Showing posts with label Sioux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sioux. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2012

They aren't listening - Fighting Sioux nickname

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux athl...
University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux athletic logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

s/t to Chuck Haga from the Grand Forks Herald because he has done a great job covering this story, I don’t care what some of the self-professed and self-congratulatory experts say, Haga has done a fair job covering all sides of this issue.
 Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald --- She asks whether the NCAA, in adopting “a policy that blankets the country,” took into account how divisive it would be in Indian Country.

“Within my own immediate family, some words have been spoken that will take a long time to heal, words that have been unkind and caused by the policy of the NCAA,” she writes. “I am hurt and angry that neither I nor my people had a say in informing the NCAA of what their policy would do to me and to my family and to my state.”

She writes that she has “very little knowledge about the pipe ceremony in 1969,” the event at UND cited by nickname supporters as an irreversible gift of the Sioux name to the university. But she says she learned to respect such traditions from her father, the late Joseph Chaske Jr. “I was taught that praying with the pipe is very sacred and should never be disrespected in any way.”

As we go into the regional and our favorite team can’t wear their regular uniform because it’s considered hostile and abusive the reality hits that, it doesn’t matter what Native American think about the Fighting Sioux nickname. 

The Attorney General of the state of North Dakota signed a legal settlement agreement, the NCAA doesn’t care what anyone else has to say, the NCAA isn't going to change their minds one bit, they aren’t budging, they are going to change their mind. 

Contrary to some people’s misguided opinion, UND’s administrators  are not going work out a deal to not use the nickname when a  certain school objects to the UND using the Fighting Sioux nickname, it's not going to happened. There simply won’t be any games scheduled between UND and insert favorite Big Ten School, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin etc.   

You're delusion if you think this is going to happen folks. These schools don't care because we aren't playing by their rules, because the University of North Dakota belongs to a private club and we have to abide by those rules and regulations.


These schools will not play UND in “any sport” including college hockey, that they are not a conference member with, because the University of North Dakota is under NCAA sanctions. Again, they control the terms of the conversation and we need them more than they need us.

The same goes with the Big Sky Conference, UND needs them more than they need us, I don't care what some say. I doubt any of these people have talked to anyone in the know. The UND athletic department is very concerned about the threat of the BSC pulling our membership, maybe not this year or next, but it's a real threat. 

These schools won’t find common ground here, frankly, they don’t have to, because our school is under NCAA sanctions. Right, wrong or indifferent, our school will be considered damaged goods.
Do I like this, hell no!  

I voted for a democrat whose name I don’t even know ( I am a registered Republican), in 2010 instead of voting for Wayne Stenehjem for North Dakota Attorney General, because I think he should have never signed that surrender agreement that he signed. The agreement was a bad agreement and unacceptable in many of our eyes. 


That day was the end of the Fighting Sioux nickname essentially died.  You have to give the NCAA credit, they knew the Standing Rock Tribe would never agree to let the University of North Dakota use the Fighting Sioux nickname and they got the best of Stenehjem.

As an alumnus of the University of North Dakota, I will continue to cheer on and cover the University of North Dakota Hockey team no matter what their name is, as long as it’s not the Flickertails.  That’s not going to happen according to current UND President Dr. Robert O. Kelley, who has said that the team will not be called the Flickertails if and when the name is changed.

And lastly, Go Sioux!!! Bring home number "8"....Our team is still known as the Fighting Sioux for now.  What a fitting end of this season it would be if the Fighting Sioux could win number 8 as the Fighting Sioux. The NCAA would probably tie themselves up in knots over that one. 
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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Kizla's perspective on the UND and DU game

Where is Mike Chambers when you need him? God I love this newspaper, they sure have an interesting way of drawing up their perspective when it come to hockey games between UND and DU.

I guess Mark Kizla missed the Nick Shore spear on Carter Rowney at the end of the game and the fact that the refs lost control of this game early and were consistently poor all weekend long so I don't really think either team was worse than the other. I do hold the ref (Todd Anderson and Brad Shepherd) culpable in this situation.
Who knew Denver was a suburb of Fargo? Although the North Dakota campus in Grand Forks sits nearly 1,000 miles from center ice in Magness Arena, the Sioux Nation showed up in force, then ignored both political correctness and the polite rules of being a house guest, by chanting "Let's go Sioux!" Losing control of the game, North Dakota than lost its composure. In the third period, freshman Michael Parks went caveman, taking a swing of the forearm at DU defenseman John Ryder. Way to stay classy, North Dakota. [Denver Post]
If anything I hope the NCHC commissioner Jim Scherr was able to catch either one of both of these games and has made a mental note to not employer either referee from this series. There were four game misconduct penalties and one, the Michael Parks hit on John Ryder that was actually worthy of a five minute major and a game misconduct.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wednesday Links - thanks 2 Million

First, I would like to thank the readers of this blog as Goon's World has reached the 2 million hit mark. Thanks to everyone that has visited this blog.

At the Wednesday Media day, coach Hakstol said that there isn't much to report on Fighting Sioux junior goalie Aaron Dell, other than he was back practicing with the team yesterday and I think we can list him as a day-to-day. That's if I understand coach speak correctly, I would probably list him as a game time decision. I can confirm that Dell looked good from my vantage point in practice today.

Also, Senior goalie Brad Eidsness looks like he has returned to form and in my opinion appears to be the same goalie that once won two All-WCHA honors (X2). While he got some lucky bounces he also made some huge saves to probably steal a point for UND when they weren't at their best.

Here is what Hockey Futures had to say about junior forward Corbin Knight.
12. (15) Corban Knight, C, 6.5C
Acquired: 5th round, 135th overall, 2009

Knight, too, got caught up in the injury trend for 2011-12, and has spent time in and out of the UND lineup. However, when he has been on the ice, he has shown why he should still be considered a rising talent in the Florida organization. He has been a point-per-game player for the Sioux, has been once again terrific in the faceoff circle and a demon in the corners. He has the skill to get the puck up ice and to his linemates, the hands to get a good release on his shot even in heavy traffic, and has sound hockey smarts.
Here is what Hockey Futures had to say about freshman Roco Grimaldi.
11. (8) Rocco Grimaldi, C, 8D
Acquired: 2nd round, 33rd overall, 2011

The 2011-12 campaign was a lost season for Grimaldi, who suffered a knee injury early in training camp for the University of North Dakota. He struggled to return to the lineup, and managed to find ice time in four games before having knee surgery that brought a close to his freshman year. Grimaldi will be eligible to take a redshirt, if necessary, but more important is the lost development time for the offensive wizard.

As a result, Grimaldi drops down the ranks for now. Once he gets back on the ice, and gets the opportunity to show off his dazzling offensive skills and skating, he should begin a steady march back up the ranks.
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Monday, February 20, 2012

The Gloves are off UND vs. DU. – College Hockey’s version of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s


One of the best rivalries in college hockey, DU and UND. I would call it college hockey's version of the Hatfield's and McCoy's, two teams that don't like each other very very much. The first video is the reason that Sioux fans refer to George Gwozdecky as the Dasher Troll and this is what a dasher dance looks like.

The second video is from the game where former UND forward/defenseman Kyle Radke unofficially got into two fights in one college hockey game. It was a game where Todd Anderson and former WCHA official Jon Campion lost control of the game.

I think it would only be fitting if Todd Anderson was the official of this weekend's series.

Incidently, WCHA official Todd Anderson was the referee that was on the ice and called both games that George Gwozdecky was kicked out of and did his dasher dance. [Dasher dance game part II, Prpich cup checks Geoff Paukovich]



Good news Fighting Sioux hockey fans that have DirecTV. Friday's game will be on at 9:00 PM Central Time on channel 603. Saturday night's game will be on channel 683 on Roots on DirecTV, at 8:00 PM on Saturday Night.

Roots Sports is the network that used to be Fox Sports Net Rockey Mountain, this is also the same network that employs Alana Rizzo who doesn't is not a big fan of Sioux fans and doesn't like them very much.



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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sioux City vs Sioux Falls Line Brawl


Wow! Here is a good description of what happened.
Mark Krebs, Examiner.com --- The second period started out much the same way as the first ended. Sioux Falls came out hard but as a result picked up a couple of quick penalties which put them at a disadvantage. Then 7:16 into the period chaos broke out at center ice. Tempers flared after a high hit on Lordo and all 12 players on the ice broke into their own separate fights. All twelve players were sent to the penalty box while the referee and his linesmen tried to sort out all the different penalties. Eventually every player involved was given a game misconduct penalty and ejected for their part in the brawls.

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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Ten thoughts on the weekend

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux athl...Image via Wikipedia1.) I predict that UND is going to be in the mix when it’s all said and done. The hockey experts and hockey pundits that think UND mediocre and not very good are off base; this team is buying into the coaching staff’s systems and are getting better which each game. I don’t think anyone wants to have UND has their draw during the WCHA playoffs.

I think this weekend the Fighting Sioux proved that they can skate with the “elite teams” like Duluth. The Bulldogs has no answer for UND tenacity in Friday’s game. The Fighting Sioux shut the Bulldogs down.

2.) Some undisciplined play by some key upper classmen in the first period of last nigh't game derailed the Fighting Sioux’s chances of getting a sweep. The Blood major penalty proved to be very costly for UND. I did not see the hit, and I have not seen the video of the hit either, so I will not give my thoughts on the hit. My seat on Saturday night was in the second row next to the UMD player’s bench and It was hard to see that end of the ice without the aid of the scoreboard video.

3.) Coach Hakstol said at the beginning of the year that other players besides the line of Kristo, Knight and Nelson would have to step up and contribute offensively.

Another line has started to show up on the score sheet and was smoking hot this weekend. The Rowney line has emerged as a pretty good threat, on the weekend Mark MacMillan 0-2-2, Carter Rowney 4-1-5 and Michael Parks 1-1-2. That’s (5g-4a—9pts) for that line on the weekend.

I would give that line all three stars for the weekend.

4.) Goaltending, this season Aaron Dell (2.80 GAA, .890 Save Percentage) has been very good when he is on and when he isn’t he has been lit up.

Last night, Dell wasn’t very good at all and I know it’s easy to second guess the coaching staff from the stands but I think that after the fourth goal, the coaching staff should have pulled Dell to breath some life into the Fighting Sioux.

I mentioned this to my friend today, that I think Brad Eidsnes (2.08 GAA, .924 Save Percentage) has been very good as of late and he was on last night. Eids made some big saves and positioning was very good. It also appears that Eidsness has fixed some parts of his game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him more down the stretch.

Over his four seasons with UND Eidsness has had a tendency to be streaky and when he is on his game he is a very hard goaltender to beat and I wonder if that goalie has emerged again? Personally, I hope the coaching staff rides him until he proves them wrong.

5.) Don Adam! What can I say about him? I thought the officiating combo of Don Adam and Tim Walsh was absolutely brutal this weekend for both teams. How these two guys continue to be employed by the WCHA is a mystery to many of us. You know it's bad when you hear a fan say, "hey it's Don Adam, what do you expect?"

I think the fans ask for some consistency from the on ice officials and I guess being consistently poor is consistency. Right? I think with Adam the amount of dangerous hits that he lets go is a concern for me and for other fans as well. The fact that these two on ice officials took such a long time to discuss the Joe Basaraba hit on Nick Mattson is a joke. That is a hit that we do not need in hockey.

I hope that when the NCHC begins play that they think long and hard before they get the idea that they need to employ the on ice officials from the WCHA.

I don’t buy the argument that the NCHC needs to use officials from the WCHA because there aren’t enough qualified officials out there. I think that argument is balderdash. The NCHC could recruit/pluck officials form the USHL to officiate the NCHC’s games.

I am tired of watching Don Adam skate around the ice with a scowl on his face blowing games with his horrible officiating. Let the WCHA or B1G have him as one of their officials.

6.) One guy that impresses me is junior utility player Joe Gleason. This season Gleason has played wing, center and defense. I think I would describe Gleason as player that will do what-ever-it-takes to win and help the team out.

I sometimes think that Gleason’s efforts go unnoticed and if you don’t look for him regularly you won’t notice all of the little things that he does in all three zones of the ice. Gleason is a role player that’s value is measured more in the things that don’t show up on score sheets.

This is what head coach Dave Hakstol had to say when he was asked about Joe Gleason after the Wisconsin series.

“Joe Gleason the epitome of a great teammate.”

“Joe is a proud guy and he obviously wants to play, he was recruited here as a defenseman, and both nights this weekend he played defense, he played center and he played right wing. I guess I would describe it as invaluable in a team setting. He is doing whatever the team’s needs, he not just going out and doing it, but going out and doing it well.”

7.) My thoughts on Amsoil Arena. I thought it was a nice venue and I like the layout of the arena. It’s a very comfortable building and I like the way it’s set up. The only thing that I don't like is the width of the halls around the buildings. They could be bigger and they get real crowded during the intermission.

Amsoil arena is very accessible from the highway and I like the way they do their parking. Unlike Ralph Englestad Arena, Amsoil Arena has a parking garage right next to the arena anyone can pay five dollars and park in it. You don’t have make a huge donation to the athletic department to park close to the arena. Another positive is that you walk straight into the arena from the parking garage.

Would I trade Ralph Englestad Arena for Amsoil Arena, not in your life but it’s a pretty nice place to attend a hockey game.

8.) Is UMD a rival game? Last week a fan from UMD post a comment on Sioux Sports about UMD not considering UND a rival. I think that comment is so far off of the mark, it’s silly.

This weekend’s series was very entertaining, and both games were very fun to watch. I think that this weekend’s series was some of the best hockey that I have watched all season.

There was also a lot of extra stuff going on during the games, there was a lot of the chirping and shenanigans on the ice. I would have to say that this was a nasty series where players from both teams needed to keep their head on a swivel. That's the kind of hockey that I like to watch.

I don’t think it would be an understatement to say that these two teams hate each other and the games were highly contested.

9.) I like the player that Dillon Simpson is becoming. I think he has grown up a lot as a player this season. If you think about it, Simpson is a 19 year old sophomore and he is younger than most of the players that came in as freshman this season.

What I have noticed about Simpson; he has been very smart with the puck and has done a good job getting puck out of the defensive zone and on to the sticks of the forwards. Dillon is a plus nine on the season, meaning he’s not a defensive liability.

I hope with his age that UND can keep him for two more seasons.

10.) As we all know, UND fans travel well and true to form there were a lot of green and white jerseys in the stands at Amsoil Arena this weekend.

The Let’s Go Sioux cheer was pretty loud as well. It was a fun trip and worth the time to go to Duluth to watch the series between UND and UMD this weekend. I am glad that both teams are going to be in the NCHC.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The gloves are off part II - UND and UW week


I have to admit that this is one of my favorite match ups, if not my favorite rivalry games and according to Andy Baggot of Madison.com it looks like there will be a continuance of the Sioux vs. Badgers rivalry after next season when both teams join their new leagues.
UW coach Mike Eaves said non-conference scheduling parameters are still being drawn up for the new Big Ten, so any non-conference discussions are on hold.

But there have already been discussions between the schools about committing to a series every year when the new leagues debut. That's how much the rivalry means to those involved. [Madison.com]
I know the Fighting Sioux nickname is gone, but for now, at least for this weekend, I will call it the Sioux Badgers on this blog. I mean what the heck.  I think we could get away with it, because the Fighting Sioux name is still on the front of the jerseys, for at least a little bit longer. I am already compliant the articles have submitted for Inside Hockey. 

I am excited that UND and UW are looking into continue this historic rivalry after the B1G and NCHC come to fruition. There have been some great battles over the years between the two teams. Also, Wisconsin fans are some of the greatest college hockey fans and they get it, they're awesome. When both teams go their separate ways, I am definitely going to miss seeing the Badgers at the Final Five and discussing hockey with the fans from Wisconsin.



Of course the hockey on the ice hasn't been like the UND vs. UW match ups of the 1980's for obvious reasons, the progressive DQ rule for fighting has probably played a role in that.

None the less,  there have been some heated and highly contested battles over the years between the two teams. Who can forget the Steve Reinprecht, David Hukalo and Dany Heatly line, that was "one of" the most prolific lines that I had ever witnessed in college hockey.

Of course there was the Jeff Panzer, Bryon Lundbohm  and Ryan Bayda line which was also pretty darn good themselves. You can check out the Wisconsin Badger's side of the discussion with Chuck Schwartz at Bucky' Fifth Quarter.



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Friday, January 13, 2012

The Gloves are off - UND and UMN


I thought I would get this open thread started. UND Fighting Sioux Hockey vs. the Minnesota Gophers is one of the premiere match-ups in college hockey. I am not sure how many more of these series we have?

One of the bad things about the formation of the NCHC and the B1G Mistake is that there might not be a yearly dismantling of the Gophers by the team from University of North Dakota formally known as the Fighting Sioux... I guess this will make this weekend's series historic.

Minnesota's Pansies on ice are coming to Grand Forks, ND to play the UND Fighting Sioux Hockey Team in a two game series. Some of the hockey pundits are already penciling Minnesota in for a two game sweep.

Of course we are going to hear how UND is a bunch of knuckle dragging  Neanderthal Goons, even though UND is ranked 11th in the WCHA for Penalty Minutes.

We will also hear how Grand Forks, ND is a back water sewer from Gopher fans but you will see many Gopher fans enjoying the game in the picturesque Ralph Englestad Arena. 

Like I said over on Sioux Sports... There really isn't much difference between teams one through six in the WCHA. UND non-conference record is better than UMN. If you take away Minnesota's three wins against AHA cupcakes teams Minnesota is 12-7-1. UND is 11-8-2 not much of a difference in records.

If the Gophers lose this weekend's series to the UND Fighting Sioux Hockey team there will be two prevalent excuses. Refs were unfair and penalized Minnesota too much, see game against Northeastern last weekend. They were tired, referring to the two players that traveled all the way to Alberta to play in the WJC tourney in Calgary Alberta.

NOTE: This is a fun series and this post is meant to be humorous, if you cant see the hilarity or humor in this post you might need to check yourself into an anger management clinic.
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Thursday, January 12, 2012

UND vs UMN - Time to drop the puck.

I took this screen shot off of the official Minnesota Gophers hockey page, I know it's hard getting used to as over the course of two weeks the Sioux logo and name have evaporated into thin air. I never thought I would see this day come. Anyways, Go UND Fighting Sioux, beat the Gophers.



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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Stupid is as stupid does

North Dakota State Bison athletic logoImage via WikipediaIf you haven't see this article, it's worth a read. In the old days when the Sioux and the Bison played in football there used to be a lot of vitriol in the stands and at tail gates for football, Ironically, in their finest hour after watching their team win the FCS championship in football some dolt of the fans  in the crowd just had to say "Sioux Sucks"... Wow!!! Stupid is as stupid does, right?
Kevin Schnepf, Forum Communications ---- Flash forward 22 years in Frisco, Texas — where NDSU won its first national championship since its 1990 trip to Florence. As the Bison team marched toward its locker room before the game, the three-block long line of fans chanted “Here We Go Bison, Here We Go.” In between the cheers, one fan yelled “Sioux suck.”

Really? Your team is about to play for a national title and that’s all you can think of? Never mind that your team hasn’t played the Sioux (I mean North Dakota) since 2003.

Later that same day when fans gathered in front of the Fargodome to welcome home their team, Gov. Jack Dalrymple started the same cheer “Here We Go Bison, Here We Go.” Little did the Governor realize that the chant must mysteriously spark a certain impulse to be insulting.

As if on cue, a small group of supporters started yelling “Sioux suck.”

Really? Your team just won its first Division I championship and that’s all you can think of. Never mind that your football team may not be playing the Sioux (I mean, North Dakota) for at least another decade.
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Sunday, January 08, 2012

College Hockey fan behavior.

Fighting Sioux (University of North Dakota) vs...Image via WikipediaThis is an article that I wrote for the Illegal Curve back in October 21, 2009.


My dad sent me an account of a Gopher fan’s experience at Ralph Engelstad Arena this past weekend. Was I sitting in a different arena this past weekend?

Sioux Gophers and idiots on both sides.

I was at the Sioux/Gopher hockey games this weekend. The games were in Grand Forks and I was wearing Gopher gear on Friday night. Our tickets were also in the student section. We sat on the very far side of the student section. There were some Gopher fans in front of us who were clearly from the U. They were receiving a bit of heckling, and for the most part it was all in good fun, but there were a few weekend warriors” that went over the line from the UND side of things. They were invading some personal space and getting face to face with the kids from the U. Lots of you are a bitch. and you suck balls. Luckily for everybody involved where I was at, the Gopher kids stayed very chill about the

The UND kids clearly had had way too much to drink. The problem was they kept coming back trying to instigate more and more each time. It could have turned bad pretty easy. Check out the story below. On Saturday night we also had student section tickets. I was not looking forward to the abuse again.

 The night before there was a very drunk kid behind us who fell into our seats a few times. We were standing each time, but my wife got kicked once. He’s lucky he did not catch the 4 year old girl with a foot. So we got lucky Saturday nights, while we were waiting in line to get into the game some kids from the U said they had normal tickets but wanted to sit in student section. I overheard this and we traded our 4 student tickets for their 4 normal tickets. It was a much better game Saturday and we did not have to get kicked by drunk 19 year olds. All around a better experience.

While this weekend I didn’t see a lot of this stuff going on, I have witnessed this type of behavior first hand in the past at venues like the Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center. Who uses this type of language when talking to another fan from a different team in front of young children? These people should have their mouths washed out with soap. That does cross the line of what is considered acceptable behavior at a sporting event. If I brought my two year old daughter to the game I don’t want her to have to listen to this kind of vile stuff. Just because you’re a college student doesn’t give you the right to act like an ass. There is no birthright to sit in that seat at the arena; if you can’t behave, I am sure the REA management can sell that prime seat to someone will be able to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner.

Not to pick on the college students there are many examples of adult fans, both Sioux and Gopher fans, getting out of hand and acting like imbeciles as well. I heard from a friend that a female Gopher fan who happened to be pregnant was heckled and jostled at the arena this past weekend. Who the heck does that kind of a thing? Imagine your girlfriend, wife or mother having this happen to them.
In yesterday’s Grand Forks Herald there was a letter to the editor in which a person described an experience where someone dumped a beer on a Gopher fan’s head from the upper deck. That kind of behavior is unacceptable and only a moron would defend behavior like this. People like this are going to ruin it for the rest of us that like to enjoy a beer without having the game ruined by drunk, belligerent idiots. I can foresee a time where the REA might ban beer sales to college students and or everyone.

These types of incidents do not paint a positive picture of Grand Forks, ND, the University of North Dakota, the University of Minnesota or the WCHA. As fans collectively we must behave better, we don’t want to look like a bunch of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.

I know, call me old-fashioned, but some of the stuff that happened this past weekend seems to be borderline criminal or at least anti-social behavior and should be deemed as inappropriate and unacceptable. None of us should have to be a witness to this type of crap. To top off the weekend, we had an incident between two fans that could be classified as felonious with one person ending up in the ICU wing of Altru Hospital. There is nothing about this series that should lead any of us to start throwing punches at each other.

I am as pro-Fighting Sioux hockey as they come: I am all for a loud arena and an intimidating atmosphere, but some of this stuff is atrocious behavior and unfit for television. My boss who is new to the area went to a Sioux hockey game for the first time and I am sure she was impressed with the F’ the Gophers cheer, way to go UND. Remember there is friendly acceptable back and forth banter and then there is crossing the line. I also have friends that are Gopher fans, and some of them won’t even come up to Grand Forks anymore based on the type of treatment they have received from our fans.

I have to wonder if it is time for college hockey to institute a fan code of conduct for its fans like some NFL teams have. Eventually the University of North Dakota is going to have to address the behaviors of its fans at the REA.
Fan code of conduct
“The National Football League and its teams are committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for all fans, both in the stadium and in the parking lot. We want all fans attending our games to enjoy the experience in a responsible fashion. When attending a game, you are required to refrain from the following behaviors:
» Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature.
» Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.
» Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
» Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field).
» Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.
» Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.
“Event patrons are responsible for their conduct as well as the conduct of their guests and/or persons occupying their seats. Stadium staff will promptly intervene to support an environment where event patrons, their guests, and other fans can enjoy the event free from the above behavior. Event patrons and guests who violate these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and loss of ticket privileges for future games.”
Like another hockey fan suggested from DU, I like the NFL fan code of conduct policy and I am all for this if being enacted at REA. If you’re an unruly fan and you can’t act in an acceptable manner, your ticket should be taken from you and you will no longer be allowed to be able to attend events in the arena. Attending college hockey is a privilege, not a right. If you can’t act like a member of the human race, do not bother coming to the arena. Someone else will gladly pay a handsome fee for that ticket and act in a respectful manner in your place.
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Monday, December 19, 2011

Time; NCAA Blunder: Changing North Dakota's Tribal Nickname

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux athl...Image via WikipediaThis is a pretty good read if you haven't seen it yet. It's also time that some one stood up to the NCAA. They are an out of control organization.
Sean Gregory; Time --- The uniform of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey
For years, college and pro sports teams have taken heat for caricaturing Native Americans with their nicknames and mascots. Sometimes, teams do the right thing. In 1994, for example, St. John's University changed its name from the Redmen to the Red Storm. At other times, they've acted irresponsibly. We still have the Washington Redskins, and the Cleveland Indians haven't scrubbed Chief Wahoo — a cartoonish representation of Native Americans — off their hats. And in other instances, a tribe's backing has allowed a team to keep its nickname, as happened with the Florida State Seminoles and Utah Utes.

And then there's the puzzling, quite unique case of North Dakota. In 1930, the University of North Dakota (UND) adopted "Sioux" as its nickname for its sports teams. UND became the "Fighting Sioux" in the 1960s. The Sioux reservation closest to the University of North Dakota's campus in Grand Forks, Spirit Lake, overwhelmingly backs the name. The tribe argues, and evidence seems to support the case, that Spirit Lake and another local Sioux reservation, Standing Rock, actually gave the UND its blessing to use the nickname in a religious ceremony over 40 years ago. [Time.com]

The NCAA is out of touch... I wish this action would have happened a couple of years ago. Think of the irony of this, the NCAA is being sued in federal court by the very Native Americans they are claiming to speak for but also help. Does anyone see how silly this really is? The  NCAA is being sued by a bunch of white people they are being sued by one of the Tribes that voted to allow UND to use the name.
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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Mavericks tip Sioux 2-1 in Overtime

Grand Forks, ND – The Fighting Sioux, winners of four straight and five out of their last six games and fresh off of a sweep of the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in Anchorage, Alaska, welcomed an old friend to the Ralph Englestad Arena for a two-game series.

That four game winning streak would come to an end tonight with a hard fought 2-1 loss in overtime to the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks.

Overall coach Hakstol said that he "thought that his team battled hard through 60 minutes, a very close hockey game.”

The Mavericks led by former Fighting Sioux head coach Dean Blais, came to Grand Forks looking to rebound from a weekend series where Blais saw his team split against the UAH Chargers; a team that previously had not won a game all season long until last weekend. After the 3-1 loss to the UAH Chargers last Friday, UNO head coach Dean Blais said, “I am embarrassed.”

Tonight coach Blais was much happier with the win against his former team the Fighting Sioux. Coach Blais said, “it was a great up and down game, tough game to lose, obviously. Both teams were playing so hard, we hoped for a bounce of the puck, we got that. We blocked the shot that could have gone in, obviously, we had three guys right around the net and blocked the shot and Mat White makes a great neutral zone transition and we ended up scoring a great goal in overtime.”

While the series with the UNO Mavericks has been short-lived, the Sioux and the Mavericks had never played a game until last season when the Mavericks joined the WCHA. The two teams have played some epic games and split their first series last November in Omaha, and then followed up that series with another split last January in Grand Forks.

All four games were highly contested and hard hitting affairs. Only one game of the five games played between the two teams has been a blow out, and the other four games were never decided by more than two goals. Tonight was no different, as both teams battled hard and both goalies played extremely well.

The game was a goaltending display as Fighting Sioux goalie Aaron Dell stopped 33 of 35 shots and Mavericks goalie John Falkner stopped 24 of 25 shots.

While the two teams have only played four previous games, it’s very apparent that neither team likes each other very much. This game proved to be no different than the other series between the two teams, as the hitting was fast and furious.

The first period started out slow and both teams kind of felt each other out. Both teams played a cautious grind it out style of hockey. Neither team generated very many scoring opportunities. The Mavericks outshot the Fighting Sioux in the first period 12-10.

The hitting picked up even more in the second period and the Mavericks finally got on the board at the 13:46 of the second period with what could only be described as a very odd goal. Mavericks forward Matt White shot the puck on the Sioux net, Sioux goalie Aaron Dell made the initial stop and the puck somehow slid under him into the net. After a quick review by the officials, Omaha was awarded a goal. 

The Fighting Sioux were able to score the equalizer at the 01:22 mark of the third period. A Bad turnover by the Mavericks in the defensive zone ended on the stick of Connor Gaarder who fed Carter Rowney, who scored a nice goal from the slot.

After the game, Rowney described his game tying goal. "It was a great goal pass by Gords [Gaarder], I guess, I was coming in high and he got the pass through to me and I had half the net there. Tops to Gords for getting the puck through to me."

It was only fitting that this game would go to overtime. With the Fighting Sioux pressing down low in the Maverick end, the Sioux would turn the puck over to the Maverick forward Matt White who was able to spring Ryan Walters on a breakaway at 01:21 mark of the overtime, shooting the puck past Dell to give the Mavericks a 2-1 win.

When asked about the game winning goal, Fighting Sioux coach Dave Hakstol said, “we got caught puck watching with the two guys in the back end and they got a quick transition play.”

Box Score

Cross Posted at INSIDE HOCKEY...

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Monday, December 05, 2011

Sioux back in the USCHO Poll...

After being absent from the USCHO poll for a couple of weeks The Fighting Sioux UND Hockey team makes an appearance at number 20.


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Friday, December 02, 2011

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

2CHA STANDINGS
Team........................W-L-T.......Points1. Minnesota……………… 8-2-0………..16
2. Minnesota-Duluth…..7-2-1………..15
2. Nebraska-Omaha……6-3-3……….. 15
4. Denver…………………..4-2-3……….. 11
4. Michigan Tech……….5-4-1………..11
6. Colorado College……5-4-0……….. 10
7. St. Cloud St…………...4-4-2……….. 10
8. Wisconsin……………..4-7-1……….. 9
9. North Dakota………..4-6-0………..8
10. Bemidji State………3-6-1……….. 7
11. Alaska-Anchorage…2-7-1………..5
12. Minnesota State……2-7-1……….. 5



WCHA Games
North Dakota @ Alaska-AnchorageLast weekend the Sioux swept the CC Tigers in Grand Forks and the Seawolves took 3-points from the MSU Mavericks in Mankato.

Looking at the numbers the Sioux are a dismal 1-5-0 away from Grand Forks this year, and the Seawolves are 2-3-1 at the Sully this season. I’m giving UND the edge in scoring, now averaging 2.8 goals per game and UAA is at 1.7. Like everyone says, it’s a long trip to Anchorage, and it is, so it can be a factor. SPLIT

#10 Denver @ #8 Colorado College (Friday only)Last weekend the Tigers where swept by the Sioux in Grand Forks and the Pioneers beat Princeton and lost to Miami in Denver.

Game 2 of the Gold Pan. I’m sure the Tiger will be looking for some revenge after losing to DU 5-4 on Nov. 12 and just getting swept on the road. With all big rivalry games, you can throw records, stats, and your opponent out the window. These games are emotional, so however plays the hardest will win. TIGERS WIN.


Bemidji State @ St. Cloud StateLast weekend the Beavers had a free weekend to eat turkey and the Huskies took home 1-point from the UNO Mavericks in Omaha.

The Huskies are still undefeated at the NHC, 3-0-2, and the Beavers are 2-6-0 away from the Beaver pond. HUSKIES 3-PTS


Minnesota State @ #5 MinnesotaLast weekend the Gophers took 1-point from the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing and the MSU Mavericks got 1-point from the Seawolves in Mankato.

Ah, just looking at this match-up it brought the memory of these teams playing that epic playoff series in Mankato about four years ago. That was a good series, and I would like to see some more games like that in this series. Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see that this weekend, the Gophers are good this season, and the Mavericks have been banged up pretty good this year. However, the UM stumbled some last weekend, so maybe the Mavericks can hit them while they are down… GOPHERS SWEEP


#4 Minnesota-Duluth @ #20 Michigan Tech
Last weekend the Bulldogs enjoyed the holiday weekend off and the Huskies split with St. Lawrence Saints in St. Lawrence.

This should be a good series Tech is needed to get a win or two show everyone that the hot start was not just a flash in the pan and that they have staying power. The defending national champs are looking good now, real good. SPLIT.


NON-CONFERENCE
Nebraska-Omaha (7-6-3 overall) @ Alabama-Huntsville (0-14-1 overall)
Last weekend the Mavericks took 3-points from the SCSU Huskies in Omaha and the Chargers lost at U-Mass Lowell 3-0 and lost to New Hampshire 9-1.

The Chargers are not a good teams this year, and I’ll leave it at that. MAVERICKS SWEEP.


BYE WEEK
Wisconsin Badgers

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P.A. and Cardinal talk hockey

If you haven't heard this, here this week's P.A. and Ryan Cardinal, it the weekly segment where they talk college hockey on KFAN. [Click to listen to the show]

I am going to preface this blog post with; I found today’s segment with P.A. and Ryan Cardinal to be very funny and entertaining.

I down load the podcasts daily on my iphone and I listen weekly to the segment with P.A. and Cardinal because there isn’t really a lot of college hockey talk on the radio. 

After being a doormat team for the last three seasons, it appears that the swagger and pride is back in Minnesota’s much maligned hockey program, this will make it much sweeter when the Fighting Sioux North Dakota beats the Golden Gophers again later next month.

The funniest part of the segment was P.A. reading an email from Brad R in Grand Forks, ND; reminding Cardinal that Championships are won in April.

Ryan’s response was, “the problem for his team their season [UND] is going to be done in March. As Sioux fans, they would know what it’s like to come up short, they have done it pretty much annually, losing game they are favored in. So yeah were looking big picture.”

During the segment P.A. keep bringing up a past painful memory for Gophers fans.

Just for the record, the Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey teams "on paper" is heads and tails about the Minnesota State Mavericks hockey team this season, record aside, Minnesota is still 2-5-1 against the Mavericks in their last eight games. Does that mean anything, I don't know? Hockey is also played on the ice and not on paper.

I also agree with Gopher Nation; the Minnesota Gophers are going to be "heavily favored" the next six games that they play in, that being said, that doesn't mean they are just going to walk through these teams like they were at practice. This is the WCHA and the mighty Golden Gophers will have to strap it on and play hockey.

Since the Gophers are back to their winning ways, every team in the WCHA is going to want to take a piece of the "mighty" Gophers, teams are going to play the Gophers very physical and they are going to finish every check, The Golden Gophers are going to get everyone's "A" game. I also don't think Tech is just going to roll over for the Gophers either.
 
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Garrett Clarke released from QMJHL team.

Acadie–Bathurst TitanImage via Wikipedias/t to the Wold of Junior Hockey. Seems like this worked out the best for the Fighting Sioux and in retrospect it appears that it was a good thing that Clarke didn't come to the Fighting Sioux.
Press release --- The Acadie-Bathurst Titan announces they have released 19 yr old defenseman Garrett Clarke for disciplinary reasons.

Clarke had been acquired last season from the Shawinigan Cataractes for a 1st round pick, that pick had then been traded back to the Titan during the off season for Vincent Arseneau.

He had played in 24 games this season, collecting 2 goals and 14 assists.
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Friday, November 25, 2011

Sioux vs Tigers game one lines

North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockeyImage via Wikipedia
Fighting Sioux Forward lines

29 Brock Nelson – 10 Corbin Knight (A) – 7 Danny Kristo
9 Mario Lamoureux (C ) – 27 Carter Rowney –  20 Joe Gleason
21 Brendan O’Donnell – 16 Mark MacMillian – 11 Derek Rodwell
 28 Stephane Pattyn – 13 Connor Gaarder – 15 Michael Parks

Fighting Sioux Defensive Parings

4 Derek Forbort – 24 Ben Blood (A)
2 Andrew MacWilliam (A) – 5  Nick Mattson
18 Dillon Simpson – 22 Andrew Panzarella
Fighting Sioux goalies

32 Aaron Dell
31 Brad Eidsness

Fighting Sioux stats

Tiger Forward lines 

8 Jaden Schwartz – 13 Rylan Schwartz 27 William Rapuzzi (A) 
16 Alexander Krushelnyski – 22 Nick Dineen (C) – 25 Scott Winkler
9 Dakota Eveland 11 David Civitarese (A) – Jeff Collett
12 Archie Skalbeck – 23 Tim Hall 15 – Andrew Hamburg  

Tiger Defensive pairing

10 Gabe Guentzel  (A) – 4 Joe Marciano
6 Peter Stoykewych – 7 Eamonn McDermott
5 Aaron Harstad – 28  Mike Bovin 

Tiger Goalies

39 Josh Thorimbert
28 Joe Howe

Tiger Player Stats

One Ice Officials; Refs: Jonathan Morrison (27), Brian Thul (14) -  AR: Andry Carton (92)  Nathan Freeman (78)

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Tuesday Morning Links

Sidney CrosbyImage via WikipediaThere is a lot of news today in the hockey world. Sidney Crosby made his much anticipated return to the Penguins after missing over 10 months with a concussion. Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron is glad to see Sidney Crosby back in the Penguins line up as well.
“I am happy to hear that not just for him as a hockey player but for him a person first and foremost,” Bergeron said. “I think his health is the most important thing and I’m very happy to hear that. It’s obviously a good thing for the league and good for him.”
The Boston Bruins with their ninth win in a row actually vaulted to the top of the North East Division. Chris Kelly is the Boston Bruins of the week with his solid play. [the Bruins Blog]

Good news for the Fighting Sioux Women's team -> WCHA Offensive Player of the Week Jocelyne Lamoureux Junior, Forward North Dakota. Congrats to Jocelyn Lamoureux.


From the WCHA press release --- The Tigers (7-2-0, 5-2-0 WCHA) and defending WCHA/MacNaughton Cup-champion Fighting Sioux (4-7-1, 2-6-0 WCHA) will hook up at Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634) in Grand Forks on Friday evening at 7:37 pm CT and Saturday night at 7:07 pm CT. This is the only regular season series between CC and UND.

Chris Peters of the United States of Hockey had this to say about the Fighting Sioux.
North Dakota – North Dakota is on this list for all the wrong reasons. The Sioux lost a bunch of firepower from last year’s club, but I don’t think anyone saw this coming. North Dakota is tied for 10th place in the 12-team WCHA with a 2-6-0 conference record to go along with an ugly 4-7-1 record. Adding insult to injury, the Sioux have been swept by rivals Minnesota and Wisconsin already this year. Making matters worse, they’ve just lost freshman phenom Rocco Grimaldi (who’s been hampered by injury all year) for the next 6-8 weeks. More on that in a bit…

Overall, there have been a lot of intriguing things happening in college hockey. Part of that may have to do with the ever-increasing parity. Save a few teams with tremendous records, everyone else has been pretty average. Typical powers like Boston University, Denver and Michigan haven’t been exactly dominant. In fact, each has mostly been average. Perhaps that’s good for college hockey. The fact that any team can win on any given night makes for some exciting match-ups. Expect this season to heat up even more, just in time for it’s national debut on VERSUS (featuring two of the best teams in the country in BC and Notre Dame) on New Year’s Eve.
Apparently the Badgers center Mark Zengerle was less than impressed with the WCHA on ice officials and got a 10 minute misconduct penalty for chirping at the refs. Looking at the box score from the game reveals that Derek Shepherd, Matt Ulwelling were the on ice officials for that game. I can't say that I blame Zengerle, most of us have been upset with the WCHA officiating from time to time.
Sophomore center Mark Zengerle compounded the first episode when he was assessed a 10-minute misconduct penalty for chirping at the officials, a misdeed that resulted in him sitting on the bench 10 minutes once he got out of the penalty box.

"I hope it's a lesson that (Zengerle) remembers," Eaves said.[Madison.com]

Did Zengerle learn his lesson? I was thinking that maybe the quality of the on ice officials could improve. This season the officiating in the WCHA has been confusing, inconsistent and I could see how the players get confused and upset. As a fan, you never know what the referees are going to call from game to game. There is no consistency from the various on ice crews.  What is a penalty one game; isn’t the next weekend.

I hope when the Big Ten Hockey Conference and the NCHC form that the NCHC can start over and acquire new on ice officials, it would be a good time to start fresh in the on ice officials department. Enough is enough, after watching the WCHA on a regular basis since 1993; I have to say that the quality of officiating has degraded to a very low level.

I would caution the newly formed NCHC from entertaining the idea that the current band of WCHA officials will suffice as on ice officials for NCHC play. I don’t care if a certain WCHA official lives in Colorado, let’s pay the extra money as a league and fly someone else in to officiate games in Denver or Colorado Springs.

There are other competent official’s currently officiating hockey games in other levels of hockey, one idea would be to recruit officials from the USHL who have a higher standard of quality than the WCHA.

The referees in the WCHA remind of a bunch of Keystone Kops or a bunch of bumbling buffoons, making stuff up as they go.  College hockey deserves better and it’s time we took action and demand better. The status quo is no longer acceptable.

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