Sleeping With The Enemy In North Dakota

(left) Tate Maris from Denver will be the 3rd String goaltender for the Fighting Sioux this season

What happens if you are a young goaltender prospect and the hometown university is loaded with quality goaltenders? If you're Tate Maris from Denver, you have to start looking for "safety schools."

The University of North Dakota's third string goaltender is from Denver. Maris attended Cherry Creek High School, but played his high school hockey with the Kent School. He was a three time all-Colorado goaltender at Kent.

After graduating high school in 2007, Maris played for the Bozeman Ice Dogs in the North Pacific Hockey League. He appeared in 23 games and went 18-5-0 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He ranked fourth in the league in save percentage and fifth in goals against average.

As North Dakota's Freshman goaltender, Maris is unlikely to see any time this season behind Aaron Dell and Brad Eidsness, but just knowing that the poor kid is probably going to get arrested several times while in Grand Forks breaks our heart.

So how did he end up at DU's most bitter rival? Since his dad played college basketball at both the University of Colorado and Colorado State, collegiate rivalries must not mean much in the Maris household.

42 comments:

puck swami said...

Turnabout is fair play. The Pios have had at least a couple of North Dakotans on their roster over the years. If memory serves, there was Dave Hanson, a hulking center from the mid to late 80s who looked kinda like Andre the Giant (without the height), and Mike Markovich, a defenseman on the horrible early 90s Pio teams. I belive both were from Grand Forks.

Anonymous said...

I find it hard to believe that UND would take a goalie from a Tier III/Junior C league when there are plenty of USHL, NAHL, BCHL etc. goalies out there.

dggoddard said...

Third string goalies face lots of pucks in practice, hold the door during home games and don't travel with the team.

At North Dakota third string goalies are also prohibited from getting arrested, which allows Hakstol to tell the media, "Hey only 10% of our players were arrested this offseason."

Anonymous said...

Since Maris won't be traveling with the team, he might consider opening a lemonade stand on the weekends. Or maybe a lawn service. Coach Hak could use that extra money to set up a bail money fund for the rest of the team. Just a thought......

Anonymous said...

First of all, you'll be hard pressed to find a goalie in the USHL/BCHL/AJHL etc. that would be willing to walk on at a university where there would be no guarantee of playing time. Second of all, UND's 3rd stringer last season decided not to return to UND at the beginning of the summer and there was not much time to recruit someone out of those leagues so they had to get someone who was already on campus going to school. I know this is hard to believe, but not everyone growing up in Denver is going to be a DU fan. And lastly, with the players getting arrested thing...find some new material.

Anonymous said...

I have seen Tate play and practice - ND is lucky to have him. his work ethic is incredible. He moves as well as any goalie out there. This is a loss for DU

Anonymous said...

really??? a 3rd string goalie getting this written abiout him..hahah. the kid is a great kid, he got a offer from und coaches and he took it. sounds like a dream come true for a 3rd stringer to play against nhl caliber players everyday and understanding his role. too much time and hatred out there these days for sports but expecially a story like this is pathetic..good luck to the kid

Anonymous said...

I grew up playing with the kid. He is real quiet and was the back up goalie on our team.

dggoddard said...

Its just funny that a kid from one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America would end up at UND.

Whats he going to major in? Hillbilly?

Anonymous said...

dggord, wow. classy my man. very classy. yeah since you live in grand forks they dont take real classes or experience a real college life. they just pick sugar beats and become hicks..hilarious that people make fun of a place because where it is. im a huge sioux fan and love these college hockey cities that every wcha team are in. even houghton is fun. get out of denver for once. your crowds are a joke there, always are unlkess the sioux are in town then we fill up your wananbee nice stadium with 1/3 of sioux fans. joke of a following for a great program that has 7 ncaa titles to be honest. always has been and always will. great campus du has though! always a fun trip when it feels like a sioux home game thousands of miles from ND. go wcha

Anonymous said...

and you become and stay wealthy because you grow up in a rich neighborhood? haha, didnt realize tat. he should have just lived at home then and never go to school anywhere since life must have been so great in that neighborhood.funny stuff.....cant wait til und whips up on du this season and that joke of a coach you have thinking hes mightier than the wcha as a whole. the little weasel is a embarasment actualy with his antics and this is coming from a duluth fan. du and cc hockey are jokes along with this blog. go dawgz and go wcha

Anonymous said...

It's obvious that a working command of the English language is not a prerequisite to attend UND. Could be a result of too much in-breeding.

Anonymous said...

The reason UND fans are so prevalent in Magness is because 95%of those "travelling Sioux fans" escaped North Dakota to live in Colorado.

Anonymous said...

nobody claims grand forks is a hot bed for huge jobs so give it a rest. jesus people.........denver is a great place to live and yes there are und alumni everywhere like every school in the nation does. just funny how people make comments like that.....probably douche gopher fans then du fan..still du has a pathetic fan base. a few die hards and thats it for traveling....und fans will go across country to alaska and back then to boston for back to back series.....in breeding? hahaaha, original one!! go sioux and go cc !!

Anonymous said...

Things must be real slow in DU land. Impressive program....all you have to talk about is a 3rd stringer at an opposing school. Get a life!

Anonymous said...

3:53, 3:55, 8:51....great stuff, homeboy. Lemme guess....your junior high classmates call you "Shakespeare" for your supreme writing skills. You must have the IQ of a turnip.

Anonymous said...

DU's most bitter rival? DG, what were you drinking when you wrote that? :)

Anonymous said...

get a life dggoddard...i don't see you playing on a D1 hockey team...even if it is third string. if all you have to do everyday is sit on a DU blog site and talk smack about people who are actually doing something with their lives..then you have issues. and whoever "anonymous" is that wrote a TierIII/Junior C League..way to do your research...to bad it isn't a Tier III team. Its really too bad that you all have such low self esteem that you have to sit on this blog and put tate down because he is playing third string in a D1 league..the Fighting Sioux Men's team is not some pussy team..I'm sure they wouldn't just choose someone random to fill the spot..they are building up their team and I can't wait to see the Sioux beat DU this year so they can rub it in your face.

Anonymous said...

respect must not mean much in the goddard household..

Anonymous said...

1:19, you seem to be related to or know this goalie.

Most everyone who visits this site is a die-hard DU fan, but also a fan of college hockey in general. And, we have a lot of respect for any guy that can get to the elite level. Tate is no exception.

Tate just happens to be going to play for the Sioux. It's the offseason and the Sioux are one Denver's biggest rivals, if the not the biggest. Few topics generate more interest from fans than Sioux related material (from both sides of argument, probably moreso from the Sioux side).

Now that Tate is a Sioux player, get ready to lose some heart-breakers to DU. It's something all Sioux players have to get used to. And, now that Tate is a division 1 goalie, he's now a sieve by anyone's standards except those in Grand Forks.

Don't take it personal, it's just part of the game.

Anonymous said...

I don't know Tate at all, and am not related to him in any way..but its low when people have to come on here and talk shit about someone they personally don't even know, when you make a D1 hockey team then maybe we'll talk. And DU is not one of our biggest rivals at UND I'd say one of the smaller schools in Minnesota such as Mankato is a bigger rival than DU. You guys need to get over yourselves at DU, don't take this personally...your not that great. :)

Anonymous said...

Hey 8:58 (& 8:59 - just hit the send button once you tool). You need counseling for your passive/aggressive BS ("you guys need to get over yourselves but don' take this personally" huh?

If you believe that Mankato is a bigger rival than DU then you are truly clueless. Other than Minny, DU is the biggest rival that the Susies have in the WCHA. Now go back to the Minny board where they will rip you a new one and stop wasting our time.

Anonymous said...

If DU just "isn't that good" and not worthy to be a rival of the almighty Sioux, then why are you wasting your time slumming to this blog. It must be so below you folks from North Dakota.

Let dg post what he wants, it's his blog. If you don't like it, then start your own blog and try to generate as much success to rival his. Just please stop wasting the time of the DU fans who have to read your pathetic attempts at insults and poorly worded comments. Thank you

Anonymous said...

8:59.....congratulations....you get the golden shovel award for that load of horsesh**. Are you dumber than a box of rocks or just a little slow?

Anonymous said...

Hey 1:19 - Get your panties out of a wad. I am the one who wrote the comment on the Tier III league. Fact is NORPAC and the other "Tier II/Junior B" leagues merely decided to call themselves Tier II/Junior B a couple of years ago because Tier III/Junior C sounds so weak from a player retention/marketing standpoint. However the same talent level plays "TIer II/Junior B" NORPAC, CSHL, etc. as before and it sure ain't USHL or even NAHL level. If you believe otherwise then you are delusional.

If you actually learned to read and comprehend, you would be able to see that my comment had nothing to do with the kid, but rather why the UND PROGRAM would reach down to a Tier III/Junior C league for a goalie and not the NAHL or even more logically the USHL. You do know that Blaise coached the Fargo USHL team before departing this season and was feeding talent from that team to UND don't you?

Next time do your homework before you open your pie hole and subsequently dispel any doubts about your ignorance.

Anonymous said...

There are no hills in Grand Forks. Hillbillies live in the hills. How are people in Grand Forks hillbillies?

Anonymous said...

Hillbillies is a generic term to describe idiots, doesn't matter where they are or the topography of their land. You are thinking of hill folk - i.e. Appalachia - you know, scrapple, scuppernong wine, spoon pudding - those sorts of things.

Anonymous said...

your all a bunch of tools..i can't wait for the sioux to sweep both du and "minnies" asses...can't wait.

Anonymous said...

maybe you should step out of denver and see there are greater things than DU dumb ass.

Anonymous said...

DG, why don't you get some crediblity and write some quality, informative information about your team. Seems that all you have to write about is a bunch of garbage about whats going on at the other WCHA schools. I'd be embarrased if I was a DU fan, having your blog representing my school. I think you better do some homework on who your bitter rivals really are. I think you have some pretty respectable DI programs right in your backyard.

Anonymous said...

12:41. you are an idiot. just like 5:48 and 5:46. I seriously wonder if you guys have brains.

This blog has tons of material about DU hockey. Read through his entire blog. Tell me something news worthy about DU hockey that hasn't made it on this blog. I bet you can't. Everything makes it on this blog...even alumni updates and the Snoopy tournament.

You're such a moron. You picked managed to pick one of the few topics you can't rip on DG for ;-)

Anonymous said...

DG needs to get out of colorado..cause there is more to hockey than DU.

Anonymous said...

I played drop in a number of times with Tate at DU. He is quick goalie and fine young man who must be thrilled to on the UND team.

Anonymous said...

12:41....go back to your cave, dipshit.

Anonymous said...

dggoddard, quit being a pussy by hiding behind anonymous posts. Be a real man with some crediblity and put your name by your posts. Its pretty obvious that you could not stand by and get blasted. Have you no balls?

dggoddard said...

If you ever find me posting anonymously here I'll give you $1,000.

Can I help it if Pioneer Nation loves me so much they have my back 24/7?

Blast away Sioux Nation. It drives up viewership.

Anonymous said...

Thank god for UND or you would have no viewership on this pathetic excuse for an informative DU hockey blog.

Anonymous said...

true that..

Anonymous said...

thank god for DG's blog, or UND trolls wouldn't have an excuse to take a break from screwing their sister in the trailer. True that.

Anonymous said...

honestly..get out of colorado..north dakota isn't some hick town. i bet you haven't stepped out of colorado a day of your life or you would be more open to the places around you dumb ass.

Anonymous said...

Yeah! North Dakota is a hick state...not a hick town!

Anonymous said...

grow up..