east hockey wrote:
Well, y'all are already north of the Metro, so shouldn't take more than an hour the way most people drive from down there.
Lee
Usually takes me 3.5 hours, even though I am only 15 min south of FLake..... I have a tendency to "road trip", and make several emergency stops along the way!!!
Congrats FLake, but the final score is not a shock to me the way they have been playing.
Stop spending so much time in Hinckley
Lee
Welllllllll, I can't.... Every time I go by there, it seems like Loverboy, Cheap Trick and Foghat are having concerts there..... Oh, who we kidding???
But, Lee, I regretfully like the team I predicted "most likely to pull an upset."..... Playing awfully well right now, and no matter who they play, win or lose, they will be tough to beat. A #4 seed waxing a #5 seed 6-0 better send alarms to the top 3.
northwoods oldtimer wrote:6 - 0 loss, who in the heck showed up? UN flippin' real!
Grand Rapids is a good team. Forest Lake was ready and moved the puck well, when the "names" were covered, others took over. Gaffy made a ton of saves, I believe shots were pretty close 26-22 the last time I noticed late in the third. The northern boys played clean, well there was one 2 and 10, but they hit, I thought they did everything right, but it's a tough building to play in and Forest Lake had the home advantage, a hot goalie, and hot shooters. Did I skip really good coaching? (where's the brown nosing emoticon when I need one - seriously, this staff had the boys ready last spring to go into DE building and play out of their minds, they seem to have this group of boys primed at the right time)
Thanks DMom for the report on the game. Could not get updates on this one from work. Good luck to Forest Lake on a title run, it sounds like they are at the top of their game.
With the exception of Cloquet and Princeton who have already played a game in the 7AA tourney, all of them are 0-0.
Two losing records in one season. Like I said, EASY.
forest lake has a good team this year, but seriously that's very sad to talk smack for a school that has never been to a section final against a school with arguably the greatest hockey tradition in Minnesota.
rapidsrapids when a team comes in and takes a 6-0 thumping it is pretty much fair game to take some heat from the opposing fan base, that is just the way it is in sports.
We have what could be considered an upswing in our program right now. BUT we are not even close to the Indians/Thunderhawks in terms of tradition, and in no way should be talking smack.
I wish FL the best, hope you bring a good fan base to the decc. Semifinal Saturday is a treat, especially when the gophers are there the same weekend, always a great atmosphere at the decc for those games.
Nice win against Rapids, but I think reality arrives Saturday in the form of an Elk. FL has improved and done much to get in position to play the stronger programs well, but I am still looking for a win against a top 15 school. Maybe Saturday, but both FL and Andover still have yet to show they can win against a ranked school. Both of their section 7 opponents have, and thats why I think that despite all the "upset" hype, these two schools (ER and DE) are still a step above: more talent, deeper, more experienced. I think the difference this year is that (unlike most years in 7AA), there are 4-5 teams that could actually beat the best team in the section. This makes for a much better section, and I hope the trend continues.
FLake has proved it vs teams like Woodbury, CDH, WBL and even Stillwater. All (minus Stillwater) have been ranked at one point this season. Give credit where it's due, FLake has a nice team and is on a roll. Just because they aren't one of the "Traditional" powerhouse programs?
GR3343 wrote:
With the exception of Cloquet and Princeton who have already played a game in the 7AA tourney, all of them are 0-0.
Two losing records in one season. Like I said, EASY.
forest lake has a good team this year, but seriously that's very sad to talk smack for a school that has never been to a section final against a school with arguably the greatest hockey tradition in Minnesota.
No smack intended. Just pointing out the facts.
I'm not a Flake backer, but I was very surprised at all the predictions of Rapids beating Flake, and Rapids making it to the section final. The 2009-2010 season is not based on history, and the Rapids record this year shows its been a struggle. We all go through them. But based on this years results, it was quite obvious that Flake would win this game.
Good luck to them the rest of the way. I'm sure the tractors will be lined up on Hwy 35 heading north.
Given how both teams have played down the stretch, FL has to be considered the favorite here. They appear to be the most balanced team left in this section. They can score & defend. The young kids may not be totally aware of the situation they are in & that may actually work to their benefit. Whatever voice Sarsland has left, may be gone by Sat afternoon...and that's a good thing.
rapidsrapids wrote:I wish FL the best, hope you bring a good fan base to the decc. Semifinal Saturday is a treat, especially when the gophers are there the same weekend, always a great atmosphere at the decc for those games.
Good point! That gopher's series should be a treat, UMD will hopefully pound the Gophs. It is unfortunate that Cloquet and Rapids are out though. I lost faith in the Jacks, but 2-ot is a heartbreaker, cant expect too much sometimes i guess. It would've been great if the DECC was Purple and Orange again, but of course with a different outcome this time
- seriously, this staff had the boys ready last spring to go into DE building and play out of their minds, they seem to have this group of boys primed at the right time)