A Bit of a Sidebar
First off, I want to say hello again to Goon's World and thank Goon for his patience with my idleness with posting. Life's been busy in Omaha including my admission to the online graduate school for educational technology through... Michigan State (MSU's Educational Technology program is tops in the nation among the schools that don't require the GDP of 90% of the world's small countries to attend). So my posting has been a bit few and far between. I'll try to do more as time permits.
Webcast
Tuning into the Webcast today got me a stunning visage of the entryway our color guard used for the National Anthem... with no color guard present.... during the introduction of players. It's almost as if the production crew didn't realize they were live? And after that no sound from the booth until just prior to the commercial break before faceoff. I've read some complaints about picture quality, but I guess my expectations for that aren't that high. In any case, on with my rambling...
UAA? What the heck...
I really feel bad for Skyiak and the UAA faithful (even the twink-ish trolls that have plagued us in the past) because I'm just not sure how competitive they can be in Anchorage...or why couldn't they. Fairbanks have seen their fair share of at least decent players come through their arena and Fairbanks can't be THAT much better than Anchorage can it? I loved Anchorage when I was there. Small, but nice.
I'm wondering about the recruiting practices at UAA. They've always seemed to be "We'll take the best we can get" type mentality but I also think they are very much a risk taking school taking high risk/high reward type players like Dallas Steward, Nathan Lawson, Kevin Clark, and so on. So what happens if Shyiak recruits one of these players that don't work out? Well, I think we're seeing it this weekend. The UAA defense is just dreadful. Their offense isn't much better. Some of it is scheme but they just aren't as talented as they need to be to even be surprisingly competitive. In other words, if they do beat a team like UND, UMN, UMD, DU, CC, or UW it will truly be surprising. Heck, our second tier might be a surprising win (UNO, SCSU, BSU).
UAA Goaltending
What happens when you recruit a high risk player that does pan out? Well, I believe Chris Kamal fits that category. Yeah, we're dominant. We dropped 4 goals on him in the second period alone. However, how many of those goals were his fault and not set up by the poor play. He isn't dynamic in net, so he'll rarely steal a game but that's what it seems it's going to take for Kamal to have success in Anchorage.
I texted Goon this and he seemed skeptical but I'll stand by it: If Kamal were to play for a team like WMU or SCSU or even BSU or UNO I think Kamal would be getting far more praise as he'd be winning games. He's truly a good player on a not very good team.
On to UND
We came out guns blazing... and nothing to show for it until early in the second period. We outshot UAA 14 to 2 in the first period alone and looked like it was only a matter of time. Again, 14 shots and 14 saves. If we were THAT dominant, then Kamal looked downright phenominal. Nevertheless, we took over once the first goal was scored.
The best goal has to be Caggiula's goal only because of the feed by Grimaldi. WOW. I haven't seen that kind of ability to feed the puck since Oshie and Toews. Yeah, I'm going there.
UND Goaltending
Inevitably there's going to be the outcry for Saunders. Gothberg has looked shaky at times thus far even in tonight's game and Saunders really has not. Hmmmmm probably because Saunders is a veteran. There are all sorts of analogies I could use, but they'd spark arguments that would be beside the point. Saunders is older, more experienced in the college game. I expected him to be the steadier and more solid of the two out of the gates. Saunders hasn't changed. Just his jersey and the players in front of him. That's not the same from Gothberg.
So, why get all uppity on Gothberg? Because many in UND's fanbase, in my observations, seem to rush to judge and pine for the guy who makes the best first impression and rarely are dissuaded to think otherwise. To me, it makes sense to play both Gothberg and Saunders and see big picture.
I feel that right away, Saunders is the guy that's going to take the reins. I expect to see Saunders on Saturday night. I'd be stunned if Gothberg plays tomorrow (even if Gothberg pitched a shutout tonight, which he did not but still...). However, in the long run, I feel that Gothberg will be the better of the two goaltenders. Why? I think Saunders is about as good as he's going to get. He's darn good, don't get me wrong, but the peak is either right upon us or well within sight. Gothberg is just past the base starting the initial ascent.
Expect Gothberg to play rocky at times during the game but if you watched the same game I did vs. Manitoba, you would have seen some serious flashes of brilliance. I can't wait for Goehring to bring it out of Gothberg as he grows. Gothberg could be someone special.
My three stars for tonights game:
3. Chris Kamal (UAA) - He doesn't play the way he did, we drop double digits on UAA easy.
2. Derek Forbort (UND) - He played solid all over the place
1. Danny Kristo (UND) - No goals, but he had 3 assists and he was ALL over the ice doing his best TJ Oshie impersonation.
There were a ton of honorable mentions like Drake Caggiula, Rocco Grimaldi, Carter Rowney, Zane Gothberg...
But anyways, I'm sure my 3rd star will arouse enough controversy for the evening.
Good work UND!
Showing posts with label Analysis - College hockey - Redwing77. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Analysis - College hockey - Redwing77. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2012
Sunday, July 10, 2011
It's Official: New League Starting 2013-14 + Redwing77's Musings Part One (Updated)
Countdown to 2013-2014
Brad Schlossman confirmed what he essentially broke: There is the new conference going to go down the first year the BTHC is in existence. Here's the story:
Brad Schlossman confirmed what he essentially broke: There is the new conference going to go down the first year the BTHC is in existence. Here's the story:
The full statement:
We are pleased to announce that six top NCAA Division I ice hockey programs will become founding members of a newly formed hockey conference, which will begin competition for the 2013-14 season. The six institutions are Colorado College, University of Denver, Miami University, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska Omaha and University of North Dakota.
We understand and appreciate the widespread interest in developments relating to the formation of the new hockey conference. More information will be provided about the initiatives that have been undertaken, as well as the next steps involved, at a news conference in Colorado Springs this Wednesday, July 13. Our programs look forward to continued associations with our current leagues, the WCHA and CCHA, for the next two seasons.
Additional information about Wednesday’s news conference will be forthcoming in the next few days. There will be no further comment from athletic directors, coaches or other officials from any of the institutions until Wednesday’s news conference.
I guess it has been pretty hashed out. But here's the major themes I've been seeing in comment sections:
1. BTHC started the dominoes falling. The Big Ten Hockey conference, in my opinion, did set all of this up by completely changing the landscape of college hockey from the traditional league and divisional mindset to more of a modern business perspective where TV deals and $$$ mean more than tradition and balance. Yes, there are aspects involved that make sense for the conference, but it seems like the pros don't outweigh the cons unless you are a supporter of a Big 10 team.
2. The WCHA disintegration is largely due to the WCHA leadership (or lack thereof). Goon and many others seem pretty dead set on this, but I'm STILL not sold (even after Goon called me to tell me that my perspective on this is wrong!). McLeod didn't come across as being very strong in the face of apparent crisis. I agree. He hasn't looked good many times in the past as well (I seem to recall the member schools basically bludgeoning him into admitting BSU and UNO). Greg Shepherd is just a stooge and meaningless in this case but I throw his name into this because he's a buffoon just like McLeod. In any case, my view is this: If the member schools really didn't like McLeod, they could have simply canned him. They didn't even after a bunch of bad things happened. My view is this: UND, CC, UMD, and DU didn't care much for McLeod and essentially wanted him gone. The other schools, especially the smaller schools like UAA and MTU, disagreed with the other schools. So... "the big four" couldn't garner the votes or whatnot to give McLeod the boot. So they walked and took UNO with them.
But I maintain that the WCHA administration is just one nail in the coffin. The major issue is, of course, money. The BTHC (I prefer the Big Ten Conference of Hockey so I can call it the BTCH.. lovin' that) teams are looking out for themselves and that forces other teams to do the same or flounder in mediocrity. These teams bolted for the same thing. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure it is going to be as lucrative as they expect. Likewise, sticking around wouldn't have been any better. So, it was a lose lose situation.
3. It's all UND's fault. I think it is going to be UND's fault because UND is the biggest name (despite DU being just as notable in the DI college hockey world) in the collegiate niche sport associated with the "Super League." No one will blame Miami or UNO or CC or UMD. They're all relatively small fish. That leaves DU and UND. I always thought DU and McLeod got along famously. After all, Gwoz or the DU AD had VERY easy access to McLeod. DU is a small school in a big city. That doesn't mean alot in this issue but it's all I can dream up. I'm not quite certain why, despite all of the schools that are splitting being pivotal in this process, DU isn't given the share of scrutiny that UND is being given.
4. This is the end to some of the programs. I can't much argue with this. I think most will survive but I still can't help but believe that financially strapped programs such as BGSU, LSSU, and perhaps Ferris State and Northern Michigan may end up in hot water over this. Hot water on ice usually produces a sinking feeling... And unless there's a lot of under the table secrecy that is unheard of in the days of information freedom, there's not a whole lot of schools looking to add DI Hockey. I feel that, if we're still at 59 DI hockey teams in 2016, it will be a miracle. If we increase, then Paul Kelly and College Hockey, Inc. should be deified.
5. There is going to be some mighty hard feelings even without the blame game. This is going to be the reality. I'd love to blame the BTCH (I'm rolling with it. Sue me) for this, but when Penn State announced they were going DI, I don't think anyone was surprised at the formation of the BTHC so it is a sad departure and one fraught with some bitterness, but not all that much animosity. Everyone knows what the Big 10 stands for so this is par for the course, even though the scale was a bit bigger. However, the CHSL's formation comes with a lot of mystery behind the closed doors of the WCHA meetings, some apparent built up angst certainly between some schools and the league office and perhaps even between the schools themselves... It's just not an amicable split. It's simply going to be a rough 2 years ahead of us with unknowns galore. With McLeod being rather untrustworthy to begin with, does he act professionally towards the 5 departing teams or does he throw bones to those who chose to stay? As terrifying as these conspiracy theories may be to those who believe in them, the best way to find out is to watch how the officials treat UND, DU, UMD, UNO, and CC this next two years. If any other WCHA teams, such as BSU, get the invite, throw their name into that hat as well.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
NoDak vs. Minny pontifications (Redwing77)
Since my posts are so often misconstrued as being those of Goon's, I'll come right out and say that Goon didn't write this. He probably will wish he did though. I spell better than him. (:D)
Just the Facts Jack
The University of North Dakota enters this series on fire. They've had a great first half with only a few hiccups along the way. They're very highly ranked and busy living up to the preseason hype. Sophomore goaltender Aaron Dell has been a surprise and Matt Frattin has been on fire. Corbin Knight has emerged as the scorer that many had thought him capable of when UND got his committment out of the AJHL.
It has been discussed here, I believe, that cohesion is a big factor in UND's success. This team does play like a team. Everyone seems to know his place and his role and, though perfection isn't there (nor do I expect it will be), they work hard and try to get as close to it as possible.
The University of Minnesota enters this series after whalloping the U-18 team. They're operating barely above water as they are just one game over .500 overall. They're better on the road (they're sub-.500 at home). Coach Lucia has come out with having some emotional issues apparently, but whatever it takes to take the heat off of the most incompetent coach in DI hockey (John Hill), I guess tDon will do whatever it takes. Baffles me as to why though.
The Gophers play a finesse style of hockey that can be dangerous if they are able to execute their game plan without too much disruptions or mistakes on their part. Though it is true that they've had a lot more down seasons than most of us (even those of us who dislike the Gophers with a passion) can believe. Looking at their talent, one would wonder what in the world is going on in the Twin Cities that could make all that talent underperform. Again, I look to Hill.
My take Jake
You can argue that special teams and goaltending have been questionable for the Gophers as of late, but I don't think so. I still maintain that Kangas is a good goaltender who has been hung out to dry more often than would be acceptable to maintain sanity. There is no doubt as to why his numbers have declined or his performance deteriorated as of late. It sometimes seems as though Kangas has to steal the game in order for the Gophers to win. The result of this complex that Kangas has been put through, Kent Patterson, who has been abysmal vs. the Sioux, has wrested the starting role away from Kangas.
My take is thus: The Gophers will go nowhere without Team Defense. Their Team D the past few years has been nothing short of a punchline. You get physical on them and they fall apart and eventually fold in on themselves much like a flimsy Wal-Mart folding chair at fat camp.
Look, they're a lot more talented than they've shown on the ice. Only a moron would disagree with that. They just can't put it together. This is a function of leadership and personnel. And again, I return to Hill. I'm going to do a bit of assuming when I say that Hill has a large hand in recruiting (much like Hakstol did when Blais was coaching at UND). They seem to have the opinion that the best on the table is better than the best for the team. For example, UND jumped at Robbie Bina because of the way he played the game and what he brought in leadership. I don't see Minnesota recruiting this type of player because he's nowhere on the radar of any NHL teams nor does he have the hype etc. that players like Leddy, Ness, Fairchild, etc. had/have. Personnel wise, they just don't seem to hold much faith in role players and lunch pail type players.
I really feel that the Gophers don't have any Lamoreauxs, Martos, Davidsons, Genoways, Hextalls, Malones, Rowneys, or Rodwells. They only seek out players like Knight, Gregoire, Frattin, and Kristo. Sure, I love players like Kristo, Knight, Gregoire, and all. I loved having Parise, Panzer, Toews, Oshie, Bochenski, Stafford, and so on but they don't work if you don't have a full team behind you and a team concept.
What to expect
I expect a tightly checked game. I expect a lot of hits and a lot of penalties. I think the officials will switch off. Friday night, UND gets the benefit of the doubt. Saturday, the officiating is much more swung to the other side. I think that hits that were legal on Friday won't be legal on Saturday. I also feel like diving could make its appearance in the game.
Leading 2011 Robbie Earl Memorial Frozen Water Freestyle Diving Candidate Jacob Cepis is swiftly running away with the award after defending champion Garrett Roe seemingly hitting a regression in his diving abilities. Look for Cepis to firm up at least a berth as a finalist this weekend as he heads to Grand Forks.
Expect big hits, crying Gopher fans, complaining Sioux fans (regarding what is sure to be a plethora of missed calls and buffoonery by the officials). The river will the thawed out in a good stretch in case a Sioux or Gopher player is to be sent down the river after making a bad play or not being as much of a fan favorite as he should be compared to fans preconceptions and draft position.
UND wins on Friday
UMN wins on Saturday
Fire Hakstol threads appear 12:01am Sunday.
This post will update as the week goes on so stay tuned!
Just the Facts Jack
The University of North Dakota enters this series on fire. They've had a great first half with only a few hiccups along the way. They're very highly ranked and busy living up to the preseason hype. Sophomore goaltender Aaron Dell has been a surprise and Matt Frattin has been on fire. Corbin Knight has emerged as the scorer that many had thought him capable of when UND got his committment out of the AJHL.
It has been discussed here, I believe, that cohesion is a big factor in UND's success. This team does play like a team. Everyone seems to know his place and his role and, though perfection isn't there (nor do I expect it will be), they work hard and try to get as close to it as possible.
The University of Minnesota enters this series after whalloping the U-18 team. They're operating barely above water as they are just one game over .500 overall. They're better on the road (they're sub-.500 at home). Coach Lucia has come out with having some emotional issues apparently, but whatever it takes to take the heat off of the most incompetent coach in DI hockey (John Hill), I guess tDon will do whatever it takes. Baffles me as to why though.
The Gophers play a finesse style of hockey that can be dangerous if they are able to execute their game plan without too much disruptions or mistakes on their part. Though it is true that they've had a lot more down seasons than most of us (even those of us who dislike the Gophers with a passion) can believe. Looking at their talent, one would wonder what in the world is going on in the Twin Cities that could make all that talent underperform. Again, I look to Hill.
My take Jake
You can argue that special teams and goaltending have been questionable for the Gophers as of late, but I don't think so. I still maintain that Kangas is a good goaltender who has been hung out to dry more often than would be acceptable to maintain sanity. There is no doubt as to why his numbers have declined or his performance deteriorated as of late. It sometimes seems as though Kangas has to steal the game in order for the Gophers to win. The result of this complex that Kangas has been put through, Kent Patterson, who has been abysmal vs. the Sioux, has wrested the starting role away from Kangas.
My take is thus: The Gophers will go nowhere without Team Defense. Their Team D the past few years has been nothing short of a punchline. You get physical on them and they fall apart and eventually fold in on themselves much like a flimsy Wal-Mart folding chair at fat camp.
Look, they're a lot more talented than they've shown on the ice. Only a moron would disagree with that. They just can't put it together. This is a function of leadership and personnel. And again, I return to Hill. I'm going to do a bit of assuming when I say that Hill has a large hand in recruiting (much like Hakstol did when Blais was coaching at UND). They seem to have the opinion that the best on the table is better than the best for the team. For example, UND jumped at Robbie Bina because of the way he played the game and what he brought in leadership. I don't see Minnesota recruiting this type of player because he's nowhere on the radar of any NHL teams nor does he have the hype etc. that players like Leddy, Ness, Fairchild, etc. had/have. Personnel wise, they just don't seem to hold much faith in role players and lunch pail type players.
I really feel that the Gophers don't have any Lamoreauxs, Martos, Davidsons, Genoways, Hextalls, Malones, Rowneys, or Rodwells. They only seek out players like Knight, Gregoire, Frattin, and Kristo. Sure, I love players like Kristo, Knight, Gregoire, and all. I loved having Parise, Panzer, Toews, Oshie, Bochenski, Stafford, and so on but they don't work if you don't have a full team behind you and a team concept.
What to expect
I expect a tightly checked game. I expect a lot of hits and a lot of penalties. I think the officials will switch off. Friday night, UND gets the benefit of the doubt. Saturday, the officiating is much more swung to the other side. I think that hits that were legal on Friday won't be legal on Saturday. I also feel like diving could make its appearance in the game.
Leading 2011 Robbie Earl Memorial Frozen Water Freestyle Diving Candidate Jacob Cepis is swiftly running away with the award after defending champion Garrett Roe seemingly hitting a regression in his diving abilities. Look for Cepis to firm up at least a berth as a finalist this weekend as he heads to Grand Forks.
Expect big hits, crying Gopher fans, complaining Sioux fans (regarding what is sure to be a plethora of missed calls and buffoonery by the officials). The river will the thawed out in a good stretch in case a Sioux or Gopher player is to be sent down the river after making a bad play or not being as much of a fan favorite as he should be compared to fans preconceptions and draft position.
UND wins on Friday
UMN wins on Saturday
Fire Hakstol threads appear 12:01am Sunday.
This post will update as the week goes on so stay tuned!
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Icing Rule Rescinded and College Hockey Rumors (RW77)
Today word came down that the biggest idiot suggestion of the last 100 years of hockey will not be implemented whole scale after all.
Forest Karr, the outgoing Rules Committee Stooge, lamented that, despite some support for it (aka, the idiots who know nothing of the sport) the icing rule will not be implemented.
For those who have been hiding under a rock, let me explain. The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee, headed by UAF AD Forest Karr, proposed a list of 22 rules to be put into "law" starting the 2010-2011 season. These laws would be in the books for a minimum of two years. Most of the rules were good. Some were so-so. One was bad. One was downright disastrous.
I won't go into the good or so so rule changes because who cares. They either do good for the game or don't hurt the game. The bad rule apparently will be adopted. This rule is when a team gets called for a penalty, and the team not penalized scores with the extra attacker on the ice, they still get a power play. This is a bad rule but this happens so rarely that I feel that it won't make much of a difference.
The disastrous rule was the rule that, when killing a penalty, icing is still in play. And, like in the NHL, a team that ices the puck cannot change players. This is ridiculously bad.
Forest Karr insists that the outcry wasn't unanimously opposed to it, but all of the DI Men's coaches were opposed to it (except for Rules committee Super Stooge John Hill. Apparently ruining the Minnesota Hockey Program and pulling the carpet out from under Lucia isn't enough for that ***hole). Therefore, there are some seriously stupid coaches in DII/DIII Hockey and the Women's Hockey coaches, by supporting this rule, aren't legitimizing the sport any either.
Anyways, the pressure was so great that Forest Karr decided to go back to what he should have done to begin with: Talk to those who directly interact with the game and its players. The coaches said "HELL NO" and the rule was dropped.
Doesn't stop Karr from lamenting the fact though. He did manage to request that the rule be required in exhibition games.
Anyways.... it didn't pass. Thank GOD.
===========
In other news: UW drew a breath of relief as Jake Gardiner decided not to leave college yet. Then again.... McDonagh said he was coming back too.
Oh yeah, Jordy Murray might pull a Brady Murray. At the time Brady left, rumor had it that Brady and father Andy, weren't overly impressed with UND. Maybe that was a hater at the time, because I can't find any proof anymore of such a thing, but... Jordy may bolt for Europe.
If he does, UW would lose their top returning scorer. Looks like Boredom Central is on its way back. I can already feel the snores coming on when thinking of UW's hockey. Too bad. Just when they were getting interesting. At least Gudbranson will be happy. Trap style hockey will make him look like an amazing goaltender rather than a mediocre one that got lucky until the NC game last year.
Forest Karr, the outgoing Rules Committee Stooge, lamented that, despite some support for it (aka, the idiots who know nothing of the sport) the icing rule will not be implemented.
For those who have been hiding under a rock, let me explain. The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee, headed by UAF AD Forest Karr, proposed a list of 22 rules to be put into "law" starting the 2010-2011 season. These laws would be in the books for a minimum of two years. Most of the rules were good. Some were so-so. One was bad. One was downright disastrous.
I won't go into the good or so so rule changes because who cares. They either do good for the game or don't hurt the game. The bad rule apparently will be adopted. This rule is when a team gets called for a penalty, and the team not penalized scores with the extra attacker on the ice, they still get a power play. This is a bad rule but this happens so rarely that I feel that it won't make much of a difference.
The disastrous rule was the rule that, when killing a penalty, icing is still in play. And, like in the NHL, a team that ices the puck cannot change players. This is ridiculously bad.
Forest Karr insists that the outcry wasn't unanimously opposed to it, but all of the DI Men's coaches were opposed to it (except for Rules committee Super Stooge John Hill. Apparently ruining the Minnesota Hockey Program and pulling the carpet out from under Lucia isn't enough for that ***hole). Therefore, there are some seriously stupid coaches in DII/DIII Hockey and the Women's Hockey coaches, by supporting this rule, aren't legitimizing the sport any either.
Anyways, the pressure was so great that Forest Karr decided to go back to what he should have done to begin with: Talk to those who directly interact with the game and its players. The coaches said "HELL NO" and the rule was dropped.
Doesn't stop Karr from lamenting the fact though. He did manage to request that the rule be required in exhibition games.
Anyways.... it didn't pass. Thank GOD.
===========
In other news: UW drew a breath of relief as Jake Gardiner decided not to leave college yet. Then again.... McDonagh said he was coming back too.
Oh yeah, Jordy Murray might pull a Brady Murray. At the time Brady left, rumor had it that Brady and father Andy, weren't overly impressed with UND. Maybe that was a hater at the time, because I can't find any proof anymore of such a thing, but... Jordy may bolt for Europe.
If he does, UW would lose their top returning scorer. Looks like Boredom Central is on its way back. I can already feel the snores coming on when thinking of UW's hockey. Too bad. Just when they were getting interesting. At least Gudbranson will be happy. Trap style hockey will make him look like an amazing goaltender rather than a mediocre one that got lucky until the NC game last year.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Two Sioux may Bolt for Major Juniors (Redwing77)
Early Reports are filtering in that two Sioux players will be leaving UND to play Canadian Major Juniors.
The first one is New York Islander draftee David Toews. The second? Buffalo draftee Corey Fienhage.
To me, this is always a sad event even if it is justifiable.
David Toews never quite grew into being the type of player UND fans thought he'd become. However, that's not truly fair. It was no secret that David wasn't his older brother. It was also no secret that David plays a different style of game than Jonny. David still has some great skills, such as a good shot and stick handling, but couldn't crack the lineup. With the talent coming in, it would make it even more difficult for him to make the lineup. So, he's opting to the major juniors.
Brad Schlossman ponders whether or not he'll go to the WHL or the QMJHL. I, for one, hopes he goes to Brandon of the WHL, the team that drafted him in 2005. I hope the Q whithers and dies... ok, maybe not... well... I hope the trifecta of evil do anyways (Moncton of the QMJHL, London of the OHL, and Red Deer of the WHL). I think it just makes sense for David to play for a team close to home. [Link to the Grand Forks Herald Story]
Corey Fienhage is truly a hard luck case. He comes in early, gets railed by the fans (just like just about every defenseman who has come in young... Lee, Smaby, Finley are just a few like Corey). He never quite plays poorly. In fact, he played really well last season until inexplicably he gets benched in favor of Brent Davidson, a winger converted to D earlier that year.
How does that happen? Something must be going on in practice of off the ice, though I have no proof. There's no reports of attitude but there has been grumblings about work ethic.
It's too bad. I like Fienhage. I think he's a good, solid, defensive defenseman that has good size.
It's always tough to lose good guys but with only 2 seniors leaving, there's not a whole lot of playing time to be had.
Who will come in to replace them?
Well, in my opinion, I think no one should. We have an abundance of wingers and D now that Genoway is returning.
I've read that we have abotu 14 or 15 wingers (including Derek Rodwell) and 8 or 9 defensemen (including Forbort and Simpson).
If we did bring in one last winger, my choice would be Fargo Force forward Colton St. Clair. I would have thought Danny Mattson would be the guy but he's seemingly pulled a Mike Fink on us and has seemed to regress once leaving Minnesota High School.
I don't pretend to know how this is all going to work out, but in Hakstol I trust.
The first one is New York Islander draftee David Toews. The second? Buffalo draftee Corey Fienhage.
To me, this is always a sad event even if it is justifiable.
David Toews never quite grew into being the type of player UND fans thought he'd become. However, that's not truly fair. It was no secret that David wasn't his older brother. It was also no secret that David plays a different style of game than Jonny. David still has some great skills, such as a good shot and stick handling, but couldn't crack the lineup. With the talent coming in, it would make it even more difficult for him to make the lineup. So, he's opting to the major juniors.
Brad Schlossman ponders whether or not he'll go to the WHL or the QMJHL. I, for one, hopes he goes to Brandon of the WHL, the team that drafted him in 2005. I hope the Q whithers and dies... ok, maybe not... well... I hope the trifecta of evil do anyways (Moncton of the QMJHL, London of the OHL, and Red Deer of the WHL). I think it just makes sense for David to play for a team close to home. [Link to the Grand Forks Herald Story]
Corey Fienhage is truly a hard luck case. He comes in early, gets railed by the fans (just like just about every defenseman who has come in young... Lee, Smaby, Finley are just a few like Corey). He never quite plays poorly. In fact, he played really well last season until inexplicably he gets benched in favor of Brent Davidson, a winger converted to D earlier that year.
How does that happen? Something must be going on in practice of off the ice, though I have no proof. There's no reports of attitude but there has been grumblings about work ethic.
It's too bad. I like Fienhage. I think he's a good, solid, defensive defenseman that has good size.
It's always tough to lose good guys but with only 2 seniors leaving, there's not a whole lot of playing time to be had.
Who will come in to replace them?
Well, in my opinion, I think no one should. We have an abundance of wingers and D now that Genoway is returning.
I've read that we have abotu 14 or 15 wingers (including Derek Rodwell) and 8 or 9 defensemen (including Forbort and Simpson).
If we did bring in one last winger, my choice would be Fargo Force forward Colton St. Clair. I would have thought Danny Mattson would be the guy but he's seemingly pulled a Mike Fink on us and has seemed to regress once leaving Minnesota High School.
I don't pretend to know how this is all going to work out, but in Hakstol I trust.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Redwing77's Final Five Wrap Up
Ok, I wanted to do this with my NCAA Outlook but I thought it would be too long of a post and they don't fit together.
The Final Five
Despite Goon's attempts to get me to attend, I did not attend this year's Final Five. I think I should have. It sounded like a great time, even if Goon and his squad (The Goon Squad) may only remember parts of it. :D
The biggest surprise to me was Denver not even trying. What little attempts at winning they displayed against UND they completely abandoned against UW. Cheverie goes out having a terrible Final Five and questions become apparent about this team pulling a Craig Dahl-esque swoon job in the NCAAs.
The biggest disappointment for me was having my Sioux end the Bulldog's season. I really like the Bulldogs. They play a standup game. Sandelin is an amazing person and a great coach. He makes me think that he's the collegiate version of Andy Murray. Knows what he's doing, gets the best out of the players he can manage to recruit, despite not always being able to get the best of the best.
The All Tourney Team
The first thing that struck me on this list was that Evan Trupp made MVP but did not make the team as a whole. Now, I don't think there's a rule that says that the MVP must come from the All WCHA Tourney Team, nor do I think that it is a snub on Evan Trupp. I actually like the fact that Trupp isn't on the Tourney Team because it allows one more player to be added that could have been argued belonging on the list in the first place.
Here's the All Tourney Team:
Goaltender - Brad Eidsness (UND)
Defense - Garrett Raboin (SCSU)
Defense - Ben Blood (HA HA HATERS TAKE THAT!)
Forward - Blake Geoffrion (UW)*
Forward - Chris Vandevelde (UND)
Forward - Tony Mosey (SCSU)
MVP - Evan Trupp (UND)
Ok, right off the bat I can tell you Eidsness, Vandevelde, Trupp, and Mosey belong in the list. Geoffrion had 2 goals and no assists in the tourney. But let me put this on the table:
Drew Shore (DU) - This forward had 3 assists on the weekend.
Jesse Martin (DU) - Had 1 goal and 1 assist on the weekend
Ok, neither of these guys potted a Game Winning Goal this weekend, where Geoffrion did. So, I can see that weighing heavily in Blake's favor, but I think Drew Shore played fantastic on a team that seemed at times not to give a darn. The unfortunate thing for Drew is that he wasn't credited for the John Lee goal in the UND game. If he was, he'd've HAD to be named to the All Tourney Team. Anyways, if the rule stood that the MVP had to come from the All Tourney Team, then it is obvious to me that Geoffrion would've been the last one in and the first one out and Trupp would've been named in his stead.
Defense can be a bit more subjective and so I'll leave that be....mostly. All I can say, again, is HA HA! EAT THAT HATERS! Ben Blood all in your FACE! Ok, I'm not sure Ben was the best D on the ice this weekend, but he certainly stood out. And the officials knew it calling two phantom calls on him and one correct call.
The Title Game
I'll get to the "correct call" right away so I don't leave people scratching their heads, but first, a little back story.
SCSU lost the game because of Garrett Roe. You heard me. Roe didn't play. SCSU lost the game. Why didn't he play? He got injured, taken off on a stretcher (for precautionary measures I'm told) after he got hit in the game against Denver. Now, unfortunate? Maybe. WCHA USCHO correspondant Spisak even suggested that the severity of the hit in question was brought upon by Roe. Normally, I'd say "Wait a minute" but the Robbie Earl Memorial Trophy winner is KNOWN for such actions, so, I have to give Spisak the benefit of the doubt.
Had Roe been in the game, however, Lasch wouldn't have had to dive, letting Roe do the job for him and that would have gotten Blood a major and a game instead of a Boarding minor. You could clearly tell the inexperience of Lasch at the contest of Frozen Water Diving. Before Blood hit Lasch, Lasch looks right at Blood coming and turns his back. He does NOTHING with the puck, he simply waits to be hit. He had time to pass the puck or turn away. He could have skated towards the blue line.
When he was hit, I thought "That's a major and he doesn't deserve it." And then I thought "Well... at least give Lasch a diving penalty on top of it." No dice. Instead, Shepherd, situational official that he is such a pro for doing, called a boarding penalty on Blood. Had Roe been there, he'd've done a Earl impression, getting the trainer on the ice, and forcing Shepherd to use his gullible side and kick Blood out of the game.
SCSU had already embellished earlier in the game and had it work (Hextall knocked a stick out of the guy's hand). I'm sure Lasch was surprised and Roe corrected him after the game.
So, I call this a "correct call" solely based on the fact that Shepherd and *unt didn't kick Blood out of the game. Was it the correct call according to the rule book? Well, welcome gray area.
It was a Checking from Behind penalty set up by the voluntary action of Lasch. He knowingly turned his back on an oncoming defenseman and waited to get hit. That's unethical. Unfortunately, I don't think that's against the rules. There's no rule against being stupid along the boards.
But in any case, Mike Lee got chased, Dunn came in and showed that he was the real deal RIGHT NOW all along (I maintain Lee will become a good goaltender eventually) and that's all she wrote.
In other officiating news: Campion didn't make the WCHA playoff officiating roster but Don Adam and Marco *unt did. Sorry, inconsistent as he may be, I'll take Campion any day of the week over *unt and Adam.
The Final Five
Despite Goon's attempts to get me to attend, I did not attend this year's Final Five. I think I should have. It sounded like a great time, even if Goon and his squad (The Goon Squad) may only remember parts of it. :D
The biggest surprise to me was Denver not even trying. What little attempts at winning they displayed against UND they completely abandoned against UW. Cheverie goes out having a terrible Final Five and questions become apparent about this team pulling a Craig Dahl-esque swoon job in the NCAAs.
The biggest disappointment for me was having my Sioux end the Bulldog's season. I really like the Bulldogs. They play a standup game. Sandelin is an amazing person and a great coach. He makes me think that he's the collegiate version of Andy Murray. Knows what he's doing, gets the best out of the players he can manage to recruit, despite not always being able to get the best of the best.
The All Tourney Team
The first thing that struck me on this list was that Evan Trupp made MVP but did not make the team as a whole. Now, I don't think there's a rule that says that the MVP must come from the All WCHA Tourney Team, nor do I think that it is a snub on Evan Trupp. I actually like the fact that Trupp isn't on the Tourney Team because it allows one more player to be added that could have been argued belonging on the list in the first place.
Here's the All Tourney Team:
Goaltender - Brad Eidsness (UND)
Defense - Garrett Raboin (SCSU)
Defense - Ben Blood (HA HA HATERS TAKE THAT!)
Forward - Blake Geoffrion (UW)*
Forward - Chris Vandevelde (UND)
Forward - Tony Mosey (SCSU)
MVP - Evan Trupp (UND)
Ok, right off the bat I can tell you Eidsness, Vandevelde, Trupp, and Mosey belong in the list. Geoffrion had 2 goals and no assists in the tourney. But let me put this on the table:
Drew Shore (DU) - This forward had 3 assists on the weekend.
Jesse Martin (DU) - Had 1 goal and 1 assist on the weekend
Ok, neither of these guys potted a Game Winning Goal this weekend, where Geoffrion did. So, I can see that weighing heavily in Blake's favor, but I think Drew Shore played fantastic on a team that seemed at times not to give a darn. The unfortunate thing for Drew is that he wasn't credited for the John Lee goal in the UND game. If he was, he'd've HAD to be named to the All Tourney Team. Anyways, if the rule stood that the MVP had to come from the All Tourney Team, then it is obvious to me that Geoffrion would've been the last one in and the first one out and Trupp would've been named in his stead.
Defense can be a bit more subjective and so I'll leave that be....mostly. All I can say, again, is HA HA! EAT THAT HATERS! Ben Blood all in your FACE! Ok, I'm not sure Ben was the best D on the ice this weekend, but he certainly stood out. And the officials knew it calling two phantom calls on him and one correct call.
The Title Game
I'll get to the "correct call" right away so I don't leave people scratching their heads, but first, a little back story.
SCSU lost the game because of Garrett Roe. You heard me. Roe didn't play. SCSU lost the game. Why didn't he play? He got injured, taken off on a stretcher (for precautionary measures I'm told) after he got hit in the game against Denver. Now, unfortunate? Maybe. WCHA USCHO correspondant Spisak even suggested that the severity of the hit in question was brought upon by Roe. Normally, I'd say "Wait a minute" but the Robbie Earl Memorial Trophy winner is KNOWN for such actions, so, I have to give Spisak the benefit of the doubt.
Had Roe been in the game, however, Lasch wouldn't have had to dive, letting Roe do the job for him and that would have gotten Blood a major and a game instead of a Boarding minor. You could clearly tell the inexperience of Lasch at the contest of Frozen Water Diving. Before Blood hit Lasch, Lasch looks right at Blood coming and turns his back. He does NOTHING with the puck, he simply waits to be hit. He had time to pass the puck or turn away. He could have skated towards the blue line.
When he was hit, I thought "That's a major and he doesn't deserve it." And then I thought "Well... at least give Lasch a diving penalty on top of it." No dice. Instead, Shepherd, situational official that he is such a pro for doing, called a boarding penalty on Blood. Had Roe been there, he'd've done a Earl impression, getting the trainer on the ice, and forcing Shepherd to use his gullible side and kick Blood out of the game.
SCSU had already embellished earlier in the game and had it work (Hextall knocked a stick out of the guy's hand). I'm sure Lasch was surprised and Roe corrected him after the game.
So, I call this a "correct call" solely based on the fact that Shepherd and *unt didn't kick Blood out of the game. Was it the correct call according to the rule book? Well, welcome gray area.
It was a Checking from Behind penalty set up by the voluntary action of Lasch. He knowingly turned his back on an oncoming defenseman and waited to get hit. That's unethical. Unfortunately, I don't think that's against the rules. There's no rule against being stupid along the boards.
But in any case, Mike Lee got chased, Dunn came in and showed that he was the real deal RIGHT NOW all along (I maintain Lee will become a good goaltender eventually) and that's all she wrote.
In other officiating news: Campion didn't make the WCHA playoff officiating roster but Don Adam and Marco *unt did. Sorry, inconsistent as he may be, I'll take Campion any day of the week over *unt and Adam.
Redwing77's NCAA Outlook
I'm sitting here watching the NCAA Selection show and it looks like our bracket might've gotten a bit easier.
We play YALE in the opening round. BC opens with Alaska Fairbanks. We play at 5pm EST (they say ESPN360.com, but I'm not sure about webcast etc.).
I think this outlook is much better than the USCHO final bracketology, which had us either playing Michigan or New Hampshire in the opening round.
Once again, we play BC, a team that has had our number as of late. And, once again, BC will be our toughest foe.
Yeah, I'm looking past Yale. I really don't think they're as good as their record indicates. I really don't think they're playing well enough coming into the playoffs to hang with the Sioux. It's not going to be a blowout, but if the Sioux continue playing the way they have coming into the playoffs, we should face off against BC.
Barry "Eastern Bias" Melrose and Sean "Can't remember his last name" both have UND making the Frozen Four and both of them have us losing to Miami. I'd like to think there's a good chance that they are right on about the Frozen Four prediction. Miami's track is simply amazingly easy any way you cut it. Michigan is the only team at their bracket that could give them trouble.
Let's use their analysis and predictions:
Barry loves Cornell. Sean loves Wisconsin. I love neither team. If it comes down to a battle of goaltenders, then Barry is right. Cornell wins. Scrivens is far superior to Bennett and Gudmanson of UW. I think Scrivens is the best goaltender in that predicted Frozen Four lineup.
If it comes down to offense, then UND and UW hold the key to the NC. And if it comes down to simple team D, then it's a toss up as I think all four of those teams have solid Team D. I guess I'd have to give the slight edge to UW as their DCorps is amazing.
But yeah, what I'd like to see is Cornell laying an egg against DU. Then it is Miami, DU, UW, and UND in the Frozen Four. Melrose is distraught and ESPN ponders throwing in a quick coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker replay during the ensuing WCHA vs WCHA matchup (not sure which two would face off against each other).
Is UND a shoe in, like they say for the Frozen Four? No. They're only one bad game or bad shift away from the end of their season. BC definitely has the ability to do it. Who really knows.
FYI - Barry Melrose shows his true colors by calling Dane Jackson the "best assistant in college hockey." Now, I know my green colored glasses should make this a bragging point, but my realist stance says "hello bias." You see, Jackson was the coach for a team owned by Barry Melrose at one point. I believe it was a UHL team. I'm not saying Jackson is terrible, but I'm not sure if that accolade is entirely accurate either.
We play YALE in the opening round. BC opens with Alaska Fairbanks. We play at 5pm EST (they say ESPN360.com, but I'm not sure about webcast etc.).
I think this outlook is much better than the USCHO final bracketology, which had us either playing Michigan or New Hampshire in the opening round.
Once again, we play BC, a team that has had our number as of late. And, once again, BC will be our toughest foe.
Yeah, I'm looking past Yale. I really don't think they're as good as their record indicates. I really don't think they're playing well enough coming into the playoffs to hang with the Sioux. It's not going to be a blowout, but if the Sioux continue playing the way they have coming into the playoffs, we should face off against BC.
Barry "Eastern Bias" Melrose and Sean "Can't remember his last name" both have UND making the Frozen Four and both of them have us losing to Miami. I'd like to think there's a good chance that they are right on about the Frozen Four prediction. Miami's track is simply amazingly easy any way you cut it. Michigan is the only team at their bracket that could give them trouble.
Let's use their analysis and predictions:
Barry loves Cornell. Sean loves Wisconsin. I love neither team. If it comes down to a battle of goaltenders, then Barry is right. Cornell wins. Scrivens is far superior to Bennett and Gudmanson of UW. I think Scrivens is the best goaltender in that predicted Frozen Four lineup.
If it comes down to offense, then UND and UW hold the key to the NC. And if it comes down to simple team D, then it's a toss up as I think all four of those teams have solid Team D. I guess I'd have to give the slight edge to UW as their DCorps is amazing.
But yeah, what I'd like to see is Cornell laying an egg against DU. Then it is Miami, DU, UW, and UND in the Frozen Four. Melrose is distraught and ESPN ponders throwing in a quick coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker replay during the ensuing WCHA vs WCHA matchup (not sure which two would face off against each other).
Is UND a shoe in, like they say for the Frozen Four? No. They're only one bad game or bad shift away from the end of their season. BC definitely has the ability to do it. Who really knows.
FYI - Barry Melrose shows his true colors by calling Dane Jackson the "best assistant in college hockey." Now, I know my green colored glasses should make this a bragging point, but my realist stance says "hello bias." You see, Jackson was the coach for a team owned by Barry Melrose at one point. I believe it was a UHL team. I'm not saying Jackson is terrible, but I'm not sure if that accolade is entirely accurate either.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Sioux 4, Pioneers 2 and SCS-EWWWWWW
Yet again the Sioux come out and take care of business, and this time they do it against a team that completely and totally owned them all season long until this point.
How much can be taken for this game? If there was ANY value to this game, most of it would lie in UND's side. DU was in the tourney. I can't find a way for them to drop lower than #3 (to be safe) in the PWR. There is no reason to really try outside of trying for the trifecta (McNaughton, Broadmoor, and National Title). UND is still in the tourney regardless and really only has two things to play for: The Broadmoor Trophy and a #1 seed in the tourney.
Nevertheless, the Sioux never trailed in this game. They went up 1-0 on Chris Vandevelde's rebound shot (initial shot made by Corbin Knight). They then went up 2-0 when Redwing77 Player of the Game Evan Trupp made a wicked one timer past Cheverie (thanks to an even more wicked pass by Frattin).
DU got within 1 when DU Dman Donovan basically skates a marathon, tiring out the UND players and buried a shot past Eidsness.
Trupp then scored the game winner on another one timer on the powerplay. UND would add another goal by Brad Malone (a thing of beauty) shorthanded thanks to again, RW77 POG Evan Trupp stealing the puck from Wiercioch and passing it back to Malone. And Knowlton of DU got a meaningless goal with 37 seconds left in the game to make it look good.
UND has now scored five short handed goals in the past 11 games. Impressive.
My three stars:
First Star (and Player of the Game): Evan Trupp
Second Star: Brad Malone (1g 1a)
Third Star: Matt Frattin (2a)
Honorable Mentions: Corbin Knight, Chris Vandevelde, Brad Eidsness
The officiating was, for the most part, meh. This is a big improvement over the whole deal as of late, but it still featured one bogus call. The haters loved it though, as it is one their favorite guy (they love him when he has a good game but they hate him if he makes a single mistake) Ben Blood.
What's Up Next
We're off to try for the Broadmoor against SCSU. The questions I have are:
1. How will UND approach Aaron Marvin in this game?
2. SCSU will be playing to win. If they do, there's a very good chance they'll leapfrog UND in the PWR rankings and become a #1 seed.
3. Who will start in net for the Huskies?
4. Will anyone be able to stop Evan Trupp or will they only hope to contain him?
5. Will the officials let UND play physical?
6. Will newly inaugurated Men's Freestyle Diving - Frozen Water Division Champion (screw this, I'm calling it the Robbie Earl Memorial Trophy from now on!) Garrett Roe put UND on the perpetual penalty kill?
I hope we play smart and let Marvin lie (hit him as hard as we can get away with provided it is legal would be best for me). We can't go on the powerplay.
We need to rest up because Roe WILL dive and we WILL go to the box for it. Oh, and Ben Blood, stay away from Roe because it is obvious the WCHA would see Roe diving with you near him as a double whammy!
How much can be taken for this game? If there was ANY value to this game, most of it would lie in UND's side. DU was in the tourney. I can't find a way for them to drop lower than #3 (to be safe) in the PWR. There is no reason to really try outside of trying for the trifecta (McNaughton, Broadmoor, and National Title). UND is still in the tourney regardless and really only has two things to play for: The Broadmoor Trophy and a #1 seed in the tourney.
Nevertheless, the Sioux never trailed in this game. They went up 1-0 on Chris Vandevelde's rebound shot (initial shot made by Corbin Knight). They then went up 2-0 when Redwing77 Player of the Game Evan Trupp made a wicked one timer past Cheverie (thanks to an even more wicked pass by Frattin).
DU got within 1 when DU Dman Donovan basically skates a marathon, tiring out the UND players and buried a shot past Eidsness.
Trupp then scored the game winner on another one timer on the powerplay. UND would add another goal by Brad Malone (a thing of beauty) shorthanded thanks to again, RW77 POG Evan Trupp stealing the puck from Wiercioch and passing it back to Malone. And Knowlton of DU got a meaningless goal with 37 seconds left in the game to make it look good.
UND has now scored five short handed goals in the past 11 games. Impressive.
My three stars:
First Star (and Player of the Game): Evan Trupp
Second Star: Brad Malone (1g 1a)
Third Star: Matt Frattin (2a)
Honorable Mentions: Corbin Knight, Chris Vandevelde, Brad Eidsness
The officiating was, for the most part, meh. This is a big improvement over the whole deal as of late, but it still featured one bogus call. The haters loved it though, as it is one their favorite guy (they love him when he has a good game but they hate him if he makes a single mistake) Ben Blood.
What's Up Next
We're off to try for the Broadmoor against SCSU. The questions I have are:
1. How will UND approach Aaron Marvin in this game?
2. SCSU will be playing to win. If they do, there's a very good chance they'll leapfrog UND in the PWR rankings and become a #1 seed.
3. Who will start in net for the Huskies?
4. Will anyone be able to stop Evan Trupp or will they only hope to contain him?
5. Will the officials let UND play physical?
6. Will newly inaugurated Men's Freestyle Diving - Frozen Water Division Champion (screw this, I'm calling it the Robbie Earl Memorial Trophy from now on!) Garrett Roe put UND on the perpetual penalty kill?
I hope we play smart and let Marvin lie (hit him as hard as we can get away with provided it is legal would be best for me). We can't go on the powerplay.
We need to rest up because Roe WILL dive and we WILL go to the box for it. Oh, and Ben Blood, stay away from Roe because it is obvious the WCHA would see Roe diving with you near him as a double whammy!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
A Redwing77 Gopher Series Wrap-Up
The Game
This game couldn't have been more up and down. The Sioux dominate the first period yet I felt like the Gophers were the ones who left the period with the momentum. Lo and behold, the second period was just dominant by the Gophers on 5 on 5. It was not good for them on the Powerplay (more on that in the next section). I thought it was going to be just another close loss by the Sioux at one point, but luckily enough, we kill off Frattin's second penalty of the period (more on that in the next section) and Frattin makes amends by scoring in the third.
The big man of the evening is Jason Gregoire. He ends tonight with 1 goal and 2 assists. He was just obscene with the puck tonight and should've scored more than he did. He also was very selfless in giving the puck to Hextall, who should've scored last night.
My UND 3 Stars:
First Star: Jason Gregoire
Second Star: Ben Blood
Third Star: Brad Eidsness
I chose Blood because he was all over the ice and scored. Had he not scored, Trupp gets the nod at 3rd Star and Eids goes up to second. I did not give Frattin a Star (again, explanation upcoming).
My UMN 3 Stars:
First Star: Alex Kangas (yes, Alex Kangas)
Second Star: Nick Leddy
Third Star: Jake Larson
I chose Kangas because he really didn't play poorly at all. He got hung out to dry a lot. This brings me to the operative question: If the Gopher D left Kangas out to drive so much, why have a Dman as the second star? Because one player isn't the whole corps. I think Leddy played pretty well all things considered. Helgeson was outmatched.
The Hit
Ok, my take on the Frattin hit. Simply stated, the hit was illegal, but only for one reason and one reason alone: Frattin left his skates to make the hit. Sweeney stated that it was contact to the head and maybe it was. I thought I heard Looker call it a Charging Major. This Charging major is more to my line of thought. This was a stupid and dangerous hit that was the big note in what has to be the worst period for Matt Frattin since he returned. It was quite possibly the worst period of hockey for him in his entire Sioux career. He was a liability. Yes, you heard it. A liability. Over aggressive, reckless, and payed the price. He spent almost half of the second period (including the last minute 55 of the second) in the penalty box. He hit Wehrs hard and injured him, true enough.
Was it a cheap shot. NO. Frattin didn't come from behind or from the blind side. He came face to face with Wehrs. Wehrs saw it coming. He actually did the right thing, which was put his head up. Unfortunately, Frattin jumped and well... read the first part of this section.
Should he have been ejected. Wooo... I'm actually on the fence on this one, though my reason on the side of giving him an ejection is more of the fan perspective than the rule book. The reason why I would have been "ok" with a 5 minute and a game is because of how Wehrs left the ice. It was OBVIOUS he was injured. He wasn't Robbie Earl-like (he got checked from the behind, laid on the ice so long the trainer came out, he skated back to the bench asking the trainer if they called a major on the Sioux player, and then started out on the ice for the Powerplay). So, since injury occurred, Frattin could have gotten a game and I would have been "ok" with it. But he didn't... because I believe the rulebook gives that decision to the officials and the officials, who enjoy situational officiating, are very reluctant to eject a player when they are not absolutely forced to.
So I'm ok with him staying because now the Gopher fans see the officials through Green colored glasses. The Gophers didn't lose the game because of Frattin's lack of an ejection. Frankly, I was surprised they gave him a major. That was surprisingly what the rulebook said, something the officials only occasionally cite.
But anyways, if Frattin did the same thing but this time didn't leave his skates, at worst it would have been a 2 minute minor, at best, just a really hard hit.
Minnesota
They played better than Game 1 but not as good as Game 2. I'm stunned to say this but... Cepis actually played 90% of the game by the rule book. There were no overt dives I saw unlike in Game 2.
Alex Kangas wasn't the reason the Gophers lost. I think Game 2 and 3 was why Lucia started Kangas over Patterson. What I don't think was good was the fact that Lucia waited until the 3rd period to replace Kangas in Game 1.
The problem with Minnesota isn't Lucia folks. It's John Hill's incompetence and Grant Potulny's inexperience. This year was huge for Grant. If Lucia was serious about his job, this year should be Hill's last with Minnesota. I really think the "whiny" stance the Gopher players take is more Hill's influence than Lucia's. Lucia may say some stuff in the media. He may have hair that reminds some of a 1980's style plant toy. But he's won EVERYWHERE he's gone. You can't get that anywhere.
The Outlook
WCHA Conspiracy Theorists can relax now. McLeod will be in a panic as the superficial sports media morons in MSP will look to an overrated Gopher basketball team or perhaps the Minnesota Mild to occupy their time rather than some good hockey played by good teams.
I don't expect UND to win it all. I have them entering the NCAAs as a #2 seed. And that means that it is very likely we'll get BC in the regional. Yuck.
Update
I fixed a few errors I had in my original post and I'd like to add my 3 Stars of the Series:
First Star: Matt Frattin
Second Star: Jason Gregoire
Third Star: Brad Eidsness
Honorable Mention: Derrick LaPoint, Evan Trupp, Jake Marto, Danny Kristo
This game couldn't have been more up and down. The Sioux dominate the first period yet I felt like the Gophers were the ones who left the period with the momentum. Lo and behold, the second period was just dominant by the Gophers on 5 on 5. It was not good for them on the Powerplay (more on that in the next section). I thought it was going to be just another close loss by the Sioux at one point, but luckily enough, we kill off Frattin's second penalty of the period (more on that in the next section) and Frattin makes amends by scoring in the third.
The big man of the evening is Jason Gregoire. He ends tonight with 1 goal and 2 assists. He was just obscene with the puck tonight and should've scored more than he did. He also was very selfless in giving the puck to Hextall, who should've scored last night.
My UND 3 Stars:
First Star: Jason Gregoire
Second Star: Ben Blood
Third Star: Brad Eidsness
I chose Blood because he was all over the ice and scored. Had he not scored, Trupp gets the nod at 3rd Star and Eids goes up to second. I did not give Frattin a Star (again, explanation upcoming).
My UMN 3 Stars:
First Star: Alex Kangas (yes, Alex Kangas)
Second Star: Nick Leddy
Third Star: Jake Larson
I chose Kangas because he really didn't play poorly at all. He got hung out to dry a lot. This brings me to the operative question: If the Gopher D left Kangas out to drive so much, why have a Dman as the second star? Because one player isn't the whole corps. I think Leddy played pretty well all things considered. Helgeson was outmatched.
The Hit
Ok, my take on the Frattin hit. Simply stated, the hit was illegal, but only for one reason and one reason alone: Frattin left his skates to make the hit. Sweeney stated that it was contact to the head and maybe it was. I thought I heard Looker call it a Charging Major. This Charging major is more to my line of thought. This was a stupid and dangerous hit that was the big note in what has to be the worst period for Matt Frattin since he returned. It was quite possibly the worst period of hockey for him in his entire Sioux career. He was a liability. Yes, you heard it. A liability. Over aggressive, reckless, and payed the price. He spent almost half of the second period (including the last minute 55 of the second) in the penalty box. He hit Wehrs hard and injured him, true enough.
Was it a cheap shot. NO. Frattin didn't come from behind or from the blind side. He came face to face with Wehrs. Wehrs saw it coming. He actually did the right thing, which was put his head up. Unfortunately, Frattin jumped and well... read the first part of this section.
Should he have been ejected. Wooo... I'm actually on the fence on this one, though my reason on the side of giving him an ejection is more of the fan perspective than the rule book. The reason why I would have been "ok" with a 5 minute and a game is because of how Wehrs left the ice. It was OBVIOUS he was injured. He wasn't Robbie Earl-like (he got checked from the behind, laid on the ice so long the trainer came out, he skated back to the bench asking the trainer if they called a major on the Sioux player, and then started out on the ice for the Powerplay). So, since injury occurred, Frattin could have gotten a game and I would have been "ok" with it. But he didn't... because I believe the rulebook gives that decision to the officials and the officials, who enjoy situational officiating, are very reluctant to eject a player when they are not absolutely forced to.
So I'm ok with him staying because now the Gopher fans see the officials through Green colored glasses. The Gophers didn't lose the game because of Frattin's lack of an ejection. Frankly, I was surprised they gave him a major. That was surprisingly what the rulebook said, something the officials only occasionally cite.
But anyways, if Frattin did the same thing but this time didn't leave his skates, at worst it would have been a 2 minute minor, at best, just a really hard hit.
Minnesota
They played better than Game 1 but not as good as Game 2. I'm stunned to say this but... Cepis actually played 90% of the game by the rule book. There were no overt dives I saw unlike in Game 2.
Alex Kangas wasn't the reason the Gophers lost. I think Game 2 and 3 was why Lucia started Kangas over Patterson. What I don't think was good was the fact that Lucia waited until the 3rd period to replace Kangas in Game 1.
The problem with Minnesota isn't Lucia folks. It's John Hill's incompetence and Grant Potulny's inexperience. This year was huge for Grant. If Lucia was serious about his job, this year should be Hill's last with Minnesota. I really think the "whiny" stance the Gopher players take is more Hill's influence than Lucia's. Lucia may say some stuff in the media. He may have hair that reminds some of a 1980's style plant toy. But he's won EVERYWHERE he's gone. You can't get that anywhere.
The Outlook
WCHA Conspiracy Theorists can relax now. McLeod will be in a panic as the superficial sports media morons in MSP will look to an overrated Gopher basketball team or perhaps the Minnesota Mild to occupy their time rather than some good hockey played by good teams.
I don't expect UND to win it all. I have them entering the NCAAs as a #2 seed. And that means that it is very likely we'll get BC in the regional. Yuck.
Update
I fixed a few errors I had in my original post and I'd like to add my 3 Stars of the Series:
First Star: Matt Frattin
Second Star: Jason Gregoire
Third Star: Brad Eidsness
Honorable Mention: Derrick LaPoint, Evan Trupp, Jake Marto, Danny Kristo
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Another Sad Day at the Ralph
Today, the Sioux lost 4-2 thanks to some timely diving and some lackluster play. True, the Sioux had their chances, but when they were down a goal in the third period, they did not even attempt to ratchet up the intensity.
Here's a case in point: Cepis scores on the Power Play and we respond by playing "whatever" hockey. It seemed like the Sioux were saying "we'll take care of them tomorrow then." Well, let me tell you, the arrogance of that stance is so outstanding it would be hilarious to look on their faces tomorrow as the Gophers keep their season alive... if it wasn't the Sioux being the victims.
When you are down a goal, especially in a playoff game in the 3rd period, you NEVER play back. You ALWAYS ratchet up the intensity. You play aggressive and if they burn you for taking chances, so be it. This DID NOT HAPPEN TONIGHT.
We shot the puck on net plenty of times. However, we crashed the net almost not at all.
Ok, the officiating:
Last night, the officiating was pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. They let go what they should have let go and called what they should have called. They even called unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, even one on Cepis, something unheard of in the past.
This game REEKED of situational officiating and institutional-enforced parity. They wanted a series. They got one. They want Minnesota in the Final Five and they can't outright give it to them, but they can facilitate it as much as humanly possible.
Tonight, the officials called the rule book on the Sioux. They made exceptions left and right for the underdog Gophers. Yeah, you got me right critics of my anti-officiating bias. I'm not going to sit here and say that the Sioux are angels. I'm not going to say they never commit a penalty.
I will say that, with the exception of the Cepis dives, every penalty called against UND was legit, or at least reasonably called. However, constantly I witnessed the refs giving a free pass to the Gophers for crap we got called for earlier in the game! What's the deal. Call it both ways or don't call it at all. PERIOD.
True, the officiating is terrible with PLENTY of missed calls and bogus calls for both sides. However, if Hakstol doesn't opt to push for new officials tomorrow, then his sanity will be called into question. That being said, I doubt Daddy dumbarse will stand by and let his darling little boy be criticized by a goon and his clan.
My players of the game:
First Star: The Refs. They led UMN in points with 2.
Second Star: Alex Kangas
Third Star: Brett Hextall because he wasn't afraid to shoot the puck.
The League got what it wanted tonight. Now, I hope they come back pissed off and ready to actually make something of themselves.
End Rant
Here's a case in point: Cepis scores on the Power Play and we respond by playing "whatever" hockey. It seemed like the Sioux were saying "we'll take care of them tomorrow then." Well, let me tell you, the arrogance of that stance is so outstanding it would be hilarious to look on their faces tomorrow as the Gophers keep their season alive... if it wasn't the Sioux being the victims.
When you are down a goal, especially in a playoff game in the 3rd period, you NEVER play back. You ALWAYS ratchet up the intensity. You play aggressive and if they burn you for taking chances, so be it. This DID NOT HAPPEN TONIGHT.
We shot the puck on net plenty of times. However, we crashed the net almost not at all.
Ok, the officiating:
Last night, the officiating was pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. They let go what they should have let go and called what they should have called. They even called unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, even one on Cepis, something unheard of in the past.
This game REEKED of situational officiating and institutional-enforced parity. They wanted a series. They got one. They want Minnesota in the Final Five and they can't outright give it to them, but they can facilitate it as much as humanly possible.
Tonight, the officials called the rule book on the Sioux. They made exceptions left and right for the underdog Gophers. Yeah, you got me right critics of my anti-officiating bias. I'm not going to sit here and say that the Sioux are angels. I'm not going to say they never commit a penalty.
I will say that, with the exception of the Cepis dives, every penalty called against UND was legit, or at least reasonably called. However, constantly I witnessed the refs giving a free pass to the Gophers for crap we got called for earlier in the game! What's the deal. Call it both ways or don't call it at all. PERIOD.
True, the officiating is terrible with PLENTY of missed calls and bogus calls for both sides. However, if Hakstol doesn't opt to push for new officials tomorrow, then his sanity will be called into question. That being said, I doubt Daddy dumbarse will stand by and let his darling little boy be criticized by a goon and his clan.
My players of the game:
First Star: The Refs. They led UMN in points with 2.
Second Star: Alex Kangas
Third Star: Brett Hextall because he wasn't afraid to shoot the puck.
The League got what it wanted tonight. Now, I hope they come back pissed off and ready to actually make something of themselves.
End Rant
Friday, February 12, 2010
WCHA Officiating: A link in the anchor holding the WCHA back
Ok, this is more a follow up to Goon's He said What? piece earlier.
My stance is pretty arrogant and biased, but here it is. I believe the WCHA to be the best NCAA hockey has to offer. I believe that only a handful of teams in other conferences (most notably Michigan, BC, and BU) would be able to keep up with the WCHA. Sure, every conference has its strengths and weaknesses, but I think the WCHA is on the cusp of being the elite conference.
There are only two entities holding the WCHA back: Its administration and its officiating. Despite myself lobbying for McLeod's ouster, I think he's the lesser of two evils overall. I know this is hard because he's the one that hired the worst evil that the WCHA knows as of yet. The ONE thing holding the WCHA back. That's WCHA Director of Officials Greg Shepherd.
Let's speak positives. There's very few involved with the WCHA that hasn't positive memories of Greg Shepherd while he was an on-ice official. I've never witnessed him officiate a game, but I've also yet to hear anything negative about his on-ice performance overall. That being said, Kevin McHale was a great player for the NBA. How did his work as a GM work out for the Timberpuppies?
The big catch-word in today's business (which, like it or not, hockey is) is the word "accountability." Accountable employees tend to be more efficient if given the right support and environment to work in. Those who are not held accountable, or accountability standards aren't enforced, tend to satisfice, or simply work hard enough for it to be considered "good enough." There is no need to improve. No need to criticize what could have been, trace mistakes and work to improve on them. This is bad enough when you are low on the corporate ladder, so to speak. However, when this is displayed by administration, this is devastating, because it is self-perpetuating. An administator who seeks the "good enough" stance, like McLeod and Shepherd do, install officials that reflect on this belief. There is no need to improve because they haven't been called out too harshly by the ADs and coaches of the league at meetings held, conveniently, after the season. Coincidentally, something like par or subpar officiating is hardly an issue when other things are on the docket. And if it is brought up, the rapport with the ADs and coaches will usually be enough to smooth most of it over. Time and empty promises will smooth the rest.
So, with compromised hiring (and firing) practices and a satisficing Administrative leadership, what about the on-ice officials? Hello, "Good 'ole boy" network. This is a big time conference with Beer League Accountability. "Don't do it again or you'll pay." Even then, though, it's not enough. That didn't work for Don Adam. In the span of 5 years, he's watched two incredibly illegal, damaging hits to players and made no attempt to be decisive on a call. He called Paukovich for boarding Bina despite the other facts in the case (Paukovich charged Bina from center ice and crushed him at full speed, he made no attempt to slow down, and the puck should have been blown dead after the Sioux player behind the net touched up the puck due to a penalty on the Sioux having been called) and was convinced to call a 5 minute major as a sort of make up call type set up after Hextall went ballistic on Marvin and, even then, did not bother to even find out who actually did the illegal hitting until after the period was over. But the key to the whole Adam affair is the phrase "span of 5 years." Randy Schmidt made the same mistake twice in a season and was fired for it.
So, there's your precedent. Don Adam will be fine provided he doesn't watch two players get seriously injured in the same year. Maybe it would have to be the same team getting the injury without a call to end Adam's WCHA tenure. Don't forget that, though unsubstantiated, Don Adam left for the HEA at one point and was FIRED or NOT retained. I would assume that's not true if Adam didn't have a history of being THE most dangerous official with regards to player safety in the WCHA. Face it folks, every other official in the WCHA blows games now and then, but only Don Adam allows serious injuries to go relatively unanswered.
Then there is the issue with NCAA Crackdowns. Why do Crackdowns take place? Has anyone read the crackdowns? If you had, you'd probably notice that NONE of them impose NEW RULES. Why would the NCAA have to tell the WCHA to enforce the rulebook if the officials were doing a good enough job, even taking human error into account, on their own? I can't prove that the obstruction crackdown was meant to counter WCHA ineptitude, but you can't tell me the CFB Crackdown wasn't. And even then, it's now a joke. Cheap hits cannot be defended by the teams. No fighting is allowed. So... it falls on the officiating. If players walk onto the ice knowing that any cheap stuff will be met severely, they won't do it or if they do, they'll pay and so will their team. McLeod brags about how the WCHA doesn't give out more than 2 game suspensions. He's right. I can only think of one 2 game suspension the WCHA has handed out. I believe it was earlier this year to an MSUM player? Or maybe it was C. Smith of UW. I can't remember clearly. Paukovich got 1 game, not even a misconduct for the game he did the hit on, and DU added 1 game because, as Gwozdecky rationalized, Paukovich needed a little extra time to get over the circumstances. In other words, had Paukovich not been somewhat human, 1 game is all he'd have sat. I guess it was ok to sit him as it was only going to be missing a game vs. Bemidji. I've never rooted for a long shot harder in my life.
There are a bunch of solutions to this:
1. This offseason, dismiss Greg Shepherd (heck, offer him early retirement, I don't care). Put McLeod on dismissal watch.
2. Hire a consultant to comb through policies and procedures, personnel interviews, performance records, etc. and suggest immediate and long term solutions to the administrative aspect of officiating and the league.
3. Hire someone with NHL credentials to lead the officials.
4. Separate league goals from officiating goals. No more institution-enforced parity. No more situation officiating.
5. Install the NHL's standards (or a variation therein) of hiring, firing, and performance standards for all on-ice and off-ice officials (such as video replay judges, scoring table people, etc.)
6. Start enforcing the rule book as the rule book is written. No more leeway to coaches regardless of the school's standing.
7. Mandate a 24 hour response period towards serious infractions. If the college doesn't give a serious enough response (within reason) to an illegal action either on or off ice, the league will impose a harsh punishment. No more "talking to's" will be accepted as a punishment.
8. Move league offices out of cities that hold member schools. McLeod should not have his office in or near Denver, CO. I suggest Chicago, IL. If the other Directors wish to not consolidate their stance, then the Head of officiating should be headquartered in someplace like Milwaukee, WI or even someplace more out of the way like Detroit, MI. That way, if Gwozdecky wants to get ahold of McLeod, he has to do the same thing Eaves or Hakstol or Lucia has to do: Email, phone, or hop on a plane. The best place I'd've recommended would have been Omaha, NE, but now that UNO has entered the WCHA, that's out.
9. Appraisal of Officiating or on-ice issues should be discussed at a separate time AFTER the post season meetings. Get the "big deals" done first and then approach this issue as THE priority on the agenda. The first order of business? League wide mandated and enforced accountability standards for ALL WCHA officials from the newest AR to the Head of Officiating himself. Heck.. MAKE THAT PUBLIC. Punitive action can be kept private, but the hiring practices and accountability standards are hardly confidential and should be right there for perusal. And, for the following 5 years post-ratification, the standards should be revisited ANNUALLY. After that, every 5 years unless 3 schools make a motion at the post season meetings to revisit it prior to that time.
10. Reverse review officials. This would be a two-tiered appraisal process in which surveys would first go out to ADs, Coaches, and the officials themselves (as a form of self-assessment). I'd love for the fans to be involved, but that would be a disaster. I don't see much more than 1 or 2 officials actually losing their jobs. The only one who'd probably lose his job would probably be Don Adam. The rest should just go on probation and see where they stand. Those new to the league would be exempt from this as it's too early to see a trend. So, no free passes. It doesn't matter if you played hockey for 20 years and then officiated up until today. You're a nobody until proven by the new accountability standards.
11. Might want to investigate disallowing any on-ice official to officiate his alma mater. We can call this the Mason Rule if tUMD fans wish it.
END RANT???
My stance is pretty arrogant and biased, but here it is. I believe the WCHA to be the best NCAA hockey has to offer. I believe that only a handful of teams in other conferences (most notably Michigan, BC, and BU) would be able to keep up with the WCHA. Sure, every conference has its strengths and weaknesses, but I think the WCHA is on the cusp of being the elite conference.
There are only two entities holding the WCHA back: Its administration and its officiating. Despite myself lobbying for McLeod's ouster, I think he's the lesser of two evils overall. I know this is hard because he's the one that hired the worst evil that the WCHA knows as of yet. The ONE thing holding the WCHA back. That's WCHA Director of Officials Greg Shepherd.
Let's speak positives. There's very few involved with the WCHA that hasn't positive memories of Greg Shepherd while he was an on-ice official. I've never witnessed him officiate a game, but I've also yet to hear anything negative about his on-ice performance overall. That being said, Kevin McHale was a great player for the NBA. How did his work as a GM work out for the Timberpuppies?
The big catch-word in today's business (which, like it or not, hockey is) is the word "accountability." Accountable employees tend to be more efficient if given the right support and environment to work in. Those who are not held accountable, or accountability standards aren't enforced, tend to satisfice, or simply work hard enough for it to be considered "good enough." There is no need to improve. No need to criticize what could have been, trace mistakes and work to improve on them. This is bad enough when you are low on the corporate ladder, so to speak. However, when this is displayed by administration, this is devastating, because it is self-perpetuating. An administator who seeks the "good enough" stance, like McLeod and Shepherd do, install officials that reflect on this belief. There is no need to improve because they haven't been called out too harshly by the ADs and coaches of the league at meetings held, conveniently, after the season. Coincidentally, something like par or subpar officiating is hardly an issue when other things are on the docket. And if it is brought up, the rapport with the ADs and coaches will usually be enough to smooth most of it over. Time and empty promises will smooth the rest.
So, with compromised hiring (and firing) practices and a satisficing Administrative leadership, what about the on-ice officials? Hello, "Good 'ole boy" network. This is a big time conference with Beer League Accountability. "Don't do it again or you'll pay." Even then, though, it's not enough. That didn't work for Don Adam. In the span of 5 years, he's watched two incredibly illegal, damaging hits to players and made no attempt to be decisive on a call. He called Paukovich for boarding Bina despite the other facts in the case (Paukovich charged Bina from center ice and crushed him at full speed, he made no attempt to slow down, and the puck should have been blown dead after the Sioux player behind the net touched up the puck due to a penalty on the Sioux having been called) and was convinced to call a 5 minute major as a sort of make up call type set up after Hextall went ballistic on Marvin and, even then, did not bother to even find out who actually did the illegal hitting until after the period was over. But the key to the whole Adam affair is the phrase "span of 5 years." Randy Schmidt made the same mistake twice in a season and was fired for it.
So, there's your precedent. Don Adam will be fine provided he doesn't watch two players get seriously injured in the same year. Maybe it would have to be the same team getting the injury without a call to end Adam's WCHA tenure. Don't forget that, though unsubstantiated, Don Adam left for the HEA at one point and was FIRED or NOT retained. I would assume that's not true if Adam didn't have a history of being THE most dangerous official with regards to player safety in the WCHA. Face it folks, every other official in the WCHA blows games now and then, but only Don Adam allows serious injuries to go relatively unanswered.
Then there is the issue with NCAA Crackdowns. Why do Crackdowns take place? Has anyone read the crackdowns? If you had, you'd probably notice that NONE of them impose NEW RULES. Why would the NCAA have to tell the WCHA to enforce the rulebook if the officials were doing a good enough job, even taking human error into account, on their own? I can't prove that the obstruction crackdown was meant to counter WCHA ineptitude, but you can't tell me the CFB Crackdown wasn't. And even then, it's now a joke. Cheap hits cannot be defended by the teams. No fighting is allowed. So... it falls on the officiating. If players walk onto the ice knowing that any cheap stuff will be met severely, they won't do it or if they do, they'll pay and so will their team. McLeod brags about how the WCHA doesn't give out more than 2 game suspensions. He's right. I can only think of one 2 game suspension the WCHA has handed out. I believe it was earlier this year to an MSUM player? Or maybe it was C. Smith of UW. I can't remember clearly. Paukovich got 1 game, not even a misconduct for the game he did the hit on, and DU added 1 game because, as Gwozdecky rationalized, Paukovich needed a little extra time to get over the circumstances. In other words, had Paukovich not been somewhat human, 1 game is all he'd have sat. I guess it was ok to sit him as it was only going to be missing a game vs. Bemidji. I've never rooted for a long shot harder in my life.
There are a bunch of solutions to this:
1. This offseason, dismiss Greg Shepherd (heck, offer him early retirement, I don't care). Put McLeod on dismissal watch.
2. Hire a consultant to comb through policies and procedures, personnel interviews, performance records, etc. and suggest immediate and long term solutions to the administrative aspect of officiating and the league.
3. Hire someone with NHL credentials to lead the officials.
4. Separate league goals from officiating goals. No more institution-enforced parity. No more situation officiating.
5. Install the NHL's standards (or a variation therein) of hiring, firing, and performance standards for all on-ice and off-ice officials (such as video replay judges, scoring table people, etc.)
6. Start enforcing the rule book as the rule book is written. No more leeway to coaches regardless of the school's standing.
7. Mandate a 24 hour response period towards serious infractions. If the college doesn't give a serious enough response (within reason) to an illegal action either on or off ice, the league will impose a harsh punishment. No more "talking to's" will be accepted as a punishment.
8. Move league offices out of cities that hold member schools. McLeod should not have his office in or near Denver, CO. I suggest Chicago, IL. If the other Directors wish to not consolidate their stance, then the Head of officiating should be headquartered in someplace like Milwaukee, WI or even someplace more out of the way like Detroit, MI. That way, if Gwozdecky wants to get ahold of McLeod, he has to do the same thing Eaves or Hakstol or Lucia has to do: Email, phone, or hop on a plane. The best place I'd've recommended would have been Omaha, NE, but now that UNO has entered the WCHA, that's out.
9. Appraisal of Officiating or on-ice issues should be discussed at a separate time AFTER the post season meetings. Get the "big deals" done first and then approach this issue as THE priority on the agenda. The first order of business? League wide mandated and enforced accountability standards for ALL WCHA officials from the newest AR to the Head of Officiating himself. Heck.. MAKE THAT PUBLIC. Punitive action can be kept private, but the hiring practices and accountability standards are hardly confidential and should be right there for perusal. And, for the following 5 years post-ratification, the standards should be revisited ANNUALLY. After that, every 5 years unless 3 schools make a motion at the post season meetings to revisit it prior to that time.
10. Reverse review officials. This would be a two-tiered appraisal process in which surveys would first go out to ADs, Coaches, and the officials themselves (as a form of self-assessment). I'd love for the fans to be involved, but that would be a disaster. I don't see much more than 1 or 2 officials actually losing their jobs. The only one who'd probably lose his job would probably be Don Adam. The rest should just go on probation and see where they stand. Those new to the league would be exempt from this as it's too early to see a trend. So, no free passes. It doesn't matter if you played hockey for 20 years and then officiated up until today. You're a nobody until proven by the new accountability standards.
11. Might want to investigate disallowing any on-ice official to officiate his alma mater. We can call this the Mason Rule if tUMD fans wish it.
END RANT???
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