The weather makes it seem as if it’s March outside. Actually, there’s less than two months till the Frozen Faceoff at the Target Center. The year is clicking along and soon the playoffs will be here.
Here are a few links to get you ready for game time.
UND Will be Ready for Tigers
UND Looks to Scratch out Wins against the Tigers
Friday Gameday: It's Time to Stretch
CC hockey gets another crack at No. 2 North Dakota
UND MEN’S HOCKEY: A special teams focus
Friday, January 23, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Dougie Hamilton Fights Gabriel Landeskog (Video)
Being a Minnesota Wild apologist, I was very happy to see this. In my personal opinion, this was long overdue.
Finally, someone decided to collect the bill with Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog. For those keeping track at home, this was the first professional fight for Boston Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Philadelphia Flyers: Forward Zac Rinaldo on his game misconduct
In the post-game media scrum, Zac Rinaldo said, "I changed the whole game."
I am going to predict that Zac Rinaldo will have the book thrown at him for his dirty hit on Kris Letang. I am going to say that he gets at least a 6-8 game suspension he deserves more. Rinaldo is a repeat offender so he "should" be suspended 10 games.
I didn't intend to hurt Kris tonight. I'm very sorry I did. At no point did I ever "joke" about such a thing. These reports are untrue.
— Zac Rinaldo (@RinaldoZac) January 21, 2015
* Zac Rinaldo - Supplemental Discipline History *
#NHLonNBC #RivalryNight pic.twitter.com/hjP3eOb73v
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 22, 2015
Minnesota Wild to get an Outdoor Game
As I just said on @NBCSN pre-game show, expectation is NHL will announce this weekend outdoor games next season for COL and MIN.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 22, 2015
It appears that the Minnesota Wild are finally getting an outdoor game next winter. This is good news for Minnesota Wild fans. First thing that popped into my head: is there's going to be a college hockey outdoor game as well? I am hoping.
MIN's opponent expected to be CHI; COL's opponent expected to be DET. BOS, of course, will host MTL on Jan. 1 in Winter Classic in Foxboro.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 22, 2015
BLOG: #mnwild's Stadium-Series game could be the icing on a weeklong cake http://t.co/HLkcPJG4F3 #nhl #blackhawks #gophers #iawild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 22, 2015
Related articles
The Student Section: World Juniors Episode #10(hockeywilderness.com)
A Bear and Rabbit go to a Hockey Game
Move over Dallas furries. Winnipeg has our own. A bear and a bunny. @ @IllegalCurve @VermyFox @DarioMouse pic.twitter.com/o7KBmjSvHV
— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) January 22, 2015
s/t to the Illegal Curve. This one was too good to pass up.
NCHC Three Things
With six teams in conference play this weekend, Duluth in non conference play, and NCHC leader,
Omaha, off, this is a big weekend for the six teams in NCHC play to gain some ground in the conference standings. So here are three things I believe will come out of this weekend.
1. North Dakota Puts Offense on Display
The final series of an entire month at home, UND looks to close out this homestand just one point behind Omaha, who sits at 29 points on the season. Last time North Dakota met Colorado College this season, Colorado Springs got a good taste of what the UND offense has with UND outscoring CC 10-3 on the weekend, including a 7-2 victory in the Saturday night game. With scoring coming equally on all four lines for UND, I'd expect them to score plenty of goals once again this weekend and take a sweep of CC into their battle in Omaha next weekend.
2. Miami Returns to Winning Ways
Miami had a rough weekend in St. Cloud in their last week of play and were swept by the Huskies. Their off week last weekend couldn't have come at a better time to regroup and refocus to finish out the stretch run strong and healthy, and with their series against Denver at home this weekend, I expect a successful weekend for the Red Hawks. One game will be close and possibly take overtime because Denver is always a tough opponent and very good this season, but Miami comes out hard Friday night and will win by more than one goal.
3. Western Michigan Continues to Roll
Since late November, the Western Michigan Broncos have been on a roll. at 7-1-2 since November 28, they have been one of the top teams in the conference and are finding success as they look to make another return trip to Minneapolis this March. With now only seven points back of third place North Dakota, this is a team who could possibly keep rolling into home ice once the NCHC playoffs start this March. There recent success will continue into St. Cloud this weekend as they take battle with the toughest sub 500 team in the country. This will be the series to watch in the NCHC this weekend.
1. North Dakota Puts Offense on Display
The final series of an entire month at home, UND looks to close out this homestand just one point behind Omaha, who sits at 29 points on the season. Last time North Dakota met Colorado College this season, Colorado Springs got a good taste of what the UND offense has with UND outscoring CC 10-3 on the weekend, including a 7-2 victory in the Saturday night game. With scoring coming equally on all four lines for UND, I'd expect them to score plenty of goals once again this weekend and take a sweep of CC into their battle in Omaha next weekend.
2. Miami Returns to Winning Ways
Miami had a rough weekend in St. Cloud in their last week of play and were swept by the Huskies. Their off week last weekend couldn't have come at a better time to regroup and refocus to finish out the stretch run strong and healthy, and with their series against Denver at home this weekend, I expect a successful weekend for the Red Hawks. One game will be close and possibly take overtime because Denver is always a tough opponent and very good this season, but Miami comes out hard Friday night and will win by more than one goal.
3. Western Michigan Continues to Roll
Since late November, the Western Michigan Broncos have been on a roll. at 7-1-2 since November 28, they have been one of the top teams in the conference and are finding success as they look to make another return trip to Minneapolis this March. With now only seven points back of third place North Dakota, this is a team who could possibly keep rolling into home ice once the NCHC playoffs start this March. There recent success will continue into St. Cloud this weekend as they take battle with the toughest sub 500 team in the country. This will be the series to watch in the NCHC this weekend.
NHL Mid Season Awards
Hart Trophy (NHL MVP): Rick Nash: New York Rangers
Now although Rick Nash is not leading the league in the major individual categories, he has been the prime reason for the success the Rangers are having this season. Nash is 15th in the NHL with 43 points, tied for the NHL lead in goals at 28, and 10th in the NHL in plus/minus at a +18 rating. The Rangers are sitting third in the Metropolitan Division just five points back of division leader, and in state rival, the New York Islanders. It is easy to say Nash is the catalyst to the Rangers first half success and will continue being that for the Rangers as the season continues down the stretch towards the playoffs.
James Norris Memorial Trophy (NHL Top Defenseman) Mark Giordano: Calgary Flames
Well, I think it is safe to say nobody expected the Flames to have as much success this season as they are right now and much of that is due to the outstanding defensive play or Giordano. Not only is he a factor of keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard, his +21 rating shows that he is a force when it comes to scoring goals too. He leads NHL defensemen in points (39), third in assists (28), tied for fifth in goals (11) and is second in plus/minus, only behind teammate TJ Brodie. I think it is safe to say Mark Giordano has earned this honor at the mid season point.
Vezina Trophy (NHL Top Goalie) Pekka Rinne: Nashville Predators
Pekka Rinne has been amazing between the pipes for Nashville in the first half of the season. Although he recently has been sidelined with injury, he still holds four more victories than any NHL goaltender with 29 in 37 games played this season. He is also second in goals against (1.96), which is also the only other goalie in the NHL below a GAA of 2. Rinne is third in save percent (.931) and sixth in shutouts (3). The numbers speak for themselves, now lets see if he can keep it up once he returns from injury.
Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward) Jonathan Toews: Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are one of the top teams in the NHL once again this sesaon and their defense is one of the main reasons for their success, and Jonathan Toews is leading the defensive charge with all forwards. The Hawks as a whole are one of the top defensive teams in the league this season, just allowing 105 goals on the season. Captain Jonathan Toews, with a +15 rating always does the little things right and is not afraid to battle below the goal line and in the corners. He also is a top penalty killer for Chicago and a big part of that is because of his ability to win key faceoffs.
Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) Filip Forsberg: Nashville Predators
Forsberg leads every major category for skaters among all rookies. The kid has turned heads of the entire NHL and has instantly become a major part of the Nashville line-up. His 40 points have him six points ahead of Johnny "hockey" Gaudreau in Calgary. Forsberg is the future face of the Predators and will be among the top scorers in the NHL for many years to come if he can keep this dynamic style of play up.
Forsberg leads every major category for skaters among all rookies. The kid has turned heads of the entire NHL and has instantly become a major part of the Nashville line-up. His 40 points have him six points ahead of Johnny "hockey" Gaudreau in Calgary. Forsberg is the future face of the Predators and will be among the top scorers in the NHL for many years to come if he can keep this dynamic style of play up.
Jack Adams Award ( Coach of the Year) Peter Laviolette: Nashville Predators
After the departure for the only coach in Nashville Predators history, Barry Trotz, Nashville was put up to the task of finding a replacement for the long tenured coach and Peter Laviolette was that answer. Last season, Nashville was one of the worst teams in the NHL, and with some off-season additions, or trades last year by gaining James Neal, the light at the end of the tunnel was near. Peter Laviolette has turned this ship around, at least for now, and has this team at number one in the NHL. Even with the falling of Pekka Rinne, the Predators continue to roll, and much of that is the players have the trust in Laviolette's system and trust him in his methods.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Who Wins the Super Bowl? (Online Poll)
Retweet for Patriots 🏈
Favorite for Seahawks 🏈 pic.twitter.com/f2RKohiyrB
— Athlete Tweets™ (@AthleteTweetsO) January 20, 2015
Who wins the Super Bowl? Go.. I am going with the New England Patriots. I used to live west of Boston and actually went to a game in Foxboro. That was a while ago.
Who wins the Superbowl?
Zac Rinaldo Boards Kris Letang
First, this is an awful, nasty hit. I know it's been said before, but these are the types of hits that need to be removed from the game of hockey, forever.
Since Zac Rinaldo is a repeat offender (he's been suspended by the NHL for a total of six games) he could get hit with a lengthy suspension. I know, this sounds like groundhog day.
For those keeping track at home, Rinaldo was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
First I realize that hockey is a contact sport that everything happens at a very high rate of speed, but Rinaldo had no other intention, but to take out Kris Letang. I don't think we can blame the victim on this one. (Zac Rinaldo's Suspension History)
Apr 07, 2014
|
Suspended by the NHL
for 4 games.
|
Feb 13, 2012
|
Suspended by the NHL
for 2 games.
|
Feb 04, 2012
|
Fined $5,000 by the
NHL.
|
Friday's game between UND and C.C. at 7:07 PM CT
Our @CBSSportsNet schedule resumes this Friday w/ #2 @UNDmhockey hosting @CC_Hockey1 at 8pm ET at @TheREA #NCHCHockey pic.twitter.com/SsFFLF7pxH
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) January 20, 2015
For those that haven't looked at the schedule, that UND's game on Friday is at 7:07 PM CT.
Monday, January 19, 2015
UND Second in USCHO Poll
USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
January
19, 2015
|
Team
|
(First
Place Votes)
|
Record
|
Points
|
Last
Poll
|
|
|
1
|
Minnesota State
|
(42)
|
18-
4-1
|
992
|
1
|
|
2
|
North Dakota
|
(
7)
|
16-
5-2
|
941
|
3
|
|
3
|
Boston University
|
13-
4-4
|
874
|
2
|
|
|
4
|
Harvard
|
(
1)
|
11-
3-2
|
820
|
4
|
|
5
|
Massachusetts-Lowell
|
15-
5-3
|
762
|
6
|
|
|
6
|
Bowling Green
|
14-
4-4
|
705
|
7
|
|
|
7
|
Minnesota-Duluth
|
13-
8-1
|
695
|
5
|
|
|
8
|
Nebraska-Omaha
|
15-
6-3
|
670
|
8
|
|
|
9
|
Miami
|
14-
8-0
|
607
|
9
|
|
|
10
|
Michigan Tech
|
16-
7-1
|
527
|
11
|
|
|
11
|
Denver
|
13-
7-1
|
507
|
13
|
|
|
12
|
Vermont
|
15-
6-2
|
434
|
10
|
|
|
13
|
Yale
|
11-
4-2
|
326
|
18
|
|
|
14
|
Merrimack
|
13-
6-2
|
289
|
20
|
|
|
15
|
Colgate
|
14-
7-1
|
246
|
15
|
|
|
16
|
Michigan
|
13-
7-0
|
235
|
19
|
|
|
17
|
Minnesota
|
11-
7-2
|
228
|
16
|
|
|
18
|
Providence
|
14-
8-1
|
214
|
14
|
|
|
19
|
Boston College
|
13-
8-2
|
193
|
17
|
|
|
20
|
Quinnipiac
|
15-
8-1
|
182
|
12
|
|
|
Others receiving votes: Robert
Morris 45, Western Michigan 5, Penn State 2, Mercyhurst 1.
|
|||||
The latest USCHO.COM poll is out. Five NCHC teams are in the top-15 spots.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
(Video) Eddie Wittchow blows up Leon Bristedt
There was a little excitement to finish Saturday's game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Gophers. Wiscon's Eddie Wittchow was given five-minute major and a game disqualification for contact-to-the-head on Leon Bristedt. That's what the final box score said.
I think there's a chance that Wittchow could get a game suspension for this hit, it was high.
WIS-13 Eddie Wittchow (5-Contact to the Head) 19:29
WIS-14 Eddie Wittchow (10-Disqualification) 19:29
MIN-13 Mike Reilly (5-Contact to the Head) 19:29
MIN-14 Mike Reilly (10-Game Misconduct) 19:29
Saturday, January 17, 2015
UND Sweeps Niagara - Traditional Circle of Sticks
This weekend, four UND players had two goal games (Mike Parks, Mark MacMillan, Bryn Chzyk and Austin Poganski), one player (Stephane Pattyn) had a goal each night.
UND vs. Niagara lines
Same lineup tonight as last night. UND goes for it's second sweep at home. So hopefully, we will see the traditional circle of sticks tonight. Copy Right Dan Hammer.
NCHC Suspends Omaha’s O’Rourke and UMD’s Toninato (Video)
The NCHC took action against two of it's players today following incidents from Friday night's games. If I come across video, I will post it.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has issued suspensions to both Omaha senior defenseman Brian O’Rourke and Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Dominic Toninato, in accordance with the conference’s supplemental discipline policy, the NCHC announced Saturday, Jan. 17. The suspensions stem from illegal hits during their respective games on Friday, Jan. 16.
O’Rourke was suspended two games after a review of the play in which direct contact to the head was made with a Colorado College player at 5:32 of the first period of UNO’s game against CC Friday. O’Rourke was assessed a five-minute major penalty for interference on the play. O’Rourke will miss Saturday’s series finale with the Tigers, as well as Omaha’s next game on Friday, Jan. 30 against North Dakota. He is eligible to return on Saturday, Jan. 31 in the series finale with UND.
Toninato was suspended one game following a review of the play in which knee-on-knee contact was made with a Western Michigan player at 13:31 of the first period of Friday’s game with the Broncos. Toninato was issued a five-minute major for kneeing on the play. He will be required to serve the suspension during Saturday’s series finale with WMU and is eligible to return next weekend, Jan. 23 against Bemqidji State in the North Star College Cup.
Dan Carcillo Is up to His Old Tricks
It will be interesting to see how the NHL responds to this moronic cross-check by Chicago Black Hawks goon Dan Carcillo on Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault. Apparently, the Jets aren't very happy with this bush league cross-check, either. Frankly, I don't blame them. Perreault left the game with an injury as a result of this dirty hit.
Personally, I don't have a problem with goons, but Carcillo is a hockey player that we could do without.
Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun -- But the fallout from Friday's game includes the loss of red-hot Jets forward Mathieu Perreault to an apparent arm injury after taking a vicious slash from Blackhawks winger Daniel Carcillo late in the second period.I predict that this will be a five-game suspension.
Carcillo received a slashing minor, but the Jets didn't even get a power play, since Mark Scheifele was called for slashing.
“It was a vicious cross-check to an unsuspecting player,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, who said Perreault would be further evaluated on Saturday. “This was as big a character win as we've had since I've been here.”
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