Mankato West the real deal?

[Bash Brother]

Sounds to me like Mankato West is like Little Falls (06-07)
one good line no D and a shaky goaltender

DarkDemon, your comment above suggests to me you have not actually seen Mankato West play, but, instead, you are merely speculating based on second hand information. Specifically, goaltending is far from shaky, and, may in fact be one of their underrated strengths. When a team puts 10 or more goals on the board in several games, it is easy to assume that goaltending is weak. Many thought the same of Grant Fuhr back in the 80's. If you HAVE seen West play, then I am truly perplexed by your assessment.

So who's Wayne Gretzky? Lieverman or Litchfield?

Talk about perplexing!

Lieverman. . . except he is the gretzky of playing against bad teams

[hockeypurist]

Lot's of talk on this thread for a chnace to be the #8 seed and go up against Roseau.

IF they make State, and they have as good a shot as anyone from this section, I predict a 8-0 thrashing against Roseau.

Good luck MW, you're gonna need it along with a few more players and a brick wall to stop all the pucks coming your way.

Blueblood, you should at least know some basic facts before embarrassing yourself on the forum. Roseau, of course, is AA. Mankato West is A. Therefore, your 'well thought out prediction' will not come to fruition. Sorry to rain on your parade. If you want to substitute STA in your statement, then maybe we have something to talk about

[blueblood]

my bad

[futureeagle]

So i think that west is the real deal they have played a couple weak teams yes but they have kicked the crap out of them like they are supposed to but i cant wait till january 8th that will be a hell of a game

[doubleOHseven]

Schedule
11/29/2007 New Prague 7 - 1 W
12/4/2007 Waseca Blue Jays 12 - 2 W
12/8/2007 Winona Winhawks 10 - 4 W
12/11/2007 Mankato East/Loyola 12 - 0 W
12/13/2007 Austin 11 - 0 W
12/18/2007 Owatonna 7 - 0 W
12/20/2007 Northfield/ARTech 6 - 3 W
12/27/2007 Fergus Falls 6 - 3 W
12/28/2007 Fergus Falls 0 - 0
12/29/2007 Fergus Falls 0 - 0
1/3/2008 Faribault 0 - 0
1/8/2008 Albert Lea 0 - 0
1/10/2008 St. Peter/LeCtr/LeSueur-H 0 - 0
1/15/2008 Shakopee 0 - 0
1/15/2008 Shakopee 0 - 0
1/19/2008 Minnehaha Academy 0 - 0
1/19/2008 Minnehaha Academy 0 - 0
1/24/2008 Mankato East/Loyola 0 - 0
1/26/2008 Rochester Mayo 0 - 0
1/29/2008 Austin 0 - 0
1/31/2008 Rochester Lourdes 0 - 0
2/2/2008 Winona Winhawks 0 - 0
2/5/2008 Faribault 0 - 0
2/7/2008 Albert Lea 0 - 0
2/12/2008 Rochester Century 0 - 0

I remain unimpressed reminds me of Morris/Benson last year

HSHockeyWatcher they play more than 2 or 3 good teams this year...
Century - 3rd in state last year
Mayo - solid program
Lourdes - ranked
Minnehaha - ranked
Albert Lea - always solid - state last year
New Prague - was ranked earlier in the year
Northfield - held in there with lourdes and red wing
Detriot Lakes - pretty good team usually
Fergus Falls - good in their section
Owatonna - was undefeated beating a team or two on this list until west

Okay,... I think we need to look at this a different way. There are a lot of "good" teams with "good" programs. What we need to look at is who is capable of giving West some competition that they play with this schedule?

Lourdes and Albert Lea are the only teams left that I could see giving West a competitive game.

[jackstraw]

I am not sure what the "real deal" is, but they have done what a good team should do when playing weaker opponents, they beat them by a good margin. I have to disagree with the statement about the goaltending being overrated. I too have seen this kid play. All kids are up and down somewhat, but when he is hot, you just don't score on him. The season has a long way to go, but I give them kudos for what they have done so far.

[goaler]

A team has to be confident to win ... but there is something about West that makes me think of arrogant more than confident. In year's past in this section, Albert Lea was confident, not arrogant. I've felt many Albert Lea butt kickings over the years, and it doesn't feel good. They hit you hard and make you feel rotten. But when West kicks your butt, somehow it feels even worse.

I know West is good, and I know that loss to New Ulm may be the rallying point for this year's seniors that gets them to the pinnacle of their ability, and to state.

I'll make a prediction: Earlier I predicted West would beat Albert Lea, but I no longer think that is true. On Tuesday Jan. 8, AL will beat West. And despite having felt all the AL butt-kickings over the years in cluding this year, I'm gonna enjoy this one. If I'm wrong, West can laugh at me all they want, but if I'm right, go Tigers. And I never thought I'd say that.

Jacstraw, about being overrated, whatever, we'll see.

[rochcentury908]

Delete....I'm late.

[goaler]

West 6, Northfield 3
West 6, Fergus 3
West 7, Detroit Lakes 4
West 3, West Fargo 1

None of these teams are horrible, but West is starting to run into some resistance. Is the bubble about to burst? Are the gaudy, run-up-the-score blowouts and the "brilliant" goaltending a thing of the past? Or was it all just a Section 1A illusion to begin with?

Just asking.

[dralr]

I watched them against Fergus Falls. Overall team quickness is certainly acknowledged, but raves about the first line are overated. The first line matchups were very competitive.

[slapnasty]

Lot's of talk on this thread for a chnace to be the #8 seed and go up against Roseau.

IF they make State, and they have as good a shot as anyone from this section, I predict a 8-0 thrashing against Roseau.

Good luck MW, you're gonna need it along with a few more players and a brick wall to stop all the pucks coming your way.

Blueblood must have been under a rock for a while...

First off section 1A will not be the #8 seed at state. It you saw the section remodoling, you can see that there are basically 5 teams in this section that are rated in the top 20 throughout the year. They will be seeded for sure higher than sections 3 and 6 and probably higher than a couple others. Second off, the last 4 teams are randomly distriputed. So #1 doesnt necessarily play #8, theres only a 25% chance. Wanna rip on a section, go to a section 3a thread.

[slapnasty]

As for West they have skill, but I can see them losing to a weak team sometime this season. They are so overconfident they will take a team lightly and then not know what hit them. I cant see them coming back in a game because they have no discipline. Litchfield and Lievermann are good hockey players, but once they play their first good defensive team, they might be shut down easy because they are used to walking right around slow defenders on other teams that they wont know what to do.

[defense]

At Fergus Falls hockey tournement they won 3 games. How can you define these games??? Well, Fergus Falls or Detroit Lakes could very well be state tournement teams this year, West Fargo may be in the ND tournemtn, who cares right......but it should have been 3 days of solid hockey action and they stood up obviously.....

[davey]

West's top line is as good as any in the state. Their goaltending is very, very overrated and their defense is decent. The other lines are ok, but this team suffers from a huge superiority complex.

They think they're fabulous, and that's behind some of the stupid penalties you see them take, especially one very cheap forward on the third line. If they get knocked off this year, it will be because they think they're so great, and that includes the coach, that they get surprised by a hard-working team like New Ulm last year. I see in their tournament that some teams are putting some goals up on them, which can be done, believe me. But West has scored more, which means that those teams are underestimating the top line and giving them way too much space.

Also, in 1A section hardly any kid is taught how to play the body or backcheck. Nystrom's from Eveleth, so Albert Lea knows how to do that, but that's about it. My contention is that if a team pounds West by finishing their checks and backcheckiing them hard, they will be beaten. Respect the top line, check them hard, and wait for your chances. I've seen this team for years and this is the formula that Albert Lea and New Ulm used last year.

Goaler, This is more than a one line team. They have pretty good depth Recap of the scoring from the Fergus

1st line 5 goals
2nd line 8 goals
3rd line 3 goals
And just for your info, in the Friday night game they had 10 players on the score sheet. Pretty easy to make judgement from SE Minnesota. I am glad to see that AL played very well in the Kiwanis. Don't worry, West has plenty of respect for the Tigers. Jan 8th will be a great game. No matter who wins, these are still 2 of the top teams in the Section.
As far as their goaltending being overrated, who's rating it. West has gotten solid goaltending. But Goaler let the Tigers in on your secret. Shoot high, since you seem to think that is the answer. Some more insight from Fergus.
1 goal up high.

[GinosAreGood]

West 6, Northfield 3
West 6, Fergus 3
West 7, Detroit Lakes 4
West 3, West Fargo 1

None of these teams are horrible, but West is starting to run into some resistance. Is the bubble about to burst? Are the gaudy, run-up-the-score blowouts and the "brilliant" goaltending a thing of the past? Or was it all just a Section 1A illusion to begin with?

Just asking.

Just because West doesn't pummel teams by 10 goals, why are they suddenly slipping. A win is a win.
also, Leivermann missed two periods against Detroit Lakes and the entire West Fargo game due to a game misconduct against DL. The lines all got shuffled.
This is just a side note, It's not an excuse for west. But my point is: people shouldn't think lower of west just because they haven't blow teams out the last few games

[slapnasty]

There not blowing out teams anymore because there not playing waseca winona mankato east and austin. No offense to these programs but there all really down this year . Austin hasnt even won a game yet.

[davey]

There not blowing out teams anymore because there not playing waseca winona mankato east and austin. No offense to these programs but there all really down this year . Austin hasnt even won a game yet.

Hey Slappy
Has anybody else beat Owatonna. Lets see.....West 7 Owatonna 0 Oh thats right Owatonna is just a below average team with a weak schedule also.

[SportsMa]

Their Achilles heel, however, is discipline. They are a cocky bunch who are not going to win any popularity contests. Many of the penalties they take are undisciplined, and just plain stupid. They could easily have lost some of their games this year late on the PK, had the opponent been a bit better. But when you give up so few PP goals, what is the incentive to NOT take undisciplined penalties? This will haunt them, and Coach Essay needs to deal with this problem before it truly costs them (example: Lieverman took a 10 min misconduct in Fergus Falls; Litchfield a 2 min unsportsmanlike - both calls due to chirping at the official.) If Coach Essay can convince his boys that such acts will not go unpunished, they can go a long way.

Agree, discipline is a characteristic that needs to be developed with this team by their coaching staff otherwise it is going to eventually cost them. This is a characteristic that would not only benefit these young men now but in the future.

[WayOutWest]

Schedule
11/29/2007 New Prague 7 - 1 W
12/4/2007 Waseca Blue Jays 12 - 2 W
12/8/2007 Winona Winhawks 10 - 4 W
12/11/2007 Mankato East/Loyola 12 - 0 W
12/13/2007 Austin 11 - 0 W
12/18/2007 Owatonna 7 - 0 W
12/20/2007 Northfield/ARTech 6 - 3 W
12/27/2007 Fergus Falls 6 - 3 W
12/28/2007 Fergus Falls 0 - 0
12/29/2007 Fergus Falls 0 - 0
1/3/2008 Faribault 0 - 0
1/8/2008 Albert Lea 0 - 0
1/10/2008 St. Peter/LeCtr/LeSueur-H 0 - 0
1/15/2008 Shakopee 0 - 0
1/15/2008 Shakopee 0 - 0
1/19/2008 Minnehaha Academy 0 - 0
1/19/2008 Minnehaha Academy 0 - 0
1/24/2008 Mankato East/Loyola 0 - 0
1/26/2008 Rochester Mayo 0 - 0
1/29/2008 Austin 0 - 0
1/31/2008 Rochester Lourdes 0 - 0
2/2/2008 Winona Winhawks 0 - 0
2/5/2008 Faribault 0 - 0
2/7/2008 Albert Lea 0 - 0
2/12/2008 Rochester Century 0 - 0

I remain unimpressed reminds me of Morris/Benson last year

Nice schedule. (Yawn!!!)
Seriously, is there a current top 20 team in there, anywhere?

[Where_is_the_bridge?]

Lourdes, Albert Lea and New Prague are in the top 20 of Lets Play hockey and Minnehaha was in there until the latest rankings, not to mention Mayo, Century and Owatonna are solid AA teams.

Why does everything think that west is overconfident and cocky, does someone out there have a video camera in thir locker room or what?
Just because they get excited when they score goals and win doesn't mean that they are overconfident.

[WayOutWest]

Why does everything think that west is overconfident and cocky, does someone out there have a video camera in thir locker room or what?
Just because they get excited when they score goals and win doesn't mean that they are overconfident.

Correct.
It simply means they're not accustomed to it, and don't expect it to continue.

[tpshockey30]

I love how you can tell adults from teenagers on this!

And for those of you in the northern region saying that West isn't cocky, maybe you should watch them play.

I was going to say somthing else, but I had a "brain fart"




o yea GO TIGERS!

[goaler]

Davey it's all just chatter on my part. I've seen this west team over several years now, in several different venues. I go to games all over the section and all over the state. I don't know what that says about me, but whatever. I like to watch and talk about hockey, at all levels. So apparently do you. West is a good topic of coversation this year.

As far as goaltending, I've seen your goaltender play at bantams, JV and in other venues. His style and quality of play are not new to me. I pay attention. I've seen him play well, and I've seen him get lit up, like all young goalies. He's fortunate that he doesn't have to face his own team.

I'm looking forward to a great Section IA game. I'll be there, cause it's a short drive from Austin. I have no prejudices. Two great games last year.I'm going to catch the Thursday game against Faribo too, so I can get a better read on the Scarlets this year. They are entertaining; they were last year too.

[davey]

Davey it's all just chatter on my part. I've seen this west team over several years now, in several different venues. I go to games all over the section and all over the state. I don't know what that says about me, but whatever. I like to watch and talk about hockey, at all levels. So apparently do you. West is a good topic of coversation this year.

As far as goaltending, I've seen your goaltender play at bantams, JV and in other venues. His style and quality of play are not new to me. I pay attention. I've seen him play well, and I've seen him get lit up, like all young goalies. He's fortunate that he doesn't have to face his own team.

I'm looking forward to a great Section IA game. I'll be there, cause it's a short drive from Austin. I have no prejudices. Two great games last year.I'm going to catch the Thursday game against Faribo too, so I can get a better read on the Scarlets this year. They are entertaining; they were last year too.

Goaler, I really do enjoy reading your posts. I can tell you watch alot of hockey as you do have a pretty good read on the teams. I too am looking forward to seeing how West plays against AL. Both teams pretty much know what to expect from each other and it will probably be a 1 goal game. Like I said earlier, no matter who wins this, these 2 teams can contend for the trip to the X.

[Redlightdistrict]

Why does everything think that west is overconfident and cocky, does someone out there have a video camera in thir locker room or what?
Just because they get excited when they score goals and win doesn't mean that they are overconfident.

Correct.
It simply means they're not accustomed to it, and don't expect it to continue.

judging by what I saw out of them this year in Owatonna. They score like nuts, and it might slow down but its not gonna stop. And isn't it the point to celebrate when you score? But who knows..