Lets Go Mavs Guest Writter

Hello Sioux Fans! Let me introduce myself, I’m Ms. LetsGoMavs. I have a little blog that gained fame courtesy of your own Mr. Goon.

Goon asked me to write up a little blurb about the Maverick Hockey team as they travel to REA this weekend. Bare with me folks, I’m the exact opposite of the Goonster…since I’m a female liberal democrat who does not shoot things. Thus, I’m guessing my guest spot on Goon’s World will be a little different than the format you’re used to reading. Hang in there and hopefully I can teach you a little bit about Maverick Hockey.

The biggest question most people have is “Who are the guys to watch?” The main guy to watch is Travis Morin, our co-captain. There is a good reason this kid is a Hobey candidate. He’s got some of the best hands in college hockey, excellent skating skills and reads plays well. Many people wondered how Morin was going to do without Backes this season, and he hasn’t disappointed any. Sure, the and Backes made one hell of a team…but Morin is holding his own without Backes. Morin is a clean player who will stuff a goal home from angles that you would never think a puck could be shot from. Watch him (#27) and enjoy. [edit: this is valid if Morin plays. Today’s paper noted that Morin, Kalinski, and Stewart were injured on Saturday and held out of practice on Monday. At this time, it’s unknown if they’ll play this weekend.]

The next guy to watch is Jon Kalinski. This kid is fast. You’ll notice him most on your power play because before you know it, he’s stolen the puck from your guy and is on the breakaway. He leads the Mavericks on short handed goals and he’s a very scrappy player. He’s that guy that you love to have on your team and hate to play against. He’s always got his jaw flapping and gets under just about every players skin. Sadly, he sometimes flaps it too much to the ref, and he spends his fair time in the box. He’s a fun little player to watch, so keep your eyes on #37 and watch the theatrics! This, of course, is only valid if he’s playing this weekend. Last weekend in OT he got smashed into the boards pretty hard and left the ice in pain. We’re hoping he’s ok for the weekend, or the Mavs will really suffer.

Want to know the guy who doesn’t shoot the puck much, but tends to score when he does? That’ll be Joel Hanson. He’s a smart player that has good aim and a hard slap shot that will fly past most goalies. To tell you how good he is, Bobby Goepfert hates this kid, and he always burns Bobby. More than likely he’ll light up your goalie at least twice this weekend.

Mick Berge is also good for a goalie light up. He’s a hard nosed player that fights to the finish and will keep at it until he scores a goal. His numbers are down this year, due to a broken shoulder blade early in the season, but that’s misleading. He’s dangerous on the ice and quite talented in front of the goal.

Another forward with a ton of talent is Kael Mouillierat (pronounced Mall Rat…kick ass name!). He’s good at handling the puck and shooting it at the right times, along with making good passes at the right time. He’s a strong Canadian player with a lot of potential.

Speaking of Canadians, once more you’re going to see is Kurtis Kisio. Though he’s a little guy, he’ll take on any sized guy. I’m pretty sure he has little man syndrome, so he’s always ready to kick ass. He’s the player who took a full hard skate at Briggs to check him…just to show the Gophers what he thought of them touching our goalie. He too likes to throw the punches. Sadly, I think this kid lives off his name (dad played in the NHL) more than talent. However, he usually has a couple of games where he does awesome and scores a few goals. I haven’t seen that yet, so maybe this weekend is THE weekend!

Jerad Stewart and Geoff Irwin round out the forwards to be watching for. These two had the two goals of our last game, and both have talent for scoring when there’s a lot of traffic in front of the net.

Our most lethal defenseman is Steve Wagner. He’s got one hell of a slap shot and generally is knowing for having goals fly on the one timer. He plays the game smart and doesn’t spend too much time in the box. He’s the assistant captain of the Mavericks and is a good leader.

The next defenseman to watch is Chad Brownlee. He’s a hard hitting player with a big ‘ol Canadian attitude. He’ll stick up for his team and is not afraid to fight. He’s the guy that threw the most punches in the famous fight with the Gophers, after Wheeler cut Tormey’s hand. Brownlee spends his fair share of time in the box and I wouldn’t be surprised if he roughs up a Sioux player this weekend, or possibly gets a fighting major.

Speaking of fighting, there’s a chance that Trevor Bruess will toss a few punches. He’s a big player that’s quite physical and is not afraid to get in someone’s face. He’s generally able to stop before fighting, but he will take a well deserved roughing minor. Watch for him to be shoving your guys around and talking trash.

The defenseman that spends the most time in the box is Brian Kilburg. He’s a strong and physical player too, but not much of a goon. He shows his strength on the ice and isn’t afraid to give your guys hard hits, just to remind them that he’s there. Kilburg sometimes doesn’t know when to stop, or let’s his frustration get to him and then takes stupid penalties, which accounts for his box time also. However, he really is a good player.

The other defenseman to watch for this weekend is Nick Canzanello. He too likes to hit hard and isn’t afraid to let his presence be known. He’s a strong guy, which most players underestimate, and they try to knock him over…only to have him stay standing and skate past them.

As far as the other “D” are concerned, we have RJ Linder (better known as Hot RJ) , Blake Friesen, and Lucas Fransen. At this time, I don’t know if he’ll be playing. He was out last weekend with an upper body injury. RJ plays the “D” hard and has good stick handling abilities. Friesen is good at reading forwards and plays a tight D. He doesn’t spend a lot of time in the box, as he’s a smart player. Plays pretty clean and does his job well. As far as Fransen goes…well, let’s just say there’s a reason that he sits on the bench as a senior. When he’s in, it seems like the Mavs can’t find groove.

Of course, I can’t forget to give props to our goalies. More than likely you’ll be seeing Mike Zacharias in net. This kid is a machine. He’s been on fire and paying exceptionally well. He’s got the quickest glove in the league and has a ton of talent. He’s been our #1 guy since Tormey has been out and he’s gained a lot of confidence. Look for him to stop a lot of great shots.

I’m not sure who the back up goalie will be. Dan Tormey started using his glove hand last week and dressed last weekend. He’s ready to play again, but I’m not sure Jutting will take him on the road due to his recovering injury. Tormey is getting his form back in practice and we’re all happy to see him back in his jersey after that awful injury.

If Tormey doesn’t make the trip, Chris Clark (aka “Hollywood”) will. He’s our senior goalie and he has the best personality in the WCHA. Fans from all the teams love this kid. If he’s there this weekend, be sure to yell at him and have a good time. He loves fan interaction, even if it’s not his own fans. Most fans love having Hollywood in their arena, as he’ll show them a little love and attention.

So…there is my rundown of the Maverick players. As far as the team goes, they’ve been playing hard and are finally seeing the fruits of their labor. They’ve moved up in the standings quickly and are looking to keep going. The Mavericks always play hard at REA, so be ready for a good show. Everyone is always quick to underestimate the Mavericks and that’s not wise. These guys play with passion and play every minute of the game. If you know what’s smart, you NEVER underestimate the Mavs.

One thing that I think is helping them play great is that Jutting seems to be on double secret probation, after he and Coach Means got into in with Campion at the U of M game. Jutting has been pretty quite and is not consistently yelling at the players and the refs. Thus, the refs haven’t been throwing the guys in the box out of frustration, and the guys are playing much more calmer. Let’s hope it stays that way, otherwise Jutts will probably pop a vein in his forehead and fall out off the bench….landing on the ice and doing the floppy croppy …all while he’s bitching and spit is flying!

All in all, it’s going to be one hell of a weekend of college hockey. I predict a split. I know, that’s lame, but given the Sioux talent vs. the Mavericks passion, it seems most likely. [edit: if Morin, Kalinski, Stewart, and Linder are all out...then I'm not going to be bold and say a split...in fact, we'll get our asses kicked....crap! hopefully they're ok for the weekend or the hockey gods just gave your team a big present!]