Goon's World

Friday, November 27, 2009

Hey Beaver fans check this out...

I found this posted on the Miami Hawk Talk message board. Just for a little FYI or gee whiz reading because there is nothing else going on the day after Thanksgiving. I don't know if I would be that confident. BSU is a good hockey team that has a good coach and the Beavers are going to come out on fire ready to prove the nay sayers wrong and will be looking to avenge the loss from the 2009 Frozen Four as well. I expect a lot closer game than 6-2 tonight. Hey what the heck a little tongue in cheek never hurt right.

PS3 Prediction

#6 Bemidji State 2
#1 Miami 6

Well, Miami's somewhat dormant offense woke up in Grand Forks. The RedHawks scored 5 goals in 38:28 and forced BSU's starting goalie Dan Bakala to the bench before the second intermission.

The scoring started at 8:16 of the first period, when Carter Camper made a beautiful no-look-between-the-legs pass to Tommy Wingels, who then blasted a shot Bakala's glove side. Joe Hartman picked up the second assist and the 'Hawks had the 1-0 advantage. Andy Miele made it 2-0 just 8:04 later following great passes from Curtis McKenzie and Alden Hirschfeld. After one period, Bemidji had the lead in shots at 10-7 but Miami had the 2-0 lead.

The second period was The Justin Vaive Show. The big man scored on two different power play chances, the first at 9:57 (from Pat Cannone) and the second at 18:34 (from Jarod Palmer and Will Weber). In between the Vaive goals, Trent Vogelhuber found the back of the net (with assists going to Weber and Cannone) and Miami had a dominant 5-0 lead. After the second Vaive goal, Bakala was pulled in favor of Mathieu Dugas.

How bad were the Beavers? They scored Miami's final goal. Matt Read won a faceoff in his own end and the puck immediately went to Darcy Findlay, who skated in front of his own net. The problem was Findlay's stick bumped Dugas' pad and the puck trickled betweed the Quebec native's legs. For the record, Gary Steffes received credit for the unassisted tally. 6-0, Miami. BSU would avoid the shutout thanks to a Findlay goal at 7:08 and would make it look a tad more respectable thanks to a Brad Hunt goal at 8:16 while the Beavers had a 5-on-3 advantage. Still, it was a dominant victory.

Bemidji actually more shots on goal. The Beavers finished with 33 shots to Miami's 31.

Three stars:
1. Vaive (2 goals)
2. Cody Reichard (W, 31 saves)
3. Weber (2 assists)

BSU.....0 0 2 2
Miami...2 3 1 6

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Subway Classic reading.

First off I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Here are a few links of interest to the Subway Holiday Classic.

Subway Holiday Classic [Click to view]

Fighting Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway is still out and his status hasn't changed in the last 12 days. [Grand Forks Herald] For those who havent seen the play this is the hit that took out Genoway. [Click for Video]

This weekend's series could prove to be a defensive battle. [Grand Forks Herald]

Bemidji State players talk about Frozen Four rematch with Miami in Holiday Classic. [Bemidji Pioneer]

Sweep carries Beavers to No. 6 in national polls. [Bemidji Pioneer]

When talking about Miami University this story has to be mentioned. Ice hockey on brink of dynasty. [The Miami Student]

Facing 2 of nation's top D's, Miami hockey going for goals. [The Oxford Press]

Here is what former Fighting Sioux hockey player Hunter Bishop had to say about playing UND. [ohiostatebuckeyes.com]

Here is the link to the OSU Buckeyes media release for the Subway Holiday Classic. [click here] In reading their media guide OSU is averaging an unimpressive 1688 in attendance at home.

Subway Holiday Classic Preview [illusions of grandeur]

Thanksgiving Games (Sioux 7)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all the college hockey fans out their who read GOON'S WORLD. I know everyone's in the holiday spirit, and ready to eat copius amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie. We hope if you have the time (or tournament) that you will also gobble up some WCHA games or a Thanksgiving Holiday Tournament.

Current WCHA Standings

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

Holiday Classic (Grand Forks, ND)
Friday
#1 Miami (9-1-4 overall) vs #6 Bemidji St.(10-1-1 overall) (4pm)
Miami took 3pts at fellow CCHA member Western Michigan last week and Bemidji St. swept CHA rival Alabama-Huntsville.

What more could you want on Black Friday, than a clash of top ten teams in the top college arena? (More turkey and pie?) The Beavers will be looking to cook a bird on Friday afternoon, and it's not a turkey. BSU will look to further their ranking by basting the RedHawks in what is sure to be a game that's as hot as an oven. Miami will be looking to solidify their number one rank. The RedHawks have tied three of their last four games. Unlike Thanksgiving day, this Friday, both teams will be wanting more, the prediction, TIE.

Ohio State (5-8-1 overall) at #4 North Dakota (7-4-1 overall) (7pm)
OSU was swept by Ferris St. and UND was swept by Denver last week.

The Buckeyes have not played the Sioux since 1979, I think...(help me if you can)
The Sioux are now on a three game losing streak, ugh. I think the Buckeyes are what UND needs right now, a non-conference game that they should win. I'm going with my boys in Green & White tonight, SIOUX WIN.

Saturday
Ohio St. vs #6 Bemidji St. (4pm)
This game should go the way of the Beavers. We all know that Beavers gnaw on trees to build damns (industrial little fella's aren't they), and well, the Buckeye is a tree. The Beavers chew through the trees base and the tree falls over, thump, BEAVERS WIN.

#1 Miami at #4 North Dakota (7pm)
Ladies and Gentlemen, lets get ready to rumble. This is the heavy weight bout of the weekend in college hockey, RedHawks versus Sioux, this bout is scheduled to go three 20 minute rounds. The CCHA seems go be down as a whole this season, with only Miami and Mich St. as the powerhouses, Michigan and Notre Dame both have struggled this year. As always I have to pick my favorite team, SIOUX WIN.

(I bet DU would love to see Miami get swept in this tourney!)

College Hockey Showcase
Friday
Minnesota (4-7-1) at Michigan (5-7-0 overall)
Last week the Gophers were sweep at Mariucci by the UMD Bulldogs, and Michigan split with fellow CCHA member Bowling Green.

Most years this game would be between two ranked teams, not this year. Both UM's have struggled this season, when both were preseason picks for title contenders in their conferences. Both teams want to turn that M upside down for a W in this game.
I don't know who to go with in this game, both have talent, but haven't got the chemistry going yet. For the sake of the WCHA, I'm forced to cheer for the Gophers to win, to help out our conference as a whole. GOPHERS WIN.

#15 Wisconsin (7-4-1 overall) at #8 Michigan State (9-3-2 overall)
Last weekend the Badgers split with St. Cloud St., and the Spartans split with Notre Dame.

This should be the best game of the CHS Tournament, with both teams being ranked and looking for respect in their conference as well as Big Ten bragging rights. The Badgers haven't got a good winning streak going yet, and MSU had their 8-game unbeaten streak end last Saturday. I have to go with our conference, the Woo-cha, the big picture, BADGERS WIN.

Saturday
Minnesota at #8 Michigan State
Sparty is hot right now, and Goldy is not. SPARTANS WIN.

#15 Wisconsin at Michigan
In this battle between UW and UM, there is only one team wearing a W on their jersey, and that team will get the W. BADGERS WIN.

WCHA

Alaska-Anchorage at #5 Colorado College
Last weekend the Seawolves split at home with the Mavericks, and the Tigers swept Robert Morris at home.

UAA is win less on the road this year posting a 0-4-0 record. CC has done well in the World Arena this year, garnering a 6-2-0 record there. I'm not convinced the Tigers are one of the top teams in the country, after this week CC's schedule gets much tougher, so we'll have to wait and see. The Seawolves have played sporadically in most of their series, scoring 7 against DU, and then giving up 8 goals to MSU-M last week. You just don't know what Seawolves team is going to show up. I'm going CC one night and UAA the next, SPLIT.

St. Cloud State at #2 Denver
Last week SCSU split with home with UW, and DU swept UND in Denver.

This is the only series between the teams this year, last year SCSU won the series 3-1-0 (the 1 loss was in Denver). The Huskies have played well this year, a little inconsistent, but well. DU could be suffering from a UND hangover as well as looking ahead to CC next week. The Pioneers have all their star players back in the line up, so they should be up to full speed. The Huskies appear to be the sleepers in my book, they can't be taken for granted. If you look past them they will certainly steal your turkey and all your fixin's. I see a Huskies win on Friday, with the Pioneers getting their just desserts on Saturday, SPLIT.

Michigan Tech at Minnesota State
Last week the Huskies enjoyed a week of rest and relaxation, while the Mavericks split with the Seawolves in Anchorage.

The Huskies will look to move out of the basement and send Mankato into the 10-spot this weekend. If someone gets swept in this series, the sweep-ee will most likely be out of the running for home ice in the playoffs. (And yes I do realize that the playoffs are 4 months away.) The Mavericks are 3-3-0 at home and the Huskies are 1-3-0 on the road this year. These will be games three and four on the road for MTU in a six game road stretch. I'm going to say each team is into the Thanksgiving mood and give each other a win, SPLIT.

BYE WEEK - OFF
#14 University of Minnesota - Duluth

I'll end this little article with a Thanksgiving poem...

"May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!"
– Anonymous

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Wednesday press conference...

Interesting press conference, it would appear that last weekend's series results may have refocused the team. Darcy Zajc, Brad Eidsness were the players in today’s press conference. The thing that caught my attention was one of the reporters asked coach Hakstol about this being the first time your team has faced adversity. The response was this isn't the first time we have faced adversity, you haven't been in our lockerroom.' Coach Hakstol was asked Chay Genoway's status, it has not changed from Friday two weeks ago. Genoway is still out indefinitely and nothing has changed.

Also listen to Sioux Sports Today. [Click to listen]

Dusting off an old article: UND last WCHA team to be RedHawks.

I wrote this article for the Illegal Curve back on October 10th 2009.

On October 27th 2007 Miami Student writer Mike Zoller declared that Miami University hockey ‘was on the Brink of being a dynasty.’ While Miami Hockey is not a dynasty by definition (need to win a few NCAA titles), I am also going to hold off calling them a dynasty for now but Miami does have a good shot at being a title contender this season if they play up to their potential.

Since 2003-2004 the Miami RedHawks have compiled a 144-76-23 record and have made the NCAA tourney five out of the last six seasons. Last spring the RedHawks had the NCAA chapionship in their grasp, the RedHawks made it to the NCAA Championship game, took a 3-1 lead before losing the game in over time to the Boston University Terriers. [Box Score]

This is what I found in my Twitter posts this morning when I got up this morning.

MikeSwainey @goon48 All I know is Miami continues to knock off WCHA teams. IIRC, 5 straight wins against your league. But tomorrow's another day.

First off I wouldn’t be surprised tonight if SCSU loses to the RedHawks again tonight to make it six games in a row. Breaking it down further, Mike is right, Miami has done pretty well against WCHA foes as of late. Both DU and SCSU have both lost their last two games they have played against the Miami University RedHawks. Also, the Miami RedHawks beat UMD in last season’s Midwest regional at Mariucci Arena. Incidently, the last WCHA team to beat Miami University was the Fighting Sioux 3-0 in Lefty McFadden Invitational on October 8th 2005 when Jordan Parise held off a Miami surge and got a shutout against the RedHawks.

Here is the last 6 games that Miami has played against WCHA teams.

October 8th 2005 UND 3 Miami 0
October 6th 2006 Miami 5 DU 2
December 27, 2007 Miami 2 SCSU 1 O.T.
March 27, 2009 Miami 4 DU 2
March 28, 2009 Miami 2 UMD 1
October 09, 2009 Miami 3 SCSU 2 O.T.
October 10, 2009 Miami 2 SCSU 0

Breaking it down further, Mike is right, Miami has done pretty darn good job against the WCHA teams as of late. Both DU and SCSU have both lost their last two games they played to the Miami University RedHawks. Also, the Miami RedHawks beat UMD in last season’s Midwest regional championship game at Mariucci Arena. Incidentally, the last WCHA team to beat Miami University was the Fighting Sioux 3-0 in Lefty McFadden Invitational on October 8th 2005 when Jordan Parise got a shut out against the RedHawks. The Fighting Sioux might have to stop that streak if the Huskies can't stop them tonight.

Non Conference scores from last night

Last night the WCHA went 7-1 in non conference play. Last season the WCHA’s non conference play was their Achilles heal, last night SCSU was the only team in non conference play from the WCHA to lose.

UND 5 Merrimack College 2
MTU 5 NMU 3
C.C. 4 Northeastern 2
UMD 4 LSSU 3
MSU-M 3 BGSU 2
DU 5 VMU 4
UAA 5 Mercyhurst College 3
Miami 3 SCSU 2 O.T.

CHA 2-0 in Non Conference play last night.

UAH 3 Notre Dame 2 (this one makes me happy)
BSU 3 AFA 1 the battle of the Serratore brothers

Check out more from Eric of mvn.com, on my twitter,

Head Shots

Really good article by MSU-M beat writer Shane Frederick on head shots in the WCHA.

Already this season there have been three notable high or blindside hits.

Wisconsin’s Craig Smith got a game-disqualification and an additional one-game suspension from his school for a frightening check from behind into the boards that knocked Geoff Irwin out of commission for two games with a shoulder injury.

Alaska-Anchorage’s Jade Portwood broke Minnesota freshman Nick Leddy’s jaw with a shoulder check, putting Leddy out for six weeks. There was no penalty on the hit, and Portwood was not suspended, despite Gophers coach Don Lucia’s plea for punishment.

And then there was the check from behind that St. Cloud State’s Aaron Marvin laid on North Dakota’s Chay Genoway. Genoway was knocked out for at least three games, and Marvin was suspended one game by the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the hit, which has been replayed over and over again on YouTube.

“It still happens and it’s a mystery to me,” WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod told the Associated Press last week. “We’ve beefed up that rule and our officials know to always err on the side of safety. They are doing the best they possibly can ... We’re trying to emphasize that there’s no tolerance for it, but it hasn’t stopped it from happening.”
[Mankato Free Press]

I can’t believe that Bruce McLeod would actually make that stupid statement. McLeod can’t be that oblivious to the situation, he and his officials are part of the problem. The reason players are still hitting other players in the head and they don’t respect their opponents and your disciplinary system is a joke. There is no real repercussion or any meaningful discipline for the leagues hockey players that hits another player with questionable and egregious hit.

Let me break this further, if you’re a player in the WCHA what’s stopping you from taking a run at a top player like Jordan Schroeder. What are the consequences if you hit another player with a hit to the head and injure him? Seriously! All you’re going to get is a one game suspension max, isn’t that really a zero sum gain?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Daniel Briere suspended two games.

Flyers forward Daniel Briere is the last to be punished by the Colin Campbell's wheels of justice. The hit to the head is at the end of the video. All levels of hockey are trying to eliminate hits to the head. It would appear that some are not getting the message. The thing that really stuck out with me is that Briere makes more in two games than a lot of people make the whole year. You can also see the hit better on this clip. It's a dirty hit

TORONTO -- Philadelphia Flyers forward Daniel Briere has been suspended for two games, without pay, as a result of a late hit on an unsuspecting opponent -- Avalanche defenseman Scott Hannan -- during NHL Game #335 in Colorado Monday night, the National Hockey League announced today.

The incident took place at 9:06 of the second period, immediately following Hannan's goal.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average salary, Briere will forfeit $67,357.52. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Briere will miss games Nov. 25 against the New York Islanders and Nov. 27 at Buffalo. He will be eligible to return Nov. 28 at Atlanta.

Coach Hakstol on last weekend.

Check out what the head coach Dave Hakstol had to say about the weekend series. No excuses the team didn't deal well with adversity.

Tuesday reading.

Moving forward there is lots to be positive about if you’re a Fighting Sioux hockey fan.

A lot has been made this season about Junior Marc Cheverie play and how good he has been and he is currently ranked 1st nationally with 6-0-0 record a SV% of .961 and a GAA of 1.1940. Not to take anything away from Marc Cheverie but Fighting Sioux goaltender Brad Eidsness isn’t having too bad of a season as well. Currently Eidsness is ranked 5th in the nation with 6-3-1 record a 929 SV % and a GAA of 1.69. [USCHO.COM]

The good numbers don't end there. UND is also Ranked 19th nationally in offense 3.08 goals per game and 3rd nationally in defense 1.75 goals per game. [USCHO.COM]

UND is also ranked 14th nationally on the power play and ranked 10th on penalty killing.

Monday, November 23, 2009

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

Sunday, November 22, 2009

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]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

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]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, November 20, 2009

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]

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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.”

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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]

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