International Falls Daily Journal - Sports, Local Schools - Comments

Jake Youso Update: Jake has

Joe Krause — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:18:56 -0600

Jake Youso Update:

Jake has been nominated for the Prep Hockey North player of the year award.
Prep Hockey North is a website devoted to all things prep hockey and is a great source for information about local boys high school hockey teams.
To vote you can go to www.prephockeynorth.com and vote on the left side.

Schmitty, As far as as I can

Joe Krause — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:31:00 -0600

Schmitty,

As far as as I can remember, I think he skated all three lines in the third period. The pictures that I took during the period showed all three lines at one point or another. I think as the game tightened up and time wound down, he may have shortened his bench in an attempt to match lines.
Since the Broncos were the home team, Prettyman could put the line out that he wanted with what line Decenzo was sending out.
I think that maybe in the last five or so minutes of the period he may have shortened the bench a bit, but the goal was just a miscue in a game that everyone in the building knew was going to be won on a bounce or a break, it is just unfortunate that the Bluejackets got the bounce and not the Broncos.
My thought all year is that our second and third lines were just as good if not better than the majority of the first lines that we faced. He just short shifted the first line to give the team the best possible chance to score, at least I think that was the thinking at the end of the game.
I hope that answers your question.

Joe Krause, thanks for your

Schmitty53 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:27:41 -0600

Joe Krause, thanks for your response. Joe I'm not trying to put you in a box here, so just let me know if I am. My question was why did coach Prettyman skate two lines in the third period. Wouldn't that have something to do with the boys being gassed?

Schmitty, Your welcome from

Joe Krause — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:51:42 -0600

Schmitty,

Your welcome from myself and Broncoradio.com.
As for the game itself, I think that the team was gassed in the end of the third period. They played their hearts out in the second period and for most of the third period. By the time the end of the period came they had nothing for the Bluejackets.
The goal came against the first line that was put out on short rest because being the home team, they were able to match lines and the first line from Hibbing came out for the draw.
As far as I could tell form my vantage point, the puck was shot and Mike made a nice save, he thought he had it covered and the team fro some reason went behind the net to move players out leaving Decenzo all by himself out front. He was able to find the loose puck and put it in for the win.
I am very proud of the guys and I feel very privileged to have been able to cover them through this magical year. The year ened too soon, but that is why you play the games. If the tournament was played on paper, Marshall would be going to state. I guess we will have to wait until Wednesday night to see if that is the case.

DJ and Joe Krause thanks for

Schmitty53 — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:35:14 -0600

DJ and Joe Krause thanks for providing a tremendously exciting game on the internet for those who no longer live in the Borderland area.

Joe my question is, why did coach Prettyman decide to skate just two lines in the third period? I thought he had played three lines all year and was proud of that fact. It was obvious listening with a couple of minutes to go that Hibbing was the fresher team and the Bronco's were drained and trying to hang on for the overtime. The result was they couldn't clear their zone and had to ice the puck a couple of times with less than two minutes remaining, forcing face offs in their own zone which resulted in the winning goal for Hibbing.

Thanks again for the streaming!

DJ, thanks for providing a

Schmitty53 — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:40:14 -0600

DJ, thanks for providing a tremendously exciting game on the internet for those who no longer live in the Borderland area.

Thanks again for the streaming!

Journal staff writers do not

Joe Krause — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:21:44 -0600

Journal staff writers do not cover the sports that are featured in Future Champs. The articles are written by the coaches and submitted to The Journal for consideration for the Future Champs segment every Thursday. Any coach that would like to submit a write-up about their team is more than welcome to participate.

How's that B-squad doing?

tpjr — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:22:31 -0600

How's that B-squad doing? It would be nice to know how all the basketball teams are doing. Could having a school board member and sports correspondent as a C team basketball coach be influencing which teams get covered?

19 + 15 + 4 + 4 = 42. If

MamaG — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:16:38 -0600

19 + 15 + 4 + 4 = 42.
If you're going to give out who made points, you might as well give them all out. Why leave off 3 points??

I'd say bring back some of

Servo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:36:41 -0600

I'd say bring back some of the locals who used to play hockey, who are still in the area, to toughen these boys up in a weekly scrimmage or whatever. Maybe a 18-30yr old team vs the boys. They definitely wouldn't beat the boys team, but they'd more than likely throw a heavier beating. Give them a taste of overpowering love.

Joe, don't get me wrong, I'm

Doorsman 54 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:35:47 -0600

Joe, don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan and the young man in question is a relative. He is a great kid and has played his guts out. I do think some of the penalties were borderline but still, they ran around and I know if that happens, you lose. This town is proud of this team, every team for that matter, and like the song Glory Days, we live in these kids and share their dreams and want them to be successful, for them and us. Like I have said, Play the game, your game and you will prevail.

Maybe some of these guys

Blackbay — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:56:35 -0600

Maybe some of these guys would be tougher if they played football too. Saving yourself for one sport is a joke. How many kids have had "career" ending injuries playing football in the Falls? Man up and don't be afraid of getting an owie.

I think that both of you are

Joe Krause — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:37:46 -0600

I think that both of you are right, but you fail to notice one thing about the game in Hibbing. The penalties were on a kid who coming into the game has taken only five penalties all season. in the previous 19 games, five penalties. I am not making excuses, I am not pointing fingers or placing blame, I am just saying that for a kid who averages a penalty every 4 games or so, that is a lot of penalties just out of the blue.
I think the Broncos will be just fine, I have seen them skate with some of the best in the state and I have seen them get physical with some of the best in the state. If you truely belive that they cannot content with the rest of the state, look at some of the teams they have beaten.

Hermantown - last season's State Champion
Albert Lea - top 15 in the state right now (on the road)
Rochester Lourdes - top ten in the state after a loss to the Broncos (in Rochester)
Richfield - ranked in the top ten when they beat them (on the road)
Duluth Denfeld - still in the top ten after the loss (in Duluth)
Virginia (twice) - ranked above them when they beat them the first time

One bad game does not negate a 18-1 now 19-2 season. I hope and think the Broncos will be just fine in two weeks when the playoffs start and I am looking forward to sitting the Ex watching the Broncos rather than another team from section 7A for the first time since 2002.

No, I think they deserved

Doorsman 54 — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:16:00 -0600

No, I think they deserved the win against the Fort, the one thing I will agree on is that a team needs to be physical, because if you are not you cross check, you trip, you spear. Take a good hit, give a good hit. I do think that they are tough kids, but I remember a guy named Jim Jorgenson, 120 lbs of nothing and no kid on the range wanted to go in the corner with him. It doesn't take a Cal Sandbeck or a Marshall Sether to take the play away in the fore or back end, it is a willingness to pursue and use the body that the game of hockey allows. I do think they have the ability and I do agree that good smart play in conjunction with their speed and shooting can take them far. They just need to put it together as they have demonstrated they can. They must continue to perform and play their game. I did not see the Silver Bay game(11-3) but I hope it was good play and not men-VS-boys. A big rout can become a bad rout.

That's right, Doorsman, they

Servo — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:04:23 -0600

That's right, Doorsman, they are getting frustrated and not playing for themselves anymore. That game against the Muskies the other day, pure luck, if you ask me. Sure these boys are skilled, maybe too skilled as a team, but they are also very ******y and very weak. There isn't an athlete on the Bronco team this year that has had the strength to play the physical game they are going to need come state playoffs time. Afraid to go into the corners, afraid of larger skaters, afraid to play the man on man game. Unless these boys start standing up for themselves(and not that cheap, "I'm so angry at you...grrr" crap they've been pulling) they won't make it far against the rest of the state.

Our Bronco boys this year probably have the most equipped team when it comes to dangling(puck handling) and passing. I have yet to see a team coordinate better with each other when it comes to knowing where everyone on the ice is. Mega props to the boys for that. They've also got some scary accuracy in their shots and are pretty patient about taking them. These are all good things to be had.

But the bottom line is, they are an unphysical team. Sure the hits are only a small portion of the game, but they lose so many opportunities when not standing up for themselves or going into the corner first. Prettyman, Potter, everyone else on the staff of the team, get these kids some gusto before their ego outweighs their ability.