At this point in the season you hear cliches like “Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog” and “its all a matter of who wants it more” or perhaps a more of a head shaker given by former Vikings Head Coach Dennis Green, “there are two teams that showed up today, and only one of them can win.” No matter which one you choose, even Green’s “profound” quote, its certainly applicable at this time of season. The Minnesota Wild find themselves currently in 6th place in the Western Conference with a 5-way tie in points (70). Yes, you saw that correctly, a 5-way tie. Minnesota had a tough battle last night on the other side of Orange County when they lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4-3. It wasn’t a terrible effort, but the compressed schedule doesn’t give you a lot of time to really analyze all that went wrong. All you can do as a team is to just go back out there and work as hard as you can and hope to rewarded with a better outcome.
The Anaheim Ducks are also coming off a hard-fought loss to the Kings, but it has had a day to rest and rejuvenate so the Wild will have to dig deep against a team that is relatively fresh. Both teams match up fairly evenly, but hopefully it can learn something from its last attempt to beat the Ducks at Honda Center where Bobby Ryan even used Mikko Koivu‘s stick to score on the Wild during a strange broken play in Minnesota’s zone. Mikko Koivu is again out of the lineup, so Bobby Ryan won’t be able to repeat the feat with the Wild captain’s stick but Minnesota needs a better start which it did not have the night before. Will Minnesota be able to step forward with a victory tonight or will the Ducks make the Wild cry foul?
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1st Period Thoughts: It was not a pretty start for the Wild, as Minnesota was caught standing, watching and reaching for the puck instead of skating to it. The Ducks looked hungry and were swarming in the Minnesota end early, taking every opportunity to taking the body on the banged up Wild squad. Minnesota would earn a bit of a reprieve after former Montreal Canadien Maxim Lapierre hit Warren Peters from behind giving the Wild its first power play of the game. Unfortunately the Wild did not have its hustle issues worked out and the result was an embarrassing performance on the man advantage. Minnesota was static, there wasn’t much movement with the puck let alone without it. The result was the aggressive penalty kill of the Ducks had little difficulty thwarting the Wild power play, including one pathetic sequence where Corey Perry out legged Matt Cullen for a loose puck and then as the puck was tapped away from him all he did was stand there was watch as Perry re-gathered the puck and then worked it back to the Ducks end before it was cleared back down into the Wild zone. The Ducks would go on the attack, cycling the puck and keeping Minnesota bottled into its own zone but the Wild were patient. Teemu Selanne would trip of Pierre-Marc Bouchard giving the Wild another power play. This time the Wild were able to create a little momentum as they worked the puck to the point where Martin Havlat bombed a shot on goal that was stopped by newly acquired Dan Ellis. The Wild power play had much better puck movement but still Minnesota came up empty on what as another golden opportunity. The Ducks would again work the forecheck where Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry cycled the puck with near impunity, but Minnesota kept Anaheim to the perimeter and eventually John Madden would escort the puck out of the zone where he would lead a 2-on-1 with Andrew Brunette. Madden raced in with the Ducks’ Toni Lydman trying to retreat between them, an this prompted Madden to pick a corner and he let loose a wrister that beat Ellis and found the back of the net top shelf, glove side to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. The goal was huge as it looked as though Minnesota had no real answer for the determined Ducks’ forecheck. Anaheim would go back on the forecheck, and Nick Schultz would get his stick caught up in Bobby Ryan’s skates giving the Ducks a late-period power play. Minnesota’s penalty killers were solid at keeping the Ducks to the perimeter and perhaps they were sick of waiting for the Wild to make a mistake and Corey Perry decided to take a run at Greg Zanon as he leveled him with a big hit after clearing the zone. The hit gave Perry a charging penalty that drew the boo’s from the Honda Center crowd, and evened things up at 4-on-4. Minnesota had to be feeling very good about leading 1-0 at this point, where you could argue they only had a few quality scoring chances. Jose Theodore was very good throughout the period, making a number of fine saves, including stopping a breakaway by Apple Valley’s Dan Sexton. Theodore was very sharp, and absorbing the pucks when he had traffic near his crease.
2nd Period Thoughts: The 2nd period mirrored many other middle stanzas this season. Meaning the Wild would more or less play rope-a-dope for 20 minutes while Jose Theodore had to have felt like Denis Lemieux from Slap Shot as he was left largely to himself to make stop after stop. Carelessness with the puck led to easy turnovers that the Ducks pounced upon. Dan Sexton was flying all over the Wild zone, taking every opportunity to rifle a shot on goal. I must admit, for a smaller player he really gets his shot off quickly and it always has a ton of velocity. The Wild were scrambling all over their zone as the Ducks out hustled, out skated Minnesota. Early in the period, the Wild were given a gift when a long-range shot missed the Wild goal but Jose Theodore lost track of it and as it caromed out front to Teemu Selanne he directed a shot on an open net only to be stopped by his own player, when Brandon McMillan attempted to redirect it and missed wide. The Ducks kept swarming and it really was just a matter of time before they managed to get a puck behind Theodore. This time it was helped by a great pass but also a costly decision by Clayton Stoner, who had dropped his stick and instead of playing near the right post he left to go get his stick and in that time Ryan Getzlaf had a beautiful behind the back pass to Jason Blake who shoveled a quick shot at point blank range that was stopped by Theodore but it was stuffed in by Bobby Ryan to tie the game at 1-1. The Wild tried to answer back and with a holding penalty on Luca Sbisa it appeared as though Minnesota may have its chance to take back the lead but it’s power play would last just 4 seconds. Former Canucks super-pest Jarkko Ruutu grabbed the stick of Pierre-Marc Bouchard and fell to the ice drawing a weak hooking call. Bouchard should’ve known better but so should the official who fell for a classic Ruutu act. Minnesota really was unable to create much of anything to at least alleviate pressure on Theodore. It was a small miracle the game was still tied at 1-1 as they were completely dominated from start to finish. The Wild were outshot 20 to 10 in the period. (Facepalm)
3rd Period Thoughts: The 3rd period started out with Minnesota on the penalty kill, but the Wild’s penalty killers did an outstanding job of working their bodies and sticks into passing and shooting lanes and they’d keep Anaheim from taking the lead. Minnesota was still feeling the heat, but the Wild were counter punching more than they did in the 2nd period. The hits were also piling up as Eric Nystrom, Warren Peters, Cal Clutterbuck, Brad Staubitz, Clayton Stoner and even Pierre-Marc Bouchard was lowering the boom on Ducks players. Minnesota was also getting it done in the faceoff circle, dominating the Ducks as Matt Cullen, John Madden were putting on a clinic winning well over 50% of their draws and giving the Wild valuable possession time down the stretch. The action was desperate, as Theodore was making some tremendous stops down the stretch. Minnesota looked to have the game winner in hand when Clayton Stoner took a chance and fired a slap shot that somehow snuck its way through Ellis’ leg pads and into the back of the net as the Ducks goalie slumped in his crease in disappointment. As much as Ellis looked defeated, the Ducks were not and they poured it on. During these final minutes I have to question some of the decisions of the Wild coaching staff, sending slow-footed Andrew Brunette down there when Anaheim is cycling the puck so effectively. Why put a guy who can’t win races for the puck on the ice or play real good defense at a point in the game where you’re trying to defend your one-goal lead. The Ducks were throwing everything they had at the Wild and at times they were up to the task as Corey Perry decided to attempt a highlight reel goal as he tried to mesmerize Stoner with a reverse spin move but the Wild defenseman didn’t bite and was in good position to take the puck off his stick when he completed the move. Theodore was also helping his cause with a miraculous toe save on Perry. However the Wild could only keep them away from Theodore for so long and it was Teemu Selanne who passed a puck to Jason Blake who was behind the Wild defense and he ripped a wrist shot that was stopped by Theodore but the rebound went out front to Francois Beauchemin who chipped a shot by the Wild goalie to tie the game at 2-2. The play was partially made by a bad decision by Brent Burns to prematurely drop to take away a pass that clearly was not going to be made and instead of being on his skates and in position to sweep away the dangerous rebound he was unable to clear away the trash and Beauchemin was able to bang home the equalizer. In the closing seconds of the 3rd period the Wild tried to pressure late for the go-ahead goal. Bouchard would set up Cullen twice for one-timers but neither of his shots reached Dan Ellis as they were blocked wide by Toni Lydman and the game would go to overtime.
Overtime Thoughts: 4-on-4 Overtime was much like a roller coaster, started off slowly but steadily gaining momentum with all kinds of thrills along the way. It started off slowly with a long range shot by Matt Cullen that was stopped with ease by Ellis. The Wild were able to take advantage from the Ducks’ penchant for pinching with its defense and a blocked shot by Cal Clutterbuck turned into a breakaway for the Minnesota spark plug and he tried a quick wrist shot that was knocked down by Ellis who would make another great follow up save on Martin Havlat who was trailing behind him. The Ducks tried to counter attack, but again the Wild would steal the puck as Brent Burns got it and he saucer-ed a backhand pass to Pierre-Marc Bouchard who was behind the Anaheim defense for another breakaway and he made a few shoulder fakes before beating Ellis 5-hole for the game winner.
Jose Theodore was absolutely brilliant in this game, making 46 saves in the victory. He made a number of saves at point blank range with lots of traffic near his crease. He kept Minnesota in the game through the 2nd period where by all rights the Wild should not have been in this game. Minnesota was again perfect on the penalty kill, keeping a very dangerous Ducks’ power play off the scoreboard. Defensively the Wild gave up far too many shots, but for the most part Minnesota was able to keep Anaheim’s top players from being too big of a factor in this game.
Wild Head Coach Todd Richards was beaming after the game telling Minneapolis Star Tribune‘s beat writer Michael Russo during the post-game press conference, “We played tough tonight, that game last night against (Los Angeles) took a lot out of us.” Richards’ added, “they had some chances, Perry misses that open net and in all other circumstances Theo was a wall for us.” I have to agree, the Wild were very lucky that a deadly efficient finisher like Perry missed on some of the chances that he did. He was easily the most dangerous offensive player on the ice for either team. Every time he had the puck he made something happen and you could sense the level of anticipation in the crowd whenever he was carrying the puck into the offensive zone. The Wild return home where they get two days to rest before battling another playoff hopeful in the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Wild Notes:
~ Wild roster tonight is as follows: Andrew Brunette, Antti Miettinen, John Madden, Matt Cullen, Eric Nystrom, Chuck Kobasew, Warren Peters, Jed Ortmeyer, Brad Staubitz, Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Martin Havlat, Jared Spurgeon, Marek Zidlicky, Greg Zanon, Nick Schultz, Clayton Stoner and Brent Burns. Niklas Backstrom backed up Jose Theodore. Cam Barker and Kyle Brodziak were the “healthy” scratches. Josh Harding (knee), Mikko Koivu (hand), James Sheppard (knee) and Guillaume Latendresse (groin and sports hernia) are on injured reserve.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Pierre-Marc Bouchard, 2nd Star Jose Theodore, 3rd Star Francois Beauchemin
~ Attendance tonight at Honda Center was 13,617.
High School Boys Hockey Class 2A Section Run-down:
Section semi-finals have begun for the Boys side of High School hockey which means the State Tournament is just around the corner. Section 4AA are still in the quarterfinals, while Section 5AA has only half of their semi-final brackets filled as the Blaine Bengals and Maple Grove Crimson await their opponents. Here is a breakdown of those sections already with clear cut semi-final match ups established as well as the State of Hockey News‘ picks for how they will work themselves out. What’s your pick? Please share that in our comments.
Secton 1AA
#1 Lakeville South Cougars (14-8-2) Vs. #5 Farmington Tigers (13-12-0) ~ The two teams never played each other during the regular season but Farmington will have its hands full trying to deal with Junior scoring sensation Justin Kloos (37 goals, 85 points). Farmington would be best served to try to lock things down and not get into a run-and-gun battle with the Cougars because they’d be outgunned in a hurry. OUR PICK: Cougars should win this one with ease.
#2 Lakeville North Panthers (10-14-1) Vs. #6 Rochester Century (10-15-0) ~ Every year it seems Lakeville North manages to claw its way through a relatively weak Section 1 to find their way in the State Tournament. This time, Panthers’ head coach Randy Schmitz finds himself as the underdog even in his own community. Rochester Century has always embraced a strong defensive style of hockey, but even Lakeville North’s modest firepower will be a lot for them to handle. OUR PICK: Expect an all Lakeville showdown for the 1AA crown.
Section 2AA
#1 Edina Hornets (15-7-2) Vs. Prior Lake Lakers (8-13-4) ~ Prior Lake may have pulled off the most impressive upset of the Class 2A sectional tournament by upsetting Holy Angels 4-3, but it will be a pyrrhic victory as they simply earn the honor of playing one of Minnesota’s hockey elite in Edina. The Hornets record may look rather mundane but that is what you get when you play one of the toughest schedules in the state. 6’3″, 200lbs senior forward Steven Fogarty leads the way for Head Coach Curt Giles‘ Hornets, and I would expect Prior Lake to be playing rope-a-dope right from the drop of the puck. OUR PICK: Sorry Prior Lake, but the Cinderella dream is going to end against Edina in a game that will probably get ugly pretty quick.
#3 Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars (14-8-3) Vs. Burnsville Blaze (17-4-4) ~ Burnsville won their first meeting of the season but the two clubs tied each other most recently in a 5-5 draw on February 17th. The Blaze are an offensive juggernaut and Bloomington Jefferson has lost a little luster from the Tom Saterdalen-coached years but they’re still a formidable club that can knock off any team that takes them too lightly. Burnsville senior forward Mike Dockry leads the way for the Blaze with 29 goals and 64 points. OUR PICK: I think this may be one of the most likely upsets in the sectional round, and I think it would be tough for Burnsville not to be looking over their shoulder at Edina and that lack of focus will cost them as Bloomington Jefferson pulls off the mild shocker.
Section 3AA
#1 Eagan Wildcats (17-6-2) Vs. Hastings Raiders (12-12-1) ~ Eagan won the only meeting between these two teams, as they faced one another during the South St. Paul Premier Tournament over the Christmas Holidays where the Wildcats won 7-3. Eagan has a very balanced attack with a squad that is built primarily of sophomores and juniors. Its all junior trio of Nick Kuchera, Will Merchant and Michael Zajac are a potent combination of grit, hands and finishing ability that will give Hastings lots to handle. Hastings will not want to get into a firewagon type of game where they’re trading scores with Eagan. OUR PICK: I think if Eagan stays focused it will win this one by a few goals, and I have little doubt Eagan Head Coach Mike Taylor will remind his players about what happened last year in the section semi’s against Apple Valley.
#1 Cretin Derham-Hall (13-8-4) Vs. Apple Valley Eagles (18-6-1) ~ With Apple Valley a lot of the talk is about sophomore stud Hudson Fasching, but that ignores his talented teammate, junior forward and leading scorer A.J. Michaelson (29 goals, 60 points). Neither team has faced one another this season but Apple Valley surprised just about everyone last season by making their way to the state tournament with a team largely made up of sophomores. Needless to say Cretin Derham-Hall will have its hands full against an experienced opponent. OUR PICK: Apple Valley has shown it can be victimized by let downs but it won’t happen this time as they will dispatch the Raiders by two goals.
Section 6AA
#1 Eden Prairie Eagles (18-5-2) Vs. #4 Minnetonka Skippers (16-7-2) ~ In what many experts are saying is the toughest section in the state, these two foes are very familiar with one another as they have played each other twice this season. Eden Prairie won the first meeting, 4-2 on January 27th but the two clubs tied 3-3 in their most recent battle on February 12th. Eagles’ senior forward Kyle Rau (34 goals, 72 points) is one of the most dangerous forwards in the state. Minnetonka lost a lot of firepower from last year’s team, but they’re still a tough opponent and Eden Prairie has battled a bit with consistency throughout the season. OUR PICK: I think Eden Prairie and especially Kyle Rau will be focused which is not a good thing for the Skippers as the Eagles fly by Minnetonka by two goals.
#3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knights (21-4-0) Vs. #2 Wayzata Trojans (18-5-2) ~ In the other half of the section, this is probably the best #2 / #3 match up in the state. Both teams have had their moments, and both clubs have plenty of star power. The Red Knights have senior Pat Steinhauser (24 goals and 53 points) while the Trojans feature the two-headed monster that is Tony Cameranesi (16 goals and 54 points) and Mario Lucia (25 goals and 47 points). With all of this offensive firepower this has the potential to be an explosive game. OUR PICK: I like the experience of Benilde-St. Margaret’s coach Ken Pauly to be the x-factor that guides the Red Knights by Wayzata.
Section 7AA
#1 Duluth East Greyhounds (19-5-0) Vs. #4 Elk River Elks (11-13-1) ~ I am really torn on this game, because it features my alma mater (Elk River) but the fact of the matter is Duluth East just has a significant edge in firepower that will likely overcome the Elks blue-collar, physical style of hockey. The Greyhounds won their only regular season meeting between the two teams with Duluth East taking away a 2-1 victory in a game played in Duluth. Defenseman Ryan Jaremko has been the Elks best player all season, and he leads the team in scoring with a very modest 7 goals and 31 points. The Greyhounds are led by a solid all junior trio of Trevor Olson, Dom Toninato, and Jake Randolph who all have over 50 points to their credit really says it all about what the Elks are up against. OUR PICK: It really hurts to pick against the Elks and my old coach Tony Sarsland but I think the Greyhounds are going to advance to the section finals after beating Elk River by two goals.
#3 Cloquet-Esko-Carlton Lumberjacks (16-9-0) Vs. #2 Grand Rapids Thunderhawks (21-3-1) ~ Grand Rapids shocked many around Christmas time with their strong performance at the Edina Classic tournament where they defeated tournament host Edina. The Thunderhawks won their most recent match up between them and the Lumberjacks just 4-3 which means you can expect another close game between these two northern school rivals. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton is led by senior forward Jack McFarlane with 22 goals and 55 points, but they’ll need him to have a big impact to offset Grand Rapids’ balanced attack. OUR PICK: I think Grand Rapids is a team full of confidence and deserving of more respect than they’ve been given this season, and I think they’ll win by two goals over Cloquet.
Section 8AA
#1 Bemidji Lumberjacks (21-2-2) Vs. #4 Brainerd Warriors (18-7-0) ~ Perhaps the least known of the northern schools is Bemidji but they did defeat the Warriors during their only meeting on January 21st where the Lumberjacks prevailed 5-3. The Lumberjacks do not look all that scary on paper, but they play a solid team game, and perhaps have not received the amount of respect one would expect from a top seeded team as they play a lot of schools that play in Class 1A. Seniors Max Hazelton and Steven Heller along with skilled sophomore Matt Serratore are all at least 30 point producers who make Bemidji tough to match lines against. The Brainerd are the opposite with one true superstar in St. Cloud State bound Josh Archibald (24 goals and 73 points) is amongst the top point producers in the state. OUR PICK: I do not think we’ll see a blowout, but I think Bemidji’s balance will be too much for Archibald and the Warriors to overcome as the Lumberjacks win by a pair of goals.
#3 Roseau Rams (12-13-0) Vs. #2 Moorhead Spuds (15-7-2) ~ The team’s split the season series although it was Moorhead who took away the victory in the most recent game, a 6-1 Spuds win on January 25th. The two participants in this year’s Hockey Day Minnesota that featured outdoor games in the Spuds’ hometown. The Rams are a team that can play well in big games, but Moorhead also played very well against some of the best teams in the metro area earning a win over Wayzata and solid games against Hill-Murray and Minnetonka. Neither team has a lot of offense but that also means it will be a close game which makes the outcome a bit more unpredictable. OUR PICK: As big-game ready as Roseau always seems to be, I am going to say Spuds Head Coach Dave Morinville‘s squad has an edge in size and speed and that will be the difference as Moorhead edges out a one-goal victory.
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