Thursday, April 14, 2016

Grand Forks Herald Letter: Kudos to fans for vocal Fighting Sioux pride



By Barry Jackson Today at 6:00 a.m.
opinion Grand Forks,North Dakota 58203 http://www.grandforksherald.com/sites/all/themes/grandforksherald_theme/images/social_default_image.png Barry Jackson Grand Forks Herald http://www.grandforksherald.com LETTERS: Kudos to fans for vocal Fighting Sioux pride Grand Forks North Dakota 375 2nd Ave. N. 58203 UND's national championship is a well-deserved thumb-in-the-eye to the lords of political correctness, that band of arrogant, self-righteous, can't-mind-their-own-business do-gooders who coerced the NCAA into making UND drop the Fighting Sioux nickname.
The "Fighting Hawks"? Aren't we risking the wrath of PETA or the Audubon Society?
Barry Jackson
Gilbert, Ariz.


This letter to the editor was in today's Grand Forks Herald. Thoughts?

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Fighting Hawks Can Wait

St Paul Pioneer Press sports writer Bob Sansevere interviewed UND forward Brock Boeser after the Frozen Four. One of the things that and one of the things that caught my eye was this. Boeser hits on something that has been a topic of discussion since UND picked Fighting Hawks as their official nickname. I’ve also had a few interesting conversations about the Fighting Hawks and Fighting Sioux nicknames.

Sansevere: There was a lot of controversy about North Dakota being called the Fighting Sioux. Do you like the Fighting Hawks nickname?

Boeser: It’s something not a lot of people like down here. Most people would have preferred the University of North Dakota with no nickname.

Sansevere: Fans were chanting “Let’s go Sioux” and “Sioux forever” in the championship game. Did you hear them?

Boeser: They’ll never change that. All the fans love the team, and there are die-hard Sioux fans.
During the nickname selection debacle, we were told that not having a nickname would be like continuing to use the Fighting Sioux nickname. If UND picked a nickname, the fans would get behind the new nickname. Yeah, that hasn't happened for the UND hockey fans. Some of the other programs have had a smoother transition to the new nickname.

So, this past weekend, the anti-no nickname crowd's theory was shot all to hell. Thousands of UND fans dressed in Fighting Sioux garb chanted "Let's Go Sioux" and "Sioux Forever". I didn't hear one "Let’s Go Hawks" cheer, you probably won't for a very long time.

Even the national media, for the most part still refers to UND as the Fighting Sioux. I am wondering how long before this goes away. It doesn't appear that it's going to happen anytime soon. Let's be clear, I am not suggesting that UND transition back to the Fighting Sioux nickname. It's not going to happen, ever. I am also not a member of the move on crowd either. I have bought two new Fighting Sioux Jersey's in the last year.

Let's not forget, UND wouldn't be able to host an NCAA regional in Fargo, ND if they still under NCAA sanctions and had the Fighting Sioux nickname. Don't forget, UND will again host another regional next season in Fargo. I also think that UND's other programs will eventually benefit from being able to not being under NCAA sanctions.

I am also surprised I haven't seen an editorial in the Grand Forks Herald complaining about the pro-Fighting Sioux nickname crowd chanting "Let's Go Sioux" and "Sioux Forever." And no, UND has a new nickname and the NCAA isn't going to sanction them because their fans are chanting the old nickname. If fans want to cheer Fighting Sioux and wear the old jersey's that protected under the first amendment. That's a line of bull s***.

In conclusion, I also find some irony that immediately after UND selected a new nickname, they went out and won an NCAA title with the new nickname. I don't know what to make of this? I just don't expect the new nickname to catch fire anytime soon. I also think the move on crowd can back off just a bit. I also think it's silly to boo your team every time you hear Fighting Hawks. Some day we might find some middle ground. But for now, all I can say is Fighting Hawks can wait.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Whew, UND Finishes on Top in Final USCHO Poll

Ha, we joked about this yesterday. I am sure that some of the eastern based/biased college hockey media had a tough time putting the University of North Dakota in the top spot of the final poll. That being said, this one was was a slam dunk and a no-brainer. In my humble opinion, think Denver should actually be number two.

Redwing77's Roster Pontifications

by Redwing77

Ok, the first truly successful (by haters' expectations) season since 2000 is over.  And with the afterglow comes the aftermath.  I got to wondering, with the CBS line's dominance, what the team was going to look like next year.  Sorry folks, the CBS line is gone.  Caggiula is a senior and surely Schmaltz and Boeser will sign (more on that later).  So who's coming in and who's leaving?

Let's look:
Here's what I'm doing.  I'm going to list each player who isn't a senior currently by position with a number in parentheses.  The number in parentheses represents my OPINION as to the likelihood of them being an early departure with 1 being almost certainly coming back to 10 which is "only came back on the plane to sign autographs and pack his room up."  Please note that I have no inside information.  This is PURE guesswork on my part.

Goaltenders:
Matej Tomek (3*)
Matt Hyrinkiw (1)
Cam Johnson (2)
Ryan Anderson (1)

Defensemen
Troy Stecher (8)
Tucker Poolman (5)
Keaton Thompson (6)
Paul LaDue (9)
Gage Ausmus (3)
Danys Chartrand (1)
Christian Wolanin (1)
Hayden Shaw (1)

Forwards
Nick Schmaltz (9)
Jonny Simonson (1)
Trevor Olson (1)
Mike Gornall (2*)
Austin Poganski (1)
Brock Boeser (9)
Chris Wilkie (1)
Shane Gersich (1)
Rhett Gardner (1)
Joel Janatuinen (1)
Luke Johnson (1)

The Asterisks
Ok, here's where I deviated a bit.  The two asterisks were on goaltender Matej Tomek and forward Mike Gornall.  If they leave, it would be to transfer, not to go pro.  Gornall is very unlikely, but still... pretty fairly touted forward at the beginning of the season that saw almost no game time.  Tomek only saw game time during exhibitions.  Gornall will probably not transfer because I believe he's a recruited walk on?  But as for Tomek...  this is a kid who is not going to supplant Johnson unless Johnson gets injured.  This means that, assuming Johnson plays well and doesn't turn pro early, Tomek's only shot at being the #1 will come when he's a junior.  For being as highly touted as he was coming into UND, I'm not sure he's going to want to sit around that long.  I'm not sure if UND will push Hyrnkiw down the depth chart because of his strong play this year either.  That's why I'm thinking Tomek may transfer.

The 8s and 9s

I'm told Stecher and LaDue leaving early is almost a certainty.  I can believe LaDue leaving early.  He's older than average and LA was trying hard to get him last year.  Stecher?  He's undrafted and, though he's very good, I'm not sure he's a "jump straight to the NHL" type UFA prospect.  He might come back next year.

Let's face it.  Schmaltz came back to win it all.  They won it all.  Good luck in Chicago, Nick.

Boeser was flat out dominant as a freshman this year.  Only Kyle Conner, imo, did better as a freshman.  I think there's a strong possibility both Boeser and Conner turn pro this offseason.  I think Boeser was a man amongst boys this year and with Vancouver being, well, desperate, they may rush things with Brock.

The outliers
There are three outliers in Keaton Thompson, Tucker Poolman, and Gage Ausmus.  I know that Thompson and Poolman were heavily courted by their teams last year.  I think, now that they've won it all, there will be more pressure brought upon them to sign.  As for Gage, I have no  real reason other than a pure hunch.  I think Gage is the most likely to return of the three.  Poolman next, as he'll probably want to play a year with his brother.

Who's Coming?

Forwards
Cole Smith - As Brad said, he looks to be a Coltyn Sanderson replacement
Ludvig Hoff - Nice forward for Lincoln.  Had 100 points this year.  Not a Boeser or Schmaltz type.  More like perhaps a Wilkie or even Poganski.  Not all that physical but can score.
Tyson Jost - by the hype around him, he's the next Boeser I guess.
Dixon Bowen - Don't know much about him except that he spurned the Fargo Force to join Penticton
Zach Yon - was Fargo's 2nd leading scorer before being traded this year.  With Waterloo, he seemed to me as more of a playmaker rather than scorer.  Schmaltz replacement?

Defensemen:
Colton Poolman - Same as Bowen.  Also younger brother to Tucker Pooman.
Gabe Bast - Don't know much about him either.
Andrew Peski - Played for Tri City.  Didn't notice him much, which might not be a bad thing considering he's a defenseman.
Christian Evers - Played for Lincoln.  He's been injured lately.  Don't know exactly with what.  He's a defensive defenseman.  He seemed pretty solid in that regard.

The "Might be" coming:
Collin Adams (F) and Casey Johnson (D).  Of the two, I think Adams has the best shot at coming in the fall due to numbers.

Summation
UND loses 4 senior forwards and then has another speculated 2 forwards and possibly up to 4 D leaving early for the pros.  There are 5 incoming forwards (1 extra not counting Adams without early departures, 1 short if both Boeser and Schmaltz leave) and 4 defensemen coming in (all extra if there are no early departures).

So what happens if only LaDue and Stecher bolt?  I'm pretty sure that Boeser and Schmaltz will go pro, so perhaps we use that extra slot for one of the 2 extra D coming in.  Does this mean that some of the "less high profile" UND players transfer (such as Gornall and/or Chartrand)?  Maybe it will all be moot.  Or more likely yet, there's another scenario that Berry and crew know about that I don't.

It'll be interesting to see who steps up next year to fill in for the loss of the top line.  I like our depth and goaltending.  It should be interesting... if opening day could just hurry up and get here.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Yes, UND Finishes On Top of the Pairwise Rankings



Last night on Twitter, someone asked the question if UND would finish the season on top of the Pairwise Ranking and the final USCHO rankings. That question caught my interest. So I had to take a look. Well, so far, so good. UND did finish the season on top of the rankings. The final USCHO poll "should" come out tomorrow.

UND Raises No. 8



For the first time in 16 years, the University of NorthDakota is college hockey's National Champion. The 2015-16 team will probably go down as one of the best in UND's storied history. Frozen Four MVP Drake Caggiula will have UND fans will be talking about him 20 from now. 

One historical fact, UND head coach Brad Berry is the first rookie head coach to win an NCAA title his first season. 

Finally, UND wins it all. What had become a yearly punch line, is now again a reality. UND had been to the NCAA’s Frozen Four in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2015 only to come up short each time. With all of the talented players that have come through the doors of the Ralph, none of them had won it all. Until this season.There's some good news, this year, there will not be a thread suggesting UND fire the head coach. 

From day one, this team has been on a mission. They’ve been focused on one thing. Winning an NCAA title. They talked about it on a weekly basis. 

Think about this, 60 teams started the season with the goal of winning an NCAA title. Only one team will end their season with that important win. Last night, the 2015-16 UND hockey team did that. They accomplished the one thing that eluded this team for 16 years.The closed the deal. 

How special was this team? They were at the top of the NCAA in a lot of offensive and defensive categories. They had one of the best possession numbers in the country all season long. UND started the season with 11 freshmen. They were one of the youngest teams in the NCAA. 

In the NCAA playoffs, UND outscored their opponents 20-7. That’s impressive based on who they played. Their path to the national title went through some tough teams with great players: they went through Northeastern, Michigan, Denver and finally Quinnipiac. No one can say that got an easy game. 

In conclusion: what makes this win even more special is how the national hockey media fawned all over Quinnipiac all season long, week in, week out. But in the end, UND proved that they were the best team in the nation. 


I honestly think that the three best teams that I saw this season were in the NCHC, SCSU, UND, and Denver. I also think that UMD was a very tough team that could have beaten Boston College in their regional final. 

Saturday, April 09, 2016

Frozen Four Lines: North Dakota vs. Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac (32-3-7)

Forward Lines
7 Sam Anas-26 Travis St. Denis-16 Landon Smith
24 Bo Pieper-19 Tanner MacMaster-12 Thomas Aldworth
39 Andrew Taverner-23 Tommy Schutt-17 K.J. Tiefenwerth
18 Soren Jonzzon-11 Tim Clifton-22 Scott Davidson

Defense Parings
6 Devon Toews-27 Kevin McKernan
13 Chase Priskie-4 Connor Clifton
14 Derek Smith-8 Alex Miner-Barron

Goalies
34 Michael Garteig
29 Sean Lawrence
35 Jacob Meyers

North Dakota (33-6-4)

Forward Lines
9 Drake Caggiula-8 Nick Schmaltz-16 Brock Boeser
29 Bryn Chyzyk-22 Rhett Gardner-14 Austin Poganski
25 Joel Janatuinen-26 Coltyn Sanderson-17 Colten St. Clair
19 Shane Gersich-10 Johnny Simonson-11 Trevor Olson
Defense Parings
3 Tucker Poolman-6 Paul LaDue
20 Gage Ausmus-2 Troy Stecher
24 Christian Wolanin-4 Keaton Thompson

Goalies
33 Cam Johnson
30 Matt Hrynkiw



There will be some lineup changes for UND. First, as we feared, Luke Johnson is out, he was wearing a very big brace (see screen shot from snap chat video). That doesn't look good. Tonight, UND will miss Johnson's faceoff prowess. 

Second: Colten St. Clair will take Johnson's place in the lineup. There’s no way he could play. Hopefully, he will be ready next season. Haden Shaw is out and Christian Wolanin takes his place in the lineup. There are two (Coltyn and Colten) on the third line.  

It will be interesting to see if UND tests the injured shoulder of Bobcats forward Sam Anas'. If I was UND, they should check him, legally, every chance they get. 



Former UND Hockey Players Check In






I love this picture. So fitting.









It's Game Day: UND vs. QU



Good luck to the University of North Dakota hockey team as they go for eight. Here are some of the stories making the news today. Tonight, UND is looing to raise it's eighth banner.






Friday, April 08, 2016

Alex Tuch: Stay in School

Now that the Boston College Eagles season is over, there's going to be extensive chatter on whether Alex Tuch should sign with the Minnesota Wild.
Lastly, according to sources, first-round pick Alex Tuch will take a few days to let the emotions die down before deciding with his family and advisor if he should turn pro with the Wild.(Mike Russo, Russo's Rants)
Here's some advice, stay school. After listening to many ex-college hockey players talk about how they wished they had stayed in college for another year. What's the hurry?

Last night, during the pre-game former Fighting Sioux All-American Zach Parise, talked about how he wished he'd stayed in college for another year. Can you imagine if he had?

Frozen Four: North Dakota 4 Denver 2



Tonight, the University of North Dakota won a Frozen Four semifinal for the first time since 2005. UND has exercised some demons and finally gotten over the hump in the Frozen Four. I will be posting more later tomorrow. (Here's the link to the goals for UND)

In my opinion, it looks better on paper, UND is now 2-9 in the last eight visits to the Frozen Four.




I want to address this. First, this is a penalty. It could've been a five-minute major. It wasn't. Nowhere did I say that it wasn't a penalty. I don't think that Trevor Olson hit the ice again after this penalty. I also wouldn't be surprised to see him in the stands on Saturday night. There's also a reason I muted this guy.










Wednesday, April 06, 2016

Whoops, They did it again.



One of my Facebook friends had this on her Facebook page today. Seriously, why does this happen all of the time? EDIT: This was an unlicensed vender, but still.

Mike McFeely on UND Hockey and NDSU Football

It must be that time of year again. Checking the calendar, it's the month of April and the Bison Football vs. UND hockey comparison is again making the newspapers and blogs. Everyone's favorite Fargo Radio host Mike McFeely has this interesting blog post this morning.

Honestly, I have never really liked UND fans calling NDSU's football program JV. First, let's not forget, UND also has a JV football team and UND third-year head coach Bubba is doing a great job resurrecting a team that was left for dead after the last head coach ran the program into the ground. Now, checking the results the last five years, their JV football team is better than ours.

UND's record isn't even .500 and the Bison have won back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back NCAA FCS championships. That's pretty impressive in any league. While I don't care for the NDSU football team, I must tip my hat to them. They're a powerhouse in FCS football. I suspect that Bubba will have UND's football team playing at an elite level in the not too distant future.
During the football season, UND hockey fans derisively refer to the Bison as a junior varsity or “JV” team because they compete in the Football Championship Subdivision of NCAA Division I, not the highest level of Football Bowl Subdivision. FBS is home of big-time conferences like the Big Ten, Big 12, Southeastern Conference, etc. (McFeely)


On the flip side of the coin, we have this argument.
During the hockey season, Bison fans belittle UND hockey as a team competing in a low-profile sport relatively few Americans care about. They point to dismal attendance at NCAA regional sites, low TV ratings and the small number of Division I hockey programs and say, “Hockey is a regional niche sport that few outside passionate hockey towns care about. UND is a big fish in a really small pond.”
Let's face facts, hockey is a unique sport, it's the one sport where a division III school can beat the big boys. Rarely if ever, does this happen in FBS college football. I am not sure that NDSU would ever beat Michigan in football, but UND did so in hockey.

Two weeks ago, while wearing a Fighting Sioux jersey at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, I had many Jets fans come up and complement my jersey. I doubt that few Canadians know who the NDSU Bison are. I wonder if we should just go to our corners and agree to disagree? I don't think we will ever move on until we do.

Saturday, April 02, 2016

Ducan Keith Suspended Six Games For Slash On Charlie Coyle

You can watch the video here.

 The hearing is over, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Ducan Keith has been suspended for six games. In my opinion, that suspension is a joke. This should be a 10-15 game suspension.

The conspiracy theorist will say since Keith is a star player on the Blackhawks, he's been afforded some leeway by the NHL. It almost appears that this is the truth. If the NHL is serious about removing thuggery from the game, they would punish the star players more severely.

First, this isn't the first time that Keith has viciously slashed someone during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. If you haven't seen it, Keith viciously slashed Jeff Carter of the L.A. Kings. Nowhere, in any league of hockey is it acceptable to slash a player in the face with your stick.

For those that are defending this hit. Don't. This bush league hit is indefensible. This is a barbaric, thuggish, dangerous act. The cross check was labeled as a light hit by the NHL. I agree. There was no slew foot, either. Even if there was, there's no defending this hit. If a third line player had slashed Charlie Coyle we would be seeing a long suspension.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

DCU Center Defends NCAA Hockey Attendance

I have to chuckle when I read this article. Apparently, Sandra Dunn, who's part of the management team company that runs the DCU Center, thinks that the NCAA North East Regional that was held in Worcester, Massachusetts last weekend was successful. Uh, okay.  
For Finals - 62% of Seats Were Empty

Worcester’s attendance for the two games on Friday was 6,682 — just over half the seats were filled. For the regional final, despite regional favorite and national power Boston College playing, the attendance dropped from Friday to just 4,572 — 62 percent of the seats were unsold.

“This was the 14th regional held at the DCU Center. Worcester is held in high esteem with the NCAA including a variety of records like “Most Hockey Tournament Games by any Arena (2012)”, “Most Regional Games by any Arena (45)” and “Largest Crowd for a Session (1999)”. In fact, we hold 4 of the top 5 most attended Regionals in NCAA history,” said Dunn.
Actually, if you think about it, Ms. Dunn is probably right. The NCAA loves to play in listless, empty buildings. This regional championship had more fans attend it than the West Regional Championship that was held at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. So, I guess we can look at this as being successful.

Honestly, I think it's funny. Boston College is a 45-minute bus ride from DCU Center in Worcester, MA. Can't they fill up the DCU Center? Apparently not.

Dave Hakstol: We've Seen this Act Before

In the offseason, we saw head coach Dave Hakstol make the transition from the University of North Dakota to the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL. Naturally, as a UND fan, I have watched Hakstol's Flyers with great interest this season. However, last season, I would've had to take a shower after saying that. Times have changed for me.

As a Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild fan I have to admit, that in the past, I hadn't been much of a Flyers fan. I've always looked at them as being a dirty team that happens to play in the Eastern conference. However, like many UND fans, I had to see how Hakstol's transition in Philadelphia, went. They Flyers have also piqued my interest. They're an exciting young team that plays the game the right way. They also have boughten into Hakstol's systems and are playing an exciting brand high-octane hockey.

So, during the season, I have watched the Flyers play a couple of times a week. I've even gotten eight-year-old daughter, semi-interested in Hak's Flyers. They're like our third favorite team.

During Hakstol's tenure at UND, his teams tended to start out slow and peak during the end of the season going into the playoffs. Hak's first season in Philly has also transpired the same way.
Sam Carchidi, Philly.Com -- After a slow start, the Flyers are 21-9-6 since returning from a winless West Coast trip after the holiday break. That type of upswing was part of the coach's resumé at North Dakota, where his teams showed marked improvement in the second half of the season.

In his 11 seasons at North Dakota, Hakstol's teams were 113-73-19 (.598) before Christmas and a staggering 176-69-24 (.699) after Christmas.

"There's so many different stories to those years," Hakstol said the other night. "We were building a completely new team every year, and I don't care how many players you have back; we had anywhere from half our team being rookies during that stretch to a veteran-laden team. But you're building a new team every year there. The same approach here: Show up. Work to win games. Work to get better. Every week, every month - and make sure you're playing your best hockey at the critical time of the year, which is now."
This season, the Flyers weren't expected to make the playoffs, and they were said to be missing a few key parts to make a run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I think that Hakstol should be one of the top candidates for the Jack Adams Award for the NHL's coach of the year.

No matter what Hakstol's team does in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I think it's safe to say that he's found a home in Philadelphia.

Spenser Penrose Award Finalists Announced

Here are the eight finalists for the Spencer Penrose Award. University of North Dakota head coach Brad Berry is one of the eight finalists. Coach Berry lead his team to a 32-6-4 record. Also, Berry's team won a National Collegiate Hockey Conference Penrose Cup and a Midwest regional championship. If you're keeping track at home, all four of the coaches from the Frozen Four are on the list.

Spencer Penrose Award finalists

Brad Berry, North Dakota
Jim Montgomery, Denver
Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac
Frank Serratore, Air Force
Nate Leaman, Providence
Jerry York, Boston College
Red Berenson, Michigan
Mel Pearson, Michigan Tech

Hobey Hat Trick Announced


The Hobey Hat Trick, has finally been announced. Here are your three candidates. Famed CCM line member, Michigan Wolverines  freshman forward Kyle Connor, Boston College Eagles All-Hockey East junior goalie Thatcher Demko. And finally, Harvard senior forward Jimmy Vesey have made the Hobey Baker Memorial Trophy Hat Trick Finalists.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

(Video) Duncan Keith Slash on Charlie Coyle; Dumba & Shaw Fight

You can watch the video here.

First, Chicago Defenseman Duncan Keith's dirty slash on Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle is unacceptable. I know that the Blackhawks fans are going to disagree with me, but there's no excusing that dirty slash. That's an intent to injure. Nothing Coyle did justifies being slashed like that, Keith could have severely injured Coyle with that gutless act.

Hopefully, the NHL will hand down a harsh sentence. Keith should receive at least a five-game suspension. However, because Keith is a Blackhawk and a star player, he will probably get a one-game suspension if we're lucky. If I was the head of Department of Players Safety, it would be at least a 10-game suspension. This is a bush league act and there's no excuse for this.

Apparently, Patrick Kane can't fight is own battles. First, the hit by Matt Dumba on Kane was a clean, hard, legal hit. (You can take a look for yourself). Nice Dumba beat Andrew Shaw, it was a good fight.