Today is the dead line to apply for WCHA membership

First thing that I would say is hopefully someone will step up and apply for the 12th spot in the WCHA. Eleven teams would be hard to schedule, unless the NCAA lets the WCHA and other leagues add more games to their schedules, I can't see the NCAA doing that.

Also, I am surprised that UAH hasn't at least put in an application to the WCHA, who knows maybe they will today. You have to wonder if UAH will apply later if their quest to get into the CCHA isn't successful. Holding pattern probably, it's a horrible time to get everyone focusing on conference expansion when there are still teams playing in college hockey. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and where the domino's fall.

Bemidji State is sole WCHA applicant The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s window for accepting new applicants will close today, and Bemidji State is the only school that has applied.

The Beavers are desperate to find a league, because their current home of College Hockey America will be down to two teams after next season and will disband. Sustaining a college hockey program without a conference would be nearly impossible.

Bemidji State seems to be a natural fit for the WCHA because of its close proximity to the other schools, but the WCHA has 10 teams and an odd number would present scheduling issues.

“It is problematic,” WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said of the possibility of an 11-team league. “And if we end up with 11, the Association will have to make a decision on the pros and cons of an 11-team league.”

McLeod and UND faculty representative Sue Jeno will make a site visit to Bemidji State on Friday on behalf of the league. BSU officials will then present their case for admission to every WCHA school during April’s American Hockey Coaches’ Association meetings in Florida.

The faculty representatives of the 10 memberschools could vote (eight of 10 votes are needed for acceptance) on whether to allow Bemidji State at that time, but there’s a strong possibility that they won’t.

Muddy waters

“There are a few things going on that have kind of muddied the water in Division I a little bit,” McLeod said. “There are all kinds of scenarios out there. There could be a domino effect if things happen in other places.”

McLeod said he couldn’t elaborate on the other behind-the-scenes happenings around the country.

“I can’t talk about individual schools and what’s going on,” he said. “But there are some circumstances that could affect things.”

Here is an interesting article from the University Chronicle Student newspaper. I thought this statement was kind of funny.

Speaking of 11th member, if Bemidji State were to join the WCHA, then the conference faces a numbers problem that would have to change with addition or subtraction. And neither are feasible options.

Kyle's suggestion is to bring in Nebraska-Omaha, which makes sense geographically. But would the WCHA want to bring in a lower-tier member of the CCHA, and a team that cannot fill 50 percent of their arena?

Plus, UNO head coach Mike Kemp said as recently as January 2009 that the Mavericks are not interested in joining the WCHA.

Is Van Riemsdyk moving up?

With articles like this you have to wonder if JVR is one of the next collegiate hockey players to forgo the rest of his eligibility to make a living playing hockey in the NHL? Based on his play in college this season it wouldn't be a stretch to think van Riemsdyke (12g-23a-40 points) could play in the NHL right now.

In Van Riemsdyk, Flyers Might Still Have an Ace Up Their Sleeve
With van Riemsdyk’s University of New Hampshire eliminated from the NCAA postseason on Sunday, he is free to leave college behind and join the professional ranks at any time.

Van Riemsdyk was already given a long look in training camp this past Sept. before he ultimately opted to return to UNH for his sophomore year.

The Flyers were reportedly miffed at his decision not to turn pro, but the move worked out for van Riemsdyk, as he led the Wildcats in scoring and cemented his reputation as the top prospect in college hockey.

He also starred again at the World Junior Championship for Team USA, finishing seventh in scoring after leading the entire tournament the previous year.

His recent body of work speaks for itself, and he is clearly ready to take the step to the NHL. But the decision about whether or not to ink his first professional contract within the next few weeks will rest with van Riemsdyk alone, as Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has made it clear that he will not pressure his top prospect to sign.


Not only would his turning pro give the Flyers a shot in the arm for the rest of the season, but the move makes financial sense for van Riemsdyk, whose stock will never be higher than it is now. And with the salary cap slated to go down in the coming years, he and all young players should strike while the iron is hot.

In an ideal situation, the Flyers would bring the second overall pick of the 2007 draft into the fold for the final three or four games of the regular season as a trial run.

And even if they did not have full confidence in throwing him into the playoff machine, regular practice with the team and witnessing the intensity of the games in person could only help his growth.

Wild in the running for Jokinen?

Apparently the Minnesota Wild are in the running for Olli Jokinen but I can't believe that the Doug Risebrough would be smart enough to pull it off based on some of his past moves and last summer decided that he wouldn't trade James Sheppard for Olli Jokinen. I would like to see Jokinen in a Wild uniform, he would look good skating on the same line as Mikko Koivu, especially if Gabby doesn't resign with the Wild.

Olli Jokinen's name is still connected to the Montreal Canadiens. Jokinen is believed to be being considered by at least four teams around the National Hockey League: the Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild. Don Maloney and the Phoenix Coyotes have a decision to make - is the price in return as good right now as it should be to make that move or do you wait until the draft? But the Montreal Canadiens are believed to be very much in the mix.

The Ending of the UND and UNH game.

A friend of mine sent me this video (he is a Gopher fan) and I thought I would post it up. No clue why? This should burn in the returning Fighting Sioux player's memory for the rest of the summer and motivate them to come back even stronger. Everytime you go to the weight room or go for a skate. I have always said what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Former Sioux Taylor Chorney gets the call from the Oilers.

Former Fighting Sioux defenseman Taylor Chorney gets the call from the Edmonton Oilers after an injury to Ladislav Smid. (click here for the press release).

Smid placed on Injured Reserve; Chorney recalled from Springfield Smid's broken hand results in first recall of the season for Chorney Edmonton Oilers.

General Manager Steve Tambellini announced today the Edmonton Oilers have placed defenceman Ladislav Smid on the NHL Injured Reserve List and recalled defenceman Taylor Chorney from the Springfield Falcons.

Smid suffered a fractured left hand in the second period of Edmonton’s 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Rexall Place on Sunday, March 29th. He scored 11 assists with 57 penalty minutes in 60 games for Edmonton prior to the injury.

This will be the first recall of the season for Chorney, who was the Oilers’ second choice (36th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’0”, 196 pound native of Thunder Bay, Ontario made his professional debut with Springfield this season after signing a three-year NHL entry level contract with the Oilers on July 3, 2008.

The 21-year-old blueliner has scored 5-16-21 with 22 penalty minutes in 68 games with Springfield this season to lead Falcons defencemen in scoring and rank seventh on the team. A major part of the Falcons’ powerplay, he has scored 3-10-13 with the man advantage to rank third in powerplay scoring.

A two-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) all-star, Chorney played three seasons of college hockey with the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, scoring 14-59-73 with 126 penalty minutes in 126 games between 2005-06 and 2007-08.

The Edmonton Oilers 30th Anniversary Season is presented in part by the Rexall Family of Pharmacies, Bell, Molson Canadian, ATB Financial and Ford.

This is my definition of a brawl.

Boosh gave me a heads up on this great hockey fight video. Wow, check out Dustin Byfuglien as he punches Canucks goalie/prima Donna Roberto Luongo. Nice to see Alex Burrows getting his ass kicked I can't stand that hack. Also, this is not the definition of a staged fight, this was a result of a play on the ice and emotions boiling over.

Tom Serratore on Paul Allen's show.

Paul Allen is on vacation and in his absence Kevin Gorg interviewed Beavers coach Tom Serratore during the final hour of the Paul Allen show today. Coach Serratore is on with Kevin Gorg with about 9:30 left in the podcast. (Click here to listen to the interview)

Avery and Brodeur meet again.

EDIT: Tonight the Rangers and the Devils will face off tonight in Madison Square Garden. This will be the first time Sean "Sloppy Seconds" Avery will face Martin Brodeur as Ranger. As Cornelius Hardenbergh mentioned, Avery did meet Brodeur when he was with the Dallas Stars. Last season we probably all remember the stick screening incident last year during the Stanley Cup playoffs and then the Avery Rule. Tune in tonight on Versus to watch the game.

Sean Avery will face the Devils for the first time in a Rangers uniform since last season's first-round playoff meeting, when the agitator parked himself in front of the Devils' net on a power play with his back to the action before waiving his arms and stick in Brodeur's face.

WSJ on College Hockey.

The Wall Street Journal is an awesome newspaper when it comes to stories on business and politics but now they have a really nice article on Why You Should Have Watched Hockey. Wow can well all exhale now? What a weekend and now we will have to wait two weeks while round ball steals the show. Basketball is boring.

NCAA Hockey
If only Jim Valvano had coached college hockey. Then the phrase "survive and advance" -- which the late North Carolina State basketball coach used to describe college basketball's grueling tournament -- would be where it truly belongs.

There is arguably no major event in sports more chaotic than the Division I hockey tournament. By its nature, hockey is more capricious than basketball and football, since one player (the goalie) can have an outsized impact -- for better or worse -- on a single game's outcome.

Baseball is similar, because of the pitcher's influence. But unlike baseball's double-elimination College World Series, the college hockey tournament is a one-and-done event, like basketball.

Result: Three of the four No. 1 seeds in this year's tournament didn't even survive their first games over the weekend. Michigan fell to Air Force, 2-0, due almost entirely to the play of Falcons goaltender Andrew Volkening (Michigan took 43 shots to Air Force's 13); Denver lost to Miami University, 4-2; and Notre Dame was buried by Bemidji State, 5-1.

Denver's loss and even Michigan's actually weren't that shocking -- Air Force, which subsequently was eliminated Saturday by Vermont, came within an eyelash of first-round upsets the previous two years -- but Notre Dame's defeat was the equivalent of Radford dismissing North Carolina by double digits.

Notre Dame, which led the nation in winning percentage and goals-against average, was facing the country's 37th-best team, according to the Ratings Percentage Index ranking system. There are only 58 teams in Division I. But Notre Dame goalie Jordan Pearce got rattled early, giving up the opening goal after a strange bounce off the boards, and the chaos was underway. (Read the whole article here)

Tim Thomas with a highlight save.

Check out this save from former Vermont star Tim Thomas as my Boston Bruins beat the dirty Flyers today 4-3. I remember a few weeks ago people were chirping about how the Bruins were falling and how they had run out of gas and that the Devils and Capitals were going to pass the Bruins in the standings and in about a week's time the Bruins go out and beat the Flyers and the Devils. Look Eastern Division the Bruins have awaken from their late season slumber.

1. Boston Bruins 106 Won 3
2. Washington Capitals 99 Won 1
3. New Jersey Devils 98 Lost 4
4. Philadelphia Flyers 92 Lost 1
5. Carolina Hurricanes 91 Won 6
6. Pittsburgh Penguins 90 Won 2

Oshie finishes his checks. Oshie and Nash II...

Props to Sean Leahy of puck daddy and Tim Oshie for sending me the two video clips of T.J. Oshie's monster hits on Blue Jackets star Rick Nash this past weekend. I was watching the game in question this afternoon and the Columbus announcers were really getting under my skin. Seriously, I don't see an elbow anywhere in that hit. The FSN Ohio homers are almost as bad as the guys from the Ducks. That is called finishing a check. I hate to admit it but after watching the blue a few times this season I have to concede that they are a team on the rise. I like watching teams that former Sioux hockey players play on but I can not under any circumstances cheer for New Jersey, Chicago but I could cheer for Saint Louis.

2009 Miracle On Ice.

All week long we heard comments from pundits, experts other teams fans that said BSU didn't belong in the NCAA tourney. Hum! I read where some moron said that BSU kept Minnesota out of the NCAA tourney. Yep they did and they are going to the Frozen Four. They also kept Cornell and Notre Dame out of the Frozen Four in D.C.

BSU got no respect

Last week while I was out walking the my dog I was listening to podcast from a college hockey web page I won't mention (let me give you a hint they start with INCH). You could almost hear the contempt and snickers from one hockey writer on the podcast he said BSU had no chance to wining their regional. Won't even be close. I believe this is the same Hockey East writer that said UNH had no chance of winning a game in their regional. That would make a nice charity event in Durham, NH. We could witness a mass apology to a UNH fan base and have a fundraiser all at the same time.

There is a reason they play the games nothing in life is a given, just ask the Sioux, Pioneers, Big Red and Wolverines. Since the 2006 regional anything is possible. I was there in person when I saw Holy Cross take down a number one seed in Minnesota. Yeah! Your damn right I cheered. I am still smiling. All it takes is one bounce, one penalty, one shot and your season is over. There are no second chances like the NHL where you play seven game series. In a one and done tourney anything is possible and you have to expect the unexpected, you can never disrespect your opponent or over look them.

Did I expect the Beavers to be here? Not really but you can't doubt a team coach by Tom Seratorre he is a first class coach and I believe that he is worthy of the Spencer Penrose Award. Seratorre is one of those coaches that can get a lot out of his players. Also, the Scofield, Read, Francis is as good as any line you will see in college hockey. I still believe to this day that BSU gave the Sioux more of a fight than the Gophers when the Sioux pounded them in Grand Forks in January.

BSU a program built on pride This pretty much sums up their program very well.

It was the first NCAA tournament win in Division I, although the Bemidji State program has a long history in other classifications.

"We're the winningest program in college hockey, and that does carry over," Serratore said. "Our players are very proud."

But Bemidji State accomplished this amid a cloud of uncertainty over its future, and perhaps this win takes on higher meaning as a result. The CHA will disband after next year, and next season's automatic NCAA bid is in question. Where Bemidji State will land after that, if anywhere, is up in the air.

"I hope we'll get our automatic bid next year. It would be a travesty if we didn't," Serratore said. "Our kids and our programs have done nothing to put ourselves in that situation. I hope the powers that be recognize that and give us one more year of an automatic bid."

Clearly, Bemidji State has shown it belongs. (read the rest of the article here)

That does bring up another question for the NCAA. Will you give the CHA one more autobid? It is the right thing to do. Time to man up NCAA and let the CHA have one more year of an auto bid. It gives their teams something to play for. Two of the four remaining have a home a 2010-2011. BSU and UAH are in the process of applying for membership in a major conference.

DU's Bozek and BU Gilroy draw attention.

I saw this over on DG's blog I was really impressed with Matt Gilroy during yesterday's game with tOSU, being in the West I have not had much of a chance to watch him play. Holy Cow! Matt Gilroy is everything the pundits have said and more. Tyler Bozak is the complete forward that plays both ends of the ice. I am hoping the Bruins offer him a contract he would fit will in Claude Julien's defensive system.

The Denver Pioneers are among the NCAA's early casualties as the top seeded team in the regional west bracket lost to Miami 4-2 on Friday and were eliminated from the tournament.

Denver's loss will spark frenzy this week in the NHL as league managers attempt to persuade highly touted Pioneers forward Tyler Bozak to sign his first pro contract.

All six Canadian NHL teams have significant interest in the 23 year old Regina, Saskatchewan native and his advisor, Wade Arnott of Newport Sports Management tells TSN there is a good chance Bozak will agree to terms and sign with an NHL team this week.

However, interest in Bozak is extensive with as many as 25 teams believed to be poised to make their pitch.

In the meantime, Hobey Baker finalist Matt Gilroy will also draw a lot of NHL attention this weekend.

Gilroy's B.U Terriers will face Ohio State on Saturday and if the Buckeyes can keep the trend of upsets in tact, Gilroy will join Bozak as the most sought after college free agents.

Gilroy is a 24 year old defenseman who because of his age qualifies for unrestricted free agency, while Bozak's first NHL contract will include all entry level restrictions. (link to the story)

TJ Oshie Hit On Rick Nash

Check out this video of T.J. Oshie's hit on Rick Nash. T.J. Oshie didn't score any points but his impact was felt. That homer announcer is dead wrong Nash is on the ice and is fair game. There is no written law you can't check a teams superstar legally. I am also sick and tired of hockey players wanting to fight after someone who lays a legal hit on one of their teamates. It is part of the game. Inicendtly Oshie scored the Blues first game in today's game.

Kind of what we thought the Sioux were banged up.

Brad Elliott Schlossman confirmed what Scotty D and I talked about a recent game Vandy had a shoulder injury you could see it on the ice if you watched him close enough. Some of the other guys injuries were new.

•Usually after the season is over we start to hear about injuries that guys were playing with. Coach Dave Hakstol didn't want to say anything about them, saying that every team plays with injuries and it's part of the game. But I was able to get a few things from others: Chris VandeVelde has been playing with a separated shoulder for three weeks. Joe Finley has been playing with a separated shoulder for even longer. Brett Hextall has been playing with a broken foot for over a month. Evan Trupp has an injury other than his shoulder. And there could be more. I don't think there will be any questioning of this team's "heart."

EDIT: NO where in this article is it written that I have blamed yesterday's loss on injuries. Hockey is a team game and all must being doing their assignments if they are to be successful.

Beavers dance to the Midwest regional finals.

Bemdji State did what UND, Michigan, DU, OSU, Yale, Northeastern, Notre Dame couldn't do, they won their first game in their regional. What was even more amazing was that BSU was the four seed playing one odds on favorites to go to the final game of the Frozen Four. In fact the so called experts at INCH suggested that Notre Dame and BU just play 7 games and they would decide the championship in a best of 7 games series. Yeah how did that prediction work out for you.

The Bemidji State Beavers would not be denied and BSU shot that pontifications of the pundits all to hell. The Beavers had a plan and were never behind in this game nor did the Irish ever really challenge the Beavers either. The Beavers came in a the absolute under dog and whopped the number one seeds ass for three periods, it wasn't the kind of game where a less talented team scores a couple of goals then hangs on. THhe Beavers scored, attacked and counter attacked.

Today's match up was your basic David versus Goliath if you believe the pundits, no one game them a chance at all...

INCH --- SUNDAY STORYLINE

Did you hear the one about the Catholic hockey team that played on a Sunday? No? Well, you’re about to. Notre Dame should get past a Bemidji State team that has fared reasonably well against a collection of non-conference foes from the WCHA this season, but the Beavers haven’t seen anyone like the Irish. The Cornell-Northeastern match up, while it may not yield many goals, is intriguing in the sense that the two teams are awfully similar in many ways. With two of the country’s better goalies in tow, this game may break on which team converts on the few golden opportunities it’ll get.

Notre Dame’s versatility is quite remarkable. You’d think a team with the skill of the Fighting Irish would loathe playing against one like Cornell or Northeastern, clubs that prefer to proceed at a more controlled pace, but Notre Dame is quite adept at grinding out wins. The odds of either the Big Red or the Huskies bouncing the Irish in regional final aren’t very good, but the blueprint for upsetting Notre Dame has at its core a Herculean effort from either Ben Scrivens or Brad Thiessen.

So I guess the hockey writers will have to re-write the script. The Beavers are one game from going to the Frozen Four and the favorites are going home.

I also don't want to hear another person tell me that BSU doesn't belong in the tourney or that they took a bid away from a more deserving team. The Beavers took one of the top teams in the country on for 60 minutes and whooped that ass. I also don't want to hear anyone tell me that the AHA is better. What BSU did was more impressive than AFA beating Michigan. Lastly, why would I pump the tires of BSU Hockey? I attended BSU for two years and was a football player on the 1992 squad. I have a Beaver tattooed to my right calf. Yeah! I bleed green and white (Beavers and Sioux).

UMD and Princeton video.

They should call this the game that no one saw. The game was on ESPNU and a lot of cable providers don't have this channel in their line up. Props to Sean Leahy of Puck Daddy for providing a nice write up on how the first days number one seeds went crumbling down. Now you can add a two seed North Dakota to the list of high seeds that went crumbling down.

I hope UMD can finish the run to the Frozen Four because it would get a WCHA team to the Frozen Four if they win today and maybe get some of the UMD fans off their coach's tail. I have read a lot of stuff on line on how UMD fans were not happy with Sandelin and how they wanted a coaching change. UMD is the last team standing in the WCHA. Scott Sandelin is a great coach and his team grit and determination has showed the last few weeks.

To cap off an eventful first day, the game of night was certainly between Minnesota-Duluth and Princeton. Down two goals with under a minute remaining in their season, Minnesota-Duluth scored twice, with 39 seconds left and then tied things up with just 0.8 seconds remaining to force overtime. In the extra frame, Mike Connolly scored 13:39 into overtime to lift the Bulldogs to the West Regional final against Miami of Ohio tonight.

UNH 6 UND 5

The first thing that came to mind was haven't we seen this before? (probably not if you have midco.net) Last night UMD scored two goals in 39 seconds to win the game against Princeton. Today the Wildcast scored two goals in almost the same time frame (45 seconds).

Holding leads late in the game has usually been one of the Fighting Sioux's strong points, however, today defensively the Fighting Sioux looked like bunch of green road cones. This game was a tough pill to swallow and I hope the Sioux players that return let it burn in hard in their memory and motivate them to play better. Today's loss should remind them they can't take a shift off for a moment, or your season can end. The goaltending was great for most of the year but it was god awful today, next season Aaron Dell an all star in the AJHL will probably challenge Eidsness for playing time and push him to be better. Brad Eidsness (24-12-4)gaa 2.55 and 9.06 save percentage was a freshman goalie this season and played well and he will be better next season.

Our bread in butter usually is our defense and our defense failed to take away UNH's space and it ended up costing them at the end of the third period and in the over time. Sioux also didn't have an answer for Jerry Pollastrone who assisted on botht he game tying and game winning goal, I have to tip my hat to that kid because he was simply amazing. For the Sioux Jason Gregoire and Brad Malone gave us a glimsp of the future as they were the stars of the game in the losing effort.

Eight Men out

I am going to have to say that this senior class was the epitome of hard work and determination and I am going to miss them. Career over for Finely, Walski, Duncan, Jones, Watkins, Miller, Martens and Kozek, thanks for the memories. Now we sit and wait and wonder who from the underclassmen will decide to take the next step and sign a professional contract. You would have think that Chris VandeVelde and Genoway are going to be flight risks and the ones that could recieve some interest.

(BOX SCORE)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NDK-1 Matt Watkins (2-Hooking) UNH 1x1 2:03
UNH 1 - 0 6x5 PP Mike Sislo (19) (James van Riemsdyk, Jamie Fritsch) 2:34
UNH: 19,21,2,11,5,G29 NDK: 2,16,17,5,G31
NDK 1 - 1 6x6 Jason Gregoire (12) (unassisted) 3:34
NDK (+): 17,26,16,2,5,G31 UNH (-): 17,5,28,10,22,G29
NDK-2 Ryan Duncan (2-Slashing) UNH 1x2 4:54
UNH-1 Thomas Fortney (2-Hooking) NDK 0x1 8:11
UNH-2 Greg Collins (2-Tripping) NDK 0x2 9:40
UNH-3 Blake Kessel (2-HITTING AFTER WHISTLE) 12:17
NDK-3 Matt Watkins (2-HITTING AFTER WHISTLE) 12:17
NDK 2 - 1 5x5 Brad Malone (5) (Andrew Kozek) 13:55
NDK (+): 22,10,6,25,G31 UNH (-): 2,8,9,24,G29
NDK-4 Brad Malone (2-Boarding) UNH 1x3 16:32

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

UNH-4 Phil DeSimone (2-High-Sticking) NDK 0x3 2:16
NDK-5 Brad Miller (2-Cross-Checking) UNH 1x4 2:39
UNH 2 - 2 5x5 Jerry Pollastrone (6) (Kevin Kapstad) 4:08
UNH (+): 11,5,4,9,G29 NDK (-): 29,21,5,2,G31
UNH 3 - 2 6x6 Peter LeBlanc (13) (Greg Collins, Bobby Butler) 7:21
UNH (+): 9,8,12,28,5,G29 NDK (-): 9,19,8,25,6,G31
NDK 3 - 3 6x6 Ryan Duncan (20) (Brett Hextall, Jason Gregoire) 9:47
NDK (+): 16,26,17,5,2,G31 UNH (-): 5,11,21,19,28,G29
UNH-5 Damon Kipp (2-O-INTERFERENCE) NDK 0x4 11:08
NDK 4 - 3 6x6 Evan Trupp (8) (Brad Malone, Matt Frattin) 17:06
NDK (+): 19,22,21,25,6,G31 UNH (-): 9,18,16,24,20,G29
NDK-6 Darcy Zajac (2-Boarding) UNH 1x5 17:20

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

NDK 5 - 3 6x6 Chris VandeVelde (17) (Matt Frattin) 9:08
NDK (+): 29,21,22,2,5,G31 UNH (-): 11,12,8,4,2,G29
UNH 4 - 5 6x6 Greg Collins (8) (Damon Kipp, Thomas Fortney) 11:00
UNH (+): 8,4,17,2,9,G29 NDK (-): 2,5,29,22,21,G31
Timeout - New Hampshire 18:48
UNH 5 - 5 6x6 EA Thomas Fortney (3) (Jerry Pollastrone, Mike Sislo) 19:59
UNH (+): 9,17,11,21,19,5 NDK (-): 29,2,16,5,20,G31

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overtime (0:45)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNH 6 - 5 6x6 GW LL Peter LeBlanc (14) (Jerry Pollastrone, Mike Sislo) 0:45
UNH (+): 9,11,19,21,5,G29 NDK (-): 5,2,22,21,29,G31

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

Watkins will play.

Brad Elliott Schlossman has the lines up and Matt Watkins is going to play.
UND's lines

17 Jason Gregoire--16 Ryan Duncan--26 Brett Hextall
22 Brad Malone--29 Chris VandeVelde--21 Matt Frattin
20 Matt Watkins--11 Darcy Zajac--10 Andrew Kozek
19 Evan Trupp--9 Mario Lamoureux--8 Ryan Martens

2 Joe Finley--5 Chay Genoway
6 Zach Jones--25 Jake Marto
24 Ben Blood--14 Brad Miller

31 Brad Eidsness
30 Aaron Walski

New Hampshire's lines

11 Jerry Pollastrone--21 James vanRiemsdyk--19 Mike Sislo
8 Greg Collins--9 Peter LeBlanc--12 Bobby Butler
16 Greg Manz--39 Phil DeSimone--20 Paul Thompson
10 Alan Thompson--17 Thomas Fortney--22 Steve Moses

5 Kevin Kapstad--28 Blake Kessel
2 Jamie Fritsch--4 Damon Kipp
18 Nick Krates--24 Matt Campanale

29 Brian Foster
30 Matt DiGirolamo

Whos next? Early Departures.

Denver University season ended with a 4-2 loss to the Miami Red Hawks. Honestly I have to say that was a little shocked about the result because of all the fire power that DU has up front. As the Pioneers season ends the next question is who will DU lose to the NHL? The Pioneers have a few awesome players on their roster and their NHL teams might come calling and sign them.

DU hockey beat writer Mike Chambers touches on this subject a bit in his latest blog post. Just a hunch but Tyler Bozak is probably gone, Bozak is going to be one of the most sought after undrafted free agents and someone is going to offer him a contract to play on their team. Next, you have to wonder about Patrick Wiercioch that kid is really an awesome defensive player that has impressed me everytime I have watched him play. Lastly, you have to wonder what the Bruins are going to do with Joe Colborne, who happens to be a draft pick of my favorite team. I think he would look really good with a spoked B on his chest.

- We’re going to miss Tyler Bozak. He’s out the past 21 games but leads the Pios with a goal and a helper, both on the power play. I talked to Tyler about his looming decision, but it’s just not newsworthy stuff. No matter what he says about the possibility of coming back, you just know this 23-year-old is ready for the next level.

– Patrick Wiercioch. I think it’s 50-50 for the freshman defenseman. I spoke to him and his thoughts are in the main story. I’ve heard Ottawa is wooing him, so if he stays he might have to go against the Sens’ wishes.

– Joe Colborne. I also talked to the freshman wing about this, as well as his dad a couple weeks ago, and I think he’s 90-10 in favor of staying. He made huge progress this year and knows he could be a NCAA big-timer as a sophomore. Plus, I’m sure the Bruins are pleased with his development so for under Gwoz.

Silly Season continues, Bachman gone.

The WCHA continues it's trend of being raided by the NHL as the Colorado College Tigers lost their sophomore goaltender Richard Bachman who signed a professional contract with the Dallas Stars. For the Tigers this is a major loss because Bachman was one of the better goaltenders in the WCHA. This departure wasn't as shocking as others because of the play of Marty Turco in net for the Dallas Stars.

FRISCO, Tex. – The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed goaltender Richard Bachman to a three-year entry-level contract. Bachman recently wrapped up a two-year career at Colorado College, and will forego his final two seasons of eligibility with the Tigers.


Richard Bachman
“Richard had an outstanding, highly-decorated career at Colorado College, and he’s ready to take the next step into the professional ranks,” said Dallas Stars Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “He has an outstanding set of fundamentals and a very bright future ahead of him, and we look forward to his continued development in our organization.”

Bachman, 21, appeared in 35 games for Colorado College as a sophomore in 2008-09, posting a 14-11-10 record with a .914 save percentage, a 2.63 goals-against-average and three shutouts.

As a freshman in 2007-08, the Salt Lake City native was named the National Rookie of the Year by the HCA (Hockey Commissioner’s Association) and Inside College Hockey magazine, and became just the second player ever to be named WCHA Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season. The 5-11, 170-pound goaltender also earned First Team West All-America and First Team All-WCHA honors, and was named to College Hockey News' All-Rookie Team.

Early departures in the WCHA (6)

Alaska-Anchorage (1)
Paul Crowder, jr, forward, N.Y. Rangers

Colorado College (2)
Brian Connelly, jr, defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks
Richard Bachman, so, goaltender, Dallas Stars

Minnesota (1)
Ryan Stoa, jr, forward, Colorado Avalanche

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

Wisconsin (1)
Jamie McBain, jr, defenseman, Carolina Hurricanes

Latest Hockey Show.

Check out the latest version of the hockey show, the Mayor of Bemidji Richard Lehmann was on with Moose and Scott and Lehmann sounds like a Mayor that really knows his college hockey. Also, Moose interviewed the coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and he sounded like a really good interview.
(Click here for the Hockey Show) If you have an iPod and want to listen on iTunes (click here).

Air Force Holy Crosses Michigan

Holy Cow! I honestly can't believe it. Cue the hot goalie cliche'. Air Force just beat Michigan 2-0. Michigan put a lot of rubber on Andrew Volkening and he didn't let anything go by. That just busted everyone's brackets. Nice to see the kid from Grand Forks, ND Jacques Lamoureux score the goal for the Falcons.

Box Score
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
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AFA-1 Josh Frider (2-CTH ELBOWING) MIC 0x1 3:32
AFA-2 Greg Flynn (2-Cross-Checking) MIC 0x2 4:13
MIC-1 Luke Glendening (2-Tripping) AFA 0x1 7:02
MIC-2 Brian Lebler (2-Charging) AFA 0x2 9:42
MIC-3 Travis Turnbull (2-Hooking) AFA 1x3 13:33
AFA 1 - 0 6x5 PP GW LL Derrick Burnett (8) (Jeff Hajner, Greg Flynn) 15:18
AFA: 17,26,23,12,4,G1 MIC: 23,6,5,29,G35
AFA-3 Brad Sellers (2-Slashing) MIC 0x3 15:55
MIC-4 Matt Rust (2-Slashing) AFA 1x4 19:17

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2nd Period (20:00)
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MIC-5 Travis Turnbull (2-Charging) AFA 1x5 2:01
AFA-4 Josh Frider (2-Interference) MIC 0x4 3:51
AFA 2 - 0 6x6 Jacques Lamoureux (33) (Matt Fairchild, Greg Flynn) 7:02
AFA (+): 21,12,23,19,25,G1 MIC (-): 26,22,17,19,34,G35
AFA-5 Greg Flynn (2-Slashing) 13:21
MIC-6 David Wohlberg (2-Diving) 13:21
AFA-6 Scott Kozlak (2-Holding) MIC 0x5 15:09
AFA-7 Sean Bertsch (2-High-Sticking) MIC 0x6 19:53

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3rd Period (20:00)
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AFA-8 Greg Flynn (2-O-INTERFERENCE) MIC 0x7 2:08
MIC-7 Carl Hagelin (2-Holding) AFA 1x6 13:58
Timeout - Air Force 17:24

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

Check out this Oshie site.

One thing cool about statscounter.com is that you can tell who has visited your
blog and this site popped up. Check it out T.J Osie love.

Kessel out for the weekend.

Bruins forward Phil Kessel is out of the line up with weekend as he has an undisclosed injury. If we find out what the injury is we will let you know.

Winger Phil Kessel will miss a weekend road swing with an undisclosed injury, said coach Claude Julien after today's practice.

Kessel stands to miss that games against Toronto (tomorrow) and Philadelphia (Sunday). In keeping with the club's close-to-the-vest policy regarding injuries, Julien did not offer any details.

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.
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- 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.