Last weekend the Fighting Sioux swept a very important hard fought two games series at the Ralph Engelstad Arena against the dirty Mavericks of Mankato State University. UND now sits in 4th place of the WCHA with a 10-8 record one point ahead of the Colorado College Tigers who are idle this weekend. Next weekend the Fighting travel to Colorado Springs to play the Tigers next weekend who were swept on the road by the youthful Golden Gophers last weekend at Marriucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
After this weekend's series I am convinced that Mankato is by far the dirtiest team UND has seen all season, to take a phrase from my book I would call them a goon squad. They continuously run their mouths and spend more time cross-checking, haching and cheap shooting their opponents up and down the ice than they do playing hockey. This style of play is also reflected by their Coach “head goon” Troy Jutting who is the king of smug thugs as he sits on the players bench coaching his gang of merry thugs on to their next egregious act.
Mankato brings to the ice a repatriate of dirty tactics and bush league moves. It was none more obvious from the start of the two game series that Mankato couldn’t keep up with the much more skilled and fleet footed Fighting Sioux. From the Start Mankato was dirty skating up and down the ice taking their runs at UND highly skilled players. Friday Night they almost started a brawl at the end of game by running one of UND skilled players.
Saturday night with UND up 3-1 in game two with 8:59 left in the game Mankato State University goon Joel Hanson jumped Spirko from behind staring a melee involving three players from each team. As a result of the scrum two fighting disqualifications were originally called on Kyle Radke and Ratislav Spirko. Ratislav Spirko has the Fighting Sioux record for most games without ever having a penalty called on him and to this point only has had two penalties his whole career initially received his first fighting major for his career. After Greg Sheppard reviewed the game tapes it was later ruled that Big Joe Finely was the guilty culprit instead. Radke and Finely will sit out Friday’s game against SCSU.
Hakstal was pleased with the Fighting Sioux’s effort after the game.
But, after the game, Hakstol didn't seem as upset with the fighting on the ice. Rather, he was more pleased with the hockey his team played. Guys are sticking together, and sticking up for each other," Hakstol said. "What the repercussions are, we have a week to regroup and get ready to deal with that. As a team, we want to make good decisions and smart decisions. But the bottom line is that it's a team game and you stick together as a team."
Now up next is SCSU aka Jan Brady State University also known as Sterns County Community College. The college hockey team known for its late season swoons, I believe the swoon starts this weekend at the Ralph. If UND plays it game and takes the puck to the net it should be another home sweep for the Fighting Sioux
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