West vs Albert Lea

[davey]

Who wins. Game is at AL. Big section matchup

[STC18]

West stays undefeated with a 4-3 win.

[Lucia4President]

West 5
Albert Lea 1

[golfreak]

Should be a great matchup. West has a great team. It was in AL last year, however, that really started the meltdown that ended in a section semi final loss to New Ulm. Though biased, I really like this AL team and I believe they will pull this one out 3-1 with great coaching and disciplined defensive play.

[State Bound]

This game will be one of the biggest for this section. Even though its at AL's barn, I got west winning 4-2.

[Chalktalk]

This game will be one of the biggest for this section. Even though its at AL's barn, I got west winning 4-2.

Will be interesting to see if AL's 4 D can stay fresh against West's speed. Look to that being the key match-up for AL. Can West stay out of box? AL can bury puck on PP. Should be a great game. Wish I could see it.

[bombsquad06]

AL wins 4-2 if they can shut down Litch and Leiverman. I think NU put a body on each of them last year and this seemed to frustrate them. We all know what will happen if these two get frustrated. I also think the team will quit if these two don't light it up. If AL lets them skate they might blow them out. Both great teams and should be a great game to watch.

[goldy313]

I was impressed with the way Albert Lea really slowed down Denfield, Totino and Lourdes were completely outmatched by Denfields speed and the scores reflecred that. I don't know who wins but I bet it will be a low scoring game. AL needs to stay out of the box as West has the speed to kill them on the man advantage. The longer the game stays close the more advantage I give to Albert Lea.

[Bash Brother]

From what i hear about west's wonder kid i gota take west. Ill say 4-2.

[LITTLEFOOT]

4-0 West. Leivermann-2 Litch-1 Bruggeman-1

[Where_is_the_bridge?]

I'll take West 4-2...not sure if shutting down litch and leivermann will be enought bruggemann and anderson have been heating up as of lately.

[EaglehockeyI]

Who wins. Game is at AL. Big section matchup

west doesn't have to win the game to prove they are legitimate, just keep it a close game. albert lea was without several players early in the season when they lost some games. they've got it going now and looked very good in the rochester tournament. its in albert lea so i'll go with the tigers in a 5-3 game with an eng. if albert lea can't handle them then lourdes is the only team between them and a perfect reg. season record. maybe mayo, but i doubt it.

[SEMinnHockeyNut]

Albert Lea is almost always underrated and unappreciated. The Tigers will forecheck like crazy and force errors. I am sure they will pester West's top line and cause a few undisciplined penalties.

AL has some offensive skill as well.....I would say this will be a tight game, but not a very high scoring affair as both have decent netminders.

AL 3
MW 2

West can't stay unbeaten forever.

[TheCaptain]

Who wins. Game is at AL. Big section matchup

west doesn't have to win the game to prove they are legitimate, just keep it a close game. albert lea was without several players early in the season when they lost some games. they've got it going now and looked very good in the rochester tournament. its in albert lea so i'll go with the tigers in a 5-3 game with an eng. if albert lea can't handle them then lourdes is the only team between them and a perfect reg. season record. maybe mayo, but i doubt it.

I agree that West has already proven themselves. It will be a great game. I am going to go with West winning this one 5 - 2.

[Can't Never Tried]

I'm taking West by 2 as well.

[RSI]

I've watched these boys play since they were squirts, always entertaining. I'll be a "homer" and pick AL 3-1 , should be lots of fun!

[Sioux Fan]

Davey keep me posted on the scoring. I will be at the Lourdes Blake game on Tuesday night.

text me on my cell phone.

If you don't have it email me.

[Sioux Fan]

What are the line matchups for tonights game?

[davey]

Davey keep me posted on the scoring. I will be at the Lourdes Blake game on Tuesday night.

text me on my cell phone.

If you don't have it email me.

Lourdes, Blake? much better game 60 miles to the West. I will keep you posted by text.

[Sioux Fan]

I agree but being an old Austin guy they may not let me in the rink at Albert Lea.

Just kidding good luck to all the boys...

Should be a very good game for our area.

It will break down to who plays Defense and Goaltends always does in the big games.

Both teams are strong in net so should be a battle.

[Edger]

Good stuff about this game which should be a good one, guys.
Glad to see all are staying respectful.
I see it as two teams with different reputations on a collision course.
AL deserves everyone's respect by now. They have been the bell cow for southern Mn hockey for a long time now. They have gone to state and respresented the section incredibly well. Even when matched up against Warroad in their magical season, they battled them as welll as anyone could have. Always well-coached, always skilled-enough, always tough in the corners and in front of the net.
West has been building up to this for years. they took a lot of lumps for years by going young, but it is now paying off. They have put a lot of effort into this one season, it will be interesting to see how it pays off.
You'll never blow out AL in their building. A close win there or even a tie is a good result. This game will be tight and hard-fought.
West may win, but by the time they meet again, it won't matter. AL constantly learns and changes and will always compete. West just finally has the talent to scare them. Wouldn't miss this game if you are near there, it will be a great atmosphere, and is as big a regular season game as you can get. Enjoy.
Also, a loss right now won't hurt West. Handled right, it can end up helping you in the long run. Less focus on remaining unbeaten, more focus on improving every day for the right reasons.
The win/win for all of us is that the south will once again be represented well come tourney time, either by these two or by the team that beats them in sections. Good hockey down here this year, very good.

[davey]

What are the line matchups for tonights game?

Not sure what the lines for each team will be, but it will be interesting to see if Coach Nystrom matches his top line against the Leivermann line or if he tries to get a mismatch against the 3rd line for west which has been playing very well lately. If he does that, does that open up some opportunity for the top two lines from West? This is what makes this game so intriguing to me. Looking forward to a hard fought game between two pretty good teams.

[stud-lee]

While we're on the topic of lines, just wondering how deep these teams are? I have read before on this board that west has some depth. Is there any truth to this? and also what about AL?

[Sioux Fan]

Davey,

I watched AL play vs I falls. They played their butts off and actually took it to them. Got caught on a line change in OT with a nice play and a late goal off of a tip in front with less than a minute to go in regulation.

They outhit em outskated em just didn;t win. I also got to watch Mankato West vs Owatonna. I think AL will challenge the West D quite a bit more than they were that night.

If Campbell and Gustafson and the boys are ready will be a big part of the story.

Is Andrew Bruggeman playing with Litchfield and Lievermann?

[jackstraw]

The quickness of West's forwards against the AL defence will be something to keep your eye on. The AL d-men will have to move pucks quickly up the rink and let the speed of AL's forwards do their work. AL's top 2 lines can skate with West's top line, I just hope the d can.