Dedicated to coverage of UND Hockey; aka the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux. More specifically, WCHA, NCHC and college hockey news stories in general. I post stories on the NHL, to include my favorite hockey teams, the Boston Bruins and the Minnesota Wild… I will post anything that happens that’s big in NHL hockey, hits, fights and suspensions. This is also an unapologetic UND hockey site. This site has no official connection to UND hockey, but we have been accused of being toadies.
For the most part I thought that the Minnesota Wild were the better team today, except for the two-four minute period of time where the Minnesota Wild tried to sit on the lead and it came back to bite them in the back side.
Zucker: On the game winning goal "I Just tried to get it to the net and tried to go up high cause it was open and it did." #mnwild
— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) May 5, 2013
Zucker: "That crowd was unbelievable and you feed on that stuff."
— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) May 5, 2013
In the first two games of the series the Minnesota Wild got outhit, out-hustled and were beat to the puck in every instance. Through two periods of play the Wild have been better. I think it's a fitting way to end the period. Nice hit by Wild forward Jason Zucker as he put a nice hit on Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook
Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks during a pre-game warm-up. Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I applaud the NHL for making this ruling, this was unnecessary, unneeded and I don't care if Corey Perry said he was sorry after the game. Don't want to get suspended, don't make the hit. I think this suspension should be five games.
I keep hearing the argument, but it's not a dirty hit. What do you mean, it's not a dirty hit, the puck is gone for more than two, if not three seconds, in this situation, Perry is trying to blow up Jason Zucker.
Think about it this way, Perry took out a good player on a team that is in competition with them for a playoff spot in their division.
Objectionable hits should have consequences and in this case it does. Corey Perry will sit for four games.
NEW YORK -- Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry has been suspended for four games, without pay, for a late, illegal check to Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker during NHL Game No. 384 in Minnesota on Tuesday, March 12, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Perry will forfeit $115,135.12. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
The incident occurred at 4:21 of the second period. Perry was assessed a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct.
Again there is no defending this hit. Although, I have seen a few try today.
In my opinion this is a violation of rule 48 and will cost Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry a game or two from the department of players safety, if it doesn't I will be very surprised. In my opinion, Wild forward Jason Zucker is in a vulnerable position and the head looks to be targeted.
48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.
Can you imagine how good Denver would be if Jason Zucker was still with the Denver Pioneers this season. According to Michael Russo of the Star and Tribune, this goal by Zucker tied an AHL record for one of the fastest goals in overtime (five seconds). This was a goal scorer's goal as well, the goalie never seen it coming. Former UND defenseman Chay Genoway was also on the ice for Aeros as well when the goal was scored.
Sounds like former DU Pioneer's star Jason Zucker is going to play for the Minnesota Wild Right away, as early has this Thursday. With Zucker signing a deal right away, this will cause Zucker to burn the first year of a three year deal.
Russo's Rants --- Jason Zucker has signed with the Wild, a three-year entry-level deal, starting this season.
He gets $70,000 signing bonus plus a prorated portion of a $700,000 salary these final 12 days of the season. He then gets $900,000 salaries each of the next two years if he plays in the NHL, which includes annual $90,000 signing bonuses.
If the Wild gets through tonight healthy (to be determined with this squad), a roster move will have to be made tomorrow. Very good chance he makes his NHL debut Thursday vs. Florida as long as he passes his physical tomorrow. He has told the Wild he's healthy.
Basically, the Wild's burning the first year of the deal, meaning he becomes a Group II and a Group III free agent one year earlier. The Wild had no problem with this. With unsigned Mikael Granlund and signed Brett Bulmer, Johan Larsson, Zucker, Zack Phillips and Charlie Coyle all turning pro and maybe signed defenseman Jonas Brodin, it could be problematic to have 7 guys up as restricted free agents in three years.
This is the worst time of the year when fans of college hockey teams have to worry if they are going lose their favorite college hockey players. According to Chris Botta, who is a writer for the New York Times and the New York Islanders had this to say about Fighting Sioux forward Brock Nelson on his twitter feed.
This past week, DU lost blue chippers Jason Zucker and Drew Shore in a matter of couple of days. So you never know what will happen and fans always seem to worry up until the puck drops in October.
29 Brock
Nelson–10 Corban Knight (A) –7 Danny Kristo
16 Mark MacMillan–27 Carter Rowney–15 Michael Parks
Stephane Pattyn 28 –9 Mario Lamoureux (C) – 20 Joe Gleason
8 Dan Senkbeil–13 Connor Gaarder– No forward.
UND Defensive Pairings.
4 Derek Forbort – 24 Ben Blood
2 Andrew MacWilliam (A) – 5 Nick Mattson
18 Dillon Simpson–22 Andrew Panzarella
Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Corban Knight • Junior, Forward, University of North Dakota
MADISON, Wis. – University of North Dakota center iceman Corban Knight, who led his team with three goals and four points in a victory and tie against visiting conference rival Michigan Tech last weekend, has been named the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for February 21.
A junior from High River, Alberta, Knight also won more than 62% of his face-offs in the two-game series in addition to his four scoring points and played a key role on UND’s penalty-killing units that blanked the Huskies on all six weekend power-play chances. He scored two goals, including a third period insurance goal with 1:37 remaining, drew an assist on teammate Carter Rowney’s game-winning second period tally, earned a +2 plus/minus rating and was the No. 2 star of the game last Friday (February 17) night as North Dakota won 4-2 over MTU. Knight then came back last Saturday (February 18) to score his team’s only goal in a 1-1 (ot) tie against Michigan Tech, giving his club a 1-0 lead with his power-play marker at 6:04 of the third period, earning No. 3 star of the game honors in the process.
“The one penalty that I thought was out of whack was the one that they kept Rau out of the game Saturday. I think the referees did that because they probably felt that Zucker wasn’t going to play, which he didn’t that next night, and they were just trying to even things out,” Nanne Said.
“You could have given him the penalty that they gave him without throwing him out of the next game, I believe. I think they could have given him a boarding penalty and kept everyone happy.”
Barreiro asked Nanne if he felt the Rau hit was worthy of a one game suspension.
Lucia said he felt the referees made the right call when they gave Kyle Rau a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct for his hit on Denver forward Jason Zucker in Friday's game.
WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod called Lucia that night, the Gophers coach said, to tell him the league was going to review the play. He watched it on video that night after not seeing it live.
The next morning Lucia said he talked to McLeod again and was told Rau would probably be suspended.
"At that time, we had the right to appeal the suspension, which would have allowed Kyle the right to play Saturday night," Lucia said. "But 99.9 [percent of the time] we probably would have lost the appeal and he would not have been allowed to play the next Friday night against Bemidji."
Lucia decided the best option was not to appeal, so he could prepare his lines better for the Beavers.
He said the difficult part of the situation was the supplemental discipline. "There were a couple of other major penalties on the weekend," Lucia said. "You can go back to incidents -- what deserves extra and what doesn't?"
After seeing the video of the Kyle Rau hit on Jason Zucker, it's good to see coach Lucia support the league decision on that Rau hit. Lucia does also make a good point, "You can go back to incidents -- what deserves extra and what doesn't?” I think that’s the question a lot of the fans are wondering as well.
Minnesota's Kyle Rau was given a five minute major and a game misconduct for his hit on Denver Pioneers forward Jason Zucker, it's a high hit and the kind we are trying to elliminate from all levels of hockey. Is this hit worthy of a suspension? I don't think so. The video replay isn't that good, so it's hard to tell if Rau hit Zucker with an elbow...