Wheeler learns from sitting in the press box.

I saw this story while reading the illegal curve this morning. For the record I was surprised when Blake Wheeler made the Bruins roster out of training camp. As the season progressed I was mildly shocked that he became a legitimate candidate for the Rookie of the Year in the NHL, based on his three years of play in the WCHA. As the season wore on I have been impressed with Wheelers play and his contributions to the Bruins run towards a number one seed in the east for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Lately his line of Ryder, Krejci, Wheeler has fallen off a bit after a very dependable scoring threat. Here is a break down of the troubles of the Ryder, Krejci, Wheeler line; Davide Krejci has 2 points in 6 games, Wheeler has 3 assists in the past 6 games, zero points in the last 4 games, Ryder has one point in the past 5 games. I think one could make the argument that some of the Bruins struggles in the last 6 games (2-3-1 record) could be linked to the struggles of this line. They need to get on the score sheet more consistantly. If you shut the top line of Savard, Lucic and Kessel the other lines need to step up and contribute.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - On Saturday, while his teammates were scoring a 5-3 win over Chicago, Blake Wheeler was in the TD Banknorth Garden press box, sharing a ninth-floor suite with assistant coach Doug Houda. They watched the game, then studied and discussed replays of certain plays.

A day later, Wheeler was back on the ice with usual linemates David Krejci and Michael Ryder, recording two shots and two hits in 16:07 of action during a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. Yesterday, Wheeler was one of six Bruins to participate in a limited practice at Dispatch Ice Haus.

Such is life as an NHL rookie.
-------------(snip)--------------
The early guess, from management and the coaching staff, was that Wheeler would start 2008-09 in Providence, then perhaps be worthy of a midseason promotion. But from the start of training camp, Wheeler showcased excellent skating and strength on the puck that made him a scoring threat.

In the games leading up to being scratched, though, Wheeler's legs weren't whirring the way they were earlier in the season when he was among the league's brightest rookies. When he watched Saturday, Wheeler noticed right away that the most successful players - new teammate Mark Recchi had an especially high-energy game - were the ones skating effectively. (read the rest of the article here)

Alaska's Lamoureux Ties League Shutout Record

Former Fighting Sioux goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoreux is having a great season with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL.

Alaska rookie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux stopped 30 shots in a 2-0 win against Las Vegas on Sunday for his seventh shutout of the season to tie the ECHL record set by Maxime Gingras of Richmond in 1998-99 and tied by David Brumby of Jackson in 1999-2000 and Frederic Cloutier of Louisiana in 2001-02.

The 24 year old is 26-14-2 and leads the league in wins with 26 and save percentage with .923 while ranking second with a goals-against average of 2.30.

He is 4-1-0 with two shutouts, a goals-against average of 1.41 and a save percentage of .948 in his last five starts.

Will the NHL ban staged fights?

The subject of banning staged fights is coming up again at the GM's annual meetings in Naples Florida. I am not so sure the league wants to go there. Fighting is a big part of professional hockey and I would be willing to bet there are a good number of Wild fans that go to the games to watch Derek Boogaard take on one of the leagues tough guys, it’s an interesting side show and it’s fun to watch. Also, these so called goons or tough guys make room for the skilled players and keep the opposition players honest. If a player cheap shots a skilled player like Marian Gaborik they know the Boogey man is going to take a piece of him eventually.

What I love about the "anti-Boogaard" brigade that has surfaced as of late, is I bet you its all the people that were extremely pissed and calling for Brad May to face Derek Boogaard in the playoff series with the Ducks, when May-Day punched out Kim Johnsson. Same with when we seen Mattias Ohlund break Koivu's leg. I bet they called for Ohlund's suspension to be reduced, just so he got to face Boogaard in the matchup a few games later. Its old, really. Onto Boogaard, he is one of the few reasons to actually see a game. Do you really think people went to a Kings/Wild game a couple weeks ago, looking to see Anze Kopitar? I HIGHLY doubt it. Again, I'll bet you, a lot of the people that went (myself included), went to the game hoping to see the heavy weight fight between Derek Boogaard and Raitis Ivanans. Same thing a few weeks before that when the Preds came to town. Yay, lets all go out and see Radek Bonk! Please. A lot of people would be kidding to say they didn't want to see Boogaard/Belak IV. Its a dirty secret to hockey, but, when the team has played as up and down, and very boring as the Wild have this year, there isn't much else of a reason to see some games. (comments section of article)

They just can’t leave well enough alone, can they? Hockey is a niche sport and I could care less if we are scaring some social high brow elite from the north east away because they are offended by fighting in the NHL.

Also, I don’t know if the NHL wants to go there you could end up going down a very slippery slope here. Fighting is a deterrent to further violence. I know this sounds silly to some but have you watched a division one college hockey game lately? The DQ for fighting and the face mask have actually raised the level of violence, stick work and checking from behind penalties. A lot of the stuff goes on because the players in the NCAA division one hockey know they don’t have to fight if they cheap shot someone.

Lastly, if the National Hockey League really decided that they wanted to ban staged fights, how do you decide when a fight is staged or not staged? This would be almost as ridiculous as it sounds. Who’s is going to decide? Two refs aren’t going to be the same. Are the on ice officials going to call Toronto for a ruling?

Based on interviews with several GMs, there is at least one form of fighting most of them would like to see disappear, but no one knows how to do it without an outright ban on fights. And no general manager could be found who supports the complete elimination of fighting.

What most of them would like to see is an end to the staged fight, where two players whose only role on the team is to fight, drop their gloves and go at it.

"The sense I get is there will be a lot of discussion on staged fights," said Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. "I'm against that. But no, I don't see an outright ban on fighting." (Read the whole story here)

Poll Monday 3-09-2009

USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll
March 9, 2009

1 Boston University (42) 27- 5-4 992 1
2 Notre Dame ( 8) 27- 5-3 958 2
3 Michigan 26-10-0 894 3
4 Northeastern 23- 9-4 828 4
5 Denver 20-10-5 791 5
6 North Dakota 22-12-4 709 6
7 Vermont 20- 9-5 670 7
8 Miami 19-10-5 641 8
9 New Hampshire 19-10-5 579 9
10 Yale 20- 7-2 552 11
11 Princeton 20- 9-0 533 10
12 Cornell 18- 7-4 479 12
13 Colorado College 16-10-10 383 13
14 Ohio State 22-12-4 352 14
15 St. Lawrence 19-11-4 302 15
16 Minnesota 15-12-7 200 17
17 Wisconsin 17-15-4 174 19
18 Boston College 16-13-5 124 20
19 Minnesota-Duluth 16-12-8 91 16
20 St. Cloud State 18-15-3 82 18
Others Receiving Votes: Mass.-Lowell 65, Air Force 58,
RIT 18, Alaska 8, Minnesota State 8, Alaska-Anchorage 3,
Union 3, Northern Michigan 2, Dartmouth 1
----------

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
March 9, 2009
1 Boston University 502 (26) 1 27- 5-4
2 University of Notre Dame 484 (8) 2 27- 5-3
3 University of Michigan 462 3 26-10-0
4 Northeastern University 394 4 23- 9-4
5 University of Denver 380 5 20-10-5
6 University of North Dakota 322 6 22-12-4
7 University of Vermont 294 7 20- 9-5
8 Miami (Ohio) University 245 8 19-10-5
9 University of New Hampshire 226 9 19-10-5
10 Yale University 204 10 20- 7-2
11 Princeton University 179 11 20- 9-0
12 Cornell University 163 12 18- 7-4
13 Colorado College 80 15 16-10-10
14 The Ohio State University 71 14 22-12-4
15 St. Lawrence University 48 13 19-11-4

Others receiving votes: University of Wisconsin 9, U.S. Air Force Academy 6, University of Minnesota 6,
University of Massachusetts Lowell 3, Rochester Institute of Technology
1, St. Cloud State University 1.

INCH Power Rankings.

INCH Power Rankings
March 8, 2009
1. Notre Dame
2. Boston University
3. Michigan
4. Northeastern
5. North Dakota - On Dec. 28, the Fighting Sioux dropped a 2-1 decision to Michigan Tech in the GLI consolation game. This weekend, the WCHA champs host the Huskies in a first-round playoff series. Would this be categorized as coming half circle? 22-12-4 (17-7-4 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Wisconsin, 2-1; L at Wisconsin, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech (WCHA First Round Series)
6. Denver
7. Vermont
8. Miami
9. Yale
10. Princeton
11. New Hampshire
12. Cornell
13. St. Lawrence
14. Ohio State
15. Colorado College
16. Minnesota
17. Boston College
18. Wisconsin
19. St. Cloud State
20. Air Force

Dropped out: Minnesota Duluth

Bubble-licious: RIT, UMass Lowell

I am actually surprised that INCH put us infront of Denver University.

Brad Eidsness for ROY in the WCHA.

I believe that Jordan Schroeder of the University of Minnesota overall (13 assists – 27 goals -40 points) and (11 assists – 24 goals - 35 points) conference play will be the Rookie of the Year in the WCHA. I don't think there is going to be any debate on the subject because the voters’ minds have been made up already. This was suggested by the voice of the Fighting Sioux hockey team Tim Hennesey last week during the weekly coaches’ radio show last Wednesday. I concur with Tim's assessment and that it's basically goig to be a rubberstamp for Jordan Schroeder. I wish the voters would be more objective when looking at the candidates and also take a look more closely at Fighting Sioux goalie Brad Eidsness because I believe there is a strong case for Brad Eidsness being the ROY in the WCHA. I like a lot of Sioux fans believe Brad Eidsness is a legitmate contender for the ROY.

In Eids we trust

Where would the Sioux be without Brad Eidsness this season? Probably not first in the WCHA and would probably be getting ready to travel on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Brad Eidsness is a rookie/freshman goalie in a league dominated by juniors and seniors, but he has stood tall and answered the bell. Also, Brad Eidsness is the only freshman goalie that I know of that started every game but one for his team during WCHA conference play this season.


Brad Eidsness by the Numbers

The numbers speak for themselves Brad Eidsness is 22-9-4 and GAA 2.47 and Save% of 0.909 and is 17-5-4 GAA 2.39 save% .909 1 shutout in league play. While hockey is a team game and the Sioux are balanced on all four lines Brad Eidsness lead his team to a first place finish in the WCHA with his strong play between the pipes. If it hadn't been for Brad Eidsness the Fighting Sioux could very well could have been a ninth place team. While the Gophers backed into the fifth spot in the WCHA playoffs and almost ended up on the road for a second year in a row to start the WCHA playoffs.


Final goals against averages for the WCHA
1.) Alex Stalock UMD JR 1679:42 67 2.39
2.) Brad Eidsness UND FR 1604:24 64 2.39
3.) Marc Cheverie DU SO 1671:12 67 2.41

Final Save Percentage in the WCHA

1.) Marc Cheverie DU SO 748 67 .918
2.) Alex Stalock UMD JR 727 67 .916
3.) Richard Bachman C.C. SO 765 73 .913
4.) Shane Connelly UW SR 710 69 .911
5.) Jase Weslosky SCSU JR 761 75 .910
6.) Brad Eidsness UND FR 640 64 .909

Winning Percentage:
1.) Brad Eidsness UND FR 17- 5- 4 .731
2.) Marc Cheverie DU SO 16- 8- 4 .643
3.) Richard Bachman C.C. SO 12- 8- 7 .574

Brian Lee back with the Senators.

Former Fighting Sioux defenseman Brian Lee is being sent back to the Ottawa Senators after being sent down to Binghamton at the end of February. It will be interesting to see if Brian Lee can spend the rest of the season with the Senators. The Ottawa Senators are in 12th place and will miss the NHL playoffs this season so I can imagine that Lee will be rejoining the Binghamton Senators for the AHL playoffs.

Ottawa ---- The Ottawa Senators today recalled defenseman Brian Lee on an emergency basis from the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.

Lee has two goals, nine assists and 14 penalty minutes over 36 games with the NHL club this season, while averaging 19:09 minutes of time-on-ice. This will be Lee's fourth appearance with the Senators this season, after most recently playing 28 games before being assigned to Binghamton on Feb. 27.

In 27 AHL games with Binghamton this season, the 21-year-old has two goals, 10 assists and 41 penalty minutes.

The Senators next see action tomorrow night, when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 p.m.

How they finished.

This is how I predicted the teams would finish at the begining of the season. Yeah! I did real well didn't I?
1. C.C.
2. Minnesota
3. UND
4. Denver
5. Wisconsin
6. Minnesota State
7. UMD
8. SCSU
9. MTU
10. UAA

This how the season actually ended.

(1) North Dakota 38 (22-12-4)
(2) Denver 36 (20-10-5)
(3) Wisconsin 31(17-15-4)
(4) Colorado College 31(16-10-10)
(5) Minnesota 29(15-12-7)
(6) St. Cloud State 28(18-15-3)
(7) Minnesota-Duluth 27 (16-12-8)
(8) Minnesota State 26 (15-15-6)
(9) Alaska-Anchorage 23 (14-15-5)
(10) Michigan Tech 11 (6-23-7)

This was my What If prediction.

UND 28 38
UMN 28 37
Denver 28 36
CC 28 30
UW 28 30
Mankato 28 26
UMD 28 25
SCSU 28 23
AA 28 22
MTech 28 13


38th Annual Coaches Poll.

1. Colorado College (8) 78
2. UND (2) 67
3. Denver 62
4. (tie) Minnesota 53
4. (tie) Wisconsin 53
6. St. Cloud State 48
7. MSU-Mankato 38
8. Minn.-Duluth 24
9. Michigan Tech 14
10. Alaska-Anchorage 13


Here are the results of the Capital times media poll.
Team (first-place votes) Points Last year
1. Colorado College (22) 247 1
2. North Dakota (3) 210 2
3. Denver 192 3
4. Minnesota 156 7
(tie) Wisconsin 156 6
6. St. Cloud State 133 t4
7. Minnesota State 124 t4
8. Minnesota-Duluth 78 8
9. Michigan Tech 51 9
10. Alaska Anchorage 32 10

Here is how Sioux7 picked the team to finish.
1. UND
2. Denver
3. CC
4. SCSU
5. Minnesota
6. Wisconsin
7. UM-Duluth
8. MSU-Mankato
9. MTU
10. UAA

This is how Jess Meyers from INCH picked the league to finish. Nah, Jess Meyer's picks didn't go real well either.

1. Colorado College
2. Denver
3. St. Cloud State
4. Wisconsin
5. Minnesota State
6. Minnesota
7. North Dakota
8. Minnesota Duluth
9. Michigan Tech
10. Alaska Anchorage

Here is what I had to say at the beginning of the season after the exhibition game against the Manitoba Bison.

After watching the Sioux play in an exhibition game against the Manitoba Bison last night I have to say that there is a lot to be positive about. The overrated senior team captain and 2007 Hobey Baker Memorial winner Ryan Duncan (that is how some WCHA fans describe him) looked really good on a line with Chris VandeVelde and Brad Miller. Got that Ducan haters? Even without T.J. Oshie or Toews flanking him, Ryan Duncan managed to score two beautiful goals helping the Sioux to a 6-2 route of the Manitoba Bison.

Also, there is some positive mojo emitting from the Fighting Sioux hockey team getting a balanced attack as 10 of the 14 forwards factored into the games scoring. Granted there were two extra forwards because the game was listed as an exhibition and the Sioux could dress as many players as they wanted. None the less; the Fighting Sioux hockey team looked small (aside from Malone and Davidson), quick and moved the puck around nicely dominating a much slower Manitoba game. The speedy Sioux appeared to run out of gas in the third period but that is to be expected since the Sioux have only had one official practice going into the game.

Up next WCHA playoffs.

The Brackets are now set for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

(1) North Dakota (22-12-4)
(10) Michigan Tech (6-23-7)

(3) Wisconsin (17-15-4)
(8) Minnesota State (15-15-6)

(4) Colorado College (16-10-10)
(7) Minnesota-Duluth (16-12-8)

(5) Minnesota (15-12-7)
(6) St. Cloud State (18-5-3)

(9) Alaska-Anchorage (14-15-5)
(2) Denver (20-10-5)

BADgers 4 Sioux 1

First off I was reading the board over at Sioux sports after I returned from my buddies house where I watched the third period. While I am not happy with a loss I have seen better teams than this one get swept in Madison. The 2000 Fighting Sioux hockey team was swept by the Badges in Madison 3-2ot and 6-5ot in January 14 and 15 2000.

Seriously! Who didn't expect a let down tonight after clinching the first MacNaughten cup in 4 seasons. UND has lost two games in 2009 (13-2-3) so the sky is not falling, I repeat the sky is not falling. Wisconsin wanted it more than UND did tonight and while I never can really appreciate a loss this particular loss can help the coaching staff refocus the team for the playoffs. After the WCHA playoffs the next loss will end the Fighting Sioux's season.

Power Play not good tonight

I can not remember the last time I have seen a team get two short handed goals scored on them during the same power play. I would have to think that it has to be a long time since we have seen something like that. I am sure that Coach Hakstol and his staff will review the game film from this weekend and make the proper adjustments. The power play was not good this weekend and the Fighting Sioux need to get better if they want to be successful in the WCHA and NCAA playoffs.

Box Scores
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIS-1 Brendan Smith (5-Checking from Behind) (Served by Michael Davies) NDK 0x1 2:15
WIS-2 Brendan Smith (10-Game Misconduct) (Served by Michael Davies) 2:15
NDK-1 Chay Genoway (2-Cross-Checking) 14:54
NDK-2 Chay Genoway (2-Roughing) (Served by Andrew Kozek) WIS 0x1 14:54
WIS-3 Patrick Johnson (2-Roughing) 14:54
NDK-3 Zach Jones (2-Holding) WIS 0x2 16:08

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

WIS 1 - 0 6x6 Ben Grotting (4) (John Mitchell, Jake Gardiner) 0:34
WIS (+): 14,24,19,16,2,G35 NDK (-): 8,20,6,11,25,G31
NDK-4 Matt Frattin (2-Hooking) WIS 0x3 1:34
NDK 1 - 1 6x6 Brad Malone (4) (Brad Miller, Mario Lamoureux) 4:05
NDK (+): 22,14,10,9,24,G31 WIS (-): 4,12,3,10,14,G35
WIS-4 Ryan McDonagh (2-Interference) NDK 0x2 9:18
WIS 2 - 1 5x6 SH GW LL Derek Stepan (7) (Andy Bohmbach) 9:30
WIS (+): 21,11,19,2,G35 NDK (-): 17,8,5,21,19,G31
WIS 3 - 1 5x6 SH Derek Stepan (8) (Andy Bohmbach) 11:12
WIS (+): 21,11,3,19,G35 NDK (-): 17,8,19,5,10,G31
WIS-5 Jamie McBain (2-Interference) NDK 0x3 12:22
WIS-6 Jordy Murray (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x4 14:55
WIS-7 Ryan McDonagh (2-Roughing) NDK 0x5 19:05

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

WIS 4 - 1 6x6 John Mitchell (14) (Tom Gorowsky) 12:28
WIS (+): 24,15,4,16,3,G35 NDK (-): 16,25,17,26,6,G31

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

The latest Bracketology

Here is the latest addition from the Bracketology Blog: I swear Jason Moy has had the Fighting Sioux in every bracket but the North East Regional. I don't see the NCAA sending us anywhere but Minneapolis if the Gophers don't make the NCAA playoffs.

East Regional (Bridgeport)

15 Air Force vs. 1 Boston University
9 Yale vs. 6 Vermont

West Regional (Minneapolis)

16 Bemidji State vs. 2 Notre Dame
11 Miami vs. 7 North Dakota

Northeast Regional (Manchester)

13 St. Lawrence vs. 3 Denver
10 Cornell vs. 8 New Hampshire

Midwest Regional (Grand Rapids)

13 Minnesota-Duluth vs. 4 Michigan
12 Princeton vs. 5 Northeastern

Moron of the week.

Where do they find these people? Don't let this guy near a bridge or the IDS building. Actually this clown comments are hilarious and he is also my candidate for moron of the week. This skippy is probably one of these guys that will corner in the bathroom at the Xcel Energy Center to lecture you on horrible UND and North Dakota is while his team is sitting at home after the Gophers have missed the Final Five.

As I am stuck in traffic on 494 or I-94 I thank God that the biggest traffic jam I have been involved in lately is leaving the Alerus after a concert or a Sioux football game or Red River Valley Speedway after a World of Outlaws show.

I always laugh at these people who think North Dakota is such a horrible place but they sure find the way to Englestad Arena or happen to be everywhere in North Dakota come Duck and Pheasant hunting season. Thank God they also go home after hunting season is over.

voner 26--- Nice commentary. What else does North Dakota have? Nothing. Their entire claim to fame is college hockey. That's it, nothing else. College hockey ranks behind women's college volleyball in terms of TV and TV ratings, with no offense intended towards women's volleyball. Grand Forks is a God forsaken hell hole with absolutely nothing to do up there, that these people need to cry out for attention in any way they can find it. Unfortunately for them, the vast population of the US doesn't know college hockey even exists. It's really quite sad, the plight of the Flickertail fan.

posted by maxwell812 on Mar. 7, 09 at 8:42 AM |

The Slash that got Downie 20 games.

Someone made mention of Steve Downie getting suspended for 20 games for his slash on a linesman during a face off at center ice. You know, I dun no the video isn't that good but it appears that the ref was inadvertently hit by uber hack Steve Downie and received the suspension based on his preceding reputation.

Steve Downie sits again, this time for 20 games after slashing an AHL linesman during a Feb. 28 game against the Hershey Bears.

A member of the Norfolk Admirals, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Downie had been suspended indefinitely until being informed of yesterday's decision by the AHL. He is slated to return to the Norfolk lineup on April 11, although the Admirals are likely to miss the AHL playoffs.

Downie was assessed a game misconduct late in the third period of the Norfolk-Hershey game for deliberately striking an official with his stick. Admirals officials noted that the slash occurred before a faceoff and that Downie had meant to knock the stick out of the hands of an opposing player. Instead, Downie missed and struck the linesman.

Admirals general manager Mike Butters said his player was simply trying to knock the stick of the Bears player and - oops! - missed and struck Hamilton by accident.
(read the whole story here)

The Wheels are still coming off Part II.

I have been surfing some of the sites around the internet getting a feel for how things are going around the college hockey blogsphere and the Gopher fans are in full melt down. You have Gopher fans calling for Don Lucia's head. I can't imagine the University of Minnesota Firing a coach that has won 2 NCAA titles. I just doesn't seem possible.

Check out these examples of lynch mob type mentality. I mean I get it the Gopher fans are unhappy with the state of their team. (Example 1) (Example 2) (Example 3)

This post right here caught my eye it was over on Star Tribune.

Out with Lucia now!!!
Dear UofM AD....Your mens Hockey coach wins two titles with Woog's teams, can recruit any player in the country and we have this season? then finish it by loosing to a absolutely pathetic 1-18 Mich Tech team who score 6 on us?? His teams don't come close to ND's season for season and they don't have 20% the recruiting ability he's given?? Not to mention the all time worst upset in NCAA history to Holly Angels just a few years back?? This is coaching 100%, were not going anywhere with this "goody two shoes" clown....we need a tough, gritty authority figure who recruits the right players and gets them to show up and play like they can. We got no chance with him at the helm, zero...I wouldn't want him coaching my daughters teams...ok that was a lie, he'd be fine with girls. I've been sooo patient with this but now it's over...Imgane what Gwozdecky (Denver) or Hakstol (UND) could do with Gophs recruiting power? They already run circles around Goph's hockey teams operating from the north pole? If the AD fires the FB coach after a bad 1/2 at a bowl game whens he goanna show nuts it takes to do it again at the hockey rink? This is 100x's worse....incredibly pathetic, I feel bad for the players to be honest, and they're certainly accountable but c'mon...look at the teams and talent we have had....allstar teams year in year out and he cant do anything with em????? Please move on with him...no more Lucia.....Move on from the Grand Rapids alumni mafia and get with the times, not the 70's and 80's.

posted by azlizard99 on Mar. 6, 09 at 10:57 PM |

Sioux MacNaughton Cup Champions: Sioux 2 - Badgers 1

I included a picture of the MacNaughton Cup because it has been such a long time since we have seen it. It’s been four long years. Yep! The last time the Fighting Sioux had won the MacNaughton Cup Zach Parise was still playing for UND. I can’t wait to take a look at it again when it’s sitting in the lobby of REA.

So for the First time in four seasons the WCHA regular season champs reside in Grand Forks, ND. In case anyone is keeping score that is the 14th MacNaughton Cup that UND Fighting Sioux have won.

At the beginning of the season I had a conversation with a buddy of mine and we were discussing how the Sioux haven't won a MacNaughton cup or an NCAA title yet. Well we can mark that off the list, the Sioux got their cup. The mission for the Fighting Sioux is not complete, this is just one checkpoit on a long road trip.

Since Dave Hakstol has been the Coach of the Fighting Sioux his teams have progressively gotten better each season as he has built the UND program around players that reflect his personality; gritty, talented, modest and hard working. Now for their hard work the 2008-2009 Fighting Sioux will hang another banner from the REA rafters.


(Dave Hakstol's UND career coaching line)
2004–2005 North Dakota 25-15-5 13-12-3 5th NCAA Runner-up
2005–2006 North Dakota 29-16-1 16-12-0 t-4th NCAA semifinal
2006–2007 North Dakota 24-14-5 13-10-5 3rd NCAA semifinal
2007-2008 North Dakota 28-11-4 18-7-3 2nd NCAA semifinal
2008-2009 North Dakota 22-11-4 17-6-4 1st To be determined.

Box Score
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WIS 1 - 0 6x6 Ben Grotting (3) (Patrick Johnson, Matt Thurber) 6:12
WIS (+): 14,10,12,17,4,G35 NDK (-): 9,10,14,24,22,G31
NDK-1 Joe Finley (2-Holding) WIS 0x1 7:03
WIS-1 Sean Dolan (2-Interference) NDK 0x1 10:54
WIS-2 Brendan Smith (2-Boarding) NDK 0x2 12:38

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

WIS-3 Brendan Smith (2-Interference) NDK 0x3 6:26
NDK-2 Andrew Kozek (2-Tripping) WIS 0x2 16:41
NDK 1 - 1 5x6 SH Matt Watkins (7) (unassisted) 16:56
NDK (+): 20,11,5,2,G31 WIS (-): 9,21,24,7,2,G35

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

NDK-3 Brett Hextall (2-Interference) WIS 0x3 6:24
WIS-4 Jamie McBain (2-Hooking) NDK 0x4 8:43
WIS-5 Sean Dolan (2-Interference) NDK 1x5 12:56
NDK 2 - 1 6x5 PP GW LL Chris VandeVelde (14) (Ryan Duncan, Chay Genoway) 14:01
NDK: 29,16,5,14,26,G31 WIS: 14,13,27,17,G35

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

Sabres prospect on Eidsness and Fienhage

This is what Kris Baker of the Sabres prospects had to say about Fighting Sioux goalie Brad Eidsness and Fighting Sioux defenseman Corey Fienahage.

12 - Brad Eidsness, G, North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WCHA), 2007 5th round (139th overall)

Leading the NCAA in minutes played through January, the freshman netminder walked into the starting gig in Grand Forks and demonstrated quick adjustment on the rugged WCHA learning curve. With inconsistency plaguing the Sioux early in the season, Eidsness has battled his way to an impressive 20 wins, earning WCHA Rookie of the Weeks honors three times while hanging among the top-5 in goals against and save percentage all season.

The reigning MVP of the Junior "A" AJHL, Eidsness plays a tight butterfly style with quick side-to-side movement, and has penchant for the big save. He's an excellent reader of the developing play, and with better rebound control, the 5'11 backstop has the ability to be a top-tier goaltender in the NCAA ranks as a sophomore.

20 - Corey Fienhage, RHD, North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WCHA), 2008 3rd round (81st overall)

Unlike his Sioux teammate Eidsness, Fienhage did not enjoy a developmental season of Junior "A" before hitting the collegiate ranks. Thought to be heading to Indiana (USHL) in 2008-09, Taylor Chorney's early departure to the Edmonton Oilers opened up the scholarship spot for the 6'3, 214-pound Fienhage to enter college immediately.

The jump from Minnesota high school to the WCHA takes some time, and Fienhage, 18, has struggled some with the pace of the game. Stout and aggressive with good foot speed, the athletic rearguard still made a rugged statement with 28 PIM in his nine appearances. The encouraging sign is the nature of the calls - six roughing minors, one high stick, one check from behind, a misconduct from a fight, and another for interference.

He wasn't intimidated, and he wasn't taking hooking and tripping calls as one would expect from an inexperienced defender. Aside from Weber, the former high school safety's fierce demeanor represents the best option for toughness in the Sabres pipeline.

So while on the surface the WCHA freshman may appear to be a disappointment to most Sabre fans, a season of limited exposure while letting the pace marinate in practice was almost foreseeable. Dressing in roughly a quarter of his teams contests, the rookie has earned the praise of coaches with his continued hard work in practices.

Michigan Tech is not a Cup Cake.

You have to love the blogger from the Red Star and Sickle. You have to wonder why the blogger from the Strib would even write that? No teams in the WCHA are pushovers, every game is a battle. Last weekend the 9th place team in the WCHA took out the 4th place team in the CCHA.

Roman is right Michigan Tech is going to clog up the neutral zone and make life miserable for the Gophers. Michigan Tech is going to pressure and get in the Gopher's face. The Tech Huskies are a physical team and are going to be playing for pride this weekend. There are also a lot of WCHA fans that are hoping the Real Huskies can take a bit out of the Golden Gophers. I think that if the Huskies had suffered so many devastating injuries they would have been fighting for home ice in the WCHA.

U men’s hockey: Tech not a cupcake, goalie and PairWise talk, etc.
By Roman Augustoviz --- Gophers coach Don Lucia, whose team is still in the hunt for a first-division finish in the WCHA, said his team will not take Michigan Tech lightly this weekend. The series is in Houghton, Mich.

“They have just been on the wrong side of a lot of one-goal games,” said Lucia, referring to the Huskies who are 1-18-7 in the WCHA. ”You look at how many overtime games they have played. … They don’t give up much and we will have to try to win some low-scoring games. That’s the way they are going to be. And I think we are comfortable in that, because that’s the way we have been involved all year long too.

“But we have to remain patient knowing, you know what, it’s probably going to get decided in the third period sometime.”

North Dakota High School All State

Here is the list for the North Dakota High School All State Hockey Team:

2009 Boy's All-State Team Announced:
F-Casey Purpur [G.F. Central]
F-Jake LaDouceur [G.F. Red River]
F-Patrick Anderson [Bismarck High]
F-Peter Orson [Fargo South]
F-Tyler Richter [Bismarck High]
F-Justin Moody [G.F. Central]
F-Riley Olson [Hazen/Beulah]
F-Russel Crary [G.F. Red River]
F-Bryce Schmitt [Minot]
D-Jake Axtman [Williston]
D-Danny Ray [G.F. Central]
D-Nick Romanick [Bismarck High]
D-Ryan Hills [Grafton/Park River]
D-Tyler Peterson [Bismarck High]
D-Dan Kovar [Bismarck Century]
D-Josh Hooey [Fargo South]
G-Scott Buchholz [Fargo South]
G-Darren Medler [Minot]
G-Seth Lang [G.F. Central]

Fighting Sioux coaches show.

(Click here for the broadcast)

Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol was on the Fighting Sioux coaches show at 43:45. First question out of the gate was about league expansion and coach Hakstol didn't have any information on it at all.

The next question out of the gate was about injuries and Coach Hakstol said, “That he talked to Derek LaPoint in the weight room and he is not coming back this season.” Coach Hakstol said Derrick is coming along in his recovery. Other than that he said that he really couldn’t comment on injuries and that basically everyone is banged up this time of year.

Tim Hennesy said, “I just got my ballot today for the all league voting and all that. I like Brad Eidsness, I think that Brad Eidsness should be a slam dunk for Rookie of the year. I don’t think it is negotiable. But the people I am talking to I don’t think he is going to be. In your mind is he the best rookie and done the most for his team that is on top of the league right now in the WCHA. Shouldn’t he, shouldn’t he be a slam dunk? Coach Hakstol said, he is pretty good. Coach Hakstol also said, “I am not campaigning or on a on a soap box for any of our players, that is not what our team is about.” Coach Hakstol said there are lots of good young players in our league.

Boucher goes Frazee.

Check out Zidlicky's goal, talk about getting a favorable bounce. I never thought I would see a goal from this far out again, at least not in the NHL. This was the game tying goal between the Wild and the Sharks. Brian Boucher does his best Jeff Frazee impression. The ice was really bad in the Shark Tank last night and this one just keeps on bouncing right on into the net.

INCH CHAT...

Here is the latest from the boys at INCH. First; call me a homer but I think UND is a little stronger than Denver right now, when the Pioneers get Tyler Bozak back then I think they are probably a little better than the Fighting Sioux.

Second; I don't see Walski playing this weekend, UND doesn't have the luxury of giving him another start, he played himself out of a starting job at the beginning of the season. I don't see how it would benefit UND in playing Walski. Based on the PWR numbers the Fighting Sioux can't afford to just throw games away. This is Brad Eidsnes's team and he has earned the Starting position on the merits of his play. Brad Eidsness give the Fighting Sioux the best chance to win this weekend. Again over the last twenty three games the Badgers and Sioux have spilt the series 11-11-1, In Madison the Sioux have gone 3-2 the last 5 games in Madison. Last season the Sioux were 2-1.

Third I could see the MTU Huskies winning a game against the Gophers this weekend. The Gophers have gone 2-4-2 in February and 6-8-2 since the turn of the year. It's the Huskies last weekend of hockey in Houghton, Michigan before they travel to Denver or Grand Forks, ND. Look for the Huskies to clog up the neutral zone and give the Gophers fits. I also expect the Huskies to hit the Gophers every chance they get.

Eric Fargo, ND: The Sioux have made another fabulous second half run. They have four lines contributing to the scoring. So what do the INCH guys think about UND chances to make the Frozen Four this year?

Jess Myers: If I were a betting man, I would not pick them to get to DC. Of the past five Sioux teams, this one is probably the deepest because the lack of a superstar (like Toews or Oshie) makes them harder to play, and kudos to them on a widely-expected MacNaughton Cup this weekend. But if I had to pick a WCHA team to get to the Frozen, I would pick Denver right now.
----------
KS (Minneapolis-for now): Since I'll be watching the next batch of stars tonight at Mariucci, I'll miss the UM/Tech game. Unless I ignore work-and watch the live scoring-I can only imagine what happens. Put me, and the rest of Gopher Nation at ease and tell me they get 4 this weekend and make some noise at the Final Five.

Jess Myers: I'm picking a split. The Huskies have not won a WCHA game since Halloween night, but they've been pesky at home lately, earning some nice ties with teams clearly more talented than them. Combine the emotion of senior night with the fact that not many of us are sold on this Gopher team lately and I see Minnesota bringing two points home on the long bus ride from the U.P.
----------
Dustin (Grand Forks): If North Dakota clinches the cup with their game Friday, does Dave Hakstol give senior goalie Aaron Walski a start for Saturday?

Jess Myers: Yes. It makes sense to give Brad Eidsness a physical and mental break heading into what could be a tougher-than-expected playoff series with Michigan Tech.
----------
Ryan (Grand Forks, ND): Do you think Ryan Duncan is an underrated player this year? He wasn't on the ballet for WCHA player of the year, but he is near the top in most statistics. That doesn't even take into account his leadership and all the hard work he brings to every shift on the ice that helped him win a Hobey a few years back. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Jess Myers: Duncan has been a pure joy to watch on the ice and, as a member of the media, to cover. I agree with you that for a guy with a Hobey on his resume, he's surprisingly overlooked a great deal. Part of that is his size, and part of it is by his own design, as Ryan is always quick to proclaim there are no superstars on the Sioux roster
----------

The GM's at the trade dead line.

Today I was listening to Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski on XM-204 and he rated the NHL general managers at the trade dead line. I think Wyshynski's grade on Boston is is spot on. My next question is; anyone notice how the Bruins have done since the former General Manager Harry Sinden left the Bruins in 2006? The Bruins have gotten drastically better and have drafted well and have a stable full of good young players. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is doing a bang up job getting the Bruins back into the hunt for a Stanley cup championship.

Boston Bruins: Acquired F Mark Recchi and a 2010 second-round pick from Tampa for D Matt Lashoff and F Martins Karsums; Traded F Petteri Nokelainen to Anaheim for D Steve Montador.

After swinging for the fences with Marian Hossa last year (and missing the ball), GM Peter Chiarelli managed like a man with a first-place team yesterday. Recchi's career resurgence now gives him a chance for a Cup, and there's no way that isn't going to energize him even more. Montador is another player already having an outstanding season, and a rather perfect fit for what the Boston blue line needed. Boston sniffed around some high-end deals (like one for Keith Tkachuk), but were unwilling to move a major asset like Phil Kessel. Maybe Lashoff becomes a top-pairing defenseman, and maybe Nokelainen finds his game with the Ducks; it won't matter if Recchi and Montador win a Cup for Beantown. GRADE: A-.

Now! Compare and contrast the two organizations. The Boston Bruins are in the playoffs will probably get the number one seed in the east unless they really fall apart. They also added more high end talent at the dead line for the playoff run. The Boston organization had players in their organization they could use to bargain with and make trades if they need to. Minnesota on the other hand is in a state of disarray. They are barely alive for the eighth and final playoff spot. I don't see a way the Minnesota Wild can manage to make the playoffs this season.

Minnesota also has nothing as far as prospects in their minor league system they can offer to other teams. Minnesota is team made of third liners and has a shortage of talent that can score goals and make plays. Yet they want to hold on to players like James Sheppard who show no sign of ever scoring goals this season or even in this life time. Like Archie said in a previous blog post that Doug Risebrough as managed to screw up two teams in a matter of a decade and smugly sat by and did nothing to better his team. Doug Risebrough should have gotten an F- and for his efforts should be shown the door.

The thing that is also a major head scratcher is that there are no players on the Wild roster that have been division one college hockey players. I want to know how Doug Risebrough can reside in a state with five division one hockey teams and not end up with one player that isn't a former college hockey player. You also have Wisconsin and North Dakota in neighboring states. Boston on the other hand has a roster stuff with former college players; Tim Thomas (Vermont), Phil Kessel and Blake Wheeler (Minnesota), Mark Stuart (Colorado College), Byron Bitz (Cornell), Matt Hunwick and Aaron Ward (Michigan), Chuck Kobasew (Boston College).

Minnesota Wild: Nada. While the team did ink goalie Niklas Backstrom to an extension before the deadline, it did jack and squat otherwise. Pending UFAs Marc-Andre Bergeron and Martin Skoula didn't move. The asking price for Marian Gaborik was too high, so he becomes a de facto deadline move when he rejoins the Wild lineup soon. While he deserves credit for not overpaying for, say, Olli Jokinen, General Manager Doug Risebrough was taken apart by The State of Hockey for his inactivity at the deadline. GRADE: C-.

INCH Podcast

Interesting podcast this week. (Click here for the lastest INCH podcast)

Couple of things. Jess Meyers starts off the podcast talking about the WCHA. First off IF UND wins the MacNaughton Cup this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin it would be the 14th MacNaughton Cup the Fighting Sioux have won. The Fighting Sioux currently have won 13 MacNaughton Cups on 11.

Quest For the Cup: UND enters the final weekend of the regular season gunning for its first MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champions since 2003-04 and its first under fifth-year head coach Dave Hakstol.

UND has finished progressively higher in the WCHA standings each year under Hakstol, placing fifth in his first season in 2004-05, fourth in 2005-06, third in 2006-07 and second last season.

The Sioux have won the WCHA regular season championship 13 times in their history.

Jess Meyers If I get to D.C. and a WCHA team makes the Frozen Four I would feel fortunate.

Fire Doug Risebrough NOW!!!

I have had it. As a fan of the Wild I am disgusted as I watched Wild GM Doug Risebrough screw up another trade deadline and picked up nobody. This time the Wild didn't even go for a rent a player like Chris Simon. (click here for the article)

Risebrough said it was quiet for him all day. The team maintains that it will not trade its core players like Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns or its young talent like James Sheppard, Colton Gillies and Tyler Cuma.

Wow, James Sheppard has scored a grand total of 8 goals in two NHL seasons. Colton Gilies is lighting up the league as well scoring a grand total of 6 points. Tyler Cuma isn't even in the NHL yet he is in the OHL and has been hurt most of the year. Tyler Cuma has played 21 games scoring 1 goal and 8 assist for 9 points. Obviously Koivu and Burns are the future of the Wild. That being said if you can trade the current nobodies on the Wild to get players that will make an immediate impact on the Wild you have to pull the trigger and inactivity is unacceptable. Earlier this summer the Wild had a chance to get Olli Jokinen but Doug Riesbrough didn't want to give up Pierre-Marc Bouchard and James Sheppard. Are you kidding me? I would have made the deal in a heart beat. Bouchard is a soft perimeter player that has scored 14 goals 26 assists for 40 points. I can only dream how Olli Jokinen would thrive in system with fellow Finlanders Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen.

Here is the petition to sign agreeing with the fact that Doug Risebrough neeeds to be fired! (click here)

Who has more penalty minutes?

National Statistics
Penalty Minutes: Games PIM PIM/G
1 Ferris State 36 815 22.6
2 Michigan 36 730 20.3
3 Minnesota State 34 689 20.3
4 Minnesota 32 648 20.2
5 Quinnipiac 34 683 20.1
6 Rensselaer 34 679 20.0
7 Wisconsin 34 675 19.9
8 Boston University 34 674 19.8
9 Northeastern 34 654 19.2
10 Mercyhurst 36 690 19.2
11 Alaska Anchorage 32 608 19.0
12 Yale 29 542 18.7
13 Denver 34 629 18.5
14 Miami 34 622 18.3
15 North Dakota 36 657 18.2

I keep hearing how UND is a bunch of goons. So I looked at the national statistics and this is what I found. Interesting, but UND isn't a bunch of goons and is taking about two minutes less per game in penalty minutes than the golden boys from Minnesota. Breaking it down even further, the Fighting Sioux are taking less penalties than Michigan, Boston University, Yale, North Eastern and Denver University.

Last Regular Season Games (Sioux 7)

Last weekend saw UND grab the WCHA lead from DU by a point by taking 3-pts from CC, MSU-M took 3pts from UW, UM also took 3-pts from UMD, DU and SCSU split a pair, and UAA swept in-state rival UAF. As a side note 6 out of 8 league games went to overtime, last weekend.

The race for home ice comes down to the last games of the year. I know I will be glued to the TV's this weekend. The only thing that is certain is UND and DU will be hosting either MTU and UAA. The rest is a mess, for instance if MSU-M sweeps SCSU and UM and UMD get swept their would be a 4-way tie for 5th, or how about CC ties DU and SCSU, UMD, and UM sweep, UW gets swept, 4-way tie for 3rd. I don't even want to go there with trying to figure out those tie breakers. CC and UW are not even safe, if they lose their games, and UM, SCSU, and UMD sweep, the Tigers and Badgers would be on the road.



WCHA standings

1 North Dakota..................16-6-4...36
2 Denver.........................16-8-3...35
3 Colorado College.............12-9-6...30
4 Wisconsin.....................13-10-3..29
5 St. Cloud State................13-12-1..27
5 Minnesota......................11-10-5..27
5 Minnesota-Duluth...........10-9-7...27
8 Minnesota State............10-13-3..23
9 Alaska-Anchorage..........7-14-5...19
10 Michigan Tech.............1-18-7...9



#16 Minnesota at Michigan Tech
Minnesota kept their hopes alive for home ice with a three point weekend against Duluth, while MTU enjoyed the weekend off. MTU got a tie earlier in the year against the Gophers at Mariucci, can they do that at home or perhaps get win number two? In case you were wondering, the Huskies lone conference win was against UAA, on Nov. 1st. The Gophers started Kent Patterson last Friday and Kangas on Saturday, I wonder if Lucia will do the same this weekend? The Huskies could be the first team in WCHA history to record 8 ties in a season, with a tie. (Dare I say a pair of ties for numbers 8 and 9 on the season.) To MTU's credit, they have only been swept five times this season, not bad considering they only have one win. The Gophers need two wins if they really want to help their odds for home ice. Anything less than four points for UM and they are most likely on the road. I'm going with Tech for the record, a tie on Friday and UM on Saturday.


Alaska-Anchorage at #15 Minnesota-Duluth
UAA comes in riding a two game winning streak, both games they shut-out UAF. Earlier this season the Seawolves took 3-pts from the Bulldogs in Anchorage. UMD comes in on a three game winless streak (0-1-2) and saw their chance to improve their home ice standing slip away last weekend. With UAA carrying some momentum and UMD desperately wanting home ice this should make for a good series. However, the Seawolves are a respectable 5-7-1 away from Sullivan Arena and the Bulldogs are 10-2-3 at the DECC. UAA is going on the road the first round and I'm sure they would like to make the Bulldogs go on the road too. With UAA goalie Bryce Christianson getting back to back shut outs last weekend mean UMD star goalie Alex Stalock will try to equal that this weekend... I'm going to call this series a split.


#6 North Dakota at #19 Wisconsin
The Sioux continue to be red hot the second half, and the Badgers have cooled off, now win-less in their last four games (0-3-1). UW is 9-7-2 at home this season and UND is 9-5-2 away from Grand Forks. If the Sioux win on Friday they win the regular season WCHA title outright, which would be their 14th. Winning the WCHA isn't an "auto-bid" into the NCAA but it is almost a given. The Badgers need points to help their cause of sewing up home ice, I think two points would get them home ice. UND was only 1-12 on the man-advantage against CC last weekend. They need to capitalize more on the PP to really start putting teams away, but the upside is they can score five on five and don't rely on PP's to win. I'm going with a split this weekend, UND Friday and UW on Saturday.


#18 St. Cloud State home/at Minnesota State
I don't like the home and home series, they should only be played if it is the only two games the teams against each other all year. These teams last meet the first part of December, with the Huskies sweeping those games, 4-2, and 6-2. The Huskies are doing well going 6-3-1 in their past 10-games with quality wins over CC, UND, and DU in that stretch. The Maverick are 4-4-2 in their last 10-games with wins over UM and UW. With MSU-M having little chance of home ice, they can try and spoil SCSU's home ice chances this weekend. However, I don't see the Huskies losing two games in a row, they haven't done that since mid-January. I'll take the Huskies on Friday night and the Mavericks on Saturday, splitsville.


#13 Colorado College at #5 Denver (Sat Only)
The Tigers got a point last weekend in Grand Forks, that was what Pioneers got out of Grand Forks too. CC needs points to hold on to home ice and try to move up in the PWR to make the NCAA tourney. DU still might have a chance for the WCHA title if UND loses on Friday. But probably more important to them is trying to stay in the top 4 in the PWR to get a number one seed for the NCAA tournament. Needless to say that these two arch-rivals would like nothing more than to beat the tar out of the other one. In three meeting this year the edge goes to CC, 1-0-2, and will retain the coveted Gold Pan. I think we will another game just like the previous three, closely played and entertaining to watch, but in the end nobody will get the outcome they were looking for, here is to tie number three.

INCH 4 X 4

The latest INCH 4 X 4 is up. Interesting! From looking at these bracket predictions it would appear that Denver University would have the easiest chance of any WCHA team to make the Frozen Four. I am not so sure I would be that giddy at another change for the Fighting Sioux to play Michigan even if it's in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS West Regional
1. Michigan
2. North Dakota
3. Princeton
4. UMD

GRAND RAPIDS Midwest Regional
1. Notre Dame
2. Vermont
3. Miami
4. Air Force Academy

BRIDGEPORT East Regional
1. Northeastern
2. Denver
3. Yale
4. St. Lawrence

MANCHESTER Northeast Regional
1. Boston University
2. New Hampshire
3. Cornell
4. Bemidji State University

A couple of things.

This weekends games between the Fighting Sioux and the Wisconsin Badgers will be on television. That is good news for Fighting Sioux fans. I will have to tape on my DVR and watch the game when I get home from work on Friday night.

Games will be on TV

This weekend's games will be on FSSN, thanks to Nodak Mutual, REA, WDAZ and Midcontinent Communications. UND says to contact your local cable provider for details, but it's supposed to "be aired on most local and regional cable systems that normally carry FSSN hockey broadcasts (click here for the official press release)

----------------UPDATE----------------
Sprig from Sioux sports just posted the freq's for those that have satellite dishes.

Here it is, from Jamie at the REA:

Echostar 9 - 121 w
Ku Band - Downlink Frequency: 11840.1250 V
L Band - Downlink Frequency: 1090.1250 V
Symbol Rate 4.88
FEC 3/4

Most of us that follow the Minnesota Wild know that that Wild GM Doug Risebrough does not usually pick up free agents that have a back ground in college hockey, there have been a few exception but the current team has none with college hockey experience. Here is a little heads up to Risebrough if he doesn't get shown the door. Jordan Leopold is a unrestricted free agent after the season is over.

LEOPOLD RETURNS TO CALGARY

Jordan Leopold is returning to the Calgary Flames. The Colorado Avalanche sent Jordan Leopold to the Calgary Flames in exchange for blue-liner Lawrence Nycholat, prospect Ryan Wilson and a second-round draft pick in 2009.

Leopold has 20 points (6-14) and is a minus-10 in 64 games this season.

Nycholat, who has one assist in 14 games, had been picked up on waivers a day earlier.

The 28-year-old defenceman spent three seasons with the Flames before being dealt to Colorado in the Alex Tanguay trade in June 2006.

Leopold is earning $1.5 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Bruins trade Montador for Nokelainen, Mark Recchi a Bruin.

This trade kind of puzzles me, Boston has a ton of defensive players and must be trading one of their many defensemen(s) out of Boston if they are making this deal. Not too much going on league wide. Yet!

Bruins acquire Montador for Nokelainen...
Trade Deadline NHL.comBoston, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Steve Montador from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Petteri Nokelainen.

The 29-year-old Montador skated in 65 games this season for Anaheim, compiling four goals and a career-high 16 assists. The 6-foot, 211-pound Vancouver, BC, Canada native was signed as a free agent by the Ducks on July 11, 2008.

Before joining the Ducks, Montador played two-plus seasons for the Florida Panthers from 2005-2008 and three-plus seasons for the Calgary Flames from 2001-2005. A veteran of 355 career games played in the NHL, he has registered 18 goals and 49 assists. Montador has also appeared in 20 postseason contests- all during the 2003-2004 postseason -- and was a member of the Calgary Flames club that was defeated in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2003-2004.

Montador will be reunited with former teammates and current Bruins Andrew Ference, Chuck Kobasew and Stephane Yelle, who all played together with the Calgary Flames. In July of 2007, Montador and Ference traveled on a trip to Tanzania to benefit the Right To Play charitable organization. They visited schools and orphanages while serving as inspirational Right To Play participants and role models for the children in Right To Play programs.

Breaking News

The NHL Network and Sportsnet.ca is reporting that Boston Bruins have Acquired Mark Recchi from Tampa Bay for Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums...

Recchi played with Aaron Ward in Carolina in 2005-06 when the Hurricanes won the Cup. Recchi is the left-handed shot up front that could give them a boost on the power play. He is also a veteran presence they like.

The 41-year-old Recchi has scored 13 goals and 32 assists in 62 games this season.

"I have no idea," Recchi told TSN when asked what kind of role he'd play. "When I get there, the coaching staff will fill me in. I don't really care, to be honest. I'll do whatever role they ask."

UPDATE: Recchi and a 2010 second-round pick to Boston. Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums to the Lightning. (link to the blog post)

Mike Commodore versus Matt Greene

Someone posted this over on Sioux Sports. I was wondering when was the last time two Fighting Sioux alumni went toe to toe in an NHL match up? It would probably be a good sports trivia question that could be up on the tv screen at a sports bar in Grand Forks somewhere.

While they were never team mates they probably have crossed paths during the off season at UND. Mike Commodore played for the Fighting Sioux from 1997-2000. Matt Green played for the Fighting Sioux from 2002 - 2005.

A National Holiday/Obsession?

Only 3:49:17 to go and I am counting the digital minutes.

The 3 pm (EST) deadline is closing and I am live blogging.

We have too much time on our hands here in Canada

Today is NHL trade deadline day and it's an unofficial national holiday in the land of ice and snow.

In Toronto there are three competing television networks, over 20 talking heads and counting and 26 hours of combined coverage to let us know that Brendan Bell was put on waivers by the Ottawa Senators and Antoine Vermette was traded to Columbus for Pascal LeClaire and a second round pick.

Talk about putting the "care" in "I don't care."

Hold a minute, breaking news: Montreal recalled goaltender Marc Denis from Hamilton (AHL affiliate) and the Thrashers place Eric Perrin on waivers.

Now things are heatin' up!

This is interesting: Flames in pursuit of Ollie Jokinen for Matthew Lombardi.

Now back to Nick Kypreos and his Blackberry.

Wait! Don't change the channel. Darren Pang is about to say something.

Hold On! Jordan Leopold is going back to Calgary and he's on the phone right now! TSN has him on the line. Live! Nice scoop guys.

Pierre McGuire is arguing with TSN host Darren Dutchyshen. Good television.

Let's see what's up with the Score Television Network.

Damn! An interview with Randy Sportak from the Calgary Sun.

Maybe The Score got the scoop. I don't know I wasn't watching them. I'm sure that disapoints The Score management. All that market research and over priced beer ads.

Hey! My old buddy Marty McSorley just made a cameo on Sportsnet. He's debating the merits of Miroslav Satan. Thanks to TSN, maybe it was Sportsnet who told me the Penguins put him on waivers.

This is big.: Alex Ovechkin has a sore foot.

It's almost noon and the waiver wire deadline is approaching.

McGuire is giving Oilers' management a thrashing right now.

Michael Farber from Sports Illustrated, Steve Simmons from the Toronto Sun and Damien Cox from the Toronto Star are debating the fourth line of the Canucks.

Phoenix just traded Mikael Tellqvist to the Buffalo News ? For a fourth round draft pick.

Darren Pang and Keith Jones love the trade. McGuire is over the moon about it and he calls it a "positive day for the Buffalo Sabres."

Bob Mackenzie from TSN informs us at 12:03 (EST) pm that the Leafs just picked up Marty Gerber from Ottawa on recallable waivers and Darren Dreger says the Leafs might shut down Vesa Toskala for a while because of hip and groin problems.

The Leafs are on live television at the Lakeshore Lions Arena in south Toronto. Where's Vesa?

Are they going to trade him?

Had enough yet?

According to Sportsnet there is 2:46:51 left.

You can't do that! I want my Kypreos back. He's leaving.

The Score and Sportsnet are in commercial break right now.

Just enough time to check the weather in Slovenia.

Where's Alan Eagleson?

Former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster is having a heated debate with Matthew Barnaby about Dominic Moore. I wonder what's gonna happen to him?

The Score says the Islanders are 2500-1 to win the Cup.

It's 12:30 pm now and I'm going to find what's left of my pathetic life.

2:30:10 and counting...

Final Week of the Season.

Check out this press release from the WCHA. I like the sounds of sentence that is bolded. The league leading and number 6 ranked North Dakota (should say Fighting Sioux).

MADISON, Wis. - The final weekend of the 2008-09 regular season will bring about some of the most intriguing scenarios in the long and storied history of the 57-year-old Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The battle for the league championship and MacNaughton Cup is on the line as well as the final three first round home WCHA Playoff berths. And with all 10 member teams engaged in conference play this Friday and Saturday, March 6-7, fans everyone can be assured of a playoff atmosphere in the five arenas that will host games.

At the Kohl Center (15,237) in Madison, league-leading and No. 6-ranked North Dakota (21-11-4, 16-6-4 WCHA) will take on host and No. 19-ranked Wisconsin (16-14-4, 13-10-3 WCHA) in a pair of 7:07 pm CT face-offs that, for the Fighting Sioux, offer them the chance to add to their league record 13 regular season titles and that, for the Badgers, can elevate them as high as a third place finish and secure a home playoff berth. North Dakota enters the series on a seven-game unbeaten streak at 6-0-1 and sporting a 12-1-3 mark over their last 16 WCHA games. The two teams split their first series of the season in Grand Forks back on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, with UND winning 3-2 on that Friday and the UW taking a 5-2 decision on that Saturday.
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Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, North Dakota (26 WCHA gp, 35 points) holds a one-point lead - and one game in hand - over second place Denver (27 WCHA gp, 34 points). One, or both, of those teams will emerge as WCHA champions this weekend. Colorado College (27 WCHA gp) is third with 30 points, Wisconsin (26 WCHA gp) is fourth with 29 points, and Minnesota (26 WCHA gp), Minnesota Duluth (26 WCHA gp) and St. Cloud State (26 WCHA gp) are intwined in the fifth spot with 27 points each. Minnesota State (26 WCHA gp) stands eighth with 23 points, Alaska Anchorage (26 WCHA gp) is ninth with 19 points, and Michigan Tech (26 WCHA gp) is 10th with nine points.

A season ago (2007-08), it took 28 points to earn a top five finish and the home-ice advantage for the first round of WCHA playoffs, and only three teams - league champion Colorado College, second place North Dakota, and third place Denver - finished their 28-game league slates with winning records. So far this season, seven teams - UND, DU, CC, UW, UM, UMD and SCSU - all have winning records in conference competition. Also through games of March 1, there have been 22 ties in league competition, 37 games have been decided by just one goal, 27 have been decided by two goals, and 43 have been decided by three goals or more.

Linkorama

Rangers claim Sean Avery on waivers. This should get interesting.

The Minnesota Wild have resigned Niklas Backstrom I am not sure why General Manager Doug Risebrough wait so long to get a deal done. One free agent down another to go. Apparently Marian Gaborik upset a few people with these stupid comments.

When asked about the pressure to get back in the lineup given the 10th-place team's struggling, Gaborik said, "Quite frankly I haven't really been watching games. I've been following the scores, but I haven't been watching games. From my perspective, I just really need to focus on how am I feeling, how everything goes with me and then if everything goes good, I'm going to jump in to play. Definitely the pressure is on, but first of all I want to feel confident in my body and ... so far everything is going well."

Former Sioux Zach Parise is being mentioned as a candidate for the Hart trophy.

Here is a nice story about soon to be Fighting Sioux hockey player Danny Mattson.
(click here for the whole article)

"I'm willing to do whatever the coach wants," he said. "I like to mix it up a little bit and play physical when the situation calls for it. I feel like I'm more of a playmaker, though, more of that finesse-type of player."

Mattson, who finished seventh in the state in 2007-08 with 69 points (30 goals) in 25games, will attend the University of North Dakota next fall.

"I also had visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin, but my mom graduated from North Dakota and when I was on campus, it just felt like a good fit and all the coaches were great," Mattson said.

While he openly admits a need to improve his defensive-zone coverage, there's no question Mattson's vision and distribution of the puck are second to none.

Chris Edwards, who scouts the Ontario Hockey League for Central Scouting, had an opportunity to evaluate Mattson in November during the 2008 Nike Bauer National Invitational Tournament in New Hope, Minn. Through the years, the NIT field has included many of the top players selected at the NHL Entry Draft.

This should fire up Sioux fans.

This is a pretty goal and might be the defining cup clinching moment as UND needs only a point in it's next series to tie for the McNaughton Cup. I am making the assumption that DU is going to beat C.C. next weekend so UND will need two points to win the McNaughton outright.

Trade dead line moves. As seen through the eyes of INCH

This was found on an napkin over on INCH. I have a hard time believing the Bruins would give up two number one draft picks to aquire a defenseman. The defenseman rumored to be going to Boston would be Chris Pronger.

• Joe Colborne/Phil Kessel/Mark Stuart (Boston): The B's are apparently in hunt for a top flight defenseman, and this troika with WCHA ties appears frequently as trade bait.

Ode to the 2009 Fighting Sioux Seniors

Here is the salute to the Seniors class of 2009: Joe Finley #2 (147 games 7g-28a-35 pts), Zach Jones #6 (161 games 1g-10a-11 pts), Ryan Martens #8 (91 games 14g-27a-41 pts), Brad Miller #14 (121 games 21g-42a-63 pts), Ryan Ducan #16 (168 games 80g-85a-165 pts), Aaron Walski #30 (.842 Sv% 2.87 gaa record 1- 3- 0), Matt Watkins #20 (162 games 25g-32a-57 pts),
Andrew Kozek #10 (160 games 38g-26a-64 pts) (Video Courtesy of badgersioux)

In case anyone is keeping track: This Fighting Sioux recruiting class also included three NHL players, Jonathan Toews Chicago, Brian Lee Ottawa and T.J. Oshie St.Louis, Taylor Chorney Springfield AHL, were also members of this class that have since moved on to play in the professional ranks. The thing I like about this senior class is they are an unselfish hard working lunch pail group. It seems only fitting that this group could be rewarded with a MacNaughton Cup. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing the McNaughten Cup paraded around the REA.

Here is a pretty good description of how UND season has gone in the second half and what they are closing in on. Their first MacNaughton Cup sine 2004, and actually UND was a bounce away from going to the Frozen Four that season as well.

The Sioux (36 points) could back into the MacNaughton Cup if Denver (35 points) loses or ties to Colorado College in their single game Saturday night, but UND has no intentions of doing that.

The Sioux have been predictably on fire in the second half of the season, going 16-3-3 since the start of December and 12-1-3 in this calendar year. They haven’t lost back-to-back conference games since mid-November. (click here for the whole article)

Don Cherry on Ovechkin.

I found this story over on Puck Daddy and while Cherry's comments might be xenophobic - intense dislike and/or fear of people from other countries, Don Cherry has been on record as not being a big fan of European hockey players. Ovechkin is a Russian, I don't believe Don Cherry's comments are necessarily racist, per se.

Don Cherry is right, I do think if Ovechkin keeps up with his antics of over celebrating after a goal, eventually there will come a day when someone is lurking in the weeds to light Alex up.

For Canadian fans, he's an institution whose xenophobic Archie Bunker-lite persona is balanced with a genuine championing of hockey's grand traditions. With that in mind, I'm not stunned that we received over a dozen emails about Cherry's comments over the weekend. It's like Rush Limbaugh and the conservative movement: Just when you think the guy is on the margins, suddenly he's the torchbearer again.

The torch Cherry grabbed this weekend was that of Sidney Crosby and other players who are critical -- publicly or privately -- of Ovechkin's enthusiastic displays after goals or victories.

While the hell Cherry's catching for his views is warranted, here's the thing: Once you get past the cultural bias and subtle racism in the presentation of his argument, there's actually some validity to what Cherry actually said on "Hockey Night In Canada" about the biggest star in the NHL.

Poll Monday

USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll
March 2nd 2009
1. Boston University (44)
2. Notre Dame (6)
3. Michigan
4. Northeastern
5. Denver
6. North Dakota
7. Vermont
8. Miami
9. New Hampshire
10. Princeton
11. Yale
12. Cornell
13. Colorado College
14. Ohio State
15. St. Lawrence
16. Minnesota-Duluth
17. Minnesota
18. St. Cloud State
19. Wisconsin
20. Boston College
Others Receiving Votes: Air Force 56, Mass.-Lowell 22, RIT 16, Dartmouth 6, Minnesota State 5, Alaska 4
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USA Today
March 2, 2009

1. Boston University (26)
2. Notre Dame (8)
3. Michigan
4. Northeastern
5. Denver
6. North Dakota
7. Vermont
8. Miami
9. New Hampshire
10. Yale
11. Princeton
12. Cornell
13. St. Lawrence
14. Ohio State
15. Colorado College

The Hockey Show.

Listen to the latest episode of hockey show. I would have gotten this up earlier but I have been busy this past weekend watching high school and college hockey.

(Click here) to listen to the Hockey Show. If you have an iPod you can listen to the hockey show here->(click here) Listen to Channing Boe's account of the Brian Schack attack/incident; that is at about 41:55 minutes in. Interesting! Brian Schack was actually hitting Boe while his leg had already been broken. That is a class act.

Scores from 28 February and March 1 2009

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Atlantic Hockey
Canisius 3 at Mercyhurst 4 ot
Holy Cross 3 at Sacred Heart 4
Connecticut 2 at Bentley 2 ot
Air Force 3 at RIT 1
Army 3 at American Int'l 1

Analysis
Air Force wins the AHA tie breaker with the split at RIT.
RIT is my favorite to win the AHA tourney.

CCHA
Notre Dame 2 at Michigan State 1
Ferris State 0 at Michigan 4
Bowling Green 3 at Western Michigan 5
Miami 7 at Ohio State 5
Lake Superior 3 at Northern Michigan 4

Analysis
Notre Dame finished as the regular season champ and has a 13-2-1 record in 2009. WMU ends the season with a 5-2-1 record. Michigan remains hot as they ends 2009 with a 12-3-0 record.

CHA
Niagara 0 at Robert Morris 0 ot

ECAC
Princeton 2 at Harvard 3
Cornell 3 at Brown 2 ot
St. Lawrence 2 at Rensselaer 0
Quinnipiac 4 at Dartmouth 1
Clarkson 1 at Union 2

Analysis
Cornell went 10-6-1 after starting the season 8-1-3.

Hockey East
Northeastern 3 at Mass.-Lowell 1
Vermont 2 at Maine 1
Boston College 4 at Providence 3 ot
Merrimack 0 at New Hampshire 1
Massachusetts 2 at Boston University 7

Analysis
Boston University remained hot as they have lost one time in 2009 going
14-1-3. Cross town rival Boston College went 6-7-3 in 2009.

WCHA
Minnesota-Duluth 3 at Minnesota 5
Colorado College 4 at North Dakota 4 ot
Wisconsin 3 at Minnesota State 3 ot
St. Cloud State 2 at Denver 1 ot

Analysis
Sioux fans would like to thank the SCSU Huskies for beating the Pioneers.
I guess this week Sioux fans become Tigers fans this weekend? I cheer for two teams the Fighting Sioux and who ever is playing the dirty Minnesota Golden Gophers.

I guess this weekend I am a Real Huskies fan. Minnesota State Mankato takes three out of four points against the Badgers. Not without some controversy though. Another series and another game/series that Todd Anderson screws up big time. I think it is time for Todd Anderson to lose his job reffing in the WCHA.

Non-Conference
Alaska 0 at Alaska-Anchorage 3

Analysis
The 9th place team in the WCHA swept the 4th place team from the CCHA in a weekend series. The more impressive fact is that Fairbanks was shutout two games in a row.

Exhibition
US Under-18 Team 3 at Bemidji State 6

Sunday, March 1, 2009

ECAC
Colgate 3 at Yale 2

Analysis
Big win for Colgate as they beat the league champ Yale in overtime.

WCHA
UND 4 vs C.C. 3 ot

Analysis
The Sioux need to secure one point next weekend against the Badgers to bring home the McNaughten Cup. UND is 11-11-1 against the Badgers in the last 23 games dating back to 2002-2003. Talk about an even series.

Conference vs. 'Big 4'
AHA 11-40-5 (.241)
CCHA 24-26-9 (.483)
CHA 12-34-2 (.271)
ECACHL 20-37-4 (.361)
HEA 33-20-4 (.614)
WCHA 24-18-9 (.559)

INCH Power Rankings

March 1st 2009
1. Notre Dame
2. Boston University
3. Northeastern
4. Michigan
5. North Dakota — The Fighting Sioux, one point from winning the WCHA regular-season title, are 12-1-3 since Jan. 1. With their penchant for second-half success, maybe Dave Hakstol should schedule all 36 games after Christmas from here on out. 21-11-4 (16-6-4 WCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Colorado College, 4-4 ot; W vs. Colorado College, 4-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin
6. Denver
7. Vermont
8. Miami
9. Yale
10. Princeton
11. New Hampshire
12. Cornell
13. St. Lawrence
14. Ohio State
15. Colorado College
16. Minnesota
17. Minnesota Duluth
18. St. Cloud State
19. Boston College
20. Wisconsin

Dropped out: UMass Lowell

Bubble-licious: Air Force, RIT

I never thought I would see UND ranked so high in an INCH power rankings.

Sioux 4 Tiger 3 OT.

First off those people that were writing off the Sioux the last weekend of December or first week of January because they lost a couple of game, well ten to be exact. That is why they play the whole season. Like I said earlier this season there is no award for best record during the first half of the season. Ala Air Force. Now, Sioux fans do you believe? I never stopped believing. The Fighting Sioux started the season 5-8-1 and have gone an impressive 16-3-3 since then.

Let them eat crow

The Fighting Sioux are two points away from hanging another banner for a McNaughten Cup. Pardon me if I feel a little Giddy this afternoon. It looks a lot better than 7th place like some of the pundits had predicted. Hey Jess Meyers come over to the house lets have a beer and I will serve some crow for you. Don't worry while I don't have any Crow in my freezer I do have some PHEASANT we can grill.

Today on bus back from the Ralph I heard on the radio we found out that the Fighting Sioux have never lost a game when Darcy Zajac has scored a goal. That would be my text book definition of a big time money player.

Balanced scoring

With Joe Finley Picking up a point (assist) this weekend the Fighting Sioux now have 16 players with 10 or more points. Eight players on the Fighting Sioux have 20 or more points. With a few more points Brad Miller and Chris VVandeVelde will add to the total of player with 30 or more points. Currently there are two players with 30 points (Duncan and Genoway).

Here is the goon's what if. A few weeks ago I was called a homer for suggesting that the Sioux would win the WCHA regulars season title. Seems my prediction wasn't all that far out of line.

WCHA Final
Team GP Pts
UND 28 38
Denver 28 36
CC 28 31
UMD 28 31
UMN 28 31
UW 28 31
SCSU 28 29
Mankato 28 25
AA 28 19
MTech 28 9

Scoring/Penalties Time

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1st Period (20:00)
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NDK 1 - 0 6x6 Andrew Kozek (8) (Ryan Duncan) 10:58
NDK (+): 10,16,26,6,25,G31 CC (-): 14,2,10,7,22,G30
CC-1 Cody Lampl (2-Roughing) 10:58
NDK-1 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 10:58
NDK-2 Brad Malone (2-Interference) CC 0x1 13:40
CC-2 Gabe Guentzel (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 15:34
NDK-3 Evan Trupp (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 15:34
CC-3 Tyler Johnson (2-Elbowing) NDK 1x1 16:31
CC-4 Jake Gannon (2-Interference) NDK 1x2 16:35
NDK 2 - 0 6x4 PP Ryan Duncan (15) (Chris VandeVelde, Brett Hextall) 17:53
NDK: 16,26,29,14,5,G31 CC: 14,15,7,G30

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2nd Period (20:00)
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NDK-4 Evan Trupp (2-Tripping) CC 1x2 3:44
CC 1 - 2 6x5 PP Scott McCulloch (6) (Brian Connelly, Eric Walsky) 3:54
CC: 26,11,22,14,10,G30 NDK: 2,5,11,20,G31
NDK-5 Brad Miller (2-Boarding) CC 2x3 5:42
CC 2 - 2 6x5 PP Cody Lampl (3) (unassisted) 6:12
CC: 2,25,19,21,15,G30 NDK: 11,20,5,2,G31
NDK 3 - 2 6x6 Brett Hextall (12) (unassisted) 6:57
NDK (+): 26,10,25,16,2,G31 CC (-): 26,22,7,14,15,G30
CC-5 Brian Connelly (2-Holding) NDK 1x3 8:38
CC-6 Andreas Vlassopoulos (2-Holding) NDK 1x4 10:46
NDK-6 Andrew Kozek (2-Interference) CC 2x4 12:38
NDK-7 Zach Jones (2-Interference) CC 2x5 17:15
CC-7 Andreas Vlassopoulos (2-Hooking) NDK 1x5 18:03

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3rd Period (20:00)
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CC 3 - 3 6x6 Chad Rau (17) (Eric Walsky, Nate Prosser) 15:24
CC (+): 14,22,15,11,2,G30 NDK (-): 2,5,16,10,26,G31
NDK-8 Brett Hextall (2-Charging) CC 2x6 19:50

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Overtime (3:25)
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NDK 4 - 3 6x6 GW LL Darcy Zajac (4) (Brad Malone, Andrew Kozek) 3:25
NDK (+): 11,22,10,5,6,G31 CC (-): 14,4,10,22,26,G30

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End of Game
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The Senators send down former Sioux Brian Lee.

Former Fighting Sioux hockey player Brian Lee was sent down to Binghamton today to make room for uber sieve Martin Gerber. In a way you kind of feel for Brian Lee especially after the last game he had, I expect Lee to get called up again before the season is over.

SPORTSNET.CA –- The Ottawa Senators assigned defenceman Brian Lee to the Binghamton Senators Friday and recalled goaltender Martin Gerber.

Gerber, 34, has posted six wins and as many losses in 13 games with Birmingham this season, posting a 2.90 GAA with a .911 save percentage and one shutout.

With the Senators this season, Gerber has four wins, nine losses and an overtime loss in 14 games with a 2.86 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.

According to Sportsnet’s Ian Mendes, Alex Auld has the flu, so there is a small chance they need Gerber to back up Brian Elliott Saturday night.

He last saw action with the Senators in a 6-4 loss to the Bruins in Boston on Jan. 8.

Lee, on recall for a third time this season since Dec. 13, has two goals, nine assists and 14 penalty minutes over 36 games with the NHL club.

In 22 AHL games, the 21-year-old has one goal, eight assists, 28 penalty minutes and a +4 rating.