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Hey hockey fans it is that time of the year when the sports pages begin to cover girls hockey. I know sometimes we read these rankings or stories and conclude wow this person has no idea?

I would like us all to think about and apply a different strategy. When ever you see a story on girls hockey send the writer an e-mail thanking them for covering the sport and give them a suggestion on a big game coming up or a player or team that might make a great story. They are all trying to do a great job lets see if we can help it might make for more stories if the writers had thanks you to show their editors (we might get the writer a raise and more stories!)

Here are a few writers who have posted stories. Lets use this thread to post stories - if you cut and paste a story please be sure to include the writers e-mail.

dspiros@startribune.com - wrote article today on 20 Players to Watch and Top 10 Ranking
bstensaas@startribune.com - Brian wrote about Hopkins last week
dlavaque@startribune.com - Dave wrote great article on Stillwater last week.

Wow Hockey rules in Stilwater this is a great story and you can see why Stillwater has had success they have great coaching.

http://www.stillwatergazette.com/articl ... rts310.prt
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Girls Hockey: Ponies stumble in season opener


By STUART GROSKREUTZ
gztsport@acnpapers.com
(Created: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 4:58 PM CST)

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MAPLEWOOD - A blistering start wasn't enough to carry the Stillwater girls' hockey team in Tuesday's season opener.

The second-ranked Ponies scored twice in the opening 96 seconds, but allowed four unanswered goals in a 4-2 nonconference loss to Hill-Murray at Aldrich Arena.

Stillwater (0-1), coming off a 22-4-2 season a year ago, were outshot 41-25 as the eighth-ranked Pioneers knocked off their second ranked team in as many games this season. Hill-Murray (2-0) also defeated ninth-ranked White Bear Lake 5-1 in its season opener on Saturday.

"I thought we outplayed them in the first period, then things kind of trailed off in a hurry for us," Ponies coach Tony Scheid said.

Callie Dahl, fresh off signing a National Letter of Intent last week to play hockey at St. Cloud State University, scored 45 seconds into the game on assists by Lauren Charpentier and Kristina King for a 1-0 lead.

Allison Eder-Zdechlik scored an unassisted goal just 51 seconds later for an early two-goal cushion.

"I think the first period we played solid and that allowed us to get off to a good start," Scheid said. "As the game went on, we started making a lot of mistakes, a lot of loose play, and we were getting beat to some pucks and getting beat one-on-one. We were losing battles and getting out of position and just doing all the things that are going to put you in position to give up goals."

Maggie Pendleton struck back for the Pioneers midway through the first period on an assist from Maggie McDowell. Jessie Harren evened the scored with the first of her two goals at 12:02 of the second period.

The Pioneers jumped in front with two goals less than a minute apart in the third period to take control. Marissa Brandt scored the game-winner at 7:41 and Harren notched her second goal at 8:38 to push the lead to 4-2.

"The main issue we had was our defensive zone," Scheid said. "We lacked a lot of discipline in our positional play in our defensive zone. For us, it starts in the defensive zone with a work ethic and discipline that we didn't have. Our defensive zone is six players working together, three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie.

"We initiate all our offense with disciplined defensive play and we couldn't initiate an attack because we weren't together defensively."

Marah Sobczak finished with 37 saves for the Ponies.

"I can't remember the last time we gave up that many shots," Scheid said. "We've got a lot of work to do. When you give up 41 shots you're not going to win a hockey game."

The Ponies tallied 21 of their 23 shots on goal in the second and third periods, but after that early success couldn't get anything past goaltender Ali McKeever.

"I thought Cartony was our best player. She played extremely well," Scheid said.

Stillwater has enjoyed remarkable success the past six seasons, posting a 126-36-10 (71-12-6 in Suburban East Conference) record during that span, and the coach is hoping complacency hasn't set in.

"There's a fine line between being a team that goes undefeated or wins a great majority of their games and a .500 team - a very fine line," Scheid said. "It comes down to paying attention to details and doing all the little things right, positionally and tactically and you have to be coachable and you have to make a commitment to the team. Those are things this team needs to address.

"If our team is going to find the success it's had in the past we have to go back and look at how we achieved that."

Stillwater 2 0 0 - 2

Hill-Murray 1 1 2 - 4

First period - 1. Callie Dahl (Lauren Charpentier, Kristina King) :45; 2. St, Allison Eder-Zdechlik (unassisted) 1:36; 1. H-M, Maggie Pendleton (Maggie McDowell) 7:15.

Second period - 2. H-M, Jessica Harren (unassisted) 12:02.

Third period - 3. H-M, Marissa Brandt (Melissa Doyle) 7:41; 4. H-M, Harren (Hannah Brandt, Nicole Stumpf) 8:38.

Penalties - St, 6-12:00; H-M, 7-14:00.

Saves - St (Marah Sobczak) 11-12-14-37; H-M (Ali McKeever) 2-11-10-23.

Not an article but neat coverage of girls hockey on the second half of KSTP 5 Sports Wrap (after prep football) on the web.

Some great coverage of the 7-1 win by Eagan goal and interview with Kate Mason and Hill Murray 4-2 win over Stillwater including goals by Pendleton, Harren and Muss Brandt.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s676788.shtml?v=1

joehockey wrote:Not an article but neat coverage of girls hockey on the second half of KSTP 5 Sports Wrap (after prep football) on the web.

Some great coverage of the 7-1 win by Eagan goal and interview with Kate Mason and Hill Murray 4-2 win over Stillwater including goals by Pendleton, Harren and Muss Brandt.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s676788.shtml?v=1

Some very nice goals scored there! Nice to see KSTP give girls hockey some coverage.

Great article on Callie Dahl:


Staying home: Dahl opts for St. Cloud State
Bryan Horwath sports@lakeelmoleader.com
Lake Elmo Leader - 11/25/2008
Stillwater Area High School girls’ hockey fans have gotten used to seeing Callie Dahl do some spectacular things on the ice.

With the announcement earlier this month that Dahl will be attending St. Cloud State to play hockey for coach Jeff Giesen next year, Pony fans will get plenty of opportunities over the next few years to see Dahl play at the collegiate level.

Dahl signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Huskies on Nov. 12. The explosive Stillwater winger tallied 38 points (21 goals) for Tony Scheid’s team last year despite missing several games due to an elbow injury.

Dahl was also a key component as a sophomore on the 2006-07 Stillwater team that won the Minnesota Class AA girls’ hockey championship.

One of the key factors in Dahl’s decision was the fact that St. Cloud State is close to home and those close to her will be able to continue to follow her career in person as she competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Dahl also visited Ohio State and was thinking about visiting Boston College and Harvard, but decided to pull the trigger on her decision before that.

“I liked that [SCSU] is close to home,” Dahl said. “My family will be able to come and watch me play and I’ll still be close to my friends. I also liked that they’re in the WCHA and they have a great program. Out East just wasn’t my thing.”

A student-athlete who excels in the classroom just as she does on the ice, Dahl is an A-honor roll student at SAHS and plans to pursue something in the business field while in college.

“I might major in business administration or something like that, but that could change,” Dahl said. “I might go into the honors program there. We’ll see what happens.”

A player who is always around the action and is known for her prowess and creativity in the offensive zone, Dahl said she is looking forward to the challenge of playing college hockey in one of the top women’s conferences in the nation.

“The talent-level is really a step up,” Dahl said. “Everyone is faster and stronger. It will be a challenge, but I think I’ll be ready with another year of work.”

Dahl – who was an all-state honorable mention selection last season – played with some of the St. Cloud State players in a tournament during the offseason and is familiar with a number of players on the Huskies’ roster.

“I know Jaclyn Daggit from Park (Cottage Grove),” Dahl said. “She’s a freshman this year and I know some of the other girls. I think it’s going to be fun.”

St. Cloud State coach Jeff Giesen is looking forward to having Dahl on his team.

“We are excited to add Callie to our team,” Giesen said. “She has the ability to score goals and we hope that carries over to college. She is learning the game from a very good coach in Tony Scheid and that will help her make the adjustment to college hockey.”

While next year will come soon enough, Dahl and her current teammates have some things they want to accomplish this season. After finishing with a 22-4-2 record and gaining a berth in the Section 4AA finals last season, the Ponies are looking to get back to the state tournament.

Stillwater was ranked No. 2 in Class AA in the preseason Let’s Play Hockey poll, but lost its season-opener to Hill-Murray Nov. 18. The Ponies followed the loss with convincing home wins over North St. Paul and Cloquet over the weekend to bring their record to 2-1.

“I think that first loss set the pace for us,” Dahl said. “I think we figured out what we need to do to win after that loss. We’ve played 100 times better these last two games.”

With her college decision made, Dahl can now concentrate on the rest of her senior year, something that she said was important.

“It’s a big load off my mind,” she said. “Now I can focus on my senior year and doing everything right and going for our goals as a team. I don’t have to think about it anymore.”

The Huskies tied a school record for wins last year while finishing with a record of 18-15-5 (11-13-4 in WCHA) and lost to eventual national champion Minnesota-Duluth in the conference playoffs. This season, St. Cloud State is in fourth-place in the WCHA with an overall record of 9-5-2.

During Saturday’s game against Cloquet at the St. Croix Recreation Center, Dahl went hard into the boards in the first period and laid face down on the ice for several seconds before leaving on her own power.

Needless to say, Stillwater’s bench and fans were concerned at first, but Dahl returned in the second period and didn’t appear to show any rust after the injury seemed to be serious at first.

“I just hit my head kind of hard,” she said. “It hurt at first, but it wasn’t a big deal.”

Scheid can be thankful for that this week as Dahl will look to lead the Ponies back to the Xcel Energy Center and the state tournament one more time before she starts focusing on her college career.

Transfer boosts Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall in girls hockey
Sam Downey, a former Silver Bay hockey and softball standout, was added to the Mirage roster after transferring to Hermantown for her senior year.
By: Jimmy Bellamy , Duluth News Tribune

JIMMY BELLAMY covers prep girls hockey. He can be reached at (218) 723-5390 or by e-mail at jbellamy@duluthnews.com


DEREK MONTGOMERY / NEWS TRIBUNE Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall's Sam Downey practices Wedneesday eveing at the Proctor Arena in Proctor. Downey, who was a student at Silver Bay last year, has six goals and four assists in her first three games with her new team.

Prep girls hockey
This season is crowded in Section 7AA.

Defending champion and Class AA state runner-up Grand Rapids-Greenway could have its hands full with formidable girls hockey foes such as Duluth, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton and, perhaps, early favorite Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall posing a threat to the Lightning’s hopes of a repeat.

The Mirage (3-0) of Proctor-Hermantown Marshall are coming off a season in which they finished 20-5-2, losing to the Lightning in the Section 7AA semifinals.

Minus five seniors from the 2007-08 season, PHM returns an experienced core of players on offense and defense, including junior winger Julia Gilbert and defenders Hannah Buchite (junior) and Emma Stauber (sophomore). The Mirage also were given a boost with the addition of former Silver Bay hockey and softball standout Sam Downey, who transferred to Hermantown before the school year began. The senior, who centers the team’s first line that includes Gilbert and senior Jami Weiss, has 10 points — six goals, four assists — in three games.

“This is the first year that we’re returning the majority of our players. So, we’re a veteran team,” said coach Glen Gilderman, who has coached the Mirage since their first season in 1998-99. “This section; it’s going to be very competitive. There’s no question about it.”

Sophomore Amanda Bockovich and freshman Anja Morris have shared goaltending duties while junior Katie Gilderman recovers from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her knee. Gilderman, Glen’s daughter, had surgery two weeks ago and is expected to return by late December.

PHM hosts Anoka at 8 p.m. today in the first Mirage Frozen Turkey Tournament at Mars Lakeview Arena. Rochester Mayo faces Wayzata at 6 p.m. in the tournament’s first game. The Mirage take on Wayzata at 3:15 p.m. Saturday.

Gilbert, the team’s leading scorer a year ago, has four goals and two assists through three games, while linemate Weiss has seven points (2-5) to combine for 23 points as a line with Downey.

“It’s really nice,” Gilbert said of playing with Downey. “She’s a really good player, and she’s a good person.”

Gilderman added: “Sam has stepped up as a player, but she stepped up as a leader on our team, too, right away. She’s a quiet leader. She has a calm demeanor to her, and she makes a real effort to be friendly to everybody. She has made it pretty easy for our girls to accept her, that’s for sure.”

Downey, who led Silver Bay Area in scoring last season, practiced with the Mariners volleyball team for a week in August before leaving for Hermantown, where she didn’t play volleyball.

“It has been fun. It has been a real eye-opener, especially changing schools,” said Downey, who lives in Fredenberg Township. “I really like this team. They were very welcoming.”

The move came as a surprise to former longtime Silver Bay boys hockey coach and first-year girls hockey coach Mike Guzzo, who coached Downey in softball, where she starred as a pitcher. Downey’s father, Shane, who refused to comment for the story, was Guzzo’s assistant softball coach for 10 years.

“She left behind good teammates and good teams,” said Guzzo, whose Mariners (1-1) should compete with defending champion Hibbing-Chisholm (0-3) in Section 7A. “We’ve moved on. There’s different people that get to be the stars.”

Kirstin Sandstrom, who converted to center from defense, leads the Mariners with six points (4-2) in two games, including a five-point outing in a 7-0 victory over International Falls on Nov. 21.


.

Article in today's Star Tribune on Eagan:

Eagan’s girls’ hockey team is off to an 8-1 start
By Dean Spiros, Star Tribune
Last update: December 17, 2008 - 7:21 AM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... page=1&c=y

Lenny Vannelli finds success at Breck
By JOHN MILLEA and DEAN SPIROS, Star Tribune
Last update: December 16, 2008 - 7:33 AM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... c:_Yyc:aUU

Cooper goalie has been plenty busy
By DAVID La VAQUE, Star Tribune
Last update: December 16, 2008 - 10:35 PM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... LanchO7DiU

Green's scoring spree sparks White Bear
By DAVID La VAQUE, Star Tribune
Last update: December 16, 2008 - 10:32 PM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... LanchO7DiU

Hopkins Girls Roll to 7-0 Win
BY JOHN SHERMAN - SUN NEWSPAPERS
(Created: Thursday, December 18, 2008 4:37 AM CST)

http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2008/12/1 ... opghoc.txt

Goal-oriented Kuehl impresses
By DEAN SPIROS, Star Tribune
Last update: December 19, 2008 - 8:43 AM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... LanchO7DiU

KARE 11 - Randy Shaver's Athletes of the Week: Meghan Lorence -Irondale High School Girls Hockey -Posted 12/16/08

http://www.kare11.com/sports/prep/athle ... 51&catid=8

MNHockeyFan wrote:Goal-oriented Kuehl impresses
By DEAN SPIROS, Star Tribune
Last update: December 19, 2008 - 8:43 AM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... LanchO7DiU

Does someone want to give me some insight on this girl? I live on the East side and just started following girls hockey 3 years ago because of my daughter. After reading this arctile and looking at the Mound Scheadule they dont play the quality of teams (not even close) Im sure she is a good player but to compare her to Darwitz and wendel?? Come on , there are several good players out there playing against tougher compatition. I think you could compare the Lamouroux's to Darwitz and Wendel but?? Just looking for alittle feed back.

Vulcan, you may be right about the competition, but there are several that wouldn't be able to do the same. So this leads to the question, why would you want to knock this kid down?

hockeyrube7 wrote:Vulcan, you may be right about the competition, but there are several that wouldn't be able to do the same. So this leads to the question, why would you want to knock this kid down?

Not knockin her down Im sure she is a trmendous player! Just wanted to know if people have saw her play? what they think?

hockeyrube7 wrote:Vulcan, you may be right about the competition, but there are several that wouldn't be able to do the same. So this leads to the question, why would you want to knock this kid down?

All I was getting at is to compare her to Darwitz and Wendel is a pretty BOLD statement. unless she is that good? Somebody has to know? Thats all I was getting at! Where you came up with the Idea that I was trying to knock her down is absurd!

Vulcans84 wrote:

MNHockeyFan wrote:Goal-oriented Kuehl impresses
By DEAN SPIROS, Star Tribune
Last update: December 19, 2008 - 8:43 AM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... LanchO7DiU

Does someone want to give me some insight on this girl? I live on the East side and just started following girls hockey 3 years ago because of my daughter. After reading this arctile and looking at the Mound Scheadule they dont play the quality of teams (not even close) Im sure she is a good player but to compare her to Darwitz and wendel?? Come on , there are several good players out there playing against tougher compatition. I think you could compare the Lamouroux's to Darwitz and Wendel but?? Just looking for alittle feed back.

Vulcan - I am an Eastsider also and based on what I have seen she is very good and would stand out on any team and in any league.

Last spring she stood out in the Two Nations League against strong teams whenver she took the ice and did the same in CODP last summer. I understand she has been added to the U19 IceCats summer team which is loaded with top players.

Mound may play a weak schedule but this is a standout player who we all will hear a lot more about - seems to be a great kid to....time will tell but she is off to a great start. Remember when Darwitz and Wendel tore up HS hockey the talent level was nothing like today.

Remember what this thread was for. I am glad that the papers keep picking positive stories about the girls players that are brought to their attention. That's a good thing, even if you think they embellish, it's good to see the publicity. They are newspapers after all.

#1 IMHO she's a very good player. She can't be blamed for her team's poor schedule - many times this is a function of mandatory conf. play and usually not adapted based on one or even a select few elite players on any given team.

The rest of this rant has nothing to do with her/#1 above...

#2 Point totals really are pointless unless you have some method by which you address the SOS factor AND then try to consider as well the "supporting cast" that any top point scorer has around them.

Over the years I've heard people talk of points against quality opponents (ranked teams based on a power ranking of all teams in state regardless of class, etc.) but this doesn't account for having teammates of high quality supporting one player vs. another possibly having to do it more on their own, etc.

I suppose you could come up with some way to factor in what % of points a player has of their team's scoring (are they predominantly doing it alone?), that coupled with a correction factor for SOS/ranking of the team they scored them against (are they doing it against top teams?), and then have some final composite value that really indicates something based on "points scored" vs. what we just look at now...

Bottom line - a sub-25 pts per year player playing an outstanding SOS without anyone else around her could be a heck of a lot better than a 50-75+ pt scorer surrounded by other top players playing a weak SOS...

You can't look at points alone as I know we all know...

Thanks Joe and thanks Ghs thats all I was wondering. I think Callie Dahl is a terrific player as well as Kortum and Komarek and a host of others. Just womdering were Kuel would fit in with them? Darwitz and Wendel to me are over the top! Any ways all good players! Was never trying to knock down anyone.

I should mention one other thing about points... Certian teams are "better" about being certian that assists (especially 2nd) are accounted for, even when at times these may be phantom points...

My favorite example of this was a couple years ago when I pulled the goalie, watched my player turn over the puck in the neutral zone directly to an opposing player who fired it in the open net only to watch the opposing team add two assists to the obviously unassisted goal... So, we probably shouldn't believe everything we see in those point totals!!! This was not unsual for the opposing team...

I actually would take points away if I watched game tape and they were credited incorrectly, or, make certain that the correct player was given credit if credited to another player, and similarly would add/remove assists based on game tape "proof." This avoided the players tacking on their friend's number to the end of the scoring line.

ghshockeyfan wrote:I should mention one other thing about points... Certian teams are "better" about being certian that assists (especially 2nd) are accounted for, even when at times these may be phantom points...

My favorite example of this was a couple years ago when I pulled the goalie, watched my player turn over the puck in the neutral zone directly to an opposing player who fired it in the open net only to watch the opposing team add two assists to the obviously unassisted goal... So, we probably shouldn't believe everything we see in those point totals!!! This was not unsual for the opposing team...

I actually would take points away if I watched game tape and they were credited incorrectly, or, make certain that the correct player was given credit if credited to another player, and similarly would add/remove assists based on game tape "proof." This avoided the players tacking on their friend's number to the end of the scoring line.

This is very well said! I have also seen where a girl was given an assist along with the score! Dope!!!

Vulcans84 wrote:All I was getting at is to compare her to Darwitz and Wendel is a pretty BOLD statement. unless she is that good? Somebody has to know? Thats all I was getting at! Where you came up with the Idea that I was trying to knock her down is absurd!

Not absurd at all, and usaully there are too many that would ask this question more so to be harmful than good. Nothing personal meant, and I do appoligize.

This is a great story, and a great promotion of girls hockey, let alone a good kid. The concept that at 10th grade kid and you can put anyone in the same class as those two is more absurd I'd say. I have seen her play, and she is extremely talented. Can score, and is strong on her skates. Does it mean as much against a weaker SOS, some yes and some no.

t

joehockey wrote:

Vulcans84 wrote:

MNHockeyFan wrote:Goal-oriented Kuehl impresses
By DEAN SPIROS, Star Tribune
Last update: December 19, 2008 - 8:43 AM

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps ... LanchO7DiU

Does someone want to give me some insight on this girl? I live on the East side and just started following girls hockey 3 years ago because of my daughter. After reading this arctile and looking at the Mound Scheadule they dont play the quality of teams (not even close) Im sure she is a good player but to compare her to Darwitz and wendel?? Come on , there are several good players out there playing against tougher compatition. I think you could compare the Lamouroux's to Darwitz and Wendel but?? Just looking for alittle feed back.

Vulcan - I am an Eastsider also and based on what I have seen she is very good and would stand out on any team and in any league.

Last spring she stood out in the Two Nations League against strong teams whenver she took the ice and did the same in CODP last summer. I understand she has been added to the U19 IceCats summer team which is loaded with top players.

Mound may play a weak schedule but this is a standout player who we all will hear a lot more about - seems to be a great kid to....time will tell but she is off to a great start. Remember when Darwitz and Wendel tore up HS hockey the talent level was nothing like today.

So Joe, I know you have a kid on Hill. Where would this Kuhel girl fit in on your team? I mean there talkin Olympics and all! But yet she plays on a class A team? Im just wondering where she would fit in? Some of these teams on the East Side are pretty darn good! Especialy goaltending. I cant imagine her scoring 31 goals in 10 games playing class AA. I have a sophomore myself and I think she is pretty good but has alot to learn! Just wondering what the comparisen would be? I know she is good but acording to you and the paper she would be the best one on Hill? Im just trying to make a comparisen to goaltending and play in Class A as Opposed to AA? And hockeyrube you didn"t make any sense to your last statement on comparing her to Darwitz and Wendel. Remember A class A girl has won the scoring title the last 3 years and has gone on to play where?