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What is up? Beat HM and Thump EP. Lose to Anoka, MG, and Roseau. OT loss to ER and big wins show they can skate with the big boys. Can the Bengals faithful or others give some insight? Goalie, D, Forwards, new coach? What gives?

Just Checking wrote:What is up? Beat HM and Thump EP. Lose to Anoka, MG, and Roseau. OT loss to ER and big wins show they can skate with the big boys. Can the Bengals faithful or others give some insight? Goalie, D, Forwards, new coach? What gives?

Perhaps they are a younger team.
Just like Roseau, they are up and down on any given night.

IMHO when they win against a big program the overconfidence they bring on the ice the following game undermines how they work together. Less team play and absence of humilty. I hope this evolves. When they are at their best they are among the best. Just hard to watch a few days later and hear the opponents say "how did this team beat....?" I don't pretend I can coach at the varsity level better than this staff (or at all, really) but I absolutely know the message I would be hammering in the locker room in this regard.

Nothing like winning some nice games to bring out the complaints.

Outside of Edina and Lakeville North, there are many teams that are up and down this year. Not much of a gap between teams 3-35 in Class AA.

So DJ are you saying Grand Rapids is about #35 now in the AA rankings? To say there isn't much of a gap between #3 and 35 in AA is EASILY the craziest thing you've said (at least since saying GR would be the 2 seed). I would guess GR will end up in the 5 spot but 6 isn't out of there grasp. One above average line with a below average defense and average goalie makes for an average team. It does make us more casual observers realize how far Avery and Hunter carried this program.

Take for instance 7AA by itself. If you look at either of the computer rankings, QRF or Mitch's on this site, there is a wide range between the 1-7 teams in 7AA. Yet if you look at the scores, no one is blowing anyone out in this section. Rapids narrowly lost a fire-wagon game to ER 5-4. Forest Lake lost to GR 6-3, yet beat CEC 3-2, who beat GR 4-2. Then Duluth East has tied Andover, beat CEC 3-1, and needed a late tying goal and OT to beat STMA 4-3. Then look at teams like Centennial who beat East and then got blasted by WBL. Then a Blaine team that started very slow, just beat EP by a wide margin. Then take Bemidji, who Rapids put into running time on their ice, and now Bemidji has won 8 straight with wins over Moorhead and EGF. Just saying, if you look at the results, there is a wide range of teams playing close games with each other and having inconsistent results. Edina and Lakeville North have been the only consistent teams so far IMHO. Now would a #3 most likely beat a #35 (whoever that is), most nights yes, but far from shocking for a team at the 35 range to beat a top team.

TheHockeyDJ wrote:Take for instance 7AA by itself. If you look at either of the computer rankings, QRF or Mitch's on this site, there is a wide range between the 1-7 teams in 7AA. Yet if you look at the scores, no one is blowing anyone out in this section. Rapids narrowly lost a fire-wagon game to ER 5-4. Forest Lake lost to GR 6-3, yet beat CEC 3-2, who beat GR 4-2. Then Duluth East has tied Andover, beat CEC 3-1, and needed a late tying goal and OT to beat STMA 4-3. Then look at teams like Centennial who beat East and then got blasted by WBL. Then a Blaine team that started very slow, just beat EP by a wide margin. Then take Bemidji, who Rapids put into running time on their ice, and now Bemidji has won 8 straight with wins over Moorhead and EGF. Just saying, if you look at the results, there is a wide range of teams playing close games with each other and having inconsistent results. Edina and Lakeville North have been the only consistent teams so far IMHO. Now would a #3 most likely beat a #35 (whoever that is), most nights yes, but far from shocking for a team at the 35 range to beat a top team.

They are 4-7 with some work to do no matter how you spin it.

The computer models are cool and all but I don't trust them when we are talking about 16 to 18 year old kids who are still in that "who is gonna show up tonight mode". Sure, some of the guys on the upper end are on and consistant but for the most part that middle 80% or so of players are all over the map. With so many of these games being 1 or 2 goal games I think that pretty much anybody can beat anybody on a given night. At this point in the season I think that looking ahead to seeding chart and who plays who is premature. Lots can and will change between now and then. Some will step up and live up to their potential, some won't and will fade away. Somebody will get hurt or sick. There are a whole bunch of 3rd line kids out there who nobody has heard of who are waiting to make that one game impact when the light clicks on. Who will it be? Can Cloquest hang onto their bounce? Can Randolph get East back up to speed? Will Elk River finally get their goaltending figured out? Will Grand Rapids finally live up to the potential that they have on paper? and etc. Lots and lots of questions, not many concrete answers right now. Right now Elk River looks like the #1 team in 7AA but I would not start to relax now as I think that there are at least 4 teams who can beat them if the puck bounces the right way.

Mouse in the corner wrote:The computer models are cool and all but I don't trust them when we are talking about 16 to 18 year old kids who are still in that "who is gonna show up tonight mode". Sure, some of the guys on the upper end are on and consistant but for the most part that middle 80% or so of players are all over the map. With so many of these games being 1 or 2 goal games I think that pretty much anybody can beat anybody on a given night. At this point in the season I think that looking ahead to seeding chart and who plays who is premature. Lots can and will change between now and then. Some will step up and live up to their potential, some won't and will fade away. Somebody will get hurt or sick. There are a whole bunch of 3rd line kids out there who nobody has heard of who are waiting to make that one game impact when the light clicks on. Who will it be? Can Cloquest hang onto their bounce? Can Randolph get East back up to speed? Will Elk River finally get their goaltending figured out? Will Grand Rapids finally live up to the potential that they have on paper? and etc. Lots and lots of questions, not many concrete answers right now. Right now Elk River looks like the #1 team in 7AA but I would not start to relax now as I think that there are at least 4 teams who can beat them if the puck bounces the right way.

BOOM! Nice to know someone else that sees it clearly.

Mouse in the corner wrote:The computer models are cool and all but I don't trust them when we are talking about 16 to 18 year old kids who are still in that "who is gonna show up tonight mode". Sure, some of the guys on the upper end are on and consistant but for the most part that middle 80% or so of players are all over the map. With so many of these games being 1 or 2 goal games I think that pretty much anybody can beat anybody on a given night. At this point in the season I think that looking ahead to seeding chart and who plays who is premature. Lots can and will change between now and then. Some will step up and live up to their potential, some won't and will fade away. Somebody will get hurt or sick. There are a whole bunch of 3rd line kids out there who nobody has heard of who are waiting to make that one game impact when the light clicks on. Who will it be? Can Cloquest hang onto their bounce? Can Randolph get East back up to speed? Will Elk River finally get their goaltending figured out? Will Grand Rapids finally live up to the potential that they have on paper? and etc. Lots and lots of questions, not many concrete answers right now. Right now Elk River looks like the #1 team in 7AA but I would not start to relax now as I think that there are at least 4 teams who can beat them if the puck bounces the right way.

A good read, and only the fates of the true Hockey Gods know the answers of where the pucks will bounce in the latter half of February and early March. I'm glad I'm not one of them, because the excitement, anticipation & culmination of not knowing while I sit on the edge of my seat & find out with a fountain pop & a pretzel with cheese or a nacho tray in my lap, for better or worse (which it will be strongly in one of those directions many times), I wouldn't trade for the world.

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

Nevertoomuchhockey wrote:IMHO when they win against a big program the overconfidence they bring on the ice the following game undermines how they work together. Less team play and absence of humilty. I hope this evolves. When they are at their best they are among the best. Just hard to watch a few days later and hear the opponents say "how did this team beat....?" I don't pretend I can coach at the varsity level better than this staff (or at all, really) but I absolutely know the message I would be hammering in the locker room in this regard.

Humility has never been Blaine's strong suit. Team play? only when they win. The finger pointing comes out when they don't.

Exiled One's prediction of Easton Brodzinkski for one of the Mr. Hockey finalists is looking better and better! Bengals may crack the top 10 this week, as Grand Rapids drops a bit?

East Grand Forks 2-1 Final in East Grand Forks

my2cents wrote:Nothing like winning some nice games to bring out the complaints.

Yeah or losing some bad ones

Just Checking wrote:

my2cents wrote:Nothing like winning some nice games to bring out the complaints.

Yeah or losing some bad ones

Losing to EGF is not a bad loss.
With a score of 2 to 1 to a better team, it can be viewed as a good loss.

elliott70 wrote:

Just Checking wrote:

my2cents wrote:Nothing like winning some nice games to bring out the complaints.

Yeah or losing some bad ones

Losing to EGF is not a bad loss.
With a score of 2 to 1 to a better team, it can be viewed as a good loss.

Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

Just Checking wrote:

elliott70 wrote:

Just Checking wrote: Yeah or losing some bad ones

Losing to EGF is not a bad loss.
With a score of 2 to 1 to a better team, it can be viewed as a good loss.

Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

You should add IMO
Or IMDAO.

Just Checking wrote:

elliott70 wrote:

Just Checking wrote: Yeah or losing some bad ones

Losing to EGF is not a bad loss.
With a score of 2 to 1 to a better team, it can be viewed as a good loss.

Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

There is no such thing as a good loss.
A loss is a loss.
I admire your passion for the bengals.
However, EGF is the better team. Just MHO.

elliott70 wrote:

Just Checking wrote:

elliott70 wrote: Losing to EGF is not a bad loss.
With a score of 2 to 1 to a better team, it can be viewed as a good loss.

Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

You should add IMO
Or IMDAO.

There is the real elliot70, good one but it would be redundant on 99% of our posts on this forum. So let's just assume that it is.

Just Checking wrote:

elliott70 wrote:

Just Checking wrote: Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

You should add IMO
Or IMDAO.

There is the real elliot70, good one but it would be redundant on 99% of our posts on this forum. So let's just assume that it is.

Just havin' fun.
The forum lets us do that. Be a wise ass, dumb ass, or a gentleman with knowledge to share with all.
I'm laughing out loud.

TTpuckster wrote:

Just Checking wrote:

elliott70 wrote: Losing to EGF is not a bad loss.
With a score of 2 to 1 to a better team, it can be viewed as a good loss.

Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

There is no such thing as a good loss.
A loss is a loss.
I admire your passion for the bengals.
However, EGF is the better team. Just MHO.

Wrong!!!
Every time EGF loses to Bemidji it is a good loss.

elliott70 wrote:

TTpuckster wrote:

Just Checking wrote: Blaine should win that game. It is not a good loss.

There is no such thing as a good loss.
A loss is a loss.
I admire your passion for the bengals.
However, EGF is the better team. Just MHO.

Wrong!!!
Every time EGF loses to Bemidji it is a good loss.

Eh? What's a Bemidji?
Never heard of it?

Wins vs centennial, ER, and BSM. Now we are talking. Should not lose again vs the rest of the schedule.
Powder blue of the north metro is rolling.
5 in a row after losing to EGF.
Peaking?
Yep

Bla, bla, bla.