Lets have some perspective: Miami is good but...

Check this out this blog article.

So, what does this all mean for North Dakota-Miami?

Now, no disrespect to Charlie Effinger, but I don't think he'd get the start in this theoretical game, so give the RedHawks the edge in goal. I do think that when you look at players like Robbie Bina, Taylor Chorney and Joe Finley, the Sioux have an edge on the blueline, but it's just a slight edge. Alec Martinez is having a fantastic season, as is Mitch Ganzak, and I think the d-corps does its job more than adequately for the RedHawks.

Up front, Miami has a ton of weapons, to the point where the impact of Nathan Davis' injury has been minimized beyond anything that Rico Blasi could have hoped for. If you can add a healthy Davis to this team after the break, I won't go so far as to say that Miami will be unstoppable - enough of us already made that mistake about North Dakota - but there are just so many weapons on that team that it's scary.

The Sioux just don't have that kind of scoring depth this season, as things drop off pretty quick once you get past T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan. Is there potential for more? Certainly, and I do think the Sioux should come together after the break. They've been an excellent second-half team under Dave Hakstol, and last year's resurgence started with a win over a team from New Hampshire, too (UNH visits Grand Forks after the break). But Miami has it together right now in a way that you can't guarantee North Dakota will have it at all this season.

On that point, I think the RedHawks have had a greater team focus this season, if you look at their games, and that starts with the great senior leadership they have from the likes of Ryan Jones and Nathan Davis. In their second year as captain and assistant captain of this team, Jones and Davis are better able to establish the culture of hard-work and physical play that help make Miami so successful. No disrespect to Rylan Kaip and his assistant captains at North Dakota, but what Jones has done leading Miami this season, especially when Davis went down early in the first game of the season, is truly remarkable, and is just as big a part of his Hobey Baker candidacy as his first-half numbers.

I think that in this game between North Dakota and Miami, the way they're playing now, it'll be a great, hard-fought physical hockey game, but I think that Miami would be the team slowly wearing down North Dakota. I think Zatkoff and the defensive corps would stand up well enough to the Sioux, and that in the end, Miami would just have too many weapons, especially with all that size and strength on the wings.

So, that's my answer to that question, and I'm sticking to it until given reason to believe otherwise.

As for where Miami stacks up to everyone else, well, I'll make you wait until tomorrow for that...although you may already have some idea.

I read this article on the Rink Rant by CSTV’s Elliot Olshansky and although I love to listen to Elliot’s weekly pod cast from CSTV, I think he might be a little off of the mark, the season is half over and there is a lot of hockey to be played. Maybe we can wait and see how the cards fall before we start making grand predictions or crowning anyone champions. Here is an old cliché probably that probably rings true in this situation: championships are won in March and April and not in November, December and January. I wonder what the Miami apologists will say if Miami is bounced in the first or second round of the NCAA tourney again this season.

While I do think Miami of Ohio is a good to decent team; they are big, strong and talented. You can probably make the same argument for a lot of the teams that are in the top ten. The question I must ask people is Miami’s record really that impressive? Seriously folks, let’s have some perspective on this matter, let’s look at Miami’s not so impressive schedule a little deeper: The Miami Red Hawks; while winning in semi-impressive fashion have feasted on an unimpressive schedule of subpar mediocre to poor competition. The RedHawks are not beating the top teams in the nation.

Here is the list of unimpressive victories. Drum roll please: Vermont (29), Ohio State (50), Nebraska Omaha (31), Northern Michigan (34), Notre Dame (loss) (4), Michigan State (6), Canisius (54), Alaska (loss)(44), Rensselaer (21). That’s eighteen games played against a grand total of 2 teams that are actually nationally ranked in the top twenty or are above 20 in the Power Rankings as well. Miami is good but they have won nothing yet. There is no championship for having the best record at the half way point.

This exchange is also one of the silliest things that I have read in a long time:

Ryan (Oxford): If Miami handles St. Cloud State in the Ohio Hockey Classic, will they finally get the WCHA fans off their back...or will the WCHA continue to pretend they are "unquestionably" better than everyone else?

Dave Starman: The WCHA is allowed to stick its chest out, they have set the bar pretty high in terms of recruiting elite players, developing pros, and winning national titles...

Todd D. Milewski: Maybe in a head-to-head sense, but part of that attitude (for lack of a better term) is based in the league as a whole.
Dave Starman: HOWEVER... to say they are the best conference in college hockey right now would be wrong. The CCHA is pretty impressive.

Todd D. Milewski: Even though the CCHA's best is better than the WCHA's best right now, the dropoff point in the WCHA is a lot farther down the table than it seems to be in the CCHA.

Dave Starman: WCHA fans need to realize that you can't live in the was, you have to live in the is, and the CCHA IS probably stronger top to bottom.
Dave Starman: That being said, CC, Denver, North Dakota could all win the national title and Denver's home.

Yeah, while your top teams may or may not be ahead of the WCHA right now, lets look at the bottom 5 in the WCHA and look at the bottom 7 in the CCHA. Included is the standings and power rankings. If you look at the Power Rankings of the two leagues you will see that all teams in the bottom 5 of the WCHA are in the top 25 of the Power Rankings while the CCHA bottom 7 has one team in the top 25 of the power rankings.

WCHA's Bottom 5: 6.) Minnesota (13) 7.) Wisconsin (17) 7.)Saint Cloud(19) 7.) Minnesota State (24) 10.) Alaska Anchorage (22)

CCHA's bottom 7 is: 6.) Nebraska Omaha (31) 7.) Bowling Green (19) University tie 7.) Northern Michigan (34) 9.)Alaska, Ohio State(50) 10.) Western Michigan (49) 11.)Lake Superior (51)

Also, Ryan from Oxford your team the Miami RedHawks is supposed to beat SCSU if they are really as good as you claim. Think about it your team is ranked number one in the nation and SCSU is a team that is in 7th place in the WCHA. I would expect your team to win and if they do not win this game expect your team to drop in the rankings. I have seen a lot of Miami fans trying to peg this game as a bench mark game for bragging rights.

Time for the Second Half of the Season

Now is the time for the Fighting Sioux to step it up and set the tone for the second half of the season if they want get a good seeding for the WCHA playoffs and do anything in the NCAA playoffs. It seems that the Fighting Sioux under Coach Dave Hakstol start slow, almost uninterested, in playing at the beginning of the season. They then peak at the right time just before the playoffs begin and go on a torrid pace. At least that is what has happened the past three seasons; all three seasons have had a familiar ending with UND finishing their season in the Frozen Four minus a NCAA Championship trophy.

This season the expectations were set much higher. During the three previous seasons the Sioux had lost numerous big time hockey players. However, this time the Sioux were relatively unscathed as they had only lost two highly skilled underclassmen and two veteran hockey players to graduation.

That being said, it would seem that the expectation of the Sioux winning some hardware such as a league title and an NCAA title might be the standard of achievement this season, especially with the return of Hobey Baker Memorial award winner Ryan Duncan, T.J. Oshie, Joe Finley and Taylor Chorney.
Here are a few points of interest for this weekend's series.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. UNH (9-2-2)
12-29-71 (H) UND 9 UNH 3 W
12-30-71 (H) UNH 3 UND 2 L
11-16-84 (A) UND 4 UNH 3 W
11-17-84 (A) UND 11 UNH 0 W
11-8-85 (H) UND 4 UNH 2 W
11-9-85 (H) UND 7 UNH 4 W
11-28-86 (A) UND 10 UNH 0 W
1-17-88 (H) UND 6 UNH 2 W
1-6-89 (A) UND 8 UNH 2 W
11-28-99 (H) UNH 6 UND 2 L
10-6-00 (N) UNH 2 UND 2 OT T
10-21-05 (H) UND 3 UNH 2 W
10-22-05 (H) UND 3 UNH 3 OT T

Series against New Hampshire: North Dakota is 9-2-2 all-time against New Hampshire. The Sioux are 4-0-0 against the Wildcats in Grand Forks, 5-2-1 against UNH in Durham, N.H., and 0-0-1 at neutral sites.

The last time the teams met was in October 2005, when the Wildcats played host to the Fighting Sioux in a two-game series in Durham, N.H. UND won the series opener 3-2 and the teams played to a 3-3 tie the next night.

UNH Wild Cats Roster Break down

Alberta (1): Fornataro- Calgary
Arizona (1): Flaishans- Glendale
British Columbia (1): Switzer-Peachland
California (1): Beck- Long Beach
Florida (1): Vranek- New Port Richey
Illinois (2): Krates-Palos Park, Radja-Yorkville
Maryland (1): Fritsch- Odenton
Massachusetts (6): Butler- Marlboro, Kapstad- Boxboro, Pollastrone- Revere,
Regan- South Boston, Rossman-Boxford, Savard- Framingham
Michigan (1): Dries-Lake Orion
Minnesota (1): Fricke-St. Paul
Missouri (1): Fortney- Webster Groves
New Hampshire (3): Foster-Pembroke, A. Thompson- Gilford, P. Thompson- Derry
New Jersey (1): vanRiemsdyk-Middletown
New York (3): Charlebois- Potsdam, Collins- Fairport, DeSimone- East Amherst
Ontario (1): LeBlanc-Hamilton
Pennsylvania (2): Campanale- Chester Springs, Manz- Wayne
Wisconsin (1): Sislo- Superior

Pretty interesting break down of hockey players from many different places, including a couple that are from south of the Mason Dixion Line.

University of New Hampshire Links for the Series

My Favorite the UNH Hockey blog

University of New Hampshire Media Guide

Chris Heisenberg Unofficial UNH site


You have got to check out this really cool hockey promotion from USA hockey

Kessel on his way out in Boston

I have been following this story for some time now and it appears that Bruins fans are losing patience with former Gopher Phil Kessel after only 1 1/2 seasons. Oh the irony. I have read where there the fans say that Phil is having a sophomore slump. I believe this observation is silly since I believe that Phil has made some improvement over last season, he will finish with more points as well.

It is pretty much the same complaints we have all heard in the past; Phil is selfish with the puck, Phil runs into team mates in the offensive zone. I have also heard more complaints along the lines of Phil's doesn't work that hard and that he's lazy. Some of these complaints may or may not be true but I have a hard time believing that Boston would just trade away their first round draft choice.

This is not the half of it, it seems that Kessel could be on his way out in Boston because his team the Bruins is suffering through a scoring outage and a tough patch were they have lost a lot of man games to injury. This was a interesting article that I found while reading a Boston Bruins fan message board.

Ultimately, it may come down to kids, and how willing the Bruins are to give up future promise for present production. There will be bidders for Phil Kessel, who was benched after two periods Sunday, his game noticeably lacking edge and dimension in this, his second NHL season. Goalie prospect Tuukka Rask and improving blue liner Mark Stuart also will bring bids, but they likely would be more difficult to sacrifice than Kessel, whose speed, though alluring, in some ways is holding him back from discovering what else he can do out there. Julien, like Dave Lewis last season, is beginning to realize it.

Kessel was the No. 5 pick in the 2006 draft. Five years earlier, Stanislav Chistov was taken fifth overall by the Anaheim Ducks, who dealt him last year to the Bruins. He wasn't totally useless, but he wasn't much more. Today, Chistov is back in Russia, another once-prime prospect gone bust. Kessel has more to offer, because of his speed and a knack around the net during shootouts. But he must show the coaching staff that he's willing to be smarter and work harder, especially in the dirtier areas of the ice.

The best proposal so far.

After reading this letter to the editor in today's issue of the Grand Forks Herald I believe this is the best solution that I have seen so far for resolving the Fighting Sioux nick name dispute. Let’s bring the issue of the Fighting Sioux name to a vote; I am talking about the members of the Sioux tribe, not just the tribal council. If after the vote; the members of Sioux tribe don't vote in favor of the fighting Sioux name, then retire the Fighting Sioux name for good. I honestly believe the Standing Rock tribal government does not really want to have a vote because they are affraid that they would end up losing the vote.

FORT TOTTEN, N.D.- I would like to take a moment to speak up on the UND “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo.

In my opinion, this issue is beginning to get out of hand. I've spoken to many people out here, and I can honestly say that there are many tribal members who support the nickname and wish for UND to be able to retain it.

I myself am honored that a university has a nickname that addresses the Sioux as fighters. For many centuries, that is exactly what we were - fighters. Now, it looks like we are in for another fight.

For the first 32 years of my life, I lived off the Spirit Lake Reservation. I fought for my heritage and for who I was that entire time. It's unbelievable the amount of racism alive in this world.

I think the nickname is a petty issue. When I was younger, my grandmother used to tell me a saying that I think should be said now: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I've been called everything in the book when I was growing up, mean and hurtful things, by almost every race on this earth.

But never did anyone say, “You're nothing but a Fighting Sioux.” That's probably because it was true; and besides, it wouldn't have hurt me at all because there is nothing derogatory about that statement. I believe that's why I'm not offended by the nickname or the logo.

The NCAA weighed in about two years ago when it listed UND's nickname as “hostile or abusive.” I don't believe it's either of those things. I find nothing hostile or abusive about the nickname.

From my understanding, the nickname was accepted by our tribal leaders several decades ago. “In 1968, says (Peter) Johnson, the Grand Forks Herald reported that a delegation from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation traveled to UND to ‘adopt' its president into the tribe and give UND the right to sue the name for its athletic teams,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported not long ago. Who are we to say that those leaders were wrong?

Perhaps they saw something that people today are missing about the honor of letting UND use such a nickname.

I agree with giving the final decision on the nickname to the Sioux tribes, but I don't believe that a select few council members can speak on behalf of the entire population of either reservation.

The only true and fair way to settle this issue would be a referendum on both reservations - a referendum in which each and every individual would have the chance to vote. A select few should not be allowed to claim that what they want also is the general consensus of the whole.

Only an open vote on both reservations will allow all voices to be heard. And whatever the outcome of that vote is, that is the resolution that should be passed by the tribal councils because that would be the true voice of the people.

Before I close, I must say one more thing: If UND must lose its nickname, then so should major sports teams. Get rid of the Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs, all of which do nothing on behalf of Native people, and I find their usage of such names and logos to be very demeaning, disgraceful and offensive.

I've never seen or heard of a pro football team, player or franchise ever make an effort to bring social programs out to a reservation. They don't bring their United Way onto our lands; yet, they do make it a point to show that they are actively involved with inner city youth.

At least UND is making an effort to bring pride to a people who have been viewed throughout history as being less than human.

I hope to live long enough to see the day when we stop all this petty bickering about things that never should be brought up. There comes a time in our lives when we all need to move past all of this and become one race . . . the human race.

Black Cloud is a Spirit Lake Dakota tribal member.
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Goon's picks for the week: Holiday addition.

Friday, December 28th

Non-Conference

New Hampshire @ Sioux
Princeton @ Minnesota State-Mankato

Badger Showdown

Colgate @ Wisconsin

Great Lakes Invitational

Michigan Tech vs. Michigan State

Denver Cup

Sacred Heart @ Denver

Governor's Cup

Alaska-Anchorage @ Alaska


Saturday, December 29th

Non-Conference

New Hampshire @ North Dakota

Badger Showdown

Bowling Green @ Wisconsin
Northeastern @ Wisconsin

Great Lakes Invitational

Michigan Tech vs. Providence
Michigan Tech vs. Michigan

Denver Cup

Northern Michigan @ Denver
Dartmouth @ Denver

Governor's Cup

Alaska-Anchorage @ Alaska

Dodge Holiday Cup Cake Classic

RIT @ Minnesota

Ohio Hockey Classic

St. Cloud State vs. Miami

Lightning Classic

Colorado College vs. Rensselaer


Sunday, December 30th

Non-Conference

Yale @ Minnesota State-Mankato

Dodge Holiday Cup Cake Classic

Air Force @ Minnesota
Boston College @ Minnesota

Ohio Hockey Classic

St. Cloud State vs. Ohio State
St. Cloud State vs. Harvard

Lightning Classic

Colorado College vs. Notre Dame
Colorado College vs. Massachusetts

Last week 5-3
For the Year 50-36

Merry Christmas from Goon's World

Here is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Goon's world would like to thank everyone (almost 127,000 people) that visited our blog over the past season. Go Sioux and beat the Gophers.

Also Goon's world would like to thank the Men and Women of the armed services that are defending our nation's security interests around the globe. I can appreciate what it is like to be away from home during the holiday, your sacrifice is appreciated and not unnoticed. Till they all come home... Goon and Dakota wish everyone a merry Christmas.

What a night for Gabby...

Check out the Minnesota Wild's Marian Gaborik's 5 goal and 1 assist night, that's right folks, Gaborik lit up the New York Rangers for 6 points in one game. That is almost unheard of in today’s day and age, where the NHL focuses on defense and shutting down the shooting lanes. What is also special about Gaborik’s 5 goal night is that the first three goals were a pure hat trick.

Former Alaska Fairbanks star Aaron Voros continues to chip in for the Wild with two more assists and another fight. This kid is becoming my dark horse Wild player.
Tonight; the Wild will go for their 5th win in a row against the Detroit Red Wings who lit them up last week 5-0.

Sidney Crosby and Andrew Ference drop the gloves.

I saw this the yesterday when I was going through the box scores. At first; I actually thought it was a misprint, Sidney Crosby doesn’t get into fights, and it’s not his role. Incidentally, this was Sid “the Kid's” first professional fight, let’s hope Crosby lets his tough guys do the heavy lifting and leave the scoring to Crosby.
I am actually sorry that I didn’t get to watch this game. I was working and I only taped the Wild and Rangers game I was not able to see this game.

Goon’s advice to Sidney Crosby

First off Sidney take off you helmet, it is considered to be a bush league move to get into a fight with someone while leaving your helmet/shield on. Maybe someone forgot to tell Crosby that it’s part of the fighters code that you take off your helmet during a fight so the guy you’re fighting doesn't break his hand punching your shield. Actually the refs are supposed to give Crosby an extra two minutes for getting into a fight while wearing a shield.

Report Cards (Sioux 7)

Univeristy students are at the end of the fall semester, and they all know what that means...Report cards. This is also a good time to grade the hockey teams in the WCHA, since the season is roughly half over. So lets start from with the top and work our way down.

CC - WOW, they have proven my wrong to this point (I picked them to finish 8th in the league). Their freshman goalie, Bachman, has really done well, a saving .939%, and a GAA of 1.77. With those numbers and Chad Rau and Bill Sweatt leading them in scoring they have excelled to this point in the season. We will have to wait and see if the freshman goalie can carry them the whole season, or if the pressure will wear on him. They have earned an A, this first semester.

DU - They are about where I picked them to finish, 3rd. Senior netminder Mannino has returned to his sophomore form with 1.80 GAA and a .932% very similair to CC. No wonder they are tied for the top spot in the top conference. Their top 3 point getters are 2-sophs and a frosh, Trotter, Ruegsegger, and Bozak repsectively. The G-man always seems to get a good group of players that work well together. They too have earned high marks, A.

UMD - Sits alone in the 3rd spot with a 5-6-3 record. Not to often does a team sit at this spot with this record at this time of year in this league. They had been a good team early this season and now have fallen, winless in the last four league games. Goalie Alex Stalock has good numbers .910% and a GAA of 2.42 but they need some more goal scoring to stay in the top 5. They slid the last 10 games (2-5-3) so does their grade, C-.

UND - Has got a pattern developing, W-W-L-L-W-W-L-L-W-W-L...and that leads to their 6-6 record. Not what us Sioux faithful where hoping for, but then again. They have started off slow the last couple of seasons and rebounded in the second half. With the returning talent, their record should be better than this. Goalie JP Lameraoux started the season with 4 shout-outs in 5-games, and has had one since, but the numbers are still good, GAA 1.72 and a .936%. Most of the scoring comes from the top line, they need the other lines to pick it up if they want to go up in the standings. So they earn a grade of C this semester.

MTU - They round out the top 5 with a 5-6-1 record. They are right where I thought they would be, in the middle of pack looking to move up in the rankings. They are like UMD, they started great and then started to back slide, they have only won 2 games since the start of November, ouch! The good news is goalie ML Teslak has had the numbers we all expected, GAA 1.72 and .934%. These Huskies need a some more scoring punch if they want to bite on to a home play-off spot. Their mid-year grade is a C.

UM - The gophers are down this year and they just took another blow, Okposo leaves for the NHL. They need some help in their own end Kangas (GAA 2.63 and .907%) and Frazee (GAA 2.83 and .893%) have not had great success this season. The offensive has been down too, not a good combination. I, like I think many, thought they would be okay/fine offensively and suffer some on defense, but it has been bad. So for this point in the season their troubles have been exposed. Their semester grade C-/D+

UW - They are in the 7-spot with a 4-5-1 record, with a few games in hand on the rest of the league. They are in the middle of the pack with hopes of picking up the offensive scoring and trying to land home ice for the play-offs. (Notice that UMD 3-spot has a 5-6-3 record) The Badgers are about what we all expected some more offense then years past, and the goaltending taking a big hit. Don't get me wrong, Shane Connelly has decent numbers, GAA 2.70 and .906%, but not as high as Elliott's. They need offense, period. They are what we expected, average C.

SCSU - These Huskies ended a 6-game losing streak by beating CC going into Holiday time. And before that were on a 7-game unbeaten streak. ust call them butter, since they are hoping to get onto another roll (I know bad humor). With them skidding just before break it is hard to say what they are going to do. But with an over-all record of 8-8-2 they too are a middle of the pack team, grade C.

MSU-M - I see another trend 7-7-3 overall record, 3-6-3 in WCHA. The Mavericks have been on some streaks to win 3, lose 4, tie, 5-game unbeaten... The upside is they have a lot of home games the second half, so they have to capitilize on home ice advantage. Especially if they want home ice advantage come March. Goalie Zacharias had put up some good numbers this first half, GAA 1.94 and a .929%. He just needs to get more goals from his teammates to help them get over that hump. The way the league is they could suprise some people the second half, but as for the first half, they get a C.

UAA - The seawolves are in their usual position, 10th. They own a 2-7-3 WCHA record, the wins are over UMD and UM... So they did beat some teams above them (okay technically everyone is above them, but you know what I mean). They have been putting some pucks in the net, so scoring is doing so-so, but the goalie numbers are down, GAA 3.10 and .875%, they need to get better if they want to move out of the basement. At the break they get a D.

We will all just have to wait and see how things shake out in the months ahead...

Happy Holidays to everyone who visits GOON'S WORLD.

The fall out of the Kyle Okposo defection

I have been following this story on the internet for the last couple of day and I am wondering if the wheels aren't coming off in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is an ugly incident that just isn’t going to go away any time soon. Kyle Okposo the Islander’s number one draft picks leaves college to sign a professional contract with the Islanders. Don Lucia takes issues with Kyle signing a professional contract in the middle of his sophomore season and calls the New York Islanders out. Garth Snow not to be out done, shoots back with accusations about the Gophers not being good for Kyle’s development.

There seems to be a developing on going story line in Minnesota. It’s like an on going soap opera that just keeps getting more interesting. (1st) the Gophers lose the Regional game against Holy Cross during the 2005-2006 season. (2nd) Then during the off season the Gophers lose Phil Kessel after playing just one season to the Boston Bruins who drafted him 5th over all in the first round, (3rd) this past summer the Gophers three more underclassmen, two players to the NHL/AHL (Alex Goligoski and Eric Johnson) and also one player to Major Juniors (Jim O’brien). Now the Gophers lose a player only after 1 ½ years. One has to ask what the heck in going on at Minnesota?
What a horrible way to end the first half of the season, and Minus Okposo, I just don’t see it getting any better for the Gophers in the second half, even with the return of Mike Jersey Pop Carmin.

Here is what Garth Snow had to say about Kyle Okposo's development at the University of Minnesota and more specifically about Coach Don Lucia. It isn't very flattering. This is a train wreck folks.

New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow on Thursday criticized Don Lucia's coaching, saying that was the reason sophomore Kyle Okposo is leaving the Gophers hockey program and negotiating a contract with the Islanders.

"Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program there," Snow said in a telephone interview. "They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that."

Asked for specifics, Snow said, "[Okposo] just wasn't getting better -- bottom line. And to me, that's the frustrating part. We entrusted the coach there to turn him into a better hockey player, and it wasn't happening. We feel more comfortable in him developing right under our watch."

Here is what Lucia had to say.

Notified of Snow's comments Thursday, Lucia e-mailed the Star Tribune via the University's sports information department.

"I am proud of all the success of our program," the coach's statement read. "I believe our staff does an excellent job of developing our players on and off the ice.

"We have had numerous players sign and play in the NHL, but just as important many more move on to have successful careers after graduating from the University of Minnesota. We have always and will continue to work to ensure our players reach their potential on the ice and in the classroom."

Links to the Story

Lucia and Snow Star and Tribune article.

Prospect Okposo ready to join Islanders from TSN.

Grand Forks Herald beat writer check in with this blog

Okposo Opts Out, Signs With Isles

KO is gone in Minnesota

All I can say that I am a little shocked that Kyle Okposo would leave his team in the middle of the hockey season. Can you at least wait till the end of the season? I also think that leaving his team during the middle of a season lacks class. For me; lets just say that its a character issue. I can't imagine how his team mates feel. Seriously, if I was one of the Gopher players on the WJC with Kyle Okposo and knew that my team mate walked out on the team, I wouldn't be all that happy with him. I might not spend a lot of time talking with him.

During the summer months I was surprised that Okposo even came back after his freshman season. There were a lot of rumblings about him signing a professional contract. Many of us in the blogsphere were predicting that Kyle Okposo would be gone and never make it back to the U of MN. Wrongly, I a few soles called me out for predicting that Kyle would sign a professional contract, however, it seems that when it was all said and done, I was pretty close to being right on. The only thing that was stopping him from signing a professional contract was that his professional team didn't want him at the time. Why the sudden change? I am assuming the 30 game suspension to Chris Simon is probably a major factor. My only question to Okposo is if he wasn't happy in Minnesota; why didn't this kid just didn't go play Major Junior hockey like the Islanders originally wanted him to?

Here is the Story from Newsday:

Kyle Okposo, the top prospect in the Islanders' system, has left the University of Minnesota and is in the process of negotiating an entry-level contract with the Islanders, the team acknowledged in a statement Wednesday.

"We're extremely excited about the possibility of Kyle joining our organization soon," general manager Garth Snow said in the statement. "He's a great talent, one of the most exciting prospects in the game. Kyle has the dedication and character we want for our franchise."

The 19-year-old winger from St. Paul was the Islanders' first-round selection and seventh overall in the 2006 NHL draft. .Okposo had 40 points (19 goals and 21 assists) in 40 games for the Golden Gophers as a freshman, but he struggled this season after coach Don Lucia put him at center. In 18 games, Okposo totaled six goals and five assists for 11 points, and he had a team-worst minus-9 rating.

Don Lucia isn't happy with the Islanders:

At a news conference Wednesday to announce Okposo had dropped out, Lucia hinted at meddling by the Islanders, saying, "It is unfortunate that the Islanders put him in a very difficult position."

Okposo not happy with former coach:

But Okposo previously indicated to local reporters that he was unhappy playing for Lucia.

Chris Simon's act of Thuggery gets him a 30 games

There is just no room in hockey for this type of thuggery, a deliberate act to injure a fellow competitor who was in a vulnerable position the reward for Chris Simon is 30 games. I think it is time for Chris Simon to retire from hockey, there is no room for this type of brutality. Hockey is a tough game, however, there is no need for these types of acts, this last act by Simon was absolutely senseless. This is after Simon was suspended for 25 games for this act of goonery Someone at the league office needs to stand up and say the next one and your gone for life fro the NHL, 55 games in two season is a lot of games to be lost due to suspension.

TORONTO -- New York Islanders forward Chris Simon has been suspended for 30 games, without pay, for deliberately kicking Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jarkko Ruutu at 14:06 of the third period of NHL Game #472 on December 15, 2007. Simon will be eligible to return to NHL play in two months (February 21, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay).

"Several factors were considered in imposing the longest suspension in NHL history for an on-ice incident," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "While it was fortunate there was no serious injury to Mr. Ruutu as a result of Simon's action, the deliberate act of kicking an opponent with an exposed skate blade, especially where the opponent is in a vulnerable position, is and always has been a repugnant and totally unacceptable act in the game of hockey.

“In addition, while the act itself was extremely dangerous, the fact that this is the eighth incident requiring the imposition of supplementary discipline on Simon compelled me to impose a very severe penalty in this case. When a player repeatedly evidences the lack of ability to control his actions and conducts himself in total disregard of the rules, as well the health and safety of other players on the ice, each subsequent incident is deserving of enhanced scrutiny and more severe discipline. This response serves not only the purpose of imposing appropriate punishment for the player involved, but also the purpose of deterring the player and all other players from engaging in similar conduct in the future - hopefully creating a safer long-term work environment for all NHL players."

Based on his average annual pay, and the fact that he is considered a repeat offender, Simon forfeits $292,683.00. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Rumor Mill

Jupiter from Gopher Puck Live is reporting that Kyle Okposo will not be returning to the Gophers and will sign a professioal contract.

Miami Better than UND?

This is what Elliot Olshansky had to say about Miami, Denver University and UND. Personally I like Elliot's work and I listen to his podcast every week, but I must take exception with a few things that he has said. Miami has played two teams that I would consider to good and ranked in the top ten, the Irish and Michigan State and they went 3-1 against them. While Elliot is right Miami does have a better record, I am not impress with them beating the likes of Vermont, Ohio State, Nebraska, Canisius, Rensselaer. If you look a little deeper at this you will see based on the the KRACH Miami strenght of schedule is 15 while DU is ranked 3rd and UND 1st.

The Rink Rat Rankings: Season 2, Edition No. 7
By Elliot Olshansky - December 17, 2007
I had one of my most gratifying moments of the season on Saturday.

After answering questions from the media about his Miami RedHawks' 7-3 win over RPI, Miami head coach Rico Blasi asked me, "So does this mean we get in your rankings now?"

This makes Blasi the second coach to talk to me about the Rink Rat Rankings - Robert Morris' Derek Schooley was the first - and the answer, naturally, is yes.

The No. 2 team in the nation - according to the polls - joins the Rink Rat Rankings this week, along with Nebraska-Omaha and Union.

So, where do the RedHawks land? Click "more" to find out.

1. Miami - So, I established last night that the RedHawks are, in my opinion, a better team than North Dakota, so you knew they'd be No. 4 or higher, but I'm giving them full marks. Jeff Zatkoff gives Miami a presence in goal that neither Notre Dame nor Michigan can boast right now, and Charlie Effinger is still a very capable backup (who might even be able to start over Billy Sauer or Jordan Pearce, although I suspect that if he were capable of his sophomore year form over the long haul, it'd be an even split with him and Zatkoff). There's also that size, strength, and physical presence that Miami brings. If you look at the comments that Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert made about how physically strong the RedHawks are, and how much further along they are in their physical development compared to RPI, you can say the same thing - albeit not to the same degree - when comparing them to Michigan or Notre Dame, particularly that very young Michigan team.

As for Denver, that would be a hell of a game - especially if it were in to happen in Denver this April - with great goaltending on both sides behind well-coached teams with skill and character. Again, though, I think the size, experience, and physical development favor Miami, and the RedHawks certainly have enough skill to match up with the Pioneers in that department. I think it'd be a game decided in the third period - where, coincidentally, the RedHawks have outscored the opposition 36-6- and Miami would wear DU down for the win.

5. North Dakota - The harsh light of high expectations made a solid, if unspectacular, first half in Grand Forks seem like cause for concern. The Sioux will get New Hampshire for a pair after Christmas in lieu of a holiday tournament, and a strong performance there - the Sioux will have their full complement, while UNH will be without James vanRiemsdyk - would likely spark a big second half for Dave Hakstol's bunch. In the meantime, after seeing the "Kosha Boy" parody video on YouTube, I'm wondering how long it will be until some NoDak fan comes up with lyrics for "Crank That Oshie Boy." I can hear it now... "SIOUX!!! SIOUX!!!"

Goon's Perspecitve

I will take my chances when the money is on the line and Dave Hakstol is behind the Fighting Sioux bench, the Sioux are due for finishing the deal. First for Miami I predict another 1 or 2 games and done for the Redhawks in the NCAA playoffs this season, Denver will be in the mix at the end of the season and will probably be on of the participants in the Frozen Four in Denver in April. One final note Miami goalie Jeff Zatkoff was Jeff Frazee back up during last season WJC; what does that say?

Some Perspective: WCHA is top in SOS

Just for some perspective the WCHA has the highest Strenght of Schedule ranking in college hockey.

1. UND
2. C.C.
3. DU
4. Minnesota
5. UMD
6. Wisconsin
7. UAA
8. MTU
9. UNH
10. SCSU
11. Minnesota State

12. Notre Dame
14. Nothern Michigan
15. Miami
19. Michigan State
23. Michigan
26. Bowling Green
28. UNO

The Scrum: Bickel is a hack

Siouxdonyms posted this video over on Siouxsports.com My question is; could there be a bigger hack than Stu Bickel? While Gopher fans like to call the Sioux a bunch of goon's; this is a text book bush league move by the Minnesota defensman that has no room in college hockey, nor is it tolerated by the NHL.

Taking a page out of Matt Demarchi bag of tricks, Gopher resident hack Stu Bickel butt ends the Sioux forward Brad Miller in the head with his stick. True to form the WCHA offical doesn't see this act. Take note of Finley, does he whack anyone with his stick? Nope. All big Joe does is pull Blake Wheeler off the pile, making him look like a rag doll.

Minnesota is the team they love to hate

Here is a must read article that was written by Scott Weighart. The article has some really good points and it also has some your classic whining as well from Don Lucia.

by Scott Weighart/Senior Writer
BOSTON (Dec. 14) — When University of Minnesota coach Don Lucia opted to leave his post at Colorado College in favor of taking the helm of the Golden Gophers, one of his counterparts saw the writing on the wall — or perhaps the writing on the USCHO Message Board.

“I remember when I was thinking of taking this position, I had another colleague in my league call me and say, ‘Why would you want that job? Everybody likes you now. If you go there, every body's going to hate you,’” Lucia recalls.

While this might not be true of Lucia personally, it does appear to be the case with the Minnesota program. A recent USCHO poll asked readers to vote on the team that they most love to hate. The Golden Gophers were the decisive winners, garnering 27 percent of the votes — substantially more than second-place North Dakota.

The funny point is the fact that UND is the second most hated team in the league. I was wondering who number three was. I actually find that funny, I am sure there were a lot of Gopher fans voting for the Sioux. I wonder how many times Amy from Lets go Mavs voted. He, he, he...

You have got to love this Badger fan as he nails it spot on. I also have to agree with him, I like many fans around the league also watch every game Minnesota plays in on FSN and I enjoy each gopher loss even when it is to the Badgers, Pioneers and Tigers. If I was watching an NCAA title game and it was Maine or B.C. against the Gophers I am going to be cheering for the Hockey East team. I just can't stomach listening to their fans bragging about another national title.

“Why do I love to hate Minnesota?” asked David Krawczyk, 27, of Madison, Wis. “Its the arrogance of the fans. The experiences I have had in the Xcel and in the Mariucci are by far the worst that I’ve had in any opposing rink or ‘neutral sites’. Even worse is the behavior of some of the fans when they travel. By no means am I saying every Gopher fan acts this way, but enough do to really stand out and overshadow the many reasonable fans.”

Perhaps these experiences led to Krawcyzk capturing the feelings of many opposing fans in Gopher territory.

“As a UW fan and alum, it is one of the things that is always a constant,” Krawcyzk said. “I root for Minnesota to lose every game. I laugh when they lose embarassingly. I get behind whatever team is playing them that week and if I’m watching the game at home on TV, I become one of the biggest ______ (insert team here) fans in the country if only for one night. My two favorite teams are the Badgers and whoever is playing the Gophers that night.

“Under zero circumstances could I ever root for Minnesota. If a Gopher victory was the only thing that could get UW into the NCAA tournament, I would still root for the Gophers to lose, and lose badly.”

Here is some blatant whining by tDon. I think what Lucia forgets is that his own fans bring it upon themselves, either that or he is oblivious to the facts at hand. It's the moron fans that corner you in the bathroom at the urinal to lecture about their team. It's the clowns that sit behind you at hockey games at the XCel energy center that don't have any hockey knowledge what so ever. It's your own fans that whine about every petty trivial matter. It would be interesting to know which arena that Lucia's wife is talking about.

So the question remains: Can’t we all just get along as college hockey fans? Lucia acknowledges that opposing crowds are much more negative toward Minnesota than to his previous programs, but he also was hard-pressed to believe that Gopher fans were worse in their behavior than those at other programs. “Rest assured that I’ve been at CC and I’ve been at Alaska, and I’ve been at Minnesota, and when I go with Minnesota’s team to another facility, the way we’re treated, it’s amazing how different it is — from vulgarity to everything.

“I wouldn’t know that because I’m obviously not sitting in the stands,” qualified Lucia when told about complaints I had heard about how visiting fans had been treated at Mariucci. “You certainly hope that’s not the case. I know that we go to another facility in this league, and the whole student section is chanting ‘F the Gophers’ in unison and out loud. I’ve never heard anything like that from our fans.

“I know there’s some Minnesota fans who don’t even like going to another facility in the league — I don’t want to name names — because of how they’re treated. I know my wife even had that experience last year: There’s one facility in our league she’ll never go back.”

That said, Lucia’s biggest point was that all school administrators should be taking responsibility to get crass profanity out of arenas or any other exchanges. “We’ve got to get the vulgarity out of it. To me, that’s on the administration to get that out of it. I think it’s great when fans are into it, but I hate the vulgarity, whether it’s fan or fan or on opposing players. That has no place.”

Lucia agreed that the situation is a vicious circle. People resent the Gophers’ success, and they respond negatively to the team and their fans, thereby increasing the chip on the shoulder that some Gopher fans may feel when interacting with other fans. “It’s easier to point the finger at the other person. Personally I don’t think any visiting fans should be disrespected by hometown fans no matter where you’re playing.”

Merry Christmas from Goon's World

Merry Christmas from Goon's World. May the holiday season be kind to all of you. I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2008. Go Sioux.

Goon's Wish list for 2008

1.) To have the Sioux hang a NCAA championship Banner #8. 8>5 sounds great.
2.) Find an acceptable solution to the logo dispute. (That would mean keeping it)
3.) For the Sioux to have multiple sweeps of opponents on the road and at home.
4.) Win WCHA regular season title and playoff title.
5.) Break 80 in golf.
6.) Win the the lottery.

David Clarkson vs Milan Lucic

This was one of the better fights of the week, Devils tough guy David Clarkson vs Bruins new comer Milan Lucic. That part that I like was; notice that Lucic TKOs Clarkson he doesn't keep punching him. That in my opinion was a classy move, some tough guys would have kept punching their opponent.

Take off your shield

Here is a perfect example of what not to do during a fight, Wild forward Aaron Voros vs Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren . I don't have a problem with the fight, I do have a problem with the player leaving his shield on.

This is a funny picture

I found this picture over on waiting for Stanley. While this picture is funny it really does a good job illustrating the kind of hockey player the Pens star Crosby become a diver, the queen of embellishment.

WCHA send letter of apology to SCSU

This has to be a first: Finally the WCHA has admitted that one of its ref's were in the wrong. Ok; but not so fast, I want the league to take it one further. I want to announce what type of punishment Randy Schmidt's will recieve. IMHO, this is the only way the league can keep any shred of credibility that it has left.

The text of the apology reads as follows:

"The Western Collegiate Hockey Association , after a further review of the situation, has acknowledged to St. Cloud State University that an error was made on interpretation of a goal that occurred in a game against the University of Denver on Dec. 7 at the National Hockey Center. "According to NCAA rules, a goal was improperly allowed after a video replay review and should not have counted.

"In acknowledging the error, however, rules do not permit any change in the outcome of a game."

C.C. Lands Colten St. Clair for 2010

Earlier this fall Brad Schlossman had a great story on how the ages of the recruits in college hockey keep getting younger and younger. Not to be out done, C.C. recently picked up a really good young hockey recruit. Did I mention the kid is only 15 years old (1992) and will come to Colorado College during the 2010 season.

I suppose there is a lot of pressure for these kids to commit to a college when they are young so they can concentrate on playing hockey, however, I think 15-16 years old is just too young to be committing to a school. Don't get me wrong, I have seen this kid play when he was in Grand Forks playing for the Junior Sioux two summers ago. From watching Colton play you can tell that he is definitely a top end talent for his age group, however, what happens if he doesn't get any better or get hurt? Is C.C. committed to him, do they have to honor the verbal. Should other teams honor the verbal?

COLTEN ST. CLAIR COMMITS TO COLORADO COLLEGE

PF Chang’s U18AAA forward Colten St. Clair gave a verbal commitment this past weekend to Head Coach Scott Owens to attend Colorado College and become a Tiger for the 2010 hockey season. While in Colorado Springs, Colorado for a tournament, St. Clair was extremely impressed with the Colorado College hockey program, the coaching staff and the academic environment.

Colten St.Clair said “Playing for the PF Chang’s U18 Midget Major Program has provided me with a great opportunity to compete and further my skill development at an elite level. It has been a dream of mine to play in the WCHA and ever since I was ten years old I wanted to be a Colorado College Tiger. Colorado College will provide me with an outstanding education while playing collegiate hockey at one of the finest programs in the country”.

The Director of the PF Chang’s Hockey Program and Head Coach Jim Johnson said that St. Clair has been the top rated 1992 forward from the State of Arizona and the Rocky Mountain District for the past year and is considered one of the top 1992 born players in the country. In addition this past summer at the USA Hockey 15 Select Festival in St. Cloud, Minnesota, St. Clair finished second in scoring amongst the top 1992 born prospects in the country. Coach Johnson said that after coaching many of elite players in North America over the past 10 years, he feels that Colten is an extremely gifted and skilled player that exemplifies the character, attitude and work ethic needed to be successful as a collegiate athlete.

Pens and Flyers last night.

This is one of the best fights that I have seen this year. Of course there is another act of thuggery perpetrated by a Philadelphia Flyer's hack. Watch Ben Eager hit Penguins tough guy George Laraque with a high dirty elbow, this leads to big George punching Eagers, while he is down on the ice, obvious penalty, however, when there is no penalty for Eager, Gary Roberts steps up takes things into his own hands and shows some leadership. This is a good fight and Roberts beats the living crap out of Ben Eagers. Wow...

Here is the first under card the of this game Ryan Whitney vs Jeff Carter and Colby Armstrong vs Scott Hartnel... Oh man what a good game. My only comments for the Whitney and Carter fight is that when your opponent hits the ground there shouldn't be any more punches throw, the fight is over.

Also former SCSU Huskie Ryan Malone gets into a pretty good scrap with Jason Smith

Oh yeah the Flyers won the game 8-2.

I called it.

I was right on in my prediction over on Siouxsports.com: on December 2nd 2007. I was pretty close to be spot on.

(The The Sicatoka said:) What do you bet it's Lil' Shep in GF next weekend. My Response was: You can bet on that one. Also, you can bank on Greg Sheppard being there. You can also count on this being one series where there will be four officials. Mark it down, you heard it here first. Also if the Sioux win big you can expect night number two to be a barrage of penalties for the Sioux.

Anyone want to bet? I know Redwing_77 isn't going to.

While I was wrong on my prediction about being a barrage of penalties. There were 4 officials one being Lil Sheppard and known Fighting Sioux hater Jon Campion.

This weeks picks

Friday

Colorado College @ St. Cloud State
Denver @ Alaska-Anchorage

Non-Conference:

Michigan Tech @ Northern Michigan
Minnesota State-Mankato @ Bemidji State


Saturday

Colorado College @ St. Cloud State
Denver @ Alaska-Anchorage

Non-Conference:

Northern Michigan @ Michigan Tech
Minnesota State-Mankato @ Bemidji State

Last weeks record 3-5
Record for the Year 45-33

Ramblings

There is no way C.C. is going to be caught by anyone, they are gone and have wrapped up the league title at mid-season. You might as well just send the Tigers the trophy now, good luck. I think the league office should call Minnesota, have them box up the trophy and send the McNaughton anchor to Colorado Springs this week, its yours you earned it.

Hey Schmidt get off your knees your blowing the game

I think SCSU fans should flood the league office with angry emails and calls protesting the goal that should have not been. There is no excuse for this type of stuff to ever happen. Even the Denver based FSNRM said that it shouldn't have been a goal.

Allowing that goal is a travesty and a social injustice, how in the hell in this day of video review can a league official blow this call this bad. There is no excuse for it. The NHL has a war room to make sure the right calls are made, so maybe the WCHA should as well.

Call me a Halo I don't give a flying ef, this was a bad call by a veteran official. I could see this maybe if the guy was a rookie official. I mean no offense to Denver fans you run a good program but this win was tainted. Imagine if this had happened to the Goofs, Schmidt would have been fired immediately and the game would have been replayed. However, since this was SCSU all they got was an apology, Huskie fans should send Sheppard a big f'you. The fans of this league needs to have justice and the head of an official on a platter.

Linkorama: SCSU gets Hosed by the Refs.

More popular and funny pictures at Popular-Pics.com
Western College Hockey: "That Shouldn't Be A Goal" Now we know how DU swept the Huskies. Chris had this posted over on his blog. If I was the SCSU coach I would have gone postal and snapped. This is the crap that I have been talking about for years. This should not be a goal this is a disgrace and Schmidt should be fired, not suspended from his job he should be fired. I also believe it will be a travesty if Randy Schmidt should ever be allowed to ref another game in this league.

Gabby goes airborne

Wow, that was crazy, Lucky for Gaborik he wasn't hurt. If you think that Woog and Frank are biased homers on FSN, these two clowns from FSN Michigan/Detroit are the worst in hockey, well they aren't has bad as the Ducks announcers, but I digress. Listen two these two clowns. Look how far Hasek is out of the net, he is half way to the blue line.

You have got to be Kidding me.

I found this blatant example of stupidity that was posted over on GPL Thanks to Fire_Helmet_Guy 26 for posting it over on Sioux Sports: It was posted by some Skippy named CMC.

I sent an email to UND right after the game on Friday regarding the Holy Cross comment by the PA announcer. Here is their response:
Mr. Cliff,
Thanks for your note.

For anyone who found that comment offensive, I apologize on behalf of our arena and athletic program. Certainly no intentional slight or disrespect was intended to the University of Minnesota's outstanding men's hockey program. I do believe that the interaction between the two schools and programs is conducted with the highest degree of professionalism.

PA announcements and scoreboard announcements are meant to entertain the crowd. If you attend regular college or professional sporting events, I am sure you understand there are a certain amount of scoreboard displays, music, and inflections by the public address announcement that are for this purpose and serve to help create a "home ice (field or court) advantage." That is what the intention was with that particular announcement. These type of announcements are intended as friendly ways to get the crowd involved--nothing more.

However, we do understand your opinion, and the opinions of some others who may feel that this particular PA announcement was in poor taste. Therefore, we are sorry for any offense taken at this announcement and any subsequent misunderstanding that has resulted. Again, our sincerest apologies to those who might not have understood the intent of this announcement or to those who feel it should not have been made.

We will make every effort to be careful about our public address announcements in the future to avoid such misunderstandings.

We have a great deal of respect for the University of Minnesota and all of our opponents.

Thank you for your thoughts, and I hope this response helps alleviate some of your concerns.

Best wishes,
Dan Benson
Media Relations Director
University of North Dakota Athletics

First off I would apologize for nothing and this moron is not entitled to anything other than the game he witnessed. People like this guy is the reason our once great country is in decline and going to hell in a hand basket. We are a nation full of cry babies that complain about everyone and anything. The USA has become this hypersensitive, sniveling, whinny bunch of wussies. This is the same person that lodges a complaint about everything and everything at work. Get real and cry me a fricken river junior, grow a sack and stop crying you sniveling baby. We have way to many bravo males in the world, I just don't have time for these morons. I suppose this cry baby thinks he has the right to not be offended. It's funny your team lost to a 16 seed and it will still be funny ten years from now. The 1989 game is still funny to me. Chink!

Lastly if I was Dan I wouldn't have even responded to his email or I would have written something like this:

Here is the letter Dan should written to this hypersensitive clown.

Dear Mr Cliff, thank you for your letter. Sorry you were offended by the announcement of Holy Cross being off this weekend. Since you are so thinned skinned I would recommend you stay home next time and watch the game on the Minneapolis Sports Channel where you are less likely to be offended and will get a less objective broadcast that suits your pro gopher needs. Please don't bother ever coming back up to the REA anymore, we don't need you nor do we want your money. We will gladly sell the ticket you would have bought to a more deserving, less sensitive and gracious hockey fan. You give the many great gopher fans a bad name.

Sincerely,

Dan Benson

The aftermath of the weekend.

Herald Picture
The way I figure the Fighting Sioux should be rested after this weekend series with the Minnesota Gophers. In fact; if my math is right, I figure that out of 120 minutes of hockey the Fighting Sioux gave what I consider a grade A effort for 26 1/2minutes. Enough of the first half slow starts, its time for some leaders to take the bull by the horn and win. Enough excuses.

~After re-watching the Saturday night game thanks to DVR, it is hard to tell if the second goal against UND should have counted. It would appear that the Gophers were offsides, but even after rewinding the tape numberous few times its really hard to see who the puck bounced off of, it was a bang, bang play. If you watch the play from my television it does appear that call was blown, of course Gopher fans are going to say differently.

~The refs made the right call in not giving Lammy a penalty on the so called kick, however, in listening to Mazzocco you would have thought the kick was as bad as the Erik Westrum kicking incident from a few years back. Not even close! While it was a bush league move on Phil's part, it didn't warrant any more than possibly a two minute minor.

~I was wondering why FSN doesn't just give Frank Mazzocco a set of pompoms. That guy is the biggest cheer leader and has not one bone of objectivity in his body. I think FSN would be better if they had less Frank and more Woog. Woog I find amusing but Frank is a pompous in your face jerk.

Crawford ordered attack on Moore

TORONTO (AP) — Todd Bertuzzi's on-ice attack on Steve Moore might have been ordered by former Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford, according to a report aired on CBC's "The National" Wednesday night.

Bertuzzi grabbed Moore from behind during a 2004 game, punched him on the side of his head and then landed on top of Moore, driving his head into the ice. The bloodied Colorado player was removed on a stretcher.

Moore sustained a broken neck and a concussion. He filed a lawsuit against Bertuzzi, the Canucks and their parent company in Ontario in February 2006.

A statement of claim filed in court by Moore's lawyer and obtained by CBC alleges that Crawford pointed to Moore's name and number on a board in the Canucks' locker room during the second intermission of that game and said "... (Moore) must pay the price."

In an accompanying document, Moore's lawyer claims Crawford's statement was disclosed by Bertuzzi while under oath, and by Canucks general manager Dave Nonis.

I heard about this today on my way home from work on XM204. This is a serious alegation if true. I tend to believe it is true. I believe that Marc Crawford should be suspended from coaching in the National Hockey League for at least one calender year. This is a disgrace to the game and to the Canucks.

J.P. Lamoureux steals the show.

Last night Jean-Philippe Lamoureux was Mr. Clutch has he had 37 saves in the 4-2 victory over Minnesota. While in the past I have questioned Phil's muster, last night Lamoureux was the reason the Sioux won the game. The Sioux were totally out shot 1-15 before UND got a second shot on net. In the end the shots kind of evened out and the Sioux ended up only being out shot 30-39. This is one of the few times you will see a team play for 20 minutes and win/steal a game.

A few things

~First off to Gopher fans that thought the Holy Cross announcement lacked class, so what get over it. While it could have back fired on the Sioux and in turn fired up the Gophers it was funny. The Gophers lost to a 16 seed at our regional. The Sioux are going to hear about it forever.

~To the morons that threw a bunch of crap on the ice, grow the f up. Your selfishness could have cost the home team a penalty and a power play goal. The people that littered the ice should be kicked out of the arena for good. The REA is a nice arena and not a sewer. So grow up and stop crapping all over the ice like that.

The Boogey man breaking glass.

One of my friends sent me this awesome youtube clip in an email. Wow, I am not sure what else we could say about it... One could say that Derek Boogaard breaks glass the hard way.

IIHF Shrinks Its Rinks

I found this story On Frozen Blog

By The OFB Team
The International Ice Hockey Federation has decided to adopt North American dimensions for all of its tournaments from 2008-2012. On one level, this move is mere pragmatics: the 2008 World Junior and senior World Championships as well as the 2010 Olympics are being contested in Canada. These events require multiple sheets of ice to contest their respective tournaments, and Canada, as much as it loves all forms of hockey, wasn’t likely to fund construction of scores of international-sized sheets of ice (deconstructing existing rows of seats as well) for tourneys lasting a merely couple of weeks. Interestingly, though, the IIHF is applying this decision to all of its tournaments contested around the globe.

An obvious interpretation is that the international governing body wants more physical hockey: smaller sheets mean more body contact. But that doesn’t appear to be the decisive factor here. The IIHF apparently studied North American pro hockey with an eye toward its high profile tourneys here and found that 70 percent of the play (in the NHL at least) takes place in the two end zones. The IIHF apparently likes that.

The other obvious discussion point with this news is whether Canadian and American teams will enjoy an advantage. On the surface (pun intended), it would appear so. But the guess here is that so many European players — particularly the ones likely to be selected for national teams — have been competing for significant portions of their careers in North America, on the smaller sheets, negating any significant advantage.

This is really good news in my opinion. I hate those Olympic sheets of ice, I could never understand why some of the teams in the WCHA played on these God awful rinks. I think Olympic sheets of ice hinder physical play and think the bigger sheets of ice actually slow the game down making the game less exciting to watch. Take the DEC in Duluth for instance, it is a smaller ice and things happen a lot faster on a rink that size.

License to kill gophers

May it's Sioux vs Gophers week and the message board fodder this week has been really weak. Oh well, this is one of my all time funny links.

The Stats for Lucia.

Someone sent me this in a email today and brought this to my attention. Wow, at first I must admit that I didn't really pay attention to those graphs (I am qualitative guy), but after analyzing the numbers it would appear that the mighty have fallen substantially. Talk about a power outage; Goals per game around the 2005-2006 time frame was 4.12. Now fast forward to present day 2007 and that number has dropped to 2.5. Wow; that stat is eye popping, when your team known for offensive prowess is only scoring 2.5 goals per game there isn't much room for error. Then you look down in the Gopher net and see Frazee standing there, I can see how people would be concerned. Yikes!

Power play

Another bread and butter of the Gophers was their vaunted power play in 2006-2007 the Gophers were scoring at a 22.4% clip. In other words you wanted to stay out of the penalty box when your team was playing the Gophers. Fast forward to present day 2007 the Gophers are scoring at 11.6% clip on the power play. I guess that the refs are going to have to double the penalties against the Sioux this weekend.

Parise Goes Bruin Hunting.

I am sitting in my living room last night watching the Bruins and Devils game and when the Bruins went up 3-0, I decided to call Sioux_7 and B.J. to rub it in. I figured there was no way the Bruins would choke away a three goal lead in the Claude Julian defensive system. Boy was I wrong. It was Parise that took the Devils on his back and went to work. When it was all said and done Zach Parise was 2-2-4 and a +3 for the night. Seems Julian forgot to have his Bruins check Parise.

Bruins Starter Tim Thomas Hurt

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY -- Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas left Wednesday's game against the New Jersey Devils with 1:10 remaining in the third period with an apparent ankle injury. Rookie Tuukka Rask replaced Thomas with the game tied at 3-3.

Bruins acquire G Auld from Coyotes

BOSTON-- In desperate need of help between the pipes, the Boston Bruins on Thursday acquired goaltender Alex Auld from the Phoenix Coyotes for right wing Nate DiCasmirro and a 2009 fifth-round draft pick.

In my opinion, the Boston Bruins got the short end of this deal. I can't believe the general manager for the Bruins would make this deal. The Bruins lose a 5 round draft choice for a proven second rate goalie. Nice! I have a hard time believing that Alex Auld is the best option out there.

Bochenski in the Bruins Dog House

It would appear that former UND Fighting Sioux forward Brandon Bochenski might be looking for a new home soon. After missing the last two games as a healthy scratch it appears that Bochenski's welcome in Boston is coming to and end. Bochenski has given Julian little reason to keep him in the line up; Bo has 0 goals and 4 assists in 15 games. For what ever reason Bochenski has become Claude Julian's whipping boy in Boston. Since Bochenski isn't scoring any goals or beating anyone up ala Milan Lucic, Bochenski is sitting.

Halos are us.

Amy's Picure
There has been a lot of discussion on whether the University of Minnesota get the better of the calls from the Refs in the WCHA. It is the personal opinion of this writer that they do. I know others that feel the same way. While some think it's blatant whining I think it is a legitimate discussion. Fans of other teams in the WCHA have brought this up as well. Gophers fans then turn around and call other fans in the league especially Sioux fans "Halos". I guarantee if the Gophers put up with the calls the Fighting Sioux take their fans would complain like ours.

Since I was interested in seeing how the calls have shook out this season, I decided to break down the numbers and take a look. As most of you know I think the officials in the WCHA suck plain and simple. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the UND vs Minnesota series have 4 game officials with a combination of Campion, Adam and Lil Sheppard on the ice for the calling of the games. We are due 2/3 one of these three clowns.

Minnesota vs C.C.11-9 in favor of Minnesota
Minnesota vs DU 9-11 in favor of Denver
Minnesota vs Mankato 10-6 in favor of Minnesota
Minnesota vs UAA 11-6 in favor of Minnesota
Minnesota vs MTU 9-6 in favor of Minnesota

UND vs MTU 10-12 in favor of MTU
UND vs C.C. 10-9 in favor of UND
UND vs Wisconsin 9-11 in favor of Wisconsin
UND vs UMD 6-9 in favor of Duluth
UND vs DU 9-12 in favor of Denver

Out of 5 series the Gophers have been on the short side of the ledger once. On the flip side of that equation, the Sioux in five series the Sioux have had the numbers break in their favor just once. Af far as this year goes I would have to say that UND hasn't had it too bad with the officals I think last season was worse. The only complaint I have is during the Denver series T.J. Oshie was viciously hacked right in front of the official only to have the offical over look it. The officals have to make that call.

Here is another example of how other fans feel about the officating in this league.
MeG the Tech hockey blogger was not happy of the calls that were made this past weekend in Saturdays game against the Gophers:

Saturday 1 December 2007: Why we lost - getting our early goal taken back by minimal goaltender interference kind of knocked the wind out of my team. Combine that with how UMN scored soon after that to take first official blood and a poorly called "checking from behind" penalty called on Malcolm Gwilliam after he hit some guy in the side. Even though Tech was able to kill all five minutes of the penalty, it was quite an exhausting task, plus we were down a man. And lastly.... why we lost: the Gophers wanted the two points more than anything and they were fully ready to earn them.. and that they did.

I could care less if some one calls MeG or I a halo. I say big deal, however, you have to admit from a objective stand point that Michigan Tech got screwed on the goal being waived off. To make an obseration that was a horse bleep call by Don Adam. If there was any interference on the Minnesota goalie it was minimal and hard to see. What made it a horse bleep call was the fact that Don Adam didn't even have the balls to waive it off himself, he had to call over his counter part and confer with him. Come on Don if it was such a blatant goalie interference you should have just made the call. Either it is goal or not a goal, make the call and lets move on, lets not spend 5 minutes reviewing the goal looking for some thing that didn't happen.

This week's picks

First off Win Twins has asked me to stop jinxing her Huskies. So I have decided to honor her request. So will predict a sweep of the Huskies by the DU Pioneers. I would have to admit that this would be a fun series to watch if I was not wrapped up in the UND - UMN series. I must let it be known that I do believe in Reverse Psychology, I am not opposed to the Huskies taking two versus the Pioneers but a split will do.

Friday

Wisconsin @ Minnesota State-Mankato
Alaska-Anchorage @ Minnesota-Duluth
Minnesota @ North Dakota
Denver @ St. Cloud State

Saturday

Wisconsin @ Minnesota State-Mankato
Alaska-Anchorage @ Minnesota-Duluth
Minnesota @ North Dakota
Denver @ St. Cloud State

Last Week's Picks 4-6
For the Year 42-28

The World Junior Roster is Sioux-less

Here is the Roster for the 2008 USA WJC Team

Goaltenders (2)
Joe Palmer (Ohio St.)
Jeremy Smith (Plymouth - OHL).

Defensemen (8)
Jonathon Blum (Vancouver - WHL)
Ian Cole (Notre Dame)
Cade Fairchild (Minnesota)
Jamie McBain (Wisconsin)
Kevin Montgomery (London - OHL)
Bobby Sanguinetti (Owen Sound - OHL)
Brian Strait (BU)
Chris Summers (Michigan).

Forwards (12)
Mike Carman (Minnesota);
Ryan Flynn (Minnesota)
Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin)
Kyle Okposo (Minnesota)
Max Pacioretty (Michigan)
Rhett Rakhshani (Denver)
Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver)
Matt Rust (Michigan)
Jordan Schroeder (U.S. Under-18 Team)
Billy Sweatt (Colorado College)
James VanRiemsdyk (UNH)
Colin Wilson (BU).

*Head Coach*: John Hynes (U.S. Under-18 Team) Assistant Coaches: Keith
Allain (Yale) and Patrick Foley (Harvard).

First off It is nice to see that there are not Fighting Sioux on the roster, that is actually a first since 2002 there won't be a Fighting Sioux player on USA or Canada's World Junior team.

It is unforunate Sioux fans will not get to see Van Riemsdyk (sp) play when the Wild Cats invade the Ralph in December. One can wonder if he won't be in the NHL next season as well. Second with 4 gophers making the team USA roster it is a guarentee that we will hear the excuse about how the Gopher players that played in the WJC are tired. Heck expect this excuse the rest of the second half. Funny how you never hear the other teams in the league use that excuse after their players return from the World Junior Championship.

So who's the real Sieve?

I hear a lot of Gopher fans referring to Jean-Philippe Lamoureux as a sieve. As a matter of fact it seems as if the Fighting Sioux's starting goalie is well liked by opposing fans around the WCHA. One of my fellow bloggers referred to him as a drama queen. Yeah! Lets take look at the numbers and see if Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is really the great sieve others fans around the league are taking about.

Lamoureux has played in all 13 games this season. Lamoureux has a record of 7-5-1 and a 1.51 GAA with a save percentage of .940, these are hardly the numbers of a sieve. It would appear that those numbers are not the statistics of a sieve.
Jeff Long Island Frazee on the other hand has played in 11 games and has a record of 6-5-0 with a GAA of 2.72 and not so good save percentage of .896. They say you want to be above .900 to be successful in the WCHA.

Things that never get old

My all time favorite Gopher meltdown moment you just can't talk about sieves without bringing up Kellen Brigg's name. That being said I would never buy a Holy Cross Jersey.

My second all time favorite Gopher sieve out moments this one never gets old. I will take a trip to the frozen four over a Final Five victory any day.

Former Gopher Keith Ballard fights Colby Armstrong

Seems that the former Lake of the Woods Bear and former Golden Gopher Keith Ballard has a nose for trouble, or he seems to be around where the action is happening. Ballard has also gotten in a quite few high energy fights the last couple of seasons, in fact there is a whole bunch of them on You Tube. I have to admit that I like his style of play. While he can be an agitator he isn't afraid to drop the gloves and fight. While Ballard is not a very big player, he is tough.

I also found this Keith Ballard Montageon You Tube.

Flyers Hack Cote the Next one to sit.

I wonder if anyone else is getting bored with the Flyer's and their dirty antics? I am beginning to believe that these suspensions are not an accident and if there is another incident like these the Flyers will be writing a check to the league office. One could make the argument that the Broad street Bullies are back. I don't think it is a stretch to ask the question; are the Flyer's are a dirty team? Their actions on the ice seem to reflect that theme. The Flyers have had their fair share of suspensions this season (5). Every week it seems like the NHL is reviewing a new incident committed by a Flyer's player.

TORONTO- Philadelphia Flyers hack/forward Riley Cote has been suspended for three games, without pay, as a result of being assessed a match penalty for attempt to injure during NHL game #376 against the Dallas Stars Dec. 1, the National Hockey League announced today.

Cote was assessed a match penalty for elbowing Dallas defenseman and former UMD Bull Dog Matt Niskanen at 17:46 of the third period.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Cote will forfeit $8,021.40. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Cote will miss Philadelphia's next three games -- Dec. 5 at Minnesota, Dec. 7 at Colorado and Dec. 11 vs. Pittsburgh. He will be eligible to return Dec. 13 vs. Montreal.

Flyer's Wall of Shame

First it started out with super hack Steve Downey's dirty hit on Dean McAmmond.

Lets not forget Jesse Boulerice's vicious crosscheck on Canucks player Ryan Kesler.

Randy Jones hit on Patrice Bergeron, Patrice is yet to return back to the Bruins line up.

Scott Hartnell's dirty hit on Boston Bruins Defenseman Andrew Alberts

3 Second in...

I really like this guy Wild forward Aaron Voros. Voros isn't afraid to drop the mitts and fight, but he also scored the winning goal. It took three seconds for Jeff Cowan vs Aaron Voros to drop the mitts and fight it out. If Voros keeps playing like this why would the Wild need to keep Derek Boogaard or Todd Fedoruk.

Sioux vs Gophers Week.

This is the series that Sioux fans usually mark off on their calender, the weekend series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. You know, the one where Gopher fans try to tell us that Sioux aren't one of the Gophers rivals. Yeah, um, ok, whatever.

Right back at you

Of course Gopher fans not to be out done by Sioux fans will allude to this game, you know the one that preceded the Sioux win in Denver at the Final Five. Of course I say whatever floats your boat, you can have that win. I will take third place nationally over the Broadmoor Trophy any day.

Lets just say that it is time to get it on: During this series records seem to mean little if anything, but there is a lot of material fro the series like the 180 foot Robbie Bina Goal Time for the Sioux to take back the Ralph and start racking up some home wins. The Sioux need to sweep this weekend.

Record versus the Gophers last 3 seasons:

~2006-2007 3-1 (Including 1-1 in the Playoffs)
~2005-2006 1-3 (Swept at home by the Gophers)
~2004-2005 3-1 (Including 2-0 in Playoffs)
~The most important stat is 7 > 5

A few things from last night.

Just a few thing that I noticed from last nights game. It seems that Sioux fans have been through this routine before. It is almost like a bad dream or the movie Ground Hog Day. This is Dave Hakstol's fourth season as coach of the Fighting Sioux and for what ever reason the boys just don't go out do what it takes to win early in the season. We get it that championships are won in March and April but it is easier to win them if you win more than you lose in November and December. Last night the goal tending was awesome and the forwards didn't show up.

`First off shoot the puck. The goal doesn't have to be pretty to count. Get the puck on net and then drive to the net. if someone is in your way drive through them.

`Defensemen are supposed play defense and help in the defensive zone, see goalie. Odd man rushes can cause goalie to give up goals. The Fighting Sioux defensemen need to thank their goaile for saving their ass last night. This could have been a 5-0 game.

`What the hell is a obstruction penalty. I hate to keep harping on the officiating but the league needs to start evaluating some of the clown they have calling the games. Mason company was god awful last night.

`Denver's offensive skill is amazing. They will be lucky if they can keep them all in the off season.


Fighting Sioux 23 posted this stat on USCHO

Under Hakstol, North Dakota's record...
First Half*: 38-29-5 (24-26-2 WCHA) .5625 Win %
Second Half**: 46-21-7 (22-14-6 WCHA) .6689 Win %

* - Games played BEFORE Christmas Day
** - Games played AFTER Christmas Day