Georges Laraque suspended for five games fot hit on Niklas Kronwall

Maybe WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod and Greg Shepherd could learn a thing or two about the NHL disciplinary procedures. This is what happens when you take a player out you pay for it with a suspension. Like I said in an earlier post I thought the NHL should suspend Georges Laraque for this dirty hit on Niklas Kronwall.

The National Hockey League announced on Monday night that Montreal Canadiens forward Georges Laraque has been suspended for five games without pay, and will forfeit $38,860.10 in salary for an incident that took place during a game against the Detroit Red Wings last Saturday.

At 8:52 of the first period, Laraque was involved in an incident where he deliberately extended his knee and, through his actions, caused an injury to Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Laraque was assessed a minor penalty for tripping on the play.

"Mr. Laraque's actions were dangerous and caused a significant injury to his opponent," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

Laraque will miss Montreal's next five games – Nov. 24 against Columbus; Nov. 25 at Pittsburgh; Nov. 28 against Washington, Dec. 1 against Toronto and Dec. 3 at Buffalo. He will be eligible to return on Dec. 4 against the Boston Bruins. [NHL.COM]

Christmas comes early Pouliot traded to the Habs.

RWD game me a heads up on this trade. I am excited about this trade because I have never been impressed with Benoit Pouliot, the kid was a waste of a uniform who put up little if any effort and I wondered why the Wild keep coming back with him in the lineup, now if the Wild can get rid of their other first round mistake James Sheppard the kid has shown nothing to date that leads me to believe that he will ever be anything more than a fourth line player. I don't think he has even earned the right to play on the Wild's fourth line in my humble opinion. If he is lucky he MIGHT score 5-10 goals this season. As a self confessed Montreal Canadians’ hater I guess it will take some time for me to get used to this move. I think that Guillaume Latendresse might be able to add some grit in front of the opposition net.

The thing I like about Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher is that he isn’t sitting around making excused like the former Wild GM Doug Risebrough did. I actually like the fact that this season Fletcher has went out and got Chuck Kobasew, Andrew Ebbett. It shows that Fletcher isn’t going to sit around and just let people wear a uniform.

The Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens traded underachieving forwards Monday afternoon.

Montreal sent power forward Guillaume Latendresse to the Wild in exchange for forward Benoit Pouliot.

Latendresse, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound left wing, has just 2 goals and 3 points on this season after a 26-point season in 2008-09. In his first three season, Latendresse had put together back-to-back 16-goal seasons in his first two years in the League.

"Guillaume is a young, talented forward who has averaged 15 goals per season in each of his first three NHL seasons,” Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said. “At just 22 years old, he will add size and a scoring punch to our roster.”

Pouliot, Minnesota's first-round pick, No. 4 overall, in the 2005 Entry Draft, has just 2 goals and 4 points in 13 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound left wing has 9 goals and 18 points in 65 NHL games, spread across parts of four seasons.

Pouliot is presently out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. He last played on Nov. 13. Latendresse, meanwhile, has been relegated to third- and fourth-line duty for the Canadiens. He has not seen more than 9 minutes of ice time since Nov. 5. [Wild.Com] Props to [Mike Russo]

Poll Monday (Sioux 4th)

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[November 23, 2009]
1 Miami (37) 9-1-4 983 1
2 Denver ( 9) 8-3-1 938 3
3 Mass.-Lowell ( 2) 8-2-1 864 4
4 North Dakota 7-4-1 794 2
5 Colorado College 9-2-1 792 7
6 Bemidji State ( 2) 10-1-1 690 8
7 Cornell 5-2-0 648 5
8 Michigan State 9-3-2 632 6
9 Quinnipiac 10-1-0 622 13
10 Massachusetts 8-2-0 587 11
11 Yale 3-2-2 417 9
12 Alaska 8-3-1 401 10
13 Notre Dame 6-5-3 381 14
14 Minnesota-Duluth 9-4-1 378 20
15 Wisconsin 7-4-1 292 15
16 Boston College 5-3-2 250 17
17 Ferris State 9-3-2 247 NR
18 Vermont 4-4-1 188 17
19 Nebraska-Omaha 5-4-3 109 12
20 Colgate 6-3-4 70 NR
Others Receiving Votes: St. Cloud State 64, Michigan 63, RIT 20, Princeton 18, Union 16, New Hampshire 12, Northern Michigan 10, Rensselaer 8, Merrimack 2, Providence 2, St. Lawrence 2
-----------------
USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Nov. 23, 2009]
Rank School (first-place votes) Record Points Last week's rank
1 Miami University (Ohio) (26) 9-1-4 502 1
2 Denver (6) 8-3-1 479 3
3 Massachusetts Lowell (2) 8-2-1 440 4
4 North Dakota 7-4-1 374 2
5 Colorado College 9-2-1 364 7
6 Bemidji State 10-1-1 290 8
7 Michigan State 9-3-2 270 6
8 Cornell 5-2-0 256 5
9 Massachusetts 8-2-0 240 11
10 Quinnipiac 10-1-0 234 13
11 Yale 3-2-2 144 9
12 University of Alaska (Fairbanks) 8-3-1 137 10
13 Minnesota Duluth 9-4-1 94 NR
14 Notre Dame 6-5-3 86 14
15 Boston College 5-3-2 42 NR
Others receiving votes: University of Vermont, 30; Ferris State University 27, University of Wisconsin 25, University of Michigan 11, University of Nebraska Omaha 10, Colgate University 5, Rochester Institute of Technology 3, St. Cloud State University 1.

Analysis: Five WCHA teams in the top 20 this kind of looks like it’s shaping up to be one of those season where the WCHA might get five teams in the big dance. That could change because the WCHA teams will commit fratricide against their fellow conference foes with WCHA schedule. I know it's early so we will have to see how the season shakes out.

I am kind of surprised that C.C. is still behind UND in the polls. Again the polls mean nothing at the current time, but they are fun to talk about. The Bemidji State University Beavers receives two first place votes in this week's poll after they pounded UAH I am sure we will hear how BSU has played a weak schedule and doesn’t deserve to be ranked so high. This weekend we will see how the Beavers stack up against two CCHA teams.

Marc Savard returns to the Bruins

This is very good news for the Boston Bruins who are starved for goal scoring. Also, it helps me because I get one of my fantasy hockey players back in my hockey pool. Of course sitting in 8th place in a 10 team league isn't all that impressive.

Marc Savard, out of the lineup since Oct. 17 against Phoenix, will be back in uniform tonight after recovering from a broken left foot. Savard will center the No. 1 line between Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz.
[Bruins Blog]

INCH Power Rankings

As always I include the INCH Power Rankings for those looking for a good laugh on Monday Morning.

1. Miami
2. Denver
8-3-1 (6-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. North Dakota, 1-0; W vs. North Dakota, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud State
3. UMass Lowell
4. North Dakota 2 The losses at Denver marked the first time the Sioux suffered a weekend sweep since dropping a pair to Michigan Tech Dec. 15-16, 2006. "Hopefully it doesn't happen again," NoDak forward Chris VandeVelde told the Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman. 7-4-1 (5-4-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Denver, 1-0; L at Denver, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Ohio State, vs. Miami (Subway Holiday Classic; Grand Forks, N.D.)
5. Colorado College
6. Cornell
7. Bemidji State
8. Michigan State
9. Quinnipiac
10. Massachusetts
11. Yale
12. Alaska
13. Minnesota Duluth
14. Notre Dame
15. Vermont
16. Wisconsin
17. Boston College
18. Ferris State
19. Nebraska-Omaha
20. Colgate
Dropped out: Princeton
Bubble-licious: St. Cloud State, Merrimack, RIT

Georges Laraque's Knee On Knee hit on Niklas Kronwall

I think this is a bush league hit and Georges Laraque should be suspended by the NHL for this dirty hit. I have have to be honest that I am not a fan of Georges Laraque and find his antics borish. That doesn't mean I don't like tough guys because I do. I just appreciate tough guys with honor that play the game straight up. It just find it funny that a guy that doesn't play more than eight minutes a game and that has little or any talent was able to knock out a talented defenseman like Niklas Kronwall. I saw this on hockey night and Canada last night and have to agree with the Redwing's General Manager.

Asked if he thought the hit dirty, Holland didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Yes, it was dirty. It was knee-on-knee, and I believe knee-on-knee is a dirty play. I don’t know if the referees saw it. I just saw Nik go down and then I got to watch it on TV and video replay.”

Laraque was only assessed a two-minute minor penalty for tripping – though he also got four minutes for high-sticking Darren Helm during the same shift – but the NHL may well hand down a suspension upon review.
[Freep.com]

DU 3 UND 2

Well that was fun!?! I hope UND learned a few things about their team this past weekend. The Fighting Sioux aren’t quite there yet but they aren’t too far off from being a really good hockey team. Hey I will give DU their due they are a good hockey team but UND isn’t too bad either. Lets also not be confused, while DU is a good hockey they are not world beaters or unbeatable either, like some have suggested. The Pioneers are a good hockey team that has a lot of balance but I wouldn’t write them in as NCAA champions yet. Maybe Kizla should stick to covering the Av’s.

Seriously, I really don’t think there is really too much of a difference between the two teams, like one fan said over on DG’s blog this series could have gone either way. I agree with that. In whole grand scheme of things UND is still a pretty young team but is ranked third nationally in team defense, not too shabby. UND was also missing their top defenseman this weekend. That probably played a big hand in this weekend’s results.

Going Forward

I have already have discussed the shoddy official’s performance in this series and I don’t know if I need to cover that anymore today. Sioux7 might have something to say about it next week. None-the-less, I am going to be on the officials like a laser this season. If they screw up I am going to talk about it. If I see a poor performance involving any team from the officials I will cover it. That means if UAA gets screwed by the officials it will get discussed. The fans are paying way to much money to get cheated by the on ice officials. I also don’t think they are off limits for discussion. If you have visual evidence of a travesty email it to me and it will get covered.

Silver Linings

The Fighting Sioux also learned that if take stupid penalties it could come back to haunt you. Former Fighting Sioux hockey coach Dean Blais used to say “if you’re going to take a penalty you better be ready to kill it.” I actually thought UND did pretty good on the penalty killing this weekend. Special teams were key in this weekend series, all of the goals scored this weekend came on the power play. Really if you look at the silver lining UND lost by two goals in a two game series. That is better than getting blown out two nights in a row.

The sun did come up to day as well and there are many things to be thankful for.

Props ~ I think that Joe Gleason picked up his play this past weekend and did a good job moving the puck out of the zone.

Props ~ Danny Kristo had a goal and an assist this past weekend and I thought he looked pretty good this past weekend.

Props ~ Brad Eidsness was pretty good this past weekend and now has a record of 6-3-1 in ten and a half games and a GAA of 1.69 and a SV% of .929. Like BigA HG of Sioux Sports said, Eids has looked great in my eyes (not in some others). I would have to say that I concur.

Props ~ To Patrick Wiercioch and Marc Cheverie for making it back to the line up from injuries and having a hand in sweeping UND.



[Box Score]
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1st Period (20:00)
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DEN-1 Jesse Martin (2-Tripping) NDK 1x1 1:31
DEN-2 John Lee (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) NDK 1x2 2:22
NDK 1 - 0 6x4 PP Danny Kristo (2) (Brad Malone, Evan Trupp) 3:23
NDK: 7,19,22,25,18,G31 DEN: 24,27,6,G1
NDK-1 Ben Blood (2-CTH ROUGHING) DEN 0x1 10:07
NDK-2 Corban Knight (2-Cross-Checking) DEN 0x2 13:37
DEN-3 John Ryder (2-Roughing) NDK 2x3 16:32
NDK 2 - 0 6x5 PP Chris VandeVelde (4) (Jason Gregoire, Danny Kristo) 17:26
NDK: 29,7,17,20,26,G31 DEN: 19,21,6,9,G1
NDK-3 Andrew MacWilliam (2-Holding) DEN 1x3 19:18

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2nd Period (20:00)
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NDK-4 Derrick LaPoint (2-Tripping) 0:20
DEN-4 Rhett Rakhshani (2-Tripping) 0:20
DEN 1 - 2 6x5 PP Joe Colborne (4) (Kyle Ostrow, Drew Shore) 1:09
DEN: 12,19,23,28,15,G1 NDK: 22,19,24,25,G31
NDK-5 Ben Blood (2-Hooking) DEN 1x4 2:09
NDK-6 Ben Blood (2-Contact to the Head) DEN 2x5 4:45
DEN 2 - 2 6x5 PP Joe Colborne (5) (Patrick Wiercioch, Tyler Ruegsegger) 5:22
DEN: 12,28,15,19,9,G1 NDK: 11,19,25,3,G31
NDK-7 Brad Malone (2-Slashing) DEN 3x6 6:47
DEN 3 - 2 6x5 PP GW LL Kyle Ostrow (5) (Joe Colborne, Rhett Rakhshani) 8:33
NDK: 9,11,3,25,G31
NDK-8 Danny Kristo (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) DEN 3x7 13:04
NDK-9 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) DEN 3x8 15:54
DEN-5 Jesse Martin (2-Hooking) NDK 2x4 17:22
NDK-10 Brett Hextall (2-Unsportsmanlike Conduct) DEN 3x9 18:47

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Period (20:00)
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DEN-6 Matt Donovan (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 2x5 5:32
NDK-11 Chris VandeVelde (2-Slashing) DEN 3x10 10:32
NDK-12 Brad Malone (2-Interference) DEN 3x11 16:10
DEN-7 Joe Colborne (2-Hooking) NDK 2x6 17:43
DEN-8 Jesse Martin (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 2x7 19:16

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

After futher review the refs still suck.

Yesterday I wrote a column for the Illegal Curve on how the officiating in the WCHA is sub par and needed to be changed starting with the leadership at the top by failing to renew their contracts when they come up for renewal. I also said that the officials in the WCHA lacked credibility and the rest of college hockey; including the fans, media pundits and other leagues look at the WCHA leadership as being joke. In the last INCH pod cast the guys from INCH in a nut shell basically said that the WCHA league officials were a joke in the way they handled the Genoway hit.[Click to listen] I hate to say it, but I agree with the guys from INCH.

Travesty in Denver

Last night was one of the most one sided officiating jobs that I have seen in my 17-18 years of watching college hockey. Let it be known that I have watched some bad officiating jobs over those years, but this one stuck out more than others. The WCHA should review the performance of Brian Thul, Scott Bokal these two officials are a joke and don’t belong calling hockey games anymore, if you can’t call the game fairly both ways than you shouldn’t be allowed to call a game. There were many instances where the DU player would obstruct, hook, hold or slash a UND player yet there would be no call from the ref and then the refs would turn around and call UND for another penalty. UND had to kill off six straight penalties in the second period. That is an utter joke. It was like the decision had been made UND wasn't going to win this game.

On the ruling of no goal; this is one instance where the refs actually made the right call for once. Color me surprised. When the officials go to review a goal on the video as a fan you have no clue how the refs are going to rule because they are so inconsistent in their rulings. Each ruling is an adventure. Unfortunately, this ruling probably cost UND a point in the standings, but I am alright with that because they mad the right decision for once.

Look at the video that is included at the top of the page its clear that Sioux forward Brad Malone clearly made a distinct kicking motion at the puck with his skate. So in reality the refs got two thirds of their goal reviews wrong this past weekend, I guess you can’t be wrong all of the time, right. Even the homer DU radio announcers said that the refs blew the two goal reviews from Friday night, one goal that should have probably counted for the DU goal and another goal that should have counted for UND. I guess you could call it a wash but if UND’s goal counts it may have changed the complexity of the game a bit.

The league needs to have a cognitive approach to reviewing the goals because right now the refs are not doing a very good job reviewing the goals. There is no rhyme or reason to their rulings on questionable goals. Of course the league commissioner and the head of WCHA officials are oblivious and walk around acting if nothing is wrong with the officiating in the WCHA. In the minds of the WCHA leadership the officials are doing a great job in their mind the league has five teams within a couple points of each other in the standings, all for the sake of parity.

Last night the game started out well for UND the Fighting Sioux got two power play goals in the first period and were playing well. The game was tame and not a lot of after the whistle b.s. then Denver University coach George Gwozdecky stepped into his office and decided that he had seen enough of this and did his patented work over the refs routine. It was typical Gwoz he called the ref over to the DU players bench and complain to the refs about the calls on the ice. I mean how dare UND get a lead on his team. As a Sioux fan you know what is coming next, you know that UND is about to get homered in Denver. The next penalty or two is coming UND’s way. Sure enough UND had to kill off six straight penalties and gave up three goals.

Coach Hakstol is unimpressed with the refs

Check out Coah Hakstol post game comments with Tim Hennessey after the game. [Click to listen] This is the most upset that I can ever remember Dave Hakstol being in a post game interview. Check out what he has to say.

Check out a few of the comments by Coach Dave Hakstol. The team took a few of the undisciplined penalties that went over the deep end. There were also a few calls that were junk. The pros on ice (the officials)didn't do a very good job. The league commissioner was in attendance and maybe we will have a talk with him, or maybe not.

McLeod is a joke

Last night between the second and third period WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod was on the radio last night with Tim O'Keefe and the league commissioner basically said you have to kill a commit an act of murder to get more than a one game suspension. In other words get a 2 game suspension from the league you have to do something that is really egregious, apparently the check on Chay Genoway didn’t cross that threshold of being grotesque enough to warrant an extra game. You can bet if that person that committed the act had been wearing purple or green uniform they would have had the book thrown at them. Just ask Mankato coach Troy Jutting.

Tim O’Keefe also asked McLeod if he understood how fans would be upset with the fact that Chay Genoway is sitting at home while Aaron Marvin gets to play this weekend. The buffoon’s response was something like this aw shucks we make stuff as we go along and mentioned Nick Leddy’s dad being upset about the hit on his kid. Apparently the WCHA commissioner has no ability to feel empathy for anyone. I was ready to take my computer and throw it across the room.

Lastly, Tim O’Keefe also brought up how George Gwozdecky walked out on to the ice at the end of the period. Again the commissioner said something to the affect of ah shucks we reviewed the tape and had a talk with George said that he shouldn’t be out on the ice. How about a sanction? I wonder if this discussion was over their morning coffee together at Denver University.

I know that some are going to sound like conspiracy theory stuff but the league office is at Denver University and I can see how fans might question this and how this appears to others in the WCHA. Seriously, you had the two controversial goals that DU benefited from two seasons ago and then you have this debacle.

Lines for tonight's game.

UND Fighing Sioux hockey beat writer Brad Elliott Schlossman has posted the lines for tonight's game against the Denver Pioneers.

UND's lines

17 Jason Gregoire--29 Chris VandeVelde--26 Brett Hextall
19 Evan Trupp--22 Brad Malone--18 David Toews
9 Mario Lamoureux--11 Darcy Zajac--27 Carter Rowney
8 Mike Cichy--10 Corban Knight--7 Danny Kristo

24 Ben Blood--20 Joe Gleason
3 Derrick LaPoint--25 Jake Marto
2 Andrew MacWilliam--Corey Fienhage

31 Brad Eidsness
32 Aaron Dell

Denver's lines

9 Rhett Rakhshani--12 Joe Colborne--19 Kyle Ostrow
16 Anthony Maiani--15 Tyler Ruegsegger--14 Jesse Martin
17 Matt Glasser--22 Brian Gifford--27 Brandon Vossberg
26 Shawn Ostrow--23 Drew Shore--11 Chris Knowlton

24 John Ryder--21 William Wrenn
4 Matt Donovan--6 Chris Nutini
[Either 7 Paul Phillips or 28 Patrick Wiercioch]--5 John Lee

1 Marc Cheverie
33 Adam Murray
35 Lars Paulgaard

NCAA Round: After further review the refs suck.

Here is this weeks Illegal Curve article.

There has been a recurring theme this season in the WCHA and to a lesser extent the other leagues in college hockey, shoddy and inconsistent officiating. What is a penalty one period isn’t a penalty the next. While the NHL has figured out how to protect the puck carrier and call the obstruction the WCHA is still lagging behind the NHL and the rest of college hockey. The refs are failing to call the picks, hooking, holdings and slashing penalties.

Another troubling trend is that the officials are failing to make the proper calls on the ice at the time that they happen and are making the calls after reviewing the video. Last week I witnessed one of the biggest travesties that I have seen in college hockey for a very long time. During a game between UND and SCSU the Huskies Aaron Marvin put a deliberate, bush league, brutal, and devastating hit on UND defenseman and Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate Chay Genoway’s.


If you watch the video you will see that Marvin followed Genoway all the way up the ice and drove his head into the glass with a vicious elbow, Genoway didn’t even have the puck at the time of the check. It’s easy to determine from watching the video that it was a deliberate hit.

The thing that troubles me the most is that there were four officials on the ice at the time of the play. Everyone in the building saw the play except the four on ice officials. That is unacceptable and that can not be allowed to happen. Some ones’ head needs to role for that. How can there be four officials on the ice and none of them see the play in question? How come they aren’t watching the play in the area of where the puck is? Seriously! This is a legitimate question; shouldn’t the ref be watching the play or area where the puck is in play? If the refs aren’t watching the play what the heck are they watching?

What is even more troublesome is that after the whistle there was an ensuing lengthy discussion between three of the on ice officials. It was determined incorrectly after a lengthy discussion that SCSU defenseman Chris Hepp had hit Genoway from behind. Hepp was incorrectly given a five minute major and a game misconduct. Hepp was sent to the locker room where he took off his equipment and showered. Aaron Marvin was allowed to play for another 2 ½ minutes before the period ended.

Between periods: After reviewing the video it was correctly determined that Aaron Marvin was the one that committed the penalty and not Chriss Hepp. So naturally after being thrown out of the game Chris Hepp had taken off his equipment and showered because he had assumed his night was over. After the correction of the penalty Hepp was told to get dressed and return to the game. Hepp had to put his equipment back on and didn’t show up on the bench until after the period had started. I have never in all of my days of watching hockey heard or seen anything like that happening before.

The WCHA reviewed the play and decided to tack on an additional one game suspension for Aaron Marvin. My next question is how does Marvin only get a one game suspension for that brutal hit? This past week James Neal of the Dallas Stars was given a two game suspension for a less serious hit by the NHL. Are we to infer that the “Wheels of Justice” in the NHL are more credible than the NCAA and WCHA?

I meant to blow the whistle on that play

I have been witness to a lot of quick whistles at the goalmouth this season. Some of these plays were obvious goals that should have counted. Of course the on ice official got the on ice call wrong or was totally out of position to make the right call. In most of these cases the puck hadn’t been frozen, yet the ref incorrectly called the play dead. A couple of these calls were of the “I intended to blow the whistle on that play” which in a couple of cases was the incorrect call.

College hockey isn’t the only place these things happen. In the best league in hockey the NHL the same thing also happened during game involving the Detroit Redwings and the Dallas Stars. The Redwings scored what looked like a legitimate goal only to fall victim to the subjective, “I intended to blow the whistle but I couldn’t get my lips on the whistle call the play dead.” After reviewing the video numerous time it was very apparent that Dennis LaRue a veteran official had blown the call horribly. I think in this case LaRue didn't want to admit that he made a mistake.

You have to give the NHL credit they at least explained why the goal was waved off the WCHA doesn’t usually give their explanation on controversial call.

"The way we've always handled it and the way we will continue to handle it until we have a procedure change is the referees call on the ice stands. He sees the shot and he sees the save and doesn't see the puck in the net and kills the play or blows the whistle," Murphy said. "It's not when you hear the whistle blow, it's when he intends to blow the whistle. There is a little bit of a gray area there between when he intends and when the whistle sounds. [NHL.COM]

These kinds of incidents do not reflect well on the leadership of the WCHA or its on ice officials. That fact remains that the commissioner of the WCHA Bruce McLeod and its head of officials Greg Shepherd are oblivious to the lack of credibility of their on ice officials and or they don’t feel that the league office as has a credibility problem. As long as there is parity in the WCHA they don’t care. They fail to get rid of bad officials and actually reward them with letting them work NCAA regional and Championship games. The thing that I find troublesome is that the junior league the USHL can find credible and decent officials to ref their games but the WCHA cannot and keeps wheeling out the same old officials year after year. Something has to be done.

The WCHA rarely if ever feels that they to answer for their officials on ice incompetence. This past weekend there was no "formal" explanation for to the on ice debacle that took place in Grand Forks, ND. The only time recently that I can remember this happening was after former referee Randy Schmidt had blown two calls on controversial goals in 2008 and after the second incident Schmidt was finally suspended by the WCHA and not hired back the following year. No official explanation was given. I believe the fans are entitled to these explanations. No press release was ever issued about Schmidt’s dismissal from the WCHA

The funny thing was that it wasn’t until one of the WCHA’s Big Ten schools got screwed by a bad call, costing them a game and points in the standings that the WCHA finally decided to step in and then decided to suspend and terminate Schmidt’s employment.

What can be done about the incompetent officials?

I don’t think there is anything that can be done about incompetent officials except if the member schools of a particular conference become unhappy with the current state of the on ice officials. I believe that the member schools would have to lodge formal complaints and request that a change be made. Also, in the case of the leadership at the top of the WCHA, and pertaining to the commissioner Bruce McLeod and the head of officials Greg Shepherd the league schools would probably have to decide that they have had enough of the current administration and fail to renew their contracts.

Fans have the right to complain about the officials

I hear from time-to-time other fans tell fellow fans to stop complaining about the on ice officials. As hockey fans we are told how hard it is to officiate the game of hockey and that the refs should be given some slack. Having officiated hockey at a very low level in college you’re right it is hard to officiate hockey games. So there is a little bit of validity in that statement, however, hockey fans pay good money to watch a very good product of athletes they deserve and should demand that the on ice officials be the best in their trade. We should not have to settle for mediocre officiating or officials. I encourage fans to write or call their league office if they feel that the quality of officiating isn’t up to snuff.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that the league officials should be of top quality and have to perform at a higher level. If the refs are not doing a good job they should be removed from the league and never allowed to ref in college hockey again. The status quo is no longer good enough and the fans deserve and should demand better.

Check out more from Eric at twitter.

DU 1 - UND 0

Round one of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s went to the Denver Pioneers. Since 2003-2004 UND has lost three 1-0 games to DU. Last time the Sioux lost 1-0 to the Pioneers (2007-2008 season) the Fighting Sioux rebounded the next night to win the game 3-1. Last night I was unimpressed with the Fighting Sioux effort to start the game, you have a goalie that hasn’t played in three weeks and the Fighting Sioux should have been all over him to start the game. The Fighting Sioux could not cycle the puck and set up a sustained attack on the Denver goalie. Instead the Fighting Sioux let him get comfortable and instead spent the first part of the game back on their heals, looking like a cellar dweller instead of a team that was ranked second in the nation.

Undisciplined effort

The Fighting Sioux came out and for the first period and a decided that they were going to take a bunch of untimely, undisciplined and knuckle headed penalties. You can not continue to give a team like DU a bunch of power plays because eventually they will figure it out.

Not time to panic yet

This is the best start of Hakstol era at 7-3-1, last year at this time the Fighting Sioux were an unimpressive 4-7-1 and went on to win the WCHA regular season title. Never-the-less, if the Fighting Sioux play like this next week against the Miami RedHawks it could be an embarrassing and painful experience. The Fighting Sioux need to regroup and at least get a tie out of tonight’s game.

Put on notice

Finally, there are a few players that are not playing to their full potential. One might say that they are passengers so far this season and need to step it up. Again I realize that it's early in the season but there is an expectation when a player puts on that uniform.

• Sophomore Jason Gregoire 5g-0a-5pts in 11 games, he needs to step it up and start putting some points on the board.
• Freshman Michael Cichy 1g-2a-3pts in 9 games, he needs to step it up as well he hasn’t had a point since the 10th of October.

[Box Score]
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1st Period (20:00)
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NDK-1 Mario Lamoureux (2-Roughing) 2:07
DEN-1 Chris Nutini (2-Roughing) 2:07
DEN-2 Jesse Martin (2-Hooking) NDK 0x1 6:08
DEN-3 Matt Donovan (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x2 7:14
NDK-2 Mario Lamoureux (2-Holding) DEN 0x1 12:51
DEN-4 John Ryder (2-Holding the Stick) NDK 0x3 15:42
NDK-3 Evan Trupp (2-Slashing) DEN 0x2 19:45
NDK-4 Brad Malone (2-Roughing) 20:00
DEN-5 Joe Colborne (2-Roughing) 20:00

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

NDK-5 Corey Fienhage (2-Interference) DEN 0x3 5:03
NDK-6 Andrew MacWilliam (2-Holding) DEN 0x4 7:27
NDK-7 Evan Trupp (2-Hooking) DEN 1x5 9:15
DEN 1 - 0 6x5 PP GW LL Drew Shore (3) (Joe Colborne, Anthony Maiani) 10:07
DEN: 23,12,16,14,24,G1 NDK: 17,24,29,25,G31
DEN-6 John Lee (2-Holding) NDK 0x4 14:09
NDK-8 Ben Blood (2-Roughing) 19:07
NDK-9 Brett Hextall (2-Cross-Checking) DEN 1x6 19:07
DEN-7 Joe Colborne (2-Roughing) 19:07

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

DEN-8 John Lee (2-Tripping) NDK 0x5 6:02
NDK-10 Chris VandeVelde (2-Hooking) DEN 1x7 6:26
DEN-9 Brandon Vossberg (2-Boarding) NDK 0x6 15:42

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

Cheverie is playing for DU.

UND Fighting Sioux Hockey beat writer Brad Elliott Schlossman has the lines up for tonight's game and Cheverie is in and Patrick Wiercioch is out. I guess his injury is more serious than a certain blogger thought.


UND's lines

22 Brad Malone--29 Chris VandeVelde--18 David Toews
17 Jason Gregoire--19 Evan Trupp--26 Brett Hextall
9 Mario Lamoureux--11 Darcy Zajac--27 Carter Rowney
8 Mike Cichy--10 Corban Knight--7 Danny Kristo

3 Derrick LaPoint--25 Jake Marto
24 Ben Blood--20 Joe Gleason
2 Andrew MacWilliam--4 Corey Fienhage

31 Brad Eidsness
32 Aaron Dell

Denver's lines

9 Rhett Rakhshani--12 Joe Colborne--19 Kyle Ostrow
16 Anthony Maiani--15 Tyler Ruegsegger--14 Jesse Martin
17 Matt Glasser--22 Brian Gifford--27 Brandon Vossberg
26 Shawn Ostrow--23 Drew Shore--37 Nate Dewhurst

24 John Ryder--21 William Wrenn
4 Matt Donovan--6 Chris Nutini
7 Paul Phillips--5 John Lee

1 Marc Cheverie
33 Adam Murray
35 Lars Paulgaard

[UND Hockey Blog]

The DU and UND series in a nut shell.

I think this statement sums up the DU and UND rivalry pretty well. They don’t like us and they don’t like us. I would use the analogy that this rivalry is like the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s feud. I think this what makes this rivalry a solid rivalry. Nothing gets left on the ice. Personally, I have gotten to the point where I like the DU and UND games more than the old traditional rivals of UND and UMN or UND and UW.

But Pioneers senior Brandon Vossberg has no doubt.

"We hate them, and they hate us," Vossberg said.

Fighting Sioux coach Dave Hakstol seems fine with that take.
[Denver Post]

Gophers Goon Schack contributes in his limited role

Oh goody! I happened to come across this little gem today when I was reading the Minneapolis Red Star and Sickle. Hockey is a game of honor and to call Brian Schack an enforcer is a disservice to hockey enforcers everywhere. That label for Shack couldn’t be further from the truth. Most enforcers play by the hockey code and if something questionable happens on the ice they challenge that person straight up to a fight, they do not jump them from behind with their gloves and helmets on. So yeah I stand by those statements and I own them. I believe that Goon and Hack are accurate statements in referring to this player.

I know that Channing Boe hit Barriball from behind in that game, however, surprisingly the officials got the call right and had Boe already rung up for a five minute major and a game misconduct. The proper response for Schack would have been to challenge Boe to a fight in the next game. Then I wouldn’t be referring to Brian Schack as being a hack.

All I can say is, “please Donny start Schack the hack against the MSU-M Mavericks so he can get what is coming to him.” The Mavericks and the Gophers play on the weekend of December 4th and 5th. [Gopher Schedule]

Usually he is the guy congratulating others. Or the guy on his knees helping Lucia patch a rut in the ice before practice, as Schack did Wednesday. Or the guy who stands up for his teammates when games become chippy.

"He's a real team guy; people appreciate that," said Jay Barriball, a senior forward out for the season because of a knee injury.

A check from behind on Barriball was the last straw for Schack in a game against Minnesota State Mankato on Jan. 30 last season. Schack went after the perpetrator, Channing Boe, and Boe suffered a broken ankle in the ensuing pileup. Bloggers called Schack a goon, a hack; Lucia supported him.

"That game was getting out of hand," Schack said. "I just stepped in and did what I thought I had to do."

Schack, the enforcer, had 41 penalty minutes last season, but 37 came in two physical battles with North Dakota and the Mavericks.
[Star and Tribune]

James Neal suspended 2 games.

Dallas Stars forward James Neal has been suspened for two games by the NHL for his hit on Derek Dorsett. You could almost bet this was going to happen. As a player you can not make contact with an elbow to the oppostions head and not expect to be suspended. According the Dallas Stars hockey beat writer this is bad for the Stars because Neal is one of their best players.

Dallas Stars left wing James Neal was suspended two games by the NHL on Friday for a hit from behind on Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Derek Dorsett at 13:01 of the second period of Thursday's game.

Dorsett was among a group of players battling along the wall for the puck when Neal came charging in. Neal appeared to leave his feet to deliver a blow to Blue Jackets defenseman Marc Methot, but instead he hit Dorsett in the back. The force of the blow drove Dorsett face-first into the glass. He fell to the ice and could not get up.

Neal was assessed a five-minute major for boarding and a game-misconduct.

The second-year forward leads the Stars with 11 goals and 22 points, but he'll now have to sit out home games Saturday and Monday against New Jersey and Carolina, respectively. [NHL.COM]

James Neal hit on Derek Dorsett

I am all for hard checking and hitting people hard, I am all for checking a teams star players to take them off their game. This hit is going to cost James Neal who I predict is going to get a few days on the beach for this bush league hit on Derek Dorsett. The Colin Cambpell wheels of have to rule against James Neal in this instance. Neal actually knocked Dorsett out, you can see him fall over. What do you think?

DU update: Chevy is probable and Wiercioch questionable...

Here is the latest on DU top players that are on the mend, I would expect Chevy to play this weekend unless the doctor doesn't allow him to play. If Cheverie plays this weekend I would hope that UND get to him early and often because I would expect him to be a little rusty after missing three weeks of hockey. If Wiercioch and Brookwell don't play that would be a big loss for DU because both are very good defensmen. Wiercioch is a stud defenseman that will probably be in the NHL or the AHL next season.

Senior defenseman Cody Brookwell is another question mark for third-ranked Denver, which hosts No. 2 North Dakota this weekend in the country’s premier series.

Brookwell, DU’s biggest defenseman at 6-foot-4 and 220-pounds, is sick. He hasn’t practiced this week (thru Wednesday) and is probably not going to play in Friday’s opener. That means the Pios will go with John Ryder, the third-year sophomore who is probably the team’s “meanest” D-man.

The big news, of course, is the status of junior goalie Marc Cheverie and sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch. From what I gathered at Wednesday’s practice, Chevy is probable and Wiercioch questionable.

Chevy, who on Friday will be three weeks out from absorbing a deep gash from a skate blade to his left calf, told me he feels 100 percent and is good to go. He has been taking shots since Monday, and his practice time has increased daily, but has been “kicked off” the ice after about an hour.

DU coach George Gwozdecky said team doctors remain in control and will continue to monitor the wound after each practice. “Once they clear him to play, it will be in our hands,” Gwoz said. Translation: If the doctors clear him to play, he will play. [DU Hockey Blog]

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Notables from last week:

UND lost d-man Chay Genoway for an un-determined amount of time after getting checked from behind.

UND had its 17-game home unbeaten streak end with a loss to SCSU (It was a win over SCSU that started the streak)

BSU got its first ever win against UM on Sunday night in convincing fashion, 6-2.

UW got off to fast start on Friday again, by scoring 14 seconds into the game, the previous Friday (Nov. 6) they scored 24 seconds into that game. Has UW made some sort of "Fast Friday Formula" for the fans?

UMD Justin Fontaine scored 4 goals on Saturday against MTU, and UMD now has 4 of the top 5 scorers (points/game) in the WCHA, who would a thunk it!



Current WCHA Standings

#..TEAM................GP..W-L-T...PTS
1 Colorado College.......8...6-1-1....13
2 North Dakota...........8...5-2-1....11
3 Denver..................6...4-1-1....9
3 Minnesota-Duluth......8...4-3-1....9
3 Wisconsin...............8...4-3-1....9
6 St. Cloud State.........6...3-2-1....7
6 Minnesota...............8...3-4-1....7
8 Alaska-Anchorage......8...2-6-0....4
8 Michigan Tech..........8...2-6-0....4
10 Minnesota State.......8...1-6-1....3


WCHA
Minnesota State at Alaska-Anchorage
Last week the Mavericks were swept by the Tigers in Mankato, and the Seawolves where swept by the Badgers in Madison.

The Seawolves are 3-3-0 at home this season and the Mavericks are 0-3-1 on the road. Last year the Mavericks won the year 2-1-1 against the Wolves. Both these teams find themselves in the bottom of the standings, a sweep by one team will definitely help them avoid the dreaded "doormat" title. UAA will be back home where they have had some good success this year and will look to capitalize on a struggling Mavericks team. MSU-M and UAA have only scored 16 goals in 8 league games for an average of 2-goals/game. The first team to score more than twice will probably be the winner of these games. This series I'm going with the home team SEAWOLVES SWEEP.


#20 Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota
Last weekend the Bulldogs split at home against the Huskies from MTU, and the Gophers split at home against the Beavers of BSU.

UMD is tied with CC with 29 goals scored in league games so far this year, that's a 3.63goals/game average. UM has scored 19 goals in thier 8 games, for a 2.38 average. The obvious here is that UM needs some solid/stellar goal tending this weekend if they want to try and get some points from their opponents up I-35. The Bulldogs are scoring, but they get scored on also, giving up 24 goals in those 8-games. The big Olympic rink at Mariucci may not help the Bulldogs, as they play on a smaller rink at the DECC. The big sheet does however help some the speedy skilled players to maneuver bettere, unless the reffing interferes with it(which happens at all the WCHA rinks it seems). If UMD can play solidly in their own end they should be able to control these games. I'm going to go with a SPLIT.


#15 Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
Last week the Badgers crushed the Seawolves in Madison for a sweep, and the Huskies salvaged a split on the road with UND.

These teams are next to each other in the standings at with about 1/3 of the season played. Last season these teams split their only series in St. Cloud. Both teams are finding ways to win games and are trying to keep themselves with reach of the top spots in the league. From what I've seen of these teams, I would have say that UW has the more potent offense as a whole, SCSU has their top 2 guys and that's about it. The Badgers defense is their strong point, so as long as they keep the small speedy Huskies contained Bucky should pick up plenty of points this weekend. However, if the Huskies goalie(s) get hot they could end up stealing a game from UW, just like UM did a couple of weeks ago. BADGERS 3-PTS


#2 North Dakota at #3 Denver
The Sioux split at home against SCSU, and DU rested up last weekend.

This is the series we have all been waiting for. Now we have to wait and see if all the stars will be in this game, Cheverie & Wiercioch from DU and Genoway for UND. This should be a great series to watch, two talented teams that can skate, hopefully the refs don't mess it up. DU should be rested after a bye week, but then again sometimes you get a little rusty too. UND lost last Saturday but they didn't get out played, they outshot SCSU 49-28, and UND's Aaron Dell, let in 3 goals on 7 shots, ouch. I see a SPLIT in this series, which should hopefully be one for the ages and set-up an excellent rematch in Grand Forks Jan.29-30.



Non-Conference
Robert Morris(3-6-1 overall) at #7 Colorado College(7-2-1 overall)
RMU took 3-pts last weekend from fellow CHA member Niagra, and CC swept the Mavericks in Mankato.

CC has gotten off to quick start this season, but for the most part they have done it against the lower teams (sweeps of MSUM, MTU). Now the Tigers host another team with a sub-500 record. RMU has lost to BSU twice and Ferris St. twice (FSU just tied Miami twice) so they may have loses but when you lose to top ranked teams it isn't always as bad as it appears. I like underdogs in this series, I'm going out on a limb here, and going with RMU COLONIALS 3-pts.

A couple of thing...

I was reading the DU media guide for this weekend's series and here are a few things that I thought were interesting.

* DU goaltender Marc Cheverie (left calf) and sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch (right knee) are doubtful for this weekend's series. Cheverie and Wiercioch earned All-WCHA second-team honors last season. (We will see what happens there)

* The Fighting Sioux lead the all-time series 129-110-8, but DU owns a 64-49-3 advantage in Denver. The Pioneers are 1-3-1 in their last five games against North Dakota and 4-5-1 in their last 10. The teams have split the last three two-game series' in Denver.

*North Dakota is second in the WCHA with nine points. The Fighting Sioux are led by senior defenseman Chay Genoway (out this weekend with an injury) and sophomore goaltender Brad Eidsness. Genoway, who was named to the All-WCHA first team last as a junior, leads all WCHA blueliners with four goals and is tied for first in WCHA defenseman scoring with 4-6=10. Eidsness has posted a 6-1-1 record with a 1.61 GAA and .925 Sv% after making the All-WCHA rookie team last season. Forwards Chris VandeVelde (3-8=11), David Toews (4-6=10) and Evan Trupp (4-5=9) have made strong contributions to the balanced scoring attack. The Fighting Sioux charted a 4-2 win and 3-2 loss last weekend against St. Cloud State. The 3-2 loss ended UND's 17-game home unbeaten streak. UND is first in the WCHA on the penalty kill (92.2%) and third on the power play (23.7%). Head coach Dave Hakstol has posted a 137-73-20 record in six seasons at UND. Hakstol guided the Sioux to four consecutive NCAA Frozen Fours from 2005-08.

Detroit gets screwed by ref.

It’s not just the refs in the WCHA that make big monstrous glaring mistakes, referees Stephane Auger and Dennis LaRue really blow this call and need to be sanctioned for this mess up. The puck was in before the ref was going to blow the whistle. In this situation Toronto should have ruled it was a goal. This is unacceptable.

Genoway out for Denver Series.

This is bad news for UND but I guess I can't say that I all that surprised based on the brutal hit that Genoway took last Friday night. Hopefully Chay can be back for the Thanksgiving Holiday Tourney when the Fighting Sioux play the Miami Redhawks.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The country’s marquee series this weekend may be missing three of the country’s marquee players.

The University of North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said Wednesday that there were no new updates on reigning Western Collegiate Hockey Association defensive player of the year Chay Genoway, who was injured during last Friday’s game against St. Cloud State.

Genoway appeared to suffer an upper-body injury when he was checked from behind into the boards and was listed as “out indefinitely,” by Hakstol after the game.

“There’s nothing different from Friday night, there’s nothing more to go on,” Hakstol said. “I don’t mean to be difficult, but that’s the simple fact. That’s where we’re at.”

My Favourite Hockey Moment

I got an email from somebody the other day, asking me to describe my favourite moment or event in hockey. Is it the gold medal game in Salt Lake City? Was it Jason Pominville’s goal in O.T. against Ottawa in 2005? I can't pin point one thing but a recent series of events is a joy to behold.

My favourite hockey moment is any time the Toronto Maple Leafs lose a game.

I don’t have an axe to grind with the Leafs as a team. They’re so bad there isn’t much point worrying about them. Having said that, the hiring of Brian Burke is the first shrewd management decision since hiring Cliff Fletcher in the 90’s.

Burke does have his faults. He is a media whore and blowhard but I think he’s a decent evaluator of talent. At some point the Leafs will be a competitive hockey team because a blind squirrel, with a max payroll, eventually finds a nut.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the losing and the theatre it brings. The Leafs’ on ice performance has all the drama and conflict of a classic Greek tragedy but when the lights dim the real fun begins.

To say media saturation in Toronto is overkill is being kind because it’s like trade deadline day, everyday, around here. The media feeds the beast that is a hyper self conscious Leafs Nation. To say Toronto fans are blind and illogical is being unkind to those who are.

The human male has a difficult time controlling emotions, especially for sports, but it makes for interesting post game audio. Blathering fools, like Steve from Ajax, Ont. or Dom from Owen Sound, Ont., prattle on like know-it-alls who deal in absolute unreality: every hockey player wants to play in Toronto or the eighth ranked blue liner on the Hurricanes is a lump of coal, just waiting to be groomed with the right pressure.

I have a former classmate who’ll suffice for this example. I’ll call him D.G. to protect his identity. He’s fairly smart guy but when it comes to the Leafs, he’s spent too little time in the gene pool.

D.G. is your typical blind but loyal Leafs’ fan. He deals in a by-the-seat-of your-pants mentality because there is never any common sense behind his solutions to fix his beloved hockey team.

It’s the middle of July and D.G. is sitting in a cool and dark classroom looking for a quick fix to 42 years of nothingness. Amid all the usual trash he talks, D.G. thinks the Leafs would get first round picks for Matt Stajan or Mikhail Grabovsky, Columbus would part with Rick Nash for a player off the roster and a few draft picks. Maybe the ultimate problem, “(is) too many Europeans on the roster,” D.G. said.

There is nothing more aggravating than a half assed thought, blurted out with no rhyme or reason but I also find it hysterical.

Sadly, all my joy appears to be fading.

The post game radio shows have settled into a quiet resignation because the season is already over. No winning streaks to get people talking positively, no late season push that has Torontonians thinking Stanley Cup, no thought of hockey when the weather turns warm. It seems Leafs fans have, finally, settled for their allotment in life and it’s causing me great pain.

In the end, I never thought I would say this.

When are these pathetic guys going to win a game?

Guess who is playing for the Wild tonight?

Former Gopher and North Dakota resident Danny Irmen will be making his NHL debut tonight with the Minnnesota Wild. I am disappointed that he is going to be on the 4th line because I would like to see what he can do with more talented players. Ah, that's right there aren't many talented players in the Minnesota Wild lineup.

Woodbury resident Danny Irmen will make his NHL debut tonight on the right side of Derek Boogaard and James Sheppard. Unless somebody pulls up lame before tonight's game against Phoenix, John Scott will be a healthy scratch.

In Raleigh the other day, because coach Todd Richards had to use both Derek Boogaard and Scott in the same lineup as forwards, Richards never felt he could roll four lines, especially after the game turned into a special teams affair.

Scott scored a goal but only played six shifts. Richards wants to keep using Boogaard, but not both Boogaard and Scott in the same lineup unless Scott's on the blue line. So Richards called up Houston coach Kevin Constantine, asked who deserved a callup the most and Irmen got the call.
[Russo's Rants]

Lucic a game time decision on Thursday.

This is some really good news for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins forward Milan Lucic has been out of the line up since missed in the line up since the 17th of October and the Boston Bruins have missed his presence and toughness in th eline up. Lucic will definitely be a welcome addition to the Bruins line that is struggling to score goals.

Lucic, who was placed on long-term injured reserve last month with a broken right index finger, skated alongside Byron Bitz and Steve Begin on the fourth line during the 75-minute session.

“As we did more and more of those rush drills, as it went on, you get more comfortable and play without thinking about it, so that was good,’’ Lucic said. “It was a good day for progress, and everything went well today, and hopefully it’ll feel good again tomorrow.’’

As for the finger?

“I got some mobility back in there,’’ said Lucic. “It’s still not 100 percent, but it’s close to 100 percent. I’m just working right now to get 100 percent strength back in there.

“It feels great. Not too much soreness going on anymore. Hopefully, I can make a return back to the lineup soon.’’

Coach Claude Julien said Lucic is “a game-time decision’’ for tomorrow night’s game at Atlanta. But considering the Bruins’ recent scoring slump, don’t be surprised if the left wing suits up. After putting up a plethora of shots against the Panthers (40, to no avail) and Penguins (33, in a 6-5 overtime loss), the Bruins struggled to create open looks in front of the net in a 4-1 loss to the Islanders Monday.
[Boston Globe]

Former Badger seeking converts

Robbie Earl was the guy that WCHA opposition fans loved to hate. Earl had a propensity to over embellish on penalties and got the reputation as being a diver. Now that he is a member of the Minnesota Wild I think I could learn to like him. Earl in two games has just as many goals as first round busts Benoit Pouliot (2g-2a-4pts) and has more goals than James Sheppard (0g-1a-1pt). Here is an idea, the Wild management should send Pouliot and Sheppard to Houston until they can learn how to play hockey and let Robbie Earl have a chance to see how he can do given the amount of playing time the two fore mentioned stiffs get. They are two empty uniforms sucking up salary cap space.

"My role here is to bring energy," said Earl, who had one assist in nine career NHL games before last week's callup. "I don't expect to score two every night. I need to make plays when they're there and use my speed to my advantage.

"Last year, I battled injuries all year, and it was a long time since I'd been able to play in the NHL. Against Washington, it felt like my first NHL game all over again. Then I got my first goal, so a lot of things were very special this time around."

That could extend to tonight's game, when the Wild plays Phoenix at Xcel Energy Center. Earl has played there before, during a Badgers career that ran from 2003-06.

The last time came in March 2006, when his third-period goal helped the Badgers defeat the Gophers in the third-place game of the WCHA Final Five.

Earl capped that season -- and a career that ended with 58 goals and 63 assists in 125 games -- with an NCAA title. He was named most outstanding player of the 2006 Frozen Four after scoring three goals and an assist.

Earl was traded to the Wild last January after 2 1/2 seasons in the Maple Leafs organization. He lived up to his reputation as a big-game player with five goals and four assists in 20 playoff games for the Wild's AHL affiliate in Houston.

The shoulder injury kept him out of camp for a week, but he hoped his work ethic and persistence made enough of an impression to get a shot.

Wild coach Todd Richards liked the toughness and skating ability Earl showed in five minutes against Washington. Though Earl said his Wild debut was "nerve-wracking," he earned more ice time and a promotion to the top line at Carolina, where his second goal tied the score and helped the Wild salvage a point.

"He got the opportunity to play with good players, and he was able to finish," Richards said. "He's got ability. He has to be aggressive on the forecheck and reliable in his own end, and when he gets the opportunity, he's got to use his shot, because he shoots the puck very well."

And that, Earl hopes, will earn him some new admirers.

"For some reason, fans from a lot of schools didn't like me," he said, laughing. "That comes with the territory. It was fun, and there was nothing better than those Minnesota-Wisconsin games.

"Now I'm at a different place in life. I'm excited to have the chance to come here and help the team create some excitement for Minnesota fans."
[Star Tribune]

Something to ponder for Wild fans... Dive Earl Dive...

Gopher fan and celebrity Fire Helmet guy 26 said this on his facebook page:

not a good weekend for Gopher hockey. :( And to make things worse Robbie "DIVER DOWN" Earl scored 2 for the Wild yesterday. Would rather see the Wild lose then to see that POS score!

Here is something to ponder, former dive king and Wisconsin Badgers forward Robbie Earl has played two games this season with the Wild and scored more points than first round bust James Sheppard who has (0g-1a-1pts)in eighteen games. Tell me what is out of whack there? I think it’s time for the Minnesota Wild to cut ties with the first round busts that are James Sheppard and Benoit Pouliot, both of these players are a waste of a roster space and add nothing to the lineup.

DU injury update.

Since the Fighting Sioux play their heated rival the DU Pioneers this weekend I have been conducting some recon missions and checking out their hockey blogs and newspapers. Denver University has had some injury issues so far this season. They have a three of their more talented players currently suffering from various injuries [Denver Post] .

At least two players on the University of Denver's injury list might return for this weekend's series against rival North Dakota at Magness Arena.

Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky doesn't like to use traditional injury-report terms, but based on the way he described things Monday, junior goalie Marc Cheverie (calf) sounds questionable, freshman defenseman Matt Donovan (finger) appears probable and sophomore blue-liner Patrick Wiercioch (knee) is doubtful.

Cheverie, who has missed the past three games after being cut by a skate blade Oct. 30 against Minnesota State, was scheduled to make "light movement prior to practice (Monday) with his gear on," Gwozdecky said.

Cheverie had 30-some stitches removed last week and began light skating without equipment Thursday.

"(Monday) is probably going to be the most that he's actually been on the ice since his injury," Gwozdecky said. "It's more or less to see where the affected area is at, and how he handles things moving around the crease with the equipment on."

Friday's game against the Fighting Sioux will mark three weeks from Cheverie's injury.

"He's made progress, and we expect he will continue to make progress, but whether that's going to allow him to play this weekend, the following weekend or in three weeks, we don't know," Gwozdecky said.

Donovan and Wiercioch are DU's top offensive defensemen. Donovan was held out of practice last week with a broken middle finger on his right hand. He suffered the injury during the Minnesota State series.

A few things going forward...

SCSU forward Aaron Marvin speaks out about his bush league hit on Chay Genoway. Apparently Marvin is feeling some remorse for his hit that took out a potential Hobey Baker Memorial award candidate in Chay Genoway (4g-6a-10pts). Aaron Marvin has got to know that he is going to be a target when the Sioux play SCSU later on in the season.

On Monday after practice at the National Hockey Center, Aaron Marvin spoke publicly for the first time about his hit on Chay Genoway that resulted in an undisclosed injury for the Sioux defenseman and a one-game suspension for the Huskies' forward. It took place during Friday's game at Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. The Sioux took the opener of the series 4-2, then lost the rematch without Genoway, 3-2.

"I feel bad about what happened," said Marvin, who chased Genoway for about three-quarters of the length of the rink late in the second period Friday before finally catching him in the back with a check behind the SCSU net. "It was poor judgement on my part and there's no place for checking from behind like that. The important thing now is to make sure (Genoway) is OK. It wasn't my intention to hurt him."

You can see video of the hit in an earlier post in this blog. Marvin, who'd missed an open net scoring opportunity earlier in the game and had one point through his first nine games, doesn't deny that he was frustrated -- either consciously or subconsciously -- at the time. Genoway was a stride ahead of him, skating with the puck, from the UND zone into SCSU's. Genoway dumped possession to the end wall, stepped around Sam Zabkowicz, and got the puck again. Genoway moved it to his left, just before Marvin lined him up. Genoway, a senior who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 174 pounds, had his face to the glass when Marvin, who's 6-3, 205, connected.

Surprisingly, the officials first concluded -- with the help of a linesman -- that Chris Hepp was guilty. They banished him for the final 21/2 minutes of the second period, and Marvin skated a shift during the penalty kill. During intermission, the officials reviewed the play and changed the penalty to Marvin, who was removed from the rest of the game and Hepp was back in -- though not until a couple minutes into the third because he'd already showered and changed clothes. By the time he got back into his gear, the game was underway again. (If you think that part was confusing, imagine the mess if Marvin would've scored during those last 21/2 minutes of the second period.)

Huskies coach Bob Motzko said he doesn't anticipate any further discipline for Marvin, a junior who had one previous major penalty in his first 86 college games. (That also was a checking-from-behind call, on Feb. 23, 2008, against Michigan Tech at the National Hockey Center.) Take away the two majors and their accompanying game misconducts and Marvin totals 76 PIM in 87 career games. (Obviously it wasn't Genoway's fault, but -- for comparison -- he has 140 career PIM.)[Saint Cloud Times]

DU's stud goaltender March Cheverie is listed as doubtful for this weekend's series with the Fighting Sioux. Denver is a different team without Cheverie in net. In contrast UND's Chay Genoway is also listed as day-to-day after suffering an upper body injury (word is, that Genoway has a bruised sternum and a possible concussion)

Goaltender Marc Cheverie (4-0, 1.27 GAA, .959 Sv%), who missed the Anchorage series with a left leg injury, is doubtful for this weekend's series against North Dakota. Cheverie was named the AHCA National Player of the Month for October. Cheverie leads the WCHA in saves percentage, goals against average, winning percentage and shutouts (3). Cheverie is first in the nation in shutouts, and second in goals against average and saves percentage. [Denver Pioneers]

Here is the Lafranchise hit on DU's defenseman Patrick Wiercioch. I watched the video a few times and I don't think it's a penalty but the video of the GCI broadcast isn't that good either. In my opinion it looks like a textbook hip check. Just for the record UAA's Kane Lafranchise doesn't have a Reputation of being a dirty player. You can judge for yourself. I am all for "hard legal" hits but I also believe in the hockey code, if you see the players back you don't hit them and if you do something bush league on the ice you should pay for it.

Poll Monday (Sioux second in both polls)

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[November 16, 2009]
Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Miami (42) 8-1-3 986 1
2 North Dakota ( 2) 7-2-1 916 2
3 Denver ( 2) 6-3-1 855 4
4 Mass.-Lowell ( 3) 7-2-1 824 5
5 Cornell 4-1-0 781 3
6 Michigan State ( 1) 9-2-1 727 13
7 Colorado College 7-2-1 695 10
8 Bemidji State 8-1-1 658 7
9 Yale 2-1-2 506 12
10 Alaska 7-2-1 505 9
11 Massachusetts 7-2-0 414 14
12 Nebraska-Omaha 5-2-3 371 11
13 Quinnipiac 8-1-0 366 20
14 Notre Dame 5-5-2 299 8
15 Wisconsin 6-3-1 242 NR
16 Michigan 4-6-0 230 6
17 Vermont 4-4-1 222 15
17 Boston College 4-3-1 222 16
19 Princeton 3-2-1 181 19
20 Minnesota-Duluth 7-4-1 175 18
Others Receiving Votes: Ferris State 128, St. Cloud State 46, Colgate 43, Boston University 41, Merrimack 17, Rensselaer 16, Providence 12, Union 9, Northeastern 8, RIT 3, New Hampshire 2

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Nov. 16, 2009]
Rank School (first-place votes) Record Points Last week's rank
1 Miami University (Ohio) (31) 8-1-3 507 1
2 North Dakota (1) 7-2-1 448 2
3 Denver (1) 6-3-1 429 3
4 Massachusetts Lowell (1) 7-2-1 405 5
5 Cornell 4-1-0 342 4
6 Michigan State 9-2-1 329 14
7 Colorado College 7-2-1 311 13
8 Bemidji State 8-1-1 271 7
9 Yale 2-1-2 218 11
10 University of Alaska (Fairbanks) 7-2-1 176 9
11 Massachusetts 7-2-0 141 10
12 Nebraska Omaha 5-2-3 107 12
13 Quinnipiac 8-1-0 102 NR
14 Notre Dame 5-5-2 54 8
15 Michigan 4-6-0 52 6
Others receiving votes: University of Wisconsin, 47; University of Vermont, 34; Boston College, 30; Ferris State University, 24; Princeton University, 22; University of Minnesota Duluth, 15; Colgate University, 4; Lake Superior State University, 4; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 3; Merrimack College, 2; Rochester Institute of Technology, 2; Boston University, 1.
Analysis: I think's laughable that Notre Dame and Michigan remain in the top 15. BSU with it’s split also remain in the top ten.

WCHA Officiating Is Intolerable

On Saturday Goon had a post that showed how the WCHA officials absolutely failed in a dirty hit that led to the injury of last years WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. This year Chay Gennoway could contend for the most valuable player award (The prestigious Hoby Baker Award). Because of that teams are looking to play him physically. On Friday night a player crossed the line and Gennoway may have a concussion that could keep him out for weeks. The senior official on the ice watched the entire play and didn't make a call. While the trainer was attending Gennoway they had a conference and assessed a penalty to the wrong player.

Clearly you'd expect the officials to do a better job on Saturday night. If you did, then you'd be wrong.

During the first period the Sioux scored a goal that was disallowed. The officials through the public address system told us it was because the whistle had blown. At the time we knew it hadn't. The replay confirms that.



Right before the puck goes in you can see it in front of the goalies right pad. (On this video it looks like a shadow, but the stands behind the goalie are darker than the playing surface so it is the puck.) The whistle never blew until the puck was in the back of the net.

I guess the official claimed at the time that the goal doesn't count because he "intended" to stop play when he couldn't see the puck. NCAA rules do allow that, but that shouldn't apply in this point. I can see the rule applying in the case where the puck is legitimately frozen by the goalie. You don't want to reward the other team for hacking on the goalies hands. Or I can see this rule being necessary if the referee is tripped up and can't blow the whistle when they need to.

On the other hand if the referee had blown the whistle it would have been a mistake. The puck wasn't frozen. Now it does happen often because when the referee can't see the puck they have to assume that it may be frozen and they stop play to protect the players. And a goal after the whistle has to be disallowed because you have to assume that a player might have been able to stop it, but they quit as soon as the whistle blew.

In this case the play shouldn't have been stopped. It wasn't stopped. We scored a goal. That goal should count.

You can see that the referee had the whistle in his mouth a long time before the goal was scored. If he really wanted to stop the play he could have. As bad as his interpretation of the rules is, the fact that he didn't blow the whistle before he did makes him out to be a liar.

What's particularly galling is that on Friday night the shoe was on the other foot. This same referee had a longer time to blow the whistle and never did. The opposing team scored and this official counted it. Friday night it didn't matter much. We still won by two goals. Saturday night the one goal he took away was the margin of victory for the opposing game.

The two officials that the WCHA sent to officiate this game this weekend, Don Adam and Tim Walsh, should be fired. Adam's got an history of allowing Sioux players to get badly injured. Walsh comes off as entirely incompetent.

Cross Posted from Say Anything Blog

INCH Power Rankings

As always for a good laugh the INCH power rankings.
1. Miami
2. North Dakota — Saturday's loss to St. Cloud State in Grand Forks snapped the Fighting Sioux's 17-game home unbeaten streak.
7-2-1 (5-2-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Cloud State, 4-2; L vs. St. Cloud State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Denver, at Denver
3. Denver 4. Cornell
5. UMass Lowell
6. Michigan State
7. Colorado College
8. Yale
9. Bemidji State
10. Nebraska-Omaha
11. Alaska
12. Quinnipiac
13. Princeton
14. Vermont
15. Massachusetts
17. Wisconsin
18. Minnesota Duluth
19. Boston College
20. Colgate
Dropped out: Michigan

Bubble-licious: Merrimack, St. Cloud State, Ferris State, Rensselaer

Beavers 6 Minnesota 2

Last week a few people had issues with me for not saying anything about the Beavers being ranked so high after I took the pollsters to task last season for having Air Force Academy ranked so high. I actually wanted to wait till after this weekend’s series with the Gophers before I commented. Not that it mattered but I didn’t think any comment was needed on the BSU Beavers, because I thought that BSU had proved themselves last season by taking out Notre Dame and Cornell during the 2009 NCAA playoffs, the Beavers started the started the season going 7-0-1 and now with the split with the Gophers sit at 8-1-1.

Of course there are a few pundits that will still say that BSU is a overrated team and the CHA is a joke but they sure have taken it to the AHA this season with a 4-0 record against them. Ironically, the WCHA has a 1-2 record against the CHA as well. Both Minnesota and the big lumbering team from UAA lost to CHA teams.

On to next week's rankings

So here we are; the Beavers will probably be ranked in the top ten this week again. The Beavers completed the mission and were successful by going into Mariucci Arena and getting a split with the Gophers. The Beavers also broke a 0-7 record against the Gophers by getting a win on the Gophers turf. So the question is; are the Beavers for real or are the Gophers a bad team? I think you could say both. The Beaves have come a very long way from the days of the late 1990's.

[Box Score]
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1st Period (20:00)
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BMJ 1 - 0 6x6 LL Shea Walters (1) (unassisted) 8:02
BMJ (+): 11,15,20,4,3,G35 MIN (-): 12,7,24,10,20,G33
MIN-1 Kevin Wehrs (2-Checking from Behind) BMJ 0x1 9:50
BMJ-1 Jamie MacQueen (2-Boarding) MIN 0x1 13:36
BMJ 2 - 0 6x6 Matt Read (8) (Jordan George) 19:10
BMJ (+): 19,28,8,9,22,G35 MIN (-): 13,19,11,10,28,G33
BMJ-2 Chris McKelvie (2-Goaltender Interference) MIN 0x2 20:00

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2nd Period (20:00)
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BMJ-3 Jamie MacQueen (2-Tripping) MIN 1x3 8:09
MIN 1 - 2 6x5 PP Jordan Schroeder (2) (Aaron Ness, Cade Fairchild) 9:19
MIN: 19,10,28,11,13,G35 BMJ: 26,8,29,23,G35
MIN-2 Zach Budish (5-Checking from Behind) BMJ 1x3 13:50
MIN-3 Zach Budish (10-Game Misconduct) (Served by Jake Hansen) 13:50
BMJ 3 - 1 6x5 PP GW Jamie MacQueen (2) (Brady Wacker, Chris Peluso) 16:11
BMJ: 17,25,9,20,26,G35 MIN: 2,27,15,11,G35
BMJ-4 Chris Peluso (2-Hooking) MIN 1x4 18:07
MIN-4 Jordan Schroeder (2-Cross-Checking) BMJ 2x4 19:59

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3rd Period (20:00)
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BMJ 4 - 1 6x5 PP Brad Hunt (2) (Shea Walters, Jordan George) 1:38
BMJ: 29,11,28,22,19,G35 MIN: 15,11,20,28,G35
BMJ 5 - 1 6x6 Jamie MacQueen (3) (unassisted) 1:52
BMJ (+): 17,23,4,3,26,G35 MIN (-): 12,7,21,2,4,G35
BMJ 6 - 1 6x6 Aaron McLeod (2) (Brad Hunt, Jake Areshenko) 3:04
BMJ (+): 14,29,8,6,16,G35 MIN (-): 27,16,9,23,28,G35
BMJ-5 Ian Lowe (2-Hooking) MIN 2x5 6:54
MIN 2 - 6 6x5 PP Jake Hansen (1) (Kevin Wehrs, Tony Lucia) 8:36
MIN: 21,2,12,7,16,G33 BMJ: 29,6,8,16,G35
BMJ-6 Ryan Cramer (2-Elbowing) MIN 2x6 9:42
MIN-5 Taylor Matson (2-Hooking) BMJ 2x5 18:40

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End of Game
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Coach Hakstol tells student forum to knock it off

Another reason to clean up the language. Check out his blurb from Ryan Bakken's weekly column.

Instead, it’s because The Hammer, aka The Hakker, aka Coach Dave Hakstol said to knock it off at a student forum. The Hakstol glare can melt granite. “He definitely commanded the room,” Austin Dhuyvetter said. “He opened my eyes.”

The eye-opening wasn’t about its naughtiness but its bottom line. “Our games are now on the Fox Network, and the chants can be heard on the TV,” Dhuyvetter said. “If the games are no longer on TV, we won’t get the top recruits. And if we don’t get the top recruits, our team won’t be as good.”

Junior Samantha Dhuyvetter, Austin’s sister, agreed. “When Hakstol says it’s disrespectful, we need to tone it down. He’s a big guy in our university, and everyone respects him.

“When Hakstol said it hurts recruiting, our fans said, ‘Oh, now I get it.’”

The Dhuyvetter siblings combined to produce the night’s best sign, which had defenseman Chay Genoway’s head pasted atop Superman’s body, with the words, “Up, up and Genoway.”

Clever signs, not crude vulgarities, hopefully now will be the calling card of UND’s rabid student section, which creates a dynamic atmosphere when it doesn’t make us old folks blush. [Grand Forks Herald]