Mix-up sent Gophers men's hockey team scrambling for arena

Someone post the picture of the Target Center Ice on Gopher Puck Live. The Gophers and Badger will be playing in the Target Center this weekend. A screw up of epic proportions has moved the game to downtown Minneapolis, while there have been a few reports of bad ice, that could play into the Gophers favor against the speedy Badgers, I don’t think all is lost nor is this a complete buzz kill. In the past when attending the Final Five when it was at the Target Center I still have very fond memories of the Target Center. The Sioux winning the Final Five against the Badgers in 2000 was a blast.

While it’s defiantly not the Xcel Energy Center, there were a lot off good bars and restaurants with in walking distance of the Target Center. My favorite was Gluek’s restaurant and bar, Gluek’s also has one of the best beers, the Gluek’s Dark was my favorite.

If you don't mind spending an arm and a leg the Hard Rock Café right across the street from the Target Center and is a good place to eat and enjoy a beer. I ate there two years ago during the Final Five and it cost me about 25.00 for a beer and supper.

Forgive the Minnesota Gophers for feeling like guests in their hometown this weekend against interstate hockey rival Wisconsin.

The esoteric sport of synchronized skating is staging its national championships at Mariucci Arena, forcing the Gophers to prepare for the Badgers in a season-ending series that will determine Minnesota's first-round playoff opponent.

Communication became muddled in the bureaucratic swamp between the athletics department and arena officials, who booked the U.S. Figure Skating event for March 3-6 believing this weekend's Badgers-Gophers series was in Madison, Wis.

A mad scramble to rebook garnered stern opposition from U.S. Figure Skating and brought lawyers into the picture, producing a buyout price deemed too expensive to swallow, according to Mariucci manager Craig Flor.

With Ridder Arena hosting the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's final and the Xcel Energy Center booked for high school wrestling, the Gophers were caught in the headlights until Target Center officials stepped into the breach.

The Timberwolves are on the road this week, which allowed the downtown Minneapolis arena to host its first hockey games in 10 years.

Tonight's match is the first collegiate game there since March 18, 2000, when North Dakota beat Wisconsin in the WCHA Final Five title game.
[Pioneer Press]

Brad Miller Time - The Senior Class

Couple of things that I noticed. Nice to see Chay Genoway back in work out gear. Ben Blood has cut his hair again, I think he looks meaner with a shaved head.

I think this week's episode was one of more funnier ones. While this is a small class of seniors all of them have played a big role their four season at UND. Zajac is an awesome defensive player. Chay Genoway is one of the most dynamic players on defense in the WCHA and Chris VandeVelde has been a solid offensive player his last three seasons at UND.

Friday Morning pontification

There has been some speculation on where the Fighting Sioux are going to finish in the final WCHA standings. A few weeks ago home ice looked bleak but the Fighting Sioux made up 10 points in 15 days and switched places in the standings with the C.C. Tigers to secured home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs for the 8th season in a row.

The Sioux can finish as high as 3rd place, however, 4th or 5th place probably seems more realistic for the Fighting Sioux. It's a long shot and not very probably, but the Fighting Sioux could finish 3rd, first the Fighting Sioux have to sweep the MTU Huskies and the SCCC Huskies would have to lose to games to the MSU-M Mavericks. While I would love to see that, I don’t see that happening, in fact the chances of that happening are slim and none, but also there isn't a snowballs chance in hell. In fact if that happens I will donate a $100.00 to LGM's favorite charity and wear a purple cow jersey to the Final Five (a game of LGM's choosing).

Sioux will be UAA fans this weekend

I think it’s safe to assume that the Fighting Sioux will be Seawolves fans this weekend. If UAA can get a split with the UMD Bulldogs and the Fighting Sioux can get a sweep of the MTU Huskies, the Sioux would end up in 4th place. UND holds the tie breaker over UMD and SCSU. UAA has only been swept one time at home this season so a split isn’t out of the question this weekend, either is a sweep. UMD has cooled off the second half of the season going 8-8-0 and 2-6 in February. Last year UAA swept the Bulldogs at the DECC before the Dogs went on a run to the NCAA tourney. Breaking it down further; UAA has been tought to beat at the Sully and has split with UND, DU, MSU-M, C.C., and UMN. While UAA might only be sitting in 8th place, UAA has more points against DU than the Gophers and the Sioux combined (1-2-1, 3 pts).

Weekend Match-Ups (Sioux 7)

Well, here we are, we’re at the end of the regular season in the WCHA. We have a full slate of games, 5 WCHA series to play this weekend. Congratulations to the Denver Pioneers, they are the 2009-2010 MacNaughton Cup champions. To go with that, we now know the home teams for the playoffs, DU, UW, SCSU, UMD, and UND, but the order can still change. Since this is the end of the regular season, let’s look back to the past and see how close the WCHA coaches were in their preseason voting.

Pre-Season
Grand Forks Herald WCHA Coaches
1. Denver
2. North Dakota
3. Wisconsin
4. Minnesota
5. St. Cloud State
6. Minnesota Duluth
7. Minnesota State
8. Colorado College
9. Alaska Anchorage
10. Michigan Tech


CURRENT WCHA STANGINGS
(Everyone has played 26 league games now)

TEAM………………....W-L-T….PTS
1 Denver…………….......18-4-4….40
2 Wisconsin………….....16-7-3….35
3 St. Cloud State……..15-8-3….33
4 Minnesota-Duluth…..15-10-1…31
5 North Dakota………....13-10-3…29
6 Colorado College…....11-12-3…25
7 Minnesota…………......11-13-2…24
8 Alaska-Anchorage.....8-16-2….18
9 Minnesota State……..8-17-1….17
10 Michigan Tech……...4-22-0…..8


WCHA

#12 Minnesota-Duluth at Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Bulldogs split a series with the Gophers in Duluth, and the Seawolves got swept by their in-state rival UA-Fairbanks.

With a win on Saturday night the Bulldogs stopped a three game losing streak, but are still struggling going 3-7-0 in their last ten games. I watched both UMD-UM games last weekend, and the announcers pointed out that UMD has gotten 43% of their goals on the power play. That tells me one, they do have a great power play, and two if you can keep it 5-on-5 you have a good chance of beating the Bulldogs. UMD goalie Hjelle got his first WCHA shut-out on Saturday, so congrats to him. The Seawolves continue to put together some wins, they now have an overall record of 10-20-2 and a home record of 6-9-0. UMD is 6-7-1 away from the DECC this season. UAA seems to have developed a pattern in WCHA home series, they tend to lose on Friday and then bounce back in win on Saturday. I think this is due to coaching adjustments made by UAA bench boss Shyiak. I don’t think people give Shyiak enough credit for his coaching abilities. With that, it is never an easy task for anyone making the trip to Alaska. SPLIT


#3 Wisconsin at Minnesota
Last weekend the Badgers swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton, and the Gophers gained a split on the road with UM-Duluth.

Back in the first week in November these teams split their series in Madison. The Badgers locked up home ice last weekend are now looking to finish in 2nd place. The Gophers gave themselves hope on Friday with a win, but lost on Saturday, which coupled with UND’s win puts them on the road next weekend. These games are on Friday night and then Sunday afternoon, which is a weird time for a game, in my opinion. The Badgers only need one win to hold on to 2nd place in the league (I believe they have the tie breaker on SCSU) so it is possible if they win on Friday, they might rest up some on Sunday’s game. The Gophers now in 7th place might look to move up to 6th place and pass CC. The Gophers can somewhat control who they might want to face in the playoffs. Even the FSN guys said UM would have a better chance of pulling off an upset in the first round if they avoid UW or UND. UW is one of the hottest teams in the WHCA and country now, and well, UM is not so hot. It will be interesting to see if the Gophers can elevate their game to match the Badgers in this Border Battle. If the Gophers can score first and get the crowd into it, they have a chance. If the Badgers score first, and silence the crowd, the Gophers might phone it in. BADGERS SWEEP


#1 Denver vs #15 Colorado College
Last weekend the Pioneers got a road swept at the expense of MSU-Mankato, and the Tiger got swept at World Arena by the visiting Sioux.

Earlier this season the DU won at CC, and then they tied in Denver. DU is on a 10 game winning streak and CC is on a 4 game losing streak. Since the calendar flipped to 2010, the Tigers are 3-9-0 in WCHA play, while the Pioneers are 9-1-1. Obviously these teams are on two different paths in the second half of the season. However, this is the battle for the Gold Pan. I can see DU taking a game off in this series, since they really have nothing to play for, they have got the MacNaughton Cup, and pretty much sown up a number one seed in the NCAA tourney. The Tigers are still alive to make a NCAA berth, but need to start winning games to get back in the mix. Of course, I’m sure DU knows this as well and would like to have CC watching the NCAA tourney from their dorm rooms. All this makes a tough series to predict, but the crystal ball has been extraordinary that last couple of weeks, so I will consult it again. SPLIT


Michigan Tech at #7 North Dakota
Last weekend the Huskies got swept in Houghton by the UW Badgers, and the Sioux swept the CC Tigers in Colorado Springs.

Earlier this season the Sioux swept the Huskies in Houghton. The Huskies will be on the road this weekend, and next weekend too, when they will travel to Denver to take on the Pioneers in the first round of the playoffs. The Sioux will be hosting a 1st round playoff series next weekend, most likely against CC or UM. The Sioux have now surged into the top ten in the PWR (which mimics NCAA selection) and look to get locked into a number two seed in the NCAA tourney. The Sioux are now on a season best 5-game win streak, and will most likely add two more wins to that streak this weekend. The hapless Huskies own a 1-12-0 road record and have had another rough season. MTU has scored the fewest goals in the league, and UND has given up the fewest. Those stats don’t bode well for the Huskies this weekend. All of MTU’s 4 WCHA wins have been against teams from the state of Minnesota; they have beat MSUM, SCSU, and UMD twice. I don’t see UND letting their foot of the gas pedal this weekend. SIOUX SWEEP


#4 St. Cloud State vs Minnesota State Mankato
Last weekend the Huskies enjoyed a weekend of rest, and the Mavericks were swept by the Pioneers in Mankato.

This is a home and home series for these teams, Friday in Mankato and Saturday in St. Cloud, since this is the only games these teams play against each other this year. However, it is possible that these teams my tangle again next weekend in the first round of the playoffs. The Huskies have been surprisingly good this season and will likely finish 3rd in the league. The Mavericks gave DU a scare last weekend and had a chance to upset them in the OT, but lost with 13 seconds left. MSUM only has one win over the top 5 teams in the conference; they beat UW back in October. In WCHA play the Mavericks are 3-9-0 in 2010, while SCSU is 8-3-1. I don’t see the Mavericks sweeping this weekend, or for that matter getting any points. SCSU SWEEP.

Jan Brady State University :)

Remember folks it's just a game. :) The count down begins; 3-2-1...

Booth and Richards settle things on the ice

Mike Richards hit David Booth with this questionable high hit to the face on October 24th, 2009. The hit by Richards cost the Florida Panthers forward 45 games and a shot at making the USA Olympic team. There was no additional disciple from the NHL on the hit by Richards and the Florida Panthers organization was too happy about that. Last night David Booth got some sweet revenge by fighting Mike Richards and having a great game on the score sheet. This is why I like the NHL they settle things on the ice like men.

David Booth wore the smile of satisfaction as he sat at his locker after tonight’s game. Not only did he have a goal and three assists, giving him six points the past two games, but he had them against the Flyers.
And he fought Mike Richards, the guy who dealt him a concussion with a controversial hit Oct. 24. The concussion kept Booth out 45 games and cost him the silver medal he would have gotten with a spot on the USA Olympic roster. His apology from Richards: a text message.

Booth did what I would have done.

It’s one thing to have your teammates stick up for you, which they did when the teams last played Dec. 21 in Philly. It’s another to not only do it yourself, but pay back Richards and the Flyers with a great offensive night.

That’s how you show you’re back.

Here’s what Booth said after the game about what went down with Richards 2:45 into the first period:

“That was kind of expected. I don’t really know what I’m doing when I fight,” Booth said. “But it was just a lot of…I don’t know what’s built up, but what could have been this year if you were playing, you think about that. But that’s behind me now. I don’t have to worry about that. I can just go out there and play and be free of this. I’m back to 100 percent.”

Booth added: “I just wanted to get it off my chest. It wasn’t cheap or anything. I just asked him if he wanted to and he was good enough to give me my shot. [Sun Sentinel]

Thursday Links

Check out Julie from Hockey Buzz as she shoots her interview from the Fighting Sioux's locker room.

According to Brad Chay Genoway is finally working out again but has yet to re-join the Sioux in practice.

The weekly Chay Genoway update is that he is working out on his own, but has not re-joined team workouts or practice or anything like that. He still has a way to go. As said previously here, his return may depend on how far UND can go this season. But Genoway's intention is to play again this season.

Exile on Dayton Street explains his love for the Golden Gopher hocke fans.

You will be surrounded by people who believe that gopher hockey is the pinnacle of existence. You know how whenever you see the gophers announcers on FSN, they're constantly talking about how great the gophers are, how the other team can't skate with the gophers, how the gophers have halos around their heads and everyone else should just be grateful to be basking in the glow of gopher hockey? That doesn't just come from nowhere. They're not just trying to leave a stinky taste in your mouth, Gopher fans actually seem to think this way.

The understatement of the week or possibly the year. Duh!

In my 15 years of covering DU hockey and working with coach George Gwozdecky, I witnessed a first today. With two regular-season games remaining, Gwoz freely admitted the top-ranked Pioneers (24-6-4) are safe and sound when it comes to the 16-team NCAA Tournament. [Denver Post hockey blog]

Eidsness, Kristo nab weekly WCHA awards

Nice to see Kristo and Eidsness get some recognition this week. The Sioux are starting to rack up weekly honors after elevating their play the last 6 games.

GRAND FORKS, N.D.-University of North -Dakota sophomore goalie Brad Eidsness has been named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week, while freshman forward Danny Kristo has been named the WCHA Co-Rookie of the week, announced today by the league office.

Eidsness, a native of Chestermere, Alberta, backstopped the Fighting Sioux to their first sweep at Colorado College since 1998-99 by stopping 53 of 57 shots in the series for a .930 save percentage. Eidsness made 26 saves in Friday's 3-2 overtime win, then followed with 27 saves in Saturday's 3-2 victory.

During UND's current five-game winning streak, Eidsness has posted a 1.59 goals against average and a .942 save percentage. In 32 games this season, Eidsness is 17-8-4 with a 2.21 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. He leads all WCHA goalies in minutes played and ranks second in wins and goals against average.

Kristo, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn., scored a key goal in each game at CC, including his first career game-winning goal in Saturday's victory that clinched home ice in the first round of the playoffs for the Fighting Sioux. On Friday, Kristo scored his team-leading eighth power-play goal of the season, which also leads all NCAA Division I freshmen.

In 32 games this season, Kristo leads all WCHA rookies in points (27), points per game (0.84), goals (12), power-play goals (eight) and power-play points (18).

Cross posted at the Sin Bin.

NHL trade deadline deals

Here is what happened today on the NHL trade deadline. Not a lot going on this season. It would appear that Phoenix is the big winner in today final day of NHL trading.

I don't know if I like the Minnesota trading Eric Belanger to the Capitals or not, sure the Wild got a second round draft choice but now who fills in for Belanger in the lineup? Oh goody; my guess is Wild fans get more James Sheppard. I would rather see Robbie Earl get more playing time with Sheppard sitting in the press box.

Anaheim - Acquired goaltender Curtis McElhinney from the Calgary Flames for goaltender Vesa Toskala; acquired goaltender Joey MacDonald from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2010 seventh-round draft pick.

Boston - Acquired defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and the rights to defenseman Matt Bartkowski from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forwards Byron Bitz and Craig Weller and a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Carolina - Acquired goaltender Justin Pogge and a conditional fourth-round draft pick from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Aaron Ward.

Detroit - Acquired forward Jordan Owens from the New York Rangers for forward Kris Newbury.

Edmonton - Claimed forward Ryan Jones off waivers from the Nashville Predators.

Los Angeles - Acquired center Jeff Halpern from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Teddy Purcell and a third-round draft pick.

New Jersey - Acquired defenseman Martin Skoula from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft.

Phoenix - Acquired left wing Wojtek Wolski from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forwards Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter; acquired defenseman Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins for a conditional choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft; acquired defenseman Mathieu Schneider from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Sean Zimmerman and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Pittsburgh - Acquired a 2010 sixth-round draft pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Chris Peluso.

St. Louis - Acquired forward Matt D'Agostini from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Aaron Palushaj.

San Jose - Reassigned forward Dwight Helminen and defenseman Jason Demers to the Worcester (AHL).

Vancouver - Acquired center Yan Stastny from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for left wing Pierre-Cedric Labrie; assigned defenseman Brad Lukowich to Manitoba (AHL).

Washington - Acquired center Eric Belanger from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft; acquired forward Scott Walker from the Carolina Hurricanes for a seventh-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft.

Tim Thomas: I have a no-trade clause

For the fans that keep wanting to throw goalie Tim Thomas under the bus say that he is going to get traded, Tim Thomas isn't going anywhere he has a no trade clause in his contract.

WILMINGTON -- As trades are made, and more rumors continue to swirl, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas realizes that his name has been mentioned in potential deals prior to today's 3 p.m. trade deadline.

But unlike many of the rumors, Thomas also pointed out, Wednesday after practice, that any potential trade would have to be OK'd by him.

"I have a no-trade clause, that nobody seems to want to mention," said Thomas. "Despite the best efforts of some of the media, I don't think that anything's going to happen."

One rumor has had Thomas and a draft pick going to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Tomas Fleischmann and Jose Theodore. When asked if he had been approached by Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli regarding a trade, Thomas declined to give that information away.

"I wouldn't discuss that with you if I were," he said. "That's private. Even a contract should be private. That wouldn't be something that I'd discuss with the media, anyhow."

WCHA tie breakers.

A few people were asking about tie breakers and where the standings could end after this weekend. UND is going to need a little help and this weekend Fighting Sioux fans are going to be cheering for the Seawolves and the Maverick this weekend.

Minnesota Duluth:
THIS WEEKEND: At Alaska Anchorage.
ON THEIR OWN: Would guarantee fourth by getting three points.
BEST CASE: Finishes second with a sweep if Wisconsin loses twice and
St. Cloud State gets no more than one point.
WORST CASE: If they lose twice and North Dakota gets at least two
points, the Bulldogs will drop to fifth.
TIEBREAKERS: Beats Wisconsin; loses to St. Cloud State and North
Dakota.

Wisconsin:
THIS WEEKEND: At Minnesota.
ON THEIR OWN: Three points would clinch second place.
BEST CASE: Second.
WORST CASE: Falls to fourth with two losses if Minnesota Duluth sweeps
and St. Cloud State gets at least two points.
TIEBREAKERS: Loses to Minnesota Duluth; could win or lose against St.
Cloud State.

St. Cloud State:
THIS WEEKEND: vs. Minnesota State Mankato home and home.
ON THEIR OWN: Wraps up third place with two points.
BEST CASE: Climbs to second with a sweep if Wisconsin gets no more than
two points.
WORST CASE: Would finish fifth if they get swept, North Dakota wins
twice, and Minnesota Duluth gets at least three points.
TIEBREAKERS: Beats Minnesota Duluth; loses to North Dakota; could win
or lose against Wisconsin.

North Dakota:
THIS WEEKEND: Michigan Tech.
ON THEIR OWN: Has already clinched fifth and can do no better without
help.
BEST CASE: Gets third place with a sweep if St. Cloud State loses twice
and Minnesota Duluth gets no more than two points.
WORST CASE: Fifth.
TIEBREAKERS: Beats St. Cloud, Minnesota Duluth, and Colorado College.

Colorado College:
THIS WEEKEND: At Denver.
ON THEIR OWN: Finishes sixth with a pair of wins.
BEST CASE: Sixth.
WORST CASE: Falls to seventh if Minnesota gets at least one more point
than they do.
TIEBREAKERS: Loses to North Dakota and Minnesota.

Minnesota:
THIS WEEKEND: Wisconsin.
ON THEIR OWN: Can do no better than seventh without help.
BEST CASE: Would climb to sixth if they win twice and Colorado College
does not.
WORST CASE: Seventh.
TIEBREAKERS: Beats Colorado College.

Alaska Anchorage:
THIS WEEKEND: Minnesota Duluth.
ON THEIR OWN: Clinches eighth with a sweep.
BEST CASE: Eighth.
WORST CASE: Finishes ninth if Minnesota State gets at least one more
point than they do.
TIEBREAKERS: Loses to Minnesota State.

Minnesota State-Mankato:

THIS WEEKEND: vs. St. Cloud State home and home.
ON THEIR OWN: Has clinched ninth and can do no better without help.
BEST CASE: Gets the No. 8 seed with a sweep if Alaska-Anchorage does not
win twice.
WORST CASE: Ninth.
TIEBREAKERS: Beats Alaska Anchorage
[Rink and Run]

Cross posted at the Sin Bin.

Bruins make a few head scratchers...

The Boston Bruins appear initially that they were buyers at the trade dead line but a few of their moves are quite unpredictable and unexpected and downright silly. The Boston Bruins pick up a few defensive prospects and move a few defensemen around; most of the moves appear to be a wash. The Bruins biggest need is in the forward position.

This trade is one that shocked me the most, I thought Derek Morris was a high end offensive defenseman and this trade doesn't make any sense unless the Bruins are trying to clear cap space to get a high end forward. I am sure we will know what the Bruins intentions were at the end of the day or at least by the 3:00 pm eastern dead line.

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired a conditional draft pick in 2011 from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for defenseman Derek Morris.

The 31-year-old Morris has skated in 58 games with the Bruins this season, registering 3-22=25 totals and 26 PIM. Morris has played 851 games in the NHL, recording 79-286=365 totals and 820 PIM. The 6’0” 221-pound native of Edmonton, Alberta was selected in the first round (13th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed by Boston as a free agent on July 24, 2009.

This move here is also a head scratchers, it doesn't really make any sense to me at all. The Bruins are in need of offense in a very bad way and the Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli seems to be uninterested in improving this season squad. It almost appears that they are standing pat and going to bank on the two first round draft choices in this summers entry draft.

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forwards Byron Bitz and Craig Weller and a second round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The second round pick in 2010 will be Tampa Bay’s, which Boston acquired at last year’s trade deadline along with Mark Recchi, in exchange for Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums.

The 28-year-old Seidenberg has skated in 62 games with the Panthers this season, registering 2-21=23 totals and 33 PIM. He currently leads the NHL in blocked shots with 179. Seidenberg has played 376 games in the NHL earning 17-96=113 totals and 162 PIM. The 6’1” 210-pound native of Schwenningen, Germany was selected in the sixth round (172nd overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He recently competed on Team Germany with Bruins forward Marco Sturm at the 2010 Olympic Games, and has been a teammate of Sturm's in four international tournaments (2001 Worlds, 2002 Olympics, 2008 Worlds, 2010 Olympics). Boston will be the fifth NHL team Seidenberg has suited up for, along with Philadelphia, Phoenix, Carolina and Florida. He set career highs in all offensive categories with Carolina in 2008-09 with 5-25=30 totals in 70 games played.

The 21-year-old Bartkowski has skated in 34 games for Ohio State University this year, registering 4-12=16 totals and 16 PIM. Over two seasons with the Buckeyes, Bartkowski has played in 75 games recording 9-27=36 totals and 133 PIM. The 6’1” 196-pound native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (190th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Boston Bruins picked up another defenseman from Michigan Wolverines Steve Kampfer.

BOSTON, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired the rights to defenseman Steve Kampfer from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional fourth round draft pick.

The 21-year old Kampfer has skated in 37 games for the University of Michigan this season, recording two goals, 15 assists and 48 PIM. Over four seasons with the Wolverines, Kampfer has played in 139 games, registering 6-51=57 totals and 132 PIM.

The 5’11, 188-pound native of Ann Arbor, MI was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round (93rd overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Jovanovski gets run over by the Oshie

Couldn't have happen to a nicer guy, T.J. Oshie should be given a medal for this hit. Jovanovski is the same goon that was suspended twice in 2009, one of his suspensions was for knocking out Wild forward Andrew Ebbett with this brutal hit.

NHL's Bettman defends TV deal with Versus

Does anyone see anything wrong with this statement by Gary Bettman? I think until the NHL gets back on ESPN or a more visible television network, the NHL is going to be handcuffed for being on Versus, the biggest problem is that Versus it's not available to all markets and cable providers. This is sad because the NHL has all kinds of momentum coming out of the Olympics and this guy is such a buzzkill to the great sport of hockey.

"We think Versus is doing a terrific job for us," Bettman said. "They're giving us the most promotion and attention that we could ask for from a cable and TV partner and, quite frankly, we are the most important property that they have."

Bettman said he is hopeful the cable network will resolve the issues that have kept Versus off DirecTV. [chicagobreakingsports.com]

Standing Rock Supporters: Enough Signatures on Petition

It would appear that supporters of the Fighting Sioux nickname might have gotten some good news. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

WDAZ - A group of Sioux nickname supporters on the Standing Rock Reservation say they have enough signatures to ask for a reservation-wide vote on the issue.

They have collected more than 800 signatures. They only needed 600 for the tribal council to consider the issue.

The tribal council has already voted against putting support for the nickname to a public vote.

Supporters are hoping to present the petition to the council tomorrow to see what the next step is.

One problem: the Standing Rock constitution doesn't outline a procedure to dealing with a petition asking for a referendum vote.

It's up to the council and tribal attorney to outline a plan and that could take a while.

The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education is waiting until the North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled on an appeal to a decision that previously blocked them from changing the nickname.

That ruling is expected by early April.

Marvin got lucky

For those that haven't seen Bruce Ciskie's blog today, the WCHA really wanted to throw the book at Aaron Marvin. The WCHA wanted to give Marvin a 5 to 8 game suspension. Wow! Personally I actually think 5 games would have been an appropriate suspension lenght for the Genoway hit. SCSU won an appeal to knock it down to only three games.

The WCHA is taking plenty of heat for its decision to suspend St. Cloud State forward Aaron Marvin for three games. The league has been late to the party on hits to the head, and it was assumed they were going to let Marvin off easy, or maybe suspend him for one game heading into their home-and-home with Minnesota State, Mankato, this weekend.

Instead, the WCHA dropped the hammer, giving Marvin a three-game ban that will sit him for the entire MSU series, as well as Game 1 of St. Cloud's home WCHA playoff series (opponent TBA).

While it could be argued that this punishment is a bit excessive, it's in line with what the league should have been doing from the start. Not only that, but it's apparently not nearly as bad as what the initial decision called for.

A source with knowledge of the talks has told me that the WCHA's original punishment would have banished Marvin for the entire first round of the WCHA playoffs, and possibly the WCHA Final Five -- should St. Cloud make it there. That ban -- which could have been as high as five games if the Huskies played a three-game first-round series and eight games if it included the Final Five -- was then reduced to its current state on appeal. The source was unclear if the league wanted to keep Marvin out for the entire league tournament, or just the first round. Either way, the suspension was reduced after the school appealed.

Bracketology

Someone had mentioned Bracketology and Chuck Schwartz has his latest version of that posted over on 60 Minutes, No Alibies, No Regrets, I know it's still early but I think UND might get to see the Miami RedHawks again and that could be an epic game. I don't SCSU getting out of a regional that looks like the one listed below, I would say it looks like another one and done for the Huskies.

Northeast Regional (Worchester, MA):

1 Denver vs 16 Atlantic Hockey Champ
8 Yale vs 10 New Hampshire

Midwest Regional (Fort Wayne, IN):

2 Miami vs 14 Minnesota-Duluth
7 North Dakota vs 9 Alaska

East Regional (Albany, NY):

3 Wisconsin vs 15 Ferris State
6 Boston College vs 11 Cornell

West Regional (St. Paul, MN):

4 St. Cloud State vs 13 Vermont
5 Bemidji vs 12 Michigan State

Men's hockey WCHA first round playoff tickets on sale March 2

If you don't have your tickets for the firt round of the the WCHA playoffs time it's time to start thinking about buying them.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota men's hockey team has clinched home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Tickets for the best-of-3 series will go on sale March 2 at 10 a.m.

Ticket prices for the series, held March 12, 13 and 14 (if necessary):

Adult - $20 single, $40 series
Student - $7 single, $14 series
Youth - $10 single, $20 series
Season ticket holders were sent tickets for series with initial ticket mailings.

Series ticket packages for the general public in non-student areas will be available on March 2 at 10 a.m. Single-game tickets for the pubilc will be available March 8 at 10 a.m.

Student ticket packages can be purchased at the UND Box Office and online at Ticketmaster.com. Student season ticket holders will receive an email with password to purchase tickets. Lower bowl sections and select upper bowl sections will be held for series packages. Students may purchase up to 4 reserved seats with UND student ID, however, seperate UND student IDs must be validated per student ticket for entry into venue on game date.

Student series package sale ends Monday, March 8. All unsold student series tickets will be available as single game tickets for students and general public at 10 a.m. on March 8.

All tickets may be purchased via the UND Box Office at Ralph Engelstad Arena, Ticketmaster.com or any Ticketmaster location.

MacNaughton Cup History (by Sioux 7)

I found this article a few weeks ago on the St. Cloud Times Newspaper website, and thought this would be a good time to share a little history.


The MacNaughton Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the regular season champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The trophy is named after James MacNaughton of Calumet, Michigan, who was an avid supporter of amateur ice hockey. The Cup is hand crafted of pure silver and stands almost three feet high and weighs nearly 40 pounds.

In 1913, MacNaughton purchased a cup trophy for approximately $2,000 and donated it to the President of the American Hockey Association, which was to be awarded to the league’s champion at the end of the season. The MacNaughton Cup remained with the American Hockey Association until 1932. From 1933 to 1950, the Cup was given to semi-pro and intermediate hockey teams in Michigan’s Copper Country.

In 1951, the MacNaughton family arranged to have the Cup awarded to the newly founded Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL), a precursor to the WCHA. The MCHL was composed of Michigan Tech, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Michigan Tech became the trustee for the MacNaughton Cup. In the original spirit of the trophy, the league decided to award the trophy to its regular season champion. In 1953, the MCHL became the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL).

The Cup remained a part of the WIHL until the league was disbanded in March of 1958. There was no league play for the 1958-59 season and for the 1959-60 season, the seven teams resumed competition under the new name of the WCHA.

From the 1961-62 through the 1964-65 seasons, the MacNaughton Cup was awarded to the WCHA’s playoff tournament champion instead of the regular season champion, but the WCHA resumed awarding the Cup to the regular season champion again for the start of the 1965-66 season through the 1981-82 season.

Michigan Tech left the WCHA to join the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 1981-82 season. Since Michigan Tech is the trustee of the Cup, the Cup went to the CCHA.

The Broadmoor Trophy was created as a replacement and awarded to the regular season champion until Michigan Tech returned to the WCHA for the start of the 1984-85 season. The McNaughton Cup also returned and continues to be awarded to the regular season champion today. With the return of the MacNaughton Cup, the Broadmoor Trophy is awarded to the WCHA tournament champion.

Poll Monday (Sioux 7th in both polls)

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[March 1, 2010]
1 Denver (48) 24- 6-4 998 1
2 Miami ( 2) 24- 5-7 940 2
3 Wisconsin 21- 8-4 907 3
4 St. Cloud State 20-10-4 833 4
5 Boston College 20-10-2 738 7
6 Yale 19- 7-3 723 5
7 North Dakota 18-11-5 714 8
8 Bemidji State 22- 8-2 671 6
9 Cornell 17- 8-4 601 9
10 New Hampshire 16-10-6 544 11
11 Michigan State 19-11-6 489 12
12 Minnesota-Duluth 19-14-1 457 10
13 Ferris State 19-11-6 339 14
14 Alaska 16- 9-9 332 17
15 Colorado College 17-14-3 252 13
16 Vermont 15-11-6 221 18
17 Maine 16-13-3 212 16
18 Union 18-10-6 183 15
19 Northern Michigan 17-11-8 146 NR
20 Nebraska-Omaha 18-14-6 110 19
Others Receiving Votes: RIT 36, Mass.-Lowell 35, Boston University 7, Colgate 6, Michigan 5, Northeastern 1

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

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Mar. 1, 2010]
1 Denver (32) 24-6-4 508 1
2 Miami (Ohio) (2) 24-5-7 476 2
3 Wisconsin 21-8-4 443 3
4 St. Cloud State 20-10-4 397 4
5 Boston College 20-10-2 345 7
6 Yale 19-7-3 323 5
7 North Dakota 18-11-5 318 8
8 Bemidji State 22-8-2 279 6
9 Cornell 17-8-4 231 9
10 New Hampshire 16-10-6 217 10
11 Michigan State 19-11-6 146 13
12 Minnesota Duluth 19-14-1 138 11
13 Alaska - Fairbanks 16-9-9 100 NR
14 Ferris State 19-11-6 54 14
15 Colorado College 17-14-3 30 12
Others receiving votes: University of Maine, 26; University of Vermont, 19; University of Nebraska Omaha, 9; Rochester Institute of Technology, 8; Union College, 8; Northern Michigan University, 4; University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1.

St Cloud Player, Aaron Marvin Suspended 3 Games

Good.

MADISON, Wis. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association today (March 1) announced it has suspended St. Cloud State University junior hockey player Aaron Marvin for the next three games as a result of his actions in a recent game played at the University of Wisconsin on February 20.

The supplemental disciplinary action was taken after discussions between officials at St. Cloud State University and the WCHA Executive Committee and Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod.

“Player safety is of paramount concern to all of us in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and players are responsible for conducting themselves in a proper manner,” said Nancy Sampson, Faculty Representative from the University of Denver and Chair of the Association and Commissioner McLeod in a joint statement. “Our student-athletes need to make every possible effort to play within the spirit of the rules and know that they will be held accountable for their actions.

“The Association, through its administrators and officials and member team administrators, coaches and student-athletes, will continue to work together to address concerns in a responsible and constructive way.”

This is certainly well deserved. It's nice that the WCHA is finally taking dirty hits seriously.

One has to wonder if the league had taken the Aaron Marvin hit on Chay Gennoway seriously if Blake Geoffrion would have been injured the way he was.

Edit: Links to the story

Goal Gophers; WCHA suspends St. Cloud State's co-captain

Puck and Bats; WCHA suspends Marvin 3 games (updated)

60 Minutes, No alibis, No Regrets; Erin Marvin Suspended three games

North Dakota Hockey Blog; Marvin suspended three games

Rink and Run; WCHA suspends Marvin

College Hockey News; WCHA Suspends Marvin 3 Games

Western College Hockey; Marvin Suspended Three Games

Grand Forks Herald; HOCKEY: WCHA suspends SCSU's Aaron Marvin for three games

Saint Cloud Times; WCHA suspends SCSU forward Marvin 3 games

Madison.com; Geoffrion returns to practice; St. Cloud's Marvin suspended

The Ciskie Blog; Aaron Marvin First Victim of WCHA Late-Season Crackdown

Dave Shyiak does his George Gwozdecky impersonation

I would like to see the tape on this one, I am sure it was entertaining for the fans at the arena. I want to go on the record and say that I think Dave Shyiak is a good coach and has done a pretty good job coaching the Seawolves, all things considered. Look at the teams the Seawolves have beaten this season.

This past weekend it sounds like UAA coach Dave Shyiak did his impersonation of the dasher dance after the Seawolves were the victim of a bad call by the on ice officials. I have also read a few comments from fans that said that UAA coach Dave Shyiak should be suspended by the WCHA after he threw a water bottle onto the ice and was ejected from Saturday night's 3-2 Governor's Cup loss at UAF. Why? I believe that Shyiak has been punished enough and I don’t expect the WCHA to do anything additionally. Why should they? The WCHA did nothing to the DU coach George Gwozdecky until it was discovered that he had communicated with the DU bench after his ejection.

Unofficially, DU and their fans cheered the performance by George Gwozdecky and the University of Denver issued a flimsy meaningless reprimand. So if the WCHA does anything to Shyiak I am calling foul, because the WCHA would be showing a double standard giving punishment for one act but doing nothing for the same thing. If anything it’s about time the coaches show a little more emotion and help bring to light the shoddy officiating in division one hockey. Below is the statement from the UAA Athletic Director Steve Cobb.

Statement from Dr. Steve Cobb, UAA Director of Athletics - Feb. 28, 2010 ---- "On behalf of the University of Alaska Anchorage athletic department, I sincerely apologize to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, game officials and to UAA supporters for Coach Dave Shyiak's behavior on Saturday night that resulted in a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct and 10-minute game misconduct penalty.

Coach Shyiak's actions were out of character and regrettable. At UAA we have high behavioral standards, not just for student-athletes, but for all department employees. He has received a formal reprimand for his actions and understands that his behavior was unacceptable.

Respect for our opponents and officials is a core value of UAA's athletic program and will remain so in the future. We expect our coaches to model the highest degree of sportsmanship." [goseawolves.com]

INCH Power Rankings

As always I post the INCH Power Rankings for discussion purposes.

1. Denver
2. Miami
3. Wisconsin
4. St. Cloud State
5. Yale
6. North Dakota — Forward Matt Frattin, who didn't score a goal in his first 11 games after returning from a first-half suspension, has five in the Sioux's last five outings including the game-winner in overtime Friday at Colorado College. 18-11-5 (13-10-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Colorado College, 3-2 ot; W at Colorado College, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech, vs. Michigan Tech
7. Cornell
8. Boston College
9. Michigan State
10. Bemidji State
12. Union
13. Minnesota Duluth
14. Ferris State
15. Alaska
16. RIT
17. Colorado College
18. Maine
19. Northern Michigan

Dropped out: Boston University
Bubble-licious: Vermont, Colgate

USA something to be proud of; Olympic hockey finish

I was reading the blog post by Redwing77 I got to thinking, US College Hockey has come a long ways. Look at the list of players and where they came from. The best goalie in the Olympics was a colligate hockey player from Michigan State and a Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner. Two of the top forwards Zach Parise USA, Jonathan Toews Canada, came from my alma mater the University of North Dakota. The Top Defensive hockey player was an Wisconsin Badger Brian Rafalski, or as I like to say he is a "dirty Badger", I know I am kidding.

The purpose of this post is not about beating my chests and saying that the NCAA division one hockey is better than the CHL because, I don’t believe this an argument we need to have, I think it's counter productive. I think both hockey associations serve their purpose and both have their strong points. I think it’s just a good time to give recognition where recognition is due, college hockey produces some really good hockey players. Based on the USA WJC finish and the Olympics hockey results, I also think that the USA is closing the gap with the Canadians in hockey.

I also like what Ron Wilson and Brian Burke are trying to do with Team USA, they built a team around players that buy into the name on the front of the jersey and not the name on the back. This team also excelled when many thought they would be on the outside looking in. Does it sound like a sports cliché? Yeah it does. I only wish there had been another miracle on ice.

Goaltender: Ryan MILLER (USA) Michigan State University
Defenceman: Brian RAFALSKI (USA)University of Wisconsin
Defenceman: Shea WEBER (CAN)Kelowna Rockets WHL
Forward: Pavol DEMITRA (SVK) ZTS Dubnica
Forward: Jonathan TOEWS (CAN) University of North Dakota
Forward: Zach PARISE (USA) University of North Dakota
Most valuable player: Ryan MILLER (USA)

Tournament Directorate Best Player Awards
Goaltender: Ryan MILLER (USA)
Defenceman: Brian RAFALSKI (USA)
Forward: Jonathan TOEWS (CAN)
Cross posted @ the Sin Bin

Gods Absent: Olympic Selection Committee cited for Atheism

Ok, another cynical post but actually...

The Olympics named their "All Star Team" and MVPs. And guess what! Both Gods are absent just like they were all tourney long!

Sidney "Jesus" Crosby and Alexander Ovech-Christ didn't make the the All-Olympic Team.

Who did? Why, 1 foreigner, 1 Major Junior alum, and FOUR former collegians.

TWO of them former Sioux and THREE of them former WCHA players.

SUCK IT DON CHERRY!

Ryan Miller got the MVP and Top Goaltender awards. Well, gee, thank you Team Canada for starting out with Brodeur or I think Luongo would have gotten this award.

Brian Rafalski got top D. Former UW player. Former Devil. Current Red Wing. Booyah.

Parise and Toews on the Forwards listing with Toews getting top forward. Suck it Crosby. That's not fair! Sid will always be tops in McGuire, Milbury, and Cherry's books. I'm sure there was some conspiracy as to why Crosby didn't get named to the list.

Shea Weber and Pavol Demitra got the other honors. HEH! Former Wild Demitra. HEH!

To be honest, Shea Weber was amazing defensively but I can't believe he got the award because usually these things favor the offensive dmen. Weber might've done ok in the offensive zone, but I thought his best work came playing defense.

Demitra... nice to see. The Slovaks should've won Bronze. Finland seemed ripe to choke after not showing up to the USA game.

Anyways, here's the list (from CTV Olympics):

Goaltender: Ryan MILLER (USA)

Defenceman: Brian RAFALSKI (USA)

Defenceman: Shea WEBER (CAN)

Forward: Pavol DEMITRA (SVK)

Forward: Jonathan TOEWS (CAN)

Forward: Zach PARISE (USA)

Most valuable player: Ryan MILLER (USA)

Tournament Directorate Best Player Awards

Goaltender: Ryan MILLER (USA)

Defenceman: Brian RAFALSKI (USA)

Forward: Jonathan TOEWS (CAN)

RATS! Congrats.

Oh well. What can I say? Congrats to Canada for squeaking out a Gold Medal. To be honest, I'm not surprised they won. They were the clear cut favorites all tourney long (screw you Vanbiesbrouck, they were. Accept it and move on). USA wasn't even supposed to medal.

To make matters better, it was actually a good game! Toews got a goal. Parise with a HUGE game tying goal with just 24 seconds left. When they went to OT, I said to myself "Hey, we made a game of it. I'd still like to win, but if Canada wins in OT, I'll be ok with it... provided..." You guessed it. Provided Jesus Crosby didn't make any noise in OT. Well, he got the game winner. And Vanbiesbrouck and Gillstein (I think that's what that putz's name was) went nuts. But let me back this up a bit...

I knew they would go nuts. How? Well, they've been practically drooling over the Canada D all game long. No, not even that got me thinking they would. What got me thinking they would was during the initial part of the intermission between the 3rd period and OT. They said "Team Canada played the third period perfectly. They just lost track of one player..." WAIT A BLEEPING MINUTE HERE.....

What're you saying, pal? If they played a "perfect 3rd period" this game would have been OVER in regulation! Losing Parise wasn't a mistake? Seriously, they couldn't admit that the Canadians made a mistake and Parise made them pay. This isn't a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial. Oh well.

Then Sidney Crosby potted the game winner on a beautiful pass by, IIRC, Rick Nash. I'm happy for Nash. I'm happy for Toews, but the radio commentators played it like this: "The legend wins it! The legend of Sidney Crosby gets even bigger!" Uh......... Nope.

You see, legends aren't born WHILE THE PERSON IS STILL ALIVE. Here's Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary's definiton of the term legend:

1 a : a story coming down from the past; especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable b : a body of such stories c : a popular myth of recent origin d : a person or thing that inspires legends e : the subject of a legend (http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/legend)

You see, this isn't exactly accurate. Sidney Crosby's accomplishments aren't a story coming down from the past that is popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable. It's not a body of such stories. The stories might be of recent origin, but it is no myth. Sidney Crosby MIGHT accomplish 1(d) and/or 1(e) of the definition, but right now? How many stories are being spawned about the prowess of Sidney Crosby? I can't speak about things in Canada, so there might be something to it there. But there's nothing in the U.S. And, if you've never seen a hockey game, nor tuned into these Olympics, nor watched NHL Network, there's a decent chance as an American that you've never even heard of Sidney Crosby. HARDLY legendary.

Fancy the fact that I still run into students in OMAHA, NE that know who Wayne Gretzky is. How would they know or care about Gretzky when they have a "legend" playing right now in Crosby?

Look, I know it looks like I dislike Sidney Crosby. He's a great player and surely Hall of Fame quality at this pace... but he's not there yet. Let's let him get there before we crown him and start worshipping him like some sort of Sports God.

Yeah, Milbury, McGuire, and Cherry, you got your two wishes: Canada wins Gold and Crosby pots the Gold Medal winning goal. But Crosby was NOT the best player on the ice during this Olympics. He wasn't even the best player on the ice in this game!

Here's my 3 Stars of this game:

1st Star: Roberto Luongo
2nd Star: Ryan Miller
3rd Star: Zach Parise

Honorable Mention: Rich Nash, CAN; Ryan Kesler, USA; Sidney Crosby, CAN

Yeah, I know Crosby scored the game winner, but if Luongo hadn't played the best game I've EVER seen him play, and the Canada D hadn't played good when Luongo wasn't facing pressure, would Crosby even have been necessary? Crosby was a COMPLETE NON FACTOR until OT. Arguably, wasn't a factor for all but this game and the game against the Swiss!

Hardly a "legend."

Let's give props to where it lies: Congrats to TEAM Canada. They won. They did so fairly. They played GREAT. They deserved it.

And now, with the Closing Ceremonies commencing, we can say good bye to NBC's crappy coverage and return MSNBC and CNBC back to where it belongs: Obscurity.

Don Cherry predicts Canada will win...

I must admit that I am nervous for today's game because I don't think the Americans are going to sneak up on Canada. Ryan Miller is going to have to bring his "A" game in net to beat the Canadians. Cherry is right there are going to be a lot of pucks on net today. The Americans need to play smart, get pucks deep and not give up odd man rushes to the Canadians.

It may be the most anticipated hockey game in Canadian history.

And with national pride at stake — and some serious ice bragging rights on the line — the country’s biggest puckhead has made his prediction.

“I am calling it 5-3 for Team Canada,” declares Don Cherry.

It won’t be long now until we find out.

At 3:15 p.m. Sunday, the country will gather together to watch the gold medal match between Canada and the United States for hockey supremacy.

“It just shows you the interest in hockey, the greatest game in the world,” Cherry said.

And today, he said, Canada will prove once again we are the best at it?

“I am pretty sure we will but it won’t be easy,” said Cherry. “Ryan Miller has been excellent in the American’s goal and has only allowed five goals in five games. They are going to have to earn it.”

The coverage on CTV has been stellar throughout but a lot of hockey fans miss hearing The Coach’s take on each development. He will be back on CBC’s Coach’s Corner next week but American fans will get a taste of Grapes on NBC today.[Toronto Sun ]

UND sits at 6th in the PWR

Here is the latest Pairwise Rankings. UND has gone an impressive 5-1 in the last 6 games, all of them against teams that sitting higher than them in the WCHA standings. Also, as Brad Elliot Schlossman mentioned that UND has made up 10 points in 15 days on C.C. in my opinion that is an impressive run. It wasn't long ago that I was ready to give UND the paddle and put them on life support.

1 Denver1 24 0.5885 24-6-4 0.7647 Feb 27 Mankato
2 Miami2 23 0.5845 24-5-7 0.7639 Feb 27 Ohio State
3 Wisconsin 22 0.5712 21-8-4 0.6970 Feb 27 MTech
4 St Cloud St 19 0.5581 20-10-4 0.6471
5 Bemidji State 19 0.5522 22-8-2 0.7188 Feb 27 Nebraska-Omaha
6 North Dakota 18 0.5527 18-11-5 0.6029 Feb 27 CC
7 Boston College 18 0.5501 20-10-2 0.6562 Feb 26 Massachusetts
8 Yale 17 0.5458 19-7-3 0.7069 Feb 27 Quinnipiac
9 New Hampshire 16 0.5437 16-10-6 0.5938 Feb 27 Northeastern
10 Alaska 16 0.5357 16-9-9 0.6029 Feb 27 AA
11 Cornell 14 0.5359 17-8-4 0.6552 Feb 27 Rensselaer
12 Michigan State 12 0.5335 19-11-6 0.6111 Feb 27 Bowling Green
13 Minnesota-Duluth 11 0.5362 19-14-1 0.5735 Feb 27 UMN
14 Ferris State 11 0.5351 19-11-6 0.6111 Feb 27 Western Michigan
15 Northern Michigan 10 0.5310 17-11-8 0.5833 Feb 27 Lake Superior
16 Vermont 10 0.5282 14-11-6 0.5484 Feb 26 Boston University Feb 28 Boston University
17 Maine 9 0.5284 16-13-3 0.5469 Feb 27 Merrimack
18 Nebraska-Omaha 6 0.5255 18-14-6 0.5526 Feb 27 Bemidji State
19 Union 6 0.5223 18-10-6 0.6176 Feb 27 Colgate
20 Colorado College 5 0.5319 17-14-3 0.5441 Feb 27 UND
21 Boston University 5 0.5150 14-14-3 0.5000 Feb 26 Vermont Feb 28 Vermont
22 Mass.-Lowell 4 0.5192 17-14-3 0.5441 Feb 27 Providence
23 Northeastern 3 0.5204 16-14-2 0.5312 Feb 27 New Hampshire
24 Minnesota 2 0.5201 16-16-2 0.5000 Feb 27 UMD
25 Michigan 0 0.5147 19-17-1 0.5270 Feb 27 Notre Dame

Cam Janssen hit on Matt Bradley

Since the NHL will return on March 1st I thought we would get back in the swing of things. This is the latest controversial hit from the NHL that will cost Blues tough guy Cam Janssen 5 games. I was kind of surprised that it was worthy of a 5 game suspension, but I digress, because you can never really guess what the Colin Campbell wheel of justice is going to yield. What do you think?

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues forward Cam Janssen received a five-game suspension from the NHL on Thursday for his Feb. 13 hit to the head on Matt Bradley of the Washington Capitals.

Janssen must forfeit $14,248 and will miss the Blues' first five games once they return from the Olympic break from March 2-13. He is eligible to return March 14 against Minnesota.

Janssen received a five-minute major interference for the first-period hit along the boards. He also was challenged to a fight by Washington's Quintin Laing, with Laing picking up a two-minute instigator penalty, two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 10-minute misconduct.

Janssen was eventually assessed a game misconduct penalty.

EDIT: It's been a tough season for Matt Bradley this is the same guy that Flyers hack Daniel Carcillo smoked.

Sioux clinch home ice for the WCHA playoffs

The Fighting Sioux have a 3-0 record when I don't listen or watch them play. I know what you’re thinking, it’s not going to happen. The first win was when UND won in Duluth the first night of the two game series back in December when I was in Bemidji to watch the Beavers play the Purple Eagles. Add 2-0 this past weekend I was at the state hockey tourney in Grand Forks, ND watching the Central Knights win the 2010 state tourney.

Central Knights 2010 champs

Let me just say congrats to the Grand Forks Central Knights for winning the State title. Your hard work, dedication and focus finally payed off tonight. I can remember two years ago the Central Knights were sitting in the stands after they failed to make the tourney and you could see it in their eyes that they wanted to be there, tonight was their night. The 2009-2010 Knights were a impressive group of hockey players with a stifling defense and it only seems right that you end the year with a shutout. Senior goalie Seth Lang got his 13 shut out of the season.

Sioux play air tight defense

With the Sweep at C.C. the Sioux clinch home ice for the WCHA playoffs. I remember it wasn't too long ago most of us that UND was going to be on the road for the WCHA playoffs. Just when you think the Sioux are down and out Coach Hakstol pulls a rabbit out of his hat. The Sioux are 5-1 in their last 6 games and have won 5 straight games. For 2010 the Sioux have a 9-5-2 record. In the last 5 games the Sioux haven’t given up more than two goals and have beaten the teams above them in the standings. The Sioux are the top defensive team in the WCHA and are ranked third nationally giving up 2.18 goals per game.

Frattin Smoking hot

Matt Frattin remain hot this weekend as the junior forward had (2g-2a-4pts) for the weekend, you would think he would get some consideration this week for offensive player of the week. Just a gage on how hot Frattin has been he had 8 points in February and the Sioux didn’t play one weekend. I can only imagine how the season could have gone for him if he hadn't screwed up last summer. I honestly think Frattin could have scored 15-20 goals this season. Matt Frattin has an amazing shot and his potential upside is not yet tapped. Brad Malone (1g-4a-5pts) and Evan Trupp also had a good weekend has he picked up (0g-3g-3pts) for the weekend.
[Friday's box score] [Saturday's box score]

WCHA wheels of justice squeak to a halt

In reading this article; do you see a potential problem? It’s almost a week later and the league still hasn’t made a decision on Aaron Marvin’s status for next weekend. If this was the NHL the NLPA would be all over this. This is a joke, either suspend the player in question or not. This hit in question is either worthy of additional supplemental punishment or it’s not. What is taking so long? This is why the WCHA league administrators are looked at with contempt. It’s incidents like this that make the WCHA leadership look like a Kangaroo Court but also makes them look like a bunch of bumbling buffoons.

WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said Friday that there is a potential violation stemming from last Saturday's St. Cloud State game at Wisconsin and the Huskies are in the process of an appeal.

The "potential violation" in question is Huskies forward Aaron Marvin's center-ice shoulder-to-head hit on Badgers captain Blake Geoffrion. No penalty was called but Geoffrion was knocked out of the game and is missing this weekend's series at Michigan Tech because of a concussion.

"We're into the process and St. Cloud was notified Sunday of the potential violation in our view," McLeod said. "It's been a little slower than normal coming to a resolution in part because we have the luxury, I guess, of St. Cloud not playing this weekend. We want to get through this as quickly as possible. I don't think anything would happen before (early next week). But we know (SCSU coach Bob Motzko) and his team needs to prepare for the series ahead so we want to do something as early as we can."

McLeod said he could not discuss the specifics of the violation or the hit on Geoffrion until after the process is completed.

Reading between the lines here, it seems all but certain Marvin will face some penalty next week and could miss one or both games of the regular-season finale against Minnesota State-Mankato. If senior defenseman Garrett Raboin (who suffered an ankle injury on a questionable hit by Badgers forward Aaron Bendickson) also can't play, the Huskies would be without both of their captains. [Pucks and Bats]

Knight on Connolly; in conclusion

This vindicates Sioux forward Corban Knight. All week long UMD and Sioux fans have pontificated on the hit in question and some fans had thought it was a dirty hit, Sioux fans were told we were delusional because we said it was a clean hit and that there was no elbow on Connolly and it looks like the people that were calling out Whistler were wrong. The WCHA is going to use it as an example.

Word is that the WCHA has requested video of a Corban Knight hit on Duluth's Mike Connolly from last week to use as an example that a textbook clean hit can still result in an injury.

Connolly was shaken after colliding with Knight during the third period of last Saturday's game. He didn't return, but he did practice this week and is in the lineup tonight against Minnesota. [UND hockey blog]

NBC and how they are ruining the International Sporting World (REDWING77)

First off, I'd like to congratulate the Winter Olympics of being the first show to have better ratings than American Idol in around 6 years. That being said, it's not for NBC's, which stands for Nary a Broadcaster with Competence, lack of trying.

Let's look at award ceremonies. We all seem to enjoy the personal stories and overcoming adversity that many Olympic athletes bring with them to the Olympics. We all know about the Canadian downhill skier whose brother has CP. What we don't know is who won Silver and Bronze in that competition...well, at least without looking it up on Google. The fact remains that, if you didn't win Gold, WHO THE H*** CARES...at least according to NBC.

Don't worry though. I see and recognize the brilliant accomplishment of a Gold Medal. Then again, I also see the significance and recognition of winning a Silver or Bronze. I guess that puts me ahead of NBC.

The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius or Swifter, Higher, Stronger. In many ways, it's been described as the only sporting competition where the competition is almost as important as the result. It's always mentioned on how the athletes only compete in their events and set aside much of the animosity away from the arena. I can't speak to how true that really is, but if that's the case, then why all the bias?

The reason is because of the rule of the Gambler: You always go for the sure thing. NBC broadcasts to benefit Canada. Their coverage is, at times, overwhelmingly biased towards Canada. The only time this isn't the case is when there is no possible way a Canadian can even come close to medalling. Why? Well, only an idiot would say that an event of this caliber wouldn't be popular already in the host country. So, since it is already popular, you play to that crowd. Then you can claim the ratings and popularity as being caused by your "superior broadcasting prowess."

That's probably part of why NBC won't even allow HIGHLIGHTS to be broadcast on other stations.

So, since we're on a hockey blog, let's talk hockey. The two biggest morons ever to be connected to a microphone this year happens to be... yup... Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury. There are countless Op-Ed websites talking about Pierre McGuire's competence (He's competent, just ask him!). None related to the Olympics better than this one by Tab Bamford of the Bleacher Report.

I'm not sour grapes like Bamford is about McGuire and his stance on the U.S. I think that's more homage towards fellow Canada-first commentator Don Cherry (sorry, I'm omitting my true feelings on him because I don't want to tempt slander charges). McGuire is just filling his role in this case perfectly: To add an overwhelmingly pro-Canada voice at ice level. Heck, with Milbury's "Euro-trash game" comment, so's Milbury. But hey, I'll get to Milbury shortly.

What I do have a problem with is his (and Milbury's) huge Madden-esque mancrush on Sidney Crosby. The guy is a great hockey player. WE GET THAT! It's nice to know that McGuire has already annointed Crosby as the next Gretzky. I'm glad Gretzky doesn't have a problem with it. I would. If I were Gordie Howe I'd have a problem suddenly being third greatest all time in offensive categories when Crosby doesn't yet have the right to be called such. Maybe he will. Maybe he'll outscore Gretzky... but let's let him DO IT FIRST.

In any case, the other big rube is Mike Milbury. He's another example of "just because you played the game [and even spent time as a hockey exec] doesn't mean you actually know the game." Case in point: At the end of the Russia-Canada tilt Russian forward Alexander Semin rocked Canadian defenseman Dan Boyle against the boards. He called that hit a "cheap shot." Maybe it was. I'm not going to contest that. What happened next was Dan Boyle got up, skated over, and returned the favor overtly to Semin. Now, that in itself is the game. Boyle got rocked, had a problem with it, took it out on Semin. Whoopdedoo. Milbury goes apes*** and calls out Semin for cheap shotting Boyle. Again. Don't care. When Boyle retaliates, he basically applauds Boyle for hitting him back. Well... what's it going to be? If Semin's hit was a cheap shot, then Boyle's retaliation was a cheap shot too! BOTH were penalties. Both were noncalls (HEY! When did WCHA officiating make the Olympics?). Milbury's an idiot because he was too blinded by that stupid tree leaf on the front of that jersey to understand that a cheap shot, if you want to call it that, is a cheap shot regardless of the jersey. Had Dan Boyle been a member of Team USA, he'd've probably called the retaliation a cheap shot as well. Pierre McGuire would have killed Boyle.

Bias is what it is all about. Well, so then why don't we switch to radio? Today, I listened to the Finland-US tilt (wow! Let me say that I was dead on regarding Finland... I claimed they were lucky and looked rather mediocre against the Czechs. They used diving to produce powerplays and everything) and former NHLer John VanBiesbrouck claimed that Russia was the favorite against Canada. WHAT THE.... What planet is he on??? The only thing that the Russians were favorites for on the ice was the most likely to lynch figure skating judges after the men's figure skating competition. As soon as Hockey Canada announced the roster, Team Canada was IMMEDIATELY the favorite... in EVERYTHING hockey. OooOOOooo Alexander Ovechkin... THANK YOU for proving my biggest point regarding Sidney Crosby: I don't give a crap how good you are... if your team plays like crap around you, YOU LOSE.

So, now we have another US vs. Canada hockey tilt.... I think I'll watch on mute.

Frattin's goal

In case you haven't seen it here is Frattin's game winning goal. According to coach Hakstol, Matt Frattin had a few injury issues and it wasn't clear if he would play or not this weekend, sounded like he was a game time decision.

Sioux Rally to Win Against Colorado College

This year the Sioux have an awful record in one goal games. Today they finally won a close game against a quality opponent.

This puts the Sioux in sole possession of 5th place in the WCHA. That means that we are in the drivers seat for home ice in the first round of the WCHA tournament.

The Sioux were first on the boards with an early goal by Freshman Danny Kristo. That's the way the first period ended. CC tied it up in the second and took a lead in the 3rd.

Considering the history of losing these close games I didn't have a lot of luck. But with a couple minutes left Brad Malone scored a goal to tie it up.

The game was capped off with an overtime game winner by Matt Frattin in the overtime frame.

We have to be happy with coming back like that. It was certainly feeling like we were going to let another game get away from us.

I just heard that we had 42 shots on goal in this game.

I wouldn't mind having the wins come easy, but you have to be proud of the guys figuring out how to battle back and win a game that they could have let go.

Let's get out there and get the sweep tomorrow night.

Kevin Gorg regains moron status

I was starting to like Kevin Gorg's from FSN Sports and starting to feel his vive and then Kevin Gorg went out and ruined it with this stupid segment filling in for Dan Barreiro - KFAN AM 1130.

At about six minutes into the last hour of the Dan Barreiro broadcast, Gorg comments on the Corbin Knight hit on Mike Connolly, calling it a cheap shot, I would doubt if Gorg has even seen the video, goes off on UND and cheap shots and still talking about the Joe Finley incident two years after the fact. Gorg go back and watch the video, I have about 30 times and even in slow motion there is NO ELBOW, if any thing it might be a boarding call, it's certainly not a cheap hit. These are the same kinds of hit that Cal Clutterbuck makes, that you applaud as an FSN hockey analyst, hard and right on the line.
[Listen to the Clip]

IOC to investigate Canadian women's hockey team for celebration

My buddy Gary sent me this story in an email. I guess girls will be girls eh? Interesting.

The International Olympic Committee will investigate the actions of Canadian women's hockey players who celebrated their gold medal victory Thursday night by swigging beer and smoking cigars on the ice in Vancouver.

A number of players, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, were drinking alcohol on the ice following the team's 2-0 defeat of the United States. (The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.) Players lingered for more than 70 minutes after the awards ceremony reveling in the arena, which was empty except for media and arena staff. (Click here to view a slideshow of the celebration.)[Read the whole story]

Dean Blais on the Hockey Show

Listen to the award winning Hockey Show from KBUN. Former UND coach Dean Blais talks with Moose Richards. [Click to Listen]

UNO on the up and up.

Props to Husker Mike for this article. For those people that automatically think Blais is going to be the next coach in Minnesota, if the University of Minnesota comes calling, I don't know if I would hold my breath waiting. It’s definitely not a not a slam dunk like some assume.

In listening to him speak here in Grand Forks, ND in December and reading the articles over the past few months, it kind of sounds like Blais has some unfinished business in Omaha, Nebraska to take care of. It also sounds like he enjoys what he is doing at UNO. I think he has also put the college hockey world on notice that the Mavericks from Nebraska Omaha are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Like a lot of Omahans, I didn't know Dean Blais from Dean Martin.

He had won two NCAA hockey championships at North Dakota. He sounded like a good hire for Trev Alberts at UNO. But this is UNO we're talking about. What could he possibly do? Win a national championship?

Well, it's only the first year.

“When I took over at North Dakota, the first year we were .500,'' Blais said the other day. “The second year, we were about six, seven games above .500. The third year, we won the national championship. I could see the same thing here.''

I'm sorry. Did he just say he thought that UNO could win the national championship in two years?

He did, in fact. And just a word to the wise: Don't bet your farm against him.

So far, he has delivered. And then some. Blais' first year at UNO isn't even over — we're just getting to the good part — and he has already lived up to expectations. If anything, he may be exceeding the hype as college hockey legend/savior.

It's not just that his first-year club has developed into a hard-skating, hard-checking, high-scoring force. It's not just that the Mavs swept Ohio State and Michigan on back-to-back weeks, then went into No. 1 Miami's den and stole a split. Nor that they enter the weekend's series with Bemidji State with a shot at the NCAA tourney and the confidence to trash the playoffs.

It's more the way he wields an unfailing confidence and the way he picks up believers like hitchhikers along the way. Blais has an aura about him, a swagger. He talks about greatness matter-of-factly, like it's to be expected. And that's just it: It is.

In that way, Blais is unique among coaches in this area. Tom Osborne delivered the goods, but he made it sound like his team would be lucky to win seven games every year.
[Read the whole article here]

Check out this comment by Blais, interesting.

On Omaha: “Lovely city. My wife and I have been downtown, eating at all the restaurants. I love the road system, although there are a lot of potholes. Golf courses are great. I haven't had a chance to hunt and fish, but I guess you can do that here.''

On buying a house here: “I've got four houses right now: one in Fargo, one in Minneapolis I had when I was with the (Columbus) Blue Jackets, and two lake homes in International Falls (Minn.). I've got to sell a couple and buy one here.''

That's a good sign. Now that Blais is back in college hockey, suitors may be lining up. But he says he wants to fulfill his four-year contract in Omaha.