Monday, March 12, 2007
Minnesota Squeaks Through First Round
The Golden Gophers upended University of Alaska, Anchorage's playoff hopes this past weekend taking the best of 3 series 2-1. It wasn't easy for Minnesota who were trailing the Seawolves 1-0 in the third game before rallying for three unanswered goals including the insurance shorthanded goal to put the game away at 3-1. In 3 games Okposo had 2 goals. He now has 19 goals and 20 assists on the year (season and playoffs) and is tied with Jay Barriball for the team lead in points.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Regular Season Over - Okposo Team Leader
The Golden Gophers have found their MVP and his name is Okposo, Kyle Okposo. With the regular season officially wrapped up and Minnesota crowned with the WCHA title for best record the team can now look to the playoffs to do some damage, we hope. The finish to the year was not as strong as it began. In the end the Gophers were 26-8-3 (18-7-3 n the WCHA) after a fabulous start with only 1 loss in their first 24 games. But worry not, for the Gophers have KO, the man of the hour.
Okposo finishes his rookie regular season leading the team in goals (17), points (37) and tied for game winners (3). He finished second on the team in shooting percentage (.177) and powerplay goals (5). His 20 assists, 96 shots and +15 rating were good enough to qualify him for third in those categories as well. All of this while taking 4 games off to play in the World Junior Championship for Team USA. Not too shabby for a freshman.
And did I mention that Kyle plays with a gentlemanly style managing only 15 minor penalties in 33 games?
We can expect big things from Okposo in the future, but first, let us keep our eyes on the college playoff scoreboards. Go Gophers!
Okposo finishes his rookie regular season leading the team in goals (17), points (37) and tied for game winners (3). He finished second on the team in shooting percentage (.177) and powerplay goals (5). His 20 assists, 96 shots and +15 rating were good enough to qualify him for third in those categories as well. All of this while taking 4 games off to play in the World Junior Championship for Team USA. Not too shabby for a freshman.
And did I mention that Kyle plays with a gentlemanly style managing only 15 minor penalties in 33 games?
We can expect big things from Okposo in the future, but first, let us keep our eyes on the college playoff scoreboards. Go Gophers!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Back... with More
In our absence from posting the Golden Gophers have continued to steamroll the competition in the world of collegiate hockey. Kyle Okposo has also seemed to have regained his touch. Kyle is now back in first on the team in goals (17) and points (34) in only 29 games played. If offense is the backbone of Minnesota's "golden" season than Okposo must be the lower 5 vertebrae or the bone marrow or something like that. He is also third on the team in shots (86) and second in shooting percentage (.198). His 5 powerplay goals and 3 game winners are also tops on the team, albeit tied up with a bunch of his teammates in both categories. We here at OkposoNet can't wait to see what the college playoffs have to offer. Just wait until Kyle can show off in the Frozen Four.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
No Net, But Plenty of Points
A sour weekend just passed as the Golden Gophers were swept by the University of North Dakota FIghting Sioux (is that politically correct?) in their two-game set. The Gophers have now lost three straight Friday games and have fallen to a record of 21-5-3. It was ND's first sweep in Minnesota in over 25 years dating back to February 1980.
One of the bright spots of the weeked for Minnesota was the 4 assist performace of Kyle over those two games (2 assists per night). Okposo failed to tally a goal, though, managing only 5 shots in total, all in the first game. With his recent points surge Kyle has climbed back in to second on the team in points with 29, two behind Alex Goligoski. We here at OkposoNet hold out hope that Kyle will find the net this weekend as the Gophers hit the road to take on the University of Alaska, Anchorage Seawolves.
One of the bright spots of the weeked for Minnesota was the 4 assist performace of Kyle over those two games (2 assists per night). Okposo failed to tally a goal, though, managing only 5 shots in total, all in the first game. With his recent points surge Kyle has climbed back in to second on the team in points with 29, two behind Alex Goligoski. We here at OkposoNet hold out hope that Kyle will find the net this weekend as the Gophers hit the road to take on the University of Alaska, Anchorage Seawolves.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Congrats
Congratulations to Jason Blake for making the All-Star roster. He is the Islanders' lone representative in this year's star-a-thon, for some reason being played in Dallas. We here at Okposo Net salute Blake (the Minnesota native) for helping to prove that America has talent, just really close to the Canadian border.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Top 5s
It's time to step away from home ice and examine what is going on around the world with ProspectWatch, a look at the Top 5 prospects in the Islanders organization.
1) Kyle Okposo - It's really no surprise that University of Minnesota rookie is on the list. Okposo currently leads the #1 ranked Golden Gophers in goals (15), shooting percentage (.221) and powerplay goals (5). He is also fourth on the team in points (24) while having played 4 less games than most of his teammates due to a stint at the World Junior Championship, the prestigious tournament for hockey prospects. He had 1 assist in his time with Team USA where he was surprisingly relegated to lower line status. All this at the tender age of 18. In fact, Kyle will not turn 19 until April 14th. Without a doubt one of the top names for the future of the Isles.
2) Ryan O'Marra - At 6' 1'', 193 pounds and pale white, the 19 year old Ryan O'Marra is not your typical product of a Tokyo hospital, but if and when O'Marra makes it to the NHL he would be the first non-goaltender born in Japan to play in the big league. Much like Okposo, Ryan played in this past World Junior Championship, this time for the gold medal winning Team Canada. As well, O'Marra has 20 points in only 23 games in split campaigns for the Erie Otters and Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He is considered by team scouts to be a commanding presence at Center and, following his final Junior year in the OHL, should join Bridgeport next Fall. He could even forseeably make the cut for the Islanders soon.
3) Denis Grebeshkov - After not agreeing on a contract in the pre-season with new GM Garth Snow, Grebeshkov was granted the option the play a developmental year in Russia. Under this writers' bias that move was a mistake. From the time he was playing with the Islanders late in the 2005-2006 season, after he and Jeff Tambellini were received in exchange for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel, it was more than apparent that Denis has loads of talent at the blueline. His quick passing ability and soft touch on the puck are a potential asset on any team's attack. At last count Grebeshkov had tallied 3 goals for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in 23 games as of late December. It should not come as a surprise then to learn that Yaroslavl is his hometown. Time will tell for Denis who will hopefully make it back into an Islanders uniform in the near future.
4) Jesse Joensuu - Forward Joensuu, a native of Pori, Finland, was the 2nd round 60th overall pick for the Isles in 2006. The towering (6' 4", 209 pound) forward has made a lot of progress with the local Assat team in Finland. The proudest moment for Jesse, though, came this winter when he had the chance to strut his stuff for Team Finland in the World Junior Championship, a competition in which his 2 goals and 2 assists in only 7 games left him a future Finnish star-in-the-making. Since Joensuu is a physical forward, fans can only hope he makes the leap to the NHL sooner rather than later.
5) Rhett Rakhshani - It is not everyday than a South Asian-American from Orange County, California makes a name for himself, but Rakhshani has already started. Number 100 overall in the 2006 draft Rhett showed off for Team USA in the World Junior Championship Under 18s with 5 goals and 1 assist in only 6 games. Playing for University of Denver the freshman Rakhshani leads the team in assists (20) and is third in points (25) in 26 games. He has shown a lot of promise in only his first season of college level play and fans can look forward to a future from this talented Asian hockey player from Southern California.
1) Kyle Okposo - It's really no surprise that University of Minnesota rookie is on the list. Okposo currently leads the #1 ranked Golden Gophers in goals (15), shooting percentage (.221) and powerplay goals (5). He is also fourth on the team in points (24) while having played 4 less games than most of his teammates due to a stint at the World Junior Championship, the prestigious tournament for hockey prospects. He had 1 assist in his time with Team USA where he was surprisingly relegated to lower line status. All this at the tender age of 18. In fact, Kyle will not turn 19 until April 14th. Without a doubt one of the top names for the future of the Isles.
2) Ryan O'Marra - At 6' 1'', 193 pounds and pale white, the 19 year old Ryan O'Marra is not your typical product of a Tokyo hospital, but if and when O'Marra makes it to the NHL he would be the first non-goaltender born in Japan to play in the big league. Much like Okposo, Ryan played in this past World Junior Championship, this time for the gold medal winning Team Canada. As well, O'Marra has 20 points in only 23 games in split campaigns for the Erie Otters and Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He is considered by team scouts to be a commanding presence at Center and, following his final Junior year in the OHL, should join Bridgeport next Fall. He could even forseeably make the cut for the Islanders soon.
3) Denis Grebeshkov - After not agreeing on a contract in the pre-season with new GM Garth Snow, Grebeshkov was granted the option the play a developmental year in Russia. Under this writers' bias that move was a mistake. From the time he was playing with the Islanders late in the 2005-2006 season, after he and Jeff Tambellini were received in exchange for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel, it was more than apparent that Denis has loads of talent at the blueline. His quick passing ability and soft touch on the puck are a potential asset on any team's attack. At last count Grebeshkov had tallied 3 goals for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in 23 games as of late December. It should not come as a surprise then to learn that Yaroslavl is his hometown. Time will tell for Denis who will hopefully make it back into an Islanders uniform in the near future.
4) Jesse Joensuu - Forward Joensuu, a native of Pori, Finland, was the 2nd round 60th overall pick for the Isles in 2006. The towering (6' 4", 209 pound) forward has made a lot of progress with the local Assat team in Finland. The proudest moment for Jesse, though, came this winter when he had the chance to strut his stuff for Team Finland in the World Junior Championship, a competition in which his 2 goals and 2 assists in only 7 games left him a future Finnish star-in-the-making. Since Joensuu is a physical forward, fans can only hope he makes the leap to the NHL sooner rather than later.
5) Rhett Rakhshani - It is not everyday than a South Asian-American from Orange County, California makes a name for himself, but Rakhshani has already started. Number 100 overall in the 2006 draft Rhett showed off for Team USA in the World Junior Championship Under 18s with 5 goals and 1 assist in only 6 games. Playing for University of Denver the freshman Rakhshani leads the team in assists (20) and is third in points (25) in 26 games. He has shown a lot of promise in only his first season of college level play and fans can look forward to a future from this talented Asian hockey player from Southern California.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Shining in the Shadow of the Rangers
Gone are the days of free-spending, free-wheeling NHL franchises. The dawn of the salary cap era has seen more balanced competition, even-handed star power and yes, parity. Gone also are the days of teams like the New York Rangers spending nearly $70 million to dress lineups that couldn't find their way to the playoffs. Instead we have seen the dawn of a new New York Rangers that can make the playoffs, but essentially accomplishes the same task, for a whopping $20 million less. Last night's game against the Islanders was a great example of how there really are two hockey teams in New York. Last night the better team shone brighter than they had in nearly the last decade of this rivalry.
Every aspect of last night's game speaks a tome about the disparity still around the league. Each team spends around the same with different results. Teams like Buffaslug and Carolina rack up the wins through hard work and comraderie, some win because of solid blue line work like Anaheim and others scrake by on bloated salary lines like the Rangers, a team I love to skewer. Last night the once-surprise Isles, on the heals of a six game losing streak, came out with underdog fire and exposed the weaknesses of poor spending. Granted Jagr clicked another 3 points onto his career total. Granted Brendan Shanahan scored on the Islanders, again. Granted Blair Betts, Marcel (the bad) Hossa stayed off the scoresheet while Lundqvist and his Swiss cheese acrobatics were the Isles saving grace. But the story was really about teamwork.
Where does one begin? Is it Miro's ability to slam one in, finally? Or was it Sillinger's scrappy play and quickness on the rebound? Could it be 5 guys with multi-point games? Or simply Shawn Bates' not playing that is acting as a breather for the average fan? I'm not sure. I'm not sure anyone is. Even the players themselves are uncertain as to their good fate versus the Rangers as of late.
After winning 5 in a row against the Rangers (dating back to last season), three games in the Garden in one season, and an unprecedented start to the season series this rivalry has the fire it deserves. "For whatever reason we seem to play really well against the Rangers this year," is what Sillinger had to say last night on the team's blog. "For whatever reason." Interesting choice of words for a team flip-flopping between good and bad, exciting to watch and cringe-inducingly bad, playoff-worthy competitors and median-level hasbeens. We all hope for the better of those choices. Now, only if the Islanders could figure out which of those choices they prefer.
Every aspect of last night's game speaks a tome about the disparity still around the league. Each team spends around the same with different results. Teams like Buffaslug and Carolina rack up the wins through hard work and comraderie, some win because of solid blue line work like Anaheim and others scrake by on bloated salary lines like the Rangers, a team I love to skewer. Last night the once-surprise Isles, on the heals of a six game losing streak, came out with underdog fire and exposed the weaknesses of poor spending. Granted Jagr clicked another 3 points onto his career total. Granted Brendan Shanahan scored on the Islanders, again. Granted Blair Betts, Marcel (the bad) Hossa stayed off the scoresheet while Lundqvist and his Swiss cheese acrobatics were the Isles saving grace. But the story was really about teamwork.
Where does one begin? Is it Miro's ability to slam one in, finally? Or was it Sillinger's scrappy play and quickness on the rebound? Could it be 5 guys with multi-point games? Or simply Shawn Bates' not playing that is acting as a breather for the average fan? I'm not sure. I'm not sure anyone is. Even the players themselves are uncertain as to their good fate versus the Rangers as of late.
After winning 5 in a row against the Rangers (dating back to last season), three games in the Garden in one season, and an unprecedented start to the season series this rivalry has the fire it deserves. "For whatever reason we seem to play really well against the Rangers this year," is what Sillinger had to say last night on the team's blog. "For whatever reason." Interesting choice of words for a team flip-flopping between good and bad, exciting to watch and cringe-inducingly bad, playoff-worthy competitors and median-level hasbeens. We all hope for the better of those choices. Now, only if the Islanders could figure out which of those choices they prefer.
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