Welcome to the first edition of Ask Wisconsin Prep Hockey.  We've gotten a lot of questions about how we run the site over the years, and we put out a call for more questions in mid December. Now we'll answer as many as we can so you can get a peek at what we do.

Remember, you can submit your questions in four fabulous ways:

1. Leave a comment in the comments box below.
2. Ask the question in reply to this thread on our Facebook wall.
3. Ask the question on Twitter, @WiPrepHockey
4. Ask the question via email to submit@wisconsinprephockey.net

Before we get started with the answers, we'll introduce the team.

Q: What do you guys actually do for a living? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: We have a small custom screen printing and embroidery business in Antigo.

Trasher: I work in Logistics at a chemical plant in central Wisconsin and I am also a freelance writer, having been published several times in regional magazines.

Del: I am a programmer/analyst and write computer programs for an insurance company.

MJ: I work in a warehouse here in Janesville and am the webcaster for the Janesville Jets of the NAHL.

webjr: I'm on the eCommerce team for one of the world's largest airlines.

Q: What's your favorite rink to visit (besides your "home" one)? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: The old wooden dome in Eagle River. Nothing else comes close.

Trasher: The Eagle River Dome has lots of history. Just standing in the lobby before the game and looking at all the pictures, or walking through the Hall of Fame in the front is lots of fun.

Del: Easy answer for me - The Dome in Eagle River.  I made one trip there coaching a girls U14 team and just loved the atmosphere.  I can only imagine watching a high school game there and the crowd really getting into it.

MJ: I've heard the Dome in Eagle River is awewsome but I've never been there.  Hartmeyer in Madison  is a sentimental favorite. I really cant say I have a set favorite.

webjr: The barn in Eagle River was always really cool.  With all the time you spend in cinderblock buildings with metal roofs it is nice to go someplace made out of wood.

Q: What are some of the more unique features of some rinks around Wisconsin? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: For some reason I like the bar above and between the two rinks at Capitol Ice. Not for high school games, but when we cover the AAA state tournament, it's a good place to go between games. And I don't know why they do it, but Marshfield has the most beautiful bathrooms of any hockey rink I've ever been in. Seriously.

Trasher:

• Marshfield rink—trying to get up to the press box is a major accomplishment, with steep, narrow stairs.
• Marathon Park—Wausau…the press area is at such a bad angle that Mike Sullivan (ECM announcer) did a “Harry Caray” and broadcast from the bleachers, while I tried to “protect” him from the fans.
• Oshkosh rink is actually part of the YMCA.
• Lakeland rink has a wonderfully carpeted lobby and a working fireplace, complete with sofas.
• Rhinelander rink has a “Hodag” that has glowing red eyes and blows smoke from its mouth when the home team scores.

MJ: When really cold Beloit has great ice. Many players will attest to it. One thing I like in a rink is when both sides of the ice have seating. The more fans the better.

Q: What's your favorite part of the high school season? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: I love the State Tournament. We've been going every year since 1997.

Trasher: State tournament Thursday. Just seeing all the fans, players, and coaches excited and looking forward to what happens that day. For us at WiPH, it is a long day (9:00am-11:00pm) but it is a fun day.

Del: Personally I love the start of the playoffs.  I enjoy seeing which players can step up their game and the upsets.

MJ: I love the Sectional Finals. 16 teams laying it on the line to go to Madison. The Senior Tournament in Minnesota is great. To see Wisconsin kids skate against other talent from other states is alot of fun.

webjr: I love the start of the playoffs. Its fun to see all that work the kids did all season go into that run to the tournament.

Q: What are some of the strangest things you've seen either covering a high school game or just attending one? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: What always stands out for me is watching Rhinelander score on themselves from the other end of the ice after they pulled their goalie for an extra attacker on a delayed penalty. A forward in the corner passed back but put the puck between the two defensemen.

Trasher: Just recently at a game my daughter was playing in, the refs lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle. Emily, after about 30 seconds of searching, found the puck tucked inside her right pad. Not five minutes later, same thing happened and the refs whistled the play dead…Emily searched her pad but didn’t find the puck. Finally, somebody spotted it under the back of the net, under the padding…GOAL…pretty weird.

MJ: Last year in a playoff game I saw a fan get tasered for being unruly. Took away from the game a little but hey, he had it coming. 2005 Regional Final at Madison Ice Arena. Janesville and Madison Memorial. Memorial had beaten them twice by a combined score of 14-0. Janesville wins 3-2 in double OT on a Danny Olszewski backhander. The pile at center ice after the gamewinner went sliding all the way to the net.

webjr: I've seen some really strange Eau Claire North fans. They know who they are.

Q: How much time is spent on WiPH each week by you folks? (Updating, fixing, posting, blogging) - Scott Meske, Facebook

Bergler: I start out spending 20-30 hours per week in the preseason, entering schedules and updating rosters. The first 4-6 weeks of the season, it's 30-40 hours per week entering scores and stats, and helping the new people learn the system. After that it drops back to 20-30 hours per week for the balance.

Trasher: On average, I spend 20-30 hours per week during the regular hockey season working on WiPH. In the “off-season, probably 10-20 hours per week.

webjr: We've all got different responsibilities so I'm sure it varies wildly.  On Monday, it takes me about 6 hours to edit the podcast, update the game and player of the week widgets on the homepage, and write up the Top Ten column with all the teams and schedules for the last week and next week. For the rest of the week, I check out 24 Wisconsin newspapers daily in Google Reader looking for high school hockey stories to link in our "Around the State" section, as well as helping any coaches or team managers with their team pages or stat issues.  Given that I'm our out of state team member, I don't get to go to games and write game summaries anymore. By myself, I'd say that in total I probably put 20 hours a week into WiPH.

Q: Is there no method for fact checking information? I have seen multiple instances of incorrect numbers being posted. What if those numbers would lead to someone being in the top ten for a category that does not belong there? - Patrick Koenig, Facebook

webjr: For the most part, scores and stats are posted by the coaches or a designated reprentative for their team.  Over the course of the night on game nights people will call in or text us scores and we'll post those, but most stats are entered the next day by the team staff. If anybody notices an error, we'll work to correct it. We have a Policies and Procedures page with more information.

Q: Why do some scores get tweeted more than once? - Blessing Mainjeni, Twitter

webjr: Whenever a game is marked as final in the scoring system, it auto-genates a score tweet with a link to the game summary page. Meaning if we add a Quick Score (score without stats) and mark the game final, it gets tweeted. If a coach goes in an adds stats to the game it gets tweeted again. If somebody goes in and makes a correction later, it gets tweeted yet again.  That is most of the reason why we have two different Twitter feeds: @WiPrepHockey for news and updates, @WiPH_Scores for game scores.

Q: Who Votes for the Top Ten? - Jim Fisher, email

webjr: Currently holding Top Ten votes are the 5 partners in Wisconsin Prep Hockey (listed at the start of this column) as well as any active member of the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association for the boys and Wisconsin Girls Hockey Coaches Association for the girls. In the case of the coaches association we only take one vote per team. So the head coach can submit a vote, or the assistant coach, but not both.

Q: How are the rankers picked for the top ten? - Tom Breunig, Facebook

webjr: Top Ten voters, at this time, aren't really picked. The coaches have a vote because that makes sense, and we have votes because its our site. If necessary we could expand the voter pool in the future, but we haven't had a compelling reason to do so.

Q: How is the Top Ten tabulated? - Jim Fisher, email

webjr: Voters rank 10 teams 1st through 10th and pick 5 honorable mention teams. Tabulation is pretty simple, a first place vote is worth 10 points, a second place vote is worth 9 points.  It continues down like that until 1 point is awarded for a 10th place vote.  Honorable mention votes are worth 1/2 a point. At the end we add up all the points and sort them from highest to lowest.

Q: What happens if a team that doesn't deserve to be in the Top Ten gets in the Top Ten?

webjr: There is always a danger with any kind of poll that somebody will intentionally "game the system." One coach in our pre-season poll voted D.C. Everest very high and we weren't sure he was serious.  Turns out he was just smarter than the rest of us.  Given that the coaches take their jobs seriously, and we take our site seriously we're not terribly concerned about the voting process for the Top Ten.  Plus, it should help everybody to know that the Top Ten has nothing to do with assigning bowl games in the BCS.

Q: Why do the voters vote they way they do?

Bergler: I am heavily influenced by the USHSHO Power Rankings. The Rankings are really nothing more than a mutual team comparison. I can't see all the teams and all the games. Mitch's computer does.

Trasher: I look at the current top 10 and see how they did during the week and adjust them accordingly. If the #3 team loses to the #4 team, they probably will flip-flop. If the #3 team loses to the #10 team, #3 moves down a few spots and #10 moves up a few. I check to see if any unranked teams are getting hot and move them up to the HM if not higher (#9 or #10). Ranked teams that lose one or more games to lower-ranked or unranked teams might bump down to HM or out of the ratings.

webjr: At the start of the season, I check last year's results, look at which seniors graduated out, which players left early to play juniors, and which teams will have in-coming freshman that could make an impact (usually those names are provided by the coaches). I try to figure how the team will be in relation to its previous season performance.  That gives me my personal pre-season rankings.  That is my starting point.  From there on out, it is all about evaluating wins and losses.  Wins generally move you up and losses move you down.  Who you beat and lose to matters.  Actually watching a team skate is one of the least important factors for me because that just clouds my judgement. What it comes down to is winning. Over the course of the season, I base my votes on my ranking. I don't use the previous Top Ten as a starting point.

Q: Where are the small, non co-op, public schools? Why cant they compete consistently?- Eric Boyer, Site Comment

Bergler: I think it can still happen. I like the old Antigo formula for success. You need a good goalie, one good scoring line, a few good defensemen, and several decent role-players who can limit the other team's scoring chances. Occasionally you find a team that can roll 4 good lines, but not very often. I think a big problem is that we aren't developing enough quality goalies.

trasher: One answer would be numbers. In this economy, many employers are leaving small towns, which mean kids are going elsewhere or they have no money to play hockey. Hence, the “Eagle Rivers” of this world are going the way of the electric typewriter: still around, but they only show up occasionally (as in state tournament appearances). In the last ten years, if you use the data from the state tournament and this year’s enrollment numbers, only Antigo (919), Mosinee (670), New Richmond (841), Northland Pines (541), Onalaska (885), and Rice Lake (798) have enrollments under 1000 students. And three “nonpublic” schools with enrollments under 1000 have appeared on the ice at the Alliant: Madison Edgewood (650), Notre Dame (741), and USM (357). (As I type this, Oakie Brumm is probably spinning in his grave.) So, yes, the question is why? My answer is as good as any.

webjr: For the most part, it is a numbers game.  If you are a small school that can only field a team of 15 players, then you have a talent pool 15 players deep. A larger school that can field 45 players has a deeper talent pool to draw from.  Given that most teams only skate 2 strong lines, and an ok third line, more players means you're more likely to have players to fill those lines.  Obviously you have players who are good enough to carry teams and standout players like that can take a smaller school and propel them up the list but in general smaller schools have to work harder to be good, from the youth ranks all the way up to varsity.

Q: In your opinion, ten years from now, will the state tournament have two divisions or one? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: I think there will be two. I believe the growth in the Milwaukee area will get us over the 96 team threshold.

Trasher: At the current pace of athletic growth and the economy, I would not be surprised if the boys’ side had no more than 80 teams by 2020. We have lost two or three teams in the last couple years, and things are not looking up.

Del: I believe we will still have only one division ten years from now.  Unless our economy improves and the numbers at the youth organizations can increase, I don't see the number of high school teams increasing.  Also, I believe that the more high school teams we have can help the numbers at the youth level.  If a player sees they have the opportunity to play the game after eighth grade, I think this can motivate them to keep playing hockey.

MJ: No we will still have 1 I think. The supposed magic number is 96 but i think we will have to go beyond that. And with schools cutting costs I see it not happening real soon.

webjr: I don't see it going to two divisions. I think that overall the number of teams will go up, but across all sports I think we're going to see fewer, and larger divisions. I wouldn't be surprised even without a drop in teams if basketball went from 5 divisions to 4, or if baseball went from 4 to 3.

Q: In your opinion, at which Wisconsin venue will or should the 2017 state tournament be held? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: I think the tournament should be held in Green Bay at the Resch Center. Putting 4000 people in there will create a much more exciting atmosphere than 4000 people in the Coliseum. But my guess is that the WIAA will renew their lease with the Coliseum for the same reasons they always give.

Trasher: I like the Coliseum because of its history, but it is so “1980s.” Here’s my perfect world scenario: the guy that owns all the property in the Dells builds a 7,000 seat arena in the area. There are plenty of hotels, plenty of things to do, and the location is more central than Madison. It’s a no-brainer and everybody wins…

Del: This question is hard to answer.  Unless coaches can get the WIAA to understand their disappointment and frustration with the facilities at the Dane County Veteran Memorial Coliseum, I don't see the WIAA changing.  Each year they are told by the Coliseum management they are making improvements and I think this was one of the reasons behind the long term deal they signed.

MJ: I still think it will be at the Coliseum. First lets get the scoreboard issue settled. To have it constantly shut off during a game is unacceptable. The Kohl Center is out of the question with enough users already. Resch Center ? Maybe. But lets remember that schools like to make the trip to Madison. Great city. Now lets improve the facilities for the State Tournament. If this was basketball the accomodations would be a bigger priority in my opinion.

webjr: I don't think the tournament will be leaving Madison in my lifetime. Where should it be?  I think the Resch Center would be a good place.  At the very least it gets rid of the excuse "I don't like the Coliseum" for people who don't attend the tournament.

Q: In your opinion, in the last ten years, what was the best Wisconsin high school team? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: I'm going with last season's Wausau West team. Not just because it's freshest on my mind, but because they were stacked at every position. West has had some very good teams over the last 20 years, but never had the goalie to get them over the top. Last season they had it all.

Trasher: Eau Claire Memorial (2007-08). They went 26-0 and won the state title. They outscored their opponents 166-21. They had 13 shutouts, and their goalies posted these numbers: 0.81 GAA, .958 save%. This was the best team in the last ten years and maybe ever.

MJ: Tough question. So many good teams but 2008 Eau Claire Memorial went 26-0. 2006 USM was 25-1. Would love to see those two square off.

webjr: Unfortunately I've only been to about 5 of the last 10 state tournaments (stupid college) but the best team I saw when it comes to speed, puck movement, defense, and goaltending was last year's Wausau West squad.

Q: The other night, Oshkosh beat Grafton 19-2. I think it's pretty apparent that Grafton hasn't been a very strong program recently, and Oshkosh is mostly an average team. To be honest, it's not the final score so much that bothers me, it's that even after entering the 3rd period with a 12-2 lead and the game already well into run-time, Oshkosh didn't let up and still scored 7 goals in the third period. I wasn't at the game, so I'm trying to be very careful not to judge Oshkosh in this case, because I don't know all of the specifics. I just wonder at what point do you let up? - Josh, site comment

Bergler: The game wasn't scored using the Live Scoring, so you can't look at the sheet and see who scored in the third period, but looking at the season stats for oshkosh skaters, Austin Wooldrige had two assists in this game, his only points on the season. Jeff Vendenlangenberg scored a goal and an assist, his only points of the season. Eddie Dempsey had an assist, his second point of the season. Matt Denure had a goal and an assist, his second and third points of the season. You can't ask the kids to not play hockey. What you can do is a coach is put out the players least likely to score. It looks like that's what Oshkosh did, and those kids scored anyway.

Trasher: It’s a no-win situation. The winning team is in a “damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t situation.” Not sure what the solution is.

Del: Having coached and played numerous sports, there isn't much that you can do.  As a coach - you try and get your players that don't get much playing time a lot of time in this game, but this is the time they get to shine and you can't ask them not to try.  Having been on the other side and watching the opponent take it to us, it was just as frustrating.  However, I never wanted a team not to try.

MJ: First I know the coach from Oshkosh. He wouldn't run it up. Not a lot you can do. Maybe with a big lead in the third take time off the clock like some groups do in youth hockey?

webjr: I've got to thank Bergler for doing the research on this one, but it appears through everything that we have available that Oshkosh gave a lot of kids a chance to play that don't normally get that chance.  You never really want to see a score like that, but you can't ask the kids to stop playing.  As a coach all you can do is get those third and fourth liners out on the ice.  The alternative is going into the "passing drill" which is just an organized game of keep-away, which is an insult to both teams.

Q: Are there more teams or less in WIAA boys hockey this year? - Eric Boyer, Site Comment

Bergler: I think we are down 2, Oconomowoc and Manitowoc.

Trasher: Fewer. The number has decreased by two from 92 to 90.

webjr: There are fewer. Manitowoc did not field a team this year.

Q: Should teams form co-ops for competition's sake? - Eric Boyer, Site Comment

Bergler: No. Period.

Trasher: Teams should form co-ops to enable more players to participate. If three schools have 25 players and want to form a team, what is the harm in that? If a school that has one or more hockey players wants to join a single-school team or a co-op, that is allowing more players to play varsity hockey. I see no harm in that. On the other hand, if two schools with 18 players each wants to form a team, complete with JV players, I would have a problem with that. There are plenty of teams that would kill to have 18 players. In this case, the co-op would be for the reason of a competitive advantage. I’d have to say no to this one.

webjr: No team should ever form a co-op simply for the sake of competition. That isn't what high school sports are for. Co-ops should only be formed in an instance when schools in the same region simply can't field a team on their own.  The DeForest/Poynette/Lodi co-op only has 3 lines and a goalie this year. Antigo/White Lake has a varsity and JV, but some kids have to skate both and there is only one player from White Lake.

Q: Should public schools be allowed to recruit as private schools do? - Eric Boyer, Site Comment

Bergler: There is always a lot of grumbling, but I know of no cases of documented recruiting by any schools. I believe that most of the player movement is originated by the player's parents.  For years all of the hockey families in the Wausau area migrated to the west side. Not because Wausau West was recruiting, but because everybody could see that they had a better program. With Jacques duVair at Everest and Dan Bauer at East, that doesn't happen as much. Should it happen at all? No. But how can you stop a family from moving?

Trasher: Private schools don’t recruit; they offer opportunities to students because the schools are not restricted by boundaries and can get student-athletes from outside their “area.” For public schools it is called “open enrollment.” Same difference…

webjr: First, private schools are not allowed to recruit for the sake of sports.  But in some cases it wouldn't be difficult for them to recruit on the basis of academics. Personally, if I lived in the Milwaukee area and could afford it, it is very likely that my children would go to USM and it has nothing to do with hockey.  It is a fantastic school.  Its record of academics and achievement are fantastic.  Now, I haven't done a lot of research on the rest of the state so I couldn't compare Green Bay's public schools to Notre Dame, or SPASH to Pacelli, etc.

Q: Are the conference and sectionals a foregone conclusion, based on total enrollment and ability to recruit top players? - Eric Boyer,  Site Comment

Bergler: Nope. See my answer above about building a team.

trasher: You call it “recruiting,” I call it “open enrollment.” It happens for scholastic reasons as well as athletic situations, and it happens in every sport that is played at the HS level. Until Wisconsin DPI outlaws it, it is going to happen, so live with it. In the last ten years, out of a possible 80 sectional winners (10 years * 8 sections), 34 teams have occupied those 80 spots. Not sure what those numbers mean, exactly, but in that time frame, only four teams have won their sectional five or more times. They are: Superior (9), USM (7), Wisconsin Rapids (6), and Eau Claire Memorial (5). So, four of the eight teams are “locks,” while the other four spots are pretty much up for grabs. Not exactly what I would call a foregone conclusion…

webjr: Every year there are some teams you just know will win their sections and conferences. The last few years we've known that about Eau Claire Memorial and Wausau West.  Most of the time we know that about Superior, but they still lost to New Richmond last year.  Cedarburg went to the state tournament as a 4 seed in their sectional, beating the 5th, 1st and 2nd seeds on the way there.  Yes, Middleton was the top seed in their section last year and went to the tournament, but there were 6 legitimate contenders for that section.  This year has been much wilder than last year, I don't think any of the sectionals is a foregone conclusion right now. The closest thing we have to a 'lock' is Notre Dame, and I think they are beatable.