BSU vs. UND, Game 2

Dixon Bowen is in for Cole Smith. The rest of the lineup is the same. No changes. Brock Boeser now has 10 points after four games.

Check out the highlights from last night's game... Both teams put in good efforts and UND used their skill to take the game away from BSU. I also thought UND got a huge break on the penalty shot.

UND vs. BSU, Game 1

I noticed that there're a few changes in the lineup, defenseman Christian Wolanin is out of the lineup tonight. If I get any information on that I will post an update. Also, Rhett Gardner is back after being out of the lineup the last two games. Gardner has a lower-body injury. Finally, Dixon Bowen is a scratch. 

The Jet's Laine Scores the Game-Winning Goal Against the Leafs

In my humble opinion, Patrick Laine and Auston Matthews are the two  best rookie forwards in the NHL this season. Another game, another great effort by Auston Matthews. However, the fact remains, they're the same old Toronto Maple Leafs that can't hold a lead. Once again, they score four goals and then blow a four goal lead. Laine scored his first ever career hat trick including this beautiful game-winning goal to sink the Leafs. In three games, Laine has scored (4g-2a—6pts).

NDSU President Wants Fans to Discontinue 'Racist' Chant

I've never understood why NDSU fans still chant Sioux Suck? NDSU  fans chanted that after their favorite team won a NCAA FCS title in 2016.

Think about it, UND has played NDSU once in football since 2003. Apparently, the much maligned NDSU president Dean Bresciani is tired of the chant and wants NDSU fans to discontinue this practice. I imagine if UND ends up in the Summit League, Bresciani will hear that cheer a lot more.

Frankly, I think it's a dumb chant, too. I think that chant lacks originality. Same goes for the F#(K the Bison up the @$$, neither chant took a lot of thought. I guess no one told the fans that UND dropped the name Fighting Sioux back in 2012. Of course, Fighting Hawks suck probably doesn't have the same ring to it. Right?

Don't worry NDSU fans, there are many UND fans that think that name sucks, too. Now that being said, I realize this is a college sporting event. There’s going to be bad behavior and coarse language. That’s life.  I also love explaining to my nine-year-old what the fans are saying. Finally, UND fans are disrespecting the Fighting Sioux nickname like the NDSU fans are.

A letter to the editor in the campus newspaper, The Spectrum, calling for an end to the chant has prompted leaders at NDSU, including President Dean Bresciani, to urge students and others to end the tradition.

"We suspect people are continuing this chant out of a misplaced sense of tradition, and we are asking any who do so to re-evaluate their participation," an email sent Friday, Oct. 14 to the campus community said. The joint email was signed by Bresciani, the student body president, the presidents of the faculty and staff senates and several other top administrators.

"We challenge anyone using hateful, thoughtless language to reflect on that language," the email said. "We believe that people continuing to use these chants are not understanding that these chants are hurtful; they do not reflect the aspiration of NDSU to be a welcoming community." ( Patrick Springer, Grand Forks Herald)

Or buddies at the Spectrum are back and Erik Jonasson weighed in on the matter. Take a look at some of the comments at the bottom of the story. In all seriousness, that's the best cheer that you can come up with?

Erik Jonasson II of the NDSU Spectrum writes – Be it the band or football team, NDSU truly dominated the Fargodome this past Saturday.

In between the awful overpriced food, drunk children and chants of “F—k Iowa” it is hard to not hear the other chant:

“Sioux suck shit.”

Look I am not claiming to be a smart person. I am not a Midwesterner either. On a good hot-dish day I might be a Minnesotan.

Be that as it may, I don’t understand why you guys call it pop. I also don’t understand why you insist on reciting this terribly racist chant.

This chant is embedded in the fact that our only true competition for best university in the state comes from our neighbors to the north, the University of North Dakota.

Oh my. Look who chimed on this matter. I wonder if he knows the difference between NDSU and UND? He probably thinks this is UND's fault, but I digress.

UND No. 1 in USCHO Poll

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

October 17, 2016

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	North Dakota	(50)	3- 0-0	1000	1
2	Minnesota-Duluth		3- 1-2	862	4
3	Notre Dame		3- 1-0	816	5
4	Quinnipiac		2- 1-1	814	3
5	Massachusetts-Lowell		2- 0-2	766	8
6	Denver		2- 2-0	710	10
7	Minnesota		2- 0-0	702	9
8	Boston University		1- 2-0	624	2
9	Minnesota State		4- 0-0	611	14
10	Boston College		2- 2-0	573	6
11	Michigan		2- 1-0	441	13
12	St. Lawrence		3- 1-0	434	15
13	Harvard		0- 0-0	428	12
14	St. Cloud State		0- 2-0	296	7
15	Providence		1- 2-0	255	11
16	Yale		0- 0-0	207	17
17	Northeastern		1- 1-2	185	16
18	Bemidji State		4- 0-0	170	NR
19	Ohio State		1- 0-2	157	19
20	Omaha		2- 0-0	105	NR
Others receiving votes: Western Michigan 82, Maine 75, Miami 38, Air Force 31, Penn State 28, Holy Cross 25, Cornell 17, Wisconsin 16, Connecticut 10, Lake Superior 6, Army 5, Clarkson 5, Dartmouth 3, Bowling Green 2, Rochester Institute of Technology 1.

Like my buddy of mine said, you don't win banners for being number one in the polls during the month of October. I don't even know if I would put UND as the number one team in the nation.  Polls are fun to look at and are basically meaningless when you have teams that haven't played a game yet ranked in the top-20.


Read more: at USCHO.COM 

Grand Forks Herald Letter: Fighting Hawks end UND's logo curse

From today's letter to the editor, Travis Oliver from Crookston, Minnesota says that the old Fighting Sioux logo was cursed. Thoughts?

To sum up, Ben Brien's Sioux head logo never won a NCAA national title. All the great players, all the great teams—and that logo cursed them.

Sure, it's possible that UND wasn't cursed, and they lost those games for other reasons. But the next time you look up at the eight national-title banners hanging in the Ralph, realize that not only were none of them won with that logo, but the two most recent wins bookend the logo's use.

These are the exact elements that make up curses throughout sports history.

UND fans still despise the NCAA for taking the Sioux logo. Seems disrespectful to me, to hate the very organization that supplies you with what you cherish most: national titles.

Jonathan Toews Versus. James Neal

Former Fighting Sioux All-Amerian Jonathan Toews isn't paid to get into fights, but he isn't afraid to defend himself either. Especially, if he's getting cheap shotted. Last night, Toews had enough of James Neal and agreed to fight.   According to Hockey Fights, Toews has been in 6 NHL hockey fights.

HOF Game: UND vs. RPI

There are some changes to the lineup tonight. UND's Rhett Gardner will be out for tonight's game. He's listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Chase Perry starts in net for RPI tonight. He's the son of former UND goalie, Craig Perry. Cole Smith makes his UND debut.

Jordan Kawaguchi Might Be the First

When a University of North Dakota hockey player makes a commitment they usually send out a tweet thanking those that helped them along the way. I believe that Jordan Kawaguchi is one the first ones to make this tweet.

Extremely happy to say I am going to be a North Dakota Fighting Hawk. Very thankful for everyone who helped me along the way! #UND

— Jordan Kawaguchi (@Guch_28) October 13, 2016

The Carson Wentz Phenomenon

Embed from Getty Images

During week four, the Philadelphia Eagles had a bye week. During his week off, former NDSU quarterback Carson Wentz returned native North Dakota and had a pretty good week. Wentz watched his former team, the NDSUBison beat Illinois State 31-10. He shot a commercial for a truck accessories business. Scheels is smiling, they can't keep his jersey's in stock.

Mike Greger, CSNPhilly.com --- The place has become pretty synonymous with Wentz these days. ESPN and NFL Network have both broadcast from there. And Wentz held a private party in their back room last Saturday night, right after watching his alma mater roll to a 31-10 win over Illinois State. The party was a low-key affair, but waiters and bartenders were still swapping stories days later.

"As I was waiting on him, I had to look up. He is so tall,” said Rachel, a junior at NDSU who works as a server at Herd & Horns. "He was very humble, especially as a guest. He didn’t treat anyone like they were below him or anything.”

(In case you're wondering, Wentz picked up the entire tab, $1,000 and left a $500 tip. He was whisked off by his cousin in a 1996 Chevy pickup truck. No frills.)

For the common everyday people like myself, I was pleased to know that Wentz shot a really nice buck with his bow. Finally, as you can see from above, Wentz left a really big tip at one of the local bars that he visited. The Carson Wentz phenomenon is growing with each day in North Dakota.

Next week, the Vikings and the Eagles will play in Philadelphia, PA. It should be an exciting day, Wentz will take on the quarterback that he replaced in Philly.

What do you do on a bye week? You get your First bow buck! #ndlegendary

A photo posted by Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz11) on Sep 28, 2016 at 7:16pm PDT

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Weighs in on Kaepernick's Anthem Protests

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Kaepernick's anthem protests: 'It's dumb and disrespectful' https://t.co/OPT0kt3y8L via @FOXSports pic.twitter.com/v1GV9KcMqj

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 10, 2016

Check this out, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice, United State Supreme Court, checked in with her opinion of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and him not standing for the National Anthem. Justice Ginsburg thinks it's dumb. In case you didn't know, Justice Ginsburg is one of the most liberal members of the Supreme Court, so I found her response surprising.

"I think it's really dumb of them," Justice Ginsburg said. "Would I arrest them for doing it? No. I think it's dumb and disrespectful. I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it's a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.... If they want to be stupid, there's no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there's no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that."

UND Remains atop of USCHO Poll

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

October 10, 2016

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	North Dakota	(45)	2- 0-0	995	1
2	Boston University	( 5)	1- 0-0	912	4
3	Quinnipiac		1- 0-1	893	2
4	Minnesota-Duluth		2- 0-2	828	6
5	Notre Dame		2- 0-0	699	9
6	Boston College		1- 1-0	657	5
7	St. Cloud State		0- 0-0	654	7
8	Massachusetts-Lowell		0- 0-2	652	8
9	Minnesota		2- 0-0	571	13
10	Denver		0- 2-0	511	3
11	Providence		1- 1-0	443	10
12	Harvard		0- 0-0	442	12
13	Michigan		1- 1-0	412	11
14	Minnesota State		2- 0-0	354	19
15	St. Lawrence		1- 1-0	255	16
16	Northeastern		0- 1-1	248	15
17	Yale		0- 0-0	208	18
18	Air Force		1- 0-1	160	NR
19	Ohio State		1- 0-1	151	NR
20	Bowling Green		0- 2-0	63	14
Others receiving votes: Miami 59, Nebraska-Omaha 57, Bemidji State 48, Penn State 47, Cornell 38, Clarkson 32, Maine 30, Western Michigan 21, Connecticut 16, Michigan Tech 11, Rochester Institute of Technology 7, Bentley 5, Union 5, Wisconsin 5, Vermont 4, Dartmouth 3, Ferris State 2, Holy Cross 2. While no one receives a banner for being in the USCHO poll in early October, UND does remain at the top of the USCHO Poll.

UND 18th IN FCS Coaches Poll

Rankings - FCS Coaches Poll

Last Updated - October 10, 2016

FCS Coaches Poll

• FCS Coaches Poll
• STATS FCS Top 25
• Simple Ratings System

FCS Coaches PollSTATS FCS Top 25Simple Ratings System

RANK	TEAM	POINTS	PREVIOUS	RECORD

RANK	TEAM	POINTS	PREVIOUS	RECORD
1	North Dakota State (26)	650	1	5-0
2	Sam Houston State	617	2	5-0
3	Chattanooga	588	3	6-0
4	Jacksonville State	577	4	4-1
5	Eastern Washington	555	5	5-1
6	James Madison	506	6	5-1
7	Richmond	493	7	5-1
8	Charleston Southern	440	8	3-2
9	The Citadel	439	9	5-0
10	Montana	413	10	4-1
11	Villanova	376	12	5-1
12	Youngstown State	361	13	4-1
13	Western Illinois	301	14	4-1
14	South Dakota State	299	15	3-2
15	Harvard	266	16	4-0
16	North Carolina A&T	241	18	4-1
17	Eastern Illinois	207	20	4-2
18	North Dakota	202	21	4-2
19	Albany	178	17	4-1
20	Cal Poly	133	22	3-2
21	Northern Iowa	128	11	2-3
22	Central Arkansas	125	24	4-1
23	Grambling State	67	25	3-1
24	Samford	64	NR	4-1
25	New Hampshire	51	NR	4-2

Others receiving votes: Stony Brook (45), McNeese State (22), South Dakota (21), Wofford (18), Southern Utah (16), South Carolina State (14), Tennessee State (12), Illinois State (9), Lehigh (8), Kennesaw State (3), Liberty (2), Monmouth (1), North Carolina Central (1), San Diego (1) 

On Poll Monday, the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks football team is ranked 18^th in the FCS Coaches Poll. Of course, the guys to the south are ranked number one. What is really interesting is that they’re still receiving votes in the AP FBS Poll.  I actually think that NDSU should be ranked higher.


Others receiving votes: Georgia 59, Arizona State 53, North Carolina 51, LSU 50, Oklahoma State 48, North Dakota State 36, Stanford 26, Colorado 22, South Florida 20, TCU 14, Washington State 9, NC State 9, Iowa 3, Air Force 2, San Diego State 2, Wake Forest 1

Philadelphia's Radko Gudas has Hearing for Hit on Austin Czarnik (Video)

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas has a phone hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety for this dirty, high, dangerous hit on Boston Bruins forward Austin Czarnik. After the hit, Czarnik left the game and didn't return. Gudas was given a two-minute minor for interference.

(1/2) Philadelphia's Radko Gudas has been offered an in-person hearing for interference on Boston's Austin Czarnik.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 9, 2016

(2/2) Gudas has waived his right to an in-person hearing. A hearing will be held tomorrow via telephone.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 9, 2016

UND vs. Canisius Game 2

There are few changes tonight. Mike Gornall is in, and Rhett Gardner is out with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Will we see a traditional circle of sticks at the end of the game?

Canisius vs. North Dakota Game 1

Nice to see the UND coaching staff come back with the big line of Brock Boeser, Tyson Jost, and Shane Gersich... Heavy Line 2, is very interesting, I like it. Those are some big heavy bodies on that line.

Cam Johnson Named to Mike Richter Award Watch List for 2016-17

The webpage Let’s Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation announced the 20 goalies named to the watch list for the 2017 Mike Richter Award. UND goalie junior goalie Cam Johnson was named to the list.

Name	School	Year
Paul Berrafato #	Holy Cross	Junior
Michael Bitzer	Bemidji State	Junior
Gordon Defiel	Lake Superior State	Junior
Parker Gahagen	Army West Point	Senior
Mitch Gillam #	Cornell	Senior
Kyle Hayton #	St. Lawrence	Junior
Cole Huggins	Minnesota State	Senior
Tanner Jaillet	Denver	Junior
Cam Johnson *	North Dakota	Junior
Merrick Madsen #	Harvard	Junior
Chris Nell #	Bowling Green	Junior
Cal Petersen #	Notre Dame	Junior
Colton Phinney	Princeton	Senior
Ryan Ruck #	Northeastern	Sophomore
Eric Schierhorn #	Minnesota	Sophomore
Alex Sakellaropoulos	Union	Senior
Shane Starrett	Air Force	Sophomore
Atte Tolvanen	Northern Michigan	Sophomore
Drew Vogler	Merrimack	Sophomore
Evan Weninger #	Omaha	Sophomore

 

Schlossman hits the kill zone

By now you've probably seen it. This week, Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Schlossman launched a much need cruise-missile at the UND President Mark Kennedy and his Intercollegiate Athletics Committee. Brad put in print what a lot of UND sports fans were thinking.

Thanks Brad.

By now, most of us can see that President Kennedy's IAC is nothing more than a farce or a facade. President Kennedy is the one that wields the power and last time I checked he is the President of the University of North Dakota. Correct? So, why isn't he exercising his power? He doesn't need to form a committee to make changes at UND. This why I think the IAC was doomed to fail from the start. It's nothing more than a show trial. Like Schlossman, I don't fault the people on the board.

 That being said, we don't need someone from the school of Arts and Sciences or the School of Mines making recommendations for UND sports programs. If I had to make a guess, most of these people have probably never played an actual sport in their lives. So, I doubt that they have clue one how to run an athletic department.

IAC members that asking questions about UND dropping back to DII or NAIA is a waste of everyone's time. It was never going to happen and just makes the point that the IAC is a waste of everyone's time. Honestly, in some instances, they should worry about their own departments because I imagine another round of cuts is coming in the future.

If President Kennedy is unhappy with the UND's current Athletic Director, Brian Faison, it's in his power to review his job performance and decide if they want to look for another AD. Personally, I think Faison has done an excellent job moving UND into a new hockey conference and transitioning UND to division I status. But that's why they hire university presidents. Right? From my chair, it looks like President Kennedy is putting some extra scrutiny on Faison's job. Again, that's his decision and it's in his power. 

This IAC is turning into a clown show on steroids, with the new president driving said clown car. The president was hired to run UND and make big decisions. Again, time to earn your paycheck. Also remember some very good people are going to get hurt by your decisions.

Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald -- At Monday's meeting, committee members were given a sheet by chair Kimberly Kenville that identified 12 sports that UND is "committed to sponsoring," which shows Kennedy is already making decisions for the committee.

One of the sports on the list is women's hockey. For the past several months, people in the community have been speculating that it could get cut.

Not only has that caused anguish for people who work with the program and its athletes, it has undoubtedly been used against UND in recruiting. If it's not even under consideration for being cut, why let it hang for two months?

Finally, leaving the UND women's hockey team swinging in the wind for almost two months was shameful. These good folks didn't need the unnecessary agony. Whether President Kennedy intended to this or not, for two months it seemed possible that the UND women's hockey team could fall to the knife. Shameful!

Is The NFL Losing Money?

According to this market watch article, the NFL is losing money. On a side note, I do wonder if the anti-anthem theme has anything to do with this?

The NFL has been sacked for a loss.

Once considered immune to the audience erosion plaguing the television industry, ratings for the National Football League have tumbled through the first four weeks of the season.

TV networks have bet heavily on sports in general, and the NFL in particular, because of the must-see value of their content. While more viewers are watching commercial-free streaming services like Netflix or recording shows on DVRs and skipping the ads, sports is still primarily watched live, making it valuable to advertisers.

Combined, ESPN DIS, +0.41% , Fox FOXA, -0.53% , NBC CMCSA, -0.59% and CBS CBS, -0.35% are spending an average of $5 billion a year for football rights through 2021. The games not only score big ratings and ad sales, but are crucial platforms to promote other programming.

Granato, North Dakota-Wisconsin Is a Must-Have on the Schedule

I agree with Badgers head coach Tony Granato. I think that the Wisconsin Badgers and the Fighting Hawks need to play ever single season, no matter what. He's couldn't be more right, this matchup is a must see series between two college hockey powerhouses. The fans want it and the coaches want it, too. The Badgers and Hawks will resume their series next season when UND travels to the Kohl Center.  

But if Badgers coach Tony Granato had it his way, this season would be the last where old rival North Dakota doesn’t appear on the schedule.

“I would like to play them every year,” he said. “For me, North Dakota-Wisconsin is a must-have on the schedule. There’s too much history. And they want the same, talking to their coaches.

“It’d be nice if they were in our league but they’re not, so let’s find a way to play them every year and keep that going.”

UW and North Dakota, longtime opponents when both were part of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, played non-conference series in Madison in November 2014 and in Grand Forks in November 2015 after the teams left for separate leagues in 2013. (Credit: Todd Milewski, Madison.com )

I think it's refreshing to have a new perspective and a new voice in Madison. Frankly, I do like the way Granato is thinking and he seems to be making all of the right moves and saying all the right things. Obviously, the Badgers have been bad for the past two seasons and he's got a lot of work to do moving forward. That being said, I don't think they're going to finish fifth in the Big Ten.