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06-07 Little Falls anyone?SEMinnHockeyNut wrote:They have one outstanding line - really two awesome players in Leiverman and Litchfield....however, sometimes one great line is enough to win many games - even state tournament games.
Their toughest games are still to come....
No. They are not the real deal.darkdemon wrote:Is Mankato west the real deal, have they beat any good teams or are they just beniftting from a weak schedule?
Who are the good players on this team?
You call those teams "Strong"hockeypurist wrote:'Strong' opponents to date include New Prague (7-1), Northfield (6-3), and Fergus Falls (6-3).
maybe against Bantams. With a milquetoast schedule like that even Walker would have a winning record.
Good to hear from you SydSyd Barrett wrote:You call those teams "Strong"hockeypurist wrote:'Strong' opponents to date include New Prague (7-1), Northfield (6-3), and Fergus Falls (6-3).
Syd
DarkDemon, your comment above suggests to me you have not actually seen Mankato West play, but, instead, you are merely speculating based on second hand information. Specifically, goaltending is far from shaky, and, may in fact be one of their underrated strengths. When a team puts 10 or more goals on the board in several games, it is easy to assume that goaltending is weak. Many thought the same of Grant Fuhr back in the 80's. If you HAVE seen West play, then I am truly perplexed by your assessment.Sounds to me like Mankato West is like Little Falls (06-07)
one good line no D and a shaky goaltender
So who's Wayne Gretzky? Lieverman or Litchfield?hockeypurist wrote:DarkDemon, your comment above suggests to me you have not actually seen Mankato West play, but, instead, you are merely speculating based on second hand information. Specifically, goaltending is far from shaky, and, may in fact be one of their underrated strengths. When a team puts 10 or more goals on the board in several games, it is easy to assume that goaltending is weak. Many thought the same of Grant Fuhr back in the 80's. If you HAVE seen West play, then I am truly perplexed by your assessment.Sounds to me like Mankato West is like Little Falls (06-07)
one good line no D and a shaky goaltender
icelevel wrote:uh... is it just me, or is 1AA rather weak this year?
Never mind....i was thinking that they r in class 2a....why the hell arent they they r a big enough school to??Spartanfan09 wrote:icelevel wrote:uh... is it just me, or is 1AA rather weak this year?
They arent in section 1
Ok but I have seen Fegus play and beating them isn't that big of anhockeypurist wrote:DarkDemon, your comment above suggests to me you have not actually seen Mankato West play, but, instead, you are merely speculating based on second hand information. Specifically, goaltending is far from shaky, and, may in fact be one of their underrated strengths. When a team puts 10 or more goals on the board in several games, it is easy to assume that goaltending is weak. Many thought the same of Grant Fuhr back in the 80's. If you HAVE seen West play, then I am truly perplexed by your assessment.Sounds to me like Mankato West is like Little Falls (06-07)
one good line no D and a shaky goaltender
Because Mankato split their high schools in two, Mankato East and Mankato West. Both schools are small enough by themselves to play Class A. The town itself is only 36,000 (plus another 10,000 for North Mankato and surrounding communities).Spartanfan09 wrote:Never mind....i was thinking that they r in class 2a....why the hell arent they they r a big enough school to??Spartanfan09 wrote:icelevel wrote:uh... is it just me, or is 1AA rather weak this year?
They arent in section 1
Excellent post. Thanks for the insight.........hockeypurist wrote:To answer the question posted, Is West the real deal? The answer MAY be a loud YES. They have tremendous speed, can score in bunches and have consistently solid goaltending. Their top line may be the best in the state, their second line is gritty, and frustrates its opponents, and the third line is justifying a regular shift by scoring a few, and keeping the puck out of their own net. Their D have been solid, but not flashy. They are moving the puck well to the forwards, and anchoring the powerplay well. Their schedule has been weak, and those teams have been beaten badly. 'Strong' opponents to date include New Prague (7-1), Northfield (6-3), and Fergus Falls (6-3). Only Northfield skated with West, but that was for 10 minutes in the second period. No team, other than that, has given West anything to blink about skating 5 on 5. Their Achilles heel, however, is discipline. They are a cocky bunch who are not going to win any popularity contests. Many of the penalties they take are undisciplined, and just plain stupid. They could easily have lost some of their games this year late on the PK, had the opponent been a bit better. But when you give up so few PP goals, what is the incentive to NOT take undisciplined penalties? This will haunt them, and Coach Essay needs to deal with this problem before it truly costs them (example: Lieverman took a 10 min misconduct in Fergus Falls; Litchfield a 2 min unsportsmanlike - both calls due to chirping at the official.) If Coach Essay can convince his boys that such acts will not go unpunished, they can go a long way. If not...it will be 'New Ulm' all over again!
HSHockeyWatcher they play more than 2 or 3 good teams this year...darkdemon wrote:Schedule
11/29/2007 New Prague 7 - 1 W
12/4/2007 Waseca Blue Jays 12 - 2 W
12/8/2007 Winona Winhawks 10 - 4 W
12/11/2007 Mankato East/Loyola 12 - 0 W
12/13/2007 Austin 11 - 0 W
12/18/2007 Owatonna 7 - 0 W
12/20/2007 Northfield/ARTech 6 - 3 W
12/27/2007 Fergus Falls 6 - 3 W
12/28/2007 Fergus Falls 0 - 0
12/29/2007 Fergus Falls 0 - 0
1/3/2008 Faribault 0 - 0
1/8/2008 Albert Lea 0 - 0
1/10/2008 St. Peter/LeCtr/LeSueur-H 0 - 0
1/15/2008 Shakopee 0 - 0
1/15/2008 Shakopee 0 - 0
1/19/2008 Minnehaha Academy 0 - 0
1/19/2008 Minnehaha Academy 0 - 0
1/24/2008 Mankato East/Loyola 0 - 0
1/26/2008 Rochester Mayo 0 - 0
1/29/2008 Austin 0 - 0
1/31/2008 Rochester Lourdes 0 - 0
2/2/2008 Winona Winhawks 0 - 0
2/5/2008 Faribault 0 - 0
2/7/2008 Albert Lea 0 - 0
2/12/2008 Rochester Century 0 - 0
I remain unimpressed reminds me of Morris/Benson last year
Goaler, you seem to have some insight into West's style of play. Its nice to see someone on this thread make some comments based on first hand knowledge. I do take issue with your 'superiority complex' comment, however. Many authors on this forum have taken great pleasure in taking shots at the West team and some of its players. Others have ranted as to how great they are. Regardless, I doubt ANY of these latter postings have come from West players. Many of these boys were part of the New Ulm meltdown last year. That was a humbling experience for them, one that no one wants to repeat. Yes, they are cocky and they make no apologies for that. They will struggle against a fast, physical team, and January 8th may be that first real test. But every team needs its first test. The forum vultures continue to hover, waiting the West's first beating. Make no mistake....it WILL happen. But don't bruise yourself too badly patting yourself on the back for your astute, albeit blind, prediction. How often does a team go undefeated in MN HS Hockey? The learnings from that first loss will be far more important than state rankings or popular opinion on the forum. In the meantime, some credit is deserved for going undefeated in its first 9 games, regardless of its opponents.West's top line is as good as any in the state. Their goaltending is very, very overrated and their defense is decent. The other lines are ok, but this team suffers from a huge superiority complex.
They think they're fabulous, and that's behind some of the stupid penalties you see them take, especially one very cheap forward on the third line. If they get knocked off this year, it will be because they think they're so great, and that includes the coach, that they get surprised by a hard-working team like New Ulm last year. I see in their tournament that some teams are putting some goals up on them, which can be done, believe me. But West has scored more, which means that those teams are underestimating the top line and giving them way too much space.
Also, in 1A section hardly any kid is taught how to play the body or backcheck. Nystrom's from Eveleth, so Albert Lea knows how to do that, but that's about it. My contention is that if a team pounds West by finishing their checks and backcheckiing them hard, they will be beaten. Respect the top line, check them hard, and wait for your chances. I've seen this team for years and this is the formula that Albert Lea and New Ulm used last year.