Parise, Zajac disappointed in Sioux change
Saturday, 04.10.2010 / 1:44 PM / News By Eric Marin
Parise and Zajac are both UND alumni.
Zach Parise's reaction to the news that the University of North Dakota would retire its “Fighting Sioux” nickname boiled down to one word.
“Disappointed,” Parise said Saturday. “I don’t know whose decision it was, but I think it’s a terrible decision.”
That echoed Travis Zajac's comments from Friday. The nickname had been in use since 1930.
"It kind of [stinks] because it’s a great name, it’s been the school’s name for a while," said Zajac. "I felt proud wearing the Fighting Sioux jersey and carrying that tradition. There’s a lot of tradition behind the hockey team and the school. I guess for that to be done, it kind of [stinks]."
Parise and Zajac each spent two seasons at UND, though they were never teammates. Parise was a member of the Sioux in 2002-03 and '03-04, and Zajac arrived in Grand Forks the next season.
“From going there and being a part of it, it’s something that you’re really proud of,” Parise said. “The only word I could think of was, ‘Stupid.’ I think it’s unfortunate. They’ve got a great history, a great tradition and everyone’s always respectful of the tribes and the name. You wore it with pride and I don't see a problem with it.”
Controversy has lingered for years over the nickname, which the NCAA considers “hostile and offensive,” according to the Associated Press. The Sioux logo is featured prominently throughout Ralph Engelstad Arena, the team's home rink which was completed in 2001.
“When they built the arena, you’d walk to class and sometimes you’d see some teachers with the Sioux logo with an ‘X’ through it,” Parise recalled. “I don’t know why; it just didn’t make a lot of sense to me. That topic was definitely floating around when I was there too, unfortunately.”
Parise believes the nickname will be fondly remembered.
“The people in Grand Forks are so proud of the university and proud of the athletics and proud of the name, that I’m sure they’re all [ticked] off, too,” he said. “I’ve never been to a place that’s more proud of its athletes and its athletics than there. It’s awesome. I think they’re going to be upset about the whole thing, too. They almost felt that they were a part of it, too. It was great.”
The Grand Forks Herald reported Thursday that the university’s athletic teams will be called the Sioux through the 2010-11 season while the school considers alternatives.
Parise didn’t sound eager to embrace the change.
“It’s stupid,” he said. “Nothing [else] is going to sound right.”
As collegiate hockey teams end their seasons each year, a list develops naming the players who decided to leave school early to sign professional contracts.
This year was no exception: Jordan Schroeder from Minnesota; Marc Cheverie, Patrick Wiercioch and Joe Colborne of Denver; and Zach Dalpe of Ohio State, to name a few, gave up collegiate eligibility to sign with the pros.
For most of Bemidji State’s 11-year history as a NCAA Division I program, the early departures were mainly high draft choices from the elite programs in the nation. Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan and the like routinely lost high-end players each year.
Bemidji State lost its first player to the pros last year as goalie Matt Dalton gave up his final two years of college eligibility to sign with the Boston Bruins organization. Dalton’s signing, however, was the result of spectacular stretch run to end the regular season and an amazing drive to the Frozen Four.
But this year, things were different. This time around there was a local connection; a player who was on everyone’s radar from Day 1 of the season.
At Bemidji State, speculation swirled around junior center Matt Read and whether he would return for his senior season. Professional scouts were in attendance at every game the Beavers played this year, evaluating Read, whom head coach Tom Serratore called the most sought-after junior year free agent in the nation.
Read, who became Bemidji State’s first NCAA Division I All-American on Friday, ended all the speculation this week.
“It was the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Read said. “As of now, I’m coming back to Bemidji State to complete my degree and play my final year of college hockey. Something very monumental would have to happen for that to change.
“I turned down some good offers from National Hockey League teams. It all came down to should I play in the NHL now, or come back to BSU and get my degree. Right now, I think it’s the best thing to come back.”
[Bemidji Pioneer]
Goaltender Marty Turco's time with the Dallas Stars is over.
General manager Joe Nieuwendyk says the Stars will not re-sign Turco, who just completed his ninth season with the team. Nieuwendyk said Tuesday that he felt it was time to go "in a different direction."
Kari Lehtonen, acquired from Atlanta in February, will go into next season as the team's top goaltender.
Turco, 34, just completed a four-year, $22.8 million US contract he signed in January 2006 that kept him from becoming a free agent at the end of that season.
In 509 regular season games for Dallas, Turco won 262 games with a .911 save percentage and 2.31 goals-against average. He appeared in 47 playoff games.
[CBC.COM]
"Drew’s not doing so well," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He’s got a little bit of a concussion, and it looks like he’ll miss some time. To me, that looked like a pretty clean hit. It looked like he wanted to lower his head maybe and go inside, and I don’t know if that was a good decision."
[Sabres Edge]
The “move on” mentality is everywhere. “Let it go, Scott…” That’s what I’m starting to hear from some of lackluster Fighting Sioux faithful, and I can’t believe my ears. You would rather abandon 80 years of tradition than continue to fight an injustice being served not only to the Fighting Sioux fan base, but more importantly to the respective native tribes as well. Well fortunately for us real fans, there are still some folks out there who aren’t fazed by the continuation of the controversy.
We’ve all read the papers…the local media has revealed its ho-hum indifference to erasing the identity of our beloved UND athletics, but your Chairman isn’t ready to raise the white flag of surrender quite yet. Not until the real voices in this debate—-those belonging to the Native American tribes—-get their say. Sadly, last week’s board of higher education decision to abolish the Fighting Sioux nickname shows contempt for these voices. 1 board member revealed the pressure from the name change was coming from UND leadership. Not so fast folks! We still have some real leaders on the reservations trying to let their people speak out and put the issue to a vote.
We learned last week that Standing Rock Chairman Charles Murphy is committed to a referendum vote. Archie Fool Bear, Chairman of the judicial committee, has worked tirelessly on the reservation to garner over 1000 signatures asking for a vote. So Standing Rock will soon join Spirit Lake and each Sioux tribe is prepared to allow the people to decide. Then the NCAA objections and lawsuit, which had a November 2010 deadline, will have been answered. But we’re going to tell them it’s too late?
Thursday, 7 p.m. (NESN, CBC)
Saturday, 1 p.m. (NBC, CBC)
Monday, April 19, 7 p.m. (NESN, Versus, CBC)
Wednesday, April 21, 7 p.m. (NESN, Versus, CBC)
Friday, April 23, 7 p.m. (NESN, CBC)
Monday, April 26, 7 p.m. (NESN, CBC)
Wednesday, April 28, 7 p.m. (NESN, CBC)
It's not like there's a blue-chip forward or two waiting in the wings. James Sheppard is not going to magically turn into Zach Parise.Yep, James Sheppard sucks and isn't going to get any better. I hope they cut ties with this worthless stiff or trade him for a bag of pucks.
There is nothing stopping from state board of higher education from allowing the Standing Rock Sioux tribe to vote on the nickname. If that tribe votes as the Spirit Lake tribe has already, then the NCAA’s requirements for keeping the nickname will have been fulfilled.
The problem here is that university officials don’t even want the vote to happen.
As you probably heard, the University of North Dakota will finally retire the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, but not without making a scene.
Players, coaches and administrators have all dished out some priceless quotes about the situation. One of the best was women's basketball coach Gene Roebuck saying that he'd rather keep the nickname than gain entry in the Summit League, a conference that has said it won't consider the school for membership until the situation is resolved.
Now, why say that publicly? There seem to be only two reasons: A) He really believes that, which seems unlikely given that passing up a spot in a conference that has automatic bids into NCAA Division I tournaments is illogical or B) He's just saying that to stay on good terms with all the nickname loyalists in Grand Forks. And there are a lot of them. And they are powerful. That's another aspect that is astounding: This development could have been an opportunity for the school and the athletic department to stand unified and rally support for a new chapter, to say, "Sure, this stinks and we tried everything we could to prevent the change, but we're going to make the best of it. We're still going to be UND and we're going to be better than ever."
But it hasn't happened that way; the cringe-worthy comments keep coming. It's reminiscent of 2004, when some UND coaches blasted rival North Dakota State for moving to Division I - only to wind up making the same jump a few years later. [Argus Leader]
The more I think about last week’s decision to retire UND’s nickname and logo, the more discouraged I become.
I’ve been opposed to use of “The Fighting Sioux” since students constructed grotesque snow sculptures that depicted Indian people to celebrate something called “King Kold Karnival” back in the 1960s — long before the days of political correctness. In the ’70s, the coffee shop in the Student Union used cups decorated with a caricature of “Sammy Sioux.” There were worse offenses against human dignity — including enthusiasts who did mock dances dressed in loin cloths and little more, whooping and hollering and pretending to be Indians — or what they thought represented Indians. Something similar happened a couple of years ago, when a sorority hosted a party with a cowboys-and-Indians theme.
Clearly, it seems to me, the nickname and logo have long encouraged thoughtless stereotyping of Indian people.
Over the years, I’ve taken quite a lot of heat for this point of view. In fact, I’d say that nothing I’ve written about in more than 30 years at the Herald has brought me so much abuse.
So I should be celebrating last week’s decision to end use of the nickname and logo.
But I’m not celebrating at all.
Instead, it seems to me that the decision only underscores the indifference that North Dakotans feel toward American Indian people.
It says that we just don’t care.
If we cared what Indian people thought, we would have engaged them in this discussion a long time ago — way before the current members of the Board of Higher Education took office.
But we didn’t.
If we cared, we would allow American Indian people to be heard on their own terms and in their own time.
But we won’t, if last week’s decision by the Board of Higher Education stands.
Indifference, more than any other thing, has produced the result that confronts us now.
The campaign against the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo began as a fight against racism, so the activists said.
It ends — if indeed it has ended — exposing racial attitudes in a way that doesn’t flatter the state nor — this must be said — critics of the nickname.
Critics of the nickname argued that there shouldn’t be votes in the state’s Indian communities. One letter published in the Herald last year argued that results of an election at Spirit Lake should be disregarded because Indian communities operate on consensus — even though tribal councils have been elected for more than a century, far longer than nations in which the United States has tried to build democracy (including such countries as Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention Japan and Germany).
To suggest that Indian people shouldn’t be heard about such a straightforward issue is dismissive in a very disturbing way. It suggests that we white folk know better.
But of course we don’t.
The truth about North Dakota is that it is a rigidly segregated place, and most white North Dakotans like it that way.
Doubt it?
Have a look through the comments about Herald stories posted on our Web site.
Retaliation is a frequent theme. UND should end its programs for Indian students, for example.
And this despite the apparent truth that it is that white society that has failed to engage Indian people rather than the other way around.
So what’s the way out of this dilemma?
That’s far from clear.
In Indian country, both supporters and opponents of the nickname have indicated that they will never give up. Erich Longie, an opponent, said as much in a letter published on April 4, a week ago. Steve Fool Bear, a nickname supporter, said the same in a letter published Saturday in the Herald.
Their message is the same: Listen to us.
But of course that’s not what the Board of Higher Education — representing us white folks — wants to do, not then and not now.
It could be too late to save the nickname, which is a small thing after all, and of little consequence.
What we urgently need is to build a society here that includes all of us.
Are we really interested in that?
Frankly, in the last week any evidence that we really are has been mighty hard to find.[Grand Forks Herald written on 4-1-2010]
FORT YATES, N.D. — Who is responsible for the possible loss of the UND Fighting Sioux nickname and logo? Was it the anti-logo few? Was it the State Board of Higher Education? Was it the president of UND? Was it the Standing Rock tribal council?
Or was it us?
A great coach once told me, “Evil can flourish when good men do nothing.” The blame lies on us all — the vast number of Fighting Sioux supporters who stood by, idling, apathetic and fearful of racist and sell-out labels, and let it happen.
The divisive few gained their foothold and now have disrupted our progressive society.
The great majority of both Sioux nations and North Dakotans support the use of the logo, yet it will be eliminated soon if nothing is done.
Although many anti-logo activists may view this as a victory and the near end of their fight, I can tell them as being one the thousands of Standing Rock tribal members whose civil rights have been trampled on that this fight has just begun.
The movement has been successful in its petty cause of removing a logo, but at what cost?
Indian people’s civil rights once again have been ignored, not only by the Standing Rock tribal leaders and the higher education board, but by anti-nickname activists as well.
Not one anti-nickname activist stood up for the real issues this debate revealed. Not one protested or screamed for his or her people’s rights.
To the contrary, the activists fought tooth and nail to make sure those voices were silenced — all due to a silly idea of some obscure Indian victory.
Political correctness has nothing to do with Sioux values; the activists either had forgotten or ignored the fact that we represent the exact opposite. But those whom the activists ignored will not forget.
It’s now the responsibility of all the people of North Dakota, both Indian and non-Indian, to quit talking and start doing. This is the last act of the show; who will be in it?
It’s amazing what one phone call or letter can accomplish. Imagine what 10,000 can do.
The name and logo will never die, because the real issues concerning them never were dealt with.
The people of Standing Rock will be heard one way or another.
If ever there was a time for North Dakotans to come together in unity, this is it. Common sense and democracy will prevail, but it will take everyone’s efforts.
The truth will be revealed: The Sioux people are neither victims, hypocrites nor the enemies of North Dakota. It is the 21st century, and “We are all Fighting Sioux.”
Steve Fool Bear
Fool Bear is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
Bismarck's James Massen, who played hockey for UND, agreed.
"It's where I wanted to go since I was 5 years old," Massen said. "Being a member of the Fighting Sioux was an absolute honor and a privilege. ... I was hoping and praying it would never change."
Travis Zajac played two seasons at the University of North Dakota, and was disappointed to hear that the team will be changing its "Fighting Sioux" nickname. The Associated Press reported Friday that a state Supreme Court ruling and Board of Higher Education decision have retired the name for good. The school will stop using the name in August.
"It kind of [stinks] because it’s a great name, it’s been the school’s name for a while," Zajac said. "I felt proud wearing the Fighting Sioux jersey and carrying that tradition. There’s a lot of tradition behind the hockey team and the school. I guess for that to be done it kind of [stinks]."
Zach Parise is also an alumnus of UND, which has seven national titles in men's ice hockey, and 14 WCHA championships. They have used the Fighting Sioux nickname since 1930.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) The coach who led the University of North Dakota hockey team to two national championships says when he learned of the decision to retire the school's Fighting Sioux nickname it was one of the saddest days of his life.
Current Nebraska-Omaha head coach Dean Blais (blayz) says he thinks the nickname was used with pride. And he says hockey fans around the country who know nothing about North Dakota know who the Fighting Sioux are.
Blais coached the Sioux for a decade. He has an extensive resume that includes stops in the NHL and with the U.S. Olympic team. He also was a good friend of the late Ralph Engelstad, a UND hockey alum and benefactor who supported the nickname. Engelstad paid for UND's hockey arena, which carries his name.
Blais says he thinks that if Engelstad were still alive, the Fighting Sioux nickname would have survived.
Nothing will be changing in Ralph Engelstad Arena if general manager Jody Hodgson has anything to say about it.
Despite Thursday’s ruling by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education to begin retiring the Fighting Sioux name and logo, the privately owned arena — with an estimated 3,000 Sioux logos in it — might remain in its current state.
Speaking from Chicago, Hodgson again debunked the urban legend that there’s a secret document from Ralph Engelstad calling for the closing of the 11,640-seat venue if the nickname ever changes.
In fact, Hodgson says it is his wish that nothing changes at all.
“The first thing I have to do is fully analyze and understand what’s happened today,” Hodgson said. “I’ll have to discuss this with the board (of directors) as well. But, if I have anything to do with it, nothing in the building will ever change. Nobody will ever be allowed to change anything.
“It would be the utmost sign of disrespect if anybody ever tries to deface that building. If I have anything to say on the matter, that will never happen. Never.”
It is unknown whether the NCAA would grant Ralph Engelstad Arena a men’s hockey regional or a women’s Frozen Four if the thousands of logos stay. But Hodgson said the arena won’t make any decisions based on the NCAA’s thoughts.
“I could care less,” Hodgson said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to stand up for what’s right.”
Hodgson, a member of the board of directors at the arena, said he and members of the Engelstad Foundation were “deeply disappointed and deeply saddened” by the State Board’s decision.
“It’s obvious that it was never about how the Native Americans felt,” Hodgson said. “If they wanted to honor the Native Americans, they would have honored their wishes. Nobody has ever proven that they don’t want the name and logo. [Grand Forks Herald]
SUNRISE, FL – Florida Panthers General Manager Randy Sexton announced today that the club has agreed to terms on an entry level contract with G Marc Cheverie.
“We are very pleased to have reached a contract agreement with Marc,” said Sexton. “He is very talented prospect who we believe will have a bright future in our organization. He has gained tremendous experience while playing at the University of Denver and we look forward to his continued growth and development as a member of the Florida Panthers.”
Cheverie, 23, was recently selected as one of the top ten candidates for the 2010 Hockey Baker Award, honoring college hockey’s top player, after finishing the season as the national leader in wins (24), save percentage (.937) and shutouts (6). The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native posted a 24-4-3 overall mark while playing for the University of Denver this season, helping his team earn the No. 1 ranking in the Division I standings.
The four-time Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week claimed the WCHA goaltending title with a 2.05 goals against average in league play. Cheverie is the sixth Pioneer to earn league MVP honors, joining Jerry Walker (1961), Keith Magnuson (1968), Ron Grahame (1973), Dallas Gaume (1986) and Matt Carle (2006). Cheverie was also honored as the WCHA Player of the Year, College Hockey News Player of the Year and Inside College Hockey (INCH) Goaltender of the Year.
Cheverie was drafted by Florida in the seventh round (193rd overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Kelley said that people "all over the country are watching to see how we handle this," including thousands of UND alumni.
Noting that many alumni are passionate about the logo and nickname, he said they also have proven to be "very resilient."
Kelley said he will call the commissioner of the Summit League Friday morning "and say the board finally acted."
He said he hopes that "puts us into the game (Summit League membership) no later than 2013." [Grand Forks Herald]
MAYVILLE, N.D. -- The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education has decuded to retire the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.
The State Board directed UND President Dr. Robert Kelley to begin the transition process immediately. However, UND's athletics teams will remain the Fighting Sioux for the 2010-11 season.
UND athletics will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. on Friday to address today's decision. Attendees will include UND director of athletics Brian Faison, men's hockey coach Dave Hakstol, football coach Chris Mussman, men's basketball coach Brian Jones and women's basketball Gene Roebuck.
MAYVILLE, N.D. -- UND's Fighting Sioux logo and nickname appear headed toward retirement, the president of the State Board of Higher Education said here today.President Kelly is not a strong leader
Richie Smith said the North Dakota Supreme Court's decision earlier today affirming a lower court action clears the way for the board to revert to a decison it made in May 2009 to retire the nickname.
"The action we took in Dickinson stands," Smith said.
He cautioned, however, that another board member still could ask to revisit the issue. The board is meeting at Mayville State University and working primarily through budget and construction issues.
The logo issue had been on the board's agenda at the start of today's meeting, but board member Grant Shaft of Grand Forks merely reported that he was waiting to hear what the state Supreme Court issued for an opinion. That opinion came a few hours later, but board members initially inclined to wait until a meeting later this month or in May to act.
But after a break in the meeting this afternoon, Smith said his reading of the situation is that Chancellor Bill Goetz "will write a letter to (UND President Robert) Kelley and advise him that he can start the transition" away from the logo and nickname.
Kelley's reactionIt also appears that there is some movement on the Standing Rock Nation before the rug was in the process of being pulled from under their feet. This was a post that was posted on Sioux Sports by JLP157.
UND President Robert Kelley said that his discussions with members of the board suggest that “once the court gives a ruling, once the board has heard all the voices that need to be heard,” the board is likely to make a decision.
“That could be as early as May,” he said. “It’s a very complex issue. It’s a social issue, an economic issue, a political issue, a league access issue, and the board is being very deliberate.”
Kelley said the controversy over the nickname “continues to concern me. The management of that controversy is becoming more and more difficult.”
Asked for specific examples, he said it is affecting the university’s relationship with donors. “Many people feel passionate either way, and the management of that is difficult.
“Many of our students are uncomfortable, too. It’s very polarizing. Many of our faculty and staff feel that way, too.”
Kelley said he’s proud of how UND student athletes have handled the long-running controversy.
“They want to compete,” he said. “It’s not the name and logo that drive their competitiveness.”
Kelley has appointed Robert Boyd, UND vice president for student and outreach services, chairman of a planning task force to look at all issues that could arise with either retention of the logo or its retirement.
Kelley said he is not frustrated by the time the logo issue has consumed.
“The time it has taken has been necessary,” he said. “The tribes are independent nations, and they have their government processes.
“But I don’t know that there are any surprises left” that should further delay action. “It just requires a decision. There are not any opinions left. Anything that could be said has been said, and it’s time to reach a resolution and move on.”
I've been in contact with Archie Fool Bear for a while about this. While I can't write everything in the space here, here is a brief summary of what happened yesterday... And I'm paraphrasing, trying to get it right....
Apparently the petition wasn't acted upon because the tribe doesn't have a policy in place to address a referendum by petition. Yesterday they met with the council again, and the in-house attorney Brent Kary drafted a temporary policy for this referendum. Chairman Murphy then gave the Secretary of the tribe a directive to have the Judicial Committee get a policy in place so the petition can be acted on, and will call a special meeting next Tuesday.
AFB also said he was drafting an email to all of the SBoHE members, addressing the petition and the policy that is needed, and suggesting that the board move to keep the name based on the 1969 ceremony giving UND permission to use the Fighting Sioux nickname. He was going to stress the 1004 signatures as well. (I hope he wrote them before today's meeting)
He is hopeful about the special meeting, but said if they can't get any answers, he said they would have no choice but to file in court, to get the council to recognize the petition and allow the people to have their vote.
If that happens, they may not be able to use the in-house attorney.... So if anyone here knows of an attorney who may be able to help out (pro bono I assume) and take this on, please let it be known. I remember all of the offers UND had when they were first going to sue the NC$$...maybe someone could advise on this case.
Hope this summary made some sense....I'm typing on the fly.
AFB is also encouraging everyone to email members of the SBoHE, and he listed the email addresses of board members. I think that the 1004 signatures should carry enough weight to make them pause, but after this mornings events, who knows? The GF Herald opinion piece would be nice subject matter to forward to them as well. It's worth a shot.... we have nothing to lose....
DETROIT — Perhaps the biggest challenge in staging the NCAA Frozen Four inside a gigantic football stadium revealed itself in a 36-hour span earlier this week.
Dan Craig, the ice quality guru for the NHL, left Ford Field Monday night knowing the in-house temperature was 55 degrees and the humidity was at 40 percent. In other words, just about perfect.
When the four teams — the University of Wisconsin, Boston College, Miami (Ohio) and Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology — showed up to practice on the temporary ice sheet Wednesday morning, the temperature was pushing 60 and the humidity was 62 percent.
“Humidity is not a friend,” Craig said.
That was evident during the four, one-hour practices. The ice was gooey and pucks bounced. The players weren’t impressed.
“It’s not the best ice,” RIT defenseman Dan Ringwald said after the first practice.
“It wasn’t great,” Miami winger Tommy Wingels said after the last practice.
So what will happen today when 30,000-plus fans show up?
“We know there’s a cold front moving in,” Craig said, “so I’ve been saying my prayers at night hoping it gets here a little quicker.”
But really, this tournament highlights that for all the talk of parity on a national level, that the little guys are catching up with the big dogs at long last, it's more like "Business As Usual Plus RIT."
I have nothing against RIT, except that I disagree with the mechanism by which they got into the tournament; it's nice that a team with such likeable players has made it this far, but this isn't their rodeo.
-----------(SNIP)--------------
So yes, I am looking forward to that title game between Wisconsin and the winner of BC/Miami, but not because I want RIT to lose. It's just silly to expect anything but that outcome. Obviously everyone said that prior to their squeaker against Denver and again before UNH's annual Chernobyl act, but these courageous Tigers have to run out of luck at some point, right?
Maybe you want to believe in the underdog; I don't begrudge that attitude. Just don't be surprised when the three teams that have been to eight Frozen Fours in the last five seasons keep right on winning.
-----------(SNIP)--------------
RIT (28-11-1)
Why the Tigers will be national champions: Jared DeMichiel is a hell of a goaltender and the whole team plays strong defense. They proved it against both Denver and UNH. They're also capable of an offensive explosion. In this tournament the Tigers proved they can play white-knuckle hockey and that they can win a laugher.
Why they're going home disappointed: They haven't proven they can play from behind. They never trailed in the regional, and actually scored just five minutes into the Denver game. I'm sure they had a few comeback wins in Atlantic Hockey, but the Frozen Four doesn't have any teams like Army or UConn. Unless they go up on Wisconsin early in the game (unlikely), it's probable they'll have to play with a deficit
[PUCK DADDY]
A petition seeking to put UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname on the ballot at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation is up before the Tribal Council today, according to a nickname supporter.
Archie Fool Bear, one of several supporters who gathered 1,004 signatures for the petition, said he believes the council reaction will be “pretty positive.” With that many signatures, he said, he wouldn’t think the council would deny voters their say.
In the last tribal election in September, voter turnout was about 1,900.
The tribe’s approval is necessary if UND is to keep the nickname as a condition of a settlement with the NCAA, which considers American Indian nicknames offensive. The other North Dakota Sioux tribe, the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation, has approved the nickname after a 67 percent “yes” vote last year.
Nickname opponents there are seeking another vote to undo the approval.
At Standing Rock, nickname opponents are arguing the nickname isn’t worth the cost of a special election. No general election is scheduled this year.
Fool Bear said the tribe has money for a special election, and he feels the issue is important to voters.
The nickname is a topic of discussion for another government body this week, the State Board of Higher Education, which is meeting Thursday at Mayville State University. Board members have indicated they would’ve wanted to retire the nickname much earlier because UND wants to apply to join the Summit League athletic conference as soon as possible to enhance its Division I transition.
The league refuses to accept a membership application until the nickname issue is resolved.
The board took the position it did last fall because there had been no move at Standing Rock. But board members held off on a decision because of a lawsuit by nickname supporters at Spirit Lake, which went to the Supreme Court late last month. The court hasn’t issued an opinion yet.
[FARGO FISH WRAPPER]
