Bemidji's new arena.

Check out the ins and outs of BSU's new arena that is going to be open for the 2010 season. This is going to be the new Beaver pond.

MSU-M Dragon's Hockey.

I think I am going to call shenanigans on this one. I just don't see this happening. While I think realignment is on the way I don't see how MSU-M thinks they can get a college hockey team together that would even be remotely competitive in the WCHA let alone one of the lesser conferences. Immediately we hear the pontifications about Dean Blais coaching the team. Come on now! Also, I think the WCHA is going to expand to twelve teams but it won't include a team from the Fargo Moorhead area. I would rather see an established team like UAH, UNO or NMU than Moorhead State.

MSUM considers D-I hockey
Urban Plains Center could be home to team. Minnesota State University Moorhead is considering launching an NCAA Division I hockey team and using the Urban Plains Center as a possible home, MSUM President Edna Szymanski said Monday.

Szymanski said no state money could be used to fund the proposal with the school and state facing a budget deficit.

“Not to explore it would be crazy,” Szymanski said. “This is a hockey community. It would help us increase our recognition in the region.”

MSUM athletic director Doug Peters said campus and community members began studying the idea after the Western Collegiate Hockey Association voted in January to lift a moratorium on adding teams.

“The time is right to take a look at it,” Peters said.

The WCHA is a 10-team league that includes the University of North Dakota and is widely regarded as one of the top ice hockey conferences in the country.

Note to WCHA commissioner make it work.

The WCHA commissioner and North Dakota faculty representative Sue Jeno made a site visit to Bemidji State University on Friday; this is one of the first steps in the right direction of getting BSU gaining membership into the WCHA. Now is a time for a steady hand and leadership as the WCHA makes the transition to a 11 or 12 team league.

The thing that troubles me the most is all of the excuse making I hear from the WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod, to quote the one time beat writer for the Fighting Sioux Virg Foss, “make it work.” If McLeod can’t make it work maybe the member schools of the WCHA should consider another person for the Commissioner's job. IIRC the commissioner’s contract is up for renewal this year and maybe the league needs to go in another direction if McLeod can’t offer stable leadership. Maybe there is someone that can make it work. I don’t think the WCHA wants to be the league that killed 2008-2009 Division one Hockey’s version of Cinderella.

With BSU the sole applicant, it would leave the WCHA an 11-team league which would present scheduling problems. Not in the math, McLeod said, but in producing a fair and equitable balance among the big and smaller schools in the league.

“I have put together an 11-team 28-game schedule for three years out,” he said. “You can put it together. … But there’s no model to it.”

The WCHA already plays an imbalanced schedule because home-and-home games aren’t available to all teams. The 10-team, 28-game imbalanced schedule takes four years to work it out so that all teams play home and away an equal number of times. A 12-team, 28-game schedule takes five years.

“I have yet to figure out a way – I’ve been in NHL offices, every place I can to try to find some model that works with some fairness, some balance to it and I have yet to come up with it,” he said.

The schedule he does have has some teams with two games on the road three years in a row to the same school.

“It’s not fair to the institutions that are in the league right now, that they have no idea what their opponents' schedule is going to look like from year to year,” he said. “It has no recognition of traditional opponents we have in the league.”

Many think that a step backward, McLeod said.

Better than an 11-team league is a 12-team league, he said, and it appears work continues to gain another application.

“Obviously the answer to an 11-team league is a 12-team league,” he said. “We are doing a lot of homework in that area. … There are some interests. I can’t mention them, but there are definitively possibilities for us but we have to come up with the right circumstances, the right way to approach, etc. etc.”

McLeod says he hopes BSU can get an answer this spring, right at the WCHA’s annual meeting. “That may or may not happen, depending on some things that are still in the works regarding some of the things we’re hoping for in a little bit.”
(read the whole story here)

Will all of the Hobey Hat Trick be signed this spring?

You have to wonder if after the Frozen Four is done next weekend will all of the Hobey Baker Hat Trick players be signed to professional contracts? Colin Wilson, Boston University a Sophomore (13g - 27a – 40) will probably get some pressure from the Nashville Predators to sign and Matt Gilroy Boston University a Senior defenseman
(5g - 16a – 21) is said to be one of the more sought after free agents after Tyler Bozek who just signed a professional contract today with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

4/03/2009 --- The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent goalie Brad Thiessen from Northeastern University.

Thiessen is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker award as the top college hockey player for the 2008-09 season.

The Aldergrove, BC native finished fourth in the nation in victories with a record of 25-12-4. He recorded six shutouts in 41 games with a save percentage of .931 and goals-against average of 2.11.

The 23-year-old was named the best goaltender and Player of the Year in Hockey East.

NCAA upsets show why more teams necessary

Here was an interesting article that was in the THN.COM However the article is devoid of a few key facts. Lets clear up a couple of things up. First off; Robert Morris, Niagara have already found a conference the AHA and BSU and UAH are still looking for a new conference to call home. Second; Air Force was playing in their third straight NCAA regional they have never advanced to the Frozen Four.

The University of Findlay (Ohio) Oilers were the basketball team in question and hey, congratulations on your first national title.

But with Air Force beating Michigan and Bemidji State (Minn.) trouncing Notre Dame and Cornell in the Frozen Four tournament over the weekend, I couldn’t help but think of those players who suited up for the Oilers on the ice from 1999 to 2004, when Findlay was a member of College Hockey America (CHA), the dwindling conference that has also produced the Bemidji State Beavers. Those same Beavers are angling to join the powerhouse WCHA, leaving the CHA with just three members (Robert Morris, Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville). And based on the way the Beavers handled No. 1 Notre Dame and highly rated Cornell, it’s obvious the team knows how to compete with the big boys.

Findlay hockey died because of budget constraints, an all-too-familiar refrain these days, but a rough one when you read between the lines: the school would rather have a Division II basketball team than a Division I hockey team. In essence, they’d rather play Cal Poly Pomona on the hardwood than Notre Dame on the ice.

But hey – not my decision.

American college athletics are so exciting because of the atmospheres and because of the rivalries (think Wisconsin-Minnesota or Boston College-Boston U.). I’ve said this before, but it needs to be said again: More big schools are needed in NCAA hockey.

The talent is there. Powerhouses such as Wisconsin often over recruit and some players end up playing at Division III schools for a year until a roster spot opens up. And as we’ve seen with Air Force and Bemidji State, hockey is finding its Gonzagas and George Masons. The Falcons of Air Force, for example, were playing in their third straight Frozen Four tournament coming out of the Atlantic Hockey conference.

Serratore for Spencer Penrose. Why not?

Here are the finalist for the 2008-2009 Spencer Penrose finalists. I would like to see the award go to Tom Serratore coach of the Bemidji State University Beavers because I think he is the most deserving of the award.

Coach Serratore has gotten the more out of less with his hockey team. I mean think about it this way, the BSU Beavers have (1) one player that is drafted by an NHL team (Chris Peluso (PIT) JR) the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had (8) eight players, you tell me what team under achieved there. So what we are saying while BSU had one drafted player other teams have 5-15 drafted players and couldn't make the Frozen Four or even get out of the first round game of their regional.

Breaking it down further the BSU Beavers weren't even in the top 25 of the Pair Wise Rankings yet they beat the 2nd and 12th ranked teams, in fact the Beavers beat the number two ranked team that was at the top of the rankings most of the season and went something like 20 games without a loss.

Keith Allain, Yale*
Enrico Blasi, Miami#@
Greg Cronin, Northeastern*
Dallas Ferguson, Alaska*
Dave Hakstol, North Dakota*
Jack Parker, Boston University#@
Tom Serratore, Bemidji State*#
Kevin Sneddon, Vermont#
Ryan Soderquist, Bentley*

* Conference coach of the year
# NCAA Frozen Four participant
@ Previous winner

Recent winners

2000 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
2001 Dean Blais, North Dakota
2002 Tim Whitehead, Maine
2003 Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2004 Scott Sandelin, Minnesota-Duluth
2005 George Gwozdecky, Denver
2006 Enrico Blasi, Miami
2007 Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2008 Red Berenson, Michigan

Jamie McBain signing with Carolina.

DPlaya is reporting that Junior defenseman (7g-30a-37pts)is going to sign a professional contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. That is a big loss for the Badgers if it is true.

DPlaya ---- 3/25/2009Hockey in Wisconsin has learned that WCHA Player of the Year Jamie McBain signed a professional contract with Carolina last night. As far as I can tell, this news has not yet been released by any official sources or traditional media outlets.

At today's team meeting where McBain's contract was revealed, all other Badger players indicated that they expect to return to the Badgers, meaning the team currently expects a whopping 29 players on it's roster next season (18 forwards, 9 defensemen & 2 goalies). According to my source, it is nearly inevitable that a number of players will transfer, remain in junior hockey or choose to play elsewhere due to the logjam of players on the roster. Stay tuned for an interesting Summer of Badger hockey action....I'll do my best to bring you the details as they unfold.

The latest 4 X 4 from INCH.

The latest 4X4 from INCH is out. You do have to wonder if UND is destined to meet Michigan again?

MINNEAPOLIS West Regional
1. Michigan---Michigan could end up in GR, but I'd like to see them face North Dakota in Minneapolis to make up for those times when the Wolverines were a No. 3 seed at Yost and advanced to the Frozen.
2. North Dakota---Duncan Go Nuts: Before being held scoreless in Saturday's meaningless game at Wisconsin, Ryan Duncan had scored 4-7—11 during a season-high, eight-game point streak.
3. Cornell---Tough break for the Big Red to be sent to Minneapolis to face the Sioux on Lake Mariucci. Cornell's strengths are better suited to the NHL-sized rinks.
4. St. Lawrence---SLU surpassed Joe Gladziszewski as the biggest St. Cloud State fans in New York State. No question they'd like to see the Gophers bounced in the first round of the WCHA tourney

Brad Eidsness for ROY in the WCHA.

I believe that Jordan Schroeder of the University of Minnesota overall (13 assists – 27 goals -40 points) and (11 assists – 24 goals - 35 points) conference play will be the Rookie of the Year in the WCHA. I don't think there is going to be any debate on the subject because the voters’ minds have been made up already. This was suggested by the voice of the Fighting Sioux hockey team Tim Hennesey last week during the weekly coaches’ radio show last Wednesday. I concur with Tim's assessment and that it's basically goig to be a rubberstamp for Jordan Schroeder. I wish the voters would be more objective when looking at the candidates and also take a look more closely at Fighting Sioux goalie Brad Eidsness because I believe there is a strong case for Brad Eidsness being the ROY in the WCHA. I like a lot of Sioux fans believe Brad Eidsness is a legitmate contender for the ROY.

In Eids we trust

Where would the Sioux be without Brad Eidsness this season? Probably not first in the WCHA and would probably be getting ready to travel on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Brad Eidsness is a rookie/freshman goalie in a league dominated by juniors and seniors, but he has stood tall and answered the bell. Also, Brad Eidsness is the only freshman goalie that I know of that started every game but one for his team during WCHA conference play this season.


Brad Eidsness by the Numbers

The numbers speak for themselves Brad Eidsness is 22-9-4 and GAA 2.47 and Save% of 0.909 and is 17-5-4 GAA 2.39 save% .909 1 shutout in league play. While hockey is a team game and the Sioux are balanced on all four lines Brad Eidsness lead his team to a first place finish in the WCHA with his strong play between the pipes. If it hadn't been for Brad Eidsness the Fighting Sioux could very well could have been a ninth place team. While the Gophers backed into the fifth spot in the WCHA playoffs and almost ended up on the road for a second year in a row to start the WCHA playoffs.


Final goals against averages for the WCHA
1.) Alex Stalock UMD JR 1679:42 67 2.39
2.) Brad Eidsness UND FR 1604:24 64 2.39
3.) Marc Cheverie DU SO 1671:12 67 2.41

Final Save Percentage in the WCHA

1.) Marc Cheverie DU SO 748 67 .918
2.) Alex Stalock UMD JR 727 67 .916
3.) Richard Bachman C.C. SO 765 73 .913
4.) Shane Connelly UW SR 710 69 .911
5.) Jase Weslosky SCSU JR 761 75 .910
6.) Brad Eidsness UND FR 640 64 .909

Winning Percentage:
1.) Brad Eidsness UND FR 17- 5- 4 .731
2.) Marc Cheverie DU SO 16- 8- 4 .643
3.) Richard Bachman C.C. SO 12- 8- 7 .574

BADgers 4 Sioux 1

First off I was reading the board over at Sioux sports after I returned from my buddies house where I watched the third period. While I am not happy with a loss I have seen better teams than this one get swept in Madison. The 2000 Fighting Sioux hockey team was swept by the Badges in Madison 3-2ot and 6-5ot in January 14 and 15 2000.

Seriously! Who didn't expect a let down tonight after clinching the first MacNaughten cup in 4 seasons. UND has lost two games in 2009 (13-2-3) so the sky is not falling, I repeat the sky is not falling. Wisconsin wanted it more than UND did tonight and while I never can really appreciate a loss this particular loss can help the coaching staff refocus the team for the playoffs. After the WCHA playoffs the next loss will end the Fighting Sioux's season.

Power Play not good tonight

I can not remember the last time I have seen a team get two short handed goals scored on them during the same power play. I would have to think that it has to be a long time since we have seen something like that. I am sure that Coach Hakstol and his staff will review the game film from this weekend and make the proper adjustments. The power play was not good this weekend and the Fighting Sioux need to get better if they want to be successful in the WCHA and NCAA playoffs.

Box Scores
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIS-1 Brendan Smith (5-Checking from Behind) (Served by Michael Davies) NDK 0x1 2:15
WIS-2 Brendan Smith (10-Game Misconduct) (Served by Michael Davies) 2:15
NDK-1 Chay Genoway (2-Cross-Checking) 14:54
NDK-2 Chay Genoway (2-Roughing) (Served by Andrew Kozek) WIS 0x1 14:54
WIS-3 Patrick Johnson (2-Roughing) 14:54
NDK-3 Zach Jones (2-Holding) WIS 0x2 16:08

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIS 1 - 0 6x6 Ben Grotting (4) (John Mitchell, Jake Gardiner) 0:34
WIS (+): 14,24,19,16,2,G35 NDK (-): 8,20,6,11,25,G31
NDK-4 Matt Frattin (2-Hooking) WIS 0x3 1:34
NDK 1 - 1 6x6 Brad Malone (4) (Brad Miller, Mario Lamoureux) 4:05
NDK (+): 22,14,10,9,24,G31 WIS (-): 4,12,3,10,14,G35
WIS-4 Ryan McDonagh (2-Interference) NDK 0x2 9:18
WIS 2 - 1 5x6 SH GW LL Derek Stepan (7) (Andy Bohmbach) 9:30
WIS (+): 21,11,19,2,G35 NDK (-): 17,8,5,21,19,G31
WIS 3 - 1 5x6 SH Derek Stepan (8) (Andy Bohmbach) 11:12
WIS (+): 21,11,3,19,G35 NDK (-): 17,8,19,5,10,G31
WIS-5 Jamie McBain (2-Interference) NDK 0x3 12:22
WIS-6 Jordy Murray (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x4 14:55
WIS-7 Ryan McDonagh (2-Roughing) NDK 0x5 19:05

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIS 4 - 1 6x6 John Mitchell (14) (Tom Gorowsky) 12:28
WIS (+): 24,15,4,16,3,G35 NDK (-): 16,25,17,26,6,G31

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Game

The Wheels are still coming off Part II.

I have been surfing some of the sites around the internet getting a feel for how things are going around the college hockey blogsphere and the Gopher fans are in full melt down. You have Gopher fans calling for Don Lucia's head. I can't imagine the University of Minnesota Firing a coach that has won 2 NCAA titles. I just doesn't seem possible.

Check out these examples of lynch mob type mentality. I mean I get it the Gopher fans are unhappy with the state of their team. (Example 1) (Example 2) (Example 3)

This post right here caught my eye it was over on Star Tribune.

Out with Lucia now!!!
Dear UofM AD....Your mens Hockey coach wins two titles with Woog's teams, can recruit any player in the country and we have this season? then finish it by loosing to a absolutely pathetic 1-18 Mich Tech team who score 6 on us?? His teams don't come close to ND's season for season and they don't have 20% the recruiting ability he's given?? Not to mention the all time worst upset in NCAA history to Holly Angels just a few years back?? This is coaching 100%, were not going anywhere with this "goody two shoes" clown....we need a tough, gritty authority figure who recruits the right players and gets them to show up and play like they can. We got no chance with him at the helm, zero...I wouldn't want him coaching my daughters teams...ok that was a lie, he'd be fine with girls. I've been sooo patient with this but now it's over...Imgane what Gwozdecky (Denver) or Hakstol (UND) could do with Gophs recruiting power? They already run circles around Goph's hockey teams operating from the north pole? If the AD fires the FB coach after a bad 1/2 at a bowl game whens he goanna show nuts it takes to do it again at the hockey rink? This is 100x's worse....incredibly pathetic, I feel bad for the players to be honest, and they're certainly accountable but c'mon...look at the teams and talent we have had....allstar teams year in year out and he cant do anything with em????? Please move on with him...no more Lucia.....Move on from the Grand Rapids alumni mafia and get with the times, not the 70's and 80's.

posted by azlizard99 on Mar. 6, 09 at 10:57 PM |

Michigan Tech is not a Cup Cake.

You have to love the blogger from the Red Star and Sickle. You have to wonder why the blogger from the Strib would even write that? No teams in the WCHA are pushovers, every game is a battle. Last weekend the 9th place team in the WCHA took out the 4th place team in the CCHA.

Roman is right Michigan Tech is going to clog up the neutral zone and make life miserable for the Gophers. Michigan Tech is going to pressure and get in the Gopher's face. The Tech Huskies are a physical team and are going to be playing for pride this weekend. There are also a lot of WCHA fans that are hoping the Real Huskies can take a bit out of the Golden Gophers. I think that if the Huskies had suffered so many devastating injuries they would have been fighting for home ice in the WCHA.

U men’s hockey: Tech not a cupcake, goalie and PairWise talk, etc.
By Roman Augustoviz --- Gophers coach Don Lucia, whose team is still in the hunt for a first-division finish in the WCHA, said his team will not take Michigan Tech lightly this weekend. The series is in Houghton, Mich.

“They have just been on the wrong side of a lot of one-goal games,” said Lucia, referring to the Huskies who are 1-18-7 in the WCHA. ”You look at how many overtime games they have played. … They don’t give up much and we will have to try to win some low-scoring games. That’s the way they are going to be. And I think we are comfortable in that, because that’s the way we have been involved all year long too.

“But we have to remain patient knowing, you know what, it’s probably going to get decided in the third period sometime.”

Trade dead line moves. As seen through the eyes of INCH

This was found on an napkin over on INCH. I have a hard time believing the Bruins would give up two number one draft picks to aquire a defenseman. The defenseman rumored to be going to Boston would be Chris Pronger.

• Joe Colborne/Phil Kessel/Mark Stuart (Boston): The B's are apparently in hunt for a top flight defenseman, and this troika with WCHA ties appears frequently as trade bait.

Message to WCHA Fire Todd Anderson NOW!!!

Another week in the WCHA and wouldn’t you know it another incident involving an on ice WCHA official. Taking it a little further; it is another incident that involves WCHA referee Todd Anderson, again. When does the league say enough is enough with this guy? Do they give Todd Anderson the Randy Schmidt suspension, where he gets suspended and goes away quietly into the night to never be seen again on the ice. Friday night there was another series of incidents in the game between the Badgers and the Mavericks in Mankato.

Tonight I got a text from Lets Go Mavs and she says that Todd Anderson and the other official took 10 minutes to wave off a goal on video review. That is ridiculous, it is either a goal or it is not a goal.

Here is a run down of the incident on Friday night in Mankato.

In the third, with UW clinging to a 3-2 lead, a centering pass from freshman pivot Derek Stepan hit the right skate of Gorowsky and caromed past Mankato goaltender Mike Zacharias (32 saves).

Referee Todd Anderson looked at the sequence on video along with partner Pete Freesma and waived it off, telling Eaves that Gorowsky used a distinct kicking motion, which is illegal.

“I don’t know how he made that distinction after watching it on video,” Gorowsky said. “I didn’t know I touched the puck at all. I saw it come through and I tried to hit it with my stick and I thought it went all the way through. I looked and it was in the back of the net.”

Eaves’ voice was elevated during a post game discussion with Greg Shepherd, the WCHA supervisor of officials. When Eaves emerged from the ante room, he was diplomatic and terse with a sense of humor thrown in when asked about the two goals that weren’t

“I’m not going to go down that path,” he said. “Obviously they were critical times in the game. Unless I was willing to give you a $1,000 check right now — unfortunately I called my wife and she said I can’t — I’m not going to say anything about those things.”

Public criticism of game officials could result in a fine from the WCHA, something Eaves tried to avoid.

“Those viewpoints that those gentlemen have certainly aren’t the ones we have,” he said. (read the whole article here)

Let’s take look at Todd Anderson’s hit parade over the past couple of seasons. These incidents happened in the games that Todd Anderson has worked in. All these dust ups involved a game where Todd Anderson as the on ice official was not all that sharp. In fact his performance was unsatisfactory. The League office needs to man up and get rid of some dead weight.

1.) The Prpich cup check and the Dasher dance.
2.) The dasher dance and ejection from the game. Guess who is the official? Todd Anderson.
3.) The Brian Schack incident in Mankato as Schack attacked Channing Boe.

What if the Gophers don't make the Final Five?

The beat writers are already starting to ponder the thought of the Gophers not making the Final Five and the West Regional. There is a very good chance this could happen this season.

There will be plenty of time to throw darts — and I’m sure they will be thrown — if the Gophers don’t make the NCAA tournament, with a regional here, and worst yet, if they get bounced in the first round of the WCHA playoffs and don’t make the Final Five.

The wailing will be heard all the way to Colorado Springs, where WCHA commish Bruce McLeod has his office. People have always speculated how well a Final Five without the Gophers would draw, they might get a chance to really find out.
(Read the whole story here)

I keep hearing gloom and doom for the WCHA and the NCAA regional if the Gophers don't make the WCHA Final Five or the NCAA West Regional. I predict that both tourneys will survive even if the Minnesota Gophers fail to make either tourney. NCAA hockey is bigger than the Minnesota Gophers.

Lucia might start Patterson.

Check out the Story here. Lucia must be feeling the heat? I think Kangas is the least of the Gophers problems. If I was a Gopher fan I would be more concerned with their porous defense that has left their goaltending out to dry numerous times and the Gophers are starting to pay for this. I don't see Patterson making much of a difference.

As the Gophers men's hockey team prepares for its final four games of the men's hockey season, coach Don Lucia says he might have to tinker with his goaltending this weekend.

"Everything's being evaluated right now," he said. "Whether we split our goalies this week, that's not a decision that's been made. Have we talked about it as a staff? Sure we have."

Sophomore Alex Kangas has started all 30 of Minnesota's games as the Gophers have gone 13-11-6, including 10-10-4 in the WCHA going into a weekend home series against Minnesota-Duluth.

After earning the team's designation as most valuable player last season with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage, Kangas this season has a 2.94 GAA and a .895 save percentage. The numbers have been even worse as the Gophers have gone 6-11-2 in their past 19 games: 3.63 and .869.

The option is backup goaltender Kent Patterson, a 19-year-old freshman from Plymouth who spent two seasons with Cedar Rapids of the U.S. Hockey League and recorded a 2.75 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Patterson has played only four games for the Gophers and has stats of 2.09 and .933.

Would Kangas benefit from sitting out a game?
(read the whole article)

DU now Tigers fan this weekend.

Props to Fighting Sioux fan for making note of this Blog post from Mike Chambers. If I was DU Pioneers I would worry solely about beating the Huskies who swept the Pioneers in St. Cloud back in November 4-2 and 2-1.

Props to my buddy Sioux7 for bringing out the obvious, "The Pioneers will be playing an hour behind the Tigers, hosting St. Cloud State." FYI - CC and UND play on Sat. & Sun. at 3:37pm CT both days. You have to love Mike Chambers. Lets Go Sioux. It's time to kick some Tiger ass this weekend. Seriously, Roe, Lasch and the Huskies are going to come out flying against the Pioneers and they are not going to give the Pioneers anything. One game at a time.

CC could help DU win WCHA.
By Mike Chambers ---- The Denver Post

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season championship could be awarded to the University of Denver on March 7, and it's a title archrival Colorado College could help produce.

DU fans will be fans of the Tigers this weekend when CC visits North Dakota. But the Pioneers and Tigers end the regular season March 7 at Magness Arena.

DU, tied with the Fighting Sioux atop the WCHA, needs CC to win a game or two in Grand Forks, N.D. The Pioneers will be playing an hour behind the Tigers, hosting St. Cloud State.

"We are concentrating fully on our series here with St. Cloud and feel strongly that if we take care of business over the next couple games, we'll put ourselves in real good position," DU coach George Gwozdecky

They will play at least five games and as many as eight — depending on how far they advance in the WCHA playoffs — before the 16-team NCAA Tournament field is announced March 22.

"I don't want to put the cart before the horse," Gwozdecky said of obtaining a No. 1 seed. "We feel good about ourselves right now, but I certainly don't want to be predicting or making plans. As we've seen from a week ago, the Pairwise can fluctuate so easily because of how close everyone is."

UND 2 UAA 1 OT

We watched the game at the Highlander Bar in Grand Forks, ND tonight after watching Central Knights shutout the Red River Rough Riders 6-0. What a day for hockey.

The Sioux won a game against a team that does a great job clogging up the neutral zone. While I am happy the Fighting Sioux won the game it wasn't a very good game to watch, it was down right boring. These are also the type of games you have to win to be successful in the WCHA and NCAA playoffs. The classic tight checking, tough contested game that requires a lot of grit where you can't make a lot of mistakes. One of those games where a missed pass ends up being a goal. Brett Hextall and Chay Genoway were huge tonight and they were the difference in the game.

UAA is kind of an enigma, for a team that is sitting in 9th place in the WCHA they sure play a lot better hockey than their record. The Seawolves play with a lot of grit and tonight they did pretty much everything they were supposed to, except they didn't get the win. Seawolves coach Dave Shyiak he said, “They are one of the best teams in the country,” and when “You give them a couple of chances and they are going to score.”.
Box Score

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AKA-1 Tyler Moir (2-Interference) NDK 0x1 3:29
NDK-1 Brad Malone (2-Tripping) AKA 0x1 6:59
AKA-2 Jared Tuton (2-Interference) NDK 1x2 11:04
NDK 1 - 0 6x5 PP Brett Hextall (9) (Ryan Duncan, Brad Miller) 12:03
NDK: 26,16,14,25,29,G31 AKA: 18,33,13,12,G49

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AKA-3 Mat Robinson (2-Tripping) NDK 1x3 17:25
NDK-2 Jason Gregoire (2-Roughing) 19:27
AKA-4 Curtis Leinweber (2-Roughing) 19:27

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NDK-3 Joe Finley (2-Roughing) 4:18
NDK-4 Joe Finley (2-Cross-Checking) (Served by Andrew Kozek) AKA 0x2 4:18
AKA-5 Kevin Clark (2-Roughing) 4:18
AKA-6 Trevor Hunt (2-Hooking) NDK 1x4 7:33
AKA 1 - 1 6x6 Josh Lunden (11) (Mat Robinson, Kevin Clark) 11:17
AKA (+): 21,33,9,13,40,G49 NDK (-): 2,5,16,26,17,G31
NDK-5 Jason Gregoire (2-Interference) AKA 0x3 13:28

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overtime (0:17)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NDK 2 - 1 6x6 GW LL Chay Genoway (3) (Brett Hextall, Jason Gregoire) 0:17
NDK (+): 5,2,16,17,26,G31 AKA (-): 16,12,20,13,33,G49

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Game

Weekend Match-Ups (Sioux 7)

Last weekend, UND sweep MSUM to move into a 1st place tie with DU, who tied CC in their one game, else where, SCSU sweep MTU to move into 4th place, and UM took 3pts from UAA.


WCHA Standings

1 North Dakota...............13-6-3...29
1 Denver......................13-7-3...29
3 Wisconsin.................13-7-2...28
4 St. Cloud State.........12-11-1...25
4 Colorado College.........10-8-5...25
6 Minnesota................10-8-4...24
7 Minnesota-Duluth.........9-8-5...23
8 Minnesota State..........9-13-2...20
9 Alaska-Anchorage........7-12-5...19
10 Michigan Tech...........1-17-6...8


#8 Denver at #13 Wisconsin
WOW, this should be the games of the week. Only one point apart, 1st and 3rd place teams in the league, UW on the bubble for the NCAA tourney. There are many implications going on in this series. A sweep by either team puts them in position to win the WCHA regular season, AND move up in the all important PWR standings. The Badgers are coming off a bye week, DU is coming off a tie with rival CC. UW is 9-5-1 at the Kohl center this season, and DU is 5-5-2 away from Magness. Both teams should be up for this series, with all that is riding on it. I'm going to call this one a split, DU in the Friday game, and UW on Saturday.


#14 Minnesota at #18 Colorado College
Another big series, this one is for WCHA home ice in the playoffs. These teams are only separated by one point, too. Since 2009, CC is 3-3-2 and UM is 4-6-1 (and is 1-4-1 in the last 6-games), so neither has done well in 2009. With the pile of teams still alive for home ice, a sweep for one team would help them grab a better hold on home ice. Will this be the weekend the Gophers complete their collapse and fall out of the race, or will it be the Tigers who will starve? UM has only won once on the road in 2009, and well CC doesn't seem to play well on Fridays, hmm. I'm calling a tie on Friday and a Tiger win on Saturday.


#9 North Dakota at Alaska-Anchorage
The Sioux make the long trip to Alaska this weekend in a tie for 1st place with DU. A sweep for the Sioux would give them the inside track for the McNaughton cup, since DU has played one more game than UND. The Seawolves are still alive for getting home ice, but they need some help. The highest I see UAA realistically finishing is 7th place. The Sioux are coming off a weekend sweep of MSUM and UAA is back home after getting one point last weekend at UM. I say the Sioux keep on their winning ways this weekend, Sioux sweep.


#15 Minnesota-Duluth at Michigan Tech
The Bulldogs need keep winning to to stay with the pack of teams their running with now. UMD is still on the NCAA bubble, so winning games is a must if they want to control they own destiny. The Huskies on the other hand are locked into the doghouse. MTU will be playing the number one team in the first round of WCHA playoffs on the road. The Huskies haven't rolled over and played dead yet, they have been in most of their games this year, so look for these dogs to keep barking and biting. I'm going with a split this weekend, UMD Friday, MTU Saturday.


#19 SCSU and MSUM are off this weekend

MSUM at Nebraska-Omaha (Tuesday Feb. 24)

Both Fighting Sioux games on TV this weekend.

This is good news for Fighting Sioux fans that happen to live in Great Grand Forks area. You will be able to watch both games of the Fighting Sioux and Seawolves this this weekend on channel 23.

This weekend's UND-UAA series to be televised in Grand Forks area

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota athletics department and Ralph Engelstad Arena announced today an agreement with GCI Cable and Midcontinent Communications to carry the broadcast of this weekend’s series at Alaska Anchorage in the Grand Forks viewing area.

The GCI production will be made available on channel 23 Grand Forks and in the immediate Grand Forks viewing area, which includes the East Grand Forks, Grand Forks Air Force Base, Drayton, Grafton, Minto, Manvel, Larimore, Crookston, Thompson, Reynolds, Buxton, Hatton, Mayville, Portland, Hillsboro, Galesburg and Grandin.

The broadcast will begin at 10:05 p.m. Central on Friday and Saturday night.