Upper Midwest Elite Game Stories

frederick61 · Post by **frederick61** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:31 am

I have posted the first of two game stories on this week's Elite league opener at:
http://youthhockeyhub.com/

The first story covers the Velocity (Team Northwest) game against the Colorado Rampage.

frederick61 · Post by **frederick61** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:53 pm

This second game story was a tough one to write. I don't like negative stories about hockey, but my camera caught this one and I felt it had to be told. The story is basically without comment and the hope is that the kids that read the story understand.

http://youthhockeyhub.com/

deacon64 · Post by **deacon64** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:44 am

Wow, how disappointing that this play happen. Appears to be #9 and #5 of TCF delivering the hit. Ouch.

57special · Post by **57special** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:12 am

Story didn't mention whether or not a penalty was assessed on the play?

scorekeeper · Post by **scorekeeper** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:28 am

57special wrote:Story didn't mention whether or not a penalty was assessed on the play?

"A needless hit on a forward who did not have the puck by the two defenders cost the Bankers the game. Olmschenk picked up the assist. The crumpled MSP kid made it to the bench. One of the TCF Bankers drew a charging penalty and a 10 minute misconduct."

Mr Hockey · Post by **Mr Hockey** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:26 pm

Obviously they went at the player. I thought this was an All Star Elite League? You don't see crippling/ dirty hits like this in All Star Games. Looks like a typical Fall league game you might see elsewhere except for the sponsors on the jerseys.

However, I wonder if the player getting jolted by two guys did something a few seconds before to have the players get ticked off enough to attack him.

hockey4ever · Post by **hockey4ever** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 6:03 pm

It's unfortunate that this story is told without full context. I am not defending the players involved in this particualr incident, but there were a number of chippy hits in this game, including by players on the NW team that aren't talked about. In fact in a second game that day involving the NW team there were a few other cheap hits involving some of the same players. Again not defending this particular incident but there were other hits that led to this that weren't mentioned.

joey · Post by **joey** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:26 pm

The new Elite uniforms can be easy to confuse if you're not looking closely. Just to clarify, the game being discussed was between Metro NE (blue colorings) and Metro SE (yellow). Not that it changes anything at all about the discussion, but both the article author and one of the forums respondents have accidentally confused the team's identities. The Metro NW team did not play in this game.

frederick61 · Post by **frederick61** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:02 am

joey,
Thank you for catching that. It has been corrected. If you note, I use the sponsors name for the the team. It is easier to identify the players in the writeup with the players in the photos. I will make few references to Team Southwest or Team Northeast in the game articles.

The Elite league unfortunately will continue to list scheduled games by the Team designation and that can be confusing to fans who read the articles, but I do not know a way around that. Again thank you for the catch.

observer · Post by **observer** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:22 am

I use the sponsors name for the the team.

Why? The uniforms are bad enough. Are you pestering the sponsors for $1 per mention? Skip em. The names of the teams are SW, NW, etc. Nobody, anywhere, calls teams by their sponsors names. That is not the name of the team.

Unless it's Jimmy's Salad Dressing Rochester Squirt A. (I always got a chuckle out of that one)

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 10:30 am

observer wrote:
I use the sponsors name for the the team.
Why? The uniforms are bad enough. Are you pestering the sponsors for $1 per mention? Skip em. The names of the teams are SW, NW, etc. Nobody, anywhere, calls teams by their sponsors names. That is not the name of the team.

Unless it's Jimmy's Salad Dressing Rochester Squirt A. (I always got a chuckle out of that one)

Japanese major league baseball teams are usually identified by their corporate sponsors, rather than their location...it's the "Yomiyuri Giants" instead of the "Tokyo Giants." Now, there is a certain logic to this when half of the teams in the Nippon League are based in Tokyo, but it can be confusing.

For a little while, I thought that one team was nicknamed the "Ham Fighters." Turns out that they were actually called the "Fighters," and sponsored by a company named Nippon Ham.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:36 am

I kind of like "the bankers" verses "the hearing aids" versus "the regional magazines." anyway, it's a problem the elite league has always had, even before the uniforms were atrocious. "Team Northeast" isn't exactly poetry, and nothing about it suggests any particular color scheme or design. You get used to it after watching three or four games.

As the old saying goes, "Call me anything, just don't call me late to dinner."

frederick61 · Post by **frederick61** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:59 pm

Have added a game story from this past Saturday, Muscle Milk versus Starky with some interesting pictures. It can be read at:

http://youthhockeyhub.com/

hockeyfan893 · Post by **hockeyfan893** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:51 pm

Had the pleasure of attending today's game of Shattuck vs Southwest (Starkey). Was one of the fastest, most intense games I've seen so far. Shattuck was dominant - looked like they were about to burst through in the second period. But Southwest held them off and scored two late goals to tie, even while missing Hurley and Gersich. Lots of fun.

Ugottobekiddingme · Post by **Ugottobekiddingme** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 12:31 am

hockeyfan893 wrote:Had the pleasure of attending today's game of Shattuck vs Southwest (Starkey). Was one of the fastest, most intense games I've seen so far. Shattuck was dominant - looked like they were about to burst through in the second period. But Southwest held them off and scored two late goals to tie, even while missing Hurley and Gersich. Lots of fun.

Liberal arts class must give exceptions towards hockey...glad you had lots of fun.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 1:10 pm

I saw the Shattuck - Northwest game on Saturday, and it too was much faster paced than other elite league games. Those kids REALLY want to beat Shattuck and prove that MN Hockey is better than USA Hockey.

Last Wednesday, Team SW took it on the chin down in Faribault after collapsing in the third. Nice to see they returned the favor and snatched a tie in the third.

Bluewhitefan · Post by **Bluewhitefan** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:01 pm

Shinbone_News wrote:I saw the Shattuck - Northwest game on Saturday, and it too was much faster paced than other elite league games. Those kids REALLY want to beat Shattuck and prove that MN Hockey is better than USA Hockey.

Last Wednesday, Team SW took it on the chin down in Faribault after collapsing in the third. Nice to see they returned the favor and snatched a tie in the third.

Do you really think that's what they want to prove? I think they just want to prove their better than the guys in the other sweaters - probably don't care much about MN Hockey vs. USA Hockey.

observer · Post by **observer** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:03 pm

frederick61

Please drop the sponsor references. It's hard enough keeping track of the teams without calling them a name no one knows, cares or understands.

frederick61 · Post by **frederick61** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 3:27 pm

observer wrote:frederick61

Please drop the sponsor references. It's hard enough keeping track of the teams without calling them a name no one knows, cares or understands.

My problem is the pictures become confusing. Muscled Milk is easily seen on the jersey. Team North is nowhere to be found. A reader can track the story and the pictures.

Team sponsorship is designed to offset cost and for that sponsorship, the team wears the sponsor logo visibility.

The real confusion is the Elite League organizers refuse to use the sponsors names in the schedule. It may seem simple, but the average fan probably spends too much time trying to figure out who is playing where and when after they get to the arena. Team North will be on the monitor in the lobbies and Muscle Milk is out on the ice playing the game.

observer · Post by **observer** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 4:01 pm

observer wrote:

frederick61

Please drop the sponsor references. It's hard enough keeping track of the teams without calling them a name no one knows, cares or understands.

My problem is the pictures become confusing. Muscled Milk is easily seen on the jersey. Team North is nowhere to be found. A reader can track the story and the pictures.

Team sponsorship is designed to offset cost and for that sponsorship, the team wears the sponsor logo visibility.

The real confusion is the Elite League organizers refuse to use the sponsors names in the schedule. It may seem simple, but the average fan probably spends too much time trying to figure out who is playing where and when after they get to the arena. Team North will be on the monitor in the lobbies and Muscle Milk is out on the ice playing the game.

What I'm saying is no one cares about Muscle Milk. We care about team North.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:29 am

I'm tempted to defend fred here -- they really should help us out in the program by linking the sponsor with the actual team name -- but then again, you can just look at the players name plates. that's why we're all here, anyway, right? this league is about developing and showcasing individual skills so they can each get their shot at juniors or college???

"Standings" are pretty much irrelevant (except for the haters who want to see Team SE lose due to the odd preponderance of STA players, or the Shattuck National Development Program).

Maybe they should wait until halfway through the season and then the teams could be named after their best players who already have verbals. "Team Hurley/Gersich/Malmquist against Team Bergh/Ahrens" and so on.

frederick61 · Post by **frederick61** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:39 am

Another game story from Tuesday night, TCF (Team Southeast) versus Velocity (Team Northwest). It can be read at:

http://youthhockeyhub.com/

TTpuckster · Post by **TTpuckster** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:41 am

It looks like all of the EGF players have left the Great Plains team.

Anybody know what's up with that?

Football?

Mailman · Post by **Mailman** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:27 pm

TTpuckster wrote:It looks like all of the EGF players have left the Great Plains team.

Anybody know what's up with that?

Football?

What makes you think they left ?

Post by **karl(east)** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:17 pm

Mailman wrote:
TTpuckster wrote:It looks like all of the EGF players have left the Great Plains team.

Anybody know what's up with that?

Football?
What makes you think they left ?

For whatever reason, the Great Plains roster is a bit larger than all the other teams, and as a result, they have to sit about 4 players per week. Two weeks ago, when they were in Duluth, the Moorhead players weren't there. I'm not sure how they're managing this, but it seems to be some sort of healthy scratch.

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Upper Midwest Elite Game Stories

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