College Hockey - Off Season and Pre Season

[yakfisher]

I learned long ago you can't argue with maroon colored glasses. Thinck and ignorant

That all being said, as long as the next 5 for us aren't as aweful as the last 5 for you we will be just fine.

[Bear55]

Hak is the new age Wooger, just good enough to keep your competetive but not good enough to win it all. Don't think of it as a gopher like collapse of the resent past but slow train to nowhere.

[solbes]

I was hoping for more dialogue between the No-Name's and the Goph's. Kinda dissapointing actually.

Assuming no one else gets suspended, expelled, or ends their season off ice, here are my WCHA pre-season predictions. I want to hear others predictions as well. 3 through 8 are really close IMO.

1) UMtc. They simply have too much offense to be ranked anything but #1. If the defense can't take the pressure off the shiny new goaltenders, then we might have a different story.

2) UND. Returning Knight and Kristo makes a huge impact. Add some offense from Grimaldi and it might be entertaining down the stretch for the MacNaughton. Also have new goaltenders as a liability (a theme this year), but Saunders has at least been tested in the past with an utterly terrible team around him (UAH). Don't know which will goalie get the starts.

3) SCSU. Leblanc got that redshirt and he has some serious help up front. Solid D up front and they actually have a goalie in net who played okay last year in Faragher. This seems a little high for Cloud, but its my sleeper pick.

4) DU. Big losses with Shore and Zucker out so scoring might be an issue. Defensively though they are stacked as they come in the WCHA. LaLeggia on the blue line and Brittain in goal are quite a tandem.

5) UW. Zengerle is a great returning center. Almost all returning scorers return, so Bucky has a lot of upward mobility. Losing Schultzy has to hurt though.

6) UMD. Lots of scoring departed after last season, so plenty of room for the freshman. Luckily this is the best Freshman class Duluth has had in years. Welinski is going to be a stud defenseman some day. I'm quite excited about him. Farley and Camaranesi are both smallish skill skaters that work well in Sandy's system and should stick around for years. Solid blue liners, but some goalie questions around whether Crandall will take the starts in goal.

7) MTU. Pearson got way more out of his players last year than anyone expected. Som big departures, but I don't see a return to the doormat this year. Contending for home ice again.

8) CC. Returns stud Rylan Schwartz, but some big scoring losses and Guentzel on the blue line really hurts.

9) MSU. New coach, new system, hopefully a fresh start for the purple Mav's. This is a team that is desparate to have a good season. Moving up two spots would be a solid start to changing their outlook next year in the new WCHA.

10) UNO. Simply lost too many scorers to contend for home ice. Maybe Blais gets a lot more out of the younger guys though.

11) BSU. Seems unfair to put them here, but they lost Bakala and a bunch of their best players. Hope I'm way wrong about this one.

12) AA. Someone has to be the doormat.

[Bear55]

Pretty good list solbes, I might drop UND a couple of notches.

Where are all the Sioux fans, the season is almost here this place is like a ghost town.

[archerystud]

I hope you guys are right as I'd like to see SCSU finish near the top for a change.

Hard to argue with the U at the top. Unless their goaltending fails them they are the team to beat.

AT LEAST WE HAVE COLLEGE HOCKEY!!!

[cbrooks]

I was hoping for more dialogue between the No-Name's and the Goph's. Kinda dissapointing actually.

"no-names"...your killing me Solbes . Where the he11 is Savre?

[cbrooks]

I got to get up to snuff on my college hockey. Can't believe its almost time already. Looks like the only hockey we have is college with the lock out happening

[solbes]

"no-names"...your killing me Solbes . Where the he11 is Savre?

I dunno but at least we got Brooks back in the fray. Haven't heard from Shore much either yet. Only 3 weeks left, yeah!

At least the WCHA could have scheduled two series with UM vs UND in the final year. They only play each other at Mariucci on Jan 18/19.

[Bear55]

About time you show up brooks!

I do kind like the sound of the no-names, has a ring to it.

[yakfisher]

Call me any name, just don't call me gopher.

[Bear55]

How about UND going back to the flickertails?

[fishing tech]

Gophers and BC both #1 to start the season.

[yakfisher]

How about UND going back to the flickertails?

I said don't call me a gopher. Maybe flicker fingers. I'm sure Hakstol is in.

[CaptainMusky]

flickertail is a ground squirrel. Im pretty sure there is a distinction between that and a gopher.

[solbes]

Maybe flicker fingers. I'm sure Hakstol is in.

That's PERFECT!!! North Dakota Flicker Fingers. Your logo could be DOUBLE Hakstol pistols.

I'd buy a jersey for sure. I bet even JT Brown and Dean Blais might get a chuckle out of that one.

[Bear55]

flickertail is a ground squirrel. Im pretty sure there is a distinction between that and a gopher.

Clearly more intimidating that the previous logo.

[CaptainMusky]

Possibly less offensive too. Except maybe to prairie dogs who don't have a team.

[Bear55]

Trolling the Sioux again, UND rap sheet below the article. Every program has this stuff but UND might have taken it to a new level.

http://letsgodu.blogspot.com/2012/09/hakstol-fed-up-with-unds-bad-boyz-antics.html

[yakfisher]

You've already tried that bait. You might want to switch it up if you're gonna keep that "Master" title.

[Bear55]

That was my own troll, this one is kind of 3rd party but still applies.

You lost me at "Master".

[PierBridge]

The one guy printed his own money .... and who actually runs from the cops these days!

[yakfisher]

Troll bait master.

[Bear55]

Go read back, I posted some gopher fodder about Haula and one of the Reillys. I can't help it if you Sioux fans are too passive to attack. Too quiet around here lately, someone needs to rile up the troops.

[scsavre]

Gosh darn classless no namers, looking at their rap sheets I thought I was looking at a NBA team. Someone needs to start a reality show up there. How does any team have frozen toes as a captain. Hak needs to get his team under control, sounds like even no name fans are embarrassed. Someone needs to give them a new name pretty soon. I had 2 through away a few boxes of that no name brand steak because it was stinking up my house. Even when their team is bad the darn sue still find a way to tick me off.

I've got gophs winning all 3 this year, ill post my picks on a new thread so I can look back at how smart I am at the end of the year.

Hey brooks, I saw a lot of geese at the cabin last weekend, maybe if you had a better shot they wouldn't make their way to my place. I'm already too busy catching muskys, I don't have time for geese.

I'm gonna have to check out the new gopher scoreboard this week, sounds like the overal board is similar in size,however its all a big digital screen now so that the replays will be twice as large..who knows.

Drop the puck, its hockey time.

[scsavre]

Bear, what was the deal with reilly. I heard it was no drinking, and not a party, but just a middle of the afternoon team event.

That's pretty darn lame, almost as lame as a moped accident. Atleast the no namers have entertaining stories to go with their troubles.