The quality isn't very good I used my digital camera to record the hit from television. There has been a lot of discussion on the hit on the Internet. Frattin said in the post game comments that he was trying to fire his team up with a big hit. The crowd was fired up after the penalty kill was over. I do think the hit in question took the steam out of the Gophers and threw them off their game especially when they didn’t score on the five minute major. The Sioux were not very fun to play against tonight and this was one rough series across the board all three nights.
I want a preface this that I didn’t see the hit live I saw it ex post facto, my daughter had called me away from the television and when I got back from helping her my cell phone was ringing and my buddy Gary was chirping at me about the hit which hadn’t even seen as of yet. I had to review the video to get up to speed on the hit. This hit was a text book charge and maybe interference and I was surprised when I found out that Frattin hadn’t been kicked out of the game, I thought he had gotten the gate. Will the league review the hit? I would say they might, the WCHA Commissioner said that they review all major penalties to see if any additional discipline is needed. Will Frattin get suspended; he may. Nothing this league office does surprises me. That being said Matt Frattin was the best forward on the ice for the Fighting Sioux this past weekend, he scored four goals this weekend and the kid played like a beast, in my opinion Frattin is a prototypical power forward.
Watching the game from home
I unlike others I thought UND was going to dispatch of the Gophers in two games and didn't bother to line up a baby sitter for last night's game. I guess when they say three games series I should plan for the series to go three games. Any ways, I don't think I sat down the whole game between texting and pacing. I finally sat down once the game got to 3-1.
Cross posted at the Sin Bin.
A chickenshit hit....and the commissioner should suspend Frattin from competing in the frozen five. North Dakota will be on the "head list" next year and for years to come.
ReplyDeletei am very impressed with the response by sioux fans on the various message board threads and blogs pertaining to this hit.
ReplyDeletesioux fans aren't making excuses, but rather they're admitting straight up that the hit was illegal and cheap.
i try to stick to the theory that every team's fanbase exhibit the same homerisms in situations like this, but unlike st cloud fans who were defending marvin all season, north dakota fans are not defending frattin at all and i've even seen a few places where und fans are calling for a suspension to teach him a lesson.
hunch right is cracked though. marvin's hit on genoway was much worse if for no other reason than it was from behind (at least wehrs had a chance to defend himself) and marvin got nothing for that hit. i think frattin should get a game, but no more. genoway has been out for four months, wehrs was well enough to go chat with his bench after the hit and verify the 5 minute major.
any more than a game for frattin's hit would be so blatantly inconsistent that i'd start to think the paranoia exhibited by some sioux fans that the league is against us might have some merit.
at the same time, i hate seeing hits like this and i'd like to see hakstol make an example of frattin, as well as set the bar for the rest of league, by giving frattin a game in addition to the game the league might give him.
I think a game would be sufficeint. He was acting stupidly, should have never jumped into him like that. I thought Wehrs head hit the wall but I couldn't really tell if Frattin hit his head. Anyway a game or less would be OK with me.
ReplyDeleteSuspend Wehrs too then for not protecting himself. How dumb can you be coming around the net full speed with your head down. What do you expect? Hopefully Wehrs learns his lesson. You're gonna have a short career if you can't skate with your head up at this level.
ReplyDelete@clown, you are just that...a clown. I am a very big fan of physical games and there has been long-standing discussions about removing checking from the game. It is a hard-played and physical game, which is why I love it. If you want low-impact, go play ping-pong.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, one of the things they have been trying to do is reduce the amount of head injuries in the game. Watch the play again and learn the game. Not only did he accelerate from about 20 feet out (you are only allowed about 3 strides), he left his feet and led with his elbow to the head.
Prior to this hit there was another one that was a questionable boarding non-call, which I believed was a good non-call. It was a clean, hard hit. If someone gets tripped, is it their fault also because they shouldn't have been skating?
@krangodance - I agree with you. Any more than a game would be inconsistent because he did have a chance to defend himself. However, Hakstol is not going to teach him a lesson for 2 reasons; 1) it's playoff time and Frattin is one of his best players and had a fantastic weekend, 2) he is just as much to blame as Frattin.
I can't stand Hakstol for a couple of reasons. The first is that, and you probably can tell this by now, I am a Gopher fan and Hakstol teaches the fundamentals of the game flawlessly. Defensively, he teaches to box opponents out from the front of the net to reduce the rebounds and gain control of the puck. Offensively, he teaches to get the puck on the net and crash the net hard for rebounds. That is exactly how the game should be played. The second reason I hate the guy is because I think he is a goon and he promotes that in the games. While he does coach to hit hard (not a bad thing), he also lets his players get out of control and hits like Frattin's was one that I can only speculate he told him to go out there and take someone's head off.
You can't stand Hakstol because of his success. He is a class act and a phenomenal leader. He will be missed in North Dakota! You are obviously a rodent fan and stuck with over payed and under producing Losecia.
DeleteAbout time I got someone going. It was a clean hit though. Frattin didn't leave the ice until after Wehrs crumbled. I think Frattin was expecting to hit something a little more solid. He should have known better since it was a gopher. IALTO
ReplyDeleteBrov,
ReplyDeleteThey showed the hit from a few different angles during the game and I don't really think Frattin even hits Wehrs' head, let alone lead with his elbox right into his head. Not saying it was a clean hit but you make it sound a lot worse with that description.
Secondly, Hakstol would never tell a kid to go take someone's head off. I like to think no coach in college hockey would ever say that to a kid. You need to hold the player responsible, he even admitted he was trying to go make a big hit and fire the team up, he just got carried away and he has and likely will be punished more for it.
I don't understand how people get so riled up about Hakstol. Besides the finger incident (3 years ago) he is the most boring guy in the WCHA. He never disparages another team, rarely openly criticizes officials in the media, neevr boasts about his own team, never walks on the ice, never throws things on the ice and rarely do his players get suspended for dirty hits on ice (at least not any more than any other team).
Is it because of his success or what? Or is all because of that one game 3 years ago? Where BOTH sides acted immaturely and Hak let his emotions boil over, who hasn't?
I'm as much a homer as anyone else, but when you consider how you would feel if the skate was on the other foot I wouldn't be surprised to see Frattin sit a game.
ReplyDeleteI hope not.
At the time I had no problem with the officials calling it a major. I did think that Kangas's cheap shot to the back of Frattin's head should have gotten at least a minor.
i thought he brought his elbows up a bit high. his forearms would have been firmly planted under wehr's chin had wehr not stood up at the last second. it does look like frattin was going for a legit hit, then adjusted to wehr's height at the last second when wehr stood up. frattin should have just gone for the chest at that point, but the heat of the moment can overtake one sometimes. i maintain a one-game suspension would be proper, but i would hate to lose frattin for a game.
ReplyDeleteseejowski, i agree on the hakstol point. other teams always bring up that finger ordeal. that was one lapse in judgement by the most emotionless coach in college hockey. hakstol looks the same when his team just got crushed by a team the sioux were supposed to dominate as he does when the sioux win a game to advance to the frozen four. i'd liken him to tom kelly (former manager of the twins).
i don't, however, understand why you directed your comment at brov. i thought his comments were mostly gracious for a non-sioux fan. he basically complimented hakstol for being a great fundamentals coach. the conspiracy theory that hakstol is telling his players to go head-hunting, though? i doubt there's any truth to that.
Typical Flirting Sue cheapshot, nothing less...
ReplyDeleteThis sort of thing is why UND and it's biased chip-on-the-shoulder/refs-hate-us/ fanbase are despised everywhere.
In most places, you are a bizarre sideshow that thrives on a style of play that is about 1" above the law on most nights.
Whether you win or lose, know that most of the rest of us are so tired of the lowly attitude that eminates from the UND hockey crowd. Even if/when you win the NCAA title again you will be considered losers by those that truly care for the sport.
Do a little traveling and see the respect the game deserves and gets in all of the other rinks. You're really in your own little oddly bitter world up there. Stop pretending it is normal. It isn't.
Goon, can you do something to educate those that truly need it?
Charlie LMAO at you.
ReplyDeleteLet it go Charlie, your season is over. Don't be so bitter. Get down to the X this weekend and cheer on our fighting sioux. You know you want to.
ReplyDeleteCharlie everyone sees the game differently, if I remember right there was a lot of stuff that went on in this series both ends of the ice the refs let a lot of stuff go the first two nights.
ReplyDeleteI was in the stands for the first two games, I watched last night's game at home because of parental duties and the Gophers were trying to get in UND's faces and that wasn't a smart move on their part. They lost at the Sioux's game.
If anyone should be suspended it should be Seth Helgeson for grabbing a lines man more than once. In the NHL they suspend players for that. He was also very brave when he was swinging at the Sioux players from behind a ref.
True to form Brian "the Hack" Schack put a UND player through the boards at the 20 minute mark of Fridays game so it goes both ways.
In the end if the WCHA suspends Frattin, the beat writer for the GF Herald doesn't think they league will, it's going to be for one game, the precedence has been set already. McLeod backed himself in a corner with his first ruling of the season.
Goon, I was telling my son during last nights game that if the Gophers try to out physical us they were going to lose.
ReplyDeleteIt's not their game. On the other hand it is ours.
Charlie,
ReplyDeleteCome on man!!! When the Sioux don't play by the rules they get penalized. That is hockey. If you don't score on the resulting power play it is your own fault. You act like they have their own rulebook or that they are playing a different sport out there. If UND is such a "goon squad" why do we have so many high profile, higly talented alumni in the NHL? Face it UND won because they have better talent, not any other conspiracy about goons or playing too rough.
As far as respecting the game, that was real respectful when Cepis dove this weekend wasn't it? Real respectful when Kangas punched Blood with his blocker? How about when Carman went after Blood at the end of the second period on a totally meaningless play with near zero on the clock? Or Cepis' constant physical contact with Kristo after the whistle. Or how about Shack when he tackled Channing Boe last year?
Also I would hardly call UND fans bitter. We love our hockey team and are very passionate about it. What do we have to be bitter about, we are still playing. Sounds like you may be the bitter one. Just because all your draft picks don't live up to the hype and your best in-state recruits would rather wear green than maroon don't take it out on us.
Lastly, I would venture a guess that UND is pretty well respected by almost all other DI schools around the country. Maine, BC, BU, Michigan, etc. all have spoke rather kindly about UND in the past few years. Hell, even the U of M respects UND. Go ask every player on U of M if they lost because UND doesn't play the game the right way or because UND was simply the better team and I bet every one of them says UND was the better team.
Did Frattin charge? Yes, but I watched it frame by frame (which obviously couldn't be done at game time by refs, announcers, or coaches) and Frattin had his feet planted at the time of impact, his hands and stick were chest level (not on his chin as someone mistakenly stated). Yes, he charged. Yes, he left his feet after the collision. It was not contact to the head. A 5 min major was the most this could be called and more than adequate.
ReplyDeleteI don't see any gopher fans apologizing for Kangas slashing Frattin in back of the neck. That was ridiculous. Kangas is a hater, pure and simple and he showed his lack of respect with multiple actions on the ice.
Go Sioux! Gophers sit!
Wehrs left his feet after the collision too. Suspend him!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Sioux played a kick as@ game on Sunday night and Frattin had a monster weekend. One hit that MAY have been too aggressive doesn't change my view on this kid. Awesome player and glad to have him back.
ReplyDeleteFor everyone on the gopher side callin him a goon...wasn't this his first 5 min major? Just sayin'...
I just pulled his PIM, Frattin has 21 penalty minutes in 21 games. Thats about one 2 min minor per weekend played, hardly the goon everyone wants to think he is.
I hope this guy plays the rest of the season like he has his last 6 games!
It's hard to believe that hockey is a contact sport with all the crying about a good hard hit going on. It seems that people have forgotten that this isn't womens hockey we are talking about.
ReplyDeleteIt would be one thing if Wehrs head was down and back turned it would be one thing. It is unfortunate that Wehrs ended up with a concusion, but the refs looked at the replays prior to the penalty, if he didn't get a game dq in the game he should get a game after the fact.
Frattin has been on fire 9 goals in 10 games. The negativity is coming from the gopher fans will be watching the final five and NCAA tourny's from their couches.