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This topic created after reading former posts about South St. Paul Varsity Hockey from a former player and alum who is up to date on the hockey team and the town.

The main subjects so far have been Penalties, Coaching, the Goalie and the deeming question:

Can SSP Hockey take a marathon season and peak enough to get to that state tournament we all remember?

Lets address all 4 main topics:

Penalties: There are some kids whose disposition is such that no matter what you do, they will committ the idiodic and take the worst penalties known to mankind. This team is no exception to that. There are a few players in this team who feel that as important that it is to raise their hands after a goal, it is equally important to slap their sticks down, swear and shake their head "No" in disgust so that we all see how rough they have it. Poor kids. Yeah Right...

Bottom line: There is the hustle penalty, and the stupid penalty.

The coaches are in a tough position on this one, cause the one's who score are also the one's who take the idiot penalties. Goal for ME, hurt the team, Point for ME, hurt the team...Catch 22. What else can you say?

If these particular kids are so "tough," why do we get to see it in the cowardly way through being cheap rather than a smoking blast of a hit that a clean player would make. Funny how these goal scoring super-stars shy away from the fair fight and playing by the rules. These players are not tough, and if they are they will hit clean and maybe take a few hustle penalties.

Coaching: Lagoo, if you've ever met him- is a great guy. I feel he genuinely cares about the kids and has a great heart. Keep in mind, there are more coaches on this team than just him even though he wears the head coach title. And don't forget the other folks with their influence in politics...so for this lets exclude Lagoo and consider the birds who whisper in his ear and those also involved in SSP's situation. I don't think he hires the rest of the coaching staff, or has control over all other influencing factors.

Consider this, from what I hear the current athletic director have ties with St. Thomas? Hmm, a little conflict of interest as far as I'm concerned...figures. And it makes me sick to see some of the SSP fans all buddy/buddy with those St. Thomas Parents. I don't support Private School Recruiting Hockey and disagree with those SSP/IGH people looking over the fence at the greener grass. Private schools should be throwin in their own section and ONE team can make it to state. End of story.

I support the long lasting tradition and legacy of SSP and it goes beyond the current situation. But I see it too like the rest of the supporters and disagree with how things are going. But I'm not just going to sit here and blame Lagoo alone, either. There's more players involved in this, and Lagoo is a good guy.

Just take a look at SSP boys sports (all of them). Years ago, there was an unspoken ideal that the hockey coaches were infallable and never made mistakes, were not to be questioned or consequences would follow. Either your kid wouldn't make it, or you'd be the black sheep...that was fine, back then.

I guess I'll agree with that thought process and trust if SSP's coaches were still Woog, Welch, Wasko, or Doc and guys like that...

However, currently, in all ssp boys sports because these "coveted" positions in SSP (with the exception of a very few) are primarily employed by the average former Division 3 athlete- I'm not sold on this "ideal" anymore.

These guys walk around and act like they know all about sports and that no one else has a clue. Anyone want reality real quick? And this goes for all SSP boys sports: There are a ton of athletes from SSP/IGH who are or were a million times the athletes these guys were. Lots went to bigger colleges and beyond, and some were stopped by lack of recruitment...but my point is that I'm sick of this whole thought process of the "coaches know everything and no one else knows anything."

Well, guess what guys, the last state tourney appearance was 2004 and you were handed a team. Since then it's been 3rd through 5th place in the conference, win 1 or 2 out of 3 in sections and call it a year. outside of 2004, it's been since '96.

These kids need to be turned into winners. Developed, progressed, and built. If the youth program is bad then check a resume' and if it doesn't have varsity hockey on it don't hire the guy to coach! Hire a former hockey player or get involved yourselves and find your team of the future as Squirts, Pee Wee's, Bantams and develop them all the way up!

It's a slap in the face to blame the youth program when the couple guys good guys who do coaching and helping the River Heights hockey program are trying to get something good going.

To me the whole coaching job can be done one of two ways...coach for 4 months and collect the pay and who cares what happens, or go all out and get involved in the youth and all the way up. Create, built and develop a winner.

Concerning the goalie, Wilcox is good, yeah he's going to the Gophers. Still, is it too much to ask for a good goalie to get better? He makes some flashy saves and can do the splits pretty good but his challenge is to reduce his giving up 3-4 goals a game to shutting out the average teams and stone-walling a Hill Murray or St. Thomas. I think he's got more work to do, yeah he's good- but could get better still. And if they are gonna go to state- he has to. Musta, Tallarico, those guys were big game goalies you couldn't buy a goal against...no D1 scholarship for those guys...we still need more from Wilcox because a guy who goes D1 should have the ability to play out of his mind and stuff a power team with no excuses about short-handedness or getting screened. He's got potential to go further than the U when he decides to raise his game up too.

They CAN go to state, the season is a marathon and not a sprint, and great things can restore at SSP moving forward...A little success easily forgives and erases the memory of disappointment in this game.

The Packers have got to move forward toward success and I wish the kids victory in the upcoming weeks.

Your fighting a major battle with the change of demographics in SSP. I went to college with several people who attended SSP High School in the early eighties, not one of them has returned to live in the city. There just is not enough young families there any more. They will continue to produce great players every so often but without the depth it will be tough to compete with the upper tier programs. I know Faulk went to STA for a year and is now at the national program but who else have they lost recently that currently attends Hill, AHA, or STA. I could be wrong, but not sure recruiting is your problem.

eastsideguy wrote:Your fighting a major battle with the change of demographics in SSP. I went to college with several people who attended SSP High School in the early eighties, not one of them has returned to live in the city. There just is not enough young families there any more. They will continue to produce great players every so often but without the depth it will be tough to compete with the upper tier programs. I know Faulk went to STA for a year and is now at the national program but who else have they lost recently that currently attends Hill, AHA, or STA. I could be wrong, but not sure recruiting is your problem.

Take away the 5 players that transfered from IGH, they get a few every year, and they are in worse shape. If SSP and Simley would smarten up they would combine and call themselves River Heights and they would then be able to put together a competitve team year in year out. Problem with that? SSP's pride, they consider themselves above IGH even though they are more than happy to take the Pilots of IGH to improve their teams. And as long as IGH's best players keep walking away from the buddies they grew up with to play for SSP then I guess SSP wont consider the River Heights idea. Take away the IGH Players on SSP and they will never even sniff a Conference Championship ever again. Like it or not they need IGH players to even finish middle of the Conference. Nuff said...

I agree with you concerning the demographics.

To be honest, I also agree that the "recruiting" or losing players to private schools isn't a problem in SSP- yet.

The reason I mentioned it is because when I see and hear people who talk about how great it would be to send their kid to St. Thomas or Hill or whatever it's frustrating to me. That whole concept of "Private School" being in the same league as the kids who are attending their hometown highschool (or close) is ruining the playing field for the high school league.

I realize that our little all-star team to the west has had SSP's number for the past couple of years, but I still feel they just need a whipping by SSP like Mahtomedi did last year and that would make a lot of people happy.

I'm against the whole private school thing and it drives me nuts. Check the brief in today's paper: Former ST. THOMAS player and ROSEMOUNT native Ryan Walters scores a hat trick. Like the majority of their former players, Anders Lee (EDINA) and Schroeder from PRIOR LAKE...what's this the Metro All-Star Team or what?

These hometowns are a long way from Mendota Heights & West St. Paul!

We might as well have SSP recruit some players like the goons from Syracuse at the end of Slapshot for their next meeting...

That whole "St. Thomas" group of parents dish a lot of cash for that berth to state- I love it when they don't go.

Sorry, thought your post was about SSP and there program, not your envy for the "all star team to the west."

Hey let me jumb in and continue your thread in a consistent manner with your private school rant..... Lets bring back the Catholic Conference, lets bring back slavery, and If you are successful in America today lets encourage someone to step in (typically a government entity) and change the rules and take away your free choice so that you can't share your success. What the hell is this Russia? Man I know you can't link cause your brain is so filled with anger, but if you could you would realize that the phalacy of your arguement dies when one looks at the public school dominance of the Edina, Bloomington Jefferson, White Bear Lake, and Eden Prairie. And now we have Eagan!!!! And there are plenty others, all public and private and god love them.

Mark my word, there is not one thing stopping any public school from commiting and succeding at being a dominant school in hockey. It happens in Football, it happens in Golf, and it happens in any and every sport. You know why, because they have the FREEDOM to choose. FREEDOM baby, its what your forefathers faught for and what your brothers and sisters might be fighten for today. And whinny man wants to take it away ....cause it aint fair" Baby life ain't fair...so if your sick of losing, don't change the rules, change your attitude.

I got a hundred stories but only one needs to be told that highlights exactly what I'm talking about. Herb Brooks didn't use his spirit, his hard work, his freedom to complain or try to change the rules about the Russians using professionals to win the olympics...no way baby he used American can do attitude, American hard work and effort, American Freedom to think outside the box and come up with a way to win baby. And win he did over unblievable odds. It's America buddy the land of the free and the home of the brave...and the land your sitting in while making those communistic comments...as they say if you want to live in Cuba?. .. come away from the dark side Luke....emmm know not what you say....

P.S. sorry for the rant---but this thread about private schools strikes at the very core of whats wrong with angery men and public (and private) schools that are not succeeding---the answers right in front of them, Its America baby and no ones stopping you except maybe yourself!!!

private schools

Yet another thread which could have had a purpose steps back into this garbage. Attaway, guys.

Lee