Faceoff

H.S. hockey schedules are out ... JM-Mayo to play outdoors

FELDY: Century and Mayo have their complete 2009-10 boys hockey schedules posted on the Big Nine Conference Web site, and JM has its conference schedule posted. Lourdes' full schedule is also up on the HVL Web site.

The big highlight of next season's schedule is the advent of "Hockey Day Rochester" ... or whatever the title of the day will be. According to Mayo's schedule, JM and Mayo will face each other at 2 p.m. Jan. 23, outdoors at the Withers Sports Complex on 18th Ave SW and Mayowood Rd. SW. It's an idea that JM coach Scott Lecy was thinking about even before the Rockets played outdoors against St. Paul Johnson on Hockey Day Minnesota last winter. Now it appears it's a reality. That same day, the JM/Lourdes girls are scheduled to face Century at noon at the Rec Center. I'd imagine there will be plenty of youth games going on around town that day, too. I'll have more on this when I have a chance to talk to coach Lecy.

Some other schedule highlights:

* As usual, Lourdes is playing a very tough schedule. The defending Section 1A champs will have a new head coach (Josh Spaniol) and will have to replace 10 talented seniors. They'll have some talented young players to mix with a handful of returning veterans, and they could again challenge for a state berth if the team jels. In a bit of a interesting twist, the Eagles open their season Dec. 3-4 at a tournament in Owatonna. Lourdes faces Owatonna on Dec. 3 and New Richmond (Wis.) on Dec. 4. Their next two games are Dec. 8 at Section 1A foe New Prague (they also host New Prague on Feb. 6), and Dec. 10 against Red Wing, the team Lourdes beat in the section final this past season. Lourdes also faces St. Cloud Cathedral, Duluth Marshall, Duluth Denfeld, and St. Thomas Academy. One more game of note: Feb. 4 at defending state champion Breck, the team that beat Lourdes in the first round of the state tournament back in March.

* The Kiwanis/Wells Fargo Festival is set for Dec. 28-30, a Monday-Wednesday.

* Apple Valley, which lost to Fargo (ND) South in the Class AA Festival final last season, won't be at the Kiwanis this season. The Eagles instead will play in a tournament in Grand Forks, N.D., the week before Christmas. That tournament includes perennial Minnesota power Roseau and defending N.D. state champion Grand Forks Red River.

* Century is scheduled to face JM on Dec. 12 and Feb. 11, both at the Rec Center.

* Century plays Mayo on Jan. 16 at the Rec Center and FEb. 13 at Graham Arena.

* The rematch of last season's Section 1AA championship game -- Century vs. Lakeville North -- is set for Dec. 1 at Lakeville. It's the second game of the season for Century.

* Mayo and JM meet on Dec. 10 at Graham Arena, then again on Jan. 23 in the outdoors game.

* Mayo has an early-season home game against last season's Section 1A runner-up Red Wing. It's Dec. 1 at Graham Arena. ... The Spartans play at Hibbing and Virginia on Jan. 8 and 9.

* JM plays conference opponents Albert Lea (Dec. 8), Mankato West (Dec. 17), Faribault (Jan. 12), and Mankato East (Feb. 9) just once each.

Playing puck catch-up

FELDY: Lots going on in the hockey world over the last week or so. I'll let Phersy fill you all in on all things Ice Hawks, but a few thoughts on the NHL and college hockey.

PROS

* The NHL Scouting Combine has been ongoing this week. Edina star and Gopher recruit Zach Budish has been there, hoping to show scouts that the knee injury he suffered last fall during football season has been put behind him.

* So who is your choice in the Stanley Cup? Detroit was taken to OT three times by Chicago in the Western Conference finals and the Red Wings are starting to show their age a bit. That said, it's tough to pick against a team with as much talent as Detroit has, both up front and on the blue line. Wings fans will just have to hope Sid the Kid, Evegeni Malkin and Co. don't put 30-35 shots on goal per game. I'll take the Wings in 6.

* While we're on the subject of teams headed for Stanley Cup championships, the Wild are still searching for the guy who'll fill the skates of Jacques Lemaire. Whoever they find certainly won't be as loved by the media, but if he can turn the franchise into a winner, he'll be loved by the fans. ... Phersy's guy, Peter Laviolette, is quite interested in the coaching gig, though former Gopher Todd Richards looks like the front runner. Laviolette certainly fits the mold of the coach that Wild owner Craig Leipold and new GM Chuck Fletcher are looking for -- someone who demands a fast-paced, offense-first style of play. More important than who Fletcher brings in as coach is, who will he bring in as free agents and draft picks? If the Wild want to overhaul their on-ice approach to the game, they're going to have to make some tough roster decisions and they're going to have to take a different approach to the draft.

COLLEGES

* No, I don't have any special insight into why two of the top four scorer's in women's college hockey last season are leaving the Gophers to transfer to their hometown team (and my favorite squad), the University of North Dakota, but from everything I've read about it, there's nothing more to it than what you get on the surface. Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux told Gophers coach Brad Frost last week that they would like to be released from their scholarships. Frost granted the request earlier this week.

My guess: When the Lamoureux twins were being recruited out of Shattuck-St. Mary's, they likely would have been open to playing for their hometown college in Grand Forks. At the time, though, the Sioux were coached by Shantel Rivard, who was an absolute train wreck of a coach. She was the first coach of the program, being hired in 2002 to build up a winning tradition. That never came close to happening. UND went 3-31-2 in the 2006-07 season (0-27-1 in the WCHA), and Rivard was fired midway through that season, just a couple of weeks after the Lamoureuxs committed to Minnesota. Brian Idalski took over the UND program this past season and led the Sioux to a 13-19-4 record, by far the best in the program's brief history. There are also a handful of really talented girls high school players in Section 8 towns (yep, Roseau and Warroad) who are apparently very high on the Sioux program. Put all that together, along with the fact that the Lamoureuxs will have three seasons of eligibility remaining in their hometown, and you can see why they're heading home. They have the chance to be the reason the UND program turns around, after they play for the US Olympic squad this year. And contrary to the Star Tribune report, the twins will be eligible to play at UND in 2010-11 because they intend to take online classes this coming school year, which will serve as their "transfer" year (the year they have to sit out under WCHA transfer rules).

Twins stink, stink, stink ... then put up 20

PHERSY: Go ahead, try to figure out this year's version of the Minnesota Twins.

I've said it before and I'll say it again ... this is the most inconsistent team in baseball.

After getting swept by the Yankees in a four-game set at Yankee Stadium and dropping the first two games of a three-game series against the White Sox, the Twins put up 20 runs in a blowout win over Chicago yesterday afternoon. Makes sense. Lose six straight games, then beat a team 20-1.

Honestly, I can't figure this team out. They sweep the Tigers on the road, and they're looking good. Then they hit the skids in New York and it continues into Chicago. Then there are 20 runs on the board.

Wanna bet the Twins don't score many runs tonight? Hmmmm.

The inconsistent hitting has been frustrating, mainly because you see flashes of greatness. The bullpen has been downright awful. But I think Pat Reusse said it best in his column the other day ... when it comes to the bullpen, the Twins are getting exactly what they paid for. They failed to make any key additions to that unit, and they're paying the price.

Think Juan Cruz wouldn't look good in a Twins uniform right now? Until last night's game (he gave up four runs last night) he was on fire. Cruz hadn't given up a run in six straight outings. Even with last night's four-run blowup, Cruz still has an ERA of 3.32.

With Breslow gone, now the Twins just need to give up on Crain and hopefully that will help stabilize the bullpen. Guerrier, as much as I don't like him, hasn't been terrible. He's got a 3.80 ERA in 20 appearances. Guys like Mijares, Dickey and Ayala need to step up and fill roles.

All that said, I have no idea what to think about this team. From the sounds of things, Feldy has given up on this team. I'm not there yet. I probably won't be there until they're eliminated ... because with this team, you know there's a winning streak on the way. Followed by a losing streak. Then another winning streak.

You get the picture.

Ice Hawks update

PHERSY: Coach Fatis has been breathing down my neck about doing an Ice Hawks update, so I'll give a short one here and then follow up next week.

Ice Hawks second-year player Ryan Hurd recently suffered a knee injury. Hurd needs surgery, but he's currently trying to decide if he should just play through the injury or get the surgery and be out a few months. More on that when I hear more from coach.

Fatis also has signed a couple of new players. He's been around the globe, seemingly, scouting players over the last month. Once I find out some more info on the players, I'll have a story in the print edition of the Post-Bulletin, and of course, I'll give you blog readers a sneak peak before it hits the paper.

Finally, it was Fatis' birthday yesterday. He's 54 years old now ... almost time for retirement. OK, so he's not 54. He just acts like it!

Happy birthday to coach. Hopefully the Hawks nest crew didn't damage Gorilla's too badly last night during the b-day bash.

Wild get their man; Wolves, not so much

PHERSY: Well, the Wild have officially hired a GM, and it's the guy I wanted (see Faceoff a few weeks ago). The Wild have hired Chuck Fletcher of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fletcher was the assistant GM in Pittsburgh and he's considered a star in the making as far as being young (41) and knowledgeable. Fletcher's father is Cliff Fletcher, who was a longtime NHL executive.

I think the Wild hit a home run with this one, and it looks like Strib columnist Jim Souhan agrees. The Wild went through an extensive interview process, and I feel like they picked the right guy.

On the other hand, the Wolves hired David Kahn (who???) to be their new GM. This guy was pretty far down their list. I really can't judge him because I know very little about him. But it doesn't sound like he was coveted around the league, and he was far from the Wolves' first choice.

I would, however, be singing a completely different tune later today if during his introduction press conference, Kahn grabbed the mic, and said, "As my first order of business, I've fired Kevin McHale." All of a sudden, Kahn would be the most popular guy in Minnesota.

We'll have to wait and see how this all pans out. Honestly, the Wolves have more to work with as far as talent right now, so Kahn will have a chance to succeed. It's a long-term project with the Wolves, but there is young talent on the roster and more draft picks coming this year.

As for the Wild, Kahn will be starting from scratch. There's not enough talent on the roster to compete at a high level, so he's going to have to start building immediately. That's going to start with the hiring of a coach.

Chili speaks on the Favre situation ... sort of

FELDY: I swore to leave this topic alone until a certain aging QB either signs with the Vikings or the season opens with him still "retired." But, much like that QB, I reserve the right to change my mind, and after reading what Phersy's favorite head football coach, Brad Childress, had to say today, I can't help but say: Huh?

Here are some of Chili's words of wisdom from today's press conference after the only Vikings OTA practice that the media was allowed access to. This, courtesy of the Star-Tribune:

"For me to stand here and say something is going to happen I don’t know. I just don’t know. It’s all hypothetical and I just think we’ve got to the point where we hypothetically ask a question that we have to have an answer to. … So the question becomes the story and you can write volumes on it one side or the other."

Again, I ask: Huh?

Chili did go on to give the long version of "no comment," saying he is "more focused on the guys that are part of this football team."

The guys atop the Vikings depth chart at QB right now also both commented on the Favre talks. I think T-Jack gave the most diplomatic and honest answer:

“It’s the second year having to go through this [Favre speculation] and you can’t really blame them,” Jackson said. “He’s a great player and he’s a future Hall of Famer and with the team we have and the guys we have around us, why not? But I feel I can get the job done with trying to get better each day and that’s my job right now. I’m not really focused on the what ifs or whatever. If it happens it happens and until it happens I’m still coming out here to get better. And when it happens I’m going to do the same.”

In some other Vikings news:

* A.P. says fumbling isn't his main concern. Part of what Vikings fans have loved about Peterson from the start is that he is an extremely confident guy. Let's just hope he's doing more behind closed doors to address his fumbling issues.

* A.P. said he has been more focused on football this offseason and he wants to put on eight or nine more pounds.

NHL: Put the Jets back in Winnipeg

FELDY: It's time for the NHL to put the Phoenix Coyotes back in Winnipeg and give them their name back. The Jets belong in Winnipeg, not Phoneix, not Hamilton, Ontario.

Back when the economy was fine and the NHL could be found on a TV network that people other than die-hard hockey fans have heard of, commissioner Gary Bettman decided the best way to grow the game was to put teams in hockey hotbeds such as Phoenix and Raleigh and Nashville and Atlanta. Of course, over the past 11 years the Stanley Cup has resided in, at times, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Carolina (Raleigh, NC) and Anaheim. Not exactly places you'd call "Hockey Towns."

Still, it's time the NHL stops trying to find a broader audience and give it back to its loyal fan base. The game won't ever become global -- at least not in the sense that the NFL, NBA and MLB have. There won't ever be a day when sports fans in South America embrace the NHL. It's time Bettman and crew recognize what the NHL is -- a league that can become viable again if the NHL focuses on bringing the game back to markets where it has a loyal and die-hard following. If that means eliminating a few teams, so be it. Hockey is a niche sport and Winnipeg has a hard-core group of hockey followers that fit the mold of an NHL city.

So back to my original point, BRING THE JETS BACK TO WINNIPEG! And with the strong possibility that the Phoenix Coyotes will be going somewhere, Winnipeg seems an ideal fit.

I would provide links to all of the recent newspaper articles about the Coyotes leaving Phoenix/heading to Winnipeg, but I think this site (campaigning for a Jets return to Winnipeg) has everything you need on the subject.

My question to my fellow hockey rubes is this: Would an NHL team in Winnipeg hurt the Wild's fan base? Would it provide a natural rival for the Wild?

•••

PHERSY: Feldy, I think it would be awesome to see a team back in Winnipeg. Not sure that it will happen, from a financial standpoint. But maybe it could become a situation like Minnesota. Having the North Stars gone for a few years, Minnesotans decided they really missed their hockey. Now they can't get enough Wild. Since Winnipeg hasn't had a team now for a while, maybe they miss hockey just enough to support a franchise.

As for competing with the Wild, I don't see it. I don't think it would take fans away from the Wild ... let's face it, those fans up there aren't cheering for the Wild, they're cheering for another Canadian team. I'm sure there are a few Wild fans, but not enough to make a dent. If anything, I think you hit on the right track Feldy ... a new Winnipeg franchise could create a nice rivalry for the Wild. It seems like our rivalry with Vancouver is forced, so I'd love to see the team have a natural, geographical rival.

So, I'm all for it. Let's get a new team in Winnipeg!!!

Junior Hockey: NAHL Entry Draft complete

FELDY: The NAHL Entry Draft was held Wednesday and while no Rochester players were selected, there were a handful of players selected who are familiar to high school hockey fans in this part of the state.

The complete list of draftees can be found here. Any amateur player younger than 21 as of Dec. 31, 2009, were eligible. You'll see that some players who were on USHL rosters this past season were selected in the NAHL draft. That doesn't necessarily mean that player is headed to the USHL, but if he chooses to play in the NA, his rights belong to the team that drafted him.

While no Rochester players were drafted, Lourdes standouts Tyler Voigt and Pete Spratte have already signed to try out with Fairbanks. Among the familiar players selected in the NAHL draft:

* Red Wing native Ryan Kesti was selected by Alaska. Kesti had five points in 44 games for Sioux Falls of the USHL this past season.

* Red Wing defenseman Bryan Mitchell and Little Falls defenseman Isaac Bergland were selected by the Albert Lea Thunder. The Thunder also selected defenseman Brad Phenouw of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League champion Granite City Lumberjacks. ... Albert Lea also selected two players (F Troy Crowley, D Ben Oskroba) from the Phoenix Polar Bears, a team the Rochester Ice Hawks beat at the Junior A, Tier III national tournament.

* Standout forward Darren Lapic of New Prague was drafted by Topeka.

* Joey Benik of St. Francis -- the state's single-season goals record holderd -- was picked by Alexandria, which had former Century standouts Garrett Grimstad and Joe Knoepke on its roster all of last season.

* We mentioned the two former Lourdes players who signed with Fairbanks. Well, Fairbanks selected former Mankato West goalie Tyler Bruggeman, who spent this past season backing up former Roseau High School standout Mike Lee with the Fargo Force of the USHL.

* Brice Geoffrion, brother of 'Sconnie Badgers forward Blake Geoffrion, was selected by Motor City.

* Joe Rehkamp, the Breck School forward who gave Lourdes fits at the Class A state tournament back in March, was drafted by North Iowa.

* Jake Youso, who led International Falls to the Kiwanis/Wells Fargo Festival title in Rochester two seasons ago, was drafted by Owatonna. Youso played for Des Moines in the USHL this past season.

That's all I have ... as always, Faceoff rubes, let me know if I missed anyone.

Ping, pong the Wolves are dead ... again

FELDY: From the category of "you can't make this stuff up," for, I believe, the 13th time, the Timberwolves were in the NBA's Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. And for the 13th time, they failed to get their ping pong ball to pop up in a spot that would improve their draft position. If there was no such thing as a draft lottery, the Wolves would have picked fifth. As it is, they fell a spot to sixth.

This franchise seems to have the market cornered on bad luck: 1. they get a lot of it come draft and draft lottery time; and 2. they make a lot of their own bad luck.

They're on the verge of going into the NBA Draft without a head coach or GM. You think the Wolves' first-round pick is going to be excited about that? What about the current players? They see the circus that goes on daily at Target Center. It's no wonder free agents have zero interest in the Wolves now that KG is gone.

Team owner Glen Taylor continues to make his own bad luck (see: Smith, Joe and McHale, Kevin) by making some arrogant decisions. He has had several good General Manager candidates back out on him already, presumably because Taylor will not allow the new GM to hire his own coach and personnel people. If that's the case, why even have a GM? Taylor should just add that title to his own resume. He continues to leave McHale's fate in the hands of, well, McHale. It's an absolutely absurd way to run a franchise and Taylor is either too stubborn or too stupid to see that.

Taylor needs to hire a GM, let him hire a coach and personnel people and Taylor needs to just stay out of the way.

The happiest guy in the country on Tuesday night was probably Blake Griffin, realizing he doesn't have to come to Minnesota.

Busy, busy, busy!

PHERSY: Sorry for the inactivity on here ... but Feldy and I have been busy, busy. busy! We're short-staffed in the sports department right now, even more so than normal. Our boss has been out for two weeks, and now our other main layout/page designed, Paul Christian, also is gone. So Feldy and I have worked every morning all week, designing pages here at the PB, on top of the regular things we do on a weekly basis. The blog has suffered ... but once the boss returns next week, we should be back to normal, just in time for high school playoffs!

So what's been going on in the world of sports? Hmmmm ...

First off, great win for the Twins last night. I went to sleep one inning too early. I clicked the off button on my remote when the Twins failed to score in the 12th inning. Bad decision (of course, it was more of a necessity with that 4:45 a.m. wakeup call waiting for me). After a great win like that, I fully expect the Twins to fall flat on their faces today and deliver a stinker in the afternoon game. It's just the way things have gone this season, which is the topic of our Faceoff column in today's P-B. The Twins are sooooo inconsistent. It seems like every time they get something going, they toss in an awful performance and we're left wondering about this team's identity. They've shown flashes of greatness this season, but I'm hoping that can become a regular thing, rather than a once-a-series thing. ...

How about the NHL playoffs? Honestly, I can't get enough. When I haven't been here at the office over the past two weeks, I've been sitting in front of my TV watching the playoffs. I don't remember a better playoffs in recent history, and we're not even to the conference finals. Minus that last game, the Washington-Pittsburgh series was amazing. But in general, every playoff series has been great. I'm a hockey guy, so I'm biased, but this is the best time of year! ...

Wild still don't have a GM or a coach. They need to move on both positions ASAP. They can't let these playoffs end without both spots being filled. The GM should be named really, really soon ... I'm hoping it comes no later than Monday. And then the GM can start working on the hiring process as far as a new coach. Feldy and I already tossed out our suggestions as far as who we think they should hire ... now it's time to make a move. Without a GM and a coach, it's tough to figure out where the franchise is headed. ...

On the local scene, the Rochester Thunder have their first home game ever on Friday night. I'll be there! I'm not a huge soccer guy, but these guys (coach Neil Cassidy and business director Frank Spaeth) got me excited about soccer. The Thunder are playing in the PDL, which is a very, very high-level league. There are players every year from the PDL who get drafted into MLS (pretty much the NBA, NHL, NFL of soccer). I would say the PDL is on the level of the Northwoods league, if not even better since there are fewer choices for soccer players in this country. I was a bit skeptical when I heard the team was coming to town. So many of these teams seem to come and go, but I don't think it's going to happen with this franchise. They have a great business model, and they're doing everything the right way. It's a very professional-seeming franchise, and I think they'll do well here in Rochester. If you're a soccer fan or just need something to do on the weekends, the Thunder are worth checking out. ...

There is a huge MMA event coming to Rochester on May 30. It has the potential to be the best MMA event this town has ever seen. Travis Wiuff, Tommy Speer, Travis Perzynski, Mike Wenzel, Jeremy Lang and Nik Lentz are all on the card. It's kind of a who's whom of Minnesota MMA, and if the lineup holds up, it's going to be an amazing show. If the fights aren't enough for you, then check out the lineup of special guests ... UFC veterans Sean Sherk, Brock Larson, Jens Pulver and Clay Guida. Since most of those guys are on my list of favorite all-time fighters, I guess I have no choice but to go and be in awe! Like I said, if all of these names hold up, this will be the best MMA show ever to hit Rochester. Tickets are on sale at Kathy's Pub, Andy's Liquor and Infinity Tattoo. May 30 at Graham Arena!

That's all I know for now. Once we get the full crew back at the PB, Feldy and I will have more time to devote to the blog.