Hey there fellow Section 1A Followers,
I am new to this board I just moved down to this area about two years ago. I grew up on the range and love High School Hockey. I go to a game just about every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I follow Section 1A very close. Let me know what ya think of these rankings hopefully it sparks debate and discussion. It’s still early but I think this is the first set of rankings we can start to post as every team has at least 3 games under their belt by now.
Section 1A Rankings ( 12-14-08 )
1.Albert Lea (3-0-0)
2. New Prague (3-2-0)
3.Rochester Lourdes (3-1-0)
4.Mankato West (2-2-0)
5. Red Wing (1-3-0)
6. Faribault (2-2-0)
7. La Crescent (3-1-0)
8. Mankato East (1-2-0)
9. Northfield (0-4-0)
10. Waseca (1-3-0)
11. Austin (0-4-0)
1. Albert Lea (3-0-0)- I think the top teams will work themselves as they face each other head to head more. I put Albert Lea number one because they arfe the only undefeated team left in this section. They have a nice team some balanced scoring and solid defenseman. Question mark coming in was who would step up the in nets. So far John Wrolson has done a really nice job.
2. New Prague (3-2-0)- This is a very interesting team they have some really talented players that can carry them. However, depth and goaltending are an issue. They have been up down so far this year have a real bad trip up north only to come back and get two huge section wins this week. That win over Lourdes will prove vital come section-seeding time.
3. Rochester Lourdes (3-1-0)- The eagles have the most depth and talent in this section. However, they have shown early, as the new Prague game indicates, that they are a very beatable team too. I think as the year goes on it will be interesting to see if Coach Gill can get this talented bunch to come together and be playing their best hockey come section time. Lourdes as the most depth and overall talent however, as we all know that doesn’t mean they will be winning Section 1A this year.
4. Mankato West (2-2-0)- The defending section champs have some really nice pieces and have shown they can play with anyone in this section. However, They sorely miss their two horses from last year. However they have a real nice first line but the biggest lost was in the net losing Bruggman and replacing him Trautman is a big drop off. I think shaky goaltending will hold this team back from getting into the top three of this section.
5. Red Wing (1-3-0)- This team always is a threat they are well coached and have shown early on they can play with the States elite teams. However, they don’t seem to have the scoring this year to put them over the top. However, the Wingers are always a threat and will improve as the year goes on and they will be a threat by the time playoffs start.
6. Faribault (2-2-0)- This is time that is sort of floating under the radar. They have a pretty solid team I saw them dismantle Waseca earlier this year. It will be interesting to see how they progress as the season goes on. They will get their shot at a lot of the sections elite teams as the year goes on. This could be a team to watch out for as year continues.
7. La Crescent (3-1-0)- Hard to judge this team they beat a Top 15 Wisconsin school in Onalaska earlier this week. Which means they are capable of beating a lot for teams in this section. Got some kids with decent numbers. However, they don’t play nearly enough section teams. Playing the number of Wisconsin schools they do will not help there case to move up the rankings but they are clearly better then the bottom four of this section.
8. Mankato East (1-2-0)- This is a program trying to rebuild with a new coach after only having 3 wins last year. They are better then they were last year but they still have a ways to go before they are going to move up past number 8 in this section.
9. Northfield (0-4-0)- I went to the Red Wing vs. Northfield game. Red Wing destroyed this team Northfield was a senior dominated team last year and it showed, as they don’t have much left for this year team. They are a younger team and their top two players are still getting their hockey legs after going to the prep bowl for football. However this is a bottom four team and I don’t see them deserving anything higher.
10. Waseca (1-3-0)- This program is really struggling I watched them get beat pretty handily by Faribault earlier this year. I don’t see them being able to really challenge in this section. They lack depth and just don’t have the individuals of one line to carry them.
11. Austin (0-4-0)- All I have to say is it is going to be a very long year for these boys. But their goalie will surely set the state record most saves recorded in a season.
I will try to do one of these after every week. So expect on Sundays for new weekly rankings. Let me know what you guys think out there. I am open to criticism make you own rankings as well. Should be a fun year to watch hockey down south in Section 1A.
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Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
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ALL-STAR ROOKIE
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hockeypurist
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Re: Section 1A Rankings
Nice posting, SouthernHSHockeyGuy. You have done your homework. It is hard to argue with your ranking based on what we know to date. AL may be the biggest surprise of the section, even though Nystrom seems to put together a competitive squad annually. But can they keep it up? I don't believe they will, and I expect Lourdes and NP to steamroll to the top of the section. Mankato West deserves some credit from those who had given them up for dead. Essay is preaching discipline and defense. So far it is paying off. Versus NP, for instance, I think 2 of their 3 traditional hotheads received zero penalties!! If they stay out of the box, goaltending is better than average, and their D play smart, they might be the biggest surprise in the state come playoff time! Red Wing may be the enigma of the section. They were supposed to be stronger this year than last. They have 3 close losses against top notch teams. Beat Totino-Grace later this month and we may have quite a dogfight on our hands. Finally, no one seems to be talking about Faribault. Are they the darkhorse? Tuesday vs AL will be a test for them, not to mention their Christmas tournament in Little Falls. If they win 2 games there, they will deserve to be taken seriously.SouthernHSHockeyGuy wrote:Hey there fellow Section 1A Followers,
I am new to this board I just moved down to this area about two years ago. I grew up on the range and love High School Hockey. I go to a game just about every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I follow Section 1A very close. Let me know what ya think of these rankings hopefully it sparks debate and discussion. It’s still early but I think this is the first set of rankings we can start to post as every team has at least 3 games under their belt by now.
Section 1A Rankings ( 12-14-08 )
1.Albert Lea (3-0-0)
2. New Prague (3-2-0)
3.Rochester Lourdes (3-1-0)
4.Mankato West (2-2-0)
5. Red Wing (1-3-0)
6. Faribault (2-2-0)
7. La Crescent (3-1-0)
8. Mankato East (1-2-0)
9. Northfield (0-4-0)
10. Waseca (1-3-0)
11. Austin (0-4-0)
1. Albert Lea (3-0-0)- I think the top teams will work themselves as they face each other head to head more. I put Albert Lea number one because they arfe the only undefeated team left in this section. They have a nice team some balanced scoring and solid defenseman. Question mark coming in was who would step up the in nets. So far John Wrolson has done a really nice job.
2. New Prague (3-2-0)- This is a very interesting team they have some really talented players that can carry them. However, depth and goaltending are an issue. They have been up down so far this year have a real bad trip up north only to come back and get two huge section wins this week. That win over Lourdes will prove vital come section-seeding time.
3. Rochester Lourdes (3-1-0)- The eagles have the most depth and talent in this section. However, they have shown early, as the new Prague game indicates, that they are a very beatable team too. I think as the year goes on it will be interesting to see if Coach Gill can get this talented bunch to come together and be playing their best hockey come section time. Lourdes as the most depth and overall talent however, as we all know that doesn’t mean they will be winning Section 1A this year.
4. Mankato West (2-2-0)- The defending section champs have some really nice pieces and have shown they can play with anyone in this section. However, They sorely miss their two horses from last year. However they have a real nice first line but the biggest lost was in the net losing Bruggman and replacing him Trautman is a big drop off. I think shaky goaltending will hold this team back from getting into the top three of this section.
5. Red Wing (1-3-0)- This team always is a threat they are well coached and have shown early on they can play with the States elite teams. However, they don’t seem to have the scoring this year to put them over the top. However, the Wingers are always a threat and will improve as the year goes on and they will be a threat by the time playoffs start.
6. Faribault (2-2-0)- This is time that is sort of floating under the radar. They have a pretty solid team I saw them dismantle Waseca earlier this year. It will be interesting to see how they progress as the season goes on. They will get their shot at a lot of the sections elite teams as the year goes on. This could be a team to watch out for as year continues.
7. La Crescent (3-1-0)- Hard to judge this team they beat a Top 15 Wisconsin school in Onalaska earlier this week. Which means they are capable of beating a lot for teams in this section. Got some kids with decent numbers. However, they don’t play nearly enough section teams. Playing the number of Wisconsin schools they do will not help there case to move up the rankings but they are clearly better then the bottom four of this section.
8. Mankato East (1-2-0)- This is a program trying to rebuild with a new coach after only having 3 wins last year. They are better then they were last year but they still have a ways to go before they are going to move up past number 8 in this section.
9. Northfield (0-4-0)- I went to the Red Wing vs. Northfield game. Red Wing destroyed this team Northfield was a senior dominated team last year and it showed, as they don’t have much left for this year team. They are a younger team and their top two players are still getting their hockey legs after going to the prep bowl for football. However this is a bottom four team and I don’t see them deserving anything higher.
10. Waseca (1-3-0)- This program is really struggling I watched them get beat pretty handily by Faribault earlier this year. I don’t see them being able to really challenge in this section. They lack depth and just don’t have the individuals of one line to carry them.
11. Austin (0-4-0)- All I have to say is it is going to be a very long year for these boys. But their goalie will surely set the state record most saves recorded in a season.
I will try to do one of these after every week. So expect on Sundays for new weekly rankings. Let me know what you guys think out there. I am open to criticism make you own rankings as well. Should be a fun year to watch hockey down south in Section 1A.
I don't really think you can base your rankings on records, considering the teams have not played similar opponents. I Guarantee if Red Wing had played the same schedule as Albert Lea or West they would be undefeated too. Albert Lea and West should win alot of games this year ONLY because they play a WEAK schedule. On the other hand if West or Albert Lea had played the same schedule as Red Wing they would be 1-3 also. I would like to see those two teams play all the TOP teams like Red Wing does and then see how many wins they have 
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nickel slots
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- Location: Northern Southern Minnesota
Red Wing loses to Breck 2-1 (I think we would all agree that Breck is a formidable opponent). Breck loses to Mahtomedi 3-1 (for those that aren't aware, the Zephyrs are going to be team to be reckoned with this year). Mahtomedi took OT to beat Spring Lake Park, who lost to Irondale 5-2. New Prague handled Irondale 6-3.gamegod93 wrote:I don't really think you can base your rankings on records, considering the teams have not played similar opponents. I Guarantee if Red Wing had played the same schedule as Albert Lea or West they would be undefeated too. Albert Lea and West should win alot of games this year ONLY because they play a WEAK schedule. On the other hand if West or Albert Lea had played the same schedule as Red Wing they would be 1-3 also. I would like to see those two teams play all the TOP teams like Red Wing does and then see how many wins they have
Does that mean that New Prague is that much better than Red Wing? Of course not. Point being that we can't just say that AL and MW play WEAK schedules compared to Red Wing and because of that they're not as good. Do we know for a fact that both AL and MW would be 1-3 if they played RW's schedule? Ludicrous. Can we say that Red Wing would be undefeated if they played AL or MW's schedule thus far? Just as ludicrous!
While RW's tough non-conference schedule will have them used to back-to-back battles come section time, we would be kidding ourselves if we thought everything was so predictable.
It's already been said on here, but I think any one of 6 teams could possibly come out of this section if they're getting the bounces and playing good hockey. Section seedings will determine home team which will give that team the advantage for matching lines... which will be more important than any home ice advantage.
Lourdes, NP, RW, AL, MW, F'bo... any one of these teams could come out of this section given the right set of circumstances. It will be fun and the team that does survive will be able to compete at the X in March.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
It's all small stuff.
It's all small stuff.
Maybe RW should schedule AL and West. Guessing both those teams would welcome the chance to play the Wingers. I think it definately hurt RW last year come seeding time because they had played so few section 1 teams. Although, it was proven that the 5th seed was where they belonged seeing that the 4 seed NP beat them.gamegod93 wrote:Red Wing plays
A
6 Rochester Lourdes
7 Mahtomedi
8 Breck
9 Hermantown
10 Totino-Grace
12 South St. Paul
13 Orono
18 New Prague 2X
AA
6 Holy Angels 2X
Albert Lea plays
A
6 Rochester Lourdes
15 Red Wing
18 New Prague
West plays
A
6 Rochester Lourdes
18 New Prague
Davey, Red Wing does play Albert Lea on Jan 17 in Albert Lea (I can't wait) As for Red Wing playing West They did scrimmage them in Red Wing (Preseason) and beat them 6-0
Red Wing also played Albert Lea 4 times in Kasson this summer. 2 wins 1 tie 1 loss.
I know Red Wing's coach would rather have his team lose a few games to top notch teams and play at a higher level, vs. winning a few more games against weaker teams, and having a better record. 3 losses to high quality teams beats 3 wins to mediocre teams in my book.
Red Wing also played Albert Lea 4 times in Kasson this summer. 2 wins 1 tie 1 loss.
I know Red Wing's coach would rather have his team lose a few games to top notch teams and play at a higher level, vs. winning a few more games against weaker teams, and having a better record. 3 losses to high quality teams beats 3 wins to mediocre teams in my book.
gamegod93 wrote:Davey, Red Wing does play Albert Lea on Jan 17 in Albert Lea (I can't wait) As for Red Wing playing West They did scrimmage them in Red Wing (Preseason) and beat them 6-0
Red Wing also played Albert Lea 4 times in Kasson this summer. 2 wins 1 tie 1 loss.
I know Red Wing's coach would rather have his team lose a few games to top notch teams and play at a higher level, vs. winning a few more games against weaker teams, and having a better record. 3 losses to high quality teams beats 3 wins to mediocre teams in my book.
I don't get it? Whats your point? Red Wing is better than AL and MW because they have a tougher schedule? Lets just wait until Febuary and find out on the Ice my friend.
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Getemupscout
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NippenTopChed08
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NippenTopChed08
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Getemupscout
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hockeyblitz
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I went to the lourdes vs. New Prague game and it was obvious who the better team was (lourdes) but lourdes just found out what can happen if you don't play your but off on any given night. New Prague were a bunch of lunch pail guys that night and overachieved. There second and third line played just as well as there talented first line. You can definitely tell New Pragues's goalie is inexperienced and young and that may be a factor later. Now guys I also think that Albert Lea has been a very good program over the last 7 to 8 years but ONE LINE will not get you very far in this section. They will compete in the big nine due to it not being very strong this year. Red Wing will beat Albert Lea and you can count on it. Albert Lea would not have competed as well as Red Wing with the schedule that the Wingers have played thus far. No shot at Albert Lea but they are simply down this year and that happens. For whatever reason seems that nobody can accept that. In conclusion it should be a battle for section 1a between the lourdes , new prague and red wing.
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SouthernHSHockeyGuy
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Section 1A Midweek Report
Meet New Faribault Boys Hockey Coach Brad Ryan
FARIBAULT — Brad Ryan left Faribault 25 years ago to pursue a life entrenched in hockey.
He learned a lot along the way. Ryan — a 1983 Faribault High School graduate — played Division I college hockey at the University of Illinois at Chicago, tried out for two Team USA Olympic hockey teams in 1984 and ‘88 and worked alongside some of the game’s elite minds.
Now, he is ready to give back to the hockey program that helped spark all those opportunities. Ryan is beginning his first season as the Faribault High School boys hockey coach, and he’s enjoying the return to his roots.
“There are so many coaches out there that desire to go back to their alumni and give back to them,” Ryan said. “For an opportunity to teach and coach where I started is an honor.”
The 43-year-old has much to give back. Having coached alongside the likes of current Shattuck-St. Mary’s boys coach Tom Ward, former University of Minnesota assistant coach Mike Guentzel and former Colorado College coach Brad Buetow, Ryan learned to pick the minds of those around him to yield the best results behind the bench.
He took that knowledge and went to back-to-back state tournaments with Orono in 2005-06 and 2006-07, including winning the Section 6A title over Faribault in the Spartans first trip to state.
The recipe is simple: Ryan believes in keeping scores low and being smart around his team’s own net.
“He’s a defense first guy — the goals will come,” senior goalie Dusty Caron said. “He’s always got a saying, ‘Be the first to three (goals).’ ”
Given Ryan’s track record, the results are there. Including a trip as an assistant at The Blake School last year and once before as an assistant at Edina, Ryan has led four teams to the state tournament in his career.
“I had heard such good things about him, how he went to state the last couple of years,” junior forward Ryan Dwyer said. “I was really excited, hoping that maybe we could get there.”
Winning is certainly the objective — and the Falcons, who beat Waseca 7-2 in Saturday’s season opener, are hopeful of things to come.
But for Ryan, it’s only half of his objective as the Falcons coach.
He said while being competitive and enjoying the game is important, the main goal remains helping the kids gain a good education.
“Ultimately, that’s the inner secret in sports,” he said. “It’s all about growing as a person on and off the field or ice.”
It’s the reason Ryan chose coaching. Instead of further pursuing a playing career, Ryan finished up his degree and began coaching at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.
Education always factored into Ryan’s decisions pertaining to hockey, and he’s happy to give players in his hometown guidance on and off the ice.
“I hope that in five to 10 years, I’d be able to network and stay connected with the alumni and hope that I had something to do with their character, their work ethic and how they treat other people,” he said.
Even though winning is the short-term goal for this crew of student athletes, their futures are more important, whether they remain in hockey or not.
“I would hope people look forward to coming back and visiting with me and sharing what they’re doing as a career,” Ryan said.
It seems the game that taught Ryan about life also guided him home to help a new generation do the same.
“He’s got a lot of dedication,” Caron said. “He really cares a lot about us.”
Section 1A Game of the Night
Albert Lea 6 Faribault 3
Went to this one last night thought it would be a good chance for Faribault to pull and shocker and well Albert Lea proved to be too much.
The Faribault High School hockey team is giving new meaning to the phrase “terrible twos.”
The Falcons have allowed two goals in each of the team’s last seven periods. That’s a span of three games and, coincidentally, the team is 0-3 in that span.
FHS (2-3) lost to Albert Lea 6-2 on Tuesday, extending the team’s losing streak to three games.
“You’re not going to win too many games racing to three (goals) if you give up two goals per period,” coach Brad Ryan said. “We’ve just got to play through it. It isn’t a matter of doing something different or anything. As a team, we’ve got to live to play another day.”
Maybe the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team enjoys a good challenge
Senior Alex Larson gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead on a power play goal with four minutes left in the first period. The Tigers (4-0-0) fell behind for the third consecutive game, but they trailed for only 32 seconds as Albert Lea’s first line got the jump start it needed when Tyler Prihoda scored in the first period.
Thirty-two seconds later Prihoda scored the first of his two goals and Tigers cruised to a 6-3 win that kept them undefeated on the season.
Prihoda, Grant Stadheim, and Jordan Prescher-Smerud accounted for four of the six goals, much like the line did against Rochester Century Saturday when Albert Lea rallied from three goals down for a 5-3 win.
This one wasn’t as dramatic. The Tigers pasted the Falcons, recording 68 shots in the game and three power play goals.
Prihoda had two goals in the first period and had a handful of breakaway opportunities in the game. Stadheim put Albert Lea up 3-1 31 seconds into the second period and Prescher-Smerud added a goal at 11:12 in the second period. Life was pretty good for the first line Tuesday night at the City Arena.
“The first line is dynamite,” Tigers head coach Roy Nystrom said. “Those three guys are definitely top notch players.”
More than half of Albert Lea’s scoring has come from Stadheim, Prescher-Smerud and Prihoda thus far.
“We’ve got a lot of speed on that line,” Prescher-Smerud said. “We seem to know how to read each other well.”
Prihoda and Prescher-Smerud read each other well in the second period when Prihoda sent a pass from the right circle to the far post of the net where Prescher-Smerud one-timed it home for a 4-1 Tiger lead.
Prescher-Smerud set up Stadheim on a pretty scoring play in the beginning of the second period. Stadheim fired from the slot and scored on a one-timer. That chemistry has been forged just this season as Prihoda moved from defenseman to forward.
The Tigers outhustled Faribault throughout the game, beating the Falcons to pucks in the corner with their speed. The only blemish for the Tigers was penalties. Albert Lea had nine penalties in the game and gave up two power play goals, along with a short-handed goal. “We have to stop taking so many penalties,” Prihoda said.
The Tigers were aggressive on the ice, finishing every check and harrassing Falcon puckhandlers. Albert Lea killed seven power plays, but even a man short, the Tigers held the puck in Faribault’s zone for a long while. In the second period Prescher-Smerud pressured the Falcon defense continually and held the puck in the Faribault zone by himself for nearly half a minute. Stadheim and Prihoda followed suit on other penalty kills.
Junior Bo Putrah helped the Falcons mount a comeback. He scored a power-play goal with two minutes left in the second to cut the Tigers’ lead to two, then scored a short-handed goal two minutes into the third.
But Albert Lea responded, scoring two goals in the third and putting the game out of reach.
“There’s no team that is going to beat us because we’re lazy I can tell you that,” Nystrom said. “They’re going to beat us by outworking us.”
Mike Flak had a goal at 3:45 in the third period and Dillon Stolt added one late to make the game 6-3. John Wrolson made 26 saves in net for the Tigers.
The Falcons will look to end their three-game skid against Northfield on Saturday.
Faribault 1 1 1 — 3
Albert Lea 2 2 2 — 6
First Period— 1, Faribault, Alex Larson, (Bo Putrah, Ryan Dwyer), 13:04 (pp). 2, Albert Lea, Tyler Prihoda, (Jordan Prescher-Smerud) 13:36. 3, Albert Lea, Prihoda (Blake Adams, Taylor Draayer) 14:28 (pp).
Second Period— 4, Albert Lea, Grant Stadheim, (Jordan Prescher-Smerud) :31 (pp). 5, Albert Lea, Prescher-Smerud, (Prihoda, Stadheim) 11:12 (pp). 6, Faribault, Putrah, (Sean Lipinski, Jack Helgeson) 15:02 (pp).
Third period— 7, Faribault, Putrah, (Dwyer, Brandon Parker), 2:34 (sh). 8, Albert Lea, Mike Falk, (Tyler Brackey, Mitchell Sorenson), 3:45. 9, Albert Lea, Dillon Stolt, (Robert Peterson), 9:37.
Shots on Goal— Faribault 29. Albert Lea 68.
FARIBAULT — Brad Ryan left Faribault 25 years ago to pursue a life entrenched in hockey.
He learned a lot along the way. Ryan — a 1983 Faribault High School graduate — played Division I college hockey at the University of Illinois at Chicago, tried out for two Team USA Olympic hockey teams in 1984 and ‘88 and worked alongside some of the game’s elite minds.
Now, he is ready to give back to the hockey program that helped spark all those opportunities. Ryan is beginning his first season as the Faribault High School boys hockey coach, and he’s enjoying the return to his roots.
“There are so many coaches out there that desire to go back to their alumni and give back to them,” Ryan said. “For an opportunity to teach and coach where I started is an honor.”
The 43-year-old has much to give back. Having coached alongside the likes of current Shattuck-St. Mary’s boys coach Tom Ward, former University of Minnesota assistant coach Mike Guentzel and former Colorado College coach Brad Buetow, Ryan learned to pick the minds of those around him to yield the best results behind the bench.
He took that knowledge and went to back-to-back state tournaments with Orono in 2005-06 and 2006-07, including winning the Section 6A title over Faribault in the Spartans first trip to state.
The recipe is simple: Ryan believes in keeping scores low and being smart around his team’s own net.
“He’s a defense first guy — the goals will come,” senior goalie Dusty Caron said. “He’s always got a saying, ‘Be the first to three (goals).’ ”
Given Ryan’s track record, the results are there. Including a trip as an assistant at The Blake School last year and once before as an assistant at Edina, Ryan has led four teams to the state tournament in his career.
“I had heard such good things about him, how he went to state the last couple of years,” junior forward Ryan Dwyer said. “I was really excited, hoping that maybe we could get there.”
Winning is certainly the objective — and the Falcons, who beat Waseca 7-2 in Saturday’s season opener, are hopeful of things to come.
But for Ryan, it’s only half of his objective as the Falcons coach.
He said while being competitive and enjoying the game is important, the main goal remains helping the kids gain a good education.
“Ultimately, that’s the inner secret in sports,” he said. “It’s all about growing as a person on and off the field or ice.”
It’s the reason Ryan chose coaching. Instead of further pursuing a playing career, Ryan finished up his degree and began coaching at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.
Education always factored into Ryan’s decisions pertaining to hockey, and he’s happy to give players in his hometown guidance on and off the ice.
“I hope that in five to 10 years, I’d be able to network and stay connected with the alumni and hope that I had something to do with their character, their work ethic and how they treat other people,” he said.
Even though winning is the short-term goal for this crew of student athletes, their futures are more important, whether they remain in hockey or not.
“I would hope people look forward to coming back and visiting with me and sharing what they’re doing as a career,” Ryan said.
It seems the game that taught Ryan about life also guided him home to help a new generation do the same.
“He’s got a lot of dedication,” Caron said. “He really cares a lot about us.”
Section 1A Game of the Night
Albert Lea 6 Faribault 3
Went to this one last night thought it would be a good chance for Faribault to pull and shocker and well Albert Lea proved to be too much.
The Faribault High School hockey team is giving new meaning to the phrase “terrible twos.”
The Falcons have allowed two goals in each of the team’s last seven periods. That’s a span of three games and, coincidentally, the team is 0-3 in that span.
FHS (2-3) lost to Albert Lea 6-2 on Tuesday, extending the team’s losing streak to three games.
“You’re not going to win too many games racing to three (goals) if you give up two goals per period,” coach Brad Ryan said. “We’ve just got to play through it. It isn’t a matter of doing something different or anything. As a team, we’ve got to live to play another day.”
Maybe the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team enjoys a good challenge
Senior Alex Larson gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead on a power play goal with four minutes left in the first period. The Tigers (4-0-0) fell behind for the third consecutive game, but they trailed for only 32 seconds as Albert Lea’s first line got the jump start it needed when Tyler Prihoda scored in the first period.
Thirty-two seconds later Prihoda scored the first of his two goals and Tigers cruised to a 6-3 win that kept them undefeated on the season.
Prihoda, Grant Stadheim, and Jordan Prescher-Smerud accounted for four of the six goals, much like the line did against Rochester Century Saturday when Albert Lea rallied from three goals down for a 5-3 win.
This one wasn’t as dramatic. The Tigers pasted the Falcons, recording 68 shots in the game and three power play goals.
Prihoda had two goals in the first period and had a handful of breakaway opportunities in the game. Stadheim put Albert Lea up 3-1 31 seconds into the second period and Prescher-Smerud added a goal at 11:12 in the second period. Life was pretty good for the first line Tuesday night at the City Arena.
“The first line is dynamite,” Tigers head coach Roy Nystrom said. “Those three guys are definitely top notch players.”
More than half of Albert Lea’s scoring has come from Stadheim, Prescher-Smerud and Prihoda thus far.
“We’ve got a lot of speed on that line,” Prescher-Smerud said. “We seem to know how to read each other well.”
Prihoda and Prescher-Smerud read each other well in the second period when Prihoda sent a pass from the right circle to the far post of the net where Prescher-Smerud one-timed it home for a 4-1 Tiger lead.
Prescher-Smerud set up Stadheim on a pretty scoring play in the beginning of the second period. Stadheim fired from the slot and scored on a one-timer. That chemistry has been forged just this season as Prihoda moved from defenseman to forward.
The Tigers outhustled Faribault throughout the game, beating the Falcons to pucks in the corner with their speed. The only blemish for the Tigers was penalties. Albert Lea had nine penalties in the game and gave up two power play goals, along with a short-handed goal. “We have to stop taking so many penalties,” Prihoda said.
The Tigers were aggressive on the ice, finishing every check and harrassing Falcon puckhandlers. Albert Lea killed seven power plays, but even a man short, the Tigers held the puck in Faribault’s zone for a long while. In the second period Prescher-Smerud pressured the Falcon defense continually and held the puck in the Faribault zone by himself for nearly half a minute. Stadheim and Prihoda followed suit on other penalty kills.
Junior Bo Putrah helped the Falcons mount a comeback. He scored a power-play goal with two minutes left in the second to cut the Tigers’ lead to two, then scored a short-handed goal two minutes into the third.
But Albert Lea responded, scoring two goals in the third and putting the game out of reach.
“There’s no team that is going to beat us because we’re lazy I can tell you that,” Nystrom said. “They’re going to beat us by outworking us.”
Mike Flak had a goal at 3:45 in the third period and Dillon Stolt added one late to make the game 6-3. John Wrolson made 26 saves in net for the Tigers.
The Falcons will look to end their three-game skid against Northfield on Saturday.
Faribault 1 1 1 — 3
Albert Lea 2 2 2 — 6
First Period— 1, Faribault, Alex Larson, (Bo Putrah, Ryan Dwyer), 13:04 (pp). 2, Albert Lea, Tyler Prihoda, (Jordan Prescher-Smerud) 13:36. 3, Albert Lea, Prihoda (Blake Adams, Taylor Draayer) 14:28 (pp).
Second Period— 4, Albert Lea, Grant Stadheim, (Jordan Prescher-Smerud) :31 (pp). 5, Albert Lea, Prescher-Smerud, (Prihoda, Stadheim) 11:12 (pp). 6, Faribault, Putrah, (Sean Lipinski, Jack Helgeson) 15:02 (pp).
Third period— 7, Faribault, Putrah, (Dwyer, Brandon Parker), 2:34 (sh). 8, Albert Lea, Mike Falk, (Tyler Brackey, Mitchell Sorenson), 3:45. 9, Albert Lea, Dillon Stolt, (Robert Peterson), 9:37.
Shots on Goal— Faribault 29. Albert Lea 68.
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ALL-STAR ROOKIE
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:51 pm
Southernhshockeyguy,
WOW,
Winona beats Albert Lea.
Can you give us a run down on this game?
What happened?
Is Winona good this year or did Albert Lea think easy win? Normally Albert Lea beats this team by about 8 goals.
Coach Nystrom just quoted in the local paper " Our first line is DYNAMITE" , " If we get beat it's because we got out hustled."
WOW,
Winona beats Albert Lea.
Can you give us a run down on this game?
What happened?
Is Winona good this year or did Albert Lea think easy win? Normally Albert Lea beats this team by about 8 goals.
Coach Nystrom just quoted in the local paper " Our first line is DYNAMITE" , " If we get beat it's because we got out hustled."
Last edited by ALL-STAR ROOKIE on Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ALL-STAR ROOKIE
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:51 pm
in faribos defense they were playing this game without their top 2 defensemen.. on the other hand i heard that they were kind of flat all game and didnt play with much intensity. you cant blame the loss on the 2 d that were missing if you dont play hard. Albert Lea is always a hard working team and you need to come ready to play against a team like that.
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TheBlizzard
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:43 pm
Last night Red Wing dominated Rochester Mayo at home, the end score was 4-2 but 1 of the goals was a garbage goal and othe other one got knocked in by a RW defensmen.
Personally I thinkthe Lourdes will take the division; I watched them play RW at home and they pretty much dominated the game from start to finish. The end score was 4-1 but that didn't tell the whole story.
The Lourdes forecheck was awesome and you can tell a lot of those players played all summer in the Elite League.
RW has played some tough opponents (Holy Angels & Breck) and lost but I agree with the previous statement somebody made saying that its better to lose to high grade opponent than to play 6 games against team like Northfield who are just terrible.
Personally I thinkthe Lourdes will take the division; I watched them play RW at home and they pretty much dominated the game from start to finish. The end score was 4-1 but that didn't tell the whole story.
The Lourdes forecheck was awesome and you can tell a lot of those players played all summer in the Elite League.
RW has played some tough opponents (Holy Angels & Breck) and lost but I agree with the previous statement somebody made saying that its better to lose to high grade opponent than to play 6 games against team like Northfield who are just terrible.
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ALL-STAR ROOKIE
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:51 pm
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PoNd HocKey ChAmP67
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:00 am