look where it got them! The only recent team I can remember (in the past 5-6 years) to tear through the league and win everything would be........ oh year, UND in 1997. That's an accomplishment! Win the league, league tourney, and the NCAA. At least we stole a share of the league! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 How do I insert a "quote?" Sorry for being computer illiterate. You could either learn html, or click the "quote" button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Rumor here in Colo Springs is that Senja is going to leave early. I'll suspect we'll know right after they award him the Hobey. Anyone that think Peter is coming back to C.C. is cracked Senja will probably get a look at the NHL next season. The guy can fly he has great skills and I am sure there are many teams out there willing to throw money at him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Anyone that think Peter is coming back to C.C. is cracked Senja will probably get a look at the NHL next season. The guy can fly he has great skills and I am sure there are many teams out there willing to throw money at him... And I'd be willing to contribute to Sejna's salary if it means getting him the he!! out of college hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kr Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 jk -- thank you -- you sure are quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 I would join you, GE, but I already committed my extra funds to the "Vanek Calder Trophy Fund." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slap Shot Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Streaky Gopher, First off you must be about 12 years old. Your probably Siouxrock in disguise. Second take your ass back to the POI.COM, that is were they slobber all over each other talking about the Gophers, M-I-N-N-E-S-O-D-A... This is a UND site. Second to make the statement that you won't lose anyone next season is ignorant, what are you the coach or are you sleeping with a few of the players? You dont know that your team won't lose anyone, there are pro teams out there playing these kids a lot of money, plus your begging. Please, please don't anyone leave. Just like many of you were begging that UND wasn't going to be any good. You never know Vanek might get offered a lot of money, there might be many zeros behind the first number. Yeah I am sure that Thomas would rather play for pride instead of money... Gopher bashing never. It's Sioux fans like you that make me question why I cheered for UND in 2000 and 2001. God knows people can't be nice to each other if they don't cheer for the same team, right? If they should happen to ask for an honest opinion they should be ravaged for having the audacity to expect the possibility of a thoughtful, respectful and non-belligerent response, right? btw, as for how UM will do next year? Who the hell knows? On paper I like their chances (even if they lose someone early the +/- HAS to be considered better than at the end of the 2002 season) but UND returns a lot and won't be pushed around, and UMD also returns a lot. MSUM could be good but they HAVE to improve their defense if they expect to do much over the long haul. Not sure about CC and DU yet. I think SCSU will be lucky to finish Top 5 next year given what they lose and I'm not impressed with their incoming class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mksioux Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Now Slap Shot's here too? I thought I was trying to get away from uscho. Next thing you know, Happy will be making an appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Happy might come too! Yes, maybe he will bring cupcakes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slap Shot Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Now Slap Shot's here too? GO EASY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OETKB Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Given that MN is in the Frozen Four w. only 1 senior, the obvious call is that they will be awesome next season. Really, they are much better this season than I expected. Given how well UND was performing in the first half of the season, it looked like they could be the team to beat next Fall. However, due to the horrific slump they slid into to end this season, now I'm just not sure. Obviously, Parise & Bochenski pack some scoring punch. The question is... what happened to the rest of the team? Lundbohm & Notermann began the season like gangbusters. Not factors at the end. Massen was on fire for awhile, too. Ineffective at the end, among others. My concern is for the program always, so forgive me if I "pick on" individual players. The golden recruiting class of 2001-2 simply hasn't produced, with the lone exception of Bochenski. Blais seemed really excited about bringing those USHL boys into the fold. One is gone, two are bubble players on the 4th line. Disappointing. Blais thought 2003-4 would be his year. As it stands now, it looks like an uphill battle. Then, if we lose Parise & Bochenski & Schneider to the pros, the following year may well be a struggle, too. We shall see what 2003 brings. I'm looking forward to seeing what Murray, Smaby & Stafford have to offer. Also, it will be exciting to see if Lundbohm, Massen, Parise & others will show improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 Given how well UND was performing in the first half of the season, it looked like they could be the team to beat next Fall. However, due to the horrific slump they slid into to end this season, now I'm just not sure. Obviously, Parise & Bochenski pack some scoring punch. The question is... what happened to the rest of the team? Lundbohm & Notermann began the season like gangbusters. Not factors at the end. Massen was on fire for awhile, too. Ineffective at the end, among others. My concern is for the program always, so forgive me if I "pick on" individual players. The golden recruiting class of 2001-2 simply hasn't produced, with the lone exception of Bochenski. Blais seemed really excited about bringing those USHL boys into the fold. One is gone, two are bubble players on the 4th line. Disappointing. Blais thought 2003-4 would be his year. As it stands now, it looks like an uphill battle. Then, if we lose Parise & Bochenski & Schneider to the pros, the following year may well be a struggle, too. We shall see what 2003 brings. I'm looking forward to seeing what Murray, Smaby & Stafford have to offer. Also, it will be exciting to see if Lundbohm, Massen, Parise & others will show improvement. That was a great post. Recently Scott_M brought up a point about UND needing to get some gritty forwards from Western Canada. I also think UND needs to get more of the mean and nasty forwards that go into the corner and get the puck, score goals and can check. Mike Prpich has shown that he can be that guy but I would like to see UND get a few more of these types of players. I am beginning to believe that the class of 2001-2002 not panning out like we thought. However, I am not ready to give up on them yet, they have two years of hockey at UND left. It will be interesting to see what type of decisions Coach Blais makes in the off season. The record over the last 17 games was something like (5-10-2). The off season starts now. I am sure the guys will be working out hard in the off season getting bigger and stronger. Goaltending will need to improve. It will be interesting to see what transpires in the off season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyDoo Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 Now Slap Shot's here too? I thought I was trying to get away from uscho. Next thing you know, Happy will be making an appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 What did everyone expect from last year's freshmen? Sheesh. Bochenski - goes without saying Fournier - a chance on talent gone bad Massen - had a good year this year. Nice step up from last year. Potential to get even better! Canady - Sure we'd like to see some offensive but was he billed as a scorer? I don't think so. Big physical checking line type forward. Does need to keep himself out of the box. He was injured almost all year, so you can't really evaluate him. Connelly - Hurt much of 1st year. Has good speed and plays hard. Could use some more offensive production from him. Was close this year but couldn't quite put up the points Faul - couldn't crack the starting lineup McMahon - Very important face-off guy, good physical checking line type center who has ability to score Schneider - enough said Jones - What more do you want from him? Fuher - What more do you want from him? Sheesh. That class is the backbone of the program. They not only provide some of the scoring punch but also many of the role players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skateshattrick Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 Dagies, your enthusiasm and positive spin is commendable, but I have to respectfully disagree. The defensemen from the sophomore class are good, but of the 7 forwards, only 1 has made an impact. McMahon is a valuable defensive player, and he could turn out to be a Teeder Wynne that blossoms into a scorer later. If not, he's still a valuable defensive forward like Adam Calder. Massen has talent, but he disappeared the 2nd half. He is not fast, and does not play strong enough for his size. I agree, however, that he is a good player. I'm just not sure if he will get better, or end up more like Chris Gotziamann who did not really improve. Fournier and Faul are busts because they are gone. Frankly, Connelly and Canady are as well. Canady continually takes stupid penalties, and contributes nothing offensively. I don't think he's even a good defensive forward. Our 4th line this year was brutal. Connelly works hard, but 0 goals won't cut it. He reminds me of Tom Phillion, who worked extremely hard, but contributed very little. This may be harsh, but it is objective. It also echoes what I have been told by a few former players who think that a few players should go, including a local boy who will be a senior. I guess we can agree to disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawkota Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 skates, if you equate McMahon with Adam Calder (and I think you are correct in doing so), then you have to consider McMahon as an "impact" forward as well, despite the fact that he's not a scorer. I would tend to agree with your assessments though. To date, the forwards from that recruiting class have been a collective disappointment. You can measure the contributions of only 4 of the 7 and of those 4, most would agree that 2 have underperformed. I don't know how you could come to any other conclusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mksioux Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 ScoobyDoo too I really don't care much about the influx of Gopher fans to this board. I find the timing a little curious, but oh well. The more the merrier I guess. Nice first post btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 On the class of sophomore forwards, I understand calling it a bust and I understand dagies' point of view as well. Going into it, I thought we had a good shot of having three stars - Fournier, Bochenski and Massen. I expected solid contributions from McMahon, Canady and Connelly, and I wasn't expecting much from Faul. Bochesnki is a star. Despite my (and obviously others) frustrations with him, Massen is very close to being on a star track. He was the sixth leading scorer on the team as a sophomore, and averaged 1.00 point per game in league play. Here are his numbers: Fresh. - Overall: 34 games, 5-8-13. WCHA - 26 games, 4-3-7 Soph. - Overall: 42 games, 15-20-35 WCHA - 28 games, 12-16-28 My frustration with him stems from observing some of the things he is capable of. He made a jaw-dropping move to lose a UAA defenseman in GF earlier this year that resulted in a Notermann rebound goal. At the Final Five, he came out of the corner with the puck, using his long reach to maintain possession, and got a great shot off. These flashes of exceptional offensive skill make me wonder why we can't see it more often. Despite that, he really improved from his freshman year to the next, and I can't get too down on him. Fournier's gone, and while the team obviously was better off from a chemistry perspective, in the end they probably missed his offensive creativity more than I and many Sioux fans would like to admit. I have gotten the solid player I was hoping for in McMahon, but I wish he scored a little more. I understand being down on Canady based on some of the things cited, but I can't do it based on the kind of year he had. He ended last year with a pretty serious injury, started this year with another one, and then had another in the second half this year. I believe you stick with someone when they're down, rather than bailing out on them. As for Connelly, I have seen glimpses of real ability and have defended him here in the past, but even I have to shake my head at the lack of production. Among the biggest disappointments would have to be a guy who came in with these guys, although he wasn't eligible to play his freshman year, Genoway. I really thought he would come in and score but it sure didn't happen. So for me... At or above expectations: Bochenski, Massen, McMahon, (Faul) Below expectations: Connelly, Genoway, (Fournier) Incomplete: Canady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnv Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Here's my take on this years sophomore class......... Bochenski.......obviously scored a lot of goals.....but, could he be better? Bear with me here....but how many times did he try go 1 on 2 vs. the opposing team in the 2nd half of the season with no results? Don't get me wrong though, still a potent threat and a great player!! But might be better if he follows the play and waits to get the puck so he can bury it!? I have to disagree with the call on Massen.....in some games, he did make improvements! This kid for his size is LAZY!?!?!? Yes, he did make a few nice moves, but move your butt kid! I think he was a disapointment! He was a sophomore! They should be able to hustle more and good lord, why can't he use his strength, or even check more? Need to step it up and work HARD next year! Then we'll see! Canady....nice guy, but STUPID STUPID penalties away from the play that has nothing to do with the game of hockey other than undisciplined penalties! Get a clue! Connelly? I think big disappointment! He'd do some circling, but couldn't get much done, and ZERO GOALS??? OUCH! Not gonna cut it in this league! Genoway.....I was high on him after the first few games....but then he disappeared? I'm hoping next year he'll bust out! Mcmahon....decent player who I think is still playing under his potential, but he has been a good defensive centerman and a solid 3rd line center....but still think his offensive production needs to increase next year! As long as these players spend their offseason working hard, I think they all will improve! Hopefully Filing spends a little time thinking on his "passing" abilities! Can move the puck ok, but then doesn't know exactly what to do with it...(IMO). These juniors need to step it up and we'll be fine next season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 I think that Connelly will step up next year. He was a good fourth line forward this year. He may not have produced a lot in points, but he played pretty well. Don't forget the kid missed a lot of last season due to a shoulder injury and I believe he had surgery on it this summer. Canady DOES need to stop the stupid behind the play penalties. I thought that we would be done with that this year as he had some experience and developed as a player, but obviously not. Genoway needs to step up next year as well, as he did not live up to the hype on him last year. Not that I expected him to, but he still played below the level I expected him to play at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowdog Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Honestly I dont' think there is that much difference between UND and UofM maybe a few players. Your goaltenders aren't any better than our top goalie Brandt matches up well with Weber, also . J.J. isn't a world by any stretch of the imagination. Your defense has two players that I consider very good P. Martin and Ballard, the other defensemen on your team are not better than the other team's 3-6 defensemen. Your forwards are a wash... Keep crowing, we will talk to the Gopher Rubes when Michigan Beats the Dirty Gophers in the semi finals... Who's smoking weed. Not much difference between UND and UofM. How about Ferris St. Good luck you moron. We were better than you this year and we will only grow that gap next year. If Michigan does beat the gophers I would still rather have our future than yours you little loser. Our forwards on our fourth line are better than the sioux's first so how do you make them a wash. You need to take off the beer goggles you idiot. The sioux have 10 sophomores which would normally be a good thing in two years, but unfortunately for you they all stink. So all it does is makes sure the sioux will not be any good for two more years. Please quit trying to compare these two teams it is insulting to the current national champs and soon to be back to back national champions. Now hurry up and give me some shot about 7 national titles, because you sioux fans can only live in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Our forwards on our fourth line are better than the sioux's first so how do you make them a wash. You certainly bring a unique point of view to the discussion. I wonder how many sober gopher fans are going to rush in to support you on that assertion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowdog Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 You certainly bring a unique point of view to the discussion. I wonder how many sober gopher fans are going to rush in to support you on that assertion? Not Many, but I wasn't completely serious either on that one. I was serious however about that guy being crazy to compare these two programs right now. The gophers are far superior for the time being and it looks like it will remain that way for at least a couple of years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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