Ramsey; Please let the Fighting Sioux nickname end

s/t to Joe Paisley. I know it’s a little old but I have yet to see it posted anywhere else – David Ramsey from the Colorado Springs Gazette has a piece on UND retiring the Fighting Sioux nickname, if you’re not familiar with Ramsey he’s a self-professed anti-Fighting Sioux nickname person – but he is also a pretty good guy as well.

David Ramsey, The Gazette --- Those who cling to the Fighting Sioux moniker have misdirected their devotion. The moniker supporters I’ve talked with are fiercely devoted to UND’s hockey team. And I must say this: UND hockey fans are among the best in college sports, right up there with Kentucky basketball fans and Alabama football fans.

But a change in the images of UND sports will do nothing, really, to alter the hockey program.

I’m a graduate of Syracuse. For decades, white guys dressed up as the Saltine Warrior, a repulsive Native American caricature. These white guys whooped and danced on the sidelines of football games while embarrassing themselves and the university.

The Saltine Warrior was dismissed in 1977, when a brave and wise chancellor named Melvin Eggers listened to the protests of local Native Americans. There was, as you might expect, a massive outcry. Longtime fans promised to boycott games. Old-timers vowed to embrace the Warrior forever.

Forever did not last long.

When I arrived in Syracuse in 1985, the Saltine Warrior was a distant memory of less-enlightened times, a symbol that did not belong in modern-day reality. And Syracuse, where Stephen Crane, William Safire, Frank Langella, Lou Reed and Vanessa Williams studied, is doing just fine without him, thank you.

Here is a perfect link on how to write a gamer/article without mentioning the Fighting Sioux nick name.

UND Fighting Sioux Hockey announces 2012-13 incoming class

Official Press Release 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Head Men’s Hockey Coach Dave Hakstol announced today the addition of six newcomers for the 2012-13 season. The incoming class includes National Letter of Intent signees Drake Caggiula, Bryn Chyzyk, Zane Gothberg, Coltyn Sanderson and Jordan Schmaltz, as well as Alabama-Huntsville transfer Clarke Saunders. The position breakdown includes three forwards, two goalies and one defensemen.

“This incoming class of young men will bring solid skill packages into our program at the forward, defense, and goaltending positions for the 2012-13 season,” said Hakstol. “Adding this group to an extremely solid core of returning veterans creates a roster with ability and depth at all three positions.” 

National Letter of Intent Signees:

Name: Drake Caggiula Ht: 5-10 Wt: 161 Pos: F Hometown: Pickering, Ontario

Spent the past two seasons with the Stouffville Spirit of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) … Scored 10 goals and 24 assists 25 in games in 2011-12 … Led Stouffville to OJHL regular season and playoff titles and a berth in the Dudley Hewitt Central Canada Junior A Championship final … Was named most valuable player of the OJHL playoffs after racking up a league-leading 17 goals and 37 points in 23 games … Named OJHL 1st Team All-Prospect for the second straight season … Won a silver medal playing for Team Canada East at the World Junior A Challenge … Began the season with Des Moines of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and had one goal and one assist in four games … Played in 48 games with Stouffville in 2010-11 and collected 22 goals and 23 assists … Added two goals and six assists in eight playoff games … Draft eligible in 2012 … Ranked 185^th among North American skaters in the final 2012 NHL Central Scouting Bureau draft rankings … Last name is pronounced Ka-ZHEW-la.

Name: Bryn Chyzyk Ht: 5-11 Wt: 181 Pos: F Hometown: Virden, Manitoba

Spent the 2011-12 season with the Fargo Force of the USHL … Collected 28 goals and 21 assists in 57 games … Tied for the team lead in goals and tied for eighth in the USHL goal-scoring race … Was a teammate of fellow UND recruit Zane Gothberg … Spent the 2010-11 season with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and was named the league’s rookie of the year … Scored 22 goals and 49 assists in 62 games and earned MJHL All-Rookie Team honors … Played in the 2011 MJHL All-Star Game and notched three assists … Added a goal and six assists in 13 playoff games … Last name is pronounced CHIZ-ick.

Name: Zane Gothberg Ht: 6-2 Wt: 190 Pos: G Hometown: Thief River Falls, Minn.

Spent the past two seasons with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL) … Named co-recipient of USHL’s 2011-12 Goaltender of the Year award … Went 26-14-4 and led the USHL in save percentage (.921) and shutouts (7), while ranking second in goals against average (2.22) … Set franchise records in all four categories and was named Fargo’s Most Valuable Player … Was a teammate of fellow UND recruit Bryn Chyzyk … Went 14-8-0 with a 2.23 goals against average and a .908 save percentage, along with two shutouts, in 2010-11 … Won a bronze medal with the United States at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, posting a 0.50 GAA and .979 SV% in two games … Won gold with the U.S. at the 2010 World Junior A Challenge, recording a 2.05 GAA and .929 SV% in four games … Spent the 2009-10 season with Thief River Falls High School and won the Frank Brimsek Award as the top senior goaltender in the state of Minnesota … Also earned first-team all-state honors after posting a 1.81 GAA, .925 SV% and three shutouts in 27 games … Was an all-state honorable mention as a junior … Selected by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round (165^th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Name: Coltyn Sanderson Ht: 6-1 Wt: 185 Pos: F Hometown: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Spent the past two seasons with the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) … Served as team captain in 2011-12 and amassed 81 points (32 goals, 49 assists) in 57 games … Finished fourth in the SJHL scoring race … Added nine goals and nine assists in 17 playoff games and led Weyburn to the Sherwood Conference championship … Weyburn’s nominee for SJHL Player of the Year … Received four team honors: Barber Motors Award (Most Valuable Forward), NSWB Community Service Award, Marcel Labelle Memorial Award (Red Wing Displaying Dedication) and the President’s Ring … Played in 57 games in 2010-11 and had 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points … Spent the 2009-10 season with the Assiniboia Southern Rebels of the Prairie Junior Hockey League and collected 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) in 37 games.

Name: Jordan Schmaltz Ht: 6-2 Wt: 175 Pos: D Hometown: Verona, Wis.

Tied for second among USHL defensemen in 2011-12 with 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists) in 55 games … Spent the majority of the season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, collecting seven goals and 28 assists in 46 games … Led the Gamblers to the USHL’s Anderson Cup with a 47-9-4 record … Added two goals and five assists in 11 playoff games … Began the season with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, where he scored three goals and three assists in nine games … Participated in the 2012 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game … Spent the 2010-11 season with Sioux City and led USHL defensemen in points (44), goals (11) and assists (31) in 53 games … Earned USHL First All-Star Team and USHL All-Rookie Team honors … Was a five-time USHL Defenseman of the Week as a rookie … Won a bronze medal with the United States at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge … Won gold with the U.S. at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge … Draft eligible in 2012 … Ranked 34^th among North American skaters in the final 2012 NHL Central Scouting Bureau draft rankings … Father, Mike, lettered in football at UND from 1988 to 1990 … Uncles, Marc Schmaltz (1988-91) and Monte Schmaltz (1992-93), also lettered in football at UND.

Transfer:

Name: Clarke Saunders Ht: 6-3 Wt: 200 Pos: G Hometown: Brockville, Ontario

Spent the previous two seasons at the University of Alabama-Huntsville … Posted a .903 save percentage in 46 career games for a UAH team that went 6-54-3 over the past two years … Appeared in 27 games (26 starts) in 2011-12 and averaged an NCAA-leading 34 saves per game … Posted a .906 save percentage for a UAH team that went 2-28-1 … Appeared in 19 games as a freshman in 2010-11 and went 4-14-0 with a 3.80 goals against average and an .898 save percentage … Spent the previous four seasons with the Brockville Braves of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) … Set a Brockville team record for wins in two of his last three seasons with the club … Went 31-7-1 with a 2.31 GAA and .915 SV% in 2009-10, ranking second in the CCHL in wins and GAA.

The Fighting Sioux (26-13-3, 16-11-1 WCHA) won their league-record third straight Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA Final Five champions and earned the No. 1 seed for the NCAA West Region Tournament, where UND advanced to its sixth regional championship game in eight years under Hakstol.

Redwing77's NCAA Men's Hockey Bracket Picks Part One

I've decided to do something I haven't done all season long: A Pick'em. Sioux7 and Goon have done it. Maybe even Whistler has. But I haven't... Until now.

Ready the pitchforks and torches!

Northeast Regional:

In my opinion, this is the toughest bracket out there. In the bracket is Maine, BC, Air Force, and Minnesota Duluth.


Maine vs. UMD:

Maine is better than most people think. The problem is: They're not flashy. They're not especially fast as a team. Kindof like Vanilla Ice Cream. They are just solid all around and have a very deadly powerplay (#1 in the Nation). They key player is Spencer Abbott. He got injured after he fell feet first (it almost looked like he was hooked or interfered with) into the boards and left the game (no call.. made me think of WCHA officials). If he can't play then Maine may not necessarily be as dynamic as they would like.

Minnesota Duluth is a team built on grit and a flashy high end. Their top line is as good as anyone's. They are the returning champions so they have the bullseye on their jerseys.

The keys to this game is going to be special teams and blueline scoring. O'Neil from Maine got 2 goals and an assist in the defeat of BU and seems to be quite the sniper. If UMD can stay out of the penalty box though, I think they'll prevail.

My prediction: tUMD

BC vs. Air Force:

Air Force can surprise people but... they won't surprise BC.

My prediction: BC. I'm not even sure it will be close.

Regional Final: BC vs. tUMD. This will be a good game... and BC will win it despite having questionable goaltending (no matter what the NBC Sports homers say).

West Regional:

The West and Midwest Regionals are about equal in difficulty. If there is an edge in difficulty, it would be the West that holds the edge.

Minnesota vs. BU:

BU could win this game. They played extremely well vs. Maine... for a period or so. Then they started getting penalties and left their gameplan behind. Milan will not steal any games for BU. But BU's edge is in speed and defense. Their weakness, imo, is in discipline and special teams.

Minnesota is hurting after getting embarrassed in front of the home crowd (60% anyways). They're not that bad and they are well balanced. Like typical Lucia teams, Minnesota gets destroyed when they are forced to abandon their game plan. Their Team D has improved dramatically under Guentzel but there are still holes.

Prediction: Minnesota edges BU. This one is a good bet for OT.

UND vs. WMU:

WMU.... they're nobodies right Miami? Right Michigan? The problem is, if UND has that attitude, WMU will destroy the Sioux. They are healthy for the most part. They are playing above expectations. Some might say that they've exceeded expectations by simply making the NCAAs and winning the CCHA tourney. If that's the case, then WMU is playing bonus hockey and they can play more loose than UND because they don't have the weight of tradition riding on their shoulders like UND does.

UND... they've played amazing games since being unable to dress 18 skaters. They do have issues with giving up the first goal in the game.... stat monkeys will point out that they are 1 game below .500 when giving up the first goal this season (9-10-?). They also have the haters waiting in the wings. If they should lose vs. WMU (or heck, not make the Frozen Four), I'm sure there will be a fair smattering of "Fire Hakstol" commentary... not just from Red Lake Falls.

For me, it's hard to tell how far UND will go with the adversity they've faced thus far this year. The best I can do is to take the homer approach and stick with them to the end.

My prediction: Admittedly homer: UND wins in a squeaker.

Regional Final Matchup: Minnesota vs. UND. I'm not certain that Minnesota will make the same mistakes that they did in the Final Five. I also think that the ride will finally come to an end. Prediction: Minnesota wins in a heartbreaker and there will be a race between Minny trolls and the Haters to post the most flames at UND.

Fighting Sioux Women 5th and 6th in both national polls

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Women's Hockey team is ranked 5th in the USCHO poll and 6th in the USA Today Poll.

Bless their little hearts but... (RW77 Rant)

Student Organizations should not be allowed to run cameras at fast-paced sporting events.

Seriously, thank goodness for the UAA announcer calling the game very similarly to that of a radio commentator... or maybe he was the radio commentator overlaid with video?

In any case, I cannot tell you how awful it was watching the games this weekend where we'd see closeups of players while the puck is off screen (and the player close up didn't even have the puck!), or when the puck is shot into the zone and the camera focuses in on the ref... or the best? In Saturday's game Aaron Dell makes two great, close in saves.... BOTH of them off camera. Heck, apparently Aaron Dell had a fabulous glove save. I'll take the announcer's word for it.

It was a downright MIRACLE that Kristo's goal was on camera instead of perhaps one of the 50 fans on the bench side of the ice.

Look, everyone learns sometime but it was beyond unbelievable how poorly they were able to track the puck! It's almost as if they were trying to disguise their $10 Gear Head Webcam they bought from a discount online retailer by trying to be creative with zooming in every minute or 2 and on every faceoff. It also seems like they had no idea where the camera was facing at times and while checking on its position, lost track of the puck.

The most important thing on the ice isn't the players... it's the puck! The game cannot be played without a puck!

So, here's what I'd do to help them out: First, lose the zoom button entirely. Forget it exists. If you wish to have zoom capability, buy a second webcam and have that zoomed in all the time. Then, if they capture something while zoomed, go to it on replay. With the camera zoomed out permanently, there will be the best chance of keeping the puck on the screen. Second, run a fundraising campaign to purchase decent equipment. Namely a web-broadcasting capable REAL camera like the ones that almost all other schools use. Look at the webcams UND uses at the Ralph.... or maybe those are web broadcast directly from the TV feed. If that is the case, perhaps they can outfit a real video camera with a similar system. It will improve the quality of the broadcast big time.

There are more drastic suggestions I have, but they defeat the purpose of a student run broadcast.

Best of luck and remember: If the cameraman can't follow the puck, he ain't worth a F***!

Sioux - Tigers Series Preview

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux entertain the Colorado College Tigers this weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena game times; 7:37 PM CT Friday and 7:07 PM CT Saturday.

Since 2002-03 the Sioux have a 13-12-3 record against the Tigers.

The games will be on Fighting Sioux Sports Network 23 Midco, 617 FCS DirecTV.

Radio: The games can be heard at 96.1 the Fox.

Internet: Webcast from FightingSioux.com

Records and Rankings:

UND – 4-7-1 overall, 2-6-0 WCHA; unranked in both polls. The Fighting Sioux split with BSU last weekend 5-2 win, 1-0 loss.

C.C. – 7-2-0 overall, 5-2-0 WCHA, ranked fourth in both national polls, the Tigers swept Wisconsin last weekend 4-2, 4-1.

Players to Watch:

For the Fighting Sioux, junior forwards Danny Kristo 4g-8a—12pts and Corbin Knight 5g-7a—12pts are tied for the team lead in scoring. On the other side of the ice, for the C.C. Tigers the Schwartz brothers, Jaden Schwartz 5g-8a—13pts and Rylan Schwartz 7g-4a—11pts lead the Tigers in scoring.

Junior goalie Aaron Dell is the top goaltender for the Fighting Sioux. Dell has a 3-6-1 record with a 2.87 goals against average and a .887 save percentage.

The Tigers goalies Joe Howe 4-1-0 record with a 2.69 goals against average with a .906 save percentage has split time with Josh Thorimbert 3-1-0 record with a 2.42 goals against average with a .923 save percentage.

Key Numbers:

0 – The number of ties the Colorado College Tigers have at this point in the season.

2 – The number of losses that Colorado College Tiger have at this point in the season.

2 – The Colorado College Tigers power play is ranked second in the WCHA going 12/47.

2 – The Colorado College Tigers penalty kill is ranked second and have killed 34/40 penalties.

3 – The Fighting Sioux are ranked third on the penalty kill and have killed 42/51 penalties.

7 – The number of losses that the Sioux have so far this season.

8 – The Fighting Sioux power play is ranked eighth in the WCHA going 11/61.

9 – The Fighting Sioux have scored nine goals in the third period.

9 – The Colorado College Tigers have scored nine goals in the first period.

10 – The Fighting Sioux are ranked 10th in the WCHA in scoring.

10 – Aaron Dell is ranked 10th in goals against average (2.87) in the WCHA.

11 – The Colorado College Tigers have allowed 11 goals during the second period

11 – The Fighting Sioux have scored 11 goals on the power play.

12 – The Colorado College Tigers have scored 12 goals on the power play.

15 – Aaron Dell is ranked 15th in save percentage .887 in the WCHA.

Other games in the WCHA: Alaska-Anchorage at Minnesota State, Saint Cloud at Nebraska Omaha, Minnesota at Michigan State, Michigan Tech at Saint Lawrence, Princeton, Miami, Providence at Denver (Denver Cup), Mercyhurst at Wisconsin. Duluth and Bemidji State are idle.

Cross Posted at INSIDE HOCKEY...

Sioux extend streak against Beavers 5-2

Bemidji, MN. -- Coming into tonight's game, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux had won one game in six and were coming off a bye week. They were looking to get back on track after being swept at the hands of the high flying Minnesota Gophers.

The Sioux have never lost to the Bemidji State University Beavers in the modern era 19-0-1, sporting a 14-0-1 mark in the last 15 games. The Sioux extended that streak to 15-0-1 tonight with a goal from Captain Mario Lamoureux.

The Fighting Sioux have never lost a hockey game when Mario Lamoureux scores a goal. The steak was extended to 13-0-0 when Lamoureux has scored the game winning goal for the Fighting Sioux tonight.

When Lamoureux was asked about his ability to score timely goals he said, "When I score I hope that they're big goals, and I just try to go out to play the same way and bury some goals and help the team win, it's more coincidence."

So far this season, it would be safe to say that the Fighting Sioux have suffered their share of setbacks and on Friday the Sioux learned that their highly touted freshman forward Roco Grimaldi had another setback in his recovery and would not play this weekend, and would be out an addtional six to eight weeks.

The Bemidji State Beavers broke through first at the 02:11 mark of the first period. Beaver forward Brance Orban took a feed from Mitch Cain and shot the puck past an un-expecting Aaron Dell. That was the eighth time in 11 games that the Fighting Sioux had given up the first goal of the game.

The Sioux would go on the power play at the 06:43 mark of the first period, when Beavers forward Shea Walters was assessed a two-minute penalty for hooking. The Sioux would waste little time on the ensuing power play, scoring six seconds later with a goal from Corbin Knight. Knight took a loose puck from behind the Beaver net, cut in front of the Beaver net, and shot the puck past Beaver goalie Dan Bakala. The Beavers outshot the Fighting Sioux 11-7 in the first period.

The Sioux took the lead at the 04:30 mark of the second period when freshman forward Brendan O'Donnell took a loose puck that was lying in the crease and shot the puck past Bakala to give the Sioux a 2-1 lead. That was the first career goal for O'Donnell, who had just returned after missing that last six games with a lower body injury.

The Fighting Sioux seemed to pick up their play during the second period and outshot the Beavers 14-8. Both teams exchanged grade "A" scoring chances in the second period but both goalies stood tall and didn?'t let anything else by them.

The Sioux came out flat in the third period and the Beavers capitalized on the Fighting Sioux's sloppy play in the defensive zone. This allowed the Beavers to tie the game at the 01:12 mark of the third period with a nifty goal from Shea Walter, who took a cross-ice feed from Brady Wacker and shot the puck past the Sioux goalie, Dell, who was trying to get over to cover the post.

The two teams would exchange scoring opportunities until the Fighting Sioux broke the tie with a goal at the 15:22 mark of the third period, when Fighting Sioux Captain Mario Lamoureux snaped a shot from the faceoff circle to give the Sioux a 3-2 lead. Picking up the assist on Lamoureux's game winning goal were Ben Blood and Joe Gleason.

The Fighting Sioux extended their lead to two with another snap shot from the same faceoff circle, this time it was Brock Nelson at the 18:30 mark of the third period. Nelson would score again, this time an empty net goal a minute and one second later. The Sioux outshot the Beavers 15-6 in the third period.

Box Score

Cross Posted at INSIDE HOCKEY.