I found this little news nugget while I was over on HockeyBuzz.com checking out some of the posts that were in the fan forums when I stumbled across this blurb on Blake Wheeler. Personally it wouldn't shock me or probably anyone else, since even Minnesota Gophers head coach Don Lucia said on the PA and Dubay that he wouldn't be surprised if Wheeler signed a professional contract after this season. Here is a blog post that I found on the subject by the coyoteshipcheck blog.
Fan question: What is the status of Blake Wheeler?
General Manager, Don Maloney: right now we are not making much headway towards getting Blake signed but we are talking to his agent. Wheeler is very much a prospect, not someone we see as coming to the big club straight off and making an impact. He’s a very good prospect and we will continue to try to get him signed. If the contract doesn’t get done we have a *5th round* pick coming our way and that is good for the team too. *gotta confirm the exact pick… * probably like 2nd round (31st , or so pick)
Here is what we do know. If you turn your back on a rabid dog or if you push him into a corner he will bite you. While it is pretty much a given that if the playoffs started today (they don't) the Sioux would be in the NCAA tourney. Honestly, I don't think UND wants to sit out it's conference tourney watching the other teams in the league play for the Broadmoor Trophy. Make no mistake about it, there is something to play for. Tonight's loss should refocused the Sioux that slept walked through the third period playing uninspired hockey. Play to the final horn is tonight's lesson; a standard regulation game is 60 minutes long not 59:55. Make no mistake about this MTU is the best 9th place team in college hockey I would take them against; Alaska, Holy Cross, St. Lawrence, Maine any day. Time to show some respect to the Huskies and knock them on their ass.
I looked back and the Sioux went to a third game twice in the past 6 years (Denver University 2003 and Minnesota State 2006) and they were able to prevail. We have seen this before. We have all felt like this before, losing sucks. While I am not happy, the law of averages was going to catch up with the Fighting Sioux, this is th first loss UND has had in 18 games. Now, is a great time for the team to refocus grab some perspective and put the Huskies away. The Fighting Sioux are not unbeatable but they are also not a bad team.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Period (20:00) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDK 1 - 0 6x6 Brad Miller (5) (Matt Frattin, Ryan Martens) 4:19 NDK (+): 14,21,6,8,3,G1 MTU (-): 15,9,8,14,25,G29 NDK-1 Chay Genoway (2-Tripping) MTU 0x1 5:25 MTU-1 John Schwarz (2-BROKEN STICK) NDK 0x1 9:15 MTU-2 Jordan Baker (2-Hooking) NDK 0x2 11:32 MTU-3 Alex Lord (2-Kneeing) NDK 0x3 14:13 NDK-2 Ryan Duncan (2-Slashing) MTU 0x2 18:56
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Period (20:00) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MTU-4 Drew Dobson (2-Holding) NDK 0x4 4:47 MTU-5 John Schwarz (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 6:35 NDK-3 Chris VandeVelde (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 6:35 NDK-4 Robbie Bina (2-Hooking) MTU 0x3 13:32 NDK 2 - 0 6x6 Matt Frattin (4) (Brad Miller) 16:58 NDK (+): 21,14,8,6,3,G1 MTU (-): 7,8,15,10,19,G29
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Period (20:00) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDK-5 Ryan Duncan (2-Holding) MTU 1x4 0:36 MTU 1 - 2 6x5 PP Jimmy Kerr (9) (Geoff Kinrade, Eric Kattelus) 1:19 MTU: 19,12,23,15,14,G29 NDK: 2,5,17,20,G1 MTU-6 Eric Kattelus (2-Hooking) NDK 0x5 10:41 Timeout - Michigan Tech 17:43 MTU-7 Ryan Angelow (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x6 18:04 MTU 2 - 2 5x6 SH EA Tyler Shelast (14) (Jimmy Kerr, Jordan Baker) 19:54 MTU (+): 19,22,5,10,23 NDK (-): 2,4,20,14,17,G1
NDK-6 Chris VandeVelde (2-Hooking) MTU 1x5 1:27 MTU 3 - 2 6x6 GW LL Tyler Shelast (15) (Geoff Kinrade, Peter Rouleau) 10:41 MTU (+): 15,14,19,12,23,G29
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Game
I found this one reading the Blog that Yost Built. The black helicopters are circling Oxford, Ohio. The reason I posted this article is that people always say that Sioux fans are conspiracy theorists and that the league officials are out to get them. This would prove my point that is just isn't us. It appears to be college wide.
Some die-hard Miami hockey fans argue that college hockey referee Matt Shegos-a Michigan alum-is biased (Feb. 15, "CCHA approves alum reffing UM, MU series"). League officials have tried to argue that he is not. With all due respect to Director of CCHA Officials Steve Piotrowski and others who try to justify the conference's assignment of Shegos to referee the Miami-Michigan hockey game, they would do well to understand the meaning of the word bias.
According to The Miami Student article, "Piotrowski says that a fan's opinion from a school is most of the time based on that fan's biased support for the team … CCHA officials are all very well trained and to think that one would be biased toward one team is just plain wrong." Here's the problem: Fans may choose to be biased. Referees may hope that they are not biased. League officials may hope or even think that referees are not biased. However, bias is something that is not entirely controllable. A considerable body of research in psychology demonstrates that bias is both conscious and subconscious. Regardless of whether Shegos intends to be biased, he is biased.
Piotrowski argues that CCHA refs are very well trained. Does any of that training involve understanding where bias comes from or how bias subconsciously interferes with even well-intentioned decision-makers' thinking? I doubt it. Until and unless it does, it is not correct to argue that because the referees are well-trained, they are not biased. Even with such training, the referees in all likelihood will still be biased-though perhaps less so. Even with such training, the potential for subconscious bias will exist. This leads to the appearance of impropriety at the very least, as well as actually compromising the person's ability to discharge his professional responsibilities to the best of his ability. For these reasons, Piotrowski should reconsider the policy of assigning refs to games that include their alma maters.
Rebecca Luzadis Associate Professor of Management luzadirA@muohio.edu
DeJevu; Saturday night at the fights as the Sioux and Pioneers slug it out in a good ole fashion grudge match. As a fan I think this was a great series to watch. As a fan this is what I expect from a UND and DU game, both teams got after it all game long.
The Fight(s)
I do think the ref Marko Hunt made a grave mistake by letting Radke and Testwuide continue in the game, both players should have been given game disqualifications for fighting, both players were definitely throwing punches. It was also unanimous as the guys sitting around us agreed as well. That is the first time I have ever seen a college hockey player get into two fights in ONE game. I think if you look back at the fights UND has been involved in they were a direct result in the way the games were called. Call me a halo but if the refs start giving penalties for all unnecessary stuff (face washes, cross checks, punches etc)eventually the message will make its way down to the players involved in the game. Again call the games like the NHL and the game will clean itself up in about three weeks. The UND Fighting Sioux has now had three players receive game disqualifications for fighting this season.
~UND is 15-8-2 against nationally ranked teams.
~Oshie and Duncan are tied with Lasch for the league lead in points.
~In the last 10 games UND has given up more than one goal only twice.
~The last time UND swept DU in Grand Forks was 1999
DEN-6 Chris Butler (2-Holding) NDK 1x2 0:30 NDK-6 Robbie Bina (2-Hooking) DEN 0x2 3:33 DEN-7 J.P. Testwuide (2-Slashing) 6:38 DEN-8 J.P. Testwuide (2-Roughing) 6:38 DEN-9 J.P. Testwuide (10-Misconduct) 6:38 NDK-7 Kyle Radke (2-Slashing) 6:38 NDK-8 Kyle Radke (2-Roughing) 6:38 NDK-9 Kyle Radke (10-Misconduct) 6:38 NDK-10 BENCH (2-Too Many Players) (Served by Ryan Martens) DEN 0x3 8:10 NDK 3 - 0 6x6 Andrew Kozek (13) (T.J. Oshie) 11:46 NDK (+): 10,7,16,28,4,G1 DEN (-): 12,25,7,19,16,G29 DEN 1 - 3 6x6 Brian Gifford (2) (Tom May, Zach Blom) 13:14 DEN (+): 22,14,17,7,4,G29 NDK (-): 6,25,17,11,20,G1 DEN-10 BENCH (2-Too Many Players) (Served by Brandon Vossberg) NDK 1x3 18:26 DEN-11 Tom May (2-Roughing) 20:00 DEN-12 Stephen Cunningham (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 20:00 DEN-13 Stephen Cunningham (10-Misconduct) 20:00 DEN-14 Brandon Vossberg (5-Fighting) 20:00 DEN-15 Brandon Vossberg (10-Game Disqualification) (Served by Zach Blom) 20:00 DEN-16 Peter Mannino (2-Roughing) (Served by J.P. Testwuide) NDK 1x4 20:00 NDK-11 Joe Finley (2-Roughing) 20:00 NDK-12 Evan Trupp (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 20:00 NDK-13 Evan Trupp (10-Misconduct) 20:00 NDK-14 Kyle Radke (5-Fighting) 20:00 NDK-15 Kyle Radke (10-Game Disqualification) 20:00
3rd Period (20:00)
DEN-17 Andrew Thomas (2-Roughing) 9:41 NDK-16 T.J. Oshie (2-Roughing) 9:41 NDK-17 Rylan Kaip (2-Interference) DEN 0x4 17:47 Timeout - Denver 17:47 NDK 4 - 1 5x6 SH EN T.J. Oshie (13) (unassisted) 18:50 NDK (+): 7,5,2,29,G1 DEN (-): 21,19,4,7,9,14
Gordwiser said: w t f? What a bunch of pansies complaining about bumping, gooning, and physical play... has no one played organized sports? That is why there are rules and penalties. If the Sioux (or any team) continue to muck it up, it's going to cost them with penalties, DQ's, etc. and eventually it will catch up with them. Even with all the physical play, I haven't seen any play with an intent to injure... that's a different story and do not condone that at all. I'm sick of all the BS about it all being on the Sioux and never the other team. If you have ever played any team sport of any kind, it's going both ways to some extent. We aren't on the ice to hear what is actually going on.
Here is an interesting article from the Denver Post on players like Trotter leaving their college team early. While it hurts to lose players during the season I don't see a need to have any unnecessary rules on saying how long a player has to stay or when they can leave. From Lucia's comments in this article it would appear that Lucia would like to get rid of the one and done players like Phil Kessel and Erik Johnson.
Say for a moment if there was a rule like this then in UND's case the Sioux probably don't get players like Jonathon Toews, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac or David Toews. I would rather have these players come play in the WCHA for one and two season instead of not having them play in the WCHA at all. Whats good for Minnesota is not alway good for the rest of the league. If that was the case the Gophers don't get players like Erik Johnson or Phil Kessel because they end up going to Major Juniors in Canada instead.
NCAA hockey is one of three major development entities for the NHL, but the only one that is unprotected from absorbing in-season player departures to NHL contracts.
If Trotter or Okposo played in the Canadian Hockey League, otherwise known as major junior, or a European elite league, they would have been prohibited or deterred from signing NHL deals.
"There is no deterrent with us at all," Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod said. "We have to come up with a deterrent, whether you can't sign after the season starts, or even like July 15, because it's hard to replace a guy after that.
"But, of course, we can't deal with money. We can't impose fines like the (International Ice Hockey Federation). It has to be a rule like major junior."
In major junior, an NHL prospect learns his full-season status after the first 10 NHL regular- season games. He sticks with the NHL club or is sent back to major junior for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
If an NHL club signs an IIHF player and that player does not play in the NHL, the team that signs him compensates the IIHF team up to $150,000.
"We have to inject some rules to protect college hockey," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. " (DU's) situation is a little different than ours (with Okposo), but we have to find a common ground. Other leagues are protected and ours isn't. . . . We don't hold any cards, and therein lies the problem. We don't have any leverage."
This is an interesting article and it is something to think about. I am not so sure that we need to have another rule detailing how long a player needs to agree on staying in college. I guess coaches might have to make sure they are communicating with their players through the season.
