Brainerd Warriors

[RoDeOh]

Sorry, don't know a Lance Montana

I'll be in on the range that night cheering on my boys in the orange and black. I think you guys refer to them so kindly as the Thunder Chickens or whatever. Good chance I'll be to our annual romp @ Brainerd. Have to map quest that Sheps place and see whats it about.

RDO

[northwoods oldtimer]

Classic bantor from the Warrior faithful and some colorful commentary from the Small Falls folks make this board fun to follow. Good luck this season to you folks and hopefully Shep's is as lively and spirited as the threads you all start. Best of minnhock.....hands down!

[RoDeOh]

NWOT


Rumor has it they are all elbowed up and like Old Crow


RDO

[Morris Wanchuk]

NWOT


Rumor has it they are all elbowed up and like Old Crow


RDO

[Morris Wanchuk]

M0selfs crystal ball shows boblee a wee bit hungry late night Tuesday.

[norcon]

That's like kissing your sister

Was that before or after Patrick White came back from injury?

Pat played a little in the first, then a couple PP shifts and two shifts or so in OT. He played, but was very limited.

I overlooked that date on the schedule. I was looking later in December. Should be a very good game. Maybe I can get over there for it.

A healthy Patrick White breaks that tie.........

As Jacque Lemaire would say "no doubt".

[Morris Wanchuk]

dem boys from rapids aint so bright
shoulda won with P White
hes gotta monopoly on the o-fers
look at dem stinkin gophers
ok lets all count to three
hey its the IQ of boblee
the ghosts of smiths, zaleskis, and praskas
will melt that dudes brain from alaskas
if your star has an owwie quit yer bickerin
your just another lazy loser blunderchicken

Seriously though, can we get your radio feed?

[Morris Wanchuk]

Boy you guys sure got quiet!
BOYS HOCKEY: Roseau rips Spuds
By Kerry Collins, The Forum
Published Wednesday, December 12, 2007

MOORHEAD, Minn. - In a rivalry with a string of memorable games, this is one Dave Morinville would like to forget.

Top-ranked Roseau came to Moorhead on Tuesday and handed the Spuds a 7-2 beating behind three goals from standout Aaron Ness.

“That is a little unexpected,” Roseau coach Scott Oliver said of the final score. “We haven't scored seven goals combined down here since I've been here, let alone seven in one game.”

Neither Oliver nor Spuds coach Dave Morinville could remember the last time Roseau won in Moorhead. Morinville also couldn't remember the last time the Spuds lost by as many as five goals at home.

“There's no question they're good,” Morinville said. “And we let them be good, too. This hasn't happened to us in awhile, but that's the No. 1 team in the state.”

The Rams took control early, scoring two goals in the first three minutes of the game. Cole Kostrzewski scored from behind the net at the 1 minute, 45 second mark and Ness added his first just a minute later.

“We've got so many young guys, and they're pretty nervous, then they get scored on, and they're even more nervous,” Morinville said.

Ben Ammerman scored a short-handed goal with just one second to go in the first to make it 2-1.

But Ness flipped in a wrist shot from the top of the right circle 1:41 into the second to give all the momentum back to the Rams.

“You don't want to give up a goal in the final minute, but with one second left, we didn't feel like we gave up that much momentum,” Oliver said. “We took off in the second period. That was our best period of hockey.”

Jason Fabian's power-play goal midway through the second made it 4-1 entering the third. Dustin Moser and Ness added two more power-play scores in the third to turn it into a rout.

Ness' three goals gave the talented defenseman six on the year. The Rams have scored 19 goals this season and Ness has either scored or assisted on 11 of them. Ness is taking extra classes this year so he can play at the University of Minnesota next season.

Morinville did take some consolation from the loss. The Spuds beat Roseau 6-1 last year in the regular season before getting shut out by the Rams in the section final.

“Without a doubt, that's the best team we've seen, but we beat them 6-1 last year, too,” Morinville said. “I guess that's about the only positive spin I can put on this.”

[lampthelight]

CURRENT LINES
1st Line: Frazer centering Shepherd, and Tamasy
2nd Line: Jenkins centering Monda and Engel
3rd Line: Kaufmann centering Smith and Rinio

SUGGESTIONS
1st Line: NO CHANGE
2nd Line: Engel centering Monda and Kaufmann
3rd Line: Jenkins centering Smith and Rinio

Reasoning:
You can't split up a line like the first line.
Your best center out of the 6 other players is Engel, 2nd best center is Jenkins. Easy fix. Move Engel to 2nd Line C, drop Jenkins to 3rd line C, move Kaufmann up to LW on 2nd Line.

Why these are better:
2nd Line:
Will be stronger defensively with Engel at C, and Kaufmann at wing, a little weaker offensively but they didn't score the way it was.

3rd Line:
Will be stronger defensively AND offensively. How could you go wrong here, also all sophomore who have played with eachother and know eachother.

Defenseman
Impola is running the PP with Olson, and he should be on the ice more than just the PP. He didn't see the ice until the 3rd period in last nights game against East.

1. Olson(Sr.)
2. Impola(Sr.)
3. Ring(Jr.)
4. Rusk(So.)
5. Swanson(Sr.)
6. Korte(Sr.)

Defense is the key to winning championships.

Roseau is VERY GOOD, but no team is unbeatable. Good Luck the rest of the way.

[BrainerdHockey]

only one thing swanson over ring, swany doesn't score much but he moves the puck well and he is almost 100% defensive minded, ring tends to lose the puck in his feet and he doesn't use his shot enough, sure ring will rock a guy every now and than but thats what olson and monda do anyways

[hockeyfanatic99]

Maybe Brainerd should spread the wealth around - split up the first line and provide offensive punch to all three lines, and from a defensive perspective just skate Olson with two other skaters. For the sake of equity rotate that other defensive player - but don't let Olson off the ice! Or, we could let the players - play, the parents - parent, the coaches - coach, and leave the arm chair stuff to the bars!

[lampthelight]

Or, we could let the players - play, the parents - parent, the coaches - coach, and leave the arm chair stuff to the bars!

When the team is making the same mistakes every game. That's a coaching problem. Coaching is about making adjustments, coach Eigner and his staff continue to not make adjustments. That is why I'm blaming the coaches.

Also, Olson is an offensive defensemen. He is not very good on the defensive side. Makes several poor decisions and when he gets tired he is worthless so playing him more than he currently plays is not a good idea.

Swanny and Ring are fairly equal, NEITHER are very good with the puck, or at moving the puck. I will take Ring as an intimidation factor over Swanny. The fact of the matter is, after Olson and Impola the D do not have much skill. Rusk may be the 3rd best D, but still needs more work at the varsity level to get used to the speed.

[darkdemon]

Maybe Brainerd should spread the wealth around - split up the first line and provide offensive punch to all three lines, and from a defensive perspective just skate Olson with two other skaters. For the sake of equity rotate that other defensive player - but don't let Olson off the ice! Or, we could let the players - play, the parents - parent, the coaches - coach, and leave the arm chair stuff to the bars!

No way don't split up the first line make the 2nd and 3rd lines learn how to score, crash the net and put the puck on net whenever you can.

[lampthelight]

No way don't split up the first line make the 2nd and 3rd lines learn how to score, crash the net and put the puck on net whenever you can.

Brainerd's Lines have been changed... ALL of them.

New Lines:
Frazer centering Monda and Engel
Will be much weaker than before. I'd be surprised to see much production out of this line. 3 shoot first, pass 2nd type of players... I don't see where the chemisty will come from.

Tamasy centering Shepherd and Smith
Will definitely increase the production from the 2nd line but was the cost of splitting up the first line too great? I see this as the top scoring line of the 3.

Jenkins centering Rinio and Kaufmann
Will be a little better with Kaufmann moving to wing, and Jenkins dropping down to center this line, but expect about the same production. Puck movement will be much better, but who's going to put the puck in the net?

I agree with changing the lines, but I'm not a fan of how they were changed. I hope the Warriors can prove me wrong.

[slapshooter]

SS UNDEFEATED 28

[darkdemon]

What does everyone think of the Brainerd vs Fergus Falls matchup tonight?

Brainerd 6
Fergus 4

The otters are always tough on their home ice

[5 Hole]

Also, Olson is an offensive defensemen. He is not very good on the defensive side. Makes several poor decisions and when he gets tired he is worthless so playing him more than he currently plays is not a good idea.

Swanny and Ring are fairly equal, NEITHER are very good with the puck, or at moving the puck. I will take Ring as an intimidation factor over Swanny. The fact of the matter is, after Olson and Impola the D do not have much skill. Rusk may be the 3rd best D, but still needs more work at the varsity level to get used to the speed.

Seems like someone forgot these are high school players, not the pros. Back off from ripping the KIDS. Say what you want about the coaches, as they are ADULTS. This is a public setting. Say what each kid does well and it will be obvious who the better player is. You significantly crossed the line by openly ripping these players faults. Let the KIDS play the game, and compliment the skills that they do possess.

[lampthelight]

Seems like someone forgot these are high school players, not the pros. Back off from ripping the KIDS. Say what you want about the coaches, as they are ADULTS. This is a public setting. Say what each kid does well and it will be obvious who the better player is. You significantly crossed the line by openly ripping these players faults. Let the KIDS play the game, and compliment the skills that they do possess.

Sorry I hurt your feelings 5-hole... I apologize for "Ripping" the kids.

[Syd Barrett]

This is probably the best team Brainerd has ever had

What 'ave you been smokin'

Apparently you ain't been around very long

Sorry to burst your bubble kid but this is a one line team with an overachieving goaltender. Once you get past Olson the D is average at best

Good thing they got moved to section 8AA 'cause they should get a home playoff game and reach the semifinals but anything beyond that will be a stretch

Syd

[dadoc]

Blame! Wow thats a word that is synonymous with success. Last I heard the Brainerd coach played d1 hockey - as a defenseman! The assistant coach also played d1 hockey as a goaltender. A lot of defensive minds on the coaching bench for the Warriors! In the past the finger was pointed at them for being too defensive and not being offensive minded! And now, the latest armchair is "blaming" them for being 9 and 0 in the conference, and 12-4-1 because their defense is below standard. I certainly hope you don't have a child on the team because it would be pretty hard living up to your expectations!

Keep up the good work guys - the team that wins is the team that plays like a TEAM!

[lampthelight]

Blame! Wow thats a word that is synonymous with success. Last I heard the Brainerd coach played d1 hockey - as a defenseman! The assistant coach also played d1 hockey as a goaltender. A lot of defensive minds on the coaching bench for the Warriors! In the past the finger was pointed at them for being too defensive and not being offensive minded! And now, the latest armchair is "blaming" them for being 9 and 0 in the conference, and 12-4-1 because their defense is below standard. I certainly hope you don't have a child on the team because it would be pretty hard living up to your expectations!

Keep up the good work guys - the team that wins is the team that plays like a TEAM!

Just because you play D1 hockey doesn't mean your a good coach. I do think that Toby Kvalevog does a great job with the goalies, when was the last time that Brainerd had a bad goalie? It's been awhile.

This TEAM doesn't play like a TEAM. They have selfish players, are are a shoot first pass second team. They shoot repeatedly from poor angles with players coming down the slot open for passes. They have 2 or 3 on 1's and shoot. You will rarely see a pass on a 2 on 1. Thats not team hockey. They have good players, but do NOT play as a team. Thats the part of the coaching I am most disappointed in, they do not teach TEAM play.

They are 9-0 in a conference where the 2nd best team is Little Falls. Not a big accomplishment.

[jackstraw]

A man named Bossy would say, "shoot,shoot,shoot"!

[BrainerdHockey]

ok lampthelight your flip flopping now a few posts ago, you said this is brainerd best team, now your degrading them..... remember what gretzky said "100% of the shots you don't take, don't go in"

[BurnSnipe]

This team is very talented, went to the game vs. rosemount and they looked very good and strong... should be fun to watch the rest of the year..

[btownbombers]

I grew up in Brainerd, and I have always taken what Brainerd parents say with a grain of salt, because very few ever no what they are talking about. Growing up in Brainerd not to long ago I could count on 5 fingers how many parents of kids on the teams that I played on actually new anything about hockey or played when they were younger. Im not sure how much has changed as I have been out of high school for a half decade now. From watching this team I agree with a lot of what Lampthelight has said. This team does make poor choices and shoot from bad angles a lot. They outshoot teams on a regular basis which looks good in the paper but isnt going to help you to win a ton of games, unless of course you are playing against subpar CLC teams. They are a little weak on the defensive side of the puck and the coaches may not be playing the right combination of players. Toby has done a great job with the goaltender as Peterson stood on his head against East and has played well against several other teams. I know that this team is undefeated against CLC teams but you might as well be a class A team if you are in the CLC these days because the competition is extremely poor. This team has a lot of talent I wont say that they are the best team Brainerd has ever had because I seem to remember a couple of teams in recent history who had a lot of talent. None of them got out of the first round of 7AA. Why? most likely because they dont play as a team. It seems as if every Brainerd team starts out strong and fades at the end. If Duluth East was any indication of how the second half will go for the Warriors it could be a duplication of every other year in the Eigner era. While I think that this team will make it through the first round this year it will be because they are playing a team like Northern Lakes not Grand Rapids, Cloquet, or Forest Lake. They tied Moorhead so they could even get to the championship this year in 8AA. They wont if the trend holds up from recent years. Point being is I dont exactly know where the problem lies in Brainerd hockey but here are a few things that I would maybe do different to turn this team around.

*No Plyometrics the day before a game. Players need there legs for games especially against good fast teams like East. There is a time and place for plyometrics and its called the preseason. Practice and games take enough of a toll on a players bodies.

*Switch up the lines to get scoring out of more than one line. I'm not sure if this will work breaking up your big first line, but they sure didnt do much against East. So maybe making 2 good lines instead of 1 super line might be a good idea.

*Play the best players. I again agree with LamptheLight when he says Impola was the best player on the ice against East. He was very good at reading the play and reacting. From what I saw in the third he stood out as the smartest player. Maybe not the most talent but the quickest to react and seemed to always be in the right place to make the right play.

*Thats it, that would be my formula for success. Not sure if it would work but if I was still playing I know plyos the day before the game doesnt help your legs. Playing the best players regardless of politics helps teams to win and having three competent lines instead of one would promote balance and maybe more consistent scoring. There are probably some things that they could do defensively but it is most likely to late they should have learned in BAHA. For future teams I would make sure that the whole BAHA program is on the same page in what they teach and practice.

The end.

Im sure that I will get ripped for my post because it is my first. So let all the I have 1000 posts you have 1 therefore I know more than you posts begin. Cripes!!!