"There Was Never Any Doubt With This Team."

I love Patrick Reusse's writing, and one of the many reasons is that he refuses to slurp the Gopher hockey program. For instance, in today's Strib he writes about the hottest team in college hockey - my UND Fighting Sioux.

Earlier this college hockey season, I had noticed that Reusse had more than once made reference to St. Cloud State goalie Bobby Goepfert in his Strib writings. I think he may have even written a column about him. (Patrick also writes a weekly "Between the Quotes" short-blurb thingy in the sports page.)

While watching my Sioux square off against the SCSU Huskies today, I figured that Reusse might be at the game to cover his boy Goepfert. While Goepfert is a great goalie, he wasn't on his game today. It didn't help that the Sioux jumped all over the Huskies from the opening whistle, but Goepfert did leave some fat rebounds out there that UND's players pumped in for two goals.

So with Reusse at the game but Goepfert and SCSU being run out of the building, what would Patrick write about? My guess was on the great play of Sioux goalie Philippe Lamoureux. He has been overlooked this second half of the season. His stats aren't up there with Goepfert's as he was hurt early and hence didn't play up until his potential until the second half of the season (like his team.) And he is overshadowed by the Toews-Oshie-Duncan line which is probably the best in college hockey. Would Reusse comment on Lammy and his all-but-forgotten-in-hockey ability to "stack the pads"? This would be a great oppurtunity to fit in a Gump Worsley reference!

But Reusse went with another great angle: How this is the third year in a row that coach Dave Hakstol (now in his third year) and his teams have turned it up in the second half of the season and become a force in March and beyond.

A very good long-time friend of mine has always said of college hockey: "Nobody wins a championship in November." Dave Hakstol's Sioux teams have show how you can dismiss the early-season trends. Now if they could just win a championship in April ... ah, but there is hardware to win tonight. Go Sioux!

(and thanks Reusse.)