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Which team(s) have not met your excpectations?

I wouldn't say they are the biggest disappointment and I know they lost some talent but I thought Roseau would have done better than they have so far this season...

Blake should be better than they are.

Section 7AA, with the exception of Duluth East and at the moment St. Francis.

EHSHack wrote:Section 7AA, with the exception of Duluth East and at the moment St. Francis.

Definitely. With Cloquet leading the pack...I expected them to be down this year, but they're flat-out awful.

Others that come to mind include Hopkins, which was expected to be a contender in 6AA but has given no signs of being that. Roseau and Burnsville are certainly down a bit more than expected; the Lake aside from its top two seems rather down. WBL has also been crazily inconsistent.

WBL no doubt

i think blake is one of them. i can see why birkholz got out of there

komada77 wrote:WBL no doubt

Agreed. Very inconsistent and I'm not sure if its the coach constantly switching lines, numerous injuries (Wolter, Gjerde, Hoffman), or the lack of any big saves by the goaltender.

I would agree with everyone but the team that sticked out the most to me was Roseau, I saw them play at North Dakota and they don't even look close to what they are but they did have a few good players

BodyShots wrote:

komada77 wrote:WBL no doubt

Agreed. Very inconsistent and I'm not sure if its the coach constantly switching lines, numerous injuries (Wolter, Gjerde, Hoffman), or the lack of any big saves by the goaltender.

Yes, the Bears have been inconsistent and disappointing, but I think the coach is doing the right thing experimenting with different line combinations. The Bears just haven't found that chemistry that translates to scoring punch. If they find it before sectionals and make it to State, still half a season away, all these early and mid-season disappointments will be forgotten.

Many thought Hopkins would would be the team to beat in 6AA with most of its key players returning from last year. They're off to a disappointing start, but the season is still young. Also thought Roseau and WBL would be much better.

I would have to say the Bears lead the pack. Whats more frustrating than being bad. Being inconsistantly bad. Look like world beaters one night and then the next nigth they look like they can be beat by any team in the world. From lack of upperclass leadership to poor goaltending this team has seen its fair share of difficulties. Though, if they put it together they could make a run. I just dont see it as of now!

MedleyWR wrote:

BodyShots wrote:

komada77 wrote:WBL no doubt

Agreed. Very inconsistent and I'm not sure if its the coach constantly switching lines, numerous injuries (Wolter, Gjerde, Hoffman), or the lack of any big saves by the goaltender.

Yes, the Bears have been inconsistent and disappointing, but I think the coach is doing the right thing experimenting with different line combinations. The Bears just haven't found that chemistry that translates to scoring punch. If they find it before sectionals and make it to State, still half a season away, all these early and mid-season disappointments will be forgotten.

The coach has not been experimenting with line combos, the lines are now what they were before injuries. The only changes he made were to cover for injuries.

PuckPatrol wrote:I would have to say the Bears lead the pack. Whats more frustrating than being bad. Being inconsistantly bad. Look like world beaters one night and then the next nigth they look like they can be beat by any team in the world. From lack of upperclass leadership to poor goaltending this team has seen its fair share of difficulties. Though, if they put it together they could make a run. I just dont see it as of now!

Spectacular goaltending? - No

Poor Goaltending? - also No

AA
Roseau
Hopkins

A
Red Wing
Duluth Marshall

Four capable teams who have underachieved, but there is still time left to turn it around before sections.

Roseau and Cloquet are very surprising to me.

MNHockey75 wrote:AA
Roseau
Hopkins

A
Red Wing
Duluth Marshall

Four capable teams who have underachieved, but there is still time left to turn it around before sections.

Hopkins is 7-3-1. Not that much of a disappointment.

I'm not so sure Duluth Marshall should be considered a disappointment. I don't think a lot of people realize how much they lost from last year. Take a look:

Hafferty, David F 23-25=48 - GONE
Mausolf, Zach F 24-17=41 - GONE (No Longer Playing)
Mahoney, Pat F 15-22=37
Laskowski, Mark F 11-19=30 - GONE
Paine, Tom F 16-12=28 - GONE
Jacques, Dano D 4-23=27 - GONE
Harris, Trent F 8-17=25 - GONE
Olson, Lanny Defense 7-13=20 - GONE
Kozlak, Joe F 9-10=19
Randall, Derek D 1-13=14 -GONE
Stauber, Derek D 4-6=10
Wick, Anders F 5-5=10 - GONE
Michela, Scott D 3-6=9 - GONE
Morin, Dane F 2-5=7
Morsette, Matt F 3-3=6
Raiche, JP F 2-3=5 - GONE
Erola, Brian F 3-2=5 GONE
Rich, Nate F 2-2=4
Braiedy, Ben F 1-1=2 GONE
Paul, Willie G
Messina, Matt G - GONE (Transfer)

As you can see only one defenseman, five forwards - with Mahoney the only one with double-digit goal totals - and goaltender Paul are back from last year. In my opinion, they are over-achieving. How many teams can take a hit like that and still remain among the state's better teams?

wbmd wrote:

MNHockey75 wrote:AA
Roseau
Hopkins

A
Red Wing
Duluth Marshall

Four capable teams who have underachieved, but there is still time left to turn it around before sections.

Hopkins is 7-3-1. Not that much of a disappointment.

They haven't beat a team that has a record over .500 and there play quality is not great, but I think they end up ok by the end of the year and make some noise in sections.

PuckRanger wrote:I'm not so sure Duluth Marshall should be considered a disappointment. I don't think a lot of people realize how much they lost from last year. Take a look:

Hafferty, David F 23-25=48 - GONE
Mausolf, Zach F 24-17=41 - GONE (No Longer Playing)
Mahoney, Pat F 15-22=37
Laskowski, Mark F 11-19=30 - GONE
Paine, Tom F 16-12=28 - GONE
Jacques, Dano D 4-23=27 - GONE
Harris, Trent F 8-17=25 - GONE
Olson, Lanny Defense 7-13=20 - GONE
Kozlak, Joe F 9-10=19
Randall, Derek D 1-13=14 -GONE
Stauber, Derek D 4-6=10
Wick, Anders F 5-5=10 - GONE
Michela, Scott D 3-6=9 - GONE
Morin, Dane F 2-5=7
Morsette, Matt F 3-3=6
Raiche, JP F 2-3=5 - GONE
Erola, Brian F 3-2=5 GONE
Rich, Nate F 2-2=4
Braiedy, Ben F 1-1=2 GONE
Paul, Willie G
Messina, Matt G - GONE (Transfer)

As you can see only one defenseman, five forwards - with Mahoney the only one with double-digit goal totals - and goaltender Paul are back from last year. In my opinion, they are over-achieving. How many teams can take a hit like that and still remain among the state's better teams?

A private school.

wbmd wrote:

MNHockey75 wrote:AA
Roseau
Hopkins

A
Red Wing
Duluth Marshall

Four capable teams who have underachieved, but there is still time left to turn it around before sections.

Hopkins is 7-3-1. Not that much of a disappointment.

Check there schedule, they beat up on North Metro and St Mary's School for the Blind. And lost to two Class A teams Virginia and Hermantown.

Awfully disappointing for a team that had such high expectations returning all there top players and goalie. And I only see it getting worse when conference play rolls around.

Papa Bergundy wrote:

wbmd wrote:

MNHockey75 wrote:AA
Roseau
Hopkins

A
Red Wing
Duluth Marshall

Four capable teams who have underachieved, but there is still time left to turn it around before sections.

Hopkins is 7-3-1. Not that much of a disappointment.

Check there schedule, they beat up on North Metro and St Mary's School for the Blind. And lost to two Class A teams Virginia and Hermantown.

Awfully disappointing for a team that had such high expectations returning all there top players and goalie. And I only see it getting worse when conference play rolls around.

Virginia and Hermantown will compete with any AA team in the state. Just because these teams are class A doesn't mean its a sin to lose to them. Also, South St. Paul (loss #3) is also a quality class A team. They haven't lost to a AA school.

I agree with Blake. I also don't think Centennial is where most people thought they would be and they have been close to a one-man show so far. While I thought Stillwater wouldn't be very good, the game I saw would suggest they be heading toward new lows.

I'm gonna go with Nothern hockey in general. Spuds & Rams have taken major steps backwards and there doesn't seem to be a legitimate power outside of the cities right now. East could be mentioned but they appear to solid, not a power. Still time for teams to hit their stride before March but so far nothern hockey hasn't been impressive.

Pioneerprideguy wrote:I'm gonna go with Nothern hockey in general. Spuds & Rams have taken major steps backwards and there doesn't seem to be a legitimate power outside of the cities right now. East could be mentioned but they appear to solid, not a power. Still time for teams to hit their stride before March but so far nothern hockey hasn't been impressive.

Keep in mind there is only five teams to choose from when you are talking "northern" hockey in AA. Grand Rapids, East, Roseau, Cloquet, and Moorhead. I guess you could throw Northern Lakes and Brainerd in there too, so make that seven. Its bound to happen that a handful of these teams hit a down cycle at the same time. Its actually quite amazing given the odds that it doesn't happen more often.