Faceoff

VIDEO: Final Fatis interview & nationals details

PHERSY: OK, this is it ... the final video interview before we kick off nationals tomorrow at the Rochester Recreation Center.

But first some important coverage notes.

First off, Feldy and I will be tweeting throughout the tournament. If you're into the twitter thing, follow us for sure (PB_Phersy and PBFeldy) ... all national-tournament coverage will have the hashtag #mnicehawks ... Feldy will be covering the action over at Graham, while I'm with the Ice Hawks. We'll flip-flop on Sunday.

Second, I will be doing the live blog for Sunday's Ice Hawks game at Graham, since I'm guessing not everyone will get in to see the game. Space is limited. Tournament director Ed Hruska addresses this in tomorrow's Post-bulletin. And all the other preview stuff ran today, so grab a copy!

Reminder:

7 p.m. Friday at the Rec Center: Ice Hawks vs. Helena Bighorns

7 p.m. Saturday at the Rec Center: Ice Hawks vs. Walpole Express

3 p.m. Sunday at Graham Arena IV: Ice Hawks vs. Queen City Steam

OK, I think that's about it. Definitely join us on twitter for our amazingly witty tweets throughout the tournament.

That's it, take it away coach:

 

VIDEO: Ice Hawks defenseman Adam Truex

PHERSY: We're back with more video. I sat down with Ice Hawks defenseman Adam Truex to talk about the national tournament and his thoughts about playing here at home in Rochester.

Don't forget: Follow me on twitter!!! PB_Phersy ... also, during the Ice Hawks games at nationals, I'll include the hashtag #mnicehawks for all my post (unless they get too long ... like GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

One video left to come tomorrow, and that's with coach Nick Fatis.

If you plan to attend the national tournament, you definitely should pick up a copy of Thursday's Post-Bulletin. There's a preview on the front and then a full page of coverage on the inside.

OK, now time for Truex ...

 

VIDEO: Ice Hawks defenseman Nick LaRue

PHERSY: Well, today I was out at Ice Hawks practice again, wrapping up my interviews for national tournament previews, which will continue to run every day this week in the Post-Bulletin.

I caught up with a few team members (and coach, of course) for some video interviews. Today, enjoy a talk with Ice Hawks defenseman Nick LaRue.

A couple of things I wanted to note regarding national tournament coverage. First up, PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER ... PB_Phersy ... I will be tweeting during the games. There will be no live blog for Games 1 and 2, because frankly, you better be at the Rec Center if you're an Ice Hawks fan.

However, Sunday, I will start the live blog at postbulletin.com. I know that some people will not be able to get into the game because space is extremely limited at Graham Arena IV. So, live blog starts Sunday, and I'll continue the blog after that as long as the Ice Hawks are still playing ... Monday and Tuesday, I'll be on there if the Hawks are alive.

OK, back to the video. Enjoy Mr. LaRue.

VIDEO: Ice Hawks forward Morgan Sanchez

PHERSY: I shot this video interview with Rochester Ice Hawks forward Morgan Sanchez last week. Make sure you pick up a copy of today's P-B for a story on Sanchez and Cory Volk.

 

H.S. Hockey | Lecy resigns as JM hockey coach

FELDY: It was a tough decision for Scott Lecy; I could hear it in his voice tonight when we talked on the phone. But, after five seasons as the head hockey coach of his alma matter, Rochester John Marshall, Lecy decided to step down.

Lecy runs his own real estate business, and, with the housing market in a tenuous state, needs to give that his full attention.

Assistant coach Andy Cousin has also resigned, to spend more time with his expanding family. Andy and his wife recently had their second child.

Both will be missed by the players and the media, but the JM program is in good hands with young coaches Jared Skovbroten (who served as Lecy's co-head coach this past season), and JV coaches Matt Erredge and Pete Moehnke.

Lecy was a star player on the only Rochester team to win a state championship, the 1977 JM team. He went on to play four seasons of Division I hockey at Wisconsin, where he won a national championship in 1981, with his brother, Todd, also on the team.

During his time as JM's head coach, Lecy worked to preserve the tradition and history of JM hockey. He had the jerseys of former stars, and former NHL standouts, Doug Zmolek and Shjon Podein retired. Their framed jerseys now hang at the Rec Center. Lecy also had new banners made, honoring JM's conference, section and state championship teams.

He was also the driving force behind creating Hockey Day Rochester, the annual outdoor games in January at the Olmsted County Fairgrounds.

VIDEO: Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis

PHERSY: OK, let's give this a try. Here's a video interview with coach Nick Fatis. We're mostly looking back at last weekend's Bush Cup finals and talking about a few specific Ice Hawks players.

Lots coming in the next week on your Hawks. I have a video interview with Morgan Sanchez that I'll post Monday. In Monday's print edition, there will be a feature on Sanchez and Cory Volk, and on Tuesday there will be a feature on Shaun Walters and George Jackson. Make sure to grab the PB all week.

Here's coach:

 

Phersy and Fatis Show: Going back to nattys edition

PHERSY: Well Ice Hawks fans, I spent most of the morning at Rochester Recreation Center, interviewing players and coach Nick Fatis. You'll see this work spread out all over the place. I shot a couple of video interviews, did this audio interview with coach, and then I have a couple of feature stories ready to go on Ice Hawks players that will run early next week. Make sure you're grabbing the print edition of the P-B next week, as we'll have Ice Hawks stuff in there every day leading up to the tournament.

I won't make you wait any longer. In this edition, we focus mainly on last weekend's Bush Cup finals loss to the Lumberjacks. We talk about a lot of the injuries currently slowing the team, etc. We don't get into nationals too much, as I'll save that material for next week.

Not sure when I'll post the first video interview, but you guys will be the first to know. So sit back and enjoy the show ...

 

Phersy and Fatis Show - Going back to nattys

 

College Hockey | Kirby, Serratore ready to lead 'underdog' Air Force in NCAA tourney

FELDY: My original intent this week was to do a story about Austin HIgh grad Tim Kirby, a junior defenseman for the Air Force Academy, and his head coach, Frank Serratore, who has a lot of ties to this area. AFA is making its fourth trip in five years to the NCAA DivisionI hockey tournament, and Kirby has been a big part of the team for three years now.

Air Force has a tough draw, facing top overall seed Yale, in Bridgeport, Conn., on Friday. But, Air Force has already defeated Yale once this season, 4-3, back in November. AFA was down 3-0 in that game before rallying to win, so Kirby said the Falcons are heading east with a lot of confidence. Aside from top-ranked North Dakota, which is on a 12-0-1 stretch, Air Force might be the hottest team in the country, taking an eight-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament.

After talking with both Kirby and Serratore this week, I had so many good comments from Kirby and so many good comments from Serratore (former Rochester Mustangs and Austin Mavericks coach/GM) about Kirby that my article turned into a story strictly about Kirby.

Here is a link that the story, which is in today's P-B and Austin P-B print editions.

I was told in my journalism classes in college that your articles will be much better if you have good material that doesn't make it of your notebook; in other words, if you have too much good content to fit in the article.

That was definitely the case with this one; Kirby and Serratore both had a lot of interesting things to say that didn't make it in the article. Here's some of what didn't get into print:

* Kirby said he was quite unsure initially about going to Air Force Academy. He said a couple of things helped him make up his mind: 1) Serratore's brother, Joe, who lives in Austin, "gave me a nudge," he said; and 2) Kirby's dad was a Marine, and "I liked the idea of floowing in his footsteps and serving our country."

* Kirby, on having beaten Yale earlier this season: "That's another advantage I feel like we have going in to this game. It was early in the year and it was on our home ice, at altitude (in Colorado Springs). We're a great-conditioned team, too, and it helps to have played them before. It's not like we're going against a top team, like North Dakota, that we're not familiar with."

* Kirby, on his points total this season (he has seven goals and 16 assists, for 23 points): "Coach looks at the whole defensive corps and wants us to do that. He implements a five-man offensive system and wants us to jump into the play whenever we can. We have a very skilled defensive corps, all the way down to the guys who aren't dressing."  (NOTE: Kirby and his defensive partner, Scott Mathis, are among the top five scoring defensemen in Atlantic Hockey).

* Serratore, on the D pairing of Kirby (23 points) and Mathis (27): "I call them Butch and Sundance because they're such a terrific defensive duo. ... In our system, we expect our defensemen to get involved in the offense, and Tim is probably the most active player in our defensive corps."

* Serratore, on Kirby's leadership skills: "He doesn't talk much, but he always has a smile on his face. He's a big time lead by example guy -- big time lead by example guy -- he goes out and competes his best every day. He's a born jock."

* Serratore, on Air Force's strong finish; it's 9-1 in its past 10 games: "It just took awhile for all the lessons to be learned and we've become a true team in the second half. It takes a lot of instruments to make up an orchestra and all of those things have come together in the last 6-8 weeks."

* Serratore, on the Falcons' confidence: "We have no bad players. We have a lot of good players and a few very, very good players, and Tim is one of them. The team has been great the last 6-8 weeks. If you want to use the word 'great,' you have to do it in the team sense."

Phersy and Feldy Show VI

PHERSY: We're back!!!! Feldy yaps and yaps and yaps for 30 minutes this week. Can't get the guy to be quiet.

So we start off talking a little Lourdes boys basketball, some local MMA, Twins baseball, Rochester Ice Hawks, Wild hockey and wrap it up with talk about the NCAA hockey tournament.

If you find yourself willing to sacrifice 30 minutes you'll never get back, take a listen.

Phersy and Feldy Show VI

H.S. Hockey | 2010-11 All-Area Team

FELDY: You'll see in the post below this, that for the first time, I decided to name a Player of the Year, to go along with our All-Area Team. Yes, we've also changed our boys hockey All-City team to an All-Area Team, to incorporate Dodge County and Red Wing players; both of those teams are squarely in our coverage area.

As I've mentioned when I've done this the past two years, the All-Area hockey team shows up only on the Faceoff blog for a number of reasons. The main one is, our other writers don't want to choose All-Area basketball teams because they usually end up being more of a headache than they're worth, particularly with moms and dads who feel their sons or daughters were overlooked.

I'm fair game, though. Go ahead and rip away if you don't like the way the A-A Team is put together. For the first time in the three years I've put this team together, I decided to get some input from some area coaches and people who follow hockey closely.

I'll stop rambling now and get to the First Team, Second Team and PUC (Players Under Consideration, a somewhat clever, or not so clever way of saying "honorable mention").

ALL-AREA FIRST TEAM
GOALIE -- Nick Heimer, Sr., Rochester Lourdes (25-5-1, 1.88 GAA, .908 save pct.)
Comments: Heimer led the state in victories (25) and was in the top 10 in goals-against average most of the season. The three-year varsity player set the school record for single-season victories this year, backstopping Lourdes to its third consecutive Class A state tournament appearance. Earned honorable mention All-State honors.

DEFENSE -- Bill Norman, Sr., Rochester Mayo (17-30--47)
Comments: Norman, a foreign exchange student from Sweden, did a lot of everything for the Spartans. The University of Maine recruit ran the power play, played on the penalty kill, skated the puck into the offensive zone and whatever else Mayo needed. His speed and vision are his strongest assets, and he has a deceptively good shot. Earned honorable mention All-State honors.

DEFENSE -- Rory Vesel, Sr., Rochester Lourdes (13-19--32)
** PLAYER OF THE YEAR **
Comments: See the blog post below this for all you need to know about Vesel's season. The four-year varsity player leaves some big skates to fill. Earned Second Team All-State honors.

FORWARD -- Jason Samuelson, So., Rochester Lourdes (27-20--47)
Comments: Just a sophomore, Samuelson was often the most dynamic player on the ice. His speed and vision caued fits for many opponents, and he was often at his best in big games. The honorable mention All-State forward finished the state tournament with seven points, after scoring five goals in the Section 1A tournament.

FORWARD -- Derek McMasters, Sr., Rochester Mayo (23-15--38)
Comments: McMasters gave Mayo the scoring forward they were searching for a year ago. Much of his success came on the power play, and was a result of how well he worked with the two sophomores on his line, Adam Alcott and Ryan Martin. The honorable mention All-State pick was the Spartans top-scoring forward and their second-leading scorer overall.

FORWARD -- Landon Farrell, Jr., Rochester Lourdes (16-19--35)
Comments: Farrell gets the nod here for a couple of reasons. He was arguably the Eagles' best two-way forward and he stepped up his play in big games this season (the late-season meeting with St. Thomas Academy comes to mind). The honorable mention All-Stater had at least one point in 22 of Lourdes' 31 games.

ALL-AREA SECOND TEAM
GOALIE -- Alex Van Galder, Sr., Rochester Mayo (11-10-2, 2.87, .897)
Comments: Got stronger as the season went on. Was 7-1-2 in last 10 regular season games.

DEFENSE -- Nick Raehsler, Sr., Rochester Century (7-10--17)
Comments: Great defenseman on both ends of the ice. Created a lot of offensive chances for Panthers. Numbers were down because wasn't playing with the dynamic first-line players Century had a year ago.

DEFENSE -- Alec Brandrup, Sr., Rochester Lourdes (10-17--27)
Comments: Had six points in the postseason and 11 in the final eight regular season games. Key cog in Lourdes power play and penalty kill.

FORWARD -- Chad Mundy, Sr., Dodge County (17-24--41)
Comments: A leader for the Wildcats on both ends. Was a dynamic forward, after previously playing D.

FORWARD -- Eric Mackey, Sr., John Marshall (17-16--33)
Comments: The diminutive forward started season with two hat tricks in first five games. Scored the best goal I saw all year, against Century, coming out of the penalty box, chasing down a sliding puck near the goal line, diving and batting it in from a sharp angle. Named honorable mention All-State.

FORWARD -- Alex Funk, So., Rochester Lourdes (17-24--41)
Comments: Dangerous scorer anytime he was near the puck. Had 10 points in the postseason. Had 12 multiple-point games this season. An honorable mention All-State player.

ALL-AREA PUC (Players Under Consideration)
Goalie -- Sam Amendolar, Red Wing (10-17-0, 3.52, .882).
Defensemen -- Brandon Kautz, Jr., Century (9-12--21); Steve Serratore, Jr., Mayo (9-14--23); Jack Strusz, Jr., Red Wing (6-14--20).
Forwards --Adam Alcott, So., Mayo (10-13--23); Austin Head, Sr., Dodge County (20-10--30); Nick Jacobs, Sr., Century (10-12--22); Zach Johnson, Sr., JM (16-14--30); Sam Orth, Sr., Dodge County (13-19--32); Gavin Sandwick, So., JM (12-17--29); Mike Stegora, Jr., Red Wing (13-14--27); Dillon Stevens, Sr., Dodge County (17-17--34); Drew Wohlfiel, Sr., Dodge County (13-19--32).