On Tuesday, January 29 at 2:00 ET, North Dakota defenseman Taylor Chorney enters the chatroom at "Tuesday @ The Rink", presented by CSTV.com and USCHO.com. Chorney and the Fighting Sioux travel to rival Minnesota for a WCHA series on Friday and Saturday.
The son of Marc Chorney - an alternate captain on North Dakota's 1980 NCAA Championship team, Fighting Sioux junior defenseman Taylor Chorney has put off the pros to try to match his father's accomplishment.
The native of Hastings, Minn., is one of the top offensive defensemen in the nation, with two goals and 17 assists in 24 games this season for the Fighting Sioux. Among defensemen, only Miami's Mitch Ganzak and fellow Fighting Sioux blueliner Robbie Bina have more assists this season.
Chorney is looking for his second straight All-American season after being named to the West All-America Second Team by the American Hockey Coaches Association following a sophomore campaign that saw him record 31 points (8g, 23a) in 39 games, finishing fifth on North Dakota in scoring. That season, which also saw him earn second team All-WCHA honors, followed a freshman season that saw him finish second among North Dakota defensemen in scoring with 18 points (3g, 15a). Chorney also played for the U.S. at the 2006 and 2007 IIHF World Junior Championships, earning a bronze medal in 2007.
Marc and Linda Chorney's son is a business management major at North Dakota. He was drafted in the second round (36th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
** GET YOUR QUESTIONS IN NOW!!: Taylor won't be stopping by until 2:00 EST on Tuesday, January 29th, and his time will be limited, so feel free to submit your questions now and we'll save them for his arrival!
CSTV.com Moderator: Good afternoon, and welcome to the second of our "Tuesday @ the Rink" chats on CSTV.com, presented by CSTV and USCHO. We're joined now by North Dakota defenseman Taylor Chorney.
Taylor Chorney: Hey everyone, Taylor Chorney here from the University of North Dakota. How is everyone doing?
CSTV.com Moderator: Seems like they're doing talkative, Taylor...let's get started.
Coach (Warroad, MN): It seems nothing is worth while unless you work hard for it. The Sioux have had a topsy-turvy season through the first 18 games splitting every series. What has been the difference collectively since the start of the 7-game winning streak in St. Cloud? And, how have you individually prepared yourself for this stretch run in the WCHA?
Taylor Chorney: I think the first part of the year was a little inconsistent, and it was tough for us to find our identity as a team but over the last couple weeks, we have had our guys accepting their roles and when that happens, it seems that everything comes together a lot easier.
Todd (Hastings): It appears as though the coaching staff has your team peaking in the 2nd half of the season again, poised to make a run at the Frozen Four. Can you point to a couple of reasons as to why North Dakota has had these 2nd half surges under Coach Hakstol? P.S. Looking forward to a Sioux sweep of the Gophers this weekend.
Taylor Chorney: It's hard to point to one thing, but I think as the season goes on, guys start to realize how competitive the league is and how hard to you have to prepare for the weekends if you want to win hockey games. Coach Hak does a great job of keeping our practices upbeat and intense and it carries over into games.
Mikey Olson (bozeman mt): chorns congrats on your guys success as of late! what are the guys main focus going into this weekend at minnesota? good luck and we'll see you in denver!
Taylor Chorney: Thanks a lot. For this weekend, I think our main focus is to keep our emotions in check. Everybody knows that this is a huge weekend, and with the rivalry and the standings being as tight as they are, for us, I think it comes down to keeping it simple and focusing our week on preparing ourselves and playing our game.
Smitty (St. Paul): Taylor, do you think that fellas in Green are mentally prepaired to come down to Mariucci and back up last years preformance? good luck to you sir!
Taylor Chorney: I think we're ready to go. This weekend means a lot to us and we are going to do everything we can to prepares ourselves for a battle, because we know it isn't going to be easy to get two wins down there again.
Mike Denver, CO: I'm wondering if this year the Sioux offense has taken on a new approach where the strategy is find shooting lanes so the D-men, You, Bina, Genoway, and Finley's shot has started to look tuned in, can take shots and do the rebound thing vs last year it seemed like the style was more about finding passing lanes inside to the forwards (Dunc and Oshie)? If this is the case, I'm wondering how your like it vs the feed the forward approach?
Taylor Chorney: I think alot of it has to do with teams really keying in on Dunc and Osh, and when they do that, it gives guys like myself on the blueline a chance to make some plays and shoot the puck. Our offense is kind of based on the mentality that we'll take what is given, and if the shot is there, we're not going to pass it up.
Melissa (Grand Forks): Taylor, do you feel that you have accomplished what you were hoping to accomplish this year as an individual? How do you think this weekend is going to go? Good Luck this weekend and the rest of the year!!! Keep it up!!!!
Taylor Chorney: I think things, maybe, started a little slower than I had liked, but as of late it has been picking up a bit. t is hard not to get caught up in some individual stats, but for me, I have started to produce a lot more as we have started to win more so I'm kind of just trying to contribute however I can to help us continue to win hockey games.
Loren, Fargo: Did having Johnny Toews around last weekend make you think about what might have been for you if you had gone pro this year?
Taylor Chorney: Yeah, it is hard not to when it is possible to have a guy like that around, but at the same time I think we felt pretty lucky to even have him around last year. Just look at his success in the NHL so far, it's like he had no transition, but with a guy like Jon around, you can learn a lot from him. I think personally, I used this past weekend while he was around to pick his brain a bit and try and learn some new things about the game and preperation for games.
siouxfan: Hi Taylor congrats on last weeks sweep and the winning streak. Anchorage always seems to play you guys tough. I know that the gophs are a hungry team and very talented. What do the sioux need to do to keep the Gophs at bay this weekend? Will the hostile environment help or hurt the Sioux?
Taylor Chorney: Thanks a lot, and you are right about the Gophs, they have a very talented team. I think for us we just need to continue to play our game and when their key guys are on the ice, we need to make sure we are taking care of the puck and make smart decisions. As for the atmosphere down there, I think most of us have played in big games before with the booing and stuff, and for me personally, I like playing on the road and having the odds against you, but at the same time, we know that were going to have a good portion of Sioux faithful there cheering us on like they always do.
Dan, Mpls: Taylor, what are some of the big differences in the game between playing on an NHL sheet (Ralph) and an Olympic sheet (Mariucci) that the average fan might not be aware of? What should we watch for this weekend? Thanks.
Taylor Chorney: Well, obviously on the big rink you have a lot more time to make plays, and I think as a defenseman, your style has to change just a bit. You have to be a little more passive inititially when you're closing on guys and I think once you are in tight on a guy its a regular 1-on-1 battle just like on the NHL sheet but aside from that i don't think there are too many differences. It all comes down to who wants it the most.
Taylor Chorney: Tell Gerbs he is, by far, my best friend at BC and one of the greatest guys alive.
Taylor Chorney: To be a part of the Sioux family is a huge honor. I think it is one of the things that seperates UND from other places. People that are alumni have so much pride for this place and that kind of gets into you to while you're here. You know that guys before you have worked so hard to get this program to where it is and it's our job now to carry the torch, whether its off the ice or on it.
CSTV.com Moderator: That's all the time we have with Taylor this afternoon...he has to get to practice.
Taylor Chorney: Hey everyone, thanks a lot for the questions. I really appreciate it and I hope that maybe down the road I will get a chance to do this again.
CSTV.com Moderator: That will do it for another "Tuesday @ the Rink" on CSTV.com. Keep checking back for more info on next week's chats. Have a great week!