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The Exiled One wrote:

TCoachF wrote:PS- Purist scorer in the state.........BTW anyone ever hear of Hanowski as a recruit at SCSU?

Hanowski played in the Elite League.

Correct! He was also one of the best in the elite league...... And the masses STILL degraded him on here because of where he played HS hockey

TCoachF wrote:OMG......Can anyone make a comment without being attacked. I am not saying Lucia is a bad recruiter, coach, human being. I have been a gopher fan for over 30 years and I am an UMD alum. All I am saying is that SCSU is making quite a few inroads into our states talent. Maybe what we are seeing is that the SCSU coach is the reason Lucia did so well early? I do not think it is a coincidence that SCSU has been getting better as the U has been sliding the last couple of years.

Until Motzko has more consistency in the standings and against UM I'd say it's a stretch to say he's making inroads a la, "stealing recruits". Not to say he's not doing a very good job but let's not exaggerate. UM will finish ahead of SCSU this year in the WCHA write it down.

TCoachF wrote:OMG......Can anyone make a comment without being attacked.

How did I “attack” you? I didn’t call you any names or say anything personal. I simply refuted a remark that really wasn’t based on much reality (or a very small sample at that). You need to develop a thicker skin if you can't handle people refuting statements of yours on a message board. Message boards are riddled with debate.

I am not saying Lucia is a bad recruiter, coach, human being. I have been a gopher fan for over 30 years and I am an UMD alum. All I am saying is that SCSU is making quite a few inroads into our states talent.

SCSU got talent from the state under Dahl too. It isn't anything new for them to get some players here.

Maybe what we are seeing is that the SCSU coach is the reason Lucia did so well early?

Motzko had zero input into the players that were on the 2002 championship team and he had a hand in only one class on the 2003 championship team. If, as you say, recruiting is everything, then Motzko had very little to do with those championships.

I do not think it is a coincidence that SCSU has been getting better as the U has been sliding the last couple of years.

How about 0-6 record against the Gophers last year?

I suggest you take a look at their results with Motzko. Is it really much of an improvement? He had more success (specifically from a won-loss standpoint) when he had more of Dahl’s players the first two years than he has had in the last two seasons. All that despite the fact their early pro departures have been minimal compared to the Gophers and some other top WCHA teams.

TCoachF wrote:I am not saying Joey shouldn't have played Elite I. What I am saying is he chose not to for his own reasons. That is absolutley his choice. As for comparing him to his peers, it would be hard to find a player who has played with him or against him who would not tell you that he is special. Is he perfect? Absolutely not! He has many holes defensively but man is his offense good.

He has skills that cannot be taught. Quick first 3 steps, shot relelase that I compare to Gaborik and twitch muscles that are off the chart. He has no fear and will not back down from anyone.

My mention of Hanowski was because no one else had yet. St. Cloud State is beating Lucia to some pretty good talent. The next 4 years will be fun.

Let the season begin gentlemen!

Take off the Benik blinders. He is an above average HS player at best. He has no defensive zone play and just floats around the blue line waiting for the long breakout pass. If that's "special" maybe you should have been watching some players like Nick Leddy, Nick Bjugstad, and Anders Lee. Benik is nowhere near the level of these players and he will get chewed up and spit out in the WCHA when he starts to figure out that hockey is a two way game.

Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

My original point still stands (since I have on Benik blockers). He is a very talented kid that will do just fine at SCSU. Even if he doesn't as you preach he won't, he will comtinue to be a good kid from a good family.

Signed,
A Converted Gopher Fan (Go SCSU and UMD)

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

One has to wonder what you are even doing on a message board if you are incapable of handling any opposing commentary without seeing it as a personal attack. Your response above tells me you know you didn’t have much of an argument in the first place.

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

I'm a Gophers fan first but Div I MN fan second. Nothing would make me happier to see UMD, SCSU, BSU or UMD win a title if not at the expense of the Gophers. No one said anything close to the above but carry on with your Jan complex.

Slap Shot wrote:

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

I'm a Gophers fan first but Div I MN fan second. Nothing would make me happier to see UMD, SCSU, BSU or UMD win a title if not at the expense of the Gophers. No one said anything close to the above but carry on with your Jan complex.

You may have to explain the Jan thing to a few of their fans.

Lee

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

My original point still stands (since I have on Benik blockers). He is a very talented kid that will do just fine at SCSU. Even if he doesn't as you preach he won't, he will comtinue to be a good kid from a good family.

Signed,
A Converted Gopher Fan (Go SCSU and UMD)

No one ever said he wouldn't be those things

Goldy Gopher wrote:

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

My original point still stands (since I have on Benik blockers). He is a very talented kid that will do just fine at SCSU. Even if he doesn't as you preach he won't, he will comtinue to be a good kid from a good family.

Signed,
A Converted Gopher Fan (Go SCSU and UMD)

No one ever said he wouldn't be those things

It's time to fit you for a muzzle..... I am also a Gopher fan and you want to talk about recruits not panning out? The Gophs year in year out get the so called best players and over half of them end up being duds..... Maybe they should start recruiting outside the HWY 94 circle

MrBoDangles wrote:

Goldy Gopher wrote:

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

My original point still stands (since I have on Benik blockers). He is a very talented kid that will do just fine at SCSU. Even if he doesn't as you preach he won't, he will comtinue to be a good kid from a good family.

Signed,
A Converted Gopher Fan (Go SCSU and UMD)

No one ever said he wouldn't be those things

It's time to fit you for a muzzle..... I am also a Gopher fan and you want to talk about recruits not panning out? The Gophs year in year out get the so called best players and over half of them end up being duds..... Maybe they should start recruiting outside the HWY 94 circle

The "dud" Gopher recruits have led to quite a bit more success than the Huskies' grade A recruiting classes.

Goldy Gopher wrote:

MrBoDangles wrote:

Goldy Gopher wrote: No one ever said he wouldn't be those things

It's time to fit you for a muzzle..... I am also a Gopher fan and you want to talk about recruits not panning out? The Gophs year in year out get the so called best players and over half of them end up being duds..... Maybe they should start recruiting outside the HWY 94 circle

The "dud" Gopher recruits have led to quite a bit more success than the Huskies' grade A recruiting classes.

Well quite honestly... what has either teams recruits done for thier teams? Not a whole lot since neither team has advanced terribly far into the post season.
The recruits that both of these teams get from High school hockey are just that, HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITS. Non of them will really amount to a whole lot after college and they will be role fillers in the D1 level.

Joey Benik did himself a disservice by staying in HS this year and playing with the MJ Owls as far as his hockey carreer goes. When you think about trying to be the best player you can be, this is not the correct route for him. He will be a year and a half if not two behind everyone and will be another 21 year old freshman at best. As a SCSU fan, it bothers me he isn't looking to become the best.

Bugstad needs to be a defensman if he is looking to be a big contibuter to the gophs. I don't think he is a real good fit for them with everyone that's there. I bet he will be a "dud" there.

All in all, the only real good players for the Huskies and the Gophers have come from other leagues. Not straight from High school. Wheeler is an exception. (Roe, Lasch, Nodl, Vanek,... I know there are plenty.)

why did Benik play for the Owls instead of the HS elite league?

Jbone wrote:

Goldy Gopher wrote:

MrBoDangles wrote:It's time to fit you for a muzzle..... I am also a Gopher fan and you want to talk about recruits not panning out? The Gophs year in year out get the so called best players and over half of them end up being duds..... Maybe they should start recruiting outside the HWY 94 circle

The "dud" Gopher recruits have led to quite a bit more success than the Huskies' grade A recruiting classes.

Well quite honestly... what has either teams recruits done for thier teams? Not a whole lot since neither team has advanced terribly far into the post season.
The recruits that both of these teams get from High school hockey are just that, HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITS. Non of them will really amount to a whole lot after college and they will be role fillers in the D1 level.

Joey Benik did himself a disservice by staying in HS this year and playing with the MJ Owls as far as his hockey carreer goes. When you think about trying to be the best player you can be, this is not the correct route for him. He will be a year and a half if not two behind everyone and will be another 21 year old freshman at best. As a SCSU fan, it bothers me he isn't looking to become the best.

Bugstad needs to be a defensman if he is looking to be a big contibuter to the gophs. I don't think he is a real good fit for them with everyone that's there. I bet he will be a "dud" there.

All in all, the only real good players for the Huskies and the Gophers have come from other leagues. Not straight from High school. Wheeler is an exception. (Roe, Lasch, Nodl, Vanek,... I know there are plenty.)

Are you serious

The Gophers have two national championships and a frozen four appearance with Lucia's recruits. That's more than the Huskies can say for the entire history of their program.

The Gophers have two national championships and a frozen four appearance with Lucia's recruits.

I don't have the stats in front of me - but if i recall corectly - you are incorrect. Most of those recruits from the 2 national championships were Woog recruits that Lucia inherited.

can someone do some research on this one?

Most SCSU fans should understand that Benik is a gamble recruit. The Gophers generally try to avoid gambles. He's a 2011 recruit at the earliest now, so frankly, I'm not too concerned about where he plays this year. It's not like he's going to be drafted super high, refuse to play in the USHL, then bolt for a team where he can play in 2010.

I think this might be one of the problems the Gophers are facing with their recruits... they have difficulty forcing a Leddy or a Budish to play a year of juniors. If they did, they risk losing them to a different team who's willing to let them play right out of high school. From a recruiting standpoint, I like Jeff Jackson's model for a high profile school. Juniors or the NTDP is required for his recruits. Even Anders Lee (who probably could have managed at any number of D1 schools this season) is playing in the USHL before moving on to Notre Dame next year.

Of course, I don't think that recruiting is the primary cause of Minnesota's early season struggles. Seriously, how do 17 draft picks not manage to score one goal all weekend? If they turn in around, chalk the poor start up to chemistry. If they don't... the situation is much more dire.

hockeyboys wrote:

The Gophers have two national championships and a frozen four appearance with Lucia's recruits.

I don't have the stats in front of me - but if i recall corectly - you are incorrect. Most of those recruits from the 2 national championships were Woog recruits that Lucia inherited.

can someone do some research on this one?

He won national championships in his second and third years with the Gophers. Obviously some of the recruits were Woog's but would they have won the national championships on Woog's recruits alone? The answer is no.

Goldy Gopher wrote:

hockeyboys wrote:

The Gophers have two national championships and a frozen four appearance with Lucia's recruits.

I don't have the stats in front of me - but if i recall corectly - you are incorrect. Most of those recruits from the 2 national championships were Woog recruits that Lucia inherited.

can someone do some research on this one?

He won national championships in his second and third years with the Gophers. Obviously some of the recruits were Woog's but would they have won the national championships on Woog's recruits alone? The answer is no.

Actually, Lucia won a national title in his 3rd and 4th season as Gopher head coach. His first title contained only one class he did not recruit... his second national title team was all his recruits (except for Nick Anthony).

Gopher Blog wrote:

Goldy Gopher wrote:

hockeyboys wrote: I don't have the stats in front of me - but if i recall corectly - you are incorrect. Most of those recruits from the 2 national championships were Woog recruits that Lucia inherited.

can someone do some research on this one?

He won national championships in his second and third years with the Gophers. Obviously some of the recruits were Woog's but would they have won the national championships on Woog's recruits alone? The answer is no.

Actually, Lucia won a national title in his 3rd and 4th season as Gopher head coach. His first title contained only one class he did not recruit... his second national title team was all his recruits (except for Nick Anthony).

mmm... that must be some good Don Lucia kool-aid gopher blog.

MrBoDangles wrote:

Goldy Gopher wrote:

TCoachF wrote:Ok Gopher boosters.......I'm sorry. You guys are the best! Your recruiting is better than anyone elses. Your coach is better than anyone elses. Your program as a whole has no flaws and I cannot believe that I ever thought that there could be any other collegiate hockey in the "State of Hockey" besides the U of M.

My original point still stands (since I have on Benik blockers). He is a very talented kid that will do just fine at SCSU. Even if he doesn't as you preach he won't, he will comtinue to be a good kid from a good family.

Signed,
A Converted Gopher Fan (Go SCSU and UMD)

No one ever said he wouldn't be those things

It's time to fit you for a muzzle..... I am also a Gopher fan and you want to talk about recruits not panning out? The Gophs year in year out get the so called best players and over half of them end up being duds..... Maybe they should start recruiting outside the HWY 94 circle

What do you mean? Wayazata is outside the HWY 94 circle

Now that's funny!!

David Sparrow#1 wrote:

Gopher Blog wrote:Actually, Lucia won a national title in his 3rd and 4th season as Gopher head coach. His first title contained only one class he did not recruit... his second national title team was all his recruits (except for Nick Anthony).

mmm... that must be some good Don Lucia kool-aid gopher blog.

Facts = kool-aid? Fail.

Slap Shot wrote:

David Sparrow#1 wrote:

Gopher Blog wrote:Actually, Lucia won a national title in his 3rd and 4th season as Gopher head coach. His first title contained only one class he did not recruit... his second national title team was all his recruits (except for Nick Anthony).

mmm... that must be some good Don Lucia kool-aid gopher blog.

Facts = kool-aid? Fail.

I'll say he did.

Slap Shot wrote:

David Sparrow#1 wrote:

Gopher Blog wrote:Actually, Lucia won a national title in his 3rd and 4th season as Gopher head coach. His first title contained only one class he did not recruit... his second national title team was all his recruits (except for Nick Anthony).

mmm... that must be some good Don Lucia kool-aid gopher blog.

Facts = kool-aid? Fail.

I love that scsu recruits the northern boys. I think if both u of m and scsu continue recruit like they both do i see scsu being better than the mighty gophs.