HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

Grand Rapids- The Minnesota Crunch moved in to Grand Rapids on August 9th. Currently 16 girls have reported to camp with another anticipated signing in the very near future. Players and coaches were hosted at a community Barbeque on that evening as well. Players reported to Clafton Skate where they were provided thier equipment package. On Monday the team began training camp which proved to be both gruling and eye opening for the squad , featuring 2.5 hours of ice and an hour dryland.
On Friday players took their first steps into the community, working at the Jaycee's Corn palace at the Itasca County fair. Dawning Minnesota Crunch Tshirts and yellow bandanaas identifying the players with nick names such as Corn Queen, Cobb Master, the players had a great time and will return to the fair between noon and 6 on Sunday.
While there were significant grumblings of being sore, there are no significant injurys to report.
Crunch gain first player for 2009/2010 season
The Miinesota Crunch have receieved committment from ThiefRiver Falls Senior stand out Aly Dorn of her intention to play with the Crunch following her Sr. Year at Thief River Falls. To gain such a player this early in the game points tothe growth our organization is all ready starting to see. Aly comes from a hockey family, Her father Tony played for the Minnesota Gophers so we feel especially honored with their confidence, Aly is a great player but more importantly a great person. We look for great things from her in the future, and will be monitoring her progress closely this season.
Crunch Name Captains for inaugural squad
Jess Bye , Casey McMullen, and Ali Parizek will be the first captains of the Minnesota Crunch. Head Caoch Chris Marinucci notified the trio following the Friday night practice. These three players demonstrate the committment and dedication we want our players to follow.
The Crunch resume Training camp on Monday of next week.

Grand Rapids - THe Minnesota Crunch are pleased to announce the committment of Anastasia Young a 5 foot 10 inch 160 lb Defender from Butte Montana . She was a member of the u-19 girls Montana Champions, Northern plains District champions. Anastasia will give our squad needed depth, and versatility said Dan Clafton . Aside from her strong player abilities Anastasia Is a level 3 usa Hockey referee.A member of the national honor society, Science National Honor society and sports academic all state. Young will join the team Monday as it prepares for an 8 game road trip to Vermont.

Good Luck out on the eastern road trip to the MN Crunch!!

Sault St Marie - The Minnesota Crunch opened its inaugural season with a a 3-1 win over Sault St Marie Wednesday night at the John Rhodes ice arena in Sault St Marie . Casey McMullen scored the first goal in history for the Crunch, as she sniped a shot following a shake and bake move leaving the defenders wondering. Emily Haluska scored the second goal in a very similar fashion to McMullens first tally, Haluska beat the goaltender over the right shoulder to recapture a 2-1 lead in the second period. The Crunch put on a relentless preasure but were thwarted time and again by the Sault St Marie net minder. It was not until late in the game when Ali Parizek finished a nice tick tac toe play to top off the scoring. Jen Coyle and Brittni Flachman combined for the win in goal for the Crunch. The Crunch leave early this morning for the North American Hockey academy tournament in Vermont.

Congratulations on the opening game win!

is there a website or are you guys on pointstreak or somewhere where we can track stats? just wonderin.

Check the Naha website

Happy to hear former Grand Rapids/Greenway forward Jenae Hoeft picked up the first penalty minutes for the Minnesota Crunch. Great work!

The Crunch got crunched big time by Dawson, 12-0 in their first NAHA game.

Thats pretty good. Funny one there pal. The "crunch" got "crunched" ! Dang, I wish I was the first one to come up with that one!! I guess their undefeated season is now unattainable! They should come back immediately and the team should be dismantled and the players and staff go back to the pathetic holes they all came from!

I heard it was 6-0 but that is beside the point.

Dawson College is a hockey powerhouse in Canada. These games are great competition for the girls and I think it will only make them better! They are going to get their asses handed to them at times, but they will have their share of winning too. I am proud of the team and can't wait to see them gel and bond as a team. I just hope that we can try to keep the negativity to a minimum. Yeah, it was humiliating for them Im sure, but we don't need a-holes adding insult to injury by hiding behind their screen name tossing insults at them.

Thank you

GO CRUNCH!!

crazydad wrote:Thats pretty good. Funny one there pal. The "crunch" got "crunched" ! Dang, I wish I was the first one to come up with that one!! I guess their undefeated season is now unattainable! They should come back immediately and the team should be dismantled and the players and staff go back to the pathetic holes they all came from!

I heard it was 6-0 but that is beside the point.

Dawson College is a hockey powerhouse in Canada. These games are great competition for the girls and I think it will only make them better! They are going to get their asses handed to them at times, but they will have their share of winning too. I am proud of the team and can't wait to see them gel and bond as a team. I just hope that we can try to keep the negativity to a minimum. Yeah, it was humiliating for them Im sure, but we don't need a-holes adding insult to injury by hiding behind their screen name tossing insults at them.

Thank you

GO CRUNCH!!

Nothing against the Crunch but I think Edina, Stillwater, Roesville, GrandRapids and a few other Highschool teams could beat them!!!!!

This was the first time I have seen this program - I was impressed but it is a starting point that can be great or short lived - all programs face challenges - this remains a great concept.

1) Crunch competed hard but fell short in first two games.
2) If they work hard they will compete - for most of the girls on the roster this is really a high level of hockey so they are getting a great experience - I doubt very few have faced this level of competition.
3) What I see is a team with average speed and puck skills.
4) They will improve and learn to paly together - some of these teams have been playing together for a longer period than Crunch.
5) Two very strong players Parizek and McMullin stood out in games I watched at NAHA.
6) This is a development program so it will be interesting to see thier development over the season.

This is an elite stage at NAHA - Crunch as a new program are clearly being pressed - part of the development and exposure promised - few of these players today were D1 prospects - but with hard work, development and coaching a few can be....that is not to different than most of the 28 teams here at the NAHA tournament...and a big step forward from where these players were at the end of their HS careers.

gopher9 wrote:

crazydad wrote:Thats pretty good. Funny one there pal. The "crunch" got "crunched" ! Dang, I wish I was the first one to come up with that one!! I guess their undefeated season is now unattainable! They should come back immediately and the team should be dismantled and the players and staff go back to the pathetic holes they all came from!

I heard it was 6-0 but that is beside the point.

Dawson College is a hockey powerhouse in Canada. These games are great competition for the girls and I think it will only make them better! They are going to get their asses handed to them at times, but they will have their share of winning too. I am proud of the team and can't wait to see them gel and bond as a team. I just hope that we can try to keep the negativity to a minimum. Yeah, it was humiliating for them Im sure, but we don't need a-holes adding insult to injury by hiding behind their screen name tossing insults at them.

Thank you

GO CRUNCH!!

Nothing against the Crunch but I think Edina, Stillwater, Roesville, GrandRapids and a few other Highschool teams could beat them!!!!!

Probably not. Dawson is one of the top teams in the Quebec league and are usually grade 12 and 13. Last year they finished #2 in their league, this year they loaded up with additional top players, including Poulin, who is considered by many to be the best 91 player in the entire country of Canada.

Joe Hockey thankyou for your analogy. Gopher9 if you for one second think any of those teams are close to elite enough to compete out here you truly have your head in the sand. As Joe said,we are are and will, OWNER Coaches , AND PLAYERS learning. In the event anyone in Minnesota believes We have the best players, or best teams in Minnesota spend alittle cash next year and come and see just how far behind we are from some teams. As for us, judge us if you must, bash our program if you must, bad mouth players working there butts off if that makes you feel better, take your shots at me but in the end just know were trying to do something to create more places for our players to play . Oh and Gopher9 thanks for your support. I am sure the kids appreciate your support as a Minnesota Hockey fan !

Why all the hotility on this team? This is their first weekend. Now they know what they are in for, can set some goals, and have a great season. Can we give this some time before we judge them a success or failure. In my opinion, it is already a success, wins or losses, more girls in more hockey. "Broaden the base." Just getting this started is a success!

Is the talent truly that far above the MN talent out there, or are those simply just the true "Elite" type of teams, where ours are more of the hand picked variety?

crazydad wrote:Thats pretty good. Funny one there pal. The "crunch" got "crunched" ! Dang, I wish I was the first one to come up with that one!! I guess their undefeated season is now unattainable! They should come back immediately and the team should be dismantled and the players and staff go back to the pathetic holes they all came from!

I heard it was 6-0 but that is beside the point.

Dawson College is a hockey powerhouse in Canada. These games are great competition for the girls and I think it will only make them better! They are going to get their asses handed to them at times, but they will have their share of winning too. I am proud of the team and can't wait to see them gel and bond as a team. I just hope that we can try to keep the negativity to a minimum. Yeah, it was humiliating for them Im sure, but we don't need a-holes adding insult to injury by hiding behind their screen name tossing insults at them.

Thank you

GO CRUNCH!!

Having read tons of Hux's posts in the past, I feel pretty confident that he did not mean anything negative by his post, other than a play on words, and is a big supporter of all girls hockey.

I am sure there will be people out there rooting for the Crunch to fail and that is a shame. It is great that a group of people have taken on the task of providing another avenue for girls in MN to continue playing the game and another opportunity to get exposer to college coaches

Crunch will be fine,
Give them some time to play together and gel as a team and they will be alright.
Keep working hard and never give in and remember to have fun while doing it. Remember to never look a gift horse in the mouth.
these are great Opportunities for the girls that were once not available to them.
these are all good things. Lets give them a chance to work.

Media wrote:Joe Hockey thankyou for your analogy. Gopher9 if you for one second think any of those teams are close to elite enough to compete out here you truly have your head in the sand. As Joe said,we are are and will, OWNER Coaches , AND PLAYERS learning. In the event anyone in Minnesota believes We have the best players, or best teams in Minnesota spend alittle cash next year and come and see just how far behind we are from some teams. As for us, judge us if you must, bash our program if you must, bad mouth players working there butts off if that makes you feel better, take your shots at me but in the end just know were trying to do something to create more places for our players to play . Oh and Gopher9 thanks for your support. I am sure the kids appreciate your support as a Minnesota Hockey fan !

Hey Media, I have been out to the NAHA Tourney and I know exactly how good most of these teams are!! Im just telling it how it is if you cant take the truth then refrain from being on here! Did I say that the Crunch was no good? NO I did not. Just giving you my opinion. Remember Minnesota has 4 teams out there. Take the top players from all 4 teams and you would probobly win the tourney!! Also remember how many girls highschool teams there are in Minnesota. Most of the teams out there are allstar teams with players from around the U.S. and Canada that play a 50 - 60 game schedule. Minnesota kids are NOT far behind if at all!! Pull your head out of the sand and think about it!!!!!!

hockeya1a wrote:Crunch will be fine,
Give them some time to play together and gel as a team and they will be alright.
Keep working hard and never give in and remember to have fun while doing it. Remember to never look a gift horse in the mouth.
these are great Opportunities for the girls that were once not available to them.
these are all good things. Lets give them a chance to work.

Did someone say "Fun"? Just teasing, but last time I mentioned this should be "Fun" my comments got severly chastised. Seriously though, right on the money!

Wow, why anyone would ever have a negative thing to say about this Crunch organization really has issues of their own. I would also hate for these Crunch players to have to log into this forum and read where people are dissing them. This is the first year of this organization. No one knows how this will turn out BUT there are a lot of people working towards making this a huge success for one reason and one reason only, THE GIRLS! This isn't about who kicked who's but in a Vermont tournament, who's team has the Elite players and who's doesn't, who's team had the better bus, etc...its about this group of girls who are getting a chance to better their skills, work to make it to another level of hockey, get another year of playing the sport they love. I've read and heard about some of the negative comments being thrown around about this organization and trust me, those of you who are trying to trash this organization, bad mouth it at tournaments or message boards, steer girls away from it etc, are only accomplishing one thing and that is making yourself look like the fool you really are! I do believe the coaches of this team are highly respected in the hockey community as well as in their hometown and to diss what they are doing (by dissing their team/organization) is an insult to them and the hard work they are putting into this. So the next time anyone wants to cut down this team, rip the players apart for their skills etc, ask yourself one thing---what are YOU doing to help advance girls in this great game of hockey??? Got a better idea?

hawkyfan wrote:Wow, why anyone would ever have a negative thing to say about this Crunch organization really has issues of their own. I would also hate for these Crunch players to have to log into this forum and read where people are dissing them. This is the first year of this organization. No one knows how this will turn out BUT there are a lot of people working towards making this a huge success for one reason and one reason only, THE GIRLS! This isn't about who kicked who's but in a Vermont tournament, who's team has the Elite players and who's doesn't, who's team had the better bus, etc...its about this group of girls who are getting a chance to better their skills, work to make it to another level of hockey, get another year of playing the sport they love. I've read and heard about some of the negative comments being thrown around about this organization and trust me, those of you who are trying to trash this organization, bad mouth it at tournaments or message boards, steer girls away from it etc, are only accomplishing one thing and that is making yourself look like the fool you really are! I do believe the coaches of this team are highly respected in the hockey community as well as in their hometown and to diss what they are doing (by dissing their team/organization) is an insult to them and the hard work they are putting into this. So the next time anyone wants to cut down this team, rip the players apart for their skills etc, ask yourself one thing---what are YOU doing to help advance girls in this great game of hockey??? Got a better idea?

I ask you one question? Where on this message board is anyone dissing the Crunch or the organization? It is a great oppertunity for these girls! Would you quote where someone is dissing the team/organization? It really doesn't matter how good or bad this team is! Remember it is thier first year! I still stand by what I said earlier. There are about 4 or 5 Highschool teams that could beat them. Give them a few years. Lets put it to you this way I dont think there are 4 or 5 Highschool teams that could beat Shattuck or the Thouroughbreds. Maybe not even 1.

Speaking on behalf of the team we would like to thank those who have supported us thus far. We appreciate you more than you could even being to imagine! Yes we did have some rough games yesterday but they are helping us bond as a team and learn more about eachother. This trip to vermont is helping us immensely. We are SO thankful for the opportunity to be here. As far as the team reading the forums, yes we do read them, but its not that hard for us to blow off the bad things said. We thank EVERYONE for your support and we will continue working hard to make our fans proud!!

Sincerely,
The Crunch

CRUNCHPLAYER wrote:Speaking on behalf of the team we would like to thank those who have supported us thus far. We appreciate you more than you could even being to imagine! Yes we did have some rough games yesterday but they are helping us bond as a team and learn more about eachother. This trip to vermont is helping us immensely. We are SO thankful for the opportunity to be here. As far as the team reading the forums, yes we do read them, but its not that hard for us to blow off the bad things said. We thank EVERYONE for your support and we will continue working hard to make our fans proud!!

Sincerely,
The Crunch

Good morning CRUNCHPLAYER,

Do yourself a favor and stop reading this forum and this thread in particular. It will not help your performance or that of your team mates. 90+% of all of these post are negative, critical or complaining. Your "job" this year is to get better, gain skill, gain confidence and (oh, god forbid) to have fun. Most of the posters never even made their high school teams and I bet 20-30% never even played hockey! Enjoy your season and listen to the people that matter - your coaches, your parents and your team mates.

IMHO:
Hux meant no ill will with the post. Just read any of his/her posts on this forum or the USCHO forum and you'll understand.

Crunch management have done a wonderful job in providing this opportunity for girls hockey. Hopefully more will follow your example.

Crunch players - work hard and have fun! And GOOD LUCK!!!

If you believe that the best girl hockey players are currently coming out of Minnesota... you are sadly mistaken as Minnesota has been surpassed. Programs from around the US and Canada are producing better hockey players now. The Crunch is one of many tools/opportunities that can help improve the current situation.

GO CRUNCH!!!

[If you believe that the best girl hockey players are currently coming out of Minnesota... you are sadly mistaken as Minnesota has been surpassed.]

Players yes, teams no...the current system does not allow it. Though, by your logic...SSM is one of the the best teams and they reside in MN.[/quote]