no respect for "lesser teams"

EricBlair · Post by **EricBlair** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:30 am

ive noticed every time someone says something about a team that may not be particularly great, somoeone feels the need to bash the comment...

is that really necessary?

hockeyboys · Post by **hockeyboys** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:12 pm

Have to agree with you. Not everyone can be Edina or Hill - other schools have some great players and nice programs. Time to talk up those players and programs too. that is what makes MN hockey great. 150+ High School teams with hard working players with a passion for hockey. Not just a couple of loaded privates and public schools supported by large associations.

davey · Post by **davey** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:43 pm

hockeyboys wrote:Have to agree with you. Not everyone can be Edina or Hill - other schools have some great players and nice programs. Time to talk up those players and programs too. that is what makes MN hockey great. 150+ High School teams with hard working players with a passion for hockey. Not just a couple of loaded privates and public schools supported by large associations.

I totally agree. Not every team has the depth of a Hill or an Edina, but many teams in the state have players that COULD play for them based on their ability. Take a look back last year in the Advanced 17's and great 8. Teams from Section 1 won both of those tourneys handily. Most of those kids came from smaller schools unlike the metro sections. Most kids would love the exposure the kids from the Hiills and Edinas get, but as everyone knows, if you are good enough you will get noticed.

SEMNHOCKEYFAN · Post by **SEMNHOCKEYFAN** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:11 pm

Just dont worry about it.....they can bash all they want/.....but i bet the teams they bash are better players then the bashers.....if they makes any sence?

Lucia4President · Post by **Lucia4President** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:08 pm

It's hard to get recognized when a team only has a good year or two. Teams from the metro and up north get more recognition because they have the numbers to consistently put good HS teams together. That doesn't mean that exceptional players won't come from these schools with smaller numbers to feed into the HS program. A good example would be Eriah Hayes from LaCresent. Not a prestigious program by any means, but the kid is in the USHL and will probably end up D-1 somewhere.

Mistah Hockey · Post by **Mistah Hockey** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:15 pm

just to add to that lucia, eriah hayes is playing for mankato state next year with almost a full ride...

HappyHockeyFan · Post by **HappyHockeyFan** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:02 pm

True hockey fans appreciate all hockey in Minnesota, Class A and AA. Any high school game can be a great game in its self, maybe the skill level is better in some games but the games can be very good and enjoyable to watch. i dont have alot of respect for those that just care about the best teams and players, they are not hockey purists.

goldy313 · Post by **goldy313** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:04 pm

A couple of others come to mind; Ryan Hoehn from Waseca was bashed for putting up big numbers at Waseca but made it to the USHL. Jamie Hoffman from New Ulm is another, he was offered a spot with the Gophers but didn't want to go to the Juniors so accepted a ride with Colorado College before deciding to sign with the Dodgers.

The problem with Lacrescent is they're in a Wisconsin conference and nobody sees them nor do they play most of the teams LaCrescent plays. This year LaCrescent is in a good Christmas tournament and has games against some good Minnesota teams like Lourdes. I'm not a close follower of Wisconsin hockey but Onalaska usually is a quality club, that should be a nice win for the Lancers.

danglepastdmen · Post by **danglepastdmen** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:36 pm

goldy313 wrote:A couple of others come to mind; Ryan Hoehn from Waseca was bashed for putting up big numbers at Waseca but made it to the USHL. Jamie Hoffman from New Ulm is another, he was offered a spot with the Gophers but didn't want to go to the Juniors so accepted a ride with Colorado College before deciding to sign with the Dodgers.

The problem with Lacrescent is they're in a Wisconsin conference and nobody sees them nor do they play most of the teams LaCrescent plays. This year LaCrescent is in a good Christmas tournament and has games against some good Minnesota teams like Lourdes. I'm not a close follower of Wisconsin hockey but Onalaska usually is a quality club, that should be a nice win for the Lancers.

Jamie Hoffmann was also drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes and Played for the Des Moines Buccaneers

PuckRanger · Post by **PuckRanger** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:11 am

Lucia4President wrote:It's hard to get recognized when a team only has a good year or two. Teams from the metro and up north get more recognition because they have the numbers to consistently put good HS teams together. That doesn't mean that exceptional players won't come from these schools with smaller numbers to feed into the HS program. A good example would be Eriah Hayes from LaCresent. Not a prestigious program by any means, but the kid is in the USHL and will probably end up D-1 somewhere.

I wouldn't say that teams from up north have the numbers. Fact is most have difficulty fielding a full JV team after the varsity roster is filled. There are some exceptions (East, Rapids, Hermantown, & a couple others), but for the most part the numbers are no where even remotely close to metro schools.

crocket · Post by **crocket** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:14 pm

Roseau fields about 2 teams per level in youth hockey-Wayzata fields close to 60 in their association-you dont have to be from a mega city to have hockey talent.