Faceoff

Uh-oh, Vikes fans, here we go again

FELDY: Maybe this snowy weather makes some of us wish were in L.A., but I'd rather the Vikings not be there. Right now, though, Vikings fans have to take seriously the team's threats to relocate if a stadium deal doesn't get done during the 2011 Minnesota legislative session.

As Star-Tribune Vikings reporter Judd Zulgad wrote on his blog less than an hour ago, Vikings vice president of public affairs Lester Bagley confirmed that the team has been approached by the two main groups looking to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles -- the group led by Ed Roski, and the group led by Ted Leiweke.

Bagley revealed the information in a chat session on the Vikings website today. The most interesting point that I noticed: Bagley said Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf toured the L.A. area last year when an NFL owners meeting took place in southern Cali.

Bagley and the Wilfs still say their main priority is to get a deal done in Minnesota.

"Clearly, the Vikings stadium issue is being followed nationally and it's no secret that we're down to the last year on our lease. We've told those groups that we are focused on resolving the issue in Minnesota. We feel solid momentum and feel we're well-positioned with the new legislature and governor. Instead of spending energy speculating on other markets, let's keep the focus on building a world-class facility for the community and the State of Minnesota."

So, the question now becomes, how much of this Vikes-to-L.A. talk is serious and how much of it is the Wilfs and Bagley just blowing smoke to put more pressure on the legislature? Some people in Minnesota say "let 'em go to L.A., we don't need 'em." Some say, "do whatever it takes to keep 'em here."

It's no secret which side I fall on, though, ultimately, I fail to understand why the Vikings and the University of Minnesota couldn't have found an acceptable solution for a joint stadium. To me, that idea needs to be revisited, even though the Vikings say that's not an option. I know, Zygi wants a mega-complex, including a stadium and bar/restaurant district for blocks around a new stadium. But, why not try to work out an option for the expansion of TCF, along with a deal for Zygi to make money off concessions, parking, etc.?

In the long run, he still makes his money (plus saves whatever he was going to put toward the cost of a new stadium), the Vikes have a beautiful facility to play in, and the fans are happy.

Ultimately, though, it's gonna be left up to the legislature, who will probably find a way to keep the Vikings here. But if it's not worked out in the next legislative session, those threats from the Wilfs will become reality.

High school hockey tonight | Nov. 30, 2010

FELDY: Two games on the schedule tonight, including a good chance for John Marshall to pic up an early-season Section 1AA victory against Farmington. The other game features a pair of teams from the area, as Mayo travels to Red Wing. The Spartans have left last season's struggles in the past and look to build some momentum right away this year. The Wingers will be an interesting team to follow, having lost their top five scorers. But senior goalie Sam Amendolar will be a solid backbone. Both Mayo and Red Wing are in the same position -- they'll likely go as their goalies go.

Idle tonight: Century, Lourdes (game against St. Thomas Academy has been postponed to Feb. 8, at St. Thomas).

MAYO at RED WING
When: 7 p.m. tonight
Where: Prairie Island Arena, Red Wing
Records: Mayo 0-0-0; Red Wing 0-0-0.
Spotlight players: Mayo junior D Jack Dingle is the Spartans' top returning scorer (1-5--6). He had a good fall in the Minnesota Elite Prep Development League (formerly Elite II) and is going to be relied upon to anchor the defensive corps, now that fellow junior Steve Serratore has shifted to forward. ... Red Wing senior G Sam Amendolar didn't put up exceptional numbers last season (13-13-0, 3.91 GAA, .854 save pct.), but his numbers didn't tell the story of the Wingers season. Amendolar was solid throughout, with a young group of defensemen playing in front of him early. Once they adjusted to high school play, Amendolar wasn't repeatedly peppered with shots. He was tremendous in the Section 1A playoffs, going 3-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .916 save pct.
Of note: These teams met in the season opener last year, with Mayo winning 7-4 at Graham Arena.

FARMINGTON at JM
When: 7:30 p.m., tonight
Where: Rochester Rec Center
Records: Farmington 0-1-0; JM 0-0-0
Spotlight players: Farmington junior F Jake Eldred had a hand in both of the Tigers goals in their season-opener. He scored one and assisted on the other. Eldred had just four points (1-3--4) all of last season. ... JM senior F Ryan Yetzer is the team's leading goal-scorer over the past two seasons (29 total) and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He scored 18 goals as a sophomore and 11 last season (Zach Johnson led JM with 15 goals last year). If Yetzer can use his speed to JM's advantage, and become a little more physical, he will be tough to stop.
Of note: Farmington opened its season on Saturday with a 5-2 loss at Hastings. ... JM has co-head coaches this season. Former JM player Jared Skovbroten, who served as an assistant for the past three seasons, will serve as co-head coach along with Scott Lecy, who enters his fifth season.

AROUND THE STATE
Some of the top matchups in the state tonight: Apple Valley (#7 AA) at Bloomington Jefferson (#13 AA);  Mahtomedi (#10 A) at Breck (#2 A); Hill-Murray (#4 AA) at Duluth Marshall (#9 A).

 

High school hockey tonight | Nov. 26, 2010

FELDY:It's another most wonderful time of the year ... again. Boys hockey season begins tonight around the state, and in Rochester, as the Lourdes Invitational begins in less than an hour. Gonna try something new for the boys hockey season this year; short game-day previews when Century, JM, Lourdes or Mayo is playing. Here we go...

Idle tonight: Century, JM, Mayo

LOURDES INVITATIONAL
When: Tonight, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Who: Providence Academy vs. Superior (Wis.) at 5:30; Lourdes vs. New Richmond (Wis.) at 7:30 p.m.
Records: Season opener for all four teams
Spotlight players: New Richmond senior goalie Patrick Hailey is a tremendous all-around athlete. He led the Tigers soccer team to a 15-4-4 record this fall, scoring 33 goals in 20 games. He backstopped New Richmond to a fifth-place finish at last year's Rochester Kiwanis Holiday Hockey Festival in December. ... Senior forward Andy Benner played in all of Lourdes' games last season, but his ice time fluctuated and he finished the year with 6 points (3-3--6). This year, he could be one of the most relied-upon Eagles forwards. Coach Josh Spaniol said Benner was one the most -- if not the most -- consistent forwards for the Eagles in their scrimmages last weekend against perennial Section 8 powers Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks.
Of note: Lourdes is ranked No. 3 in the first Class A state poll this year, but the Eagles will play this weekend without four key varsity players. Brian Wasz, Sam Slightam, Connor Nellans and Eric Potvin are all members of the Eagles football team, which is playing for a Class AAA state title at noon on Saturday at Metrodome. ... Opponents for the Lourdes Invitational are pre-determined. Lourdes will meet Superior at 3 p.m. on Saturday, following the Providence Academy-New Richmond game.

 

A big weekend ahead for Ice Hawks

PHERSY: OK Ice Hawks fans, put down that tall, cold, frosty pregame beverage for a second and check out the latest update.

The Ice Hawks have a monster weekend on tap, with a pair of home games on Friday and Saturday. At 7:05 tonight, the Hawks host the Northern Lights (8-11-0-2). And at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, the Hawks host the Minnesota Owls (10-6-0-0).

There's plenty of player news to talk about, and most of it isn't great.

First off, the Ice Hawks are sad to announce the retirement of forward Cory Kautz. The Rochester product recently suffered the fifth concussion of his hockey career. Coach Nick Fatis said Kautz's symptoms were not getting better. He received medical advice from several doctors, and eventually the decision was made, and Kautz will no longer be playing hockey.

It's a sad day ... we've seen it in the past, and I know the concussion thing is close to coach Fatis' heart, too, because he's had like a million of them.

"Yeah, it's a close issue for me," Fatis said. "But everyone involved has decided it's best for Cory to step away from the game to avoid any permanent damage. He's taking it pretty hard. He's been a hockey player since he was 2 years old. I know this feeling, and he said it to me that he never thought that last game was going to be the last time he laced up his skates. It's really a hard thing. But Cory is going to remain around the team. He's been at practice every day since he announced the decision. He won't be skating ever again, though, and that's unfortunate. Cory is an amazing kid. He's well liked by everyone on the team, so I know it means a lot to have him around, and it's going to be hard for the guys to not have him out there."

One other roster move took place last weekend. The Ice Hawks traded forward Jake Bruhn to the Hudson Crusaders before their Sunday game. Bruhn went straight to the Crusaders and a picked up an assist in that team's 5-0 victory over the Northern Lights. The Ice Hawks received a tender and cash for Bruhn.

"Jake asked for a trade, so it was just a matter of trying to find him a good place to play," Fatis said. "He wanted to stay close to home, so we wanted to take care of him. He's a great kid, and we wish him the best."

In other trade news, the Ice Hawks acquired forward Drew Carlson from near Detroit, Mich. "He was one of the leading scorers in the league out there," Fatis said. "We're not sure if he'll play yet this weekend, but we're hoping to get him in a game just to get him some action."

Fatis said the trading hasn't stopped, either. Another player on the team has asked for a trade, and he expects to make a move very soon.

Now on to injury news. Fatis said Trevor Lloyd will be out this weekend with an ankle injury. Lloyd injured it during off-ice training this week. He tried to skate Thursday but wasn't able to put his skates on. Fatis said it will be at least a week before Lloyd can return to the ice.

Harley Manus is still suspended this weekend for a violation of team rules.

One other news of note to Ice Hawks faithful: Michael Ohlsson's father will be in town this weekend all the way from Sweden. So Hawks fans, give him a warm welcome!

Game notes: Tonight's opponent, the Northern Lights, handed the Ice Hawks one of their two losses on the season. So if that's not motivation enough ...

"They tagged us for that loss, and then they've lost to some bad teams. I mean, the Lights are seventh in the league right now," Fatis said. "They're a scary team to play when they're playing well. If they're on, we'll be in for a very tough game. Honestly, if you look at the league right now, there are no easy games."

On Saturday night, the Hawks get the Owls.

"They're a very talented team," Fatis said. "Like I said, if we don't put the screws to it every night, we are going to have a tough time. Even when we play well, the teams 1 through 7 in the league are all going to give us a challenge if they are playing well."

Fatis had one nice parting shot, regarding his team's blowout victory up at the Aces last weekend: "You think we didn't want that one? The Aces are a better team than that score would indicate, but I know our guys wanted to prove that we're a better team than the score we had down here would indicate. I think we made a nice statement. I'm sure the Aces will be right there with us until the end, and there's no doubt they're a talented team."

Oh before I forget ... Cory Simons in net tonight. Sounds like he will be there for both games this weekend, though Fatis said that can change in a hurry.

Go Ice Hawks (I won't say just Go Hawks this weekend, because nobody is cheering for Iowa tomorrow).

H.S. Hockey | Poll Time

FELDY: Sorry, forgot to get at this yesterday when the first state high school hockey polls were released by Let's Play Hockey magazine. The top 20 in Class A and Class AA are out, with not many surprises. As noted a couple days ago, Rochester Lourdes is No. 3 in Class A. The Eagles are the only Section 1 team in either poll.

CLASS A
1. St. Thomas Academy
2. Breck
3. Rochester Lourdes
4. Warroad
5. Hermantown
6. Blake
7. Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl
8. Duluth Central/Denfeld
9. Duluth Marshall
10. Mahtomedi
11. Totino-Grace
12. Hibbing/Chisholm
13. Thief River Falls
14. St. Cloud Cathedral
15. Rogers
16. East Grand Forks
17. Orono
18. Spring Lake Park
19. Sartell-St. Stephen
20. South St. Paul

CLASS AA
1. Edina
2. Wayzata
3. Eden Prairie
4. Hill-Murray
5. Benilde-St. Margaret's
6. Duluth East
7. Apple Valley
8. MInnetonka
9. Eagan
10. Maple Grove
11. Burnsville
12. Roseau
13. Bloomington Jefferson
14. Blaine
15. Holy Angels
16. Moorhead
17. White Bear Lake
18. Centennial
19. Elk River
20. Cretin-Derham Hall

A Thursday Ice Hawks update

PHERSY: The Rochester Ice Hawks return to action this weekend with a pair of games. They will be home at 7:05 p.m. Friday night against the Hudson Crusaders, and they are in Little Falls against the Flying Aces at 5:35 p.m. Sunday.

The Ice Hawks went 1-1 last weekend, and that included a rough loss to the Flying Aces at home Saturday night.

 So yeah, it's a HUGE weekend for the Ice Hawks. They need to get through Friday first, so they can focus on their revenge game Sunday.

I wasn't at Saturday's game, but I've heard horror stories about the officiating. Obviously, coach Nick Fatis wasn't able to say too much, or he'd be receiving a call and a fine from the league office. But let's just say he wasn't happy.

Mr. Bill Lyons was the ref that night, and I know there were a lot of people who would have liked to "speak" with him after that game. Like I said, I wasn't there, so I really can't say much. But it sounded like Mr. Lyons had an "off" night.

The Ice Hawks were whistled for an incredible 64 minutes worth of penalties. Meanwhile, the Flying Aces were called for just 26 minutes. The Ice Hawks have been the least penalized team in the league all season. And despite Mr. Lyons and his whistle, they're still the least penalized team in the MnJHL.

"We reviewed the tape, and I feel that despite everything, we still had a lot of good scoring opportunities," Fatis said. "If we could have stayed more focused, we could have one that game regardless of the penalty minutes. But it's tough to win a game when you're skating down a man the whole time. We had more than six minutes worth of 5-on-3 to kill off, and the Aces actually had 18 total power plays. We obviously aren't happy with how things turned out, and we don't agree with all of the calls, but we have to learn to play through it and how to conduct ourselves better. If we do that, we will get the desired results. We can't blame any one person for what happened on Saturday. ... We knew we were going to lose a game, so now we just have to bounce back. That will tell a lot about this team, how they react this weekend is key."

OK, enough of that.

There are a few roster updates, though nothing major.

Ivan Zamboj has returned to the team. However, Zamboj has been out sick all week, and Fatis said he will not play in either game this weekend. "Ivan was back and skated with us for one day, but then he's been sick the rest of the week, so he's out," Fatis said.

Nobody was suspended as a result of last weekend's mess at the Rec Center. However, Harley Manus has been suspended for a violation of team rules. Also, Cory Kautz will miss this weekend's games due to a concussion.

"We're a little thin, but it's nothing major. We're still in a pretty good spot with injuries," Fatis said.

Fatis said goaltending was not an issue in the loss to the Flying Aces. "No, not at all; Cory Simons played just fine," Fatis said.

Fatis said the team has not had a good week of practice. He hopes that doesn't carry over into this weekend's games. "No, not the best week of practice at all. The loss last weekend definitely took the wind out of our sails; it was a rough way to lose a game," Fatis said. "But we need to battle through. Hopefully the guys can get that jump back in their step, but I'm not seeing it right now."

Fatis said the Shaun Walters-George Jackson line has been cooling off a bit lately. "But that's to be expected," Fatis said. "We talked about it today, and we're htinking about changing things up a bit on that line to see if we can't spark something."

The Alex Whitney-Brent Duwe-Kautz line had been playing very well, but with Kautz out, Fatis will look for another player to step up in his place.

So a win Friday is huge ... and then it's game-on up in Little Falls.

"I think there are a good 50 Ice Hawks fans who are planning to make the trip up there Sunday, and obviously it's a huge game for us," Fatis said. "It could be a nice little retaliation game for us. But we're not playing how we need to be playing right now, so that's our No. 1 focus. We need to iron out our issues, and then we can worry about other teams."

The Ice Hawks remain in first place in the MnJHL standings with a 13-2-0-0 record and 26 points. The Lumberjacks also have 26 points, though they've played two more games than the Ice Hawks. The Flying Aces are fourth at 9-5-0-1 (19 points).

H.S. Hockey | Lourdes No. 3 in first Class A poll, other notes

FELDY: Looks like Rochester Lourdes' young talent made an impression on hockey fans around the state. The Eagles are ranked No. 3 in the first "Let's Play Hockey" magazine Class A state boys poll of the season. They are behind only No. 1 St. Thomas Academy and No. 2 Breck.

The team Lourdes lost to in the state quarterfinals, Warroad, is right behind them at No. 4. Warroad lost to graduation two of the more talented seniors in the state, forwards Brock Nelson and Brett Hebel.

Hermantown will show up at No. 5 when the poll comes out tomorrow (the Nov. 18 issue of the mag hits stands tomorrow), followed by Blake, Virginia, Duluth Denfeld/Central, Duluth Marshall and Mahtomedi.

So, no question about it, the Eagles will have big bullseyes on their backs from the start this year. As they've shown the past couple of seasons, though, it's not always about how you start the year, it's about how you finish it. Lourdes got significantly better as last season went along. Don't be at all surprised if the same thing happens again this year, particularly with the team missing three or four players because of football.

* * *

In Class AA, Edina will top the first poll of the season. The Hornets are followed by Wayzata, Eden Prairie, Hill-Murray and Benilde-St. Margaret's.

* * *

In a girls hockey note, Faribault standout forward Megan Bergland has committed to play college hockey at Division I Vermont.

Lampman signs PTO with Aeros

FELDY: No one can say Bryce Lampman isn't determined to keep playing professional hockey.

At just 28 years old, the Rochester native has had to bounce back from a bad groin injury and a concussion -- both of which ended seasons for him -- to keep playing.

The 6-feet-1, 200-pound defenseman is getting another shot with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League, the top minor league affiliate for the Minnesota Wild. Lampman has now officially signed a Professional Tryout (PTO) contract with Houston.

According to the AHL's definition of a PTO, Lampman will be with the Aeros for 25 games. The team may release him at any point during that span or, when the PTO is up, it may sign him to a second PTO. Once that expires, the team must release him or sign him to a standard contract.

Lampman had 20 points in 57 games for the Peoria Rivermen, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, last season. His season was cut short on Feb. 3, when he was checked head-first into the boards in a game against the Aeros. He was checked by Colton Gillies, a former first-round draft pick by the Wild, who will now be Lampman's teammate. If I can get in touch with Bryce today, I'll ask him what he thinks about playing with Gillies.

Two years ago, Lampman played in just nine games with Khabarovsk Amur of the Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL) before a groin injury ended his season. He had an opportunity to go back to Russia last season, but chose to sign with the Blues in hopes of making the team out of training camp.

Lampman was a fourth-round draft pick of the New York Rangers (No. 113 overall) in 2001. He has played in 10 NHL games in his career, all with the Rangers.

The addition of Lampman gives the Aeros eight defensemen on their roster, including young up-and-comers Tyler Cuma and Nate Prosser.

Lampman will wear No. 22 and could be in the lineup as soon as tonight, when the Aeros play host to the Chicago Wolves.

Section 1 players off to strong start in Midget Majors

FELDY: Four former Section 1 players are off to strong starts while playing for the Russell Stover U18 Midget Major team of the Tier I Elite League. Russell Stover is based out of Olathe, Kan.

All four have played in all 15 games, including a pair of former Rochester Century standouts, defenseman Connor Faupel and forward Drew Anderson.

In fact, Anderson is tied for fourth on the team in scoring (4-7--11), and has one power-play goal. Faupel has two goals and three assists for five points.

Former New Prague star forward Darren Lapic also has five points through 15 games, while former Faribault defenseman Brandon Parker is the team's top-scoring defenseman with 2-7--9.

Parker's loss is perhaps the biggest of the four to his former high school team, because he would have been just a junior for the Falcons this season. Anderson, Faupel and Lapic, all '92 birthdates, would have been seniors.

That said, the combined losses of Faupel, Anderson and goalie Brock Kautz (to Owatonna of the NAHL) definitely deplete Century's lineup.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... again

FELDY: OK, so it's one of the most wonderful times of the year ... again.

Anyone notice high school hockey practice started yesterday?!?! That means hockey season is officially in full swing, and it didn't take long for the first big news of the high school season to break around the state. Eden Prairie's Kyle Rau -- a certain frontrunner for Mr. Hockey this season, after putting up 81 points as a junior -- was at Eden Prairie, then he was leaving for the USHL, then last night it was announced he'd be staying put at Eden Prairie.

Here's a link to a video interview from Monday with Pete Waggoner of myfoxhockey.com, talking in depth about Rau's decision, including talking about the heavy pressure that Gophers coach Don Lucia has apparently put on Rau to leave high school. But in a Star-Tribune article today, Rau's father said that Lucia made no such statement to Kyle. Still, it's not the first time we've heard that Lucia may have pushed a high school player toward juniors, and Waggoner makes a good point on that topic: The pressure that Lucia puts on high school kids to leave for juniors is the same thing he complains about NHL teams doing to his players.

Closer to home, I didn't have a chance to get out to any of the Rochester schools' practices yesterday, which I like to do for selfish reasons on the opening day, just to be back around the rinks. But Mondays are my days with Toddler Feldy at her preschool class, so while the high school guys were lacing the skates for the first time, I was learning about words that rhyme. You know, like the bear on a chair eating a pear. Good stuff.

Anyhow, our area boys hockey previews will run in the P-B print edition Friday, Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. I'm hoping I can make it out to at least one practice for each of our city teams this week. If there's anything significant I'll note it here. Also, depending on how much space I'm permitted to use in the print edition for season previews, I'll probably be putting some content on our website as well as the blog.

Early thoughts: Lourdes obviously is the team to beat in Section 1A again, with a bunch of young guys who got a lot of playing time a year ago, and a number of standout veterans, such as senior G Nick Heimer and D Rory Vesel. The Big Nine Conference is a tossup right now; you could see one of four or five teams win it. In Section 1AA, it will be tough once again for anyone to top the Lakeville schools.