Who: Fargo-Moorhead Jets vs. Southern Minnesota Express
Where: Shattuck-St. Mary's Arena, Faribault, Minnesota
When: April 27, 2007
Final Score: 3-2 Southern Minnesota (3ot)
If I recall, the press release put out after this game had something non-committal like "We're pretty sure this was the longest US junior playoff game in history" and as far as I know, nobody else stepped up and claimed a longer game, and nobody had a longer playoff game last year, so we'll just go ahead and call this the longest playoff in US junior hockey history.
Southern Minnesota had won the first two games of the series in Fargo, and needed this game to clinch a trip to the NAHL Tournament. Fargo-Moorhead needed the win to extend their season.
As you'd expect, this was an absolutely fantastic goaltenders battle from start to finish with current Minnesota State back-up Austin Lee in goal for Fargo-Moorhead, and current Denver back-up Lars Paulgaard in net for Southern Minnesota.
It took 37 minutes to get the game's first goal, when Chris Connolly scored to give F-M the lead. F-M looked like they were in the good shape to extend their season when they added a second goal at 5:51 of the third period. Southern Minnesota couldn't mount much attack on the Jets, and when they did, Austin Lee was rock solid in goal. But with just under 6 minutes to play, Southern Minnesota caught a break and went on the powerplay. Thirty seconds later, they had scored and cut the deficit to just one.
The game looked to be all but over with about 90 seconds to play, but Fargo-Moorhead took another penalty, and the Express tied the game with 44 seconds left on the clock. That would be the start of what would go on to be almost another entire game of hockey.
You'd expect both teams to play things pretty close to the vest in overtime of a playoff game, but the game was still pretty wide open. Shots were 12-10 favor Southern Minnesota in the first overtime period. F-M dominated the second overtime, outshooting Southern Minnesota 17-7 and had the first powerplay of the overtime. But Southern Minnesota's Lars Paulgaard was absolutely incredible. I was standing on the glass right behind Paulgaard and some of the saves he was making were phenomenal. One in particular that sticks in my memory was a shot through traffic that he was completely screened on. The shot was labeled for the lower left corner of the net and Paulgaard somehow threw his right leg out to kick it wide. There's no way he could have seen the shot until the very last second, but he was so locked in that he was able to make the save on pure instinct and quickness.
By the third overtime, it was becoming pretty obvious that the game would have to be won on special teams, because nobody was going to beat one of those goaltenders at even strength. After Fargo-Moorhead got their powerplay in the second OT, Southern Minnesota got a man advantage in the third overtime, and for the third time that night, they capitalized. It wasn't even a pretty goal. Mike Montgomery(now at Minnesota-Duluth) fired a shot that deflected off a shin pad or something in front of the net and went straight to the stick of teammate Dusty Jackson(now at Denver). Jackson caught the puck on his backhand, facing away from the net and just sort of flung the puck over his shoulder towards the net. Lee wasn't able to recover from the initial shot in time and the puck went in to finally end the game.
The final tally on the night was 110:15 of hockey, with each team registering 56 shots apiece, but Paulgaard winning the goaltending battle over Lee by making 54 saves, to Lee's 53.
Showing posts with label junior hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label junior hockey. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 01, 2008
More on WJHL Fiasco
I mentioned the embarrassment of the Wisconsin Junior Hockey League yesterday, and here's a little more on that.
According to the head coach of the Rhinelander team, the league has collapsed. The Rhinelander Daggers were trying to gain admission in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League, but so far, I haven't heard anything.
I questioned yesterday whether the league's failure was due to poor planning or straight up wrongdoing on the part of the people running the league. The latter looks to be in the lead right now, with most of the blame falling on WJHL franchise director Scott Schwendeman. Said Rhinelander head coach Igor Myaskovskiy, "The guy is almost like a criminal."
Calling him almost a criminal is in fact, too kind. If you search Wisconsin Court Records, you'll find a pretty impressive rap sheet for a 26-year-old, including a lot of small claims to recover lost money, writing bad checks, and a couple bail jumping accusations.
That link is also helpful for keeping track of all the lawsuits filed against him so far in relation to the WJHL debacle. He also received a speeding ticket on September 2nd, presumably while driving away with those people's money.
It's really a shame that something like this happened. I guess the lesson here for players and parents is to be very careful when dealing with unsanctioned leagues. The WJHL was never sanctioned by USA Hockey, and according to USA Hockey, they never even talked with USA Hockey. Perhaps USA Hockey's rules and regulations for junior leagues would have kept something like this from happening.
According to the head coach of the Rhinelander team, the league has collapsed. The Rhinelander Daggers were trying to gain admission in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League, but so far, I haven't heard anything.
I questioned yesterday whether the league's failure was due to poor planning or straight up wrongdoing on the part of the people running the league. The latter looks to be in the lead right now, with most of the blame falling on WJHL franchise director Scott Schwendeman. Said Rhinelander head coach Igor Myaskovskiy, "The guy is almost like a criminal."
Calling him almost a criminal is in fact, too kind. If you search Wisconsin Court Records, you'll find a pretty impressive rap sheet for a 26-year-old, including a lot of small claims to recover lost money, writing bad checks, and a couple bail jumping accusations.
That link is also helpful for keeping track of all the lawsuits filed against him so far in relation to the WJHL debacle. He also received a speeding ticket on September 2nd, presumably while driving away with those people's money.
It's really a shame that something like this happened. I guess the lesson here for players and parents is to be very careful when dealing with unsanctioned leagues. The WJHL was never sanctioned by USA Hockey, and according to USA Hockey, they never even talked with USA Hockey. Perhaps USA Hockey's rules and regulations for junior leagues would have kept something like this from happening.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
NAHL Showcase Kicks Off
Today was Day 1 of the NAHL Showcase. There was a lot of good hockey played. Most eyes, however, were probably focused on the two NTDP teams getting their seasons underway.
For the U17 team, their opening game had to be considered a huge success. After four first period goals, the team cruised to an easy 5-1 victory over Bismarck. Austin Czarnik scored twice in the first period, including a beautiful drive down the right wing where he uncorked a slap shot that went perfectly into the upper corner of the net. Michael Mersch also scored a pretty goal when he shelfed a puck from the top of the cirlce. Jack Campbell played very well in net, only allowing one goal on a tip in front of the net. Kevin Clare is the captain of the team and looks to be the class of the defense. He was rock solid all game, and also won a fight in the first period.
It was a different story for the U18 team, who was upset by Wichita Falls 3-2 in overtime. The US didn't dress top players Jeremy Morin and Kyle Palmieri, as well as A.J. Treais, Jerry D'Amigo, and Tyler Amburgey. The US team got off to a great start, and looked to be skating and moving the puck well, but could only build a one goal lead and failed to put the game away. As the game dragged on, their level of play really seemed to sink down to the competition.
Wichita's Mike Jarboe is probably one of the best goalies in the NAHL, and he showed why tonight. He stopped 47 of 49 shots, and while he didn't have a lot of highlight reel saves, he was always in perfect position, and made some difficult saves on blasts from the point. The other big difference in this game was the powerplay. Wichita scored all three goals with the man advantage while the NTDP went 0-for-5. The US fired a ton of one-timers from the point, but could never get a decent deflection or rebound in front of the net.
It's a disappointing result, but it's early in the season, and the team was playing without some of their best players. All in all, there will probably be more panic about this game than it deserves.
For the U17 team, their opening game had to be considered a huge success. After four first period goals, the team cruised to an easy 5-1 victory over Bismarck. Austin Czarnik scored twice in the first period, including a beautiful drive down the right wing where he uncorked a slap shot that went perfectly into the upper corner of the net. Michael Mersch also scored a pretty goal when he shelfed a puck from the top of the cirlce. Jack Campbell played very well in net, only allowing one goal on a tip in front of the net. Kevin Clare is the captain of the team and looks to be the class of the defense. He was rock solid all game, and also won a fight in the first period.
It was a different story for the U18 team, who was upset by Wichita Falls 3-2 in overtime. The US didn't dress top players Jeremy Morin and Kyle Palmieri, as well as A.J. Treais, Jerry D'Amigo, and Tyler Amburgey. The US team got off to a great start, and looked to be skating and moving the puck well, but could only build a one goal lead and failed to put the game away. As the game dragged on, their level of play really seemed to sink down to the competition.
Wichita's Mike Jarboe is probably one of the best goalies in the NAHL, and he showed why tonight. He stopped 47 of 49 shots, and while he didn't have a lot of highlight reel saves, he was always in perfect position, and made some difficult saves on blasts from the point. The other big difference in this game was the powerplay. Wichita scored all three goals with the man advantage while the NTDP went 0-for-5. The US fired a ton of one-timers from the point, but could never get a decent deflection or rebound in front of the net.
It's a disappointing result, but it's early in the season, and the team was playing without some of their best players. All in all, there will probably be more panic about this game than it deserves.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Helpful Links
Here are a couple helpful links that may be educational for some players and parents.
The NCAA has released their college hockey promotional web site called playcollegehockey.com.
There's also a new blog with a ton of information called Navigating Junior Hockey.
The NCAA has released their college hockey promotional web site called playcollegehockey.com.
There's also a new blog with a ton of information called Navigating Junior Hockey.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Express on the Move
The metro Detroit area will once again have an entry in the NAHL. It looks like the Southern Minnesota Express will be moving to the Detroit-area.
It is a shame to see junior hockey leave southern Minnesota, though it looks like the people of Owatonna are organizing to try and find a new team.
It is a shame to see junior hockey leave southern Minnesota, though it looks like the people of Owatonna are organizing to try and find a new team.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
More on Silver Sticks
First off, a couple of clarifications. In my first post, I said that Belle Tire wasn't able to play with their '91 players, which apparently wasn't the case. Belle Tire uses fewer '91 players than just about every US midget minor team, which I think was part of the reason they were allowed into the tournament.
Second, I mentioned the three committed players on Compuware's midget minor team, mainly as a point of reference, but it should be noted that forward Jared Knight did not play due to a knee injury, anddefenseman Michael Gunn wasn't able to play due to a loss in his family.
Third, I mentioned that John McFarland received a three-game suspension. Apparently the suspension was for a check-from-behind, which compounded by arguing with the officials about it, and was given a three-game suspension.
Anyway, I was able to talk with a pretty well-connected hockey person that was in attendance at the event and was able to get some of his thoughts on the tournament.
The event was obviously well-scouted. Every OHL team had their scouts in attendance. There were fewer from the NCAA side. The only coaches spotted were from New Hampshire, Vermont, and UMass, along with USHL Central Scouting. Apparently there was quite a bit of "verbal jousting" between the OHL and USHL factions.
There was a lot of talk over the weekend about the Toronto Jr. Canadiens team, who apparently had not lost a game the past four years, but suffered their fourth loss of the season to Belle Tire in the tournament. The Jr. Canadiens still have some tremendously talented though. Forward John McFarland, Chase Balisy, Tyler Toffoli, and Cody McNaughton could all potentially be taken in the first round of this spring's OHL Priority Selection. Almost all of the players on the Jr. Canadiens are represented by Newport Sports Management, which has a history of directing players towards the CHL route(though NSM also represents some former college guys like Phil Kessel and David Backes). In any case, it's unlikely that you'll see the high-end kids off that team choosing the college route.
Elgin-Middlesex got off to a rough start this season, but their performance this weekend showed how talented they are. The two elite players off of that team are forwards Greg McKegg and Steven Shipley, who again, both look like they are almost guaranteed to go to the OHL. Other players of note includes center Drew Collinson, who looks like he will go to the OHL, forward Shayne Ryhno, and defenseman Nik Knezic
Second, I mentioned the three committed players on Compuware's midget minor team, mainly as a point of reference, but it should be noted that forward Jared Knight did not play due to a knee injury, anddefenseman Michael Gunn wasn't able to play due to a loss in his family.
Third, I mentioned that John McFarland received a three-game suspension. Apparently the suspension was for a check-from-behind, which compounded by arguing with the officials about it, and was given a three-game suspension.
Anyway, I was able to talk with a pretty well-connected hockey person that was in attendance at the event and was able to get some of his thoughts on the tournament.
The event was obviously well-scouted. Every OHL team had their scouts in attendance. There were fewer from the NCAA side. The only coaches spotted were from New Hampshire, Vermont, and UMass, along with USHL Central Scouting. Apparently there was quite a bit of "verbal jousting" between the OHL and USHL factions.
There was a lot of talk over the weekend about the Toronto Jr. Canadiens team, who apparently had not lost a game the past four years, but suffered their fourth loss of the season to Belle Tire in the tournament. The Jr. Canadiens still have some tremendously talented though. Forward John McFarland, Chase Balisy, Tyler Toffoli, and Cody McNaughton could all potentially be taken in the first round of this spring's OHL Priority Selection. Almost all of the players on the Jr. Canadiens are represented by Newport Sports Management, which has a history of directing players towards the CHL route(though NSM also represents some former college guys like Phil Kessel and David Backes). In any case, it's unlikely that you'll see the high-end kids off that team choosing the college route.
Elgin-Middlesex got off to a rough start this season, but their performance this weekend showed how talented they are. The two elite players off of that team are forwards Greg McKegg and Steven Shipley, who again, both look like they are almost guaranteed to go to the OHL. Other players of note includes center Drew Collinson, who looks like he will go to the OHL, forward Shayne Ryhno, and defenseman Nik Knezic
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Silver Sticks
The Silver Sticks International tournament was held this weekend in Whitby, Ontario, bringing together some of the best teams in the US and Canada. You can view the scores to all of the games here.
There were two US teams in the Minor Midget AAA division: Detroit Compuware and Detroit Belle Tire. The Compuware team, which features college commits such as Michigan recruits Jared Knight and Luke Moffatt, and Michigan State commit Michael Gunn, went 3-0 in bracket play, but fell 2-1 in the quarterfinals to the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, who was ranked as the second best Minor Midget team in the OHL Cup standings.
Belle Tire went 2-1 in exhibition play, with their only loss coming to the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs. In the semifinals, Belle Tire knocked off the Jr. Canadiens, who were without John McFarland, a forward that is considered to be the next great Canadian hockey player, who was serving a 3-game suspension. In the final, Belle Tire lost again to Elgin-Middlesex. It was an impressive showing from Belle Tire, especially considering that Belle Tire's '91 birthdates were not allowed to play in the tournament.
In case you're curious, here is the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs roster. The Chiefs were ranked 8th in the OHL Cup standings, and will likely be moving up after this weekend.
The Minor Bantam AAA tournament many more American teams, and an American team, Chicago Mission, ended up winning the tournament, beating the Toronto Marlies. Here is the roster for the Mission, but since the team is comprised of '94 birthdates, you'll be far too old to actually enjoy their play by the time they get to college.
I don't much about the team, but a few things stick out while looking at their roster. First is defenseman Vince Pedrie, who I would guess is of some relation to Larry Pedrie, who was an assistant coach at Ferris State, Illinois-Chicago, and Michigan, and head coach at UIC. After leaving college coaching, Pedrie stayed in the Chicago area, working for the Blackhawks and founding the Chicago Chill AAA program.
Second, the team seems to have a female goalie in Megan Miller. It looks like Miller is the team's back-up goalie, starting four of the team's 11 MWEHL games, but she has very impressive statistics in the league games she has played in.
Third, one of the coaches on that Mission team is Greg Tam. Tam, an Illinois native, played defense for the Soo Indians of the NAHL, and was a late addition to St. Cloud State's roster for the 2002-2003 season. Tam played four games for the Huskies before transferring out east to D-III New England College where he played for two seasons.
There were two US teams in the Minor Midget AAA division: Detroit Compuware and Detroit Belle Tire. The Compuware team, which features college commits such as Michigan recruits Jared Knight and Luke Moffatt, and Michigan State commit Michael Gunn, went 3-0 in bracket play, but fell 2-1 in the quarterfinals to the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, who was ranked as the second best Minor Midget team in the OHL Cup standings.
Belle Tire went 2-1 in exhibition play, with their only loss coming to the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs. In the semifinals, Belle Tire knocked off the Jr. Canadiens, who were without John McFarland, a forward that is considered to be the next great Canadian hockey player, who was serving a 3-game suspension. In the final, Belle Tire lost again to Elgin-Middlesex. It was an impressive showing from Belle Tire, especially considering that Belle Tire's '91 birthdates were not allowed to play in the tournament.
In case you're curious, here is the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs roster. The Chiefs were ranked 8th in the OHL Cup standings, and will likely be moving up after this weekend.
The Minor Bantam AAA tournament many more American teams, and an American team, Chicago Mission, ended up winning the tournament, beating the Toronto Marlies. Here is the roster for the Mission, but since the team is comprised of '94 birthdates, you'll be far too old to actually enjoy their play by the time they get to college.
I don't much about the team, but a few things stick out while looking at their roster. First is defenseman Vince Pedrie, who I would guess is of some relation to Larry Pedrie, who was an assistant coach at Ferris State, Illinois-Chicago, and Michigan, and head coach at UIC. After leaving college coaching, Pedrie stayed in the Chicago area, working for the Blackhawks and founding the Chicago Chill AAA program.
Second, the team seems to have a female goalie in Megan Miller. It looks like Miller is the team's back-up goalie, starting four of the team's 11 MWEHL games, but she has very impressive statistics in the league games she has played in.
Third, one of the coaches on that Mission team is Greg Tam. Tam, an Illinois native, played defense for the Soo Indians of the NAHL, and was a late addition to St. Cloud State's roster for the 2002-2003 season. Tam played four games for the Huskies before transferring out east to D-III New England College where he played for two seasons.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
And You Thought You Had a Rough Night
Saturday night in the Northern Pacific Junior Hockey League, first place Seattle, who was 20-1 on the season, took on last place Rogue Valley, who was winless in 21 tries.
The results were not pretty. Kyle Stoumbaugh's 10-point night helped make him the league's leading scorer.
It was actually the fourth meeting of the year between the two teams. Seattle swept and earlier series at Rogue Valley by scores of 5-1 and 13-1, and had defeated Rogue Valley 18-3 the night prior. The two teams still have three more meetings left this year.
The results were not pretty. Kyle Stoumbaugh's 10-point night helped make him the league's leading scorer.
It was actually the fourth meeting of the year between the two teams. Seattle swept and earlier series at Rogue Valley by scores of 5-1 and 13-1, and had defeated Rogue Valley 18-3 the night prior. The two teams still have three more meetings left this year.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
AJHL Update
I talked about the BCHL this past weekend. Next, I'll talk a little bit about the Alberta Junior Hockey League. I figure I should get in some updates about the Jr. A leagues now, before the college season starts.
Everyone in the league has played about 10 games so far. Fort McMurray leads the North Division with 7 wins and 3 OT losses. Drumheller leads the South Division with 8 wins and 2 OT losses, though Camrose is a perfect 7-0-0-0 so far.
Fort McMurray is led by the league's leading scorer, Jack Maclellan who has 18 points so far. Fort McMurray also has NMU recruit Tyler Gron, who has 12 points so far.
Some of the committed players are starting to move to the top of the league scoring table including Denver recruit Joe Colborne in 4th, Alaska recruit Nik Yaremchuk in 5th, Duluth recruit Mike Connolly in 8th, Northern Michigan recruit Andrew Cherniwchan in 10th, Gron in 11th, and Michigan State recruit Adam Henderson in 16th.
Everyone in the league has played about 10 games so far. Fort McMurray leads the North Division with 7 wins and 3 OT losses. Drumheller leads the South Division with 8 wins and 2 OT losses, though Camrose is a perfect 7-0-0-0 so far.
Fort McMurray is led by the league's leading scorer, Jack Maclellan who has 18 points so far. Fort McMurray also has NMU recruit Tyler Gron, who has 12 points so far.
Some of the committed players are starting to move to the top of the league scoring table including Denver recruit Joe Colborne in 4th, Alaska recruit Nik Yaremchuk in 5th, Duluth recruit Mike Connolly in 8th, Northern Michigan recruit Andrew Cherniwchan in 10th, Gron in 11th, and Michigan State recruit Adam Henderson in 16th.
Friday, September 28, 2007
BCHL
The British Columbia Hockey League's season is pretty much in full swing. All of the teams have played at least a handful of games.
Despite what it may say in Hockey Canada's Player Development Manual, the league really seems to have embraced college hockey. On the front page of the league website, along with highlighting the top player of the week, the league is also highlighting a "College Bound" player. This week, it is former Victory Honda forward Colin Lidster, who will be going to Quinnipiac in 2009.
Also, on each team's roster, there is a special tag to note if a player has committed to a school, and clicking on it shows where and when the player will go to college. Each individual profile also lists where a player has committed to college. The individual profiles also contain more information for recruiting purposes. It looks like players can uploads transcripts, resumes, and other information. I doubt colleges ever had trouble getting that info in the past, but it's cool to see the effort made.
It's nice to see the league promoting college hockey like that, and it makes sense, given that the league's biggest stars like Kyle Turris and Riley Nash have moved off to college.
Shane Frederick tracked down this article on Minnesota State recruit Garry Nunn. The article compares Nunn to former Duluth Bulldog Mason Raymond, which I think most Mankato fans would be okay with. The article mentions that MSU's coaches wanted Nunn to join the program this season, which makes sense given the fact that Nunn will have to sit out a year at Mankato before taking the ice in a game. I'm sure MSU would have loved to add two speedy forwards in Nunn and Roseville HS forward Adam Mueller to their experienced roster in 2008-2009.
The BCHL featured twins Connor and Kellen Jones. They are '90 birthdates, though fairly small in stature. Through 7 games, Connor has 3 points and Kellen has 1.
Meanwhile, the top players are starting to move to the top of the scoring table. David Arduin, who recently committed to Quinnipiac, is tied for the league lead with 14 points. RIT recruit Scott Knowles also has 14 points. SCSU recruit Jordy Christian has 12 points, as does major college prospect Derek Lee. Michigan Tech recruit Casey Pierro-Zabotel has 11 points, and Ohio State recruit Zac Dalpe has 9 points.
Despite what it may say in Hockey Canada's Player Development Manual, the league really seems to have embraced college hockey. On the front page of the league website, along with highlighting the top player of the week, the league is also highlighting a "College Bound" player. This week, it is former Victory Honda forward Colin Lidster, who will be going to Quinnipiac in 2009.
Also, on each team's roster, there is a special tag to note if a player has committed to a school, and clicking on it shows where and when the player will go to college. Each individual profile also lists where a player has committed to college. The individual profiles also contain more information for recruiting purposes. It looks like players can uploads transcripts, resumes, and other information. I doubt colleges ever had trouble getting that info in the past, but it's cool to see the effort made.
It's nice to see the league promoting college hockey like that, and it makes sense, given that the league's biggest stars like Kyle Turris and Riley Nash have moved off to college.
Shane Frederick tracked down this article on Minnesota State recruit Garry Nunn. The article compares Nunn to former Duluth Bulldog Mason Raymond, which I think most Mankato fans would be okay with. The article mentions that MSU's coaches wanted Nunn to join the program this season, which makes sense given the fact that Nunn will have to sit out a year at Mankato before taking the ice in a game. I'm sure MSU would have loved to add two speedy forwards in Nunn and Roseville HS forward Adam Mueller to their experienced roster in 2008-2009.
The BCHL featured twins Connor and Kellen Jones. They are '90 birthdates, though fairly small in stature. Through 7 games, Connor has 3 points and Kellen has 1.
Meanwhile, the top players are starting to move to the top of the scoring table. David Arduin, who recently committed to Quinnipiac, is tied for the league lead with 14 points. RIT recruit Scott Knowles also has 14 points. SCSU recruit Jordy Christian has 12 points, as does major college prospect Derek Lee. Michigan Tech recruit Casey Pierro-Zabotel has 11 points, and Ohio State recruit Zac Dalpe has 9 points.
Monday, September 24, 2007
NAHL Showcase/Midget Showcase Report
Here's my report from the NAHL Showcase/Midget Showcase. I spent about 16 hours there over two days, but with 48 teams playing, I didn't see everything. I tried to write as much as I could.
There were such a wide range of players playing there that I decided it would be easiest to separate it all by birth year. Here it is:
1987 Birthdates
1988 Birthdates
1989 Birthdates
1990 Birthdates
1991 Birthdates
1992 Birthdates
1993 Birthdates
There were such a wide range of players playing there that I decided it would be easiest to separate it all by birth year. Here it is:
1987 Birthdates
1988 Birthdates
1989 Birthdates
1990 Birthdates
1991 Birthdates
1992 Birthdates
1993 Birthdates
Thursday, September 20, 2007
NAHL Showcase
The NAHL Showcase Tournament is going on in Blaine, Minnesota. You can follow the tournament on Pointstreak. In addition to the annual tournament featuring all of the NAHL teams, the NAHL is also hosting a Midget Showcase with some excellent Midget Minor and Midget Major teams participating. Needless to say, it's a lot of hockey.
I was there most of today, and will be there most of tomorrow. There's quite a bit to digest, so I won't have comments on individual players until sometime this weekend or early next week. In the meanwhile, here's a few general comments on some of the teams in the NAHL Showcase.
Fairbanks ended up knocking off the NTDP U18 team in an overtime shootout by a score of 3-2. I had to leave after the first period, but it looks like I missed two more periods of what I saw in the first. Fairbanks is one of the stronger franchises in the NAHL, and look like they have a pretty decent team this year, but the NTDP U18 team should have been able to beat them easily. There's too much talent on that roster not to. From what I saw, there was a lot of talented individual effort from the US players, but not a lot of team play. During their first period powerplay, I swear their ratio of shots to passes on the powerplay was about 5:1. It was a far contrast from last year's NTDP team, where that ratio was probably the opposite. Everyone on that team seemed willing to make the extra pass to set up a teammate for a nice one-timer.
Comparing this year's U18 team to past team's, I don't think that this year's rendition will have the success against college programs that some past teams have had.
In the NAHL Central Division, Fargo-Moorhead looks like they'll be the team to beat. They played pretty well today. Their rivalry with Southern Minnesota for division supremacy will probably continue this year. The Express played awful today, but I think they've got such a talented roster that they'll be right there at the end of the year.
In the North, Alpena looked good today, but apparently struggled on Thursday. St. Louis always seems to be strong. Mahoning Valley looks to have a good team again this year, but their bright orange jerseys could be considered a war crime.
Fairbanks looks to be the class of the South Division so far. Why Fairbanks is in the "South" Division is beyond me. Shouldn't the divisions be named West, Central and East?
I was there most of today, and will be there most of tomorrow. There's quite a bit to digest, so I won't have comments on individual players until sometime this weekend or early next week. In the meanwhile, here's a few general comments on some of the teams in the NAHL Showcase.
Fairbanks ended up knocking off the NTDP U18 team in an overtime shootout by a score of 3-2. I had to leave after the first period, but it looks like I missed two more periods of what I saw in the first. Fairbanks is one of the stronger franchises in the NAHL, and look like they have a pretty decent team this year, but the NTDP U18 team should have been able to beat them easily. There's too much talent on that roster not to. From what I saw, there was a lot of talented individual effort from the US players, but not a lot of team play. During their first period powerplay, I swear their ratio of shots to passes on the powerplay was about 5:1. It was a far contrast from last year's NTDP team, where that ratio was probably the opposite. Everyone on that team seemed willing to make the extra pass to set up a teammate for a nice one-timer.
Comparing this year's U18 team to past team's, I don't think that this year's rendition will have the success against college programs that some past teams have had.
In the NAHL Central Division, Fargo-Moorhead looks like they'll be the team to beat. They played pretty well today. Their rivalry with Southern Minnesota for division supremacy will probably continue this year. The Express played awful today, but I think they've got such a talented roster that they'll be right there at the end of the year.
In the North, Alpena looked good today, but apparently struggled on Thursday. St. Louis always seems to be strong. Mahoning Valley looks to have a good team again this year, but their bright orange jerseys could be considered a war crime.
Fairbanks looks to be the class of the South Division so far. Why Fairbanks is in the "South" Division is beyond me. Shouldn't the divisions be named West, Central and East?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Shattucks Finalizes Prep Team
Shattuck-St. Mary's made their final decisions on who will be playing with what team this year. I haven't seen a full roster for the Prep team this year, but I did receive word that they've added four forwards to the prep team: '90 birthdate Tom Duggan, who originally hails from England, a new player from Sweden, '91 birthdate Sam Alfieri from Buffalo, and '92 birthdate Emerson Etem from California.
The Shattuck Prep team starts their season next weekend in New Hope, Minnesota with Week 3 of the HS Elite League.
One name that won't be on the Shattuck roster is '92 born defenseman Garrett Clarke who is playing with the Russell Stover Midget Major team in Kansas this year. The Kansas-based AAA program has an interesting roster this year, including Alaska recruit Bob Marx, and former Rochester Century forward Ryan Knutson. They will also be playing in Minnesota next week at the NAHL Midget Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota.
The Shattuck Prep team starts their season next weekend in New Hope, Minnesota with Week 3 of the HS Elite League.
One name that won't be on the Shattuck roster is '92 born defenseman Garrett Clarke who is playing with the Russell Stover Midget Major team in Kansas this year. The Kansas-based AAA program has an interesting roster this year, including Alaska recruit Bob Marx, and former Rochester Century forward Ryan Knutson. They will also be playing in Minnesota next week at the NAHL Midget Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Festler to USHL
Little Falls HS forward Jared Festler, who set a new single season scoring in Minnesota HS Hockey last year as a junior, has decided to play in the USHL next year.
I'm sure it was a difficult decision for Festler, but probably for the best. The attention he drew last year with his record-setting season probably made things less fun for him. That attention probably would have been even worse this year as he likely would have broken the career scoring record. He'll also face better competition on a daily basis in the USHL, as opposed to staying at Little Falls, who play in one of the state's weaker sections and don't play many of the state's best teams.
At the same time, Festler is making a huge sacrifice. He's giving up playing his senior year of high school with his friends, and giving up an opportunity to lead Little Falls to a state title and possibly win Mr. Hockey.
I wish Festler the best of luck and hope his decision works out for him.
I'm sure it was a difficult decision for Festler, but probably for the best. The attention he drew last year with his record-setting season probably made things less fun for him. That attention probably would have been even worse this year as he likely would have broken the career scoring record. He'll also face better competition on a daily basis in the USHL, as opposed to staying at Little Falls, who play in one of the state's weaker sections and don't play many of the state's best teams.
At the same time, Festler is making a huge sacrifice. He's giving up playing his senior year of high school with his friends, and giving up an opportunity to lead Little Falls to a state title and possibly win Mr. Hockey.
I wish Festler the best of luck and hope his decision works out for him.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Two More Shattuck Alums
Two Shattuck-St. Mary's alums will also be heading to the BCHL next year. HT Lenz and Justin Thomas will be playing for the Merritt Centennials next season.
Best of luck to them out west.
Best of luck to them out west.
Monday, June 11, 2007
3 Shattuck Players Head West
Former Shattuck-St. Mary's players Jason Horstman, Jeff Smith, and Ryan Forgaard will all be playing for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL.
There has been a nice Shattuck to Salmon Arm pipeline over the years. Last year, SCSU recruits Brian Volpei and Tony Mosey went to Salmon Arm after leaving Shattuck and each had a nice season.
Best of luck to these three as they work towards earning a college scholarship.
There has been a nice Shattuck to Salmon Arm pipeline over the years. Last year, SCSU recruits Brian Volpei and Tony Mosey went to Salmon Arm after leaving Shattuck and each had a nice season.
Best of luck to these three as they work towards earning a college scholarship.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Roster Updates
Compuware released their roster for next year's '92 Midget Minor team and it is pretty loaded. Probably the biggest name is Phoenix's Luke Moffatt, who is considered one of the best young American prospects. Michigan recruit Jared Knight is back with the team. They're also adding some of the better players from the MWEHL last year including Alex Aleardi, Charles Williams and Stuart Higgins. And there's a kid from Saline HS on there.
EDIT: It was pointed out to me that the kid from Saline is Paul Pearson, son of Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson.
Quinnipiac recruit Colin Lidster and Anaheim's Mark Morikawa will be playing for Salmon Arm next next season.
EDIT: It was pointed out to me that the kid from Saline is Paul Pearson, son of Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson.
Quinnipiac recruit Colin Lidster and Anaheim's Mark Morikawa will be playing for Salmon Arm next next season.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
NAHL Draft
The NAHL held their draft today. Of course, a player being drafted provides no guarantee that a player will try out for, or make said team.
Traverse City drafted two defenseman. One was Tyler Stephens, who played in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League last year, and has reportedly already drawn some interest from colleges. The other is Miami commit Will Weber, who was the top pick in the USHL draft, and likely won't ever play for TC.
Traverse City may have some locals on their team next season. Former Traverse City West star Alex Redmond is trying out for the Stars after attending Western Michigan as a student for a year. They also tendered TC West star Sean Burke.
Among the players drafted by Alaska was Alaska native William Rapuzzi, who had an excellent season with Belle Tire's Midget Major team this past fall. Alaska is trying to get more of a local influence, tendering 6 native Alaskans.
Alexandria drafted Rochester Century forward Joe Knoepke, who played a big role in Century's 3rd place finish at the Minnesota State Tournament this year. He should do well in the NAHL next season.
Alpena traded away both of their draft picks. The IceDiggers did get a tender from forward Andy Yarber. Yarber is a smaller forward, but is very talented.
Bismarck tendered hard-working Roseau forward Kurt Weston and Michigan forward Andrew Hall.
Fargo-Moorhead drafted Sioux Falls' forward Jake Drewiske, and Osseo HS defenseman Sean McNeely.
Kenai River drafted 5 players, including Roseau HS's Nathan Voll.
I'm not quite sure how this works, but both Southern Minnesota and Mahoning Valley both drafted Victory Honda's Grant Blakey.
North Iowa drafted Bemidji recruit Shea Walters, defenseman Scott Keeven, and Blaine HS forward Ben Lynch. I've got to believe Lynch has a pretty good shot of making a USHL team though.
Texas drafted Broderick Browne from the Texas Attack and Western Michigan recruit Luke Witkowski.
Topeka, the team formerly known as Santa Fe, has drawn from Minnesota in the past, and continued that, drafting physical forward Matt Hartmann, and Brad Wieck, who saw spot duty in Southern Minnesota after his high school season.
Wichita Falls drafted Victory Honda's Ian Ruel, along with Jeff McNeil and Dominic Marrone
Traverse City drafted two defenseman. One was Tyler Stephens, who played in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League last year, and has reportedly already drawn some interest from colleges. The other is Miami commit Will Weber, who was the top pick in the USHL draft, and likely won't ever play for TC.
Traverse City may have some locals on their team next season. Former Traverse City West star Alex Redmond is trying out for the Stars after attending Western Michigan as a student for a year. They also tendered TC West star Sean Burke.
Among the players drafted by Alaska was Alaska native William Rapuzzi, who had an excellent season with Belle Tire's Midget Major team this past fall. Alaska is trying to get more of a local influence, tendering 6 native Alaskans.
Alexandria drafted Rochester Century forward Joe Knoepke, who played a big role in Century's 3rd place finish at the Minnesota State Tournament this year. He should do well in the NAHL next season.
Alpena traded away both of their draft picks. The IceDiggers did get a tender from forward Andy Yarber. Yarber is a smaller forward, but is very talented.
Bismarck tendered hard-working Roseau forward Kurt Weston and Michigan forward Andrew Hall.
Fargo-Moorhead drafted Sioux Falls' forward Jake Drewiske, and Osseo HS defenseman Sean McNeely.
Kenai River drafted 5 players, including Roseau HS's Nathan Voll.
I'm not quite sure how this works, but both Southern Minnesota and Mahoning Valley both drafted Victory Honda's Grant Blakey.
North Iowa drafted Bemidji recruit Shea Walters, defenseman Scott Keeven, and Blaine HS forward Ben Lynch. I've got to believe Lynch has a pretty good shot of making a USHL team though.
Texas drafted Broderick Browne from the Texas Attack and Western Michigan recruit Luke Witkowski.
Topeka, the team formerly known as Santa Fe, has drawn from Minnesota in the past, and continued that, drafting physical forward Matt Hartmann, and Brad Wieck, who saw spot duty in Southern Minnesota after his high school season.
Wichita Falls drafted Victory Honda's Ian Ruel, along with Jeff McNeil and Dominic Marrone
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Legen.........wait for it.............dary
Sioux Falls Stampede co-captain Pat Tiesling helped lead his team to a surprising Clark Cup championship last weekend, but after the game, Tiesling had his eye on a different type of record.
Former NHL player Shjon Podein is said to have set a record when he decided to wear his full equipment for 25 hours after he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. It’s not really an official record, but everyone recognizes that it’s probably a record, because anyone who has smelled sweaty hockey equipment before can’t imagine anyone staying in it longer.
Podein is a Rochester, Minnesota native and has always been an active, and friendly guy in the hockey community. Tiesling had had the opportunity to train with Podein on a couple of occasions and they had become acquaintances. After the championship game, Tiesling called Podein from the locker room and told him that he was going to break Podein’s record, and wear his equipment for 26 hours after his victory. Those around Tiesling thought he was joking.
While his teammates undressed and showered, Tiesling was busy taping hockey socks to his skates so that he didn’t ruin his skate blades. From there, he got on the team bus with his teammates for the 5 hour trip from Waterloo, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I’m not sure who had to sit next to him on the ride home, but I feel sorry for whoever it was.
Once he arrived back in Sioux Falls, Tiesling went to sleep for the night. The next morning, Tiesling gave a few interviews about the Clark Cup victory. That evening, Sioux Falls was scheduled to have their team banquet. About 500 Sioux Falls fans showed up for the banquet. Tiesling, being a team captain, had to give a short speech that evening, which he did, still in full equipment which he had been wearing for almost a day.
At about 11:30 the next night, Tiesling was getting ready to hit the shower when he got a call on his cell phone. The call came from Shjon Podein, who was calling to check in and see if his record had in fact been broken. After Tiesling told him that he had made it, Podein spent a while talking with him about hockey, and winning championships.
So Tiesling is now the record holder for longest time spent in equipment after winning a championship. I’d also hope he at least came close to the record for longest post-game shower. I think it’s a valuable lesson to all the kids out there that you can achieve greatness, or at least, notoriety, if you put your mind to it.
Former NHL player Shjon Podein is said to have set a record when he decided to wear his full equipment for 25 hours after he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. It’s not really an official record, but everyone recognizes that it’s probably a record, because anyone who has smelled sweaty hockey equipment before can’t imagine anyone staying in it longer.
Podein is a Rochester, Minnesota native and has always been an active, and friendly guy in the hockey community. Tiesling had had the opportunity to train with Podein on a couple of occasions and they had become acquaintances. After the championship game, Tiesling called Podein from the locker room and told him that he was going to break Podein’s record, and wear his equipment for 26 hours after his victory. Those around Tiesling thought he was joking.
While his teammates undressed and showered, Tiesling was busy taping hockey socks to his skates so that he didn’t ruin his skate blades. From there, he got on the team bus with his teammates for the 5 hour trip from Waterloo, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I’m not sure who had to sit next to him on the ride home, but I feel sorry for whoever it was.
Once he arrived back in Sioux Falls, Tiesling went to sleep for the night. The next morning, Tiesling gave a few interviews about the Clark Cup victory. That evening, Sioux Falls was scheduled to have their team banquet. About 500 Sioux Falls fans showed up for the banquet. Tiesling, being a team captain, had to give a short speech that evening, which he did, still in full equipment which he had been wearing for almost a day.
At about 11:30 the next night, Tiesling was getting ready to hit the shower when he got a call on his cell phone. The call came from Shjon Podein, who was calling to check in and see if his record had in fact been broken. After Tiesling told him that he had made it, Podein spent a while talking with him about hockey, and winning championships.
So Tiesling is now the record holder for longest time spent in equipment after winning a championship. I’d also hope he at least came close to the record for longest post-game shower. I think it’s a valuable lesson to all the kids out there that you can achieve greatness, or at least, notoriety, if you put your mind to it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
USHL Draft Live Blog
The USHL's Entry Draft is this morning. You can follow the results, and get some commentary here.
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