Gabe Guertler leaves Minnesota for the OHL

#479985373 / gettyimages.com

Would be sophomore forward Gabe Guertler has left the University of Minnesota Hockey team for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. In 24 games with the Gophers, the Plantation, Florida native scored (2g-3a—5pts).

Last September, Guertler was arrested for driving will impaired, while operating his moped, by the University of Minnesota Police Department. Because of this incident, Guertler was suspended for by the Gophers coaching staff and didn’t play his first collegiate game until the November 8, 2014, game against Notre Dame. This is the second players in two season to leave Minnesota for the CHL.

EDIT: Per Jason Gonzalez of the Startribune, A tumultuous first year likely didn’t help in determining how Guertler fit into the Gophers’ future plans and he was given the option to take a release. That has dismissal  written all over it.

Brady Skjei will return for Junior season

From @NYRangers prospect camp, @BradySkjei has confirmed his return to the #Gophers. Story: http://t.co/1yWldNMZcc pic.twitter.com/SgFXyLC1pS
— Minnesota M Hockey (@GopherHockey) July 3, 2014

Now that the development camps are in full swing, the Minnesota Gophers got some good news. Defenseman Brady Skjei will return for his junior season.

By Brian Deutsch (GopherSports.com) - Gopher Hockey defenseman Brady Skjei has confirmed he will return to the University of Minnesota for his junior season in 2014-15.

The Lakeville, Minn., native is currently participating at the New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp at Madison Square Garden Training Center and informed the National Hockey League (NHL) organization of his decision on Thursday.

Another reason to stay in school

#481395699 / gettyimages.com

Here's a perfect example of why college hockey players shouldn't be in a hurry to leave college and play professional hockey. Even if they're a first round draft choice.

Four years after leaving college, former Minnesota Golden Gopher Jordan Schroeder has played in a mere 56 NHL games and scored an unimpressive (6g-9a—15pts). I know that hind sight is 20/20, but I do  wonder if Schroeder would still leave school early, knowing what he knows now? Stay in school and finish that degree.

VAN will not be qualifying Jordan Schroeder or Zac Dalpe. Both go to UFA.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 30, 2014

Porter Wraparound or Gaarder 2OT Winner?

Ok UND fans, I need your help on this one. Which game winning goal was bigger in your opinion?

First we have the 2007 West Regional championship goal scored by Chris Porter. Porter scored the goal at 11:43 of the first overtime against none other then the hated Minnesota Golden Gophers. This would send the Sioux to the Frozen Four to face Boston College.

Now we have the most recent Connor Gaarder 2OT winner against Ferris State last weekend. This goal sent UND to their 20th Frozen Four in school history and the sixth one for head coach Dave Hakstol. Gaarder took the loose puck out front and shoved it five hole on the Hobey Baker finalist Motte to win the game for the good guys.

Let me hear your vote UND fans. Either comment your response here or send them to my Twitter handle @siouxhockey33. I know you all will have an opinion on this.

Noora Raty's retirement letter.

Retirement slipped out of my mouth today so here's more clarification from me so people can stop asking #thankyou pic.twitter.com/8ukoRVKBJc
— Noora Räty (@Nooraty41) February 15, 2014

Noora Raty is probably the best female goaltender in the world, and she's has a lot of valid points. Raty's retirement letter said a lot of things that many of us grapple with as we move forward in our adult lives. Women's hockey is good hockey and the product has grown on the ice and she is definitely one of  the pioneers in the sport. I consider myself lucky enough to seen her play in person.  I wish her good luck in what ever she does. 

@Nooraty41 Noora you nailed it down I will do my best to convince people that there is a solution and it's the one you described#Respect
— Peter Elander (@elanderp) February 16, 2014

Related articles

• Finland, Russia play for women's hockey 5th place (miamiherald.com)

TCF Bank Stadium: Who did their blue line?

What's wrong with blueline at #TCFBankStadium #HockeyCityClassic? We're all a little off but can be fixed. pic.twitter.com/NB4Ost7F7R
— Ben Hankinson (@benhankinson) January 10, 2014

The blue line is a bit off at the outdoor rink at TCF Bank Stadium. Someone missed the mark just a bit. Fail!

Thomas Vanek traded to Islanders

Thomas Vanek, Ice hockey player of the Buffalo Sabres (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't worry Wild fans, Dany Heatley's over-inflated contract will be up in Minnesota, after the season is over, and the Wild will be free to bid for Vanek's services. That being said, the Islanders get a good rent a player for the rest of the season to make a run in the playoffs.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders acquired forward Thomas Vanek from the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night for forward Matt Moulson, a first-round pick in 2014 and a second-round pick in 2015.

The 29-year-old Vanek, a former University of Minnesota star from Austria, had four goals and nine assists in 13 games this season for Buffalo. In nine seasons with Buffalo, he had 254 goals and 243 assists in 598 games.

Both players are in the last year of their contracts.

Vanek's agent, Steven Bartlett, told ESPNNewYork.com that no contract extension for Vanek is in place with the Islanders. He doesn't expect any such talks to take place soon, either.

"He'll concentrate on going down there and doing well," Bartlett said when reached by phone Sunday night. "Hopefully, it will be a breath of fresh air."

Related articles

• Report: Thomas Vanek Traded to Islanders for Matt Moulson, First-Round Pick in 2014, Second Rounder in 2015 (nesn.com)

SCSU Hockey: St. Cloud State launching 24-hour sports channel

Alternate St. Cloud State Husky logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, if you live in Minnesota and you get Charter Cable, you will be able to see the Saint Cloud State University Huskies play hockey and other sports on your television. In my opinion, this deal is kind of like Midco.net, although Midco is in more states (South Dakota, North Dakota and a good chunk of Minnesota).

Dave Aeikens, Associated Press — St. Cloud State University plans to debut high-definition, televised sports and news coverage in October, and with it comes a statewide, 24-hour all-Huskies sports channel on Charter cable.

The $4.8 million in technology upgrades St. Cloud State is completing will make it equal to or better than most universities that train broadcast journalists in the country. The dedicated high-definition sports channel is unprecedented in Minnesota and rare for universities in the country, the St. Cloud Times reported (http://on.sctimes.com/183kQCq).

It means enhanced coverage for St. Cloud State hockey, the school's only Division I program, and regular television appearances for men's and women's basketball, football and other lower-profile sports.

"This is a platform that not even the University of Minnesota has. This is a television channel that anybody that gets Charter will have access to content from St. Cloud State University," said Joel Larsen, interim assistant athletic director for marketing and promotion. "We have a great opportunity to showcase St. Cloud State University from many angles, and that is not just athletics."

Workers have been remodeling broadcast studios and installing equipment since July.

St. Cloud State's television technology matches most professional broadcast studios. High-tech cameras that cost $100,000 are the same that are used by sports giant ESPN.

UMN Hockey: Lou Nanne wants to make a name for himself

British Columbia Hockey League (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was a story that of broke on twitter tonight. I was at the football game when these tweets hit twitter. Sounds like University of Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey recruit is wanting to make a name for himself and doesn't want live in the shadows of his Grand Father former Minnesota North Stars great Lou Nanne. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that, and more power to him.

According to Jason Gonzalez, beat writer for the Star and Tribune who covers the Minnesota Gophers; Nanne has decommited from the University of Minnesota and will again explore  and ponder his options on where he will play his college hockey.

Spoke to Louie Nanne, who said he's ready to create his own identity away from MN & without #Gophers. Story: http://t.co/1ViMg0UZDe #Edina
— Jason Gonzalez (@JGonStrib) September 8, 2013

This Lou Nanne is grandson of the older MN hockey legend. Played 2012-13 in BCHL. Full Twitter statement: pic.twitter.com/4UinVBPZLY #Gophers
— Jason Gonzalez (@JGonStrib) September 7, 2013

Gophers Freshman Gabe Guertler arrested for DUI on a Moped

Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Gophers hockey team is going to have to ban Mopeds for their athletes. You can bet, that Gopher head coach Don Lucia didn’t want to deal with this issue to start the season. Our friends to the south, at the NDSU, in the football program, could learn a lesson from the Gophers Hockey program on how to deal with off of the field issues.

Jason Gonzalez, Star Tribune – Hennepin County public records show that [Gabe] Guertler was arrested early Saturday morning by the University of Minnesota Police Department and charged with drunken driving. He was released later that morning. He is scheduled to make a court appearance on Oct. 11.

He faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

A university representative confirmed that Guertler was driving a moped when he was pulled over.

No other details about the incident were immediately available. University police said more details should be available after the holiday weekend

For those that were asking for a link, here’s the links to this story...

Western College Hockey: Minnesota Freshman Gabe Guertler Suspended Following DWI Arrest

CBS Minnesota: Gopher Hockey Player Suspended After DWI

Arrest Nation: University of Minnesota Forward Gabe Guertler Arrested

The College Daily: Freshman University of Minnesota Hockey Player Arrested For DWI

USCHO: Minnesota Suspends Guertler indefinitely: incoming freshman faces DWI charge

Bring me the news: Lucia suspends incoming freshman Guertler indefinitely

Gopher Freshman Gabe Guertler Suspended Indefinitely for DWI Arrest

Well what do we have here? Looks like incoming University of Minnesota Gopher freshman forward Gabe Guertler has been suspended indefinitely for a DWI arrest. You can see the court on-line record here. You can bet that the Gophers coaching staff didn't want to deal with this issue this fall.

USCHO -- The team suspension will be reevaluated in November, a school statement released Sunday said. “While we are still gathering information at this time, we take this matter seriously and feel a suspension is warranted,” Gophers coach Don Lucia said in the statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will handle the matter internally.”

The former Fargo Force forward Guertler is the first player from Florida to commit to play hockey for the Minnesota Gophers. Guertler played two seasons for the Fargo Force of the USHL and scored (40g-39a—79 pts) in 117 regular season games.

Gabe Guertler's indefinite suspension announced on Sun. comes a day after the 18-year-old fr. forward was stopped by U of M police.
— Roman Augustoviz (@RomanStrib) September 1, 2013

Guertler was charged with driving while impaired, a misdemeanor. He will appear in court Oct. 11, same day U opens the season without him
— Roman Augustoviz (@RomanStrib) September 1, 2013

WCHA News breaking this afternoon at 4:30

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is a big WCHA news conference this afternoon at 4:30 and you can watch it live from this web link. Word has it that there is announcement about the Minnesota Cup, the World Junior Coach and the WCHA’s conference tourney next year. 

What: Joint Press Conference featuring Special Announcements from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, USA Hockey, Inc., and University of Minnesota

and  Bruce McLeod, WCHA Commissioner, Richard MacKeigan, Regional General Manager, DeVos Place & Van Andel Arena, Katy Tigchelaar, Events Manager, West Michigan Sports Commissioner, Jack Larson, Vice-President & General Manager, Xcel Energy Center, Jake Spano, Marketing Director, City of Saint Paul Jennifer Heppel, Associate Commissioner, Big 10 Conference, Dave Fischer, Senior Director of Communications, USA Hockey, Inc. Tom McGinnis, Associate Athletic Director, University of Minnesota.

Saturday, March 23 4:30 pm CT

Press Interview Room, Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN

Video Stream link:

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/livestream

Johnny McInnis goal that was waved off... MSU-M vs. UMN

The Mavericks were down 3-0 when the Mavericks score their first goal of the night by Zach Lehrk at the 12:59 mark of third period. The Mavericks appear to get their second goal of the game 27 second later when forward Johnny McInnis appears to have scored off a great pass from Matt Leitner, but the goal was waved off after the WCHA officials Brad Shepherd, C.J. Beaurline reviewed the goal and ruled that the puck was punched in.

Did the Minnesota and North Dakota series become more tame?

Ralph Engelstad Arena 

The Minnesota and North Dakota hockey series is one of the best rivalries in college hockey.

Unfortunately, this past weekend was the final regular season WCHA series between the University of Minnesota and The University of North Dakota. There will be no more of these regular season battles.

The Rivalry has been likened by some as the modern day version of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s feud.

All a person has to do is go on YouTube.comand search for Sioux and Gophers and there are literally hours of video of scrums, dustups and fights.

From a historical perspective, last weekend’s series between there UND and UMN was rather tame.  There were no major dust-ups or line brawls. Both teams were whistled for a combined miniscule total of 64 minutes in penalties over the course of a two game series.

What’s even more shocking, there were no major penalties called against either team all weekend long, not a single one.

I thought UND was a bunch of knuckle dragging Neanderthal goons? Looking at the numbers it’s safe to assume that North Dakota is not anymore.

This weekend’s penalty minutes were tame compared to last season’s series at the Ralph Engelstad Arenabetween UND and UMN on

English: Logo for the University of Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

January 13-14, 2012. Minnesota and North Dakota amassed 105 minutes in penalties. There were also two major penalties called during that weekend series, with each team garnering a five minute major penalty.

In years past, there were single periods that surpassed that penalty minute total of 64 minutes.

North Dakota Senior Defenseman MacWillam was asked about this past weekend’s games and if they were as tame as they appeared on the television.

“It has been in the past,” MacWillam said. “I think that hockey is changing a little bit. You can’t have the big hits anymore. So I think that might have contributed to some of it. It’s still heated between the whistles. It’s a little different than playing I assume. But that bitter rivalry is still there.”

UND Junior Defenseman Dillon Simpson who has played in the series for three seasons, had this to say about this past weekend’s series as well.

UND forward Mitch MacMillan
Eric Classen, UND Sports

“On the ice there is a lot of stuff on the ice going on,” Simpson said. “Maybe not as much open to the fans as you can see. But it’s always heated when we play those guys, and it was rough, a lot of big hits but nothing out of control. I think for us we were more focused, we needed to two wins big time. We were trying to stay out of the box and try to make it a game. It was still rough and still a tough series but at the same time nothing outrageous happened.”

One could make the argument that the players do adjust to the way the game is being called.

When Simpson was asked about his thoughts on not playing the Minnesota Gophers next season, he went on to say.

“It sucks, this is the biggest rivalry I think in college hockey”, Simpson said. “This is the most fun that I have playing on the weekends. It kind of sucks! Who knows if we will see them down the line this year, but it’s not fun not being able to play them next year.”

 Originally Posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine...

Related articles

• Breaking down the Minnesota vs. North Dakota Rivalry (thehockeywriters.com)
• One step back, before we move forward (UND vs. UMN) (thehockeywriters.com)
• UND: The Weekend Ahead (1/25-1/26) (thehockeywriters.com)

Related articles

One step back, before we move forward (UND vs. UMN)

Goldy Gopher, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mascot. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the big story that is making it’s way around Twitter this afternoon. From the looks of it, Minnesota Gophers beat writer Roman Augustoviz must have listened to Gophers head coach Don Lucia on WCCO radio last night. So, after a great weekend of hockey and after being asked about the rivalry probably hundreds of times, I guess he’s tired of being asked about the rivalry.

Roman Empire — Gophers coach Don Lucia used his weekly radio show on Monday to defend himself from critics complaining that North Dakota won’t be on the U’s schedule the next three seasons.

“We have a rule at the University of Minnesota — not put in by me — but by the regents that we can not play a team with an Indian nickname,” Lucia said. “And for years, this controversy with North Dakota and the nickname has been going on. And it has been fought in the courts and everything else.

“And it did not get settled until this summer. Well — if you want to put the blame on me for not waiting to find out whether it was going to get settled or not, then so be it. I can accept that fact.

“I wasn’t going to wait. When the conferences all broke up a couple of years ago. And we were heading into all these new conferences, it was kind of a frenzy and free-for-all for scheduling nonconference games. And when we had the opportunity to schedule some good opponents — I could have waited, but I chose not to wait. But I wanted to ensure we had a good schedule for our fans and our team.”

Whether you believe their company line or not, that’s up to you. It is what it is. This is what the Gophers head coach is saying, and he’s sticking to it. Hey whatever, we could discuss this till we are blue in the face if we want, but Lucia isn’t giving in. That being said, I can tell you that many in the UND fan-base are cynical. If you read some of the newspaper articles and hockey sites from this past weekend, you will see that not everyone was buying into this either. [click to view] and [click to view]

But I digress.

I have to admit that I am sad that this past weekend was the last regular season conference match-up between the two teams, maybe for some time. Such is life. Life is full of disappointments. I do think some fans are a bit delusional if they think that they can just replace the historic UND vs. UMN series with another random series against another hockey team and get the same intensity that this historic series has.

While there are currently no future games scheduled between the two teams, at least in the immediate future, there’s a very good chance that the two teams could meet again in the NCAA Playoffs. History tells us that there is a very good chance the two teams will see each other again, probably in the next year or two. Both teams have a history, and have met three times in the last eight years in the NCAA tourney, with UND holding a 2-1 edge.

It’s also a shame that a once great hockey conference is going to be a shell of it’s former self starting next season, but that is really something we can no longer control as well. These types of decisions are made by the folks that are paid big money to make these kinds of decisions, and they don’t always do what the fans want.

Finally, I also think that the players are going to miss this historic series as well. If  you don’t believe me, all you have to do is look at the comments from Gopher forward Nate Condon who was named WCHA Offensive Player of the week after he had a five point (2g-3a—5pts) weekend against UND.

Condon on his wknd: "It's good...especially since it's against (UND). If I can score that against them every time it would make my year."
— Nate Wells (@gopherstate) January 22, 2013

I guess for now, the series will have to wait, and all we can do is hope that cooler heads prevail. I think eventually the rivalry will resume play, sooner rather than later.

Originally posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine.

Breaking down the Minnesota vs. North Dakota Rivalry

Fighting Sioux (Photo credit: twodolla)

This weekend, is the last regular season WCHA conference matchup between the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the University of North Dakota.

After this season, both teams will go their separate ways due to re-alignment, and it looks like it could be four years before the two teams play again in a regular season series.

General consensus is that North Dakota versus Minnesota series is one of the most storied rivalries in all of college hockey. Like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, this could be the last meeting for a while, unless, the two teams meet again in this year’s WCHA playoff and or NCAA playoffs in the future.

That could happen, based on recent history.

A lot of people that I have talked to aren’t very happy with the rivalry going dormant for a while. Personally, I don’t believe the spin coming out of the University of Minnesota why the University of Minnesota isn’t playing North Dakota. It’s a shame the two teams won’t be playing after this weekend for at least for four years.

If you ask the players from the two teams they will tell you that they like playing in this rivalry.

UND senior forward Danny Kristo who is originally from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, had this to say on playing against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

“It’s such a great rivalry for college hockey,” Kristo said. “I think I am confident enough to say that both schools are power houses for college hockey. I think everyone looks forward to that game every single year and those series every single year. Fans included. I just think it’s kind of a downer. Over the next four years – I feel bad for some of the young guys that are committed here and guys that are committed at Minnesota that aren’t going to get to take part in that rivalry. Which is unfortunate, you know, leagues are changing, times are changing, so we really can’t do anything about it. Hopefully, four years from now, all the fans will still be involved in the rivalry. So hopefully, it will still be going strong.”

The Gopher players feel strongly about the rivalry as well. This is what Gopher forward Zach Budish had to say about playing against UND.

“I think there is always a little extra emotion when you’re playing North Dakota just because of the rivalry,” Budish said. “Most of the guys on our team grew up watching the Gophers and North Dakota play every year. It’s been a lot of back and forth, it’s been pretty even. In my three years here, I think we’re pretty much .500 against them and we’ve played them 15 times or so over the last three seasons. It will definitely be intense and we’ll expect two hard fought games.”

The fans will also miss the rivalry was well. I posed the question to a few of the Gophers fans that I converse with on a regular basis and this is some of the things that they like about the storied rivalry.

Billy Pederson, my neighbor that is a Gopher hockey fan had this to say. “I like the intensity this series brings on and off the ice. There is no other series that keeps me at the edge of my seat from the drop of the puck. For me, it’s because the hockey played between these two is remarkable and rivalry is so important to people in this area. “Gopher-Sioux” week has always been anticipated from the beginning of each season. Good natured ribbing on both sides lasts the whole season, and when it comes to game time, we all want bragging rights.”

Peterson also said, “I have huge respect for both programs. There have been great players on both sides of the ice for as far back as I can remember and that means a lot to us who live in this hockey-crazed area. To have this go away for however long it is, I know I won’t be the only person upset that this rivalry is “taking a break”. I don’t like it at all.”

Keith Westerhoff, a Gopher hockey fan that I come to know from going to the Final Five, had this to say about the rivalry, ”What I like: I mark this series down on the calendar as soon as the schedule comes out, it’s the one series of the year that I get the most pumped up for. I like that one team could be doing very well and the other not so well, but come the games it does not matter, any team can win on any given night. Despite the “incidents” that have happened over the years it just adds to the excitement, you always wait for something to top it. The trash talking between fan bases on the boards the week of is always entertaining as well.”

Keith went on to say, “What I’ll miss: The history obviously, you look at the games and battles these two teams have had over the years and it’s a shame that it will be coming to an end. So many great players have donned the jersey for both teams over the years, guys that grew up together and played together as kids and now battling against each other! This is easily in my mind the biggest rivalry in all of college hockey, but yet I see so many Gopher fans that are glad this rivalry is coming to an end, I just have to shake my head in disgust. I think most of all I’ll just miss the WCHA Final Five…….because most of the time it was Gopher fans and Sioux fans that always filled the place up, the trash talking walking to and from the arenas and just taking a lap around the concourse was always pretty awesome.

Jerred Kline, Minnesota Gophers fan. “Both teams go balls to the wall no matter where they are ranking in the polls and WCHA. Fan base trash talk to see how far in the past each fan base will go back in history. It is the Best Rivalry in college hockey hands down. BC vs. BU not even a close second.

The players: they are probably best buds off the ice and off season, but when they are on the ice it is on and they can’t stand each other. Not even in the handshake line (Well Ben Blood and Finley/Wheeler at least)

Here is what one of my Twitter followers @scofarr , a UND fan, had to say about the rivalry.

I’m going to miss the banter back and forth with Gopher friends, a jacked up REA on a Friday night during introductions, [Jeff] Dubay ripping UND, the intense action on the ice, the shenanigans and scrums, and the endless argument about the which program is better. It’s really a shame that this is ending. Especially when alums on both sides think it should continue every year, including UM godfather of hockey, Lou Nanne.

This is what former Golden Gophers forward/defenseman Andy Brink had to say about the UND versus UMN series taking a break and whether he thought it was a bad decision to not continue the rivalry?

It’s hard to imagine UND and the Gophers not playing. It’s been such a good rivalry and very even. Being only 5 hours away from each other and both programs always being so good, obviously, it’s not good that they are not playing a series every year.”

Yesterday, during media day, this is what UND head coach Dave Hakstol had to say about the historic rivalry between the two teams.

“I love the series,” Hakstol said. “It brings the very best out of everybody.  It’s challenges everybody to be at their best. It brings a ton of passion on both sides. For sure that carries over to the fans on both sides. That’s what it should be all about in a rivalry series.”

This is what UND defenseman Joe Gleason formerly of Edina, Minnesota had to say on the rivalry between the Minnesota and the North Dakota.

“I wouldn’t have been a fan of North Dakota if they didn’t have come to Minnesota,” Gleason said. “As a kid growing up, that’s how I got to know who North Dakota was. That’s when I really started loving North Dakota. That was when my dad first brought me to a game; he said you have to watch this team play. It’s an unbelievable rivalry. It’s really cool to see. That’s when I really kind of fell in love with North Dakota as a kid, when they came to Mariucci [Arena]. So, I think that’s really unfortunate, for not just the guys here, but the kids coming up through the game that are still peewees, bantams and high schoolers. It’s a great game to watch. So, hopefully they can figure this out.”

Lastly, the Minnesota and North Dakota rivalry will always be a passionate and an emotional series for both sides involved.  When I see fans on either side say, ‘I won’t miss watching my team playing them’ I question whether these fans “truly” understand this series.

When these two team play, records and national rankings mean nothing – I have seen the Gophers ride into town on very long unbeaten streaks – only to watch them leave town with their tails between their legs. I can also remember UND being the better team, only to have Minnesota sweep them. This is the perfect series where stuff happens.

It’s a shame that this historic and heated rivalry can’t go forward at least for the next four years. However, there are many memories from games past that will have to keep the flame lit until these two teams meet again in the future.

Originally posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine.

Related articles

• Sioux nickname reason UND's not playing UMN (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UND: The Weekend Ahead (1/18-1/19) (thehockeywriters.com)

WHKY: The only way to a National Championship is through Minnesota

This past weekend North Dakota’s women’s hockey team traveled to Ridder Arena to faceoff against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The weekend would be a test to see how close North Dakota is to challenging the Gophers in the potential post-season run.

It might be a little early to talk about the post-season, but after the weekend the Gophers remain an unbelievable 22-0-0. To add to that impressive stat, the last time Minnesota lost a game was February 17, 2012 (in overtime, against UND) – you read that correctly, nearly a year ago. If you were going to bet on who will win the NCAA Division I women’s hockey national championship, the easy bet would be the Gophers.

But enough about a team that doesn’t need anyone else tooting their own horn. Despite the 6-3 loss and being swept, the women in Green and White played one of their strongest games on Saturday afternoon.

North Dakota was able to hold a one-goal lead against the top-ranked team in the country for the first frame and lead or tied during the first 42 minutes of the game. The Gophers have held the lead against every team they’ve played this season except UND. Minnesota, in the same fashion they’ve shown all season, turned on the heat in the third period scoring three goals (one empty net).

If North Dakota (8-8-0) is going to play into the post-season they’re going to need to start winning games and the schedule isn’t going to lighten up playing in the WCHA. The Green and White will need their world-class offensive players to score and they will need secondary scoring with strong defense. The team has these components; Brian Idalski, head coach, just needs to figure out how to get the stars to align.

Although some North Dakota players might have walked away from Ridder Arena this weekend feeling the burn, they should take pride in the fact that they have what it takes to compete. If they play the way they did against Minnesota on Saturday afternoon, they should finish off the season strong.

North Dakota goes head-to-head with Wisconsin at home (7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday) this weekend. If you’re not headed to Mariucci for the men’s series and you don’t plan to be glued to your television, I suggest you head to The Ralph. What I’m certain you’ll see is a finesse game with world-class athletes. I would also guess that during intermission The Ralph might show the men’s game as they have in the past. 

Parise tight lipped about where he's going

This is one of those stories that aren’t going to go away, until we know where former Fighting Sioux All-American forward Zach Parise is headed. Zach Parise hasn’t tipped his hat where he is going either, only to say that he wants to re-sign with the New Jersey Devils. You can rest assured that Parise and his agent are going to get a bunch of offers from a lot of teams.

Joan Niesen, FSN.COM --- Parise said he treats his impending free agency as something he can take advantage of, but it would seem that balancing his sanity with the desire to get the most out of this summer is something he's grappling with daily. Talk to Parise for five minutes and who knows how many times he'll say he wants to minimize the stress of the process. However, coming home to Minneapolis this offseason, though a natural move, is unlikely to mitigate the constant scrutiny.

Parise grew up in Bloomington, Minn. His father, J.P., played for the North Stars, and Parise still keeps a house in the Twin Cities, which he returned to last Friday from New Jersey. That's why he made an appearance Wednesday at the Defending the Blue Line game on the University of Minnesota campus, where he signed autographs and watched from the bench. As an unsigned player, Parise did not compete with the local hockey stars who took the ice. Instead, he subjected himself to the barrage of questions he's mostly unable to answer.

On Tuesday morning Paul Allen had Michael Russo beat writer of the Minnesota Wild from the Minneapolis Star and Tribune on the KFAN 100.3 and the two of them discussed the Parise free agency story and where they think that Zach might go. Russo seems to think that if the Wild get Parise that they might have a good chance to get Predators’ defenseman Ryan Sutter. You can listen to P.A.’s interview of Russo from the podcast that is embedded below in the blog post.

2011-12 AHCA/CCM Hockey Men’s Division 1

Here are the 2011-12 East and West All Americans teams.

All-American Teams

All-American West First Team

Goalie: Taylor Nelson, Sr., Ferris State University (Regina, SK)

Defense: Torey Krug, Jr., Michigan State University (Livonia, MI)

Defense: Justin Schultz, Jr., University of Wisconsin* (West Kelowna, BC)

Forward: Jack Connolly, Sr., University of Minnesota Duluth*# (Duluth, MN)

Forward: Jaden Schwartz, So., Colorado College (Wilcox, SK)

Forward: Reilly Smith, Jr., Miami University (Mimico, ON)

All-American East First Team

Goalie: Troy Grosenick, So., Union College (Brookfield, WI)

Defense: Danny Biega, Jr., Harvard University (Montreal, QC)

Defense: Brian Dumoulin, Jr., Boston College* (Biddeford, ME)

Forward: Spencer Abbott, Sr., University of Maine (Hamilton, ON)

Forward: Alex Killorn, Sr., Harvard University (Montreal, QC)

Forward: Austin Smith, Sr., Colgate University (Dallas, TX)

All-American West Second Team

Goalie: Kent Patterson, Sr., University of Minnesota (Plymouth, MN)

Defense: Chad Billins, Sr., Ferris State University (Marysville, MI)

Defense: Dan DeKeyser, So., Western Michigan University (Clay Township, MI)

Forward: Nick Bjugstad, So., University of Minnesota (Blaine, MN)

Forward: J.T. Brown, So., University of Minnesota Duluth (Burnsville, MN)

Forward: Jason Zucker, So., University of Denver (Las Vegas, NV)

All-American East Second Team

Goalie: Joe Cannata, Sr., Merrimack College (Wakefield, MA)

Defense: Mat Bodie, So., Union College (East St. Paul, MB)

Defense: Tim Kirby, Sr., U.S. Air Force Academy (Austin, MN)

Forward: Barry Almeida, Sr., Boston College (Springfield, MA)

Forward: Brian O’Neill, Sr., Yale University (Yardley, PA)

Forward: Jeremy Welsh, Jr., Union College (Bayfield, ON)

* First Team in 2010-11; # Second Team in 2009-10

University of Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia was named the sixth annual HCA National Division I Rookie of the Year award.

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Home Field advantage?

Goldy Gopher, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mascot. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I figure we can start a debate on Tuesday afternoon with nothing going on today.

Recently, we have heard from Gopher fans how the Xcel Energy Center is not a home game for the Minnesota Gophers. that is false since the Xcel Energy Center is eight miles from the University of Minnesota campus.

Check out this stat, it's pretty telling, the Minnesota Gophers have hosted a regional championship, both at the Xcel Center and Marucci Arena (2003, 2005) five times since 2003 and made the Frozen Four three times.

Also, the three seasons the Gophers missed the making the Frozen Four when they were the host team, was when they failed to qualify for the NCAA tourney (2009, 2010 and 2011). 

B.C. Interuption --- Since the tournament expanded to 16 programs for the 2002-3 season, the University of Minnesota has hosted the West Regional on five separate occasions (2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2012). In three of those years, the Gophers were able to advance to the Frozen Four. Still don't think there's an advantage to playing closer to home come tournament time?

Granted many times the NCAA Regionals are hosted by schools that won't even sniff an NCAA Tournament bid in any given year. Teams like Holy Cross, Fairfield and Michigan Tech rarely make an NCAA Tournament appearance but continue to host a regional every few years. Other college hockey heavyweights -- like New Hampshire, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- are regular hosts for either the Regional round or the Frozen Four.

So to claim by Gopher fans and others that the Xcel Energy Center is not like home ice for the Golden Gophers is disingenuous and short sighted.

Congrats to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for making the NCAA tourney and we see how your team matches up with the high flying Boston College Eagles. [Goon's Prediction]

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• A quick look at the regionals... Goon's Pontifications.... (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• My prediction for the Frozen Four (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UND's tentative 2012-13 Schedule (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• NCAA West Regional Capsules (insidehockey.com)