With the recent output from Jason Wiley are there going to be any line changes or scratches? Or is Jutting going to stick with what's been working? I can't imagine there being too many changes for the Duluth series. The coaching staff's best chance to try new things was during nonconference play. Jutting opted to stick with what was working, whether it was to keep Mike Zacharias in goal or keep that fourth line (Wiley, Gaulrapp, Sackrison) together. Although there may be a tweak here or there, I see no sense changing too much right now.
Jerad Stewart has been struggling.I think this is going to be a really tough series for the Mavs. I think Stewart needs to score this weekend for the sweep to be possible what are your thoughts? Perhaps one of the biggest surprises this season is the fact that Stewart has only one goal this season. He missed a couple of games due to injury recently, but Jutting had high praise for Stewart after the Princeton game in which he led the Mavericks with five shots on goal. No doubt, his productivity must improve. If he can step up as fellow sophomores Trevor Bruess, Zach Harrison, Kael Mouillierat and Jason Wiley have of late, the Mavs could be in really good shape for the second half.
Will there be a game worn jersey auction this year? There isn't one listed among the university's game promotions. My guess is, since the team has new sets of home and away uniforms this season and no third jersey, that there won't.
Corey Leivermann is not the first Mankato kid to play DI hockey. Jennifer Gorny was. When she was a senior, there was nothing in the papers about her going to play for the Mavs. Do people not care about the women's DI program? Every one now thinks that Corey is the first kid from Mankato to do this when Jennifer put the Maverick jersey on before anyone else. Actually, when it comes to the MSU women's team, there have been a couple Mankato-area players. Gorny was a backup goaltender last season. Before her, Amy Egli, a St. Peter native who played high school hockey in Mankato, was on the team. St. Peter native and Cleveland HS graduate Ryann Geldner still ranks among the program's top scoring leaders. Mankato West's Brandon Roberts played a handful of games for Colorado College a few years back, and, in the 1980s, Mankato's Chuck Tosch played DI hockey for Alaska-Fairbanks.
What are the chances Dan Tormey decides to transfer for his senior year, assuming Zacharias never relinquishes his hold on the No. 1 goalie spot? I know he'd have to sit out a year, but he could always go play another year of juniors while waiting. Former Maine goalie, Matt Lundin, just did that this past year.
I guess I would be stunned if he were to leave. All goalies know how quickly things can change. Tormey certainly must be aware of how well Zacharias is playing right now. Zacharias is putting up All-American-like numbers. He has the hot hand right now. Jutting and the Mavericks are -- and should be -- riding that wave, just as they did with Tormey two seasons ago when he was the top rookie goalie in the WCHA. Zacharias watched from the bench most of that year and only played in six games. As for your juniors theory, Tormey will be 23 next month and is far too old to go back to that level.
After seeing your latest post which confirmed Corey Leivermann will be a Maverick, a couple more questions popped into my head. First, can you give us any insight on the sort of impact this kid might one day have on the program? Also, what are the chances his high-scoring teammate, Ricky Litchfield, could end up joining him as a future Maverick? Thanks again. Other than the excitement it will generate among the local hockey folks, it's hard to guess just how Leivermann will do in college. He himself has admitted that he needs to play a year of junior hockey, maybe two, before he is ready for Division I hockey and the WCHA. I've been told he needs to work on his skating, but I'm also told he's they type of kid who will work on whatever he needs to work on to get better. I think he was inspired by playing in that fall elite league with some of the state's other top high school talent. He found out where he stood and how far he could raise his bar. As for Litchfield, I think he has many of the tools, too. He might have to go to the next level and play junior hockey before he gets an offer. That West team is full of talented high school players: Ryan Anderson, Andrew Bruggeman, Matt Campell, to name a few. As I wrote about in today's column, don't wait until 2011 to watch Leivermann play. The Scarlets are an exciting team to watch. They're 11-0 and ranked No. 5 in Class A.
Is it just me or does it seem like the scoreboard at the Alltel Center is malfuctioning more than usual? Is it time to maybe update the scoreboard? Also, why don't they show replays of goals and other great plays on the video screen at the games? I know Mariucci has no problem showing replays. The scoreboard has had problems almost every night. Once in awhile is fine, but once a game is embarrassing. I think people forget that the civic center is 13 years old. It needs updates all over the place. The scoreboard is just one piece of that. I'd like to see a center-ice scoreboard/video display. The arena also needs improved locker-room and training-room facilities and a real press box, just to name a few items on the list. As for replays, the scoreboard does show some, but I think it's difficult to see and also limited to what the TV coverage has to offer. There is no in-house video production.
That was all of the questions for this week. Thanks, and keep them coming. I'll try to do another YWA next week after the Duluth series.
No comments:
Post a Comment