Oshie show Alex O how its done.

First thing that comes to mind is how would he look in a Fighting Sioux jersey this season? Oh my God! That was an amazing goal. Note to Alex Ovechkin, notice the subdued celebration, there wasn't any show boating or hot sticks. The General Manager for the St Louis Blues John Davison is looking like a genius right now. Maybe Wild general manager Doug Risebrough could take note on how a real general manager gets it done. While the Blues draft players like Oshie and Perron the Wild GM drafts players /stiffs like Benoit Pouliot, Colton Gillies and James Sheppard.

St. Louis future looks very bright and they some Great young players; T.J. Oshie, David Backes, Brad Boyes, David Perron, Patrik Berglund, I think they are going to be one of the favorites next season in the NHL. Also, the sky is the limit for the Blues because most of these kids are just coming onto the scene.

“O-SHIE! O-SHIE! O-SHIE!”
The chant was loud and clear, and deservedly so.

As if two big hits and ferocious penalty killing wasn’t enough on Thursday, Blues’ rookie T.J. Oshie captivated the crowd and stole the show with a goal that even Alex Ovechkin could admire.

With his team trailing the Vancouver Canucks by a goal early in the second period, Oshie took a pass from David Perron and danced around veteran defenseman Mattias Ohlund. Then, holding onto the puck, he drew goaltender Roberto Loungo out of position before burying a shot into the open net to even the score.

If there was ever a formula to send a sell-out crowd into a screaming frenzy, this was it.

“I just really wanted to get that,” Oshie said.

“He holds on, holds on, holds on, steps through two veteran defenseman and gets one of the best goalies down and out,” said Blues forward David Backes, who was given the impossible task by the media of trying to describe a goal that no words could describe. “Unbelievable goal by him, gets all the guys going.”
(Read the whole story here)

It's official Stoa signs.

The silly season is upon us. This is the time of the year when college hockey fans have to sit on pins and needles hoping that their favorite player doesn't sign a professional contract and leave their favorite college hockey team. It's now official Stoa signed with the AV's. I suppose Brett Hextall won't have to worry about Stoa cross checking him in the back of the head anymore.

Ryan Stoa, who led the Gophers in scoring this season, has given up his final year of eligibility to sign with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.

"When the year began I knew this was a possibility if he had a good season," Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. "He was ready physically and mentally for the pros."

Stoa, 6-3, 217 pounds, led the WCHA in scoring in conference games and was the team's captain. He had 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in WCHA play, and 24 goals and 22 assists overall.
-------------(snip)--------------
"You don't replace a guy like Ryan Stoa," said Lucia, whose team's streak of eight consecutive trips of NCAA tournament appearances was snapped this year. "Other players will have to step up and improve their play. There is no reason somebody can't go from eight to 12 goals or from five to 10. We will do it by committee. We should have a pretty balanced team next season."

Here is the latest count. While Bachman isn't official yet I can't see him turning down the money.
Early departures in the WCHA (6)

Alaska-Anchorage (1)
Paul Crowder, jr, forward

Colorado College (1)
Brian Connelly, jr, defenseman
Richard Bachman So, goalie

Minnesota (1)
Ryan Stoa, jr, forward

MSU-Mankato (1)
Trevor Bruess, jr, forward

Wisconsin (1)
Jamie McBain, jr, defenseman

Stoa gone.

Charley Walters “aka Shooter” is reporting that Minnesota forward Ryan Stoa is going to sign a professional contract with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. Personally, I can’t fault Ryan Stoa for signing a contract because he came back for a fourth year after sitting out his junior year with a knee injury and has probably accomplished everything he can at the collegiate level. Now we can still look at him as the villain because he will be playing for the hated Avalanche. This probably shouldn't come a surprise to anyone.

As expected, Gophers junior forward Ryan Stoa has agreed to a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, for two years, and won't be returning to the University of Minnesota hockey team for his senior season.

The deal is worth the maximum $850,000 per season as allowed by the league's labor agreement if he plays in the NHL. If Stoa plays in the minor leagues, he'll be paid the maximum $65,000 per season.

Stoa, who is from Bloomington, was on his way this morning to Denver, where he'll take a physical and return home Saturday.

Stoa, a junior who is a senior academically but sat out one season after knee surgery, is the first underclassman to leave the Gophers this season.

"It was his decision," Ryan's dad, Kevin, told Pioneer Press beat reporter Bruce Brothers. "It just went my so fast, we hardly had time to blink."

The Gophers have lost a number of top underclassmen to the pros in recent years, including Blake Wheeler, Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Alex Goligoski, Danny Irmen, Ryan Potulny and Phil Kessel.

"I've always said, you have to be physically ready and mentally ready, and I think he is," Gophers coach Don Lucia told Brothers, likening Stoa's signing to Wheeler's last summer after his junior season.

Stoa led the Gophers in goals (24) and points (46) this season.

Bruce Brothers contributed to this report.

Early departures; Bachman a Star?

You have to wonder if this is going to be a long off season for underclassmen departures. Looks like you can add Bachman to the list. I don't think anyone should be shocked by this early departure because Marty Turco has kind of stunk it up down in Dallas.

Bachman close to signing: Stars goalie prospect Richard Bachman is close to agreeing to terms on a standard three-year rookie contract. The 21-year-old Bachman was taken 120th overall in the 2006 entry draft and has spent the last two seasons at Colorado College.

He went 25-9-1 with a 1.95 GAA and was named a first-team All-Star for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association last season. This year, he played in front of a less experienced team and went 14-11-10 with a 2.63 GAA.

If Bachman signs, he will forego the final two years of college eligibility and will probably play in the AHL or the ECHL next season.

So if we are keeping score I suppose we can go ahead and update the list. Here is what we have so far as early departures.
Early departures in the WCHA (5)

Alaska-Anchorage (1)
Paul Crowder, jr, forward

Colorado College (2)
Brian Connelly, jr, defenseman
Richard Bachman So, goaltender

MSU-Mankato (1)
Trevor Bruess, jr, forward

Wisconsin (1)
Jamie McBain, jr, defenseman

NCAA Playoff Linkorama

Here are a couple of things that I found on line pretaining to UND Fighting Sioux hockey. Here is what Bruce Ciskie had to say about UND.

2. North Dakota Fighting Sioux (24-14-4)Western Collegiate Hockey Association --- At-large bid

A week ago, North Dakota looked almost unstoppable, as they entered the WCHA Final Five on a 15-2-3 run. The Sioux were tripped up in St. Paul, however, losing twice and scoring only one goal in the two games. Did this sudden slump happen at the right time, or is it a precursor to an early exit? History suggests the Fighting Sioux will be just fine, as they have been to four straight Frozen Fours.

Team Leaders
F Ryan Duncan, 19-19-38; D Brad Miller, 6-29-35; G Brad Eidsness, 24-11-4, 2.47, .908 saves

NHL Fans Should Watch
UND has two freshmen - Jason Gregoire (N.Y. Islanders) and Brett Hextall (Phoenix) - who have developed into offensive threats. They skate as wingers on Duncan's line. Gregoire is more of a skill player, while Hextall is an absolute pest who possesses a ton of skill to go with it. He's a fearless player who probably needs to cut back on his penalty minutes (team-high 91 this season).

Under The Radar
Duncan won a Hobey Baker Award two years ago, and has proceeded to not be a finalist either of the last two seasons. He's averaged over a point per game in his four years at UND. Duncan is undersized, has a huge heart, and will score goals at any level.

Fun Fact
An incredible eight current North Dakota players have relatives who played for the Fighting Sioux (talk about building a legacy). Included in that are Darcy Zajac, brother of current New Jersey Devil Travis, and David Toews, whose brother Jonathan is captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Goon's World was linked up today by master blogger Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy. Unforunately he got it wrong by saying that UND didn't make the cut because the Fighting Sioux are a two seed in the North East Regional.

Although the Fighting Sioux didn't make the cut, Goon's World remains one of our primary sources for great college hockey news and analysis.

Here is what the Hoover Street Rag had to say about the UND Fighting Sioux.

One of the WCHA's traditional powers, the Fighting Sioux built off last season's Frozen Four appearance by winning MacNaughton Cup, awarded to the WCHA's regular season title for the first time since 2003-04. This was a dramatic change from the three game losing skid to open the season, which included a 5-1 drubbing by Boston University in the season opener. Standing 5-8-1 at the end of November, the Sioux put together a nice four game run in early December, only to bottom out with a fourth place finish at the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, losing to Michigan State and Michigan Tech. This down point was combined with the loss of senior defenseman Joe Finley, who had missed two months due to the lingering effects of a concussion.

But, in classic North Dakota fashion, the Sioux have rallied in the second half of the season to put themselves right in the mix of the NCAA playoff picture. In the 19games since 2009 began, the Sioux have won 14, against two losses (to Saint Cloud and Wisconsin) and three ties. The Sioux's defense is not their hallmark, but they also clearly score enough goals to make you pay for any lapses they may have on the blue line. The return of Finley, a first round NHL pick, has galvanized the leadership positions of the team while providing stability on defense. North Dakota's WCHA playoff run in Minneapolis, however, hit the stellar goaltending of Minnesota-Duluth's Alex Stalock, sending the Sioux to the consolation game.

Mary-Ann is back. (John Scott Fight Video)

Well Marian Gaborik is giving us a taste of what we were missing while he was out with his hip/lower body injury. Since Marian's long over due return from yet another extended injury Gabby has played very well, during those three games he has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points.

In a way I am torn because while I want the Wild to do good, however, I can't help but think that Gabby won't be back after playing all of those years for the Minnesota Wild. I guess you could say that Marian is playing hard and finally back on the ice so he can sign his next big contract. Most of us have pretty much accepted the fact that it probably won't be as a Wild player. (second goal of the night for Gaborik)

During last night game there was a nice scrap by former MTU Husky John Scott as he faced off against Islanders goon Joel Rechlicz. I am hoping that John Scott stays on with the Wild because he can fight and play defense and he isn't as one dimensional as the Boogey man. (Click here for the Fight Video)

Tuukka Rask snaps.

This is the latest snap that everyone in hockey is talking about. Tuukka Rask is the goalie of the future for the Boston Bruins. Funny thing is that Rask was not suspended for his antics on the ice. You have to wonder if the same clowns that run the WCHA are also running the AHL.

Boston Bruins prospect Tuukka Rask won't be suspended for his meltdown after Friday's AHL Providence game against the Albany River Rats.

Rask, the Bruins' top goaltending prospect, went ballistic after a 1-0 shootout loss. He was outraged that referee Frederic L'Ecuyer for allowing goals by two Albany players during the shootout.

Video of the incident made the airwaves Tuesday. In it, Rask screams at L'Ecuyer, smashes his stick against the goal's crossbar, then against the glass next to the Providence bench and tosses a crate onto the ice.
Coach Rob Murray told the Providence Journal on Tuesday the AHL said Rask would not be suspensed. A fine remains a possibility

Beavers shooting for the moon.

Here was an interesting story in the Red Star and sickle about the Bemidji State Beavers. Having attended BSU they're my sentimental favorite in the NCAA tourney. I don't know if we will see the Beavers Holy Cross Notre Dame or not, but it would be a nice story if it happens. You also have to wonder if one of the top seeds that everyone penciling into the Final game fo the Frozen Four is going to get knocked off. That is why we play the games.

Bemidji State is trying to join college hockey's elite and beat them at the same time.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Beavers' new 4,000-seat arena on Lake Bemidji will be held April 3. By the time it opens in 2011, school officials hope that the Beavers will be members of the WCHA, arguably the best of the six NCAA Division I conferences.

Whether the WCHA accepts the Beavers' application is out of the school's control. What is in the Beavers' hands is the chance to be a giant-slayer this weekend in the NCAA tournament. Bemidji State (18-15-1) and Notre Dame, the No. 2 overall seed, will meet for the first time on Saturday at the Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Irish (31-5-3) were national runners-up a year ago, but the Beavers should be ready. "We are battle-tested," said coach Tom Serratore, whose team is the lowest seed in the 16-team field.
(read the rest of the story here)

Spirit Lake Tribe to vote on Fighting Sioux name.

While I applaud the effort. I just think it's a little too late and isn't going to make a difference. The only way it will make a difference is if the members of the Standing Rock Tribe are allowed to vote on UND using the Fighting Sioux nick name as well. That will not happen because Ron His Horse Thunder will not allow the Standing Rock tribe to vote on the Fighting Sioux nick name issue. I believe the name will be gone and that the University of North Dakota will cave to pressure from P.C. groups, this is a perfect example of what happens when Liberalism and political correctness runs a muck. The Basketball and Football teams needs a conference to play in and some look at the Fighting Sioux Nick Name as being an impediment to them getting into a conference. Oh yeah! The University is going to give up our storied Fighting Sioux nick name so we can play in a second rate conference (not even a mid major)like the Summit.

Group: Tribe OKs Sioux nickname on April ballot
By: Tu-Uyen Tran, Grand Forks Herald --- UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname will be on the ballot in the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation primary elections in April, a member of the committee trying to save the nickname said Wednesday.

Eunice Davidson said the Tribal Council approved the signatures her group collected.

The group will be campaigning and reminding tribal members to vote, she said.

A legal settlement between UND and the NCAA requires the university to win approval from the Spirit Lake tribe and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to retain the nickname. UND would otherwise have to begin phasing out the nickname by Nov. 30, 2010. The NCAA said the nickname is “hostile and abusive.”

Jamie McBain signing with Carolina.

DPlaya is reporting that Junior defenseman (7g-30a-37pts)is going to sign a professional contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. That is a big loss for the Badgers if it is true.

DPlaya ---- 3/25/2009Hockey in Wisconsin has learned that WCHA Player of the Year Jamie McBain signed a professional contract with Carolina last night. As far as I can tell, this news has not yet been released by any official sources or traditional media outlets.

At today's team meeting where McBain's contract was revealed, all other Badger players indicated that they expect to return to the Badgers, meaning the team currently expects a whopping 29 players on it's roster next season (18 forwards, 9 defensemen & 2 goalies). According to my source, it is nearly inevitable that a number of players will transfer, remain in junior hockey or choose to play elsewhere due to the logjam of players on the roster. Stay tuned for an interesting Summer of Badger hockey action....I'll do my best to bring you the details as they unfold.

Watkins still doubtful

According to Brad's blog Matt Watkins is doubtful for this weekend's regional but they are going to do everything they can to get him playing. Matt Watkins is a major cog on the team and kills penalties and is a great leader on the ice. I hate leg checks I have seen them end the career of one of my favorite hockey players and I think that Lamb should have been given a game for his leg check on Watkins. I guess if his name was Bruess he would have been given a game.

The main news you are all probably wondering about is forward Matt Watkins. Coach Dave Hakstol said that he didn't have any new updates on Watkins and that the situation is still the same was it was on Saturday. On Saturday, Hakstol said that Watkins was doubtful to play in the regionals, but they were going to "work like hell" to get him ready. The fact that UND plays on Saturday instead of Friday has to help a little bit. Watkins is on the ice, as you would expect

.

Cal Clutterbuck vs Sean Avery

Last night game between the Minnesota Wild and The New York Rangers was well a snorer. Minnesota Wild pop icon Cal Clutterbuck took on Sean "Sloppy Seconds" Avery in a good bout. Notice to Don Cherry Clutterbuck took off his helmet before the fight.

Also, I have to give Owen Nolan credit for taking on one of the toughest goons in the NHL Colton Orr.

Force to play in Grafton and Grand Forks, ND.

I just got this message from Whitney Baumgartner through my face book and this would be good news if wasn't for the fact that our friends in Fargo are fighting to save their city.

Due to the flooding in the Fargo-Moorhead area as well as surrounding areas, the Fargo Force games have been moved to Grafton Centennial Center in Grafton, ND on Friday night at 7:05 PM vs. the Tri-City Storm and Saturday's game to be played at Purpur Arena in Grand Forks, ND-tentative time to be at 7:45 PM.

Addresses for both arenas are listed in the updated event for this weekend. Due to the change of venues, the Pink the Rink event has been POSTPONED until Friday, April 3rd vs. the Omaha Lancers.

UND by the numbers.

Here are a few things from the UND press release. I highlighted the things that jump out at me the most, UND power play has been abysmal, horrible and frankly it's just unacceptable that it has failed this bad as of late. I am hoping the coaches make adjustments to the power play has to get better or they won't make it out of the first game let alone the bracket.

~UND in the NCAA Postseason: The Fighting Sioux are making their seventh straight NCAA postseason appearance, the third-longest active streak in the nation behind only Michigan (19) and New Hampshire (nine).

~It is the 24th all-time NCAA appearance for the Fighting Sioux, who have a nation’s-best .678 postseason winning percentage (40-19).

~UND Against the Field: The Sioux are 4-4-2 against this year’s NCAA 16-team field: 2-0-0 vs. Bemidji State; 0-1-0 vs. Boston University; 1-1-0 vs. Cornell; 1-1-0 vs. Denver; and 0-2-1 vs. Minnesota Duluth.

~UND’s last action: The Fighting Sioux went 0-2 last weekend at the WCHA Final Five, losing 3-0 to eventual champion Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals on Friday and 4-1 to Wisconsin in Saturday’s third-place game.

It was the first time UND has ever gone 0-2 at the conference tournament. It also marked the first time the Sioux dropped back-to-back games since Dec. 27-28 at the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit.

~The Sioux power-play went 0-for-14 last weekend at the conference tournament, going 0-for-5 Friday against UMD and 0-for-9 Saturday against UW. Saturday’s 0-for-9 performance against the Badgers represented UND’s most power-play chances without a goal this season.

~UND is 4-for-51 (7.8 percent) on the power-play over its last eight games.

Maturi supports Don Lucia.

If you read the various message boards and newspaper articles around the blogsphere you will see that there are a lot of Gopher fans unhappy with the current direction of the Golden Gopher's hockey team. Don't expect any major changes at the top, yesterday Gopher athletics director Joel Maturi gave Don Lucia his support.

"Of course I'm not happy with the direction of the program. No one is," he said Tuesday.

But Maturi contends that missing the NCAA tournament by a hair and ending a streak of eight consecutive NCAA berths for the Gophers is only temporary.

"I think I'm involved enough with the sport and knowledgeable enough about the sport that I'm not in panic mode," he said. "I think we'll be back in the hunt next year."

Asked if coach Don Lucia, who has two national championships in 10 seasons at Minnesota, still is the man to lead the Gophers back to national prominence, Maturi hesitated for only an instant.

"In my opinion, yes," he said.
(Read the whole story here)

Booze for Tickets.

Kyle from the illegal curve had this posted, heck I would buy a 1.75 of Smirnoff for a free NHL ticket, even if it is the Yotes. It is a shame that the Phoenix Coyotes have been run into the ground after leaving Winnipeg. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Coyotes.

Ruegsegger might play this weekend.

I have been following this story via the Denver post hockey blog and it appears that DU forward Tyler Ruegsegger is going to do everything and anything in his power to play in this weekend's regional down in Minneapolis. Originally it was announced that he was out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. As a hockey fan you have to admire his grit and effort. Kind of reminds me of the Wild's Andrew Brunette who is playing with an is playing on at least a partially torn right ACL. If the Pioneers have both Bozek and Ruegsegger they are substantially a much better hockey team and really tough to beat.

Meanwhile, junior center Tyler Ruegsegger surprisingly participated in some practice drills Tuesday, donning full equipment and an orange “no crush” sweater. Ruegsegger’s season was deemed over when he partially tore a ligament in his right knee on March 13 against Alaska-Anchorage.

“We’ve been working really hard with rehab and I’m wearing a custom brace right now that helps stabilize it,” said Ruegsegger, who is tied for the team lead with 15 goals, including a team-high 12 on the power play. “We originally thought 4-6 weeks, and it still might be that time, but it doesn’t feel too bad . . . I’m definitely happy with the way rehab is going so far.”
(Read the whole story here)

WCHA third place game to remain.

This is some good news; the third place game of the Final Five will remain for the forseeable future. Personally, I think this is a very good thing for college hockey fans. I love the final Five because it give you a chance to see other teams from the WCHA and it gives you five games in three days.

The WCHA has two more years on its contract with the Xcel. ”Next year already, we will begin the process of renegotiating the contract,” McLeod said.

One topic brought up at the postgame press conference after the third-place game was whether to keep playing it.

There is no third-place game in several of the conference tournaments. This year Wisconsin’s 4-1 victory over North Dakota in that game almost was enough to get the Badgers in the NCAA tournament. They just missed being the last at-large team, edged out by Ohio State.

McLeod said the third-place game is going to remain for the forseeable future.

“We’ve debated it since the get-go, whether it hurts or helps more,” McLeod said. “I don’t have the answer. It almost got Wisconsin in. It’s always something we talk about. Let’s be honest, there’s a financial factor, so it depends on whether you talk to coaches or athletic directors.”

North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said his team didn’t need to play in third-place game this year. The Sioux were already assured a spot in the NCAA tournament. In other years, when his team needed an extra win, Hakstol said, he might want another game. (read the rest of the article here)

The latest Hockey show.

I know it is a little late but I just got around to listening to it Hockey Show that was on the 20th of March. Click here to listen to an awesome Hockey show (Click here to listen to the show on the Web site) (Click here for the iTunes version).



Here is the latest from the Hockey Show.

At 13:00 in: BSU Coach Tom Serratore talks about college hockey is a grind, there is no tougher sport than major college hockey, season starts in October and if you go to the Frozen Four your season ends on April 10th. We travel all over North America. There are three seasons in one, Time in the season you can't do anything right, there is a time in the season where everything is clicking, then there is a time that your 50/50.

At 20:00 in to the podcast WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod talks with Moose Richards about the WCHA and a few of the issues they had on the ice this season. Some interesting stuff here, one point really made my blood boil. They talked about the Mankato game and Channing Boe getting injured.

McLeod said the Mankato game was not a good game; McLeod was at the game a lot of things started to happen in that game that just got away from everybody. Channing had a faux pas right before he got hurt he got a checking from behind penalty and that is a real, real no no. A penalty was going to be called. One of the Minnesota players took objection and kind of grabbed him from behind and in the melee it wasn't the action of the Minnesota player I can't tell you how he actually broke his leg.

First off; Bruce you kind of missed a major point there. You glossed over the Todd Bertuzzi style attack by Schack on Channing Boe that in my opinion is WAY more serious than a checking from behind penalty. Also, I am not saying that checking from behind isn't a serious offense because it is, however, when the league allowed a player to get away with a gutless act like Schack did and to only give him one game DQ for jumping a fellow competator and beating him with your gloves and helmet on your opponent was laying on the ice in a vulnerable position can not be allowed to happen. Boe could fight back and was being attacked while his leg had already been broken is a horrible situation.

Expansion was talked about at 30:40 minutes in. McLeod didn't reveal any other schools other than BSU that has indicated that they are going to apply for membership; they are evaluating what they want to do with their programs in the futures. There is a degree of interest from other schools. It would be interesting to see who the other schools. McLeod wouldn’t reveal who they were since they are still playing in other conferences. So I wonder if we can assume UNO, NMU, UAH are the schools that interested?

Final USCHO and 1997 similar to 2009...

Final USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll
March 23, 2009

Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Boston University (27) 31- 6-4 977 2
2 Notre Dame (23) 31- 5-3 973 1
3 Michigan 29-11-0 882 3
4 Denver 23-11-5 832 4
5 Yale 24- 7-2 803 7
6 Northeastern 25-11-4 727 5
7 North Dakota 24-14-4 661 6
8 Minnesota-Duluth 21-12-8 621 17
9 Cornell 21- 9-4 578 9
10 Princeton 22-11-1 541 8
11 Vermont 20-11-5 506 10
12 New Hampshire 19-12-5 465 11
13 Miami 20-12-5 399 12
14 Ohio State 23-14-4 243 18
15 St. Lawrence 21-12-5 239 14
16 Mass.-Lowell 20-16-2 228 19
17 Wisconsin 20-16-4 201 16
18 Air Force 27-10-2 192 NR
19 Minnesota 17-13-7 175 13
20 Boston College 18-14-5 150 15
Others Receiving Votes: Colorado College 44,
Bemidji State 26, Northern Michigan 25, Alaska 9,
St. Cloud State 2, Dartmouth 1

1997 similar to 2009?

I was talking to someone before this years Final Five; and I said that I think this year seems a lot like 1997. In 1997 there was a dominant team in college hockey that was heads and tails above everyone else.

To take a page from Brendan Morrison's book the best team doesn't always win. Hence, the Michigan Wolverines then went out and got beat by the Boston University Terriers in the semis of the Frozen Four.

The Fighting Sioux then turned around and beat the Terriers in the next game two nights later. This year Boston University appears to be an unbeatable foe that no one might be able to touch, they have all of the pieces to the puzzle. Like 1997 the Sioux again have won the MacNaughten Cup and have another team with a good mix of role players and good young talent. This years Fighting Sioux has another daunting task ahead of them, Boston University, if the Sioux can beat the Wildcats they will get a chance to play the hockey Goliath. I see no way OSU beats the Terriers.

There is also a flood forecasted for this spring just like 1997 as well. The Fargo Forum and the Grand Forks Herald have their flood cams up (Fargo Forum flood cam) (Grand Forks Herald Flood Cam)

Mom says J.P. will play...

I thought this story was interesting and in a way kind of funny. Denver defenseman and student-athlete of the year in the WCHA J.P. Testwuide will play, mom says he will be fine. Hey you can't argue with the mom...

Gwozdecky said Sunday he hasn’t talked to Testwuide or the training staff about his leg injury, and sorry to say, I have no update today. J.P. (Testwuide) had class until 4 p.m. and I had to split to pick up my son. If you think “mama knows best,” assume J.P. will play. Janet Testwuide told me her son is going to be fine. I’ll be at practice Tuesday and update then.
(Click here for the full article)

A couple of things from INCH

Here are a couple of things that caught my eye that was written by Jess Meyers of INCH. First off, all I can say is come on Jess. There were a few of us that took exception respectfully with what you have written about our favorite team.

I don't think anyone has been overly rude on this blog towards your predictions. Second what do people expect Finley to do in that situation, he just clobbered Jordy Murray with a awesome, clean legal hit and Blake Geoffrion wants to challenge Finley to a fight. If I was Finley in that situation, I wouldn't let someone attack me after I hit one their teammates with a legal check. I suppose it's North Dakota's fault. Right? Lucky for Geoffrion the refs rescued him before he got himself hurt. LOL...

+ We’ve ribbed them, and a few of them have ripped INCH repeatedly, but here’s a deserving shout-out to Fighting Sioux fans for traveling in such numbers and making so much noise this weekend. Love them or loathe them, their passion makes the tournament’s atmosphere more fun.

Applause for a nice fashion trend we’ve seen at the rinks recently - pink hockey sweaters (we saw sharp-looking North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth versions on Saturday) designed for female fans. A portion of the proceeds from their sale goes to fight breast cancer. As the Sandelin family can attest, that’s a very worthy cause.

While there were plenty of empty seats on the upper level, Xcel Energy Center officials tell us they were within a few hundred tickets of an official sellout on Saturday. Nice work, ticket-buyers in snapping up more than 82,000 seats over the weekend, and so much for those fears that no Gophers equals no crowd.
----------
- North Dakota’s power play was 0-for-9 on Saturday and 0-for-14 on the weekend. “We’ve been streaky on the power play all season, and this was a bad streak for us,” Hakstol said.

After a hard check late in the third-place game, North Dakota defenseman Joe Finley looked very much like a man who wanted to fight Wisconsin’s Blake Geoffrion. We’re all for defending your turf and whatnot, but getting tossed and possibly disqualified for your team’s NCAA opener is a low-percentage play.

Ovechkin scores number 50

Check out the video Former Fighting Sioux defenseman Matt Smaby was on the ice when Alex Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season. I think the celebration by Ovechkin was a little over the top and maybe he should act like he's been there before. We has 50 times this season.

Matt Watkins interview on Hockey Buzz.

Julie Robenhymer from Hockey Buzz interviewed Matt Watkins Some good stuff here and Watty's opinion on who should be the next host of Miller Time.

Here is what Julie had to say about the UND Fighting Sioux and the fan support at the Xcel. Pretty accurate assessment of this past weekend.

In the second semifinal, the Bulldogs took on the Fighting Sioux, who's fans showed up in full force. No joke, you might have thought this tournament was being held in Grand Forks there was so much green in the crowd. Too bad it didn't help the Sioux as the crowd was taken out of the game early on a big time boo boo by their goaltender, Brad Eidsness. He went behind the net to corral the puck coming around the boards and then left it there for his defenseman and skated around the long way to the front of the net, but was unaware of McGreggor Sharp, who has been Johnny on the Spot for the Bulldogs this weekend, coming up around the other side who scooped up the puck and tapped it into an essentially empty net. Did I mention that was shorthanded?? The Sioux finally got their act together in the middle of the second and started playing to their potential, but Stalock put up another solid performance and didn't let anything by as the Bulldogs advanced to the Championship Game.

Wow, Bulldogs make history.

A few weeks back after the Bulldogs had lost five games in a row and one of the local Duluth writers; Howie Hanson had wrote a scathing hit piece on the Bulldog hockey team and their coach. The article as called ANOTHER BULLDOGS MELTDOWN After reading this drive by shooting by Howie Hanson I wrote this blog post in response to Howie Hanson's ridiculous premature blog post.

The quote that is posted below, is the part that really struck a nerve cord with me. If you fast forward to this weekend Howie's hit piece was basically ruled to be irrelevant and a premature panic attack. Who could writtem this story any better than Scott Sandelin’s scrappy Bulldog team. UMD because the first play in game winner to win the Final Five, yeah I guess the WCHA was closer this season than you thought. Maybe those 9th place Seawolves weren't as bad as you made them out to be.

Competing for fifth-place and a home ice series in the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs in the final weekend, UMD’s once-proud program sunk to perhaps the most pitiful low in Coach Scott Sandelin’s mostly unproductive tenure last weekend — when the poorly-prepared Bulldogs lost twice at home to (drum roll, please) the mighty, ninth-place Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves.

This is the response that I wrote to Howie's blog post. I guess I was pretty close on my prediction eh? The Bulldogs winning the Final Five from the play in game is definitely one of the Cinderella sports moments.

To taking a quote out of the sports cliches' it isn't over until the fat lady sings. Hey Howie, the season isn't over for the Bulldogs, not yet anyways. Why don't you let the games play out first. In case you haven't noticed the Bulldogs get to play C.C. in the Springs this weekend where they have a record of 1-0-1 against the Tigers this year. Personally, I would wait till the end of the season before you start kicking dirt on the Bulldogs season.

You have to wonder if this guy followed the rest of the WCHA very closely because seeding for the WCHA playoffs were not really decided until the last hours of the season. Maybe he should stick to high school hockey. Seriously, who is to say the Bulldogs don't go to Colorado College beat the Tigers in two or three games and get to the Final Five? UMD is also ranked 17th in Pair Wise Rankings so a series win in Colorado Springs and a couple of games in St Paul could put them into the NCAA tourney. During the 2005-2006 season the UMD Bulldogs were 11-25-4 and went to DU and won a WCHA playoff series against the Pioneers in Denver.

The answer to the question was.

To the fellow Sioux fan that wanted to bet me a $1000.00 that tried to convince me that Rory Mcmahon had fought Matt Demarchi. I knew he was wrong, I just couldn't remember that it was in fact Mike Vannelli, I remember this triva fact this morning when I woke up. I wish I would have taken this guys money.

Putting the final touches on the Final Five.

I have been going to the Final Five for ten years (1999) since it was held at the Target Center and this was the best time that I have had of my ten trips to St. Paul. Sioux7 and I were three for three, we closed three bars in three nights and we had fun doing it. McGovern’s (Thursday night), Tom Reid’s (Friday Night) and the Liffey's (Saturday Night). This is what the Final Five is all about; fellowship with your fellow fans, it's not about getting in people’s faces, the final five is about socializing and cheering our teams on, and hanging out with friends.

The Final Five is about ringing in the spring and the beginning of the end to the college hockey season for another season. As our teams are eliminated we sit on pins and needles and wonder if our favorite player is going to go pro or not.
In my opinion the Michigan Tech fans are the MVP of the weekend, while their team was not in St. Paul they were there in full force representing their University.

Sandy is King

Anyone that doubted Scott Sandelin before this weekend; all I can say is, how do you like him now? I know a few of the UMD fans were ready to make a change and getting antsy. The Bulldogs were the first team to win a Final Five from the Play in game. That is an impressive feat, it just doesn't happen very often. The Bulldogs gave up one (1) goal in three games. That is unprecedented, that just doesn't happen very often.

Here is the latest Bracketology from Jason Moy, it will be interesting to see if his prediction are on or not. There will be three WCHA teams UND, DU and UMD. There will be no Wisconsin Badgers, no SCSU Huskies and no Minnesota Golden Gophers in this year's NCAA tourney.

Midwest Regional:

Bemidji State vs. Notre Dame
Princeton vs. Northeastern

West Regional:

Miami vs. Denver
Cornell vs. Minnesota-Duluth

East Regional:

Air Force vs. Michigan
Vermont vs. Yale

Northeast Regional:

Ohio State vs. Boston University
New Hampshire vs. North Dakota

Badgers 4 Sioux 1

Today's effort was disappointing because we failed to show up and the Badgers handed it to us. Also, I am disappointed with the power play which was abysmal, pathetic and listless. We need remind a few of the players that when you put on the Fighting Sioux it means something. Losing two games at the final five is unacceptable and not a good way to launch the team into the NCAA playoffs.

I also think it is bushleague that a Blake Geoffrion would go after a Finley after Joe hit Jordy Murray with a clean a legal text book hit. Come on what a bush league move. Some Badger fan sitting next to me said that Finley is the Sioux version of Ryan Flynn. I told him what do you expect big Joe to do? Just let the guy attack him.

***I didn't bring my camera but will post some pictures later.


Box Score
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1st Period (20:00)
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NDK 1 - 0 6x6 Ryan Duncan (19) (Jason Gregoire, Brett Hextall) 7:45
NDK (+): 16,17,26,14,24,G31 WIS (-): 16,24,14,3,7,G35
WIS-1 Blake Geoffrion (2-Roughing) 10:16
WIS-2 Blake Geoffrion (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) NDK 0x1 10:16
NDK-1 Joe Finley (2-Roughing) 10:16
WIS-3 Jamie McBain (2-Cross-Checking) 10:57
NDK-2 Brett Hextall (2-Slashing) 10:57
NDK-3 Matt Frattin (2-Holding) WIS 0x1 14:20
WIS-4 Ryan McDonagh (2-Interference) NDK 0x2 18:41
NDK-4 Ryan Duncan (2-Tripping) WIS 0x2 19:28

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2nd Period (20:00)
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WIS 1 - 1 6x6 Andy Bohmbach (10) (Ben Grotting, Craig Johnson) 3:37
WIS (+): 11,14,5,3,7,G35 NDK (-): 24,21,14,22,29,G31
WIS-5 Blake Geoffrion (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) NDK 0x3 4:31
WIS-6 Brendan Smith (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 6:16
NDK-5 Matt Frattin (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 6:16
WIS 2 - 1 6x6 GW LL Jordy Murray (7) (Michael Davies) 8:28
WIS (+): 18,9,19,21,7,G35 NDK (-): 16,17,6,25,26,G31
NDK-6 Darcy Zajac (2-Holding) WIS 0x3 8:41
WIS-7 Jake Gardiner (2-Hooking) NDK 0x4 11:16
WIS-8 Brendan Smith (2-Holding) NDK 0x5 15:29
NDK-7 Matt Frattin (2-Slashing) WIS 1x4 18:04
WIS 3 - 1 6x5 PP Brendan Smith (9) (Blake Geoffrion, Jamie McBain) 19:15
WIS: 7,5,2,9,21,G35 NDK: 6,25,22,17,G31

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3rd Period (20:00)
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NDK-8 Ben Blood (2-Interference) WIS 1x5 3:48
WIS-9 Blake Geoffrion (2-Hooking) NDK 0x6 4:08
WIS-10 Aaron Bendickson (2-Tripping) NDK 0x7 5:18
WIS-11 Patrick Johnson (2-Hooking) NDK 0x8 9:49
WIS-12 Cody Goloubef (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x9 12:30
NDK-9 Brad Miller (2-Hooking) WIS 1x6 14:27
NDK-10 Chay Genoway (2-Interference) WIS 2x7 15:20
Timeout - Wisconsin 15:20
WIS 4 - 1 6x5 PP Jordy Murray (8) (Andy Bohmbach, Brendan Smith) 17:04
WIS: 18,11,7,17,21,G35 NDK: 6,25,22,11,G31
WIS-13 Blake Geoffrion (2-Roughing) 18:38
WIS-14 Blake Geoffrion (2-Cross-Checking) 18:38
WIS-15 Blake Geoffrion (10-Misconduct) 18:38
NDK-11 Joe Finley (2-Roughing) 18:38
NDK-12 Joe Finley (2-Cross-Checking) 18:38
NDK-13 Joe Finley (10-Misconduct) 18:38

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End of Game
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Much fun to be had.

Went to Tom Reids in St. Paul tonight after the game and ran into some neat people and my buddies met Julie Robenhymer from hockey buzz. Julie was a lot fun to talk to and knows her hockey really well.

Also had the opportunity to meet Jess Meyers from INCH. I told Jess that I forgave him on his seventh place prediction for UND.

Also, all the refs showed up at Tom Reids to night as well, no we didn't engage them.

UMD 3 UND 0

Cue the cliche' the Fighting Sioux ran into a smoking hot goalie tonight, nothing you can do but congratulate Stalock and have him take a bow. In talking with Sioux7 tonight I don't think UND played all that bad and I thought UND carried the play once they got going. The Sioux has to be better on the power play especially when they get handed a 5 minute power play.

Brad Eidsness needs to be more careful with the puck. That being said I can't remember the last time I saw a goalie leave the puck for opposition to have him beat the goalie back to the net and score.


BOX SCORE
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1st Period (20:00)
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MND-1 BENCH (2-TOO MANY PLAYERS ON ICE) (Served by Justin Fontaine) NDK 0x1 4:53
MND 1 - 0 5x6 SH GW LL MacGregor Sharp (22) (unassisted) 5:10
MND (+): 18,22,14,26,G32 NDK (-): 26,14,25,16,29,G31
MND-2 Brady Lamb (2-Roughing) 7:05
NDK-1 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 7:05
MND 2 - 0 5x5 Mike Montgomery (2) (Josh Meyers, Justin Fontaine) 7:41
MND (+): 24,17,37,12,G32 NDK (-): 20,22,6,25,G31
NDK-2 Chay Genoway (2-Holding) MND 0x1 11:33
NDK-3 Zach Jones (2-Interference) MND 0x2 15:20

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2nd Period (20:00)
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NDK-4 Ryan Duncan (2-Slashing) MND 0x3 0:36
MND-3 Brady Lamb (5-Kneeing) NDK 0x2 4:33
MND-4 Chad Huttel (2-Hooking) NDK 0x3 14:54
MND-5 Michael Gergen (2-Slashing) NDK 0x4 17:32
MND-6 Andrew Carroll (2-Roughing) 20:00
NDK-5 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 20:00

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3rd Period (20:00)
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MND-7 Mike Connolly (2-Slashing) 5:00
NDK-6 Ryan Duncan (2-Interference) 5:00
MND-8 Brady Lamb (2-High-Sticking) NDK 0x5 7:16
NDK-7 Chay Genoway (2-Slashing) MND 0x4 9:47
NDK-8 Joe Finley (2-Roughing) MND 0x5 15:26
MND 3 - 0 6x6 EN Mike Connolly (12) (MacGregor Sharp, Jay Cascalenda) 18:07
MND (+): 22,18,14,19,17,G32 NDK (-): 29,16,5,14,17,26

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End of Game
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DU 3 Wisconsin 0

It was a fitting end for the Wisconsin Badgers, this time the Denver Pioneers got sweet revenge on their hated rivals that had held a 11-0 record against them in the playoffs. The Pioneers returned the favor from last springs west regional in Madison Wisconsin. This time it was the Pioneers that ended the Wisconsin Badgers playoff hopes.

The score of today's game was 3-0. For the most part the Denver Pioneers kept the Badgers shots to the outside and didn't allow them space between the dots. This afternoon's game turned out to be a relatively uneventful game and the fans were given little cheer about. Wisconsin scored a goal with about two minutes left to go in the game but it was ruled that the puck was kicked in with a skate.

Box Score
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1st Period (20:00)
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WIS-1 Andy Bohmbach (2-Slashing) DEN 0x1 11:07
DEN 1 - 0 6x6 GW LL Brian Gifford (4) (unassisted) 15:20
DEN (+): 22,8,27,11,7,G1 WIS (-): 12,17,18,10,27,G35
DEN-1 Rhett Rakhshani (2-Holding) WIS 0x1 15:34

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2nd Period (20:00)
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DEN 2 - 0 6x6 Kyle Ostrow (14) (Luke Salazar, Patrick Mullen) 13:40
DEN (+): 19,18,7,12,6,G1 WIS (-): 16,2,24,19,14,G35
DEN-2 J.P. Testwuide (2-Holding) WIS 0x2 17:00

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3rd Period (20:00)
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WIS-2 Brendan Smith (2-Hooking) DEN 1x2 5:35
DEN 3 - 0 6x5 PP Patrick Wiercioch (12) (Patrick Mullen, Joe Colborne) 6:01
DEN: 28,7,12,9,16,G1 WIS: 5,18,17,27,G35
DEN-3 John Lee (2-Interference) WIS 0x3 9:11
DEN-4 Jesse Martin (2-Cross-Checking) WIS 0x4 18:07
WIS-3 Blake Geoffrion (2-Elbowing) 18:46
DEN-5 John Ryder (2-Slashing) WIS 0x5 19:27

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End of Game
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A couple of things (Dubay sighting)

***This is the most emotion you will probably see Coach Hakstol display. Props to Bob from BadgerSioux.

***Last night I ran into Jeff Dubay formally of P.A. and Dubay show and Jeff wanted me to relay to the Sioux fans that he was very gracious for how he was recieved in Grand Forks, ND during the Sioux and Gophers series. I told him that a quite a few of us just want to see him get well and turn his life around. Personally while I still listen to the P.A. show, it isn't the same without PUFFY.
I want to see Jeff turn it around and will be pulling for him.

UMD 2 UMN 1

Wow, what a great game! No really! I thought tonight's game was one of those games where it was fun to be in the stands watching the game. Sucks that one team has to lose this game. Right team won.

In the game Alex Stalock was awesome and I would say the difference in this game. Word is that Kangas had the Flu tonight and that was the reason he was pulled in favor of Patterson. It was a fun night. I finally got to meet the famous Boosh and Dirty.

Tomorrow the Fighting Sioux meet the UMD Bulldogs in a game that will probably turn out to be a street fight, two team that don't like each other very much. Funny thing the Gophers will not be playing evening game as a few predicted. See you torrow night.

Box Score.


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1st Period (20:00)
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MND 1 - 0 6x6 LL MacGregor Sharp (21) (Evan Oberg) 3:46
MND (+): 18,4,19,22,2,G32 MIN (-): 29,19,26,28,6,G33
MND-1 Chad Huttel (2-High-Sticking) MIN 0x1 7:56
MND-2 Matt Greer (2-Tripping) MIN 0x2 8:51
MIN-1 Drew Fisher (2-Holding) MND 0x1 15:26
MND-3 Michael Gergen (2-Interference) MIN 0x3 17:25

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2nd Period (20:00)
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MIN-2 Cade Fairchild (2-Interference) MND 0x2 7:34
MND-4 Mike Connolly (2-Slashing) MIN 0x4 12:25
MND 2 - 0 6x6 GW Matt Greer (5) (Drew Akins, Chad Huttel) 14:34
MND (+): 16,7,26,22,14,G32 MIN (-): 16,12,7,10,20,G35

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3rd Period (20:00)
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MIN 1 - 2 6x6 Cade Fairchild (9) (Jay Barriball, Jordan Schroeder) 6:08
MIN (+): 29,28,26,19,6,G35 MND (-): 16,24,17,21,7,G32
MND-5 Jay Cascalenda (2-High-Sticking) MIN 0x5 10:34
Timeout - Minnesota 13:43
MND-6 Andrew Carroll (2-Hooking) 20:00

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End of Game
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Play-in Game (Sioux7)

Well, their you have it, the Bulldogs upset the Gophers in the first game of the final five. This will definitely help the Bulldogs with their chances of getting into the NCAA tourney next week. The Bulldogs took advantage of their scoring opportunities tonight to jump on top to 1-0 lead in the first, and then they extended their lead to 2-0 in the second period. The Gophers put a plethora of shots on UMD goalie Alex Stalock and were finally able to solve him in the 3rd period to cut the lead to 2-1, but they just couldn't get the equalizer. The UM had a chance in the first to even the game at one when they had a 5 on 3 power play for over a minute, but the Bulldogs stood their ground and killed it off.

The Bulldogs advance to play the Sioux tomorrow night at 7pm.

I and the Goon are off to get some food...

Final Five is upon us.

The All conference teams are up and posted on WCHA.COM. UND has some decent representation.

First team all-WCHA

F Ryan Stoa, Minnesota, 335
F Ryan Lasch, SCSU, 274
F Chad Rau, CC, 257
D Jamie McBain, Wisconsin, 328
D Chay Genoway, UND, 313
G Alex Stalock, Duluth, 316

Second team all-WCHA

F Ryan Duncan, UND, 199
F Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota, 180
F Justin Fontaine, Duluth, 177
D Patrick Wiercioch, Denver, 161
D Garrett Raboin, SCSU, 159
G Marc Cheverie, Denver, 154

Third team all-WCHA

F Garrett Roe, SCSU, 166
F Anthony Maiani, Denver, 139
F Rhett Rakhshani, Denver, 116
D Josh Meyers, Duluth, 146
D Kurt Davis, Mankato, 85
G Brad Eidsness, UND, 103

All-rookie team

F Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota, 77
F Joe Colborne, Denver, 43
F Mike Connolly, Duluth, 33
D Patrick Wiercioch, Denver, 77
D Jake Gardiner, Wisconsin, 31
G Brad Eidsness, UND, 77

POY -- Jamie McBain, Wisconsin
ROY-- Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
DPOY-- Chay Genoway, UND
Coach of the year -- Dave Hakstol, UND
Student-athlete of the year -- J.P. Testwuide, Denver

WCHA Coach of the Year Dave Hakstol, who led his UND Fighting Sioux to the WCHA regular season championship and MacNaughton Cup here in 2008-09, is a four-time national finalist for the HCA Spencer Penrose Award. Hakstol has led North Dakota to an NCAA Frozen Four appearance in each of his four seasons and is already the fourth-winningest coach in UND history. Hakstol's teams have posted a winning percentage of over .700 from Jan. 1 on over his five seasons behind the bench. The Sioux are 24-12-4 through games of March 15 and ranked No. 5/6 in the latest polls.

11 Sioux on all-WCHA Academic Team...

This is the week that the WCHA awards come out. First one out is the All-WCHA Academic teams. here is the break down by teams.

Denver University-18, Alaska-Anchorage-14, St. Cloud State-12, North Dakota-11 Minnesota State-11, Colorado College-11, Minnesota-Duluth-10 Michigan Tech-9 Minnesota-6 Wisconsin-5

University of North Dakota: Brent Davidson, So, F (Morden, MB); ***Ryan Duncan, Sr, F (Calgary, AB); ***Joe Finley, Sr, D (Edina, MN); Matt Frattin, So, F (Edmonton, AB); **Chay Genoway, Jr, D (Morden, MB); Derrick LaPoint, So, D (Eau Claire, WI); ***Ryan Martens, Sr, F (Selkirk, MB); Jake Marto, So, D (Grand Forks, ND); ***Aaron Walski, Sr, G (Fargo, ND); ***Matt Watkins, Sr, F (Aylesbury, SK); **Darcy Zajac, Jr, F (Winnipeg, MB).

Pair Wise Predictor is up...

The USCHO PairWise Predictor 2009 is now up. This what I came up with, I have Minnesota losing in the first game of the Final Five. I have UND beating Wisconsin in the championship game of the Final Five. I figure since the series is equal the last 25 games (12-12-1) and since the Wisconsin Badgers won the last game, I believe there is a good chance that the UND Fighting Sioux will beat the Badgers in the Final Five. I also have DU winning the third place game against UMD. Feel free to post your PWR numbers. Wisconsin, Minnesota and UMD are definately bubble teams. REMEMBER this is for fun.

1 Boston University (BU)
2 Notre Dame (Nt)
3 Michigan (Mi)
4 North Dakota (ND)
5 Denver (DU)
6 Northeastern (NE)
7 Princeton (Pn)
8t Vermont (Vt)
8t Yale (Ya)
10 New Hampshire (NH)
11 Cornell (Cr)
12 Miami (Mm)
13 Ohio State (OS)
14 Minnesota (Mn)
15t Wisconsin (Wi)
15t Minnesota-Duluth (MD)
17t Boston College (BC)
17t St. Lawrence (SL)
19t Mass.-Lowell (ML)
19t Air Force (AF)
19t Colorado College (CC)
22t RIT (RT)
22t Northern Michigan (NM)
24 St. Cloud State (SC)
25 Alaska (Ak)
— Bemidji State

Pictures from the REA 3-14-2009

Edit Here is some pictures Sioux7 sent me. Garlynn took the pictures from last Saturday's game using Sioux7's camera.

DU has concerns at the Center Position. (edit)

DU coach George Gwozdecky has a couple concerns at the center ice position; meaning he is missing two of his top centers to knee injuries. 1.) Tyler Bozek (7-14-21) has been after having knee surgery in December, Bozek was injured he was one of the top forwards in the WCHA and in my opinion would've had a good chance of finishing with the WCHA scoring title. Bozek was also a +14 when he was hurt. 2.) Tyler Ruegsegger (15-11-26) had a season ending injury last weekend against UAA. EDIT-According to Brad's blog Denver forward Jesse Martin is "questionable for this weekend. Stay tuned.

DU coach George Gwozdecky hasn’t paid attention to his record in St. Paul (6-1, 6-0 at the WCHA Final Five) or against Wisconsin (4-0 this season). The only numbers he’s concerned with is four _ the amount of centers he’ll need to field a lineup.

DU lost junior center Tyler Ruegsegger to a season-ending knee injury last Friday in the league playoff opener against Alaska-Anchorage, and sophomore center Jesse Martin went down late in Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury. Gwozdecky said Monday that Martin, who had a goal in each game against the Seawolves, is questionable for Friday and won’t try to practice until Wednesday in St. Paul.

The Pioneers have played the past 18 games without star sophomore center Tyler Bozak, who is scheduled to return in about 10 days when DU begins the NCAA Tournament.
(Read the Whole Article Here)

BGSU Hockey teams safe for now.

Hot off the presses from the Bronco Hockey Blog BGSU hockey is safe for now. That is good news, now its time for the BGSU administration, the BGSU alumni and their boosters to come up with a solution to keep hockey running at Bowling Green.

We have heard the concerns raised by supporters of BGSU ice hockey and appreciate their passion for the program. We also recognize the significant role the Ice Arena plays in the Bowling Green community. We will work with Recreational Sports (which operates the arena) and the community to review the issues related to the facility and begin collaborating on the development of possible solutions.
(Read the whole story here)

How would Ryan Jones look in a Wild uniform?

I was watching this game last night on NHL Center Ice when former Miami Redhawk Ryan Jones scored the game winning goal at 17:42 minute mark of the third period against the L.A. Kings. I thought funny how would that player look in a Wild Uniform? We will never know since Wild GM Doug Risebrough traded him away to the Predators before we got a chance to find out.

Just for comparison sake, Mr untouchable James Sheppard has 4 goals and 12 assist for 16 points in 69 games while Ryan Jones has 7 goals 9 assist in 41 games. In case you're mathematically challenged it took Jones 28 less games for Jones to score the same amount of points. So one could make the argument that Risebrough was wrong again in his analysis so young players.Please I am begging the Minnesota Wild ownership group, do us a favor get rid of Risebrough, please!

Where is Phil?

I got this from the Bruins beat writer today. You have to wonder what a maintenance day is? I have been trying to get some clarification on this one. Hopefully it isn't anything serious and Phil has been sick the last two seasons.

Practice lineup, with Shane Hnidy and Matt Hunwick as the two spare defensemen:

Forward lines:

1.) P.J. Axelsson Marc Savard Blake Wheeler
2.) Mark Recchi Patrice Bergeron Chuck Kobasew
3.) Milan Lucic David Krejci Michael Ryder
4.) Shawn Thornton Stephane Yelle Byron Bitz

Defense:

1.) Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman
2.) Andrew Ference, Steve Montador
3.) Mark Stuart, Aaron Ward

Goalies

Tim Thomas
Manny Fernandez

UPDATE: Phil Kessel was given a maintenance day today. He was the only Bruin not to practice today.

Final 5 Preview - part 1 (Sioux 7)

The first round of playoffs is in the books, with UND, DU, UW, UM, and UMD getting sweeps to move on to the Final 5. The Bulldogs get the only "upset" of the weekend in downing the Tigers in C-Springs.

Minnesota-Duluth v Minnesota - Thursday at 7pm
By upsetting CC, the Bulldogs get the 5-seed and play the Gophers (4-seed) on Thursday evenings play-in game. These two teams just played each other on Feb 27th & 28th, with a results being a tie and a Gopher win, at Mariucci. The Gophers have 17 wins this season, with 6 of them against the Huskies of SCSU, that is 35% of the UM's wins is against one team. I think the Bulldogs will want some revenge this Thursday night from their poor showing about 3 weeks ago. Some people think the Gophers have finally turned their season around, and their goalie, Kangas, is back. I don't think they have completely righted their ship, a couple of waves here and there and the rats will be fleeing their ship again. I think the Bulldogs will build off the road sweep of CC and the hat trick they scored against the Gophers last time and put Minnesota's playoff chances in jeopardy. Bulldogs 3, Gophers 2.


Wisconsin v Denver - Friday at 2pm
The first semi-final game features one team locked (DU) into the NCAA tournament and the other having to win the playoff championship (UW) to get in. The regular season series between the two teams went like this - they open up the WCHA schedule in Denver in some wild games, 6-5 and 7-4 Pioneer wins, and in Madison in Feb. the Badgers stumble at home and lose 4-3(ot) and 5-0, so DU lead this year 4-0-0. However, now that Bucky's backs against the boards, they will play with everything they got, and then some. The Pioneers are looking to hold onto a number one seed in the NCAA tourney, and repeat as Broadmoor champions. DU lost one of their top scorers in Ruegsegger, last weekend, to a knee injury (get well soon), and Jesse Martin, another center, is also lost to a lower-body injury (get well soon) and Bozak is not yet ready to return. With DU loosing body's they will have to do some line shuffling, and hope things click and quickly. Do to the injuries, I'm going with the Badgers in this one, UW 3, DU 2.


UMD/UM v North Dakota - Friday 7pm
I could wait until Thurday night/Friday morning to post this match-up, but why wait. The Sioux are 2-0-0 versus the Gophers and 0-1-1 versus the Bulldogs this year. I think the Sioux would love to play either team, Gophers, nothing like beating one of your arch-rivals in their backyard, Bulldogs, get some redemption for the first half of the season. Whoever the Sioux play I like their chances of winning, UMD has had the steady goal tending of Stalock all season, and UM has had issues with goal tending since January after playing in Grand Forks. UND's goalie, Brad Eidsness has quietly put up some good numbers this year, 2.39 GAA (1st-tie) and .909% (6th)in WCHA games, and has made timely saves when needed. I'm going with the Sioux to win their semi-final game.

Records in March

The Bruins Media Blog broke down the top 4 from each conference and their records during the month of March. So far the Bruins have kind of stumbled in March. The Bruins are going to have to win some games down the stretch to keep their lead over the Devils.

East

1. Boston (3-5-0)
2. New Jersey (5-1-0)
3. Washington (3-4-1)
4. Philadelphia (4-4-0)

West
1. Detroit (5-1-1)
2. San Jose (3-3-1)
3. Calgary (3-5-0)
4. Chicago (3-4-0)

Goon's all WCHA teams.

Here are my picks for WCHA all team selections.

1st Team WCHA

F – Ryan Stoa, minnesota
F – Justin Fontaine, Duluth
F – Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
D – Jamie McBain, Wisconsin
D – Chay Genoway, North Dakota
G – Alex Stalock, Duluth

2nd Team WCHA

F – Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud
F – Garrett Roe, St. Cloud
F – Chad Rau,Colorado College
D – Garrett Raboin, St. Cloud
D – Patrick Wiercioch, Denver
G – Brad Eidsness, North Dakota

3rd Team WCHA

F – Anthony Maiani, Denver
F – Kael Mouillerat, Mankato
F – Ryan Duncan, North Dakota
D – Josh Meyers, Duluth
D – Brad Miller, North Dakota
G – Marc Cheverie, Denver

WCHA All Rookie Team

F – Jason Gregoire, North Dakota
F – Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
F – Mike Connolly, Duluth
D – Patrick Wiercioch, Denver
D – Gabe Guentzel, Colorado College
G – Brad Eidsness, North Dakota

Player of the Year: Alex Stalock, Duluth
Rookie(s) of the Year: Patrick Wiercioch, Denver and Brad Eidsness
Coach of the Year: Dave Hakstol

Analysis: I was looking at some of the WCHA beat writers picks for their WCHA players selections and I think that the Rookie of the Year in the WCHA is going to be Denver University Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch. This kid is hands down the best rookie defenseman in the WCHA and was ranked second over all in the league for defensman scoring. I have seen a lot of people saying that Jordan Schroeder is the best Rookie in the league and I disagree. I think Brad Eidsness and Patrick Wiercioch have meant more to their respective teams and made bigger contributions to their teams success on the ice Eidsness and Wiercioch's teams finish 1st and 2nd. Schroeder's team backed into the fifth spot in the WCHA.

Here are Chris Dilks WCH picks.

Here are Gandalf The Red from 60 Minutes, No Alibis, No Regrets.

Poll Monday.

USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll
March 16, 2009

1 Notre Dame (27) 29-5-3
2 Boston University (23) 29-6-4
3 Michigan 28-10-0
4 Denver 22-10-5
5 Northeastern 25-10-4
6 North Dakota 24-12-4
7 Yale 22-7-2
8 Princeton 22-10-0
9 Cornell 20-8-4
10 Vermont 20-11-5
11 New Hampshire 19-12-5
12 Miami 20-12-5 435 8
13 Minnesota 17-12-7
14 St. Lawrence 21-11-4
15 Boston College 18-13-5
16 Wisconsin 19-15-4 253
17 Minnesota-Duluth 18-12-8
18 Ohio State 23-14-4
19 Mass.-Lowell 19-15-2
20 Colorado College 16-12-10
Others Receiving Votes: Alaska 40, Air Force 37, Northern Michigan 21, St. Cloud State 11, RIT 7, Minnesota State 4, Bemidji State 2
-------------------

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
March 16, 2009

1 Boston University (19)
2 Notre Dame (15)
3 Michigan
4 Denver
5 North Dakota
6 Northeastern
7 Yale
8 Princeton
9 Vermont
10 Cornell
11 Minnesota
12 New Hampshire
13 Miami (Ohio)
14 St. Lawrence
15 Boston College
Others receiving votes: University of Minnesota Duluth, 42; University of Wisconsin, 18; The Ohio State University, 9; University of Massachusetts Lowell, 6; Colorado College, 3.

Backes and Oshie take down the Wild.

Yesterday I was watching the listless Wild and the upstart St Louis Blues play in St. Louis on Fox Sports Net and It was amazing to watch former Fighting Sioux T.J. Oshie and former MSU-M Maverick David Backes totally dismantle the Minnesota Wild. At least the day wasn't a total loss T.J. Oshie had two assist on the day and David Backes had a pretty goal.

Looks like the Wild have pretty much bagged their season and are just going through the motions, no matter what the pundits say the Wild are going to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs and it's time to dismantle this team and start over. I hoping that Wild Owner(s) Craig Leipold Owner & Governor and Philip Falcone Minority Owner would please tell Doug Risebrough to clean out his desk and give him his walking papers, because he should be done, fired. Doug Risebrough should own this mess that he let this team in.

What the fans ought to do is boycott the last Wild home games because I wouldn't pay top dollar to watch this crappy uninspired team play and they suck, their effort yesterday was absolutely horrible. The St Louis Blues took them apart piece by piece, shift by shift.

Super Wild Blogger Mike Russo kind of really put the season in a nut shell. We also find out that one of their top forwards Andrew Brunette is hurt and probably playing on a partially torn ACL.

If the Wild goes belly-up here, you just have to wonder if he’s (Brunette)going to shut it down.

And let’s be honest: The Wild’s season is slowly dying.

You can couch it anyway you’d like – and yes, the Wild’s still only a point back from the playoffs – but really, is there any reason to believe the Wild’s suddenly going to discover how to reel off a winning streak?

Not at all, and coach Jacques Lemaire said after tonight’s game that in his mind, Marian Gaborik is not close to returning. We’ll see this week.

Again we can use funny numbers to blur the record, but the reality is, the Wild is facing must-wins every single night and has dropped nine of the past 11 games (2-5-4).

This year's version of you are the committee

I really like this time of year hockey's version of March Madness.
College Hockey News has the You are the Committee up again. It is fun to play with the numbers. Post yours if you would like.


•Hockey East Semifinal #2: Northeastern defeats Mass.-Lowell.
•Hockey East Semifinal #1: Boston University defeats Boston College.
•Hockey East Championship game: Boston University defeats Northeastern.
•ECAC Semifinal #2: Princeton defeats Cornell.
•ECAC Semifinal #1: Yale defeats St. Lawrence.
•ECAC Championship game: Yale defeats Princeton.
•Atlantic Hockey Semifinal #2: RIT defeats Mercyhurst.
•Atlantic Hockey Semifinal #1: Bentley defeats Air Force.
•Atlantic Hockey Championship game: RIT defeats Bentley.
•CCHA Semifinal #2: Michigan defeats Alaska.
•CCHA Semifinal #1: Notre Dame defeats Northern Michigan.
•CCHA Championship game: Notre Dame defeats Michigan.
•WCHA Play-in #1: Minnesota-Duluth defeats Minnesota.
•WCHA Semifinal #2: Wisconsin defeats Denver.
•WCHA Semifinal #1: North Dakota defeats Minnesota-Duluth.
•WCHA Championship game: North Dakota defeats Wisconsin

INCH Power Rankings

Here is the latest power rankings from INCH.
INCH Power Rankings
March 15, 2009
1. Notre Dame
2. Boston University
3. Michigan
4. North Dakota Big weekend for the Lamoureux family: the Fighting Sioux's Mario scored in his team's 5-1 against Michigan Tech Friday; Air Force's Jacques had three goals and an assist in the Falcons' series win against Sacred Heart; and twins Jocelyne and Monique helped Minnesota to a return trip to the women's Frozen Four in a 4-3 win over Boston College.
5. Denver
7. Yale
8. Princeton
9. Vermont
10. Miami
11. Cornell
12. St. Lawrence
13. Minnesota
14. New Hampshire
15. Boston College
16. Ohio State
17. Wisconsin
18. UMass Lowell
19. Minnesota Duluth
20. Alaska

Dropped out: Colorado College, St. Cloud State, Air Force

Bubble-licious: Northern Michigan, Air Force, RIT, Bemidji State

Wow who would have thought the UND Fighting Sioux would have moved up so high in the INCH Power Rankings. That being said rankings and polls are nice but one game can end your season and send your team home.

Ducan's goal that wasn't.

Last night I thought that Vandy had tipped this goal. Even the FSSN Sioux play by play guy Pat Sweeny said that Vandy got the goal on the tip. None the less it was a nice play and a money assist by Ryan Duncan.

Scores from 3-14-2009

Saturday, March 14, 2009

CCHA Tournament
Nebraska-Omaha 0 at Notre Dame 1
Ohio State 4 at Alaska 2
Western Michigan 1 at Michigan 6
Northern Michigan 3 at Miami 2 ot

Analysis
UNO, WMU. Two games yet to be decided tonight, UAF vs tOSU and Miami hopes to fight back the pesky Wildcats from NMU. Go Cats. I wondering if my buddy from USCHO.COM redhawkman10 (aka RedHack) is sweating about his Miami RedHawks yet? LOL...

CHA Tournament
Alabama-Huntsville 1 vs. Niagara 1 ot
Robert Morris 2 at Bemidji State 3 ot

Analysis
The Beavers make the tourney for the first time since 2006. Go Beavers, lets kick some BU ass.

ECAC Tournament
Rensselaer 0 at Cornell 4
Brown 0 at Yale 2
Quinnipiac 3 at St. Lawrence 5
Union 5 at Princeton 2

Analysis
Quinnipiac, Brown, Princeton vs Union and Cornell and Rensselaer tonight for a chance to move on to Pepsi Arena, Albany, N.Y for the ECAC championship.


HEA Tournament
Massachusetts 1 at Northeastern 4
Mass.-Lowell 4 at Vermont 2
Maine 6 at Boston University 3
Boston College 1 at New Hampshire 0

Analysis
Vermont, New Hampshire BU vs Maine and Northeastern vs UMass tonight for a chance to move on the TD Bank Boston Garden. I don't see the top seeds losing tonight. Boston University is just to good to lose to games in a row to Maine that went something like 4-15-2 in 2009. Look for Northeastern to find a way to win this game.

AHA Tournament
Army 0 at Mercyhurst 5
Sacred Heart 4 at Air Force 1
Canisius 7 at Bentley 3
Holy Cross 4 at RIT 6

Analysis
Army Knights for the rest of the playoff series go to extra Hockey. My pick to win the AHA conference tourney is needs to win tonight against Holy Cross to advance. Look for RIT to close out Holy Cross, Air Force to close out Sacred Heart tonight.

WCHA Tournament
Michigan Tech 3 at North Dakota 4
Minnesota-Duluth 3 at Colorado College 1
Minnesota State 2 at Wisconsin 4
St. Cloud State 0 at Minnesota 3
Alaska-Anchorage 3 at Denver 4

Analysis
MTU,C.C.,Minnesota State, SCSU, UAA, UMD and UMN on Thursday night, DU and Wisconsin and UND gets the WINNER of the UMD and UMN game.

Linkorama --- a few things...

**DU hockey beat writer Mike Chambers Denver University is reporting that Tyler Ruegsegger is out for the season. This is a huge blow to the DU Pioneers. Tyler Ruegsegger a Junior (15-11-26), is a big part of DU team offense and his services will be missed.

Absolutely crushing news from the DU hockey team today. One of the best young guys I know, Tyler Ruegsegger — the Pioneers’ leading goal-scorer — will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

The junior center from Lakewood was injured in Friday’s 3-2 comeback victory over Alaska-Anchorage. Ruegsegger, who has a team-best 15 goals — including 12 on the power play — was the star of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff opener, scoring consecutive goals within 1:58 of the second period to tie it 2-2.

**The Bemidji State University Beavers have Qualified for the NCAA Division One hockey tourney with their overtime win again RMU. Beaver Matt Read score 8:05 into overtime to launch the Beavers into the NCAA tourney. The Beavers will probably face Notre Dame or Boston University in NCAA tourney. This is the Beavers first trip to the NCAA tourney since 2006.

**Here is Elliot Olshansky latest article at the New York Daily News. It is on former Grand Forks, ND resident and Central High Hockey player Jacques Lamoureux and his path to the Air Force Academy. Since Jacques is from North Dakota and there are probably going to be NO Sioux players in the Hobey Baker top ten (I am holding out hope for Genoway) I am going to have to say that Lamoureux is my personal favorite for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award this season.

Lamoureux is college hockey's national leader in goals with 29, and power play goals with 14. He also leads the nation with eight game-winning goals, making him the hero of one-third of the Falcons' wins this season.

**Here is the latest PWR ranking involving WCHA teams: Denver University is 3rd, the Fighting Sioux 5th, the Gophers are tied for 12th, the Minnesota Bulldogs are 15th and the Wisconsin Badgers are 17th. It would appear that Wisconsin might need to run the tables to get into the tourney. I would imagine that UMD will have to win a couple of games to get in and they will want Princeton, OSU and Minnesota to lose. The numbers will probably change a little this evening after the games in the CCHA, Hockey East and ECAC tourneys.

Sioux 4 Real Huskies 3

Grand Forks Herald Photo
They say that it is hard to close out a team in the WCHA playoffs. That statement proved to be true as MTU Huskies (aka the real Huskies) gave the Fighting Sioux all they could handle, and contested the game right to the very end.

In having a conversation Friday night with MeanEgirl from the MTU hockey Blog I am told that Michigan Tech barring injuries would have been the 6th place team in the WCHA this past season. Based on what I have seen from the Huskies this season I don't think I would rule that possibility out. While Tech won two league games this past season they come at you and put a lot of pressure in their opponents face. The Huskies may not get a lot of opportunities but they burry their chances they get. MTU lost seven one goal games and tied seven games this season. Imagine if MTU had won 3/4 of these games? They would have been giving the SCSU Huskies and the Gophers a fight for fifth place in the WCHA standings.

MacNaughten Cup returns to Grand Forks

The Cup made its first appearance in Grand Forks since 2004, at the end of the game the McNaughten Cup was brought out on the ice by Jake Brandt and Nick Fuher who were members of UND’s last MacNaughton Cup champion team in 2003-04. Also, Doug McLeod was rained with a fair number of boos from the crowd when he was introduced for the award ceremony. I have had the opportunity to see the five MacNaughten Cup award ceremonies and this one was awesome. I loved seeing some shorter guy holding the cup above their heads.

Coach Hakstol Shows some emotion

It ended with coach Dave Hakstol holding the Cup high over his head, letting out a yell and giving a big smile.

“It was fitting in a couple of different senses,” Hakstol said. “The 60-minute fight on the ice — let’s not overlook that. What a game Michigan Tech played. I don’t think they could have pushed any harder in this game. I’m sure they’ve got to be proud of their effort. I was proud of our team’s effort and getting the series win gave us a chance to make the presentation of the MacNaughton Cup special.

Originally it was thought that Ryan Duncan had scored a natural hat trick but I told my buddy before I hung up the phone that Vandy had tipped that puck on the second goal Duncan goal. Looking at Today Newspaper and box score the goal was changed as I thought. None the less, what night...

Goon's Three Stars of the Weekend

Here are my three stars for this weekend: 1.) Ryan Duncan (3-1-4), 2.) Chris VandeVelde (2-2-4) 3.) Brad Miller (0-5-5) Honorable Mention Matt Frattin (1-2-3) Look for Brad Miller to get some votes for defensive player of the week in the WCHA, I think he should be a lock for this week’s award. Also, I think Ryan Duncan will get a look for offensive player of the week. I am sure that Kangas who has had like 4 good games the second half of the season will challenge Brad Miller for Defensive player of the weekend.


Box Score.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
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NDK-1 Evan Trupp (2-Hooking) MTU 0x1 10:26
MTU-1 Alex MacLeod (2-Charging) NDK 0x1 11:54
NDK-2 Evan Trupp (2-Hooking) MTU 1x2 17:21
MTU 1 - 0 6x5 PP Alex MacLeod (6) (Alex Gagne, Deron Cousens) 18:54
MTU: 19,18,5,10,14,G30 NDK: 5,11,6,20,G31

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

MTU-2 Ryan Angelow (2-Hooking) NDK 0x2 5:29
NDK-3 Brett Hextall (2-Interference) MTU 1x3 5:50
MTU-3 John Schwarz (2-Hooking) NDK 1x3 7:54
NDK 1 - 1 6x5 PP Ryan Duncan (17) (Brad Miller, Jake Marto) 8:30
NDK: 16,14,25,29,26,G31 MTU: 5,28,20,13,G30
MTU-4 Drew Dobson (2-Checking from Behind) NDK 2x4 9:39
NDK 2 - 1 6x5 PP LL Chris VandeVelde (16) (Ryan Duncan, Brad Miller) 10:31
NDK: 16,14,25,26,29,G31 MTU: 28,10,13,12,G30
NDK 3 - 1 6x6 Ryan Duncan (18) (Jason Gregoire, Brett Hextall) 11:46
NDK (+): 16,17,26,6,25,G31 MTU (-): 10,18,22,5,20,G30
NDK-4 Andrew Kozek (2-Hooking) MTU 1x4 16:24
MTU-5 Brett Olson (2-Slashing) NDK 2x5 16:32
NDK-5 BENCH (2-TOO MANY PLAYERS ON ICE) (Served by Brett Hextall) MTU 2x5 17:15
MTU 2 - 3 5x4 PP Jordan Baker (16) (Drew Dobson, Geoff Kinrade) 17:31
MTU: 22,5,12,26,G37 NDK: 5,2,16,G31

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

MTU-6 Eli Vlaisavljevich (2-Tripping) NDK 2x6 2:06
NDK 4 - 2 6x6 GW Matt Frattin (13) (Chris VandeVelde) 5:29
NDK (+): 21,29,24,19,14,G31 MTU (-): 20,16,19,17,12,G37
MTU 3 - 4 6x6 Drew Dobson (5) (Jordan Baker, Ricky Doriott) 16:35
MTU (+): 5,22,23,10,18,G37 NDK (-): 20,11,8,25,6,G31
Timeout - Michigan Tech 18:32

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

Then there were five. Sioux 4 - Tech 3

These are the Five teams that will play for the Final Five next weekend.
The yearly trip the Xcel Energy Center the Hockey Mecca in the Midwest.
I am sure we will hear Bruce McLeod breath a sigh of relief his two Big Ten schools got to St Paul. More to follow tomorrow. I can hardly wait this is going to be a good tourney. I also proved to Donna that I did not jinx the UMD Bulldogs but I some how must have given the Huskies and Mavericks some bad mojo because I was pulling for them as well.



1.) UND
2.) DU
3.) BADgers
4.) Goofs
5.) Bulldogs

C.C. SCSU MSU-M UAA MTU; season over.