#1 Duluth East vs Lakeville South 3/8 @ 6PM

[allstatebenders]

HAHA

No, LS wont win just because there's "tv timeouts" That is very flawed logic. LS simply does not have the depth of East, and one player (Kloos) can't win the game by himself.

8-1 East

[PuckU126]

1AA makes their traditional one game appearance at the X.

East moves on, 5-2.

[curtiscurve]

This South team is probably the best team to come out of 1AA. Too bad they drew the Best team in the state and the best East team since the mid 90's. I sense East will score early, but South will settle down and keep it close through two periods.

Prediction
East 5 - Kloos 2

[DuluthMMA]

How is lakevilles defense and goalie? Coming off scoring 4 goals on Perry and Franke, it could get ugly. Or very entertaining if kloos can skate past the east D

[karl(east)]

Some scattered questions I have about this game, the answers to which will probably decide it:

-Will East try to line match with Kloos, or will they just roll all three and try to wear the Cougars down?
-Will Andrew Kerr be asked to do to Kloos what he did to Kyle Rau last year? And if so, how will the refs react?
-Does South have any sort of answer for East's possession game/cycling/relentless forecheck? If not, it could be a long night for South. If they do, how does Randolph adjust?
-These are the two best power plays in the AA tourney; will either team take costly penalties?

Then, of course, there are the basic questions on State tourney pressure that affect both teams. The South players haven't been on this stage yet; how will they react? East has the #1 seed; if they're not careful, that could be grounds for overconfidence, or feeling too much pressure.

No prediction here, either...I'm just going to enjoy this one. St. Paul, here I come.

[mnmouth]

Some scattered questions I have about this game, the answers to which will probably decide it:

-Will East try to line match with Kloos, or will they just roll all three and try to wear the Cougars down?
-Will Andrew Kerr be asked to do to Kloos what he did to Kyle Rau last year? And if so, how will the refs react?
-Does South have any sort of answer for East's possession game/cycling/relentless forecheck? If not, it could be a long night for South. If they do, how does Randolph adjust?
-These are the two best power plays in the AA tourney; will either team take costly penalties?

Then, of course, there are the basic questions on State tourney pressure that affect both teams. The South players haven't been on this stage yet; how will they react? East has the #1 seed; if they're not careful, that could be grounds for overconfidence, or feeling too much pressure.

No prediction here, either...I'm just going to enjoy this one. St. Paul, here I come.

East will be careful with Kloos, though I think they will be satisfied with either of their top 2 lines matching up with the Kloos line. One player will not beat East, and I doubt Kerr will be asked to mark Kloos, as last year's Eden Prairie team was overall better than Lakeville South. This reminds of the '98 quarter when East played Hastings. Although that East team was a better defensive team than this version, Hastings had two players, Taffe and Welch, who were at least as skilled as Kloos, and more likely better than Kloos. Taffe and Welch staked Hastings to a 3-2 lead after one, but East just wore Hastings down for a hard-earned victory. Pretty much what I expect will happen on Thursday.

The key factor in this will be whether the East forecheck we saw in last year's tournament returns. Earlier this season, there were greater stretches during games when we saw that forecheck on display. Lately, we have seen flashes of that forecheck, even though East has controlled play for most of their recent games. But in the '11 state tourney, East dominated play, continuously bottling up teams in their own end. The problem last year was they didn't bury the puck. I expect that Randolph will turn them loose and we will see that relentless forecheck again with pretty much the same cast of players, who are now older, bigger, stronger, more skilled and hungrier. If that forecheck is back, my early season prediction that no team gets within 2 goals of East, will play out.

[Neuuman]

Some scattered questions I have about this game, the answers to which will probably decide it:

-Will East try to line match with Kloos, or will they just roll all three and try to wear the Cougars down?
-Will Andrew Kerr be asked to do to Kloos what he did to Kyle Rau last year? And if so, how will the refs react?
-Does South have any sort of answer for East's possession game/cycling/relentless forecheck? If not, it could be a long night for South. If they do, how does Randolph adjust?
-These are the two best power plays in the AA tourney; will either team take costly penalties?

Then, of course, there are the basic questions on State tourney pressure that affect both teams. The South players haven't been on this stage yet; how will they react? East has the #1 seed; if they're not careful, that could be grounds for overconfidence, or feeling too much pressure.

No prediction here, either...I'm just going to enjoy this one. St. Paul, here I come.

East will be careful with Kloos, though I think they will be satisfied with either of their top 2 lines matching up with the Kloos line. One player will not beat East, and I doubt Kerr will be asked to mark Kloos, as last year's Eden Prairie team was overall better than Lakeville South. This reminds of the '98 quarter when East played Hastings. Although that East team was a better defensive team than this version, Hastings had two players, Taffe and Welch, who were at least as skilled as Kloos, and quite possibly better than Kloos. Taffe and Welch staked Hastings to a 3-2 lead after one, but East just wore Hastings down for a hard-earned victory. Pretty much what I expect will happen on Thursday.

The key factor in this will be whether the East forecheck we saw in last year's tournament returns. Earlier this season, there were greater stretches during games when we saw that forecheck on display. Lately, we have seen flashes of that forecheck, even though East has controlled play for most of their recent games. But in the '11 state tourney, East dominated play, continuously bottling up teams in their own end. The problem last year was they didn't bury the puck. I expect that Randolph will turn them loose and we will see that relentless forecheck again with pretty much the same cast of players, who are now older, bigger, stronger, more skilled and hungrier. If that forecheck is back, my early season prediction that no team gets within 2 goals of East, will play out.

Excellent post. I agree, one player will not beat DE. But, I think that's selling LS a little short. Alex Harvey is a sniper, and Joe Freemark is one of the best and most underrated defensemen in the state (I didn't say BEST, just one of the best). I know DE is the favorite, and rightly so, but if LS gets good goaltending and DE spends too much time in the box, this one could get very interesting.

[Sats81]

Some scattered questions I have about this game, the answers to which will probably decide it:

-Will East try to line match with Kloos, or will they just roll all three and try to wear the Cougars down?
-Will Andrew Kerr be asked to do to Kloos what he did to Kyle Rau last year? And if so, how will the refs react?
-Does South have any sort of answer for East's possession game/cycling/relentless forecheck? If not, it could be a long night for South. If they do, how does Randolph adjust?
-These are the two best power plays in the AA tourney; will either team take costly penalties?

Then, of course, there are the basic questions on State tourney pressure that affect both teams. The South players haven't been on this stage yet; how will they react? East has the #1 seed; if they're not careful, that could be grounds for overconfidence, or feeling too much pressure.

No prediction here, either...I'm just going to enjoy this one. St. Paul, here I come.

East will be careful with Kloos, though I think they will be satisfied with either of their top 2 lines matching up with the Kloos line. One player will not beat East, and I doubt Kerr will be asked to mark Kloos, as last year's Eden Prairie team was overall better than Lakeville South. This reminds of the '98 quarter when East played Hastings. Although that East team was a better defensive team than this version, Hastings had two players, Taffe and Welch, who were at least as skilled as Kloos, and more likely better than Kloos. Taffe and Welch staked Hastings to a 3-2 lead after one, but East just wore Hastings down for a hard-earned victory. Pretty much what I expect will happen on Thursday.

The key factor in this will be whether the East forecheck we saw in last year's tournament returns. Earlier this season, there were greater stretches during games when we saw that forecheck on display. Lately, we have seen flashes of that forecheck, even though East has controlled play for most of their recent games. But in the '11 state tourney, East dominated play, continuously bottling up teams in their own end. The problem last year was they didn't bury the puck. I expect that Randolph will turn them loose and we will see that relentless forecheck again with pretty much the same cast of players, who are now older, bigger, stronger, more skilled and hungrier. If that forecheck is back, my early season prediction that no team gets within 2 goals of East, will play out.

Very good post. Think you hit the nail on the head. Exactly the type of game I expect, like you said very similar to that 98 QF game with Hastings. This LS is a good comparison to that 98 and 99 team of Hastings. Not real deep, but good enough to hang around with anyone and in the blink of an eye could break your heart with a quick strike by Welch or Taffe. Need I remind people of the 99 QF game with Hastings (or should I say Welch) tying Blaine with less than a min and then scoring with like 2 secs left to win?

[SuperStar]

If Dululth East doesn't win by 3 goals or more or even if this is a close game to the end, like a 1 or 2 goal game...Then DE will go down, in my book, as the "Most Disappointing Team" to date

8-2 DE

[DuluthMMA]

If Dululth East doesn't win by 3 goals or more or even if this is a close game to the end, like a 1 or 2 goal game...Then DE will go down, in my book, as the "Most Disappointing Team" to date

8-2 DE

im guessing 6-2 East , and thats a random guess, since I have nothing to go off of but stats.. Yes LS spanked LN a few times , but thats a rivalry, just like East/CEC so that game is a fold in my opinion.. Burnsville on the other hand had East on the ropes until about a minute left when east scored then added an empty netter for a 4-2 win, but LS beat them handily , LS lost 4-3 to Eagan who imo has a much better defense than east, they walked on WBL 7-1, ( east 6 wbl 3 )

East #'s dont seem as impressive as last year even tho IMO its a better team.. But I do agree LS will make a game out of it.. Since from what I can see they have one solid High scoring line but nothing after that

[EHSHack]

If Dululth East doesn't win by 3 goals or more or even if this is a close game to the end, like a 1 or 2 goal game...Then DE will go down, in my book, as the "Most Disappointing Team" to date

8-2 DE

This might qualify as Dumbest Post of the Year.

[longdistancespectator8]

If Dululth East doesn't win by 3 goals or more or even if this is a close game to the end, like a 1 or 2 goal game...Then DE will go down, in my book, as the "Most Disappointing Team" to date

8-2 DE

You must really think highly of Armstrong then, or at least higher of them than Lakeville South

[DuluthMMA]

Also whats almost scary, is that there is so much emphasis on Kloos, that THIS particular game seems to have more ppl thinking LS can beat East , and they are not even a seeded team!.. Well, I guess depending who you ask They might be a #8 seed, But either or... East handled the #2 seed pretty well in te regular season.. So for me personally I would like to see an East/BSM semi.. And thats not just because I cant stand Edina and Nanne announcing for them

[SuperStar]

Read through the sarcasm HACK. DE should win and win big IMO. Relax big boy...

[DuluthMMA]

Read through the sarcasm HACK. DE should win and win big IMO. Relax big boy...

I didnt see, or catch any sarcasm, Unless the Quote had some underlying significance

[peggyfleming]

Read through the sarcasm HACK. DE should win and win big IMO. Relax big boy...

I didnt see, or catch any sarcasm, Unless the Quote had some underlying significance

Tough trivia: Name the high school AA team to win both the Schwan's Cup Gold crown and State High School Class AA Championship?

[DuluthMMA]

Read through the sarcasm HACK. DE should win and win big IMO. Relax big boy...

I didnt see, or catch any sarcasm, Unless the Quote had some underlying significance

Tough trivia: Name the high school AA team to win both the Schwan's Cup Gold crown and State High School Class AA Championship?

off topic.. noone cares

[Neuuman]

Also whats almost scary, is that there is so much emphasis on Kloos, that THIS particular game seems to have more ppl thinking LS can beat East , and they are not even a seeded team!.. Well, I guess depending who you ask They might be a #8 seed, But either or... East handled the #2 seed pretty well in te regular season.. So for me personally I would like to see an East/BSM semi.. And thats not just because I cant stand Edina and Nanne announcing for them

"They might be an 8 seed"? Last time I checked, there were only 8 teams in the tournament. Are you suggesting they should be seeded BELOW 8th? I know section 1AA doesn't have a lot of fans, but really? Also, the last time I checked, the state tourney only seeds 4 teams. WOW!

[DuluthMMA]

Also whats almost scary, is that there is so much emphasis on Kloos, that THIS particular game seems to have more ppl thinking LS can beat East , and they are not even a seeded team!.. Well, I guess depending who you ask They might be a #8 seed, But either or... East handled the #2 seed pretty well in te regular season.. So for me personally I would like to see an East/BSM semi.. And thats not just because I cant stand Edina and Nanne announcing for them

"They might be an 8 seed"? Last time I checked, there were only 8 teams in the tournament. Are you suggesting they should be seeded BELOW 8th? I know section 1AA doesn't have a lot of fans, but really? Also, the last time I checked, the state tourney only seeds 4 teams. WOW!

pretty sure you knw what Im talking about... the got seeded 8th off of a ( once again IMO ) bogus "drawing" .. to me LS should be a 7 seed if not 6 ... and if your curious.. They might be above BSm and Moorhead

[karl(east)]

Some scattered questions I have about this game, the answers to which will probably decide it:

-Will East try to line match with Kloos, or will they just roll all three and try to wear the Cougars down?
-Will Andrew Kerr be asked to do to Kloos what he did to Kyle Rau last year? And if so, how will the refs react?
-Does South have any sort of answer for East's possession game/cycling/relentless forecheck? If not, it could be a long night for South. If they do, how does Randolph adjust?
-These are the two best power plays in the AA tourney; will either team take costly penalties?

Then, of course, there are the basic questions on State tourney pressure that affect both teams. The South players haven't been on this stage yet; how will they react? East has the #1 seed; if they're not careful, that could be grounds for overconfidence, or feeling too much pressure.

No prediction here, either...I'm just going to enjoy this one. St. Paul, here I come.

East will be careful with Kloos, though I think they will be satisfied with either of their top 2 lines matching up with the Kloos line. One player will not beat East, and I doubt Kerr will be asked to mark Kloos, as last year's Eden Prairie team was overall better than Lakeville South. This reminds of the '98 quarter when East played Hastings. Although that East team was a better defensive team than this version, Hastings had two players, Taffe and Welch, who were at least as skilled as Kloos, and more likely better than Kloos. Taffe and Welch staked Hastings to a 3-2 lead after one, but East just wore Hastings down for a hard-earned victory. Pretty much what I expect will happen on Thursday.

The key factor in this will be whether the East forecheck we saw in last year's tournament returns. Earlier this season, there were greater stretches during games when we saw that forecheck on display. Lately, we have seen flashes of that forecheck, even though East has controlled play for most of their recent games. But in the '11 state tourney, East dominated play, continuously bottling up teams in their own end. The problem last year was they didn't bury the puck. I expect that Randolph will turn them loose and we will see that relentless forecheck again with pretty much the same cast of players, who are now older, bigger, stronger, more skilled and hungrier. If that forecheck is back, my early season prediction that no team gets within 2 goals of East, will play out.

I suspect you're right. The Hastings comparison is a good one--that team was probably a bit stronger than South (ranked in the top 4), but Kloos and Harvey certainly are to South what Taffe and Welch were to that Hastings team.

In case anyone out there doesn't get the Welch '99 reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl6MFmkU-EE
Very impressive, though I'd like to think the East defensemen won't get burned like that on Thursday night...

[minnscout]

I think this game will be much closer than people think. If South gets good goaltending I think 1 goal game either way. Kloos will have a big game no matter who east puts on him.

[RickyTicky]

Throw out the first game of the year and South hasn't lost by more than 2 goals all year, and most of those 2 goal games included an empty netter.. they lost to Eagan twice by 1 goal, EP and Breck by 2 goals with an empty netter and Hill by 2 goals.. To suggest DE is going to blow them out and South has no chance, as some are suggesting, is pretty ridiculous. Kloos is obviously the focus point but they do have a couple others with some talent to score some goals. Harvey has 36 goals, 77 points.. Defenseman Freemark has 43 points and Sophomore Lauderdale has 41 points. They also have some good role players. If they play to their ability I have no doubt they will give DE a good game but with the pressure of playing in front of 18,000 at the X and not having the experience DE has plays a big factor. They need to make sure they don't dig themselves a huge hole early while they get comfortable on the big stage.

[mnmouth]

karl(east) wrote:
I suspect you're right. The Hastings comparison is a good one--that team was probably a bit stronger than South (ranked in the top 4), but Kloos and Harvey certainly are to South what Taffe and Welch were to that Hastings team.

In case anyone out there doesn't get the Welch '99 reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl6MFmkU-EE
Very impressive, though I'd like to think the East defensemen won't get burned like that on Thursday night...

That's what I'm talking about!! Although I would rather that Kloos duplicate that against Wisconsin when he's a member of the Gophers.

[sweetthang]

Some scattered questions I have about this game, the answers to which will probably decide it:

-Will East try to line match with Kloos, or will they just roll all three and try to wear the Cougars down?
-Will Andrew Kerr be asked to do to Kloos what he did to Kyle Rau last year? And if so, how will the refs react?
-Does South have any sort of answer for East's possession game/cycling/relentless forecheck? If not, it could be a long night for South. If they do, how does Randolph adjust?
-These are the two best power plays in the AA tourney; will either team take costly penalties?

Then, of course, there are the basic questions on State tourney pressure that affect both teams. The South players haven't been on this stage yet; how will they react? East has the #1 seed; if they're not careful, that could be grounds for overconfidence, or feeling too much pressure.

No prediction here, either...I'm just going to enjoy this one. St. Paul, here I come.

Karl,
My guess is it may be hard to put a guy on Kloos because in this type of game I'm sure Kloos will be out there every other shift. He is used to it and can handle the icetime. I would say you won't be able to totally stop him but you just need to contain him. Good luck! It should be fun to watch.

[RickyTicky]

Throw out the first game of the year and South hasn't lost by more than 2 goals all year, and most of those 2 goal games included an empty netter.. they lost to Eagan twice by 1 goal, EP and Breck by 2 goals with an empty netter and Hill by 2 goals.. To suggest DE is going to blow them out and South has no chance, as some are suggesting, is pretty ridiculous. Kloos is obviously the focus point but they do have a couple others with some talent to score some goals. Harvey has 36 goals, 77 points.. Defenseman Freemark has 43 points and Sophomore Lauderdale has 41 points. They also have some good role players. If they play to their ability I have no doubt they will give DE a good game but with the pressure of playing in front of 18,000 at the X and not having the experience DE has plays a big factor. They need to make sure they don't dig themselves a huge hole early while they get comfortable on the big stage.