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i have heard more excuses on this board from grand rapids than any other team. every where you read its grand rapids is so good in the next post well we didnt showup to play anyone can beat anyone on any given day ect.... while this maybe true but if a team beats you twice stop crying and go to work because in my book that team is better. i also heard rapids didnt show up to play virgina either. who else didnt they show up to play. usally when it looks like your not playing well its because the other team makes you look that way.

Amen!

Thank you! Rapids is just garbage...

Cross_Bar_In wrote:Thank you! Rapids is just garbage...

If GR is garbage, why did they win their district? Why have they won the games against good teams that they've won? I for one have never made any excuses for this team. When they play well, they're as good as anyone out there. When they play bad, they're not. Simple as that. If you went down the list 1-20 in the state, most teams would be competitive against each other. There's no team out there that is unbeatable, especially in the Bantam A ranks. It's getting down to put up or shut up time, and may the best team win. If and when GR goes down for the count, I'll be one of the first ones on this site congratulating that team. If GR emerges, count on me being one of the first ones to say I told you so!

Paz, i'll agree with you on St. Cloud, they seem to match up well with Brainerd for some reason however, I disagree with EP carrying the play both games and the goalie being the difference. Didn't see the first one but when your going into the third up a goal, shots dead even and basically end up losing by one with EP adding the empty netter for the 3-1 win, sounds like Brainerd had a chance to win.

Second game I saw, Brainerd down 4-3 going into the third, had many chances to score just didn't bury. EP played another solid game and finished when given the chance, Brainerd simply didn't. Shots were even again and the play was back and fourth not dominating one way or the other.

I wasn't sure how they would do in those games but after seeing them work like that i'm excited about that teams and it's potential.

Rattlin' Cages wrote:Paz, i'll agree with you on St. Cloud, they seem to match up well with Brainerd for some reason however, I disagree with EP carrying the play both games and the goalie being the difference. Didn't see the first one but when your going into the third up a goal, shots dead even and basically end up losing by one with EP adding the empty netter for the 3-1 win, sounds like Brainerd had a chance to win.

Second game I saw, Brainerd down 4-3 going into the third, had many chances to score just didn't bury. EP played another solid game and finished when given the chance, Brainerd simply didn't. Shots were even again and the play was back and fourth not dominating one way or the other.

I wasn't sure how they would do in those games but after seeing them work like that i'm excited about that teams and it's potential.

As I understand it, EP took the weekend off. Literally. They were staying at friends cabins for a mini vacation 4 wheeling and the like. Oh yeah, they played a couple of games in Brainerd also. According to their parents, they thought the games were scrimmages. Good job to Brainerd for staying close, but don't pat yourself on the back too much. Or go ahead and feel good, either way, season's just starting now.

Ok, let's see if I have it straight now. An UNMOTIVATED EP team (on vacation) decides hey!, let's play a couple of pick up scrimmages as long as we're here. Brainerd (possibly tired off their Saturday a.m. game with FF) say's sure but we call them games (three periods with refs and even keeping score) and only if you guys don't try your hardest and beat us up too bad!

Was this one of those big brother letting little brother keep the scrimmage close so little brother feels better about himself and then afterwards telling little brother "I let you keep it close"?

Does that about sum it up?

I agree that those games mean nothing and that the season starts once teams hit districts. Should be a fun February.

Rattlin' Cages wrote:Ok, let's see if I have it straight now. An UNMOTIVATED EP team (on vacation) decides hey!, let's play a couple of pick up scrimmages as long as we're here. Brainerd (possibly tired off their Saturday a.m. game with FF) say's sure but we call them games (three periods with refs and even keeping score) and only if you guys don't try your hardest and beat us up too bad!

Was this one of those big brother letting little brother keep the scrimmage close so little brother feels better about himself and then afterwards telling little brother "I let you keep it close"?

Does that about sum it up?

I agree that those games mean nothing and that the season starts once teams hit districts. Should be a fun February.

Could you be anymore lame?

Probably. Lame as it may be, point is that it was good hockey. EP played well and if they didn't play at least a good game by their standards then nobody will touch them when it counts! Nothing wrong with supporting the Brainerd team, they work hard and are fun to watch.

well i didnt see E.P. go up and play rapids...quit talkin

What's lame is thinking a team like EP would waste their time playing not 1 , but 2 games with a team they didn't feel would be competitive! Give the Brainerd, boys some credit, Boblee. I hear the matchup was great hockey! You're not still bitter because GR lost to Brainerd, are you?

Ep played a good team in Brainerd. They work hard and are well coached. They will fight for the championship this year. Clearly the best team in the N Region or at least the most consistent. as far as I can see the rest are also rans.

Bemidji 2
Brainerd 0

EP might be the best bantam A tema in the state.

But if they played up north every weekend they will get challenged and even lose games.

Drive from Grand Rapids to Warroad - play a game then to Roseau that night and play again.

The next weekend drive from Bemidji to Brainerd and play and then to Moorhead and play.
Then Sunday get up and dirve 90 to 110 mile to Crookston or East Grand Forks and play another tough team.

We may not have the depth, but Alex, Brainerd, Moorhead, Bemidji, Crooskton, Roseau, East Grand, Warroad, Grand Rapids, Virginia, Hibbing, (plus others) will still give anyone a decent hockey game.

did it sound like i crowned Ep the champs or was i being complimentary towards Brainerd? whatever your take Brainerd still has proven they can compete with powers in the cities.....how has the rest of the North done?

elliott70 wrote:EP might be the best bantam A tema in the state.

But if they played up north every weekend they will get challenged and even lose games.

Drive from Grand Rapids to Warroad - play a game then to Roseau that night and play again.

The next weekend drive from Bemidji to Brainerd and play and then to Moorhead and play.
Then Sunday get up and dirve 90 to 110 mile to Crookston or East Grand Forks and play another tough team.

We may not have the depth, but Alex, Brainerd, Moorhead, Bemidji, Crooskton, Roseau, East Grand, Warroad, Grand Rapids, Virginia,
Hibbing, (plus others) will still give anyone a decent hockey game.

You are so right Elliot! The cities teams have no clue what it's like to travel hundreds of miles in a weekend to play 3 or 4 games in 2 days. Most of the time, with the exception of tournaments, they get to drive home and sleep in their own beds. It takes it's toll over a 40-50 game season. No excuses, just reality and we wouldn't have it any other way. We'll take Northern small town hockey any day! Good luck to the Northern teams as we get to the final leg!

crookston? are you kidding me? yes i do agree with the point you rmaking but crookstan isnt good! but yes i think they would loose a few games. i dont think they are even remotley close to the EP bantam A team last year. and yes i know people will argue but the competition this year is a joke.

whats EP's record??

I'd like to that the top teams for having an great weekend, not, and blowing it. Like this isn't hard enough, now with all the upsets it is just that much harder. So I know not everyone will agree but that is why we are here.

1. EP – Drops one to Rochester, but hammers East!
2. Jefferson/Kennedy – Off for Recruiting purposes
3. Centennial – Gets to the Ship but trips against Stillwater....?
4. Duluth East – two loss weekend, Stillwater and EP
5. Wayzata –
6. Rochester North – Takes down EP and takes third in WBL
7. Edina –
8. Tartan – does not fair well up north
9. Mounds view –
10. Brainerd – a L to Bemidji?
11. Stillwater –Giant Killer moves them up 8 spots
12. Grand Rapids – Wins another average Tourney
13. Andover –
14. Woodbury – not so hot in WBL
15. Lakeville South – Drops 2 games, Elk River and WBL
16. Hermantown –
17. Eagan – Wins a junk tourney over Sartel
18. Elk River – Beats Lakeville South, a loss to St. Cloud hurts.
19. Maple Grove –
20. Osseo – loss to Maple grove


Outside looking in: (in this order as per their showing)

Bemidji
Roseau
Blaine – just not very good
White Bear Lake – 4-3 loss?
Burnsville -
Chaska –
Cottage Grove -
St. Cloud –
East Grand -

p.s. Could we keep the North vs Cities chatter down. Start a new thread for that.

hermantown won the hutchinson tourney by putting all the teams in running time

Co[D]18 wrote:hermantown won the hutchinson tourney by putting all the teams in running time

Who were the opponents? Great, good, average, bad?

i would imagine bad b/c hermantown isnt that good and they were playing in runnign time

FANMAN wrote:

Co[D]18 wrote:hermantown won the hutchinson tourney by putting all the teams in running time

Who were the opponents? Great, good, average, bad?

From what I saw on another thread on that tourney, BAD. Put it this way, Owatonna took 2nd.

moorhead should be somewhere in the top 20

If Brainerd and Grand Rapids are in the top twenty; Moorhead, Bemidji, and Roseau should be right next to them.
They are all pretty even and capable of beating each other at any time.

As an example
Bemidji over GR twice
Bemidji over Brainerd
Bemidji split with Roseau
Bemidji split with Moorhead.

Brainerd beat Grand Rapids
Brainerd split with Moorhead
Brainerd lost to Bemidji
Brainerd beat Roseau.

Roseau lost to Brainerd
Roseau split with Moorhead
Roseau split with Bemidji...

Five teams that are pretty even...two are in the top ten, the other three are not in the top twenty.

But ratings mean little..
regions will be fun.