College hockey scores from 10-25-2008.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Atlantic Hockey
Air Force 3 at American Int'l 1
Army 3 at Connecticut 6
RIT 2 at Sacred Heart 4

CCHA
Western Michigan 2 at Ferris State 5
Bowling Green 0 at Alaska 3
Miami 3 at Notre Dame 2
Northern Michigan 0 at Michigan State 2

Analysis

I think the biggest shock of the weekend might be the series between Miami Redhawks and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Miami Redhawks sweep the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend. The Miami Redhawks lost all American forward Ryan Jones F (graduation), Alec Martinez F and Jeff Zatkoff G (to the NHL) and the Redhawks have not missed a beat.

So the big question is; what are we to make of Notre Dame? Are the Irish over rated or is Miami that good? I am thinking Notre Dame is a bit over rated and Miami is a decent hockey team.


Hockey East
Northeastern 2 at Maine 1

Analysis

Northeastern is a pretty good hockey team and have started the season 5-0-1 with a win against defending national championship Boston College.

Right now Hockey East seems to be the league to beat right now. Hockey East is 15-4-2 (.762) against the big four conferences, breaking it down further; Hockey East is a 7-2-2 against the CCHA and 5-1-0 against the WCHA.

WCHA
Minnesota 5 at Wisconsin 2
Minnesota-Duluth 1 at Alaska-Anchorage 1 ot

Analysis

A rather light conference schedule in the WCHA last night as Minnesota took 3 out of 4 points from the hapless Badgers, the game wasn't as close as the score and the Badgers gave 5 or more goals for the fifth time in six games. That is unprecedented for Wisconsin, Badgers, a team that prides itself for its self for its air tight defense. The big question is what team is coming to Grand Forks, ND next weekend.

Duluth recorded a tie against UAA in Anchorage. The Seawolves take 3 of 4 points on the weekend.


Non-Conference
Mercyhurst 2 at Nebraska-Omaha 5
Providence 6 at Holy Cross 4
Michigan 2 at Boston University 7
St. Cloud State 5 at Bemidji State 3
Merrimack 0 at Niagara 1
Ohio State 4 at Denver 3
Colorado College 2 at Clarkson 2 ot

Governor's Cup
Robert Morris 1 vs. Rensselaer 2
Colgate 2 vs. Union 4

Analysis

Boston University might be one of the best teams in College hockey right now, while NCAA championships are not won in October the Terriers have been impressive so far. Last night the BU Terriers pounded the Michigan Wolverines 7-2, Billy Sauer gave up 4goals on 19 shots. The Boston University Terriers went an impressive 5/9 on the power play. Up front for the Terriers Super sophomore Colin Wilson had three assists for the game.

The most shocking event of the weekend is that the Clarkson Knights and the Colorado College Tigers played in a weekend series that ended up in two sister kissings in Potsdam, N.Y. I don't know what the hell to make out of that, however, I predict that the Tigers will not be sitting in number one position when the polls come out this week. The Tigers are supposed to be a team that is loaded with offensive talent but have managed to score only 9 goals in 4 games.

Ohio State University shocked the Denver Pioneers in Denver last night 4-3. Super frosh Zac Dalpe scored his third goal of the season. I think the biggest question mark for the Denver Pioneers is in goal. Of the few games that I have seen Marc Cheverie play I have to say that I am not impressed and it probably the WEAK link on the other wise loaded Denver Pioneers.

Check out this blog post.

I really like this blog post, this is an interesting way to say that the Pioneers are kicking the Badgers ass. Incidentally, the Fighting Sioux play the Wisconsin BADgers next weekend. After watching the Badgers play last night against the Gophers don't expect such lop sided (7-4) scores next weekend. That being said, I do expect the Sioux to come out and take the play to the Badgers, Connelly is a decent goaltender but he isn't Brian Elliot.

Pioneers all over the Badgers
by Mike Chambers on October 17, 2008

I don’t believe in blogging in-game, but I had to jump on this … DU is simply kicking the crud out of Wisconsin.

After one period, it’s tied 1-1, but let me tell you, the Badgers are lucky to be among the living. DU has a 24-5 shots advantage and Badgers goalie Shane Connelly undoubtedly is sweating bullets in the locker room. He faced a DU arsenal that I haven’t seen since the 2005 title team.

Barreiro on Dubay

Here is what Dan Barreiro of KFAN AM 1130 had to say on the recent Jeff Dubay matter on 10-23-2008. Good points basically said the whole matter is an embarrassment to the KFAN station, everyone like Dubay but the charges are very serious.

This is a follow up on the matter on 10-24-2008... The comments on Dubay are 10:21 into the opening segment.

College hockey scores from 10-24-2008.

Friday, October 24, 2008
CCHA
Ferris State 1 at Western Michigan 1 ot: WMU Wins Shootout
Bowling Green 1 at Alaska 0
Miami 2 at Notre Dame 0
Northern Michigan 2 at Michigan State 2 ot: MSU Wins Shootout

Analysis

Gotta love it, two shootouts in the CCHA action last night, both WMU and MSU were the victors after participating in the most exiting play in hockey the shootout. It will be interesting to see how the fans in the CCHA respond to this as the season goes on. If CCHA teams lose in the shootout they still get a point and it counts as a tie in the RPI rankings. Miami showed that it is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the CCHA by beating Notre Dame.

Hockey East
Massachusetts 1 at New Hampshire 1 ot
Vermont 2 at Boston College 3
Providence 1 at Mass.-Lowell 4
Northeastern 5 at Maine 0
No shocks in Hockey East last night.

WCHA
Minnesota-Duluth 3 at Alaska-Anchorage 4
Minnesota 2 at Wisconsin 2 ot

Analysis

UMD loses to UAA in Anchorage I still see a split in that series, Sioux7 got the ire of RWD’s with his predictions and is looking better today after picking UAA.

Last night I watched the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin game on FSN and it was basically a penalty feast; there were 42 penalties called during the game. You wonder if the league officials are going to have to join a health club and get into the gym. Seriously folks, the refs are going to have to work out on their arm muscles to strengthen their arms muscles because they will have their arm in the air all night calling penalties at this pace.

One has to wonder if the league officials are over doing just a bit it to make a statement to the fans. You know the ok well show you, you wanted penalties called we are going to call penalties. That is one theory, or that this really proves how bad the officiating had degraded during the last few seasons and now finally the WCHA is trying to get the officiating back to where it should be? Stay tuned this is a work in progress.

During the off-season there were a lot of fan including my self that wondered if the WCHA was going to enforce the rules per the rule book. Two week into the WCHA season it is evident that the WCHA officials ARE going to call a lot of penalties this season. Last night on the power play the Golden Gophers went a not so impressive 0-10, while the Wisconsin Badgers were a little more successful going 1-9 on the man advantage.

I thought the Badgers came out strong at the beginning of the game then were out shot 10-2 in the third period. Badgers sieve Shane Connelly who had been brutal coming into this weekend (0-2 record, 5.59 gaa and a sav % of .874) improved his stats to gaa 4.2646 and a save percentage of .896 on the season.

I would imagine that WCHA teams are going to be spending a lot of time working on the power play and penalty kill. I think eventually this will work itself out and the players will learn that if you take your hand off of the stick you will be penalized.

Non-Conference

Mercyhurst 1 at Nebraska-Omaha 3
St. Cloud State 2 at Bemidji State 4
Colorado College 1 at Clarkson 1 ot
Ohio State 1 at Denver 3

Analysis

I am still waiting for an arena report from the “Commish” to let me know what happened during the BSU and JBSU game. At first I thought this was a misprint. Good for the Beavers because it stops and 0-4-0 start to the season.

This game was also a penalty feast as there were 52 penalties called during the game.

Colorado College tied Clarkson 1-1; one has to wonder if the Tigers are a good as they are advertised to be or if Clarkson is really that good. There were only 32 minutes of penalties called during this game. From the stats it says that the Clarkson goalie Paul Karpowich stood on his stopping 34 out of 35 shots.

KFAN host Jeff Dubay fired (KSTP Video)

Here is the video to the story from KSTP channel 5. It is interesting to see that FSN has not decided if they are going to fire Dubay or not. I am sure we will find out soon.

KFAN host Jeff Dubay fired --- 10-24-2008 Court records show this was Dubay's third run-in with police since September. He was charged in Ramsey County for three misdemeanor driving violations on Sept. 18, including driving after suspension, having improper lighting and having no proof of insurance. On Sept. 30, he was pulled over again in Dakota County for driving after suspension.

Dubay and Paul Allen, hosted the 'P.A. and Dubay Show' weekdays mornings on KFAN radio. On Friday, Dubay's picture and name are no longer on the station's website.

"We wish peace for our friend and look forward to the day that we can chat again," Allen said on the air Monday.

If convicted, Dubay faces up to five years in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.

Blast(s) from the past:

A couple of jingles that will make you smile. KFAN X-Mas

KFAN Jingle Bank

Jeff Dubay fired by KFAN...

You kind of figured this was coming, you kind of wondered when it was coming. Clear Channel has been known in the past to not show a lot of leniency in these types of cases and I am not sure they should have have to either. This story probably was a bit of an embarrassment to the KFAN station with all of the negative press surrounding this arrest.

That being said; I wish Jeff Dubay nothing but the best, he is a human being and will be pulling for him, hopefully now Dubay can put his life back together. Get some help...

It will be difficult fight, that he will fight for the rest of his life; but he can recover from this. While I do feel bad for Puffy he brought this stuff on himself and is now paying the piper. We all make decisions in our life some of which have dire consequences, I am saddened and disappointed. Drugs addiction is a horrible thing and he has to get a handle on these demons before he can move forward. I hope only hope that he can get himself squared away before it ruins his life.

KFAN fires Dubay
KFAN has parted ways with Jeff Dubay. The decision comes after Dubay was charged Wednesday with felony drug possession, accused of tossing crack cocaine and a pipe from his vehicle in Maplewood last week. Dubay had been the co-host of a mid-day show with Paul Allen for the past 10 years on the sports-talk station.

Mike Crusham, president and market manager for Clear Channel Minneapolis, which owns KFAN, confirmed Dubay's dismissal.

I think this quote really sums it up the best the by Jeff Dubay's former program director. A lot of us "RUBES" have a special place in our hearts for the common man like Puffy... After KFAN station remotes Dubay would stay around talk to the fans that were there to see the remote. Not all host do that...

While Clear Channel executives have been extremely limited by their lawyers in what they can say regarding Dubay's situation, Doug Westerman has no such restrictions. Westerman, the former program director at KFAN and a Clear Channel employee for more than 12 years before leaving the company in September 2007, played a large role in pairing Allen and Dubay together in 1998 after Jesse Ventura was taken off the air because he was running for governor. What was expected to be a brief stint as fill-ins turned into a permanent job when Ventura was elected governor.

"Jeff was unique in the ability to have chemistry with whoever we put him on the air with, it just so happened to work very, very well with PA, and the two of them thrived for many years," Westerman said. "I'd like to see him get another chance. I just hope he realizes he needs to resurrect his life and get things in order before he gets to work on his career. There are just so many people who love him and are rooting for him. Not only at the station, but I'm sure the listeners as well. The guy has got a huge heart."

Drew Stafford goal against the Wild...

The Buffalo Sabres won a second game in a row where they had to come from behind to get the win. This time the Sabres late game heroics came at the expense of the Minnesota Wild, this in over time. How ironic that the Sabres beat both my favorite teams in back to back games and get a goal from a Gopher Thomas Vanek as well as a Former Fighting Sioux hockey Drew Stafford.

Here is the video of the first goal of the game scored by Former Sioux Drew Stafford.

The Thomas Vanek goal was also assisted on by Drew Stafford, this was the goal that tied the game, sending it to over time.

This Weekends Match-ups (Sioux 7)

Last week in the W, we saw some history. Harrison from MSU-M scored a shorthanded natural hat-trick, with that feat accomplished, his stick is now going to Toronto to the hall of fame. It also saw UAA beat UMaine, didn't see that one coming, if you were a betting person, you could have won, or lost, a fortune on that one. The other high/low light you may or may not have seen was a goal that was disallowed that SCSU scored against UM on Friday night. The ref said he hit it in with his hand. The SCSU player did hit the puck with his hand, but it then hit a UM defense-man and then went into the net. So, since the ref only get the one view, overhead, he couldn't see it, thus the first botched goal of the season. I wonder why they haven't issued a letter of apology to SCSU yet, did they lose the form letter from last season?

On to this weekends CONFERENCE match-ups.

First we have the "Border Battle" which is the Minnesota Golden Gophers visiting Wisconsin Badgers. UW suprised me last week with giving up 13 goals, ouch Bucky, ouch. But they did score more goals than I was expecting too, is defense out this season at UW and offense in... we might know more come Sunday. The Gophers looked pretty good last weekend against SCSU, but like UW the season is young and not to much is known about the squad. With that said, I going to wuss out and call a split in this series. UW on Friday and UM on Saturday.

The other conference match up is UMD at UAA for a pair. UAA suprised me last weekend win over Maine, might this be the year the Seawolves move out of the cellar? UMD is another team most of us thing will be in the bottom half of the league, a sweep for either team would go along way in avoiding the basement area. I'm taking the Seawolves to take both games, why you ask? One, Alaska is a long road/air trip, so that is a factor, and two, I think UAA has some confidence after winning two games last weekend.

In NON-CONFERENCE match-ups, we have CC playing at Clarkson, with should be a pair of wins for the Tigers. Denver hosts Ohio State, in what should be some wins for the Pioneers. That would set up for a #1 vs #2 match-up over the Halloween weekend, oooh spooky :) The other tilt features SCSU at Bemidji State, I don't think the Beavers are as good as they have been the past few years, I'll take the Huskies to win the pair.

Blake a healthy scratch for tonight's game.

Former Sioux star and current Toronto Maple Leaf Jason Blake will be sitting in the press box for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins. This seems to be the beginning of the Toronto coach sending messages to star players.

TSN --- 10-23/2008: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake will find himself in an unusual place when the team faces the Boston Bruins tonight on TSN, the press box.

For the first time in his Leafs' career, Blake will be a healthy scratch for the game. Blake, played in all 82-games last season despite under-going cancer treatment.

The 35-year old, who leads the Leafs with 24 shots on goal, but only has one goal and two assists in six games this season, was demoted to the fourth line during the second and third period of the Leafs 3-2 shootout loss the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

"I have to break through some of the mindset that's been here after three seasons of not making the playoffs," coach Ron Wilson said on Wednesday. "It might be unorthodox, but the players will start to understand that I'm serious about entitlement.

Linkorama --- a few things

Alaska gov. Sarah Palin will drop the puck for the Blues and L.A. Kings games, this will be the second NHL game that she has dropped the puck in.

ST. LOUIS - Republican vice-presidential candidate and self-proclaimed ''hockey mom'' Sarah Palin will drop the ceremonial first puck Friday night at the St. Louis Blues' game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Palin dropped the puck for the Flyer's opener and was met with mixed results as she was booed by some in attendance. Also, the Flyers have yet to win a game this season. I was wondering if we could get her to drop the puck in Detroit?

You see, Sarah Palin dropped the opening puck for the Philadelphia Flyers regular season. For those of you who don't follow hockey, the Flyers were expected to do pretty well this season. ESPN even tabbed them as the team to win the Atlantic Division. So, dare you ask how the Flyers are doing?

They're currently sitting at the bottom of the division with a ridiculously horrible 3 points through six games. They also have yet to win a game, too. Yikes.

If Sara Palin had a 6th kid she would name it Zamboni. Yikes...

Palin said if she and husband Todd had had a sixth child, they had already picked a name for a boy joining siblings Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig.

"I always wanted a son named Zamboni," she said.

Is it better to say nothing at all... Its my drug dealers.

Lets look at this incident more closely: first off, I want to be clear that I do not promote drug use nor will I condone using drugs. I am also not giving anyone a free pass nor am I a Puffy apologist. That being said, this is a perfect situation where you might not want to say anything and get your lawyer to the police station as soon as possible.

Remember do not waive your Miranda rights without first conferring with your attorney.

According to the criminal complaint:

Before the officer could turn on emergency lights, he noticed something that looked like a yellow napkin being thrown out the passenger-side window.

Dubay denied throwing anything out the window. He also said the incident would "ruin his life."

When police retrieved the item about 30 yards behind the vehicle, they found a yellow napkin as well as a plastic baggie with a substance that tested positive for cocaine. It weighed 0.45 grams. Interviewed later by police, Dubay said he was in Maplewood to pay a drug debt of $200. He said he started using crack cocaine last year but had sought treatment. He said he lent his truck to a crack dealer over the weekend and that the dealer left the rock of crack behind. Dubay admitted he threw it out the window when he realized he was getting pulled over. Dubay also admitted a pipe found in the truck was his.

Highlights from last night Bruins and Sabres game (WCHA)

Last night the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres played in a NHL game that saw three former WCHA stars score goals. The Bruins took a 2 goal lead in the game before the Sabres came roaring back to tie the game.

First of the former WCHA stars to score was former Gopher Phil Kessel that was goal number 6th on the season for Kessel.

Former Fighting Sioux star Drew Stafford tied the game with his first goal of the season.

In one of the most exciting plays in NHL hockey, the shootout; former Gopher star Thomas Vanek scored in the shootout to win the game.

Lee out of the line up in Ottawa...

The Sens have changed their line up a bit. Former Fighting Sioux Defenseman will sit in tonights game.

Notes from the morning skate
Well, make that "note" from the morning skate. Ottawa Senators coach Craig Hartsburg announced a couple small lineup changes this morning. Christoph Schubert draws in after sitting the last two games as a healthy scratch. Luke Richardson will see his first game action this season.

Sitting tonight are Shean Donovan up front and Brian Lee on defence.

Jeff Dubay Charged in Ramsey County District Court.

I have been researching the Minnesota Drug laws and if look at the Minnesota Statutes152.025 Controlled Substance Crime in the 5th degree, this doesn't look TOO bad in the grand scheme of things, it could be worse. Breaking it down further he was caught with .45 grams of crack cocain that comes out to about 0.15 ounces.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the courts, now that we have a better idea of what happened. I do wonder if the Jeff will be able to remain as the co-host of KFAN show PA and Dubay. From a college hockey standpoint; I can't imagine Paul Allen spending a lot of time talking about college hockey if Jeff Dubay isn't going to be on the show.

Police: Twin Cities radio host admits to using crack --- By Trisha Volpe, KARE 11 News
Popular Twin Cities radio host was charged on Wednesday with possession of cocaine. KFAN radio host Jeff Dubay was arrested on October 15th in Maplewood when he was seen throwing various items out a passenger window of a car.

Maplewood Police retrived a pipe and plastic baggie containing what was later determined to be .45 grams cocaine about 30 yards away from the vehicle.

According to the complaint, Dubay stated he loaned his truck to a crack dealner over the weekend and the "rock of crack" was left behind by the dealer.

Dubay did admit that the pipe belonged to him, though.

Dubay said he was in Maplewood to pay a drug debt of $200 and later admitted that he started using crack last year but put himself in treatment.

The arresting officer made the traffic stop because the registered owner of the car had a suspended driver's license. Prior to turning on the squad car lights is when Dubay was seen throwing items from the car.

After pulling over, Dubay admitted that his driver's license was suspended but denied throwing anything out the window, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint also states that Dubay told officers, "this incident would ruin his life."

Dubay has co-hosted the "PA & Dubay show" with Paul Allen on KFAN-AM since 1998, but has not been on the air since his arrest.

Dubay is scheduled to make an initial appearance in Ramsey County District Court November 24th at the Law Enforcement Center.

Here is what the Startribune had to say on the matter.

According to the charges:

Dubay, 40, of Plymouth, admitted to police that he was in Maplewood to pay a $200 drug debt on the afternoon of Oct. 15 and that he started using crack last year but then sought treatment.

At first, Dubay denied to police throwing anything from the vehicle and said that the incident would ruin his life.

Then, after being advised of his rights, he later told police that the rock of crack he threw from the vehicle near English Street and Hwy. 36 was not his but belonged to a drug dealer who had recently borrowed the vehicle. He admitted that the pipe was his.

Officers recovered the crack in a plastic baggie and the pipe on the ground nearby.

Here is a link to the police report...

This seems to be better news (Dubay)

Seems that things don't always shake out the way the newspapers report the news, I think that why some cautioned other before they went on a feeding frenzy. I guess one could say that this is a heck of lot better than it first appeared, while not good, Dubay can recover from this.

Dubay expects to face cocaine charge
By JUDD ZULGAD, Star Tribune --- Last update: October 21, 2008 - 8:27 PM

The attorney for KFAN Radio personality Jeff Dubay said he expects his client to be charged Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court with possessing a small amount of cocaine.

Dubay was arrested last Wednesday night after his car was pulled over in Maplewood. Incorrect reports as to what charges he could face appeared on a news website, indicating a connection to methamphetamine. At least one television report also mentioned Dubay in connection with meth.

"On behalf of Mr. Dubay we're relieved that the formal charges will be brought forward so all the misinformation that was swirling in the press can be clarified and dispelled," said Mark D. Kelly, a St. Paul-based attorney. "I think there was a lot of distress when the allegations regarding methamphetamine and the misinformation on [the] website was posted that this was something that it wasn't. People relied on that to their detriment and to Jeff's detriment."

Kelly said Dubay would have no comment Tuesday.

Goon goes Five Hole...

Here is an article I wrote for Sean Leahy's Going Five Hole

Games to watch this weekend.

Series one: 2-0-0 Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to the Madison to play the 0-4-0 Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers are reeling after losing a couple of high scoring games to the Denver Pioneers 6-5 and 7-4. Minnesota, on the other hand, opened the season with a home and home series against the SCSU Huskies. These games were much closer; both games ended up being one goal games 3-2 and 2-1. Minnesota is lead in net by Alex Kangas 2-0-0 with a goals against average of 1.50 and a .942 save percentage. Wisconsin on the other hand has used two goalies with little success; sophomore Scott Gudmandson has a record of 0-2-0 with a goals against average of 6.03 and a save percentage of .824. Senior goalie Shane Connelly has been equally unimpressive with a record of 0-2-0 goals against average 5.59 and save percentage of .874.

Wisconsin, normally known for its defensive systems, has given up 23 goals in the first 4 games. This in itself is puzzling since the Badgers have three defenseman that were taken in the first round of the NHL draft; Jake Gardiner 2008, Brendan Smith and Ryan McDonagh 2007 and Jamie McBain who was taken in the second round of the 2006 NHL draft. This should not be happening to a defensive corp. that is this talented.

Minnesota on Defense has two impressive new comers in Aaron Ness and Sam Lofquist who will make major contributions for the Gophers this season. Also, much-heralded freshman forward Jordan Schroeder was one of the best players on the ice for the Gophers this past weekend.

Prediction: Minnesota and Wisconsin split this weekend’s series records mean nothing during the border battle week.

More on the Commodore picture...

Apparently this picture that was over on Puck Daddy yesterday cause quite a stir. Puck Daddy interviewed Mike Commodore on the matter and the picture in question was not after Commie signed the fat contract in the off season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. I wish I had a football pool that pays like that one, LOL.

By Greg Wyshynski --- Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:05 pm EDT
So we grabbed a few minutes of phone time with the former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman to chat about the photo, the fallout and what it feels like to be the first professional athlete to make it rain on himself.

"My mom almost had a heart attack when she saw it on the Columbus Dispatch blog," said Commodore, after a morning practice. "But I called her and explained to her what the scenario was, and she's fine."

So in the immortal words of A Tribe Called Quest and/or Leaders of the New School: What's the scenario?

"That picture is probably from about three weeks after the Super Bowl party last year that I had in Carolina. We had a team pool, and I ended up winning the pool," said Commodore, who said he pocketed $3,000 in winnings. "So that money was from the Super Bowl. I won the money, I had the cash, I went home, I was lying in bed ... I was just clowning around and kind of threw the money up. My buddy took a picture, and that was the end of it."

Well, not exactly the end. While the photo generated mostly good-natured ribbing, some believed it was a picture taken after Commodore had signed a massive five-year free-agent deal worth $18.75 million with the Jackets.

"That's totally not the case. That picture's from before I was traded to the Ottawa Senators," he said.

I guess the moral to the story is be careful what your friends post on their face book, my space or personal blogs, it may come back to haunt your buddy later. I am also glad to know that big Mike has since stopped chewing tobacco.

Astute Puck Daddy readers used CSI-like analysis to break down aspects of the photo, and we wanted Commodore to address some of them. Like, for example, the tin of chewing tobacco found, conveniently, on his nightstand.

"That's a habit that I've since dropped. It was an occasional thing to pass the time."

No Charges filed yet against Dubay.

Here is the latest news in the Jeff Dubay saga. It will be interesting to see how this story plays out and if felony charges are actually filed against Jeff Dubay in the coming day or not. Seems that mug shot photos are worse than the drivers license photos.

Charges Yet To Be Filed Against KFAN Sportscaster
John Lauritsen (WCCO) Last week's arrest of KFAN radio talk show host Jeff Dubay is still a talker around the Twin Cities. Dubay was arrested Wednesday night while traveling westbound on Highway 36 in Maplewood.

According to police, around 10:00 that evening, an officer on patrol pulled Dubay over when he discovered that the vehicle's owner had a suspended license. Police said during the stop, the officer then discovered an illegal substance in Dubay's possession.

He was arrested, and later released. So far he has not been charged and Police Chief Dave Thomalla won't say when or if charges will be filed.

"I've been talking to our officer that's been dealing with this case almost daily, and he's not ready to commit to that yet," said Thomalla.

Thomalla said the investigation is being treated as 5th degree violation of a controlled substance. He wants to make it clear that the investigation is focusing on possession, not manufacturing or selling.

USCHO poll.

October 20, 2008

Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Colorado College (39) 4-0-0 976 3
2 Denver ( 5) 3-0-0 928 4
3 Boston College ( 3) 2-1-0 868 1
4 New Hampshire ( 2) 3-0-0 840 6
5 Michigan ( 1) 3-1-0 810 2
6 Boston University 3-1-0 726 5
7 Minnesota 2-0-0 694 9
8 Notre Dame 2-1-0 693 8
9 Princeton 0-0-0 480 10
10 Miami 1-1-2 472 7
11 Vermont 2-0-1 388 17
12 Michigan State 2-2-0 369 11
13 Minnesota State 3-1-0 365 15
14 Northeastern 3-0-1 312 NR
15 St. Cloud State 2-2-0 246 12
16 North Dakota 1-3-0 232 13
17 Cornell 0-0-0 197 16
18 Northern Michigan 2-2-0 196 19
19 Clarkson 1-1-0 184 14
20 Harvard 0-0-0 114 18

Here is the latest poll from USCHO, it is what it is, an early season poll. Sioux fans put away the sharp objects and get off the bridge. Like I told someone this weekend you really can't get an honest legitimate reading on teams until after the first of the year. So what B.C. lost a game, I still think they are the best team in the country regardless of them losing a game or not. Most of us don't expect our teams to go 40-0-0 for the season it isn't realistic.

How do you not play a game and move up?

Give me a break, one of the biggest jokes of this poll is Princeton moved from 10th place to 9th and hasn't even played a game yet, there is no way in hell that EZAC Princeton is the 9th best team in the country. So we are to believe that Princeton is legitimately right behind Notre Dame in the standings? Yeah, we will see how that plays out this season.

Update on Dubay (developing story)

This was posted over on Gopher Puck Live by Jeff Dubay's brother. I know a lot of Sioux fans read that site. It would be a good thing if true and I have no reason to doubt this story. Again we will see how this story develops.

As I've said before Jeff is my brother and here are some facts. It was NOT meth and no charges will be filed. The police report on the website was wrong, they typed in the wrong statute number which made it look a bit worse than it actually was. As far as his job with KFAN I have no idea what will happen with that.

Check out this Mike Commodore picture.

I found this over on Puck Daddy today.

More on Dubay

I have to admit that I am shocked and saddened by this news because I am a big fan of the PA and Dubay show and I can't imagine not listening to this show on my ipod while I am out walking Dakota. This sad story just seems like a really bad April fools joke.

I just don't know how someone can get mixed up with that stuff. I also urge people that show a little restraint and class on the subject. Personally, I have read some pretty classless and vile stuff about the subject on line. While drug use is bad, Jeff Dubay is a human being; like P.A. said in his post linked below "this will all come out in the wash". Seriously trashing Jeff on the various web pages and messages boards lack class. There is an old saying He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone...

Links to the Story

Radio News Check out the picture for this story...

Graney and the Pigs blog

(Here is what PA had to say)
SATURDAY --- BITS AND BOREDOM ...

Obviously having worked with Doobers for more than a decade and the fact we have been very close for years I have a million things I'd like to say/write about this current ordeal but cannot due to company policy/requests. It'll all come out in the wash as my late mother used to say.

We as a 'FAN family love Jeff and want nothing but the best for him. Some of the mean-spirited stuff I have read about him breaks my heart and intensifies the pain but that's what some people want to accomplish for whatever the reason. No matter "what comes out in the wash" I will be there for him always.
Regarding Monday don't expect any huge announcement from the "P.A. and Dubay Show" per company policy. I will be in Monday and out for a week after that due to a previously scheduled BYE week vacation

Sioux 4 Mavs 3

Finally the Sioux get rolling in the third period of the 4th game of the 2008-2009 season and I believe this win is something to build on.

Rookie goalie Brad Eidsness gets the first win of his college hockey career with the Fighting Sioux. For time being; Sioux fans that were ready to jump off the ledge, you can step back off the ledge and put away anything that is shinny and sharp.

There are some positives to this win. UND finally scored a power play goal as they went 2-11 on the power play. UND also scored a short handed goal as well...

Box Score
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
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MNS 1 - 0 6x6 Jason Wiley (2) (Andrew Sackrison) 1:31
MNS (+): 20,7,17,19,3,G1 NDK (-): 22,26,19,24,5,G31
NDK-1 Chay Genoway (2-Boarding) MNS 0x1 4:23
NDK-2 Brad Malone (2-Interference) MNS 0x2 4:23
MNS-1 Mike Louwerse (2-CHECKING) NDK 0x1 6:34
MNS-2 Kurt Davis (2-Hooking) NDK 0x2 7:36
MNS-3 Kael Mouillierat (2-Interference) NDK 0x3 12:44
NDK-3 Jason Gregoire (2-Checking from Behind) MNS 0x3 13:35
NDK-4 Zach Jones (2-Interference) MNS 0x4 14:43
NDK-5 Chay Genoway (2-Roughing) 15:27
MNS-4 Trevor Bruess (2-Roughing) 15:27

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2nd Period (20:00)
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NDK-6 Corey Fienhage (2-CHECKING) MNS 0x5 2:59
MNS-5 Andrew Sackrison (2-Tripping) NDK 0x4 3:37
MNS-6 Blake Friesen (2-Interference) NDK 0x5 5:42
NDK-7 Chay Genoway (2-Interference) MNS 1x6 8:08
MNS 2 - 0 6x5 PP Trevor Bruess (2) (Kael Mouillierat, Mick Berge) 9:31
MNS: 23,9,21,22,7,G1 NDK: 6,19,24,16,G31
MNS-7 Blake Friesen (2-Holding) NDK 0x6 10:03
MNS-8 Geoff Irwin (2-Hooking) NDK 0x7 14:49
MNS-9 Blake Friesen (2-CHECKING) NDK 0x8 17:50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Period (20:00)
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NDK-8 Mario Lamoureux (2-Tripping) MNS 1x7 4:32
MNS-10 Mike Louwerse (2-Hooking) NDK 1x9 7:12
NDK 1 - 2 6x5 PP Andrew Kozek (1) (Jason Gregoire) 9:11
NDK: 10,17,26,3,25,G31 MNS: 19,15,7,28,G1
MNS-11 Trevor Bruess (2-Goaltender Interference) NDK 2x10 9:36
NDK 2 - 2 6x5 PP Ryan Duncan (1) (Brad Miller, Ryan Martens) 10:20
NDK: 16,29,5,8,14,G31 MNS: 19,5,17,12,G1
NDK-9 Brett Hextall (2-Hooking) MNS 1x8 11:38
MNS-12 Ben Youds (2-Roughing) NDK 3x11 13:53
NDK 3 - 2 6x5 PP Ryan Martens (2) (Ryan Duncan) 14:42
NDK: 8,16,14,29,5,G31 MNS: 12,28,19,5,G1
MNS 3 - 3 6x6 Trevor Bruess (3) (Kael Mouillierat, Kurt Davis) 15:18
MNS (+): 23,9,22,21,4,G1 NDK (-): 19,9,11,3,4,G31
NDK-10 Ryan Duncan (2-Hooking) MNS 1x9 18:34
NDK 4 - 3 5x6 SH GW LL Chris VandeVelde (2) (unassisted) 19:51
NDK (+): 29,3,11,5,G31 MNS (-): 7,19,22,4,20,G1
NDK-11 Chris VandeVelde (2-Holding the Stick) 20:00
NDK-12 Chris VandeVelde (2-Roughing) 20:00
NDK-13 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 20:00
MNS-13 Kael Mouillierat (2-Goaltender Interference) 20:00
MNS-14 Kael Mouillierat (2-Roughing) 20:00
MNS-15 Geoff Irwin (2-CHECKING) 20:00
MNS-16 Geoff Irwin (2-Roughing) 20:00
MNS-17 Zach Harrison (2-Roughing) 20:00

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End of Game
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Jeff Dubay of KFAN arrested.

I honestly don't know what to make of this news story? Having had the opportunity to meet Jeff Dubay a few times at the KFAN remotes he just doesn't come off as the type that would commit a felony. We will see how this plays out.

KFAN radio host arrested
Last update: October 18, 2008 - 2:35 PM
Jeff Dubay, a talk show host on KFAN (1130 AM) was arrested by Maplewood police about 10 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance, a felony.

He has not been charged; police are investigating.

The arrest occurred after Dubay, driving west on state Hwy. 36, turned north onto English Street in Maplewood, Police Chief David Thomalla said Friday.

Because the case still was under investigation, he added, police were providing no details about why the vehicle was stopped, or what drug might be involved.

Dubay was booked into the Ramsey County jail, and later released pending further investigation.

Police hope to complete the investigation next week, the chief said.

Dubay co-hosts the "PA and Dubay Show" with Paul Allen weekdays from 9 a.m.-noon. He also co-hosts Vikings post-game shows on KFAN and is on the air for Gophers hockey games on FSN North.

He has not been on KFAN since Wednesday and did not appear on FSN North this weekend, either.

"I don't comment on personnel issues within the company," said Mike Crusham, president and market manager for Clear Channel Minneapolis, which owns KFAN.

Mavs 5 Sioux 1

I only listened to a period of hockey but Walski gave up 5 goals on 22 shots that is not very good, actually it is godawful. I am hoping that is just about the end of the Walski experiment, now we know why he didn't play but one game last season.

If Fighting Sioux are going to be going through a rebuilding year then Hak should at least play one of the goalies that is going to be here next season, Walski floundering around and sieving out does nothing for the Sioux. This is what is wrong with the Fighting Sioux as I see it: horrible defense and goaltending (13 goals against in three games) + no offensive points (4 goals in 3 games) = a recipe for disaster.

Thank God for pheasant hunting this weekend.
Box Score
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
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MNS-1 Ben Youds (2-Tripping) NDK 0x1 1:10
MNS-2 Channing Boe (2-Interference) NDK 0x2 1:13
NDK 1 - 0 6x6 Matt Watkins (1) (unassisted) 4:36
NDK (+): 20,24,5,8,11,G30 MNS (-): 21,9,23,17,5,G1
MNS 1 - 1 6x6 Geoff Irwin (3) (Mick Berge, Brian Kilburg) 6:16
MNS (+): 19,21,4,22,20,G1 NDK (-): 10,19,18,6,25,G30
NDK-1 Matt Frattin (2-Roughing) MNS 1x1 6:31
MNS 2 - 1 6x5 PP GW LL Kael Mouillierat (1) (Kurt Davis, Mick Berge) 7:23
MNS: 12,21,7,9,23,G1 NDK: 3,11,20,5,G30
NDK-2 Chris VandeVelde (2-Holding) MNS 1x2 7:52
NDK-3 Evan Trupp (2-Interference) MNS 1x3 16:13
NDK-4 Derrick LaPoint (2-Roughing) 16:42
MNS-3 Trevor Bruess (2-Roughing) 16:42
MNS-4 Zach Harrison (2-Goaltender Interference) NDK 0x3 18:11

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

NDK-5 BENCH (2-TOO MANY PLAYERS ON ICE) (Served by Jason Gregoire) MNS 1x4 0:52
MNS-5 Andrew Sackrison (2-Kneeing) NDK 0x4 2:10
MNS-6 Geoff Irwin (2-Hooking) NDK 0x5 7:01
MNS 3 - 1 5x6 SH Zach Harrison (2) (Jerad Stewart) 8:25
MNS (+): 10,4,5,15,G1 NDK (-): 3,20,5,11,25,G30
NDK-6 Jason Gregoire (2-Slashing) 17:31
MNS-7 Zach Harrison (2-Interference) 17:31

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

MNS-8 Trevor Bruess (2-Holding) NDK 0x6 0:35
MNS 4 - 1 5x6 SH Zach Harrison (3) (unassisted) 0:53
MNS (+): 10,5,28,12,G1 NDK (-): 10,25,11,20,3,G30
NDK-7 Corey Fienhage (2-Roughing) MNS 1x5 5:52
NDK-8 Matt Watkins (2-Roughing) 7:34
MNS-9 Mike Louwerse (2-Roughing) 7:34
MNS-10 Mike Louwerse (2-IS) NDK 0x7 7:34
NDK-9 Chay Genoway (2-Roughing) 15:54
NDK-10 Chay Genoway (2-CHECKING) 15:54
MNS-11 Ben Youds (2-Roughing) 15:54
MNS-12 Ben Youds (2-CHECKING) 15:54
MNS-13 Geoff Irwin (2-Hooking) NDK 0x8 16:57
MNS-14 Trevor Bruess (2-Holding the Stick) NDK 0x9 17:48
MNS 5 - 1 4x6 SH EN HT Zach Harrison (4) (unassisted) 18:19
MNS (+): 10,28,4,G1 NDK (-): 16,29,8,21,22,25

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

Sioux and Mavs: Can the Sioux stop Mick Berge

This weekend marks the first WCHA league games for the Fighting Sioux. The Sioux travel to Mankato to play the feisty purple cows of Minnesota State University Mankato. The past few years the Sioux and Mavericks has been a pretty good series to watch, never a dull moment or lacking in action.

While some from the Fighting Sioux nation are probably saying, "oh no, not the dirty Mavericks again." I think it only seems fitting that the Sioux open the WCHA season with one of their most heated and hated rivals and yearly dance partners. While this should prove to be a good series at least on paper. The Fighting Sioux are going to have to find a way to stop senior Maverick forward Mick Berge. Hint to the Sioux players, Berge will be the Maverick player wearing number 21. In case you forgot, the guy that has scored a bunch of goals against the Fighting Sioux in recent history.

Berge’s big-time journey
Brad Elliott Schlossman Grand Forks Herald --- No current college hockey player in the country has been a thorn to UND quite like Mick. Nobody has scored more goals or tallied more points against the Sioux than him. In the last eight meetings between the Sioux and Mavericks, Berge has scored a goal seven times.

“I really do enjoy playing the Sioux,” Mick says. “I have no idea what it is, just a little bit of luck. But that’s one of the best places to play and one of the best teams to play against.”

Predictions

I think UND has to take 3-4 points this weekend for it to be a successful weekend, anything less is unacceptable. The Sioux must come out and stop the Mavericks and make a statement. This will be a hard fought series, and the Sioux must not take the Mavericks for granted. Obviously, the Mavericks play a tough style of hockey and will take away the passing lanes and they Mavericks will not give the Sioux any time and space.

Off to go Pheasant hunting

Now; I am off to go duck hunting this afternoon in the Devils Lake Area and then tomorrow I am going to make my way west to go hunting with my brother in law, former Golden Gopher Andy Brink. I think I am on double secret probation and will keep the Sioux vs Gopher references to a minimum.

I am sure I will have some really good pictures when I return.
Hopefully just hopefully, I can keep my dog away from the Skunks, my dog has been sprayed twice in a two week period and my Trail Blazer and dog are finally starting to smell good again. My wife asked me if Skunks are stealth or is my dog just that stupid. I think my dog's nose gets him in too much trouble some times.

Over and Under

I wonder what the over and under of Sioux fans Amy from Lets Go Mav's is upset with by the end of the weekend? Make sure if you run into her at the games this weekend to say hi. Stay tuned... :) Maybe next year I will go down to Mankato.

Nate Hagemo cut by the Blades.

Former Gopher Nate Hagemo was one of the first players cut by the Florida Everblades today. Hagemo was offered a contract he was not guaranteed playing time, so he is goin to look around the ECHL and see if he can get a more attractive offer. I am hoping he can catch on somewhere and start making a come back.

ROSTER CUTS: The Blades had to submit their opening day roster to the ECHL by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. But Cameron wasn't too worried about potential roster cuts.

So far, he has cut just one player: Defenseman Nate Hagemo, who had been out of the sport for two years due to drug addiction and injuries. Cameron said he'd offered Hagemo a contract, but told the 22-year-old he wouldn't be guaranteed playing time.

Hagemo opted to explore his options with other ECHL teams, but Cameron said that if the former second-round draft pick doesn't get picked up by another team, he could end up back with the Blades playing a limited role.

A few things...

This week I have been on my annual October vacation and haven't been on the Internet all that much, however, there were a couple of developments in the hockey world. This past week there was a death of a hockey player in Russia. One of the Rangers prospects Alexei Cherepanov died while playing in a game for the Omsk Avangard of the KHL. Apparently Cherepanov had a heart condition:

According to Yulia Zhukova, Cherepanov had chronic ischemia -- a medical condition that occurs when the heart or other organs do not get enough blood.

I had wondered why this talented kid had never made it to the NHL. According to an article written by Gare Joyce, some had speculated that Cherepanov never made it to the NHL because he was scared at the prospects of playing in the more physical NHL.

the Canadians knocked out him out of the Summit Series in the summer of ’07. Cherepanov had a concussion. Sutter had his own diagnosis: "He’s a pretty soft player and when you hit him, he doesn’t like it."

They said that he stayed in Russia instead of coming over to the NHL because the Summit Series put a scare into him. One account: "The alleged Russian star maybe never want to go anywhere near the New York Rangers, where [sic] he’ll have to face those big hitters in the NHL."

Are you kidding me?

Who would have thought after a week and a half of the 2008-2009 NHL season that former Wild player and University of Alaska Fairbanks star Aaron Voros3-4-7 would tied with fellow Ranger teammate Brandon Dubinsky ironically is also from Anchorage Alaska so both players have an Alaska connection as well.

Wild Line scoring without Gabby.

Last night I had the opportunity to watch the Wild for the first time this season. I am really excited about the Wild's new addition to the line up Antti Miettinen. It would be an understatement to say that Miettinen has made a huge impact on the Minnesota Wild so far. Last night Antti Miettinen had a great offensive night scoring 2 goals and 1 assist. Miettinen this season has scored 3 goals and one assist in two games for the Wild. I am not ready to say Marian who but it could lessen the blow of losing the Wild crybaby star, if Miettinen keeps scoring at this pace.

During last night's Wild game I also noticed the line combination of Andrew Brunette, Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen, this line had seven points for the game that is an impressive feat. If this line can keep up the offensive numbers; Gaborik might be able to get some room to move and score some points.

Meanwhile Wild star Marian Gaborik has had one point in first two games of the season.

A great game no one watched in Atlanta

Could someone please remind me why we have no NHL hockey in Winnepeg Manitoba but hockey in Atlanta Georgia? Last night during the game I made the comment to my wife that there is no one in the arena and it looks like I was pretty accurate.

The Thrasher lost 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild before a crowd announced at 11,843 but probably was closer to half that size when you account for the no-shows. It was the first time since March 2004 the Thrashers announced a home crowd smaller than 12,000.

USCHO Poll; yawn...

Here are the results of the USCHO poll, surprisingly UND is also 13th. I am sure I am not the only what that thinks polls right now don't really matter. They mean basically nothing, after the 1st of the year they get more meaningful. As we know some teams peak early and others Ala the Fighting Sioux peak later in the season. It will be interesting to see if UND goes on another patented run?
USCHO poll
1. Boston College (45)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Colorado College (3)
4. Denver
5. Boston University
6. New Hampshire
7. Miami
8. Notre Dame
9. Minnesota
10. Princeton
11. Michigan State
12. St. Cloud State
13. UND
14. Clarkson
15. Mankato
16. Cornell
17. Vermont
18. Harvard
19. Northern Michigan
20. Wisconsin

Sioux are 13th in USA today poll.

In the USA today poll the Sioux fell to 13th place. Seems resonable since they lost both of their games this weekend.
USA Today poll

1. Boston College (32)
2. Michigan (1)
3. Colorado College (1)
4. Denver
5. Boston University
6. New Hampshire
7. Miami
8. Notre Dame
9. Minnesota
10. St. Cloud State
11. Michigan State
12. Princeton
13. UND
14. Clarkson
15. MSU-Mankato

Unacceptable; Sioux lose two on the weekend.

While I don't think the sky is falling just yet, I am concerned about the lack of focus from this past weekend.

While I didn't see Saturday's game or listen to it on the radio, just looking at the stats this past weekend I see a few disturbing trends, that can't happen if the Sioux are going to be successful this season. Ryan Ducnan one point on the weekend, that folks is unacceptable for a senior leader,, especially one that is wearing a letter. Also, what makes me more upset is a goaltender giving up three goals on 16 shots, that is totally unacceptable. Question; where the hell are the defensemen? The front of the net is your office and you own it, lets start playing tough. Lets get dirty and regain what is ours. Play with pride when you wear the Fighting Sioux uniform. Losing a game to the UMass Minutemen is also unacceptable. This isn't some crappy 7th place team in the WCHA this is the University of North Dakota.

Maybe I am glad that I didn't get to listen to this game since I was at a wedding standing up for my buddy as a groomsman. After I got back to the hotel from the church, I was on line checking out the results to the game when Sioux_7 called me on me cell and told me to get my ass down to the reception, oops.

I know there are a lot of young players on this years team and if we play this way against the Mav's they are going to bury the uninspired Sioux.
Goals Scoring/Penalties Time

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1st Period (20:00)
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UMA 1 - 0 6x6 Topher Bevis (1) (Cory Quirk, Alex Berry) 3:57
UMA (+): 5,12,24,6,19,G33
NDK-1 Evan Trupp (2-Interference) UMA 0x1 5:06
NDK 1 - 1 6x6 Ryan Martens (1) (Matt Watkins, Darcy Zajac) 8:40
NDK (+): 8,25,20,11,6,G30 UMA (-): 9,22,20,25,2,G33
NDK-2 Andrew Kozek (2-Slashing) UMA 1x2 13:05
UMA 2 - 1 6x5 PP LL James Marcou (1) (Alex Berry, Justin Braun) 13:55
UMA: 19,27,24,11,12,G33 NDK: 16,29,25,6,G30
UMA-1 Jordan Virtue (2-Hooking) NDK 0x1 14:01

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

UMA-2 Alex Berry (2-HITTING AFTER WHISTLE) NDK 0x2 2:57
NDK-3 Joe Finley (2-Boarding) UMA 1x3 6:30
UMA-3 Chris Davis (2-Tripping) NDK 0x3 11:10
NDK-4 Chris VandeVelde (2-Slashing) UMA 2x4 13:23
UMA 3 - 1 6x5 PP GW James Marcou (2) (Cory Quirk, Alex Berry) 14:07
UMA: 12,27,24,11,19,G33 NDK: 19,17,4,25,G30
UMA-4 Jordan Virtue (2-Holding) NDK 0x4 17:13

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

UMA-5 Kevin Kessler (2-Elbowing) NDK 1x5 5:26
NDK 2 - 3 6x5 PP Chris VandeVelde (1) (Chay Genoway, Ryan Duncan) 7:22
NDK: 3,5,16,29,25,G30 UMA: 2,11,7,27,G33
UMA-6 Cory Quirk (2-O-INTERFERENCE) NDK 1x6 15:28

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End of Game

Mike Commodore rocks Sean Avery...

I saw this hit last night as I was watching sports center in the bar. Check out this monster hit by former Fighting Sioux hockey player Mike Commodore as he lights up Dallas punk Sean Avery. Nice... You wonder if the people in Columbus are going to be questioning the acquistion of Mike Commodore anymore?

BU 5 and UND 1

The Fighting Sioux start the season on a sour note and got run over by the Colin Wilson and Chris Higgins. It was basically the same story as the B.C. game defense left the goaltender to fend for himself, which is a recipe for disaster. From what I heard on the radio it sounded like Brad Eidsness made some great saves and a few of the goals scored on him were of the high lite reel variety. The Brad Eidsness line after the first game is 28 saves on 33 shots for a GAA of 5.00 and a Save Percentage of .848 not the first start that I was anticipating.

Goals Scoring/Penalties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BU-1 Brian Strait (2-Boarding) NDK 0x1 8:40
BU-2 Kevin Shattenkirk (2-Hooking) NDK 0x2 11:37
NDK-1 Ryan Duncan (2-Hooking) BU 0x1 15:07
NDK-2 Zach Jones (2-Hitting from Behind) BU 0x2 16:47
BU-3 Brandon Yip (2-Slashing) NDK 0x3 18:13
BU 1 - 0 5x5 Kevin Shattenkirk (1) (Nick Bonino, Colby Cohen) 18:29
BU (+): 3,13,25,12,G31 NDK (-): 2,3,10,22,G31

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

NDK 1 - 1 6x6 Brad Miller (1) (Joe Finley, Chay Genoway) 0:21
NDK (+): 14,2,5,16,29,G31 BU (-): 33,21,10,97,7,G31
BU 2 - 1 6x6 GW LL Jason Lawrence (1) (Colin Wilson, Chris Higgins) 0:38
BU (+): 21,33,10,25,3,G31 NDK (-): 2,3,20,22,25,G31
BU 3 - 1 6x6 Nick Bonino (1) (Chris Connolly, Brandon Yip) 0:59
BU (+): 13,12,18,5,2,G31 NDK (-): 6,20,21,22,25,G31
NDK-3 Chris VandeVelde (2-HITTING AFTER WHISTLE) 3:29
BU-4 Kevin Shattenkirk (2-HITTING AFTER WHISTLE) 3:29
BU 4 - 1 6x6 Colin Wilson (1) (Jason Lawrence, Chris Higgins) 8:10
BU (+): 33,21,10,97,7,G31 NDK (-): 16,14,29,25,6,G31
NDK-4 Joe Finley (2-Cross-Checking) BU 0x3 10:57
BU-5 Luke Popko (2-Interference) NDK 0x4 14:03
BU-6 Luke Popko (2-O-HOOKING) NDK 0x5 16:49
BU-7 Jason Lawrence (2-Slashing) NDK 0x6 18:35
NDK-5 Brad Malone (2-Interference) BU 0x4 19:42

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

BU-8 Chris Higgins (2-Hooking) NDK 0x7 4:09
BU 5 - 1 6x6 Nick Bonino (2) (unassisted) 10:16
BU (+): 13,12,18,3,25,G31 NDK (-): 3,24,21,29,16,G31
NDK-6 Derrick LaPoint (2-Tripping) BU 0x5 13:19
BU-9 Joe Pereira (2-HITTING AFTER WHISTLE) NDK 0x8 15:43
NDK-7 Brett Hextall (2-Hitting from Behind) BU 0x6 18:42

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End of Game
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T.J. Oshie will keep 74.

According to a the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article it looks like Sioux fans can buy the Blues jersey with the "74" on the back of it because Oshie has decided to stick with the number he had in training camp. I look to see them popping up in the Sioux shop at REA soon.

Young Blues getting new numerals on jerseys
By Jeremy Rutherford ---ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Interestingly, one of the most asked questions about the Blues’ young prospects this year is which jersey number they’ll wear.

Players like David Perron, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo are given unconventional numbers when they arrive at training camp, and often want to change those numbers once they’ve made the roster. But as rookies, they don’t want to make waves or bring any attention to themselves.

In the meantime, however, Blues fans hold off purchasing the expensive jerseys until the player has settled on a number. That stops fans from wearing their favorite player’s jersey, and it also prevents the Blues from capitalizing on merchandising sales.

Oshie, however, has decided to stick with No. 74 and Perron will continue to wear No. 57, the number he wore last season...
<-Read the whole article here->

Are you ready for some hockey?

The college hockey news has broken down the games this weekend with the Icebreaker Preview In the first game I think the Fighting Sioux are going to be in for a dog fight against the Boston University Terriers, however BU has some of the same issues the Fighting Sioux have as well no experience in the goaltending position. It will be interesting to see how the two teams match up.

North Dakota vs. Boston University:
The second game should be a dandy. North Dakota is another preseason team to watch, while Boston University has a lot going for them. Both teams are back with something to prove, but each is faced with goaltending situations.

For North Dakota, Aaron Walski is the lone returning goaltender, and he will be pushed by freshman Brad Eidsness. As for BU, coach Jack Parker cut Brett Bennett from the team, leaving little-used sophomore Adam Kraus and two freshmen -- Grant Rollheiser and Kieran Millan.

It's been a long time now since BU has returned to the Frozen Four, and last year the Terriers failed to make the NCAAs. The goaltending was a huge achilles' heel, and the defense -- while offensively gifted -- wasn't also the best at helping out.

The weekend will probably go a long way towards determining who will get the bulk of goaltending time out of the gate.

The Terriers were shocked when they heard that Colin Wilson and Matt Gilroy, both of which were expected to go pro, stayed for one more year. Wilson was the highest pick of any college player in last June's NHL Draft, while Gilroy is back for his senior year on defense.

The Sioux did lose some key players, however, they are ready to reload. Expect the Sioux to come out with the victory in this one, by a couple of goals.

Prediction: UND 4, BU 2

Sioux to Watch: Evan Trupp

Terrier to Watch: David Warsofsky

Here is the review for the game tomorrow afternoon. I think the UMass Minutemen will also prove to be a very good test for the Fighting Sioux. I honestly don't know what to expect from the Fighting Sioux this weekend. I am hopeful the Sioux can get the sweep on the weekend it won't be a cake walk. Also I would say a split or a tie and a win would also be an acceptable result as well. Coming home with two losses would not be acceptable and not in any way desirable. I think playing a couple of Hockey East teams this weekend is a good way to start the season against two very tough teams.

Massachusetts vs. North Dakota:
In this game, the UMass looks a little overmatched, at least on paper.

North Dakota is bigger, stronger, and faster than the Minutemen right now. However, things can change when you play the game.

Look for UMass to play a tight defensive style of play and try to avoid any creation of the open ice for the Sioux. Look for the Sioux to create a style of play to their advantage.

The game might start off close, but the Sioux are a better team.

Prediction: UND 5, UMass 2

Sioux to Watch: Andrew Kozek

Minuteman to Watch: Topher Bevis

2 Former Gophers score goals in Bruins win...

You would have thought the game was being overrun by former Gophers. Two former gophers scored for the Bruins and one former Gopher scored for the Av's as the Bruins beat the Av's 5-4 in a wild game.

Here is the video to Wheelers goal. Wheeler scored in the first period of his first NHL game.

GOAL SCORERS
BOS: Kessel, P. (06:21 in 1st), Wheeler, B. (10:51 in 1st), Savard, M. (PPG, 10:43 in 2nd), Ryder, M. (05:36 in 3rd), Krejci, D. (17:24 in 3rd)

COL: Hejduk, M. (PPG, 10:02 in 1st), Wolski, W. (14:52 in 1st), McLeod, C. (06:34 in 2nd), Leopold, J. (10:17 in 3rd)

Goon's World makes an appearance on the Illegal Curve...

Here are the questions that I answered for Kyle of the hockey blog the Illegal Curve.
1. Is Colorado College as good as advertised?

I do believe that C.C. is the class of the WCHA and the Tigers should be as good as they were advertised to be. The C.C. Tigers return a nice core of experienced forwards are lead up front by Chad Rau, Scott McCulloch and Bill Sweat.

While the C.C. Tigers are a strong team; there also has to be some questions that will need to be answered. This was the same team that was beaten three games in a row during the league and NCAA playoffs to end the 2007-2008 season. The Tigers were also beaten in the North West Regional against the defending NCAA champion the Michigan State Spartans in the Tigers OWN building.

In goal Richard Bachman went 25-9-1 as a rookie with a .931 save percentage with a goals against average of 1.85. One question will be if he Richard Bachman can keep up the pace that he set last season. I think the Tigers are the consensus pick to win the MacNaughten Cup a second year in a row. Also, starting off the season the C.C. Tigers could realistically go 7-0 in October because they have a relatively light schedule, until they meet the pesky Denver Pioneers on October 31st and November 1st. This might sounds silly but check out this schedule; the Tigers start off their season with CHA bottom feeder Alabama Huntsville, them play Michigan Tech, followed by Clarkson before meeting their cross state rival in Denver University.

While C.C. might be the class of the league I believe that UND and DU aren't far behind them either and they Tigers will have to earn every win they get. In the WCHA there are no give me games anymore.

2. Is the WCHA so deep this year that it was merited that Ryan Duncan did not receive a single vote for pre-season player of the year? Who would your top 3 candidates be for the award?

My top three candidates for that award are Chad Rau C.C. 28g-14a-42pts, Ryan Duncan UND 12g-18a-40pts and Garrett Roe SCSU 18g-27a-45pts. In my opinion I believe that they are the top three players in the WCHA. If you break the numbers down further you will see that Duncan top returning point getter for players in the WCHA; comparing the two seniors you can see that Duncan has 65g-68a-133pts as compared to Chad Rau who has 55g48a-103pts, Duncan has 10 more goals and 20 more assists. The numbers are what they are, I have heard a lot of fans of other WCHA teams say that Duncan is one of the most overrated in the WCHA and has great career stats because he played on the same line as Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie. I guess this season we will see if those claims are true.

3. How good do you think David Toews can be for the Fighting Sioux this season?

Dave Toews seems to be flying under the radar and not getting a lot of attention, he certainly doesn’t have the hype of his brother and frankly I think that is a good thing. I have not yet seen him play as of yet because he was injured before the exhibition game against the Manitoba Bison. I know he was impressive when he was at Shattuck St Mary’s he played in 51 games scoring 44 goals 56 assist for 100 points I think that is a pretty good season not Zach Parise numbers but impressive. Some have said that he wasn’t even the best player on his team but Sioux fans are happy to have him... Incidentally Toews will not travel to Boston this week for the games against the University of Massachusetts or Boston University because of an injury.

4. Just how good is the young talent the Golden Gophers having coming through the door this season?

The new players for the Gophers are going to have to pick up the slack on a team that was challenged in the goal scoring department. The Gophers lost the following players to graduation/NHL signings Forwards: Blake Wheeler (NHL -- 15-20-35 1st) Ben Gordon (15-14—29 2nd), Mike Howe (7-14—21 3rd), Evan Kaufmann (9-10—19 5th) and Tom Pohl (1-5--6) and defenseman Derek Peltier (4-17—21 5th). That means the Gophers have one player from last years team that was in the top 5 scoring returning to the line up Jay Barriball (6-15-21). There are 13 freshman players that are going to have to step up and make a contribution or the Gophers could face another season sitting in the bottom of the standings in the WCHA. It will be interesting to see who steps up from the freshman class that is lead by my choice for Rookie of the Year in the WCHA; Aaron Ness selected 40th overall in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. Included in that freshman class is Jordan Schroeder considered one of the top players eligible for the 2009 NHL Draft according to the Hockey Futures.

5. Any chance that Minnnesota State can surprise people again like they did last season?

The Mavericks are going to surprise anyone because they are threat to finish in the top 5 and make the NCAA tourney. I believe last year the Mavericks should have been in the NCAA tourney and would have been if they had beaten the UNO Mavericks just once. The Mavericks have one of the best goalies in Senior Mike Zacharias 18-13-4 2.08 gaa and a .924 save percentage who is one of the best goaltenders in the WCHA and a potential All American in my opinion.

Contrary to what some MSU-M fans think; Troy Jutting is a solid coach that gets the most out of his players. Jutting’s teams are hard nosed and play a very physical brand of hockey. The Mavericks are a team that should not be over looked and will beat you up physically. Offensively the Mavericks are lead by senior captain Mick Berge and junior Trevor Bruess both players are skilled offensive players.

6. Is Denver netminder Marc Cheverie as good as advertised?

I have never had the chance to see Marc Cheverie play in person or on television. In looking at Cheverie on paper he has respectable numbers, and was highly regarded before he got to Denver. From last season the Cheverie line is: 5 games played record 1-0-0, 1.70 gaa and a .925 save percentage. DU like UND has an untested starting goaltender and both teams will be in a world of hurt if they don’t get consistent play in the net. The jury is still out on March Cheverie, it will be interesting to see how he ranks against the other goalies in the league.

7. Do you think the new rules will have an immediate impact?

This is really the elephant in the room, the 64,000.00 question. The WCHA officials are not known for their consistent officiating, and had a number of serious gaffs last season directly involving the out comes of two games, the same official Randy Schmidt was involved in both games. It will be interesting to see if Schmidt has been fired by the league or if he will resurface again. I think any improvement in the calling of obstruction will be welcomed by the fans. The WCHA has become the Western Obstruction League, where teams clutch and grab each other up and down the ice leading to low scoring and boring games. The NHL has gotten it right and NCAA hockey can as well.

It will be interesting to see if the officials in the WCHA can call the games more closely like they claim they will. Personally, I don’t think there are enough qualified officials in the WCHA to properly officiate the game like they say they are going to. I have heard fans saw they expect the games to be called more closely then revert back to the old ways of calling the games.

8. Can you give us a surprise team and a disappointing team?

I think that MSU-M is going to the team that no one wants to play and gains home ice for the WCHA playoffs. I have seen Wisconsin picked as low as 6th or 7th in a poll or two and if that happens they would qualify as being a disappointment.

9. Who do you see as winning the Final 5?

I see DU, C.C., Minnesota State University Mankato, SCSU and UND making the Final Five with DU or UND winning it all.

Greene will wear the "A" for the Kings

Boosh gave me a heads up on this story. Former Fighting Matt Greene was name assistant captain for the L.A. Kings.
Nice to see Greene awarded with the honor.

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown will serve as Kings captain for the 2008-09 season, Kings head coach Terry Murray announced Wednesday. Murray has also named center Anze Kopitar and defenseman Matt Greene as assistant captains. The announcement was made exclusively on LAKings.com

Greene, 25, is in his first season with the Kings after playing the last three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. He was acquired by the Kings on June 29 with center Jarret Stoll for Lubomir Visnovsky.

Greene in 2007-08 recorded one point (an assist) and 53 penalty minutes in 46 games with Edmonton. In 2006-07 he played in 78 games and recorded 10 points (1-9=10) and 109 penalty minutes. In 151 career games, all with the Oilers, the 6-3, 233-pound native of Grand Ledge, Michigan, has 13 points (1-12=13) and 205 penalty minutes. He has also played in 18 playoff games, including the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, recording one point (an assist) and 34 penalty minutes.

CBS College Sports = CCHA Hockey Network.

I just saw the Televison schedule over on INCH I couldn't believe my eyes, there isn't one game that includes a WCHA or Hockey East team. Are they serious? Last season CSTV/CBS College Sports had a nice variety of games from all over college hockey.

Fri. Jan. 9 Northern Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha CBS College Sports
Fri. Jan. 16 Michigan State at Miami CBS College Sports
Fri. Jan. 23 Miami at Nebraska-Omaha CBS College Sports
Sat. Jan. 24 Miami at Nebraska-Omaha CBS College Sports
Fri. Jan. 30 Michigan at Notre Dame CBS College Sports
Fri. Feb. 6 Notre Dame at Ohio State CBS College Sports
Fri. Feb. 13 Northern Michigan at Notre Dame CBS College Sports
Sat. Feb. 14 Cornell at Harvard CBS College Sports
Fri. Feb. 20 Notre Dame at Nebraska-Omaha CBS College Sports
Sat. Feb. 21 Michigan at Ohio State CBS College Sports
Fri. Feb. 27 Michigan State at Notre Dame CBS College Sports
Sat. Feb. 28 Ferris State at Michigan CBS College Sports

INCH preseason All American teams.

Inside College Hockey has announced their 2008-09 Preseason All-America Teams. They are as follows:

INSIDE COLLEGE HOCKEY 2007-08 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
F Erik Condra, Notre Dame Sr.
F Chad Rau, Colorado College Sr.
F Joe Whitney, Boston College So.
D Mark Mitera, Michigan Sr.
D Nick Petrecki, Boston College So.
G Richard Bachman, Colorado College So.

INSIDE COLLEGE HOCKEY 2008-09 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
F Lee Jubinville Princeton Sr.
F Ryan Lasch St. Cloud State Jr.
F Colin Wilson Boston University So.
D Kyle Lawson Notre Dame Jr.
D Jamie McBain Wisconsin Jr.
G Jeff Lerg Michigan State

INSIDE COLLEGE HOCKEY 2008-09 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM
F Ryan Duncan North Dakota Sr.
F Justin Mercier Miami Sr. 42 GP,
F Ben Smith Boston College Jr.
D Matt Gilroy Boston University Sr
D Jeff Petry Michigan State So. 42
G John Muse Boston College So.

INSIDE COLLEGE HOCKEY 2008-09 PRESEASON ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
F Joe Colborne Denver
F Zac Dalpe Ohio State
F Jordan Schroeder Minnesota
D Aaron Ness Minnesota
D David Warsofsky Boston University
G Brad Eidsness North Dakota

The WCHA is well represented as the league landed 8 players on the INCH preseason All American teams: C.C. (2), Minnestoa (2), Wisconsin (1), Denver (1), SCSU (1)

Linkorama...

Brad Ragen the Wild Blogger from Hockey Buzz had this blog post about Russo's appearance on KFAN and discussing the Marian Gaborik situation. I wonder if other Wild Fans are getting tired of this whole drill? Either sign Gabby or ask to be traded. I think that he is are beginning to portray himself the spoiled selfish athlete.

One has to wounder if Gabby is waiting to see if this is going to be Lemaire's
last season or not. Come on Lemaire you don't need the money, you can go ahead and retire.

Gaborik's agent, Ron Salcer, has a history of ground breaking contracts in the NHL;

-to keep Gaborik, the Wild will have to seriously overpay him;

-he believes the offer the Wild have made to Gaborik is somewhere in the $8.5 million per year range;

-he does not believe this is about Gaborik not wanting to play in Minnesota as he believes that there is a good chance that this is Lemaire's last year and any contract that Gaborik signs with the Wild would go well beyond Lemaire's anticipated tenure;

-it may be hard to move Gaborik right now given each team's cap space or lack thereof. The longer the Wild wait to move him, the more teams that can afford him, but it comes with serious risk in the event that Gaborik gets injured and can't be moved prior to the trade deadline;

A couple of former Gophers are now Bruins

When the Bruins and the Wild play on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center in the Wild’s season opener there will be two former Gophers in the Bruin's line up. Phil Kessel and Blake Wheeler. It will be interesting to see how the two are recieved by the Minnesota crowd.

Chicago mussings

Young guns Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane took the hockey world by storm last season but now will probably feel more pressure as the fans and the city of Chicago will expect more from the dynamic NHL sophmores. Look for the Chicago Blackhawks to be much better this season.

TSN.CA STAFF 10/8/2008 --- The One year ago, the Chicago Blackhawks were a struggling franchise with the second lowest attendance figures in the entire National Hockey League, averaging less than 13,00 fans. And with little to no exposure on television is recent years, the fanbase was eroding.

But last season, super rookies Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane breathed new life into the franchise and things are looking up in the Windy City.

Toews and Kane have the hockey world by the tail. They're on the top line and the first-unit power play and in charge of a team that looks to be making a major comeback after years on the scrap heap.

"Coming into last year, there weren't really any expectations," said Kane. "Maybe the expectations were for myself and Jon to do well and try to bring this team back and it's amazing what can happen in one year."

Kane scored 21 goals and added 51 assists for 72 points in 82 games and was rewarded with the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year.

But now that the Blackhawks appear to be a team on the rise, the expectations become higher and the pressure increases.

Talk about a couple of morons, Ben Eager was suspended for three games for trying to intentionally injure NHL bad boy Sean Avery. First thing I would have told the guys is, its a preseason game. Now Eager has to miss the first three games of the season.

TSN.CA STAFF--- Chicago Blackhawks left wing Ben Eager has been suspended for three games, without pay, as a result of being assessed a match penalty during a game against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

As a result, Eager will forfeit $9,677.43 with the money going to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Update on Nate Hagemo...

I was wondering what had happened to Nate Hagemo after getting an invite to a rookie camp in Carolina this summer. Here is an update on Former Minnesota Gopher hockey star Nate Hagemo. Hagemo in in camp with the Florida Everblades on a two week tryout. Also, on the team is former
Michigan State A.J. Thelen is also on the team. I really hope that this works out for Hagemo...

After battling addiction, prospective Blades defenseman happy to be back on ice.
By ANGELA BUSCH

ESTERO — Many of the players in Florida Everblades training camp have experienced ebbs and flows of stardom — from notoriety to anonymity — from the first round of the NHL draft to a long bus ride in hockey purgatory.

They’ve all been up and down. But it’s hard to find a Blades player who has been much higher, or lower, than Nate Hagemo.
----------snip----------
Truth is, Hagemo’s not even a Blade yet. He’s trying out over the next two weeks, trying to earn a roster spot by proving himself on the ice.

He just wants on the team. Three years after being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the NHL draft — less than four months removed from his latest arrest — Hagemo, 21, doesn’t really care about the headlines or the stardom anymore.

He just wants to play hockey again.
The Edina, Minn., native was once a part of a proud tradition of gopher state hockey. He won a high school state championship with the Academy of Holy Angels as a sophomore in 2002, then spent the next two seasons at the U.S. National Under-18 Team development site in Ann Arbor, Mich., with Blades defenseman A.J. Thelen, who’s also from Minnesota.

“We’ve been skating and playing against each other since we were 10, 11 years old,” Thelen said of Hagemo. “Especially that year in Ann Arbor, we were always going against each other. We could relate to each other.”

“Whenever we played together, it made me pick up my game,” Hagemo said. “I always looked at (Thelen), and he made me want to get better.”

In 2004, the Minnesota Wild made Thelen the 12th overall selection in the NHL draft. A year later, Hagemo was picked 58th overall by Carolina.

Thelen headed to powerhouse Michigan State, while Hagemo picked perennial Frozen Four contender Minnesota. The hometown hockey heroes were on their way.
----------snip----------
The January arrest was Hagemo’s third run-in with the police since quitting Gophers hockey in 2006 due to complications from his shoulder injury and the addiction that was starting to interfere with his life.

That same year, he was arrested on suspicion of attempting to burglarize a house. In 2007, he was ticketed for refusing to take a blood-alcohol test after a traffic accident and for careless driving, with a revoked license.

Looking at Hagemo now, quiet with his teammates at Germain Arena, you’d never guess his past troubles. He’s one of the youngest players at Blades training camp and could almost be everyone else’s kid brother.

But Hagemo’s not just a wide-eyed hockey recruit anymore. Through his addiction, Hagemo saw places — including jail — he never thought he’d go. He knew he had to get help.

After his arrest in January, Hagemo enrolled in a 30-day treatment program in Minnesota. He says he has been sober since then and has just been focusing on getting back to hockey.

<- Read the whole article here ->

CHN's WCHA Season Preview

The College Hockey News has released its WCHA season preview in two parts. (1) & (2) Not a lot of change from the other polls around the college hockey media. Personally I do not have a problem with this poll. Like I have mentioned in the past, these polls mean nothing once the puck drops. If anything it could fire the teams up to play better and show they are better than a _______ ranking.

1. Denver
2. Colorado College
3. Minnesota State Mavericks
4. North Dakota Fighting Sioux
5. Minnesota
6. St. Cloud State
7. Wisconsin Badgers
8. Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
9. Michigan Tech Huskies
10. Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves

Here is what Dan Myers of the CHN Staff had to say about the Unversity of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. The biggest question for the Sioux is who is going to be the starting goaltender? I believe that question is going to be answered in a few weeks. I am predicting Freshman Brad Eidsness is going to be the man between the pipes.

North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Coach: Dave Hakstol
Last season: 28-11-4 overall, 18-7-3 WCHA

How they finished: North Dakota won the Midwest Regional and lost to eventual national champion Boston College in the national semifinals. UND was one of the nation’s top teams down the stretch, going unbeaten during an 18-game stretch from the beginning of January through mid-March, which has been a trend in recent years.

Changes: North Dakota lost two of their best players early to the NHL in forward T.J. Oshie and defenseman Taylor Chorney. Oshie and Chorney were arguably the two best players in the entire WCHA. They also lost senior goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux to graduation and will try to replace him with any number of untested options.

Strengths: Despite losing quality talent in all areas, North Dakota will bring in a number of blue-chip recruits to replace them. Chorney will be a tough loss, but the Sioux have a ton of talent at defense, which will be led by Joe Finley -- a towering force who stands at 6-foot-7. Chay Genoway is one of the conference’s most underrated talents. Freshmen Ben Blood and Corey Fienhage should step in and contribute immediately.

Weaknesses: Who is going to start in net? The favorite seems to be senior Aaron Walski -- who despite his advanced age, has played in only three games. Freshman Brad Eidsness and Graeme Harrington will also see plenty of time in net. The battle for the No. 1 job has not been decided. Is it because all three are playing well? Or is it because none of the three have stepped up? Only Hakstol knows the answer to that.

Outlook: Unlike years past, one can imagine North Dakota not finishing among the top two or three in the WCHA. They still might -- plenty of talent returns to the fold in Grand Forks, including oft-forgotten former Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan. But UND has no proven goaltender and in a conference like the WCHA, that could be a problem. Of course, they said the same thing about Colorado College last season.

Projected Finish: 4th