Thursday, December 23, 2010
Festivus - Airing of grievances...
This was one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes. I thought I would give hockey fans a chance "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength," and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles"....
Today I decided I would air a few of my personal grievances; 1.) is the poor quality of the officiating in the WCHA. 2.) the college hockey pollsters for picking teams number one that have no business being number one. 3.) the "mask" in college hockey time to go to the half shield. 4.) time to use the KRACH instead of the PWR to pick the teams for the NCAA tourney.
Go ahead and tell us a few of your grievances.
Lucia Article (by LGM)
The Star Tribune ran an article about Don Lucia and his struggles with health issues and the hockey team. Click HERE to read it.
I found it to be an interesting read. I'll be the first to fully admit that I have a huge bias against Don Lucia ever since he publicly stood up for Brian Shack and his actions towards Channing Boe a couple of seasons ago. You'll all remember that Shack came charging from across the ice to tackle Boe and didn't stop beating his head into the ice until he broke Boe's leg and had to be pulled off.
It is no secret that LGM is a big Channing Boe fan, thus these actions made me livid. Then to have Lucia stick up for Shack's antics several times made me lose all respect for the guy.
So, onto this article. After the above stated bias I will state my position. I think Lucia participated in this article as a last ditch effort to keep his job and have people feel sorry for him. Lots of excuses seem to go on in the article. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for what he's gone through but he should have taken a medical leave if he was so rageful for so long. Also, if he wasn't in the position to do so why didn't the UofM step in and have him take a leave? Really, they allow someone to be a "madman" (as he described himself) and just lets the assistant coach make excuses to players and other professionals? Total BS if you ask me. The U needed to grow a pair and put him on leave. Now they can live with their decision.
Yep, I know I'm going to get some mean comments on my position but that's fine. To each their own. I do hope the best for recovery for Lucia and he has gone through some horrible things...but there's also the aspect of professionalism, which I think both he and the U have lacked for years.
I found it to be an interesting read. I'll be the first to fully admit that I have a huge bias against Don Lucia ever since he publicly stood up for Brian Shack and his actions towards Channing Boe a couple of seasons ago. You'll all remember that Shack came charging from across the ice to tackle Boe and didn't stop beating his head into the ice until he broke Boe's leg and had to be pulled off.
It is no secret that LGM is a big Channing Boe fan, thus these actions made me livid. Then to have Lucia stick up for Shack's antics several times made me lose all respect for the guy.
So, onto this article. After the above stated bias I will state my position. I think Lucia participated in this article as a last ditch effort to keep his job and have people feel sorry for him. Lots of excuses seem to go on in the article. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for what he's gone through but he should have taken a medical leave if he was so rageful for so long. Also, if he wasn't in the position to do so why didn't the UofM step in and have him take a leave? Really, they allow someone to be a "madman" (as he described himself) and just lets the assistant coach make excuses to players and other professionals? Total BS if you ask me. The U needed to grow a pair and put him on leave. Now they can live with their decision.
Yep, I know I'm going to get some mean comments on my position but that's fine. To each their own. I do hope the best for recovery for Lucia and he has gone through some horrible things...but there's also the aspect of professionalism, which I think both he and the U have lacked for years.
Merry Christmas John MacLean you’re fired…
It sounds like it’s not going to be a very fun Christmas/Holiday season in the John MacLean house this year. I had a feeling this move was coming when I watched the New Jersey Devils get dismantled by the Washington Capitals the other night 5-1. The Devils fans and beat writers had been calling for McLeans head only 20 games into the season.
New Jersey.com --- John MacLean's short and rocky tenure as Devils coach has come to an end, The Star-Ledger has confirmed.During the capitals debacle the Devils all world goalie Martin Brodeur was shelled and left high and dry by their defense. It has been par for the course this season and every time I have watched the Devils play this season they have been playing a listless brad of hockey… Personally, I find it funny that the head coach is the one that usually gets the blame for a team’s failures and misgivings in the era of the entitlement hockey player. It also doesn’t help the New Jersey Devils when you take Zach Parise’s 80-90+ points out of the line up and the Devils have gone an unimpressive 6-13-1 since Zach’s injury.
MacLean, who coached the injury-riddled team to an NHL-worst 20 points and 9-22-2 record, is expected to be replaced on an interim basis by former coach Jacques Lemaire, an NHL official confirmed.
The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the decision.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Meaningless exhibition game?
Every time you put that uniform on it means something. Check out this video and the post game interview. This is why I love the game that Andrew McWilliam plays. When asked about his future team mate J.T. Miller, 'he plays like a Sioux and it's about time we get a player from the program (USDT) with some grit', you have to love Mac's analysis.
Second Half Preview (by Sioux 7)
Second Half Preview
WCHA standings
TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….9-4-1…19
5. Colorado College…..8-6-0…16
6. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
6. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3
Michigan Tech
The Huskies have dug themselves a deep hole in the first (almost) half season only getting one win in twelve games. Simply put they need to score more goals in order to give themselves a chance to win some games in the second half. It’s already pretty safe to say they will be playing the role of spoiler after Christmas break.
St. Cloud St.
The Huskies will need to win all their games in January (they play MTU, BSU, and MSUM that month) if they want to make a real push for home ice. After that they have a grueling schedule, @ UNO, @ UMD, UND, UW and @ DU to wrap up the season. This team had high hopes going into this campaign and has been dismal to this point. But if they can go on a run in January, they can get back into the middle of the pack and compete for home ice.
Bemidji State
The Beavers are slowly adjusting to life in the WCHA, let’s face it, this league is a much bigger grind week in and week out than the old CHA. The Beavers played UMD tough with both games going into overtime and even swept UNO, so they are competitive, no question about that. The Beavers appear to have a relatively nice schedule in 2011 they only have to play a couple of the top teams again (UNO and UND). However, they are on the road for 4 series and host 3 series (SCSU, CC, UM) at the new Sanford Center.
Minnesota State
The Mavericks have league wins over CC, UAA, and UM(2) in the first half of the season. MSUM plays CC and UAA again in the second half too. The Mavericks need to get wins over the other teams in the bottom of the standings if they want to move up and compete for a home ice spot. In order to do that, they need to be more consistent on offense. Scoring two goals or so a game isn’t enough, they need to get to three or more to get wins. They can’t rely solely on the goal tenders to save their bacon game in and game out.
Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves are in the same boat as the MSUM Mavericks. However, the Seawolves have a tough schedule they host CC, @ DU, @UM, MTU, @ UND, UNO, and end the season @ MSUM. The Seawolves need to keep the games low scoring affairs if they want to win, since they have had problems producing goals. If UAA can get some timely goals and solidly consistent goal tending they could be in the hunt for hosting a first round playoff series.
Wisconsin
The Badgers, ah, were to start, they have been scoring goals, but they have been giving up quite a few too. I’ve seen a few of their games this year, and if they can cut down on some of the miscues they can be right in the mix for home ice. Well, if they don’t get hosed by the refs too much in 2011 (all the UW fans remember that horrible OT “lose” to UMD). UW just needs to create its own puck luck in the second half and they should end up in the top half of the league.
Minnesota
They got talent, but they can’t seem to put it all together at the same time. It looks like everyman for himself at times, and other times they have flashes of brilliance. The Gopher fans look to have a new number one in nets now with Patterson, but who knows, Kangas could make a comeback. They open the second half with some tough opponents and end with a softer schedule. Here is a look at the Gophers second half - @ UND, UAA, @ UMD, DU, @ UW, MTU, and @ BSU to end the regular season. The Gophers still control their own fate. But, if the wheels come of the bus, they will be riding one for the first round of the playoffs.
Colorado College
The Tigers have quietly moved up the standings, all the way to fifth place, and are two games over .500 in the league. They were on a six game winning streak until the last game before break, and they were shutout in that contest. The Tigers will need to get victories over the bottom half teams in the second half to keep their distance and home ice. The Tigers have also pitched four shutout games of their own; getting goal tending like that will also help them down the home stretch. Look for the Tigers to be in control of their own destiny the second half.
Nebraska-Omaha
The Mavericks started of the season on a red hot streak, winning 8 of their first 9 games. Since then they have cooled off and have a 4-4-1 record. UNO only has to make three road trips in 2011, with trips to UND, UAA, and UMD. Those will be a big games, especially when you figure they play the Bulldogs that last weekend of the season. The Mavericks have come back down to earth after that great start and might now have some confidence issues. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in second half, and see if they can survive the grind that is the WCHA.
Denver
The Pioneers find themselves in familiar territory this time of year, in the race for the league title. They have been flying under the radar while most people have been focused on the surprising UMD Bulldogs and UNO Mavericks. DU has quietly put together a good record, with quality wins over UMD and UND on the road. The Pioneers have been getting get goal tending which helps any team out. They just have to avoid any more injuries and they should be in title race the second half.
Minnesota-Duluth
The Bulldogs lead the WCHA most of the first half and only lost the lead in the last week of play. They have played bonus hockey, overtime, in 9 out of their 18 games. UMD fans will say the team steps up in OT and gets win, doubters will say they are living dangerously. The Bulldogs need to get more scoring from more than just the top line, and need to pick up the 5x5 scoring too. If they can improve those items they can make a second half run that goes deep into the playoffs.
North Dakota
The Sioux have rattled off 4 wins in a row while missing 2/3rds of their top line, not bad. That shows that they have the depth and determination to do whatever it takes to win games. If the Sioux can avoid injuries in the second half they should be just fine. UND is off to its best first half under the helm of Coach Hakstol. If they go on their typical second half run, they could win their 15th WCHA regular season title and second under Hakstol.
WCHA standings
TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….9-4-1…19
5. Colorado College…..8-6-0…16
6. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
6. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3
Michigan Tech
The Huskies have dug themselves a deep hole in the first (almost) half season only getting one win in twelve games. Simply put they need to score more goals in order to give themselves a chance to win some games in the second half. It’s already pretty safe to say they will be playing the role of spoiler after Christmas break.
St. Cloud St.
The Huskies will need to win all their games in January (they play MTU, BSU, and MSUM that month) if they want to make a real push for home ice. After that they have a grueling schedule, @ UNO, @ UMD, UND, UW and @ DU to wrap up the season. This team had high hopes going into this campaign and has been dismal to this point. But if they can go on a run in January, they can get back into the middle of the pack and compete for home ice.
Bemidji State
The Beavers are slowly adjusting to life in the WCHA, let’s face it, this league is a much bigger grind week in and week out than the old CHA. The Beavers played UMD tough with both games going into overtime and even swept UNO, so they are competitive, no question about that. The Beavers appear to have a relatively nice schedule in 2011 they only have to play a couple of the top teams again (UNO and UND). However, they are on the road for 4 series and host 3 series (SCSU, CC, UM) at the new Sanford Center.
Minnesota State
The Mavericks have league wins over CC, UAA, and UM(2) in the first half of the season. MSUM plays CC and UAA again in the second half too. The Mavericks need to get wins over the other teams in the bottom of the standings if they want to move up and compete for a home ice spot. In order to do that, they need to be more consistent on offense. Scoring two goals or so a game isn’t enough, they need to get to three or more to get wins. They can’t rely solely on the goal tenders to save their bacon game in and game out.
Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves are in the same boat as the MSUM Mavericks. However, the Seawolves have a tough schedule they host CC, @ DU, @UM, MTU, @ UND, UNO, and end the season @ MSUM. The Seawolves need to keep the games low scoring affairs if they want to win, since they have had problems producing goals. If UAA can get some timely goals and solidly consistent goal tending they could be in the hunt for hosting a first round playoff series.
Wisconsin
The Badgers, ah, were to start, they have been scoring goals, but they have been giving up quite a few too. I’ve seen a few of their games this year, and if they can cut down on some of the miscues they can be right in the mix for home ice. Well, if they don’t get hosed by the refs too much in 2011 (all the UW fans remember that horrible OT “lose” to UMD). UW just needs to create its own puck luck in the second half and they should end up in the top half of the league.
Minnesota
They got talent, but they can’t seem to put it all together at the same time. It looks like everyman for himself at times, and other times they have flashes of brilliance. The Gopher fans look to have a new number one in nets now with Patterson, but who knows, Kangas could make a comeback. They open the second half with some tough opponents and end with a softer schedule. Here is a look at the Gophers second half - @ UND, UAA, @ UMD, DU, @ UW, MTU, and @ BSU to end the regular season. The Gophers still control their own fate. But, if the wheels come of the bus, they will be riding one for the first round of the playoffs.
Colorado College
The Tigers have quietly moved up the standings, all the way to fifth place, and are two games over .500 in the league. They were on a six game winning streak until the last game before break, and they were shutout in that contest. The Tigers will need to get victories over the bottom half teams in the second half to keep their distance and home ice. The Tigers have also pitched four shutout games of their own; getting goal tending like that will also help them down the home stretch. Look for the Tigers to be in control of their own destiny the second half.
Nebraska-Omaha
The Mavericks started of the season on a red hot streak, winning 8 of their first 9 games. Since then they have cooled off and have a 4-4-1 record. UNO only has to make three road trips in 2011, with trips to UND, UAA, and UMD. Those will be a big games, especially when you figure they play the Bulldogs that last weekend of the season. The Mavericks have come back down to earth after that great start and might now have some confidence issues. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in second half, and see if they can survive the grind that is the WCHA.
Denver
The Pioneers find themselves in familiar territory this time of year, in the race for the league title. They have been flying under the radar while most people have been focused on the surprising UMD Bulldogs and UNO Mavericks. DU has quietly put together a good record, with quality wins over UMD and UND on the road. The Pioneers have been getting get goal tending which helps any team out. They just have to avoid any more injuries and they should be in title race the second half.
Minnesota-Duluth
The Bulldogs lead the WCHA most of the first half and only lost the lead in the last week of play. They have played bonus hockey, overtime, in 9 out of their 18 games. UMD fans will say the team steps up in OT and gets win, doubters will say they are living dangerously. The Bulldogs need to get more scoring from more than just the top line, and need to pick up the 5x5 scoring too. If they can improve those items they can make a second half run that goes deep into the playoffs.
North Dakota
The Sioux have rattled off 4 wins in a row while missing 2/3rds of their top line, not bad. That shows that they have the depth and determination to do whatever it takes to win games. If the Sioux can avoid injuries in the second half they should be just fine. UND is off to its best first half under the helm of Coach Hakstol. If they go on their typical second half run, they could win their 15th WCHA regular season title and second under Hakstol.
USA releases roster for WJC.
Here is the roster for Team USA.
GOALTENDERS
Jack Campbell, Windsor Spitfires, OHL (Dallas)
Andy Iles, Cornell University, ECAC
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Dumoulin, Boston College, HE (Carolina)
Justin Faulk, Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA (Carolina)
Derek Forbort, North Dakota, WCHA (Los Angeles)
Nick Leddy, Rockford, AHL (Chicago);
Jonathan Merrill, Michigan, CCHA (New Jersey)
John Ramage, Wisconsin, WCHA (Calgary)
Patrick Wey, Boston College, HE (Washington)
FORWARDS
Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota, WCHA (Florida)
Ryan Bourque, Quebec, QMJHL (N.Y. Rangers)
Chris Brown, Michigan, CCHA (Phoenix)
Mitchell Callahan, Kelowna, WHL (Detroit)
Charlie Coyle, Boston University, HE (San Jose)
Jerry D'Amigo, Toronto, AHL (Toronto)
Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat, WHL (Anaheim)
Chris Kreider, Boston College, HE (N.Y. Rangers)
Jeremy Morin, Rockford, AHL (Chicago)
Brock Nelson, North Dakota, WCHA (N.Y. Islanders)
Kyle Palmieri, Syracuse, AHL (Anaheim)
Drew Shore, Denver, WCHA (Florida)
Jason Zucker, Denver, WCHA (Minnesota).
Who didn't make it
Adam Clendening (Boston University)
Jamieson Oleksiak (Northeastern)
Philip Samuelsson (Boston College)
Connor Brickley (Vermont)
Rocco Grimaldi (USNTDP)(UND Recruit)
Matthew Nieto (Boston University)
Brandon Saad (Saginaw, OHL)
Links to the WJC
USA Hockey Twitter
U.S. announces World Junior roster [USA Hockey]
Forbort, Nelson make final cut for USA Hockey [Fighting Sioux]
NHL Network U.S. to broadcast USA quest for historic gold medal repeat at 2011 IIHF WJC [NHL.COM]
Kreider is hoping last year's luck carries over [NHL.COM]
U.S. junior team has 2005 blueprint as a guide [NHL.COM]
Buffalo News WJC Blog [BuffaloNews.COM]
USA hockey unveils its roster for world junior tournament [Toronto Star]
Canadian World Junior News. [Toronto Star]
Wild's Zucker, 5 Minnesotans make USA World Junior team [Russo's Rants]
TV Schedule for the World Juniors
[Click link for TV SCHEDULE]
Date Game Time (EST)
Sunday, December 26
Russia vs. Canada 4 p.m.
Finland vs. USA 8 p.m.
Tuesday, December 28
Canada vs. Czech Republic 4 p.m.
USA vs. Slovakia 8 p.m.
Wednesday, December 29
Norway vs. Canada 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 30
Sweden vs. Czech Republic 3 p.m.
Germany vs. USA 7 p.m.
Friday, December 31
Canada vs. Sweden 4 p.m.
USA vs. Switzerland 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 2
Quarterfinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2* 7:30 p.m.
Monday, January 3
Semifinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2* 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 5
Bronze-Medal Game 3:30 p.m.
Gold-Medal Game 7:30 p.m.
GOALTENDERS
Jack Campbell, Windsor Spitfires, OHL (Dallas)
Andy Iles, Cornell University, ECAC
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Dumoulin, Boston College, HE (Carolina)
Justin Faulk, Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA (Carolina)
Derek Forbort, North Dakota, WCHA (Los Angeles)
Nick Leddy, Rockford, AHL (Chicago);
Jonathan Merrill, Michigan, CCHA (New Jersey)
John Ramage, Wisconsin, WCHA (Calgary)
Patrick Wey, Boston College, HE (Washington)
FORWARDS
Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota, WCHA (Florida)
Ryan Bourque, Quebec, QMJHL (N.Y. Rangers)
Chris Brown, Michigan, CCHA (Phoenix)
Mitchell Callahan, Kelowna, WHL (Detroit)
Charlie Coyle, Boston University, HE (San Jose)
Jerry D'Amigo, Toronto, AHL (Toronto)
Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat, WHL (Anaheim)
Chris Kreider, Boston College, HE (N.Y. Rangers)
Jeremy Morin, Rockford, AHL (Chicago)
Brock Nelson, North Dakota, WCHA (N.Y. Islanders)
Kyle Palmieri, Syracuse, AHL (Anaheim)
Drew Shore, Denver, WCHA (Florida)
Jason Zucker, Denver, WCHA (Minnesota).
Who didn't make it
Adam Clendening (Boston University)
Jamieson Oleksiak (Northeastern)
Philip Samuelsson (Boston College)
Connor Brickley (Vermont)
Rocco Grimaldi (USNTDP)(UND Recruit)
Matthew Nieto (Boston University)
Brandon Saad (Saginaw, OHL)
Links to the WJC
USA Hockey Twitter
U.S. announces World Junior roster [USA Hockey]
Forbort, Nelson make final cut for USA Hockey [Fighting Sioux]
NHL Network U.S. to broadcast USA quest for historic gold medal repeat at 2011 IIHF WJC [NHL.COM]
Kreider is hoping last year's luck carries over [NHL.COM]
U.S. junior team has 2005 blueprint as a guide [NHL.COM]
Buffalo News WJC Blog [BuffaloNews.COM]
USA hockey unveils its roster for world junior tournament [Toronto Star]
Canadian World Junior News. [Toronto Star]
Wild's Zucker, 5 Minnesotans make USA World Junior team [Russo's Rants]
TV Schedule for the World Juniors
[Click link for TV SCHEDULE]
Date Game Time (EST)
Sunday, December 26
Russia vs. Canada 4 p.m.
Finland vs. USA 8 p.m.
Tuesday, December 28
Canada vs. Czech Republic 4 p.m.
USA vs. Slovakia 8 p.m.
Wednesday, December 29
Norway vs. Canada 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 30
Sweden vs. Czech Republic 3 p.m.
Germany vs. USA 7 p.m.
Friday, December 31
Canada vs. Sweden 4 p.m.
USA vs. Switzerland 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 2
Quarterfinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2* 7:30 p.m.
Monday, January 3
Semifinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2* 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 5
Bronze-Medal Game 3:30 p.m.
Gold-Medal Game 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Uber Hack Matt Cooke is up to his old tricks...
Watch this video of uber hack Matt Cooke as he throws an elbow to the back of Keith Yandle head, there is no excuse for this kind of hockey, Matt Cooke should be suspended for this hit. I am so sick and third of this disgusting POS and his antics. Some day Matt Cooke is going to finally get what is coming to him, eventually someone is going to catch Matt Cooke with his head down and this hack is going to end up paying for his transgressions… You cannot skate up and down the ice throwing cheap shots at people without getting something in return. The Hockey Code demands it.
When this happens I am going to celebrate, sure Evander Kane handed it to him but he hasn’t learned his lesson. The old cliché what comes around goes around. I just hope I get to see it. I can't believe that the Penguins writer for the Bleacher Report said this;
Not only did Cooke provide a goal and kill penalties for the Pens, but it was a penalty that Cooke committed that may have been most important.Seriously! You have got to be kidding me? Since when is a a fore arm hit to the head considered clean, that's not dirty to you? Talk about not having a clue... Matt Cooke deserves a beat down for that elbow and should have answered the bell when challenged, but Cooke is gutless puke.
In the second period, with the Penguins leading 5-0 and on the penalty kill, Cooke went in on a forecheck and put a forearm to the head of Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle.
Cooke was sent to the box for two minutes for boarding, and that seemed to be that.
However, after the game the Coyotes were furious with the hit (which in no way appeared dirty to me), and Yandle said, "every guy on our team tried to fight him."
WJC TV Schedule
2011 IIHF World Junior Championship - NHL Network U.S. Broadcast Schedule
Dec. 26 - Jan. 5, Buffalo, N.Y. [Click link for TV SCHEDULE]
Date Game Time (EST)
Sunday, December 26
Russia vs. Canada 4 p.m.
Finland vs. USA 8 p.m.
Tuesday, December 28
Canada vs. Czech Republic 4 p.m.
USA vs. Slovakia 8 p.m.
Wednesday, December 29
Norway vs. Canada 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 30
Sweden vs. Czech Republic 3 p.m.
Germany vs. USA 7 p.m.
Friday, December 31
Canada vs. Sweden 4 p.m.
USA vs. Switzerland 8 p.m.
Sunday, January. 2
Quarterfinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2* 7:30 p.m.
Monday, January 3
Semifinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2* 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 5
Bronze-Medal Game 3:30 p.m.
Gold-Medal Game 7:30 p.m.
Update on DU's Jesse Martin
 |
| Edmonton Journal Picture... |
EDMONTON - It's little wonder Terry Martin and his family don't know what to give one another for Christmas gifts this year.
They have all they need: Each other.
The past year could have torn the Edmonton family of four apart. Terry's wife, Jacquie, was diagnosed with a brain tumour just before his daughter, Natasha, was injured in a car crash and required emergency surgery.
Then his son, Jesse, a 22-year-old senior who plays hockey for the University of Denver Pioneers, was injured in an Oct. 30 game against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and carried off the ice on a stretcher with a spinal cord injury. Three days after getting home from visiting with Jesse in the U.S., Terry had heart attack.
"We're all having a little trouble buying Christmas gifts this year," Terry says. "I mean really, what material things could we give or receive that could provide greater happiness than what we are experiencing by simply being together?"
It's the gift of family.
"The serious medical challenges each of us faced recently certainly tested us as individuals with respect to inner strength and character. But how we came through it all is also a testament to how closely knit our family is," Terry says.
Jesse's injury -- a crush against the boards when he was looking down -- got a lot of attention because of a YouTube video of the hit. As of Monday, the video had been watched 131,192 times.
"Like every family, we have had our ups and downs, but the common thread has been that we never forget that we are there for each other no matter what, and we are always able to lean on each other for support," says Jesse.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Poll Monday; 5th in USA Today Poll...
USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Dec. 20, 2010]
1 Yale (34)11-1-0 510
2 New Hampshire 10-2-4 458
3 Minnesota Duluth 12-3-3 418
4 Boston College 11-5-0 410
5 North Dakota 13-5-2 403
6 Miami (Ohio) 10-5-3 308
7 Denver 12-5-3 282
8 Maine 8-4-4 247
9 Nebraska-Omaha 12-5-1 243
10 Michigan 10-5-4 195
11 Boston University 8-4-5 162
12 Notre Dame 11-6-2 156
13 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 9-4-3 124
14 Union 10-5-3 59
15 Wisconsin 10-7-3 43
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska, 22; Colorado College, 15; Merrimack College, 6; University of Minnesota, 6; Western Michigan University, 6; Ferris State University, 3; Robert Morris University, 3; Dartmouth College, 1.
I know these polls really don’t mean much because in the end the only poll(s) that matters is the RPI/PWR that is used to select the teams for the NCAA tourney. We can put Yale at the top of the polls all season long if we want but they still have to play and prove themselves in the end, I still think they are going to end up being another 2007 Clarkson that was a number one seed that got bounced from the tourney.
If there is a team that deserves some credit it would be RPI, they beat Boston University and still end up behind BU in the USA Today poll. I would also like to know why in the name of Zeus’s butt is Union still ranked in the top 15 after being swept by Western Michigan University this past weekend?
[Dec. 20, 2010]
1 Yale (34)11-1-0 510
2 New Hampshire 10-2-4 458
3 Minnesota Duluth 12-3-3 418
4 Boston College 11-5-0 410
5 North Dakota 13-5-2 403
6 Miami (Ohio) 10-5-3 308
7 Denver 12-5-3 282
8 Maine 8-4-4 247
9 Nebraska-Omaha 12-5-1 243
10 Michigan 10-5-4 195
11 Boston University 8-4-5 162
12 Notre Dame 11-6-2 156
13 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 9-4-3 124
14 Union 10-5-3 59
15 Wisconsin 10-7-3 43
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska, 22; Colorado College, 15; Merrimack College, 6; University of Minnesota, 6; Western Michigan University, 6; Ferris State University, 3; Robert Morris University, 3; Dartmouth College, 1.
I know these polls really don’t mean much because in the end the only poll(s) that matters is the RPI/PWR that is used to select the teams for the NCAA tourney. We can put Yale at the top of the polls all season long if we want but they still have to play and prove themselves in the end, I still think they are going to end up being another 2007 Clarkson that was a number one seed that got bounced from the tourney.
If there is a team that deserves some credit it would be RPI, they beat Boston University and still end up behind BU in the USA Today poll. I would also like to know why in the name of Zeus’s butt is Union still ranked in the top 15 after being swept by Western Michigan University this past weekend?
Frattin for Hobey Baker... Why not?
I think that when we start talking about candidates for the Hobey Baker Matt Frattin’s name has to be in the mix, look that the year Frattin is having (17g-8a-25pts), I would say that Frattin has been a man among boys this season. Immediately you will hear about Frattin’s checkered past, I think that’s fair, however, I think the article written by Brad Elliot Schlossman this past weekend, The Road to Redemption is the first step in the right direction because the article brings to light some information that could help sway the committee.
I the reason I think the committee can be swayed is that Matt Frattin could have taken the easy route that other players have and just signed a professional but instead he decided to get his act together and deal with his personal issues and he didn't avoid them but met them head on.
The fact that the University of North Dakota pulled Frattin’s scholarship and Matt Frattin had to pay his own way is even more impressive to me, he could have said screw this… Matt could have just signed the professional contract and taken the money and moved on to the Toronto Maple Leafs but he decided that he had some unfinished business at UND to take care of. Frattin took care of his personal issues worked his butt off to stay in shape worked on the side and went to counseling and I think that is a testament to the kind of guy that Frattin is.
I have known adults that wouldn’t have taken these steps to make things right, they would just moved on and been done with it. Frattin took the path not always traveled came back probably a better player and a better person. Like I said over on Sioux Sports; “let he who is without sin cast the first stone", life is about lessons and we learn from our mistakes and none of us are perfect. I also don’t think any of the previous Hobey Baker Memorial Candidates were either.
I the reason I think the committee can be swayed is that Matt Frattin could have taken the easy route that other players have and just signed a professional but instead he decided to get his act together and deal with his personal issues and he didn't avoid them but met them head on.
The fact that the University of North Dakota pulled Frattin’s scholarship and Matt Frattin had to pay his own way is even more impressive to me, he could have said screw this… Matt could have just signed the professional contract and taken the money and moved on to the Toronto Maple Leafs but he decided that he had some unfinished business at UND to take care of. Frattin took care of his personal issues worked his butt off to stay in shape worked on the side and went to counseling and I think that is a testament to the kind of guy that Frattin is.
I have known adults that wouldn’t have taken these steps to make things right, they would just moved on and been done with it. Frattin took the path not always traveled came back probably a better player and a better person. Like I said over on Sioux Sports; “let he who is without sin cast the first stone", life is about lessons and we learn from our mistakes and none of us are perfect. I also don’t think any of the previous Hobey Baker Memorial Candidates were either.
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
This video should get you in the mood as the 2011 WJC approaches, the USA has a good chance to make more memories like this. Yesterday the USA and RPI played in an exhibition game yesterday that was won by RPI 4-3, the game went to a 12 round shootout that was won by the RPI Engineers. Here is the video to the 12 round shootout. Here is a link to the post game interviews.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Don’t worry Leafs fans, help is on the way… (Matt Frattin)
I posted this over on Pension Plan Puppets. S/T to Brad Schlossman for an awesome article, like Chuck Schwartz tweeted last week; Brad is one of the best beat writers in the business and as Sioux fans we are blessed to have him… I read the article four times and it really is a touching piece, the article kind of puts life in perspective and goes to show there is more life than sports... I am sure glad Matt decided to come back to UND and not sign a professional contract. Frattin manned up and faced the music and got his life together.
Leaf’s Fans I have had a chance to watch Matt Frattin play for the UND Fighting Sioux for 3 seasons and I think you’re going to like what Matt Frattin brings to the table. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he is wearing a Maple Leaf next season.
Matt Frattin is a big strong power forward (6 feet 206 lbs) and has a howitzer for a shot, Frattin shots the puck through goaltenders, and you can find many goals on YouTube.com. Frattin isn’t a one dimensional player, Matt plays strong in all three zones of the ice and his skating are one of his stronger points.
Matt Fratt was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 4th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Just before the 2009-2010 school year was about to begin Matt Frattin got into trouble and was dismissed from the Fighting Sioux hockey team and returned to Edmonton, Alberta to get his life in order. At the semester break Frattin was given a second chance by Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol and Matt has caught fire and is on a torrid pace. Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Schlossman has a nice article about Matt’s past few seasons.
Leaf’s Fans I have had a chance to watch Matt Frattin play for the UND Fighting Sioux for 3 seasons and I think you’re going to like what Matt Frattin brings to the table. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he is wearing a Maple Leaf next season.
Matt Frattin is a big strong power forward (6 feet 206 lbs) and has a howitzer for a shot, Frattin shots the puck through goaltenders, and you can find many goals on YouTube.com. Frattin isn’t a one dimensional player, Matt plays strong in all three zones of the ice and his skating are one of his stronger points.
Matt Fratt was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 4th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Just before the 2009-2010 school year was about to begin Matt Frattin got into trouble and was dismissed from the Fighting Sioux hockey team and returned to Edmonton, Alberta to get his life in order. At the semester break Frattin was given a second chance by Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol and Matt has caught fire and is on a torrid pace. Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Schlossman has a nice article about Matt’s past few seasons.
Grand Forks Herald --- Matt Frattin is a notorious prankster. So, when he called Evan Trupp last August to say that he had gotten in trouble and was getting kicked off the UND hockey team, Trupp naturally thought it was a joke.So how hot has Frattin been, Matt has scored 11 goals in 13 games last season from Feburary 12th to March 27. Fast forward to this season Frattin has continued that torrid pace scoring 17 goals in 20 games, so if my math is right (I am a sociology major), that is roughly 28 goals in 33 games. [click to link]
But this time, it wasn’t.
After his second alcohol-related run-in with police in two months — this time a DUI charge he later would be acquitted of — Frattin was dismissed just days before the 2009-10 school year was set to start.
He packed up and moved back home to Edmonton, Alberta, to ponder his future. And while UND left the door open for his return in 2010-11, it seemed likely that his time in Grand Forks was finished.
After all, the easy route was for Frattin to cash in on the NHL contract that the Toronto Maple Leafs offered and pick up his hockey career right away in the pro ranks. Frattin thought about it, and took a different path.
He decided to change his lifestyle, sit out for up to a year and attempt to return to UND to make things right. He’s back here now, 16 months later, on his road to redemption. Frattin is the nation’s leading goal-scorer, with 17 goals, and it’s not even Christmas.
Nelson and Forbort to play against RPI
Checking the USA WJC blog, Fighting Sioux players Derek Forbort and Brock Nelson will play in a exhibition against RPI today at 3:00 PM Central Standard Time. You can listen to the game on the Internet. [Click to listen] You an also watch the game on B2tvNetwork.
Here are this afternoon’s lines for Team USA:
Brickley – Bjugstad – Etem
Zucker – Shore – Callahan
D’Amigo – Grimaldi – Nieto
Saad – Nelson – Brown
Oleksiak – Leddy
Forbort – Wey
Dumoulin – Clendening
Samuelsson
Campbell*
Iles
Here are this afternoon’s lines for Team USA:
Brickley – Bjugstad – Etem
Zucker – Shore – Callahan
D’Amigo – Grimaldi – Nieto
Saad – Nelson – Brown
Oleksiak – Leddy
Forbort – Wey
Dumoulin – Clendening
Samuelsson
Campbell*
Iles
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Bruins and Sabres end of the game scrum
I had been looking for this video all week and I finally found it on Bruce Ciskie's NHL Fan House blog. Two teams that hate each other a lot, old time hockey and a nice way to finish the game with a line brawl, or at least a scrum. I think Buffalo forward Paul Gaustad should have been given a major penalty for swinging his stick at Chara, there was no excuse for that. For one Miller bumped Chara and he gave him a little tiny love tap. I am surprised there wasn't a couple of fines as a result of this action.
Check this out...
Check out this article that I found over on the Mav Puck message board. God forbid anything to include college hockey would cut into the coverage of other sports. This is a blog post by Harold Anderson. For those of us including me that don't know who Harold Anderson is he is the Retired Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the Omaha World-Herald, that's the newspaper that covers the UNO Mavericks.
I Wish The UNO Hockey Team Well But Do They Need All That Coverage?Wow! Note to Harold, hockey might be a niche sport to the masses in the south that love football, however, college hockey has a big following in the upper Midwest as well that deserves coverage... You have a coach that will probably be in the USA Hockey Hall of Fame some day. You might not want to bite the hand that is paying your retirement.
Most surprising headline in recent memory:
“Time to recognize Blais, Mav Hockey.”
The headline appeared over a sports commentator’s column which appeared November 18. Would it be possible that the columnist has not been aware of the wall-to-wall coverage of the Maverick hockey team since Dean Blais became head coach in 2009?
I had no reason to keep track of the number of times readers were told that Blais won two national championships while coaching hockey at the University of North Dakota, but that fact must be among the most often repeated in the history of local sports coverage.
On the eve of the start of the Mavericks’ 2009 hockey season, Coach Blais and newly-hired assistant coach Mike Hastings and two unidentified hockey players were featured in a color photo that took up nearly the entire front page of a four-page special section. An inside page was devoted to the Mavericks and their schedule and pictures and a brief biography of each of 25 squad members, plus pictures and brief biographical sketches of Coach Blais and his two assistants.
Twenty-five squad members? Isn’t it true that you can have only a maximum of six players on the ice at any given time, and this includes a goalie who may play the entire game?
One of the inside pages was devoted to pictures and biographical sketches of 26 Omaha Lancers squad members.
In the total of 52 squad members on the two teams, there was one player identified as being from Nebraska—an Omahan on the Lancers roster.
Ranking the Leagues SOS...
So which league has played the toughest schedule to date?
WCHA
North Dakota 1 232.5
Bemidji State 2 230.0
Denver 3 201.8
Michigan Tech 4 195.6
Alaska-Anchorage 5 192.0
Minnesota-Duluth 6 183.6
Wisconsin 9 166.9
St. Cloud State 11 162.9
Minnesota 12 162.0
Colorado College 13 161.4
Nebraska-Omaha 15 155.3
Minnesota State 20 139.8
Hockey East
Boston College 7 179
Vermont 8 170.1
Boston University 14 159.0
Maine 21 139.0
New Hampshire 23 136.6
Mass.-Lowell 27 121.9
Massachusetts 29 113.2
Merrimack 30 112.9
Northeastern 31 110.5
Providence 39 83.0
CCHA
Notre Dame 10 163.2
Michigan 16 152.4
Alaska 17 148.0
Miami 18 144.6
Michigan State 24 129.4
Northern Michigan 25 127.2
Lake Superior 26 126.5
Bowling Green 34 105.7
Ferris State 36 100.2
Western Michigan 37 92.9
Ohio State 38 91.0
ECAC
Rensselaer 19 140
Brown 22 137.7
Yale 28 113.4
Union 32 108.4
Dartmouth 33 107.5
Harvard 35 105.1
St. Lawrence 40 78.0
Princeton 42 73.8
Quinnipiac 43 67.7
Cornell 45 59.2
Clarkson 46 57.9
Colgate 48 53.4
Atlantic Hockey
Air Force 41 77.9
Bentley 47 54.7
Holy Cross 49 53.4
Connecticut 50 52.8
RIT 51 49.7
Niagara 52 49.2
Sacred Heart 53 46.7
American Int'l 54 45.4
Canisius 55 41.3
Mercyhurst 56 36.1
Army 57 35.7
Robert Morris 58 34.2
INDY
Alabama-Huntsville 44 66.8
WCHA
North Dakota 1 232.5
Bemidji State 2 230.0
Denver 3 201.8
Michigan Tech 4 195.6
Alaska-Anchorage 5 192.0
Minnesota-Duluth 6 183.6
Wisconsin 9 166.9
St. Cloud State 11 162.9
Minnesota 12 162.0
Colorado College 13 161.4
Nebraska-Omaha 15 155.3
Minnesota State 20 139.8
Hockey East
Boston College 7 179
Vermont 8 170.1
Boston University 14 159.0
Maine 21 139.0
New Hampshire 23 136.6
Mass.-Lowell 27 121.9
Massachusetts 29 113.2
Merrimack 30 112.9
Northeastern 31 110.5
Providence 39 83.0
CCHA
Notre Dame 10 163.2
Michigan 16 152.4
Alaska 17 148.0
Miami 18 144.6
Michigan State 24 129.4
Northern Michigan 25 127.2
Lake Superior 26 126.5
Bowling Green 34 105.7
Ferris State 36 100.2
Western Michigan 37 92.9
Ohio State 38 91.0
ECAC
Rensselaer 19 140
Brown 22 137.7
Yale 28 113.4
Union 32 108.4
Dartmouth 33 107.5
Harvard 35 105.1
St. Lawrence 40 78.0
Princeton 42 73.8
Quinnipiac 43 67.7
Cornell 45 59.2
Clarkson 46 57.9
Colgate 48 53.4
Atlantic Hockey
Air Force 41 77.9
Bentley 47 54.7
Holy Cross 49 53.4
Connecticut 50 52.8
RIT 51 49.7
Niagara 52 49.2
Sacred Heart 53 46.7
American Int'l 54 45.4
Canisius 55 41.3
Mercyhurst 56 36.1
Army 57 35.7
Robert Morris 58 34.2
INDY
Alabama-Huntsville 44 66.8
Saturday Morning Pontifications… Links…
Links
Team Canada goaltenders on the hot seat [Globe and Mail]
Flash Back; U.S. wins junior gold in overtime thriller [Globe and Mail]
Julie Robenhymer from Hockey Buzz has been tweeting from the USA WJC selection camp and you can catch her tweets here at @JulieRobenhymer...
BSU Beavers tested by their tough schedule during the first half of the season, BSU has played the second hardest Strength of Schedule. [Up North Sports Report]
Former UAA Goalie Nate Lawson is going to make his NHL debut tonight because their starter is former BU goalie Rick DiPietro out with an injury again. Nate is still sporting the number 52 that he wore in college...[islanders.nhl.com]
Earlier this week another former WCHA goalie Ricard Bachman made his NHL debute with the Dallas Stars as well. [Eye of the Tigers] Bachman was sent back down after his debut. [Eye of the Tigers]
Zdeno Chara Gets Too Close to Ryan Miller; Miller Starts Skirmish. [NHL Fan House] Awesome I was looking for the video for this one...
WJC: Team USA preview Defending the gold on home soil [niagarathisweek.com]
Jack Campbell should be key player in World Juniors [starsblog.dallasnews.com]
The UMD Bulldogs are opening at new arena on December 30th against the UND Fighting Sioux and they are having a dress rehearsal. [Rink and Run] UND opened the BSU's Beavers new home by sweeping the Beavers by a pair of 6-2 scores back in October.
Colorado trip no vacation for Mavs... [WORLD-HERALD]
Friday, December 17, 2010
You might want to check the YouTube videos... (Frattin)
I wonder what would have happened if UND had got their feet moving earlier in that game? We might not be having the discussions we are having today. I was reading USCHO WCHA blog this morning and there was something that caught my eye in Tyler Buckentine’s post. I am going to preface this by saying I don’t know Tyler from Adam or what team he cheers for and I don’t have anything against him at all, I am not trying to attack him, also notice, that I am not making him the buffoon of the week. I save those blog posts for people that do moronic things. None the less, Tyler was reviewing the WCHA and the first half of the season and how the league play has evolved.
USCHO.COM --- College hockey is at the midpoint of its season and the WCHA has four teams in the nation’s top eight teams and two in the top four.Here is what I take issue with, “Who would’ve thought Matt Frattin, the nation’s leading goal scorer.” You’re kidding right? You can’t be series? Cliché alert: It would be an understatement to say that Matt Frattin has looked like a man among boys and has played this season Frattin like a man possessed. The Toronto Maple Leafs who are starved for offense must be drooling at the prospects of having Matt Frattin wearing a Maple Leaf on the front of his jersey.
The consensus WCHA favorite, UND, (13–5–2) is the top WCHA team in the USCHO.com D-I Poll and sits in first place in the league standings with 22 points after a pair of sweeps against SCSU and Minnesota State.
Who would’ve thought Matt Frattin, the nation’s leading goal scorer, would have 17 goals at the break when the Sioux’s goals leader when the 2009-10 season ended was Jason Gregoire with 20.
Frattin, who scored 11 goals a year ago, has 25 points, which matches his personal best for points in a season he set as a sophomore.
Frattin has the ability to create his own chances to make quality shots. He beat MSU goaltender Phil Cook glove side far post on Friday and danced his way around two Mavericks defenders on his way to a goal Sunday.
Frattin is on a five-game goal-scoring streak.
Aaron Dell has been a surprise in the crease after UND’s original No. 1 goalie, Brad Eidsness, was benched after just five games because of his nightmare of a start to the season (4.12 GAA, .805 SV%).
The sophomore Dell is 12–4–1 with a 2.22 goals against average and .904 save percentage.
The scary thing is UND’s record now and the schedule that lies ahead for the Sioux. UND faces only two teams in the current top 10-ranked teams on the schedule until the Final Five rolls around.
If you are covering the WCHA and you have had a chance to watch Matt Frattin play at all last season you would have noticed a player that was on the verge of breaking out and would have thought a torrid season might be in the cards. Rewinding back to last season when Matt Frattin returned from his suspension; Fratting took fire during the second half of the season and caught fire during the second game of the SCSU series has been hot as a pistol since and scored a bundle of goals.
So how hot has Frattin been, Matt has scored 11 goals in 13 games last season from Feburary 12th to March 27. Fast forward to this season Frattin has continued that torrid pace scoring 17 goals in 20 games, so if my math is right (I am a sociology major), that is roughly 28 goals in 33 games.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Michael Cammalleri's Penalty Shot Goal against the Boston Bruins
The more I watch this video the more I come to the conclusion that the penalty that led to the Cammalleri penalty shot was very weak and a brutal call by the official.
Edit: in looking back at this play that led to the penalty shot, I must conclude that this was a bad call by the NHL on ice officials, their incompetence cost the Boston Bruins the game and points in the standings, there is no way that the Montreal Canadians deserved a penalty shot on that play, maybe hooking but that was even stretch.
Subban hit on Marchand
Habs punk P.K. Subban delivers an monster hit on Bruins forward Brad Marchand, the hit was legal and a good open ice hit, I have no problem with the hit at all. My advice to the Bruins forward Brad Marchand keep your head up son. The Slough foot on Campbell should have gotten Subban a penalty in my opinion.
Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)
There is only one WCHA series this weekend and it features the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks visiting the Colorado College Tigers at World arena in Colorado Springs.
There was a full stale of WCHA series last weekend and the results were:
Wisconsin swept Bemidji State – in Madison
North Dakota swept Minnesota State Mankato – in Mankato
Colorado College swept St. Cloud State – in St. Cloud
Nebraska-Omaha swept Michigan Tech – in Omaha
Denver took 3pts from Alaska-Anchorage – in Anchorage
Minnesota took 3pts from Minnesota-Duluth – in Minneapolis
After this weekend almost every team will have played half of their WCHA schedule. The exceptions are SCSU and MTU, both teams will have two games in hand on the rest of the league. And looking at the standing both teams need those games to make a run up the standings and try to grab home ice at the end of the season.
WCHA standings
TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….8-3-1…17
5. Colorado College…..7-5-0…14
5. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
5. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3
WCHA
#8 Nebraska-Omaha @ #20 Colorado College
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the MTU Huskies in Omaha and the Tigers swept the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.
This is a huge series for both teams this weekend in Omaha. The Mavericks need points to keep it a four way hunt for the WCHA title. The Tigers need points to separate themselves from Gophers and Badgers and help get that much closer to the top and home ice. The Tiger have been under that radar, at least mine, they have quietly moved into a tie for 5th in the league. If the Tigers get any points this weekend they will be in sole possession of 5th and if they sweep they will be in 4th place. The Mavericks can move into a 2nd place tie with three points or sole possession of 2nd with a sweep with weekend. This year CC has tickled the twine 45 times and the Mavericks have 41 times in the WCHA. I’m going to say they each get some points this, the last weekend before Christmas. SPLIT
NON-Conference
Michigan Tech (3-10-2 overall) @ Northern Michigan (8-8-3 overall) (Friday only)
Last weekend the Huskies were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Wildcats split with Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana.
These teams played each other twice already this year. On October 8th and the Huskies beat the Wildcats 4-3 in overtime and then on October 12th they played to a 4-4 tie. Back in the 1980s this would have been a WCHA conference game, but not since 1991. In this battle for Upper Peninsula Supremacy it will come down to which team wants it more and I think the Huskies really want it. MTU wins.
USA Under-18 Team @ #3 North Dakota (exhibition – Saturday)
Last weekend the Sioux swept the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato.
I can see UND playing more of the guys that have been back ups in this game, just to avoid more injuries. I will also predict that Eidsness will see time between the pipes in this game (and maybe Maris might get to play in the net too).
Alaska Anchorage – next Jan 14th & 15th vs Colorado College
Bemidji State – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st Ferris State & Union - Dodge Holiday Classic
#7 Denver – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st vs Northern Michigan
#19 Minnesota – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st Union & Ferris State - Dodge Holiday Classic
#4 Minnesota-Duluth – next Dec 30th vs UND USA Hockey Hall of Fame Game
Minnesota State – next Jan 1 & 2 Notre Dame & BU/Brown Shillelagh Tourney
St. Cloud State – next Dec 29th & 30th Cornell & Miami/Maine - Florida Classic
#15 Wisconsin – next Dec 30th and 31st vs Massachusetts
There was a full stale of WCHA series last weekend and the results were:
Wisconsin swept Bemidji State – in Madison
North Dakota swept Minnesota State Mankato – in Mankato
Colorado College swept St. Cloud State – in St. Cloud
Nebraska-Omaha swept Michigan Tech – in Omaha
Denver took 3pts from Alaska-Anchorage – in Anchorage
Minnesota took 3pts from Minnesota-Duluth – in Minneapolis
After this weekend almost every team will have played half of their WCHA schedule. The exceptions are SCSU and MTU, both teams will have two games in hand on the rest of the league. And looking at the standing both teams need those games to make a run up the standings and try to grab home ice at the end of the season.
WCHA standings
TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….8-3-1…17
5. Colorado College…..7-5-0…14
5. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
5. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3
WCHA
#8 Nebraska-Omaha @ #20 Colorado College
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the MTU Huskies in Omaha and the Tigers swept the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.
This is a huge series for both teams this weekend in Omaha. The Mavericks need points to keep it a four way hunt for the WCHA title. The Tigers need points to separate themselves from Gophers and Badgers and help get that much closer to the top and home ice. The Tiger have been under that radar, at least mine, they have quietly moved into a tie for 5th in the league. If the Tigers get any points this weekend they will be in sole possession of 5th and if they sweep they will be in 4th place. The Mavericks can move into a 2nd place tie with three points or sole possession of 2nd with a sweep with weekend. This year CC has tickled the twine 45 times and the Mavericks have 41 times in the WCHA. I’m going to say they each get some points this, the last weekend before Christmas. SPLIT
NON-Conference
Michigan Tech (3-10-2 overall) @ Northern Michigan (8-8-3 overall) (Friday only)
Last weekend the Huskies were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Wildcats split with Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana.
These teams played each other twice already this year. On October 8th and the Huskies beat the Wildcats 4-3 in overtime and then on October 12th they played to a 4-4 tie. Back in the 1980s this would have been a WCHA conference game, but not since 1991. In this battle for Upper Peninsula Supremacy it will come down to which team wants it more and I think the Huskies really want it. MTU wins.
USA Under-18 Team @ #3 North Dakota (exhibition – Saturday)
Last weekend the Sioux swept the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato.
I can see UND playing more of the guys that have been back ups in this game, just to avoid more injuries. I will also predict that Eidsness will see time between the pipes in this game (and maybe Maris might get to play in the net too).
Alaska Anchorage – next Jan 14th & 15th vs Colorado College
Bemidji State – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st Ferris State & Union - Dodge Holiday Classic
#7 Denver – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st vs Northern Michigan
#19 Minnesota – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st Union & Ferris State - Dodge Holiday Classic
#4 Minnesota-Duluth – next Dec 30th vs UND USA Hockey Hall of Fame Game
Minnesota State – next Jan 1 & 2 Notre Dame & BU/Brown Shillelagh Tourney
St. Cloud State – next Dec 29th & 30th Cornell & Miami/Maine - Florida Classic
#15 Wisconsin – next Dec 30th and 31st vs Massachusetts
Bettman, NHL will be backCoyotes deal doesn't shut door on Winnipeg
If you haven't seen this article it's worth a look.
Winnipeg Free Press ---"This was never about Winnipeg. This was about Arizona and keeping the Coyotes where they are," said Bettman, in a patient and respectful tone during a short one-on-one interview with the Free Press.When I read this article it appears that the NHL used the city of Winnipeg as a pawn, if there was a threat of having a fall back plan in Winnipeg Bettman could use Winnipeg as leverage to get a deal in Phoenix.
Bettman is predictably single-minded and perhaps a touch disingenuous in this statement. Certainly this was about Winnipeg when the league entered negotiations with True North Sports and Entertainment last spring and came within a day of closing on a relocation sale. Certainly the threat of that sale prodded the people of Glendale to bend and finally kneel at the NHL's feet.
Now before you get all high and mighty and accuse Bettman of using the city of Winnipeg, keep in mind that we went into this thing with our eyes wide open.
There was never a guarantee the NHL would leave Glendale and return to Winnipeg. But we were more than happy to sit in the on-deck circle and hope for the Coyotes to strike out and give the 'Peg another turn at bat.
There are no victims here, except maybe the Glendale taxpayers who were set up by their city managers and then pushed in front of the train by their elected officials.
There's no way the use of 5,500 parking stalls at Jobing.com Arena can cover the cost of issuing $125-million in bonds and the interest that will need to be paid. Maybe in Manhattan but not in the wide open spaces of the southwest.
Where does this leave Winnipeg in terms of chasing an NHL team? In the same place we've been since the building of the MTS Centre and the formation of a partnership between the Chipman and Thomson families. Ready and able should the NHL decide to abandon one of its current markets.
Bettman threw us a bone last spring saying, "Frankly, if we're going to move a franchise, there are a couple of places in Canada that I'd like to give my attention first. I'd like to try and fix something that I wished might not have happened in the first place."
On Tuesday he wasn't so charitable.
"Again, what went on here had nothing to do with Winnipeg," said Bettman. "As of right now we're not expanding or looking to relocate. We're aware of the great interest in Winnipeg. We're appreciative of that but that's not something we're in the position to address right now."
Yes, it's a dirty business and in this exchange Winnipeg was left out in the cold.
Step outside for a minute. We're used to cold and we have the patience to wait for warmer days. We do it every year as summer crawls near. It always comes back.
So too will Gary Bettman and the NHL.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Colton Orr vs Zack Stortini
In case you haven't seen it, this was one of the better hockey fights that I have seen this season Rangers Colton Orr vs Oilers Zack Stortini this was definitely a battle of heavy weights.
Drew Stafford hat trick sinks Bruins...
Leave it to former Fighting Sioux forward Drew Stafford to stick it to my Boston Bruins tonight, Stafford returned from an injury to score a "Hat Trick" and the last two goals of the game. In case you wondering that is MSG voice of the Buffalo Sabres Rick Jeanneret who is one of the best hockey play by play television announcers in the business. Unfortunately, some of my worst Boston Bruins Memories are with Rick Jeanneret at the helm calling the game. My friend Mike once left Rick Jeanneret's call of my Boston Bruins being eliminated in the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs on a goal by former Sabres tough guy Brad May on my answering machine, "May Day, May Day, Brad May...
Former Wild forward Brian Rolston put on waviers by the Devils
Holy Cow the New Jersey Devils are in full meltdown mode. I wonder if the Wild would be interested in picking Brian up? Probably not, the Wild can't afford 5 million a season and they do not have any room under the cap.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Veteran left wing Brian Rolston(notes) has been placed on waivers by the struggling New Jersey Devils.
Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the move after practice on Tuesday.
If Rolston is not claimed by Wednesday at noon, the Devils can either assign him to their AHL team at Albany, N.Y. or keep him on the roster for a game against the Phoenix Coyotes later that night.
The Devils will get no salary cap relief sending the 37-year-old Rolston to the minors. He was over 35-years-old when he signed his contract so his $5 million salary will count against the Devils’ cap whether he plays for them or in the minors.
The only way his salary would come off the cap would be if another team claimed him, and that seems unlikely.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Brad Malone is the WCHA WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Dec. 14, 2010
The Pony Express delivered. Brad Malone had a good week on the score sheet and in the face-off circle and was rewarded for his good play by receiving the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week.
WCHA.COM ---University of North Dakota center iceman Brad Malone, who propelled his team to a pair of come-from-behind conference road victories at Minnesota State last weekend and into first place in the league race, has been named the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Dec. 14, 2010.
A 6-2, 212-pound senior from Miramichi, New Brunswick, Malone led all players with four points and a +4 plus/minus rating in UND's sweep over the host Mavericks, which enabled the Sioux to take over first place in the race for the WCHA regular season title and MacNaughton Cup. In a 4-3 victory last Friday (Dec. 10), Malone matched his career high with three assists, setting up three straight UND goals after his team trailed 2-0. Then last Sunday afternoon (Dec. 12) and with the Sioux trailing 2-1 in the second period, he capped another rally by scoring the game-winning goal at 14:47 to complete the sweep. Malone also earned a +3 in Sunday's game and was named the No. 1 star. In addition to his four points, Malone also won 56.8% (25-of44) of his face-offs in the series.
Alexander Ovechkin and Brandon Dubinsky fight
If you haven't seen this fight it's worth a look, I am not sure the Washington Captials want their top star Alexander Ovechkin fighting on a regular basis. I guess in this case I really don't have a problem with this fight because it is between two "star" players, it's not like Brandon Dubinsky is a Goon, Dubinsky has (14g-13a-27pts) in 32 games and Ovechkin is a well a super star (12g-24a-36pts) in 32 games.
In watching the video it would appear that Ovechkin is a better fighter than Sidney Crosby. Here is a look at the Sidney Crosby - Matt Niskanen fight in case you haven't seen that fight.
A look further at the Strength of Schedule
Here is an interesting conversation that I found on Twitter between Ryan Durling of the Somethings Bruin hockey blog and USCHO Hockey ECAC Blogger Brian Sullivan, the discussion is worth taking a look at, there is some legitimate points brought up by Durling.
The being said, the NCAA Division I Hockey tournament is a tourney that is based on merit you have to be one of the final 16 to make the tourney and your team has to win 4 games to get to the top.
Yeah first let’s compare Strength of Schedule, eight of the ten teams with the toughest Strength of Schedule are in the WCHA and the other two teams are from the Hockey East and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Let’s take a look at the ECAC strength in scheduling or should we say a lack of strength.
The Top Ten Strength of Schedule
North Dakota 1
Bemidji State 2
Denver 3
Michigan Tech 4
Alaska-Anchorage 5
Minnesota-Duluth 6
Boston College 7
Notre Dame 8
Wisconsin 9
St. Cloud State 10
EZAC Strength of Schedule
Rensselaer 21
Brown 22
Yale 29
Dartmouth 33
Union 34
Harvard 35
St. Lawrence 40
Princeton 43
Quinnipiac 44
Cornell 45
Clarkson 46
Colgate 49
In conclusion; I am not saying that the ECAC or the Atlantic Hockey Associations aren’t good hockey leagues, they are the mid majors conferences of college hockey and “a few” of their teams can beat any team from the big three on any given night, but let’s be honest with ourselves, they are not in the same class as the Hockey East, WCHA or CCHA... Let the debate begin.
@SullivanHockey it's tough to credit a team that's played 3/4 the schedule of UNH/BC and almost half as many games as NoDak, Minny, etc.First off, I am glad that someone else is saying these things. This is also one of the reason I am so glad that there isn't a BCS of college hockey, this is not a beauty contest folks where your team loads up on cupcakes and over inflate their stats racking up wins against unimpressive opponents. I am not personally impressed if your team schedules a Sacred Heart and then beats them 8-1. I am more impressed with a game between two teams that play in a tough contested match with the outcome is in doubt till the end of the game.
@SullivanHockey I'd love to, honest. Sadly, they don't dance with Hockey East too much and it's tough to get that far away to see them
@SullivanHockey i'm not an ECAC hater nor a HE homer, lol. Just find it tough to compare the schedules.
@Ryan_Durling And RPI is probably the LEAST impressive of that bunch right now. Really... Yale. Check 'em out, they're crazy fun to watch.
@Ryan_Durling Seriously though, you really ought to watch Yale, Union, Dartmouth & RPI before passing stereotypical judgment on #ECACHockey.
@SullivanHockey I don't deny that they're good teams. RPI looked solid earlier this year and I'm sure they've improved, BUT...
@Ryan_Durling The poll isn't necessarily about who'd beat whom, but who is doing the best they can...which Yale certainly is.
@Ryan_Durling Everyone has his own ballot philosophy, but there's no doubt that Yale's season is the most successful in D-I to date.
The being said, the NCAA Division I Hockey tournament is a tourney that is based on merit you have to be one of the final 16 to make the tourney and your team has to win 4 games to get to the top.
Yeah first let’s compare Strength of Schedule, eight of the ten teams with the toughest Strength of Schedule are in the WCHA and the other two teams are from the Hockey East and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Let’s take a look at the ECAC strength in scheduling or should we say a lack of strength.
The Top Ten Strength of Schedule
North Dakota 1
Bemidji State 2
Denver 3
Michigan Tech 4
Alaska-Anchorage 5
Minnesota-Duluth 6
Boston College 7
Notre Dame 8
Wisconsin 9
St. Cloud State 10
EZAC Strength of Schedule
Rensselaer 21
Brown 22
Yale 29
Dartmouth 33
Union 34
Harvard 35
St. Lawrence 40
Princeton 43
Quinnipiac 44
Cornell 45
Clarkson 46
Colgate 49
In conclusion; I am not saying that the ECAC or the Atlantic Hockey Associations aren’t good hockey leagues, they are the mid majors conferences of college hockey and “a few” of their teams can beat any team from the big three on any given night, but let’s be honest with ourselves, they are not in the same class as the Hockey East, WCHA or CCHA... Let the debate begin.
My first crack at the "what-if"
WCHA Final
Team GP Pts
1. UND 28 48
2. Denver 28 42
3. UMD 28 39
4. UNO 28 34
5. UW 28 32
6. C.C. 28 29
7. UMN 28 28
8. Mankato 28 21
8. SCSU 28 21
10. AA 28 18
10. BSU 28 18
12. MTech 28 6
Here is my first crack at the WCHA standings "what-if" calculator. You can pick your standings by going to this link... [Click to play "What-If"] Also, include your picks if you would like.
Rankings
Here is the rankings comparisons [click to view]
Pairwise rankings [click to view]
NCAA Division I - College Hockey RPI [Click to view]
Team GP Pts
1. UND 28 48
2. Denver 28 42
3. UMD 28 39
4. UNO 28 34
5. UW 28 32
6. C.C. 28 29
7. UMN 28 28
8. Mankato 28 21
8. SCSU 28 21
10. AA 28 18
10. BSU 28 18
12. MTech 28 6
Here is my first crack at the WCHA standings "what-if" calculator. You can pick your standings by going to this link... [Click to play "What-If"] Also, include your picks if you would like.
Rankings
Here is the rankings comparisons [click to view]
Pairwise rankings [click to view]
NCAA Division I - College Hockey RPI [Click to view]
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wheel of Justice rules; Jody Shelley suspended 2 games for hit on Adam McQuaid
I have read that Jody Shelly while one tough hombre is not a dirty player… When I read that he apologized on the ice, I thought that was a class act. Honestly, with Colin Campbell being as erratic as he is, there really is no way of knowing what to expect when the NHL disciplinary makes his rulings…I think a two game suspension is about right.
NHL.Com ---- Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley has been suspended for two games and fined by the NHL for his hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid on Saturday.
Shelley was given a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct 5:08 into the second period after shoving McQuaid while both players were racing for the puck. McQuaid, who just missed hitting the boards head-first, remained on the ice for several minutes before finally being helped off by teammates.
Shelley will forfeit $11,827.96 in salary, which will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
"I mean, I kind of got my hands up, braced myself a little bit, so it ended up not being as bad as I guess it could have been," McQuaid told reporters after the game.
Shelley apologized to McQuaid at the time of the incident and in the hallway outside the dressing rooms. The 24-year-old defenseman did return to the ice in the third period.
"You know, he was saying to me, I could hear him on the ice saying that he didn't mean to, so I guess, I'm not sure if maybe I don't know if he hit a rut or what happened, but he was saying he didn’t mean to," McQuaid said. "When I was coming off the ice, (Shelley) was waiting for me there. He said he was sorry and he didn’t mean to, so I just kind of got to take what he says."
Poll Monday!!! - Sioux 3rd in USCHO and 5th in USA Today...
USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[December 13, 2010]
1 Yale (45) 11-1-0 990 1
2 New Hampshire ( 1) 10-2-4 945 3
3 North Dakota 13-5-2 854 5
4 Minnesota-Duluth ( 2) 12-3-3 853 2
5 Boston College ( 2) 11-5-0 849 4
6 Miami 10-5-3 687 6
7 Denver 12-5-3 660 9
8 Nebraska-Omaha 11-4-1 631 10
9 Maine 8-4-4 589 8
10 Boston University 8-4-5 541 7
11 Michigan 10-5-4 505 12
12 Notre Dame 11-6-2 449 11
12 Union 10-3-3 449 13
14 Rensselaer 9-4-3 367 15
15 Wisconsin 10-7-3 272 16
16 Alaska 9-6-3 255 14
17 Merrimack 7-4-4 197 17
18 Ferris State 9-7-3 121 18
19 Minnesota 9-7-2 92 NR
20 Colorado College 10-7-1 49 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Clarkson 41, Dartmouth 36, Princeton 23, Robert Morris 22, Western Michigan 16, Northern Michigan 3, Providence 2, Minnesota State 1, Niagara 1
____________________________________________
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
[December 13, 2010]
1 Yale University 510 (34) 1 11-1-0
2 University of New Hampshire 458 3 10-2-4
3 University of Minnesota Duluth 418 2 12-3-3
4 Boston College 410 4 11-5-0
5 University of North Dakota 403 5 13-5-2
6 Miami University 306 8 10-5-3
7 University of Denver 273 10 12-5-3
8 University of Nebraska Omaha 261 9 11-4-1
9 University of Maine 218 6 8-4-4
10 Union College 178 13 10-3-3
11 University of Michigan 176 12 10-5-4
12 Boston University 148 7 8-4-5
13 University of Notre Dame 141 11 11-6-2
14 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 107 15 9-4-3
15 University of Wisconsin 31 NR 10-7-3
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska 22, Merrimack College 6, University of Minnesota 6, Ferris State University 3, Robert Morris University 3, Colorado College 1, Dartmouth College 1.
[December 13, 2010]
1 Yale (45) 11-1-0 990 1
2 New Hampshire ( 1) 10-2-4 945 3
3 North Dakota 13-5-2 854 5
4 Minnesota-Duluth ( 2) 12-3-3 853 2
5 Boston College ( 2) 11-5-0 849 4
6 Miami 10-5-3 687 6
7 Denver 12-5-3 660 9
8 Nebraska-Omaha 11-4-1 631 10
9 Maine 8-4-4 589 8
10 Boston University 8-4-5 541 7
11 Michigan 10-5-4 505 12
12 Notre Dame 11-6-2 449 11
12 Union 10-3-3 449 13
14 Rensselaer 9-4-3 367 15
15 Wisconsin 10-7-3 272 16
16 Alaska 9-6-3 255 14
17 Merrimack 7-4-4 197 17
18 Ferris State 9-7-3 121 18
19 Minnesota 9-7-2 92 NR
20 Colorado College 10-7-1 49 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Clarkson 41, Dartmouth 36, Princeton 23, Robert Morris 22, Western Michigan 16, Northern Michigan 3, Providence 2, Minnesota State 1, Niagara 1
____________________________________________
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
[December 13, 2010]
1 Yale University 510 (34) 1 11-1-0
2 University of New Hampshire 458 3 10-2-4
3 University of Minnesota Duluth 418 2 12-3-3
4 Boston College 410 4 11-5-0
5 University of North Dakota 403 5 13-5-2
6 Miami University 306 8 10-5-3
7 University of Denver 273 10 12-5-3
8 University of Nebraska Omaha 261 9 11-4-1
9 University of Maine 218 6 8-4-4
10 Union College 178 13 10-3-3
11 University of Michigan 176 12 10-5-4
12 Boston University 148 7 8-4-5
13 University of Notre Dame 141 11 11-6-2
14 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 107 15 9-4-3
15 University of Wisconsin 31 NR 10-7-3
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska 22, Merrimack College 6, University of Minnesota 6, Ferris State University 3, Robert Morris University 3, Colorado College 1, Dartmouth College 1.
INCH Power Rankings
As always for a good laugh I include the INCH power rankings… Since the Yale Bulldogs don't play till January 2nd the Bulldogs will be at the top of the rankings until after the first of the New Year... Then when Yale resumes play they have a cupcake schedule the rest of the way and they really don’t play anyone except Holy Cross outside of their conference.
1. Yale
2. New Hampshire
3. North Dakota
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. Boston College
6. Maine
7. Nebraska-Omaha
8. Union
9. Michigan
10. Miami
11. Denver
13. Boston University
14. Wisconsin
15. Notre Dame
16. Alaska
17. Merrimack
18. Robert Morris
19. Ferris State
20. Clarkson
Dropped out: Dartmouth
Bubble-licious: Colorado College, Minnesota, Niagara, Princeton
1. Yale
2. New Hampshire
3. North Dakota
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. Boston College
6. Maine
7. Nebraska-Omaha
8. Union
9. Michigan
10. Miami
11. Denver
13. Boston University
14. Wisconsin
15. Notre Dame
16. Alaska
17. Merrimack
18. Robert Morris
19. Ferris State
20. Clarkson
Dropped out: Dartmouth
Bubble-licious: Colorado College, Minnesota, Niagara, Princeton
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Ducks forward Bobby Ryan scores using Mikko Koivu’s stick.
This is one of the most bizarre things I have ever witnessed in hockey. Mikko Koivu takes Bobby Ryan's stick away from him so Ryan returns the favor. I have never seen a player pick up the opponents stick and score with it... Also, the stick has the wrong curve for Ryan as well but he still ends up scoring.
Jody Shelley hit/push on Adam McQuaid
This is the latest hit that will be reviewed by the NHL on Monday morning by Colin Campbell. Flyers tough guy Jody Shelley pushed Adam McQuaid into the end boards and it was an unnecessary and unfortunate hit. I don’t know if Shelly will get a suspension from the NHL because he is not known for being dirty players and apologized for the hit almost immediately.
Sioux rope Mavericks 4-2 end first half with a sweep.
The UND Fighting Sioux are famous for their second half surges under head coach Dave Hakstol and finally end the first half of the season alone in first place in the WCHA. It will be interesting to see if they can put the rest of the league in the rear view mirror during the second half of the season. I think there is a lot of potential to even get better because I don’t think UND has played it’s best hockey so far to date, they are still making crucial mistakes that elite teams shouldn’t make.
The Sioux also need to get more of their players scoring and can't just rely on the Pony Express to get the job done. Hopefully the Fighting Sioux can get Jason Gregoire and Brett Hextall back for the second half run and get them clicking on the power play again, both players have missed the last four games.
If UND can solidify their goaltending and cut down on the turnovers in the neutral and defensive zones I think they could make a run to the Frozen Four and finally get that elusive 8th national title. This team has played the best during the first half of the season during Dave Hakstol's reign.
Got away with two this weekend
I think UND played well in stretches but it wasn’t their best hockey of the season this weekend. Sweep at home and split on the road, frankly they got the sweep and that’s good, doesn’t hurt to get the breaks going your way. Personally, I don’t think MSU-M is an elite team and the Mavericks will finish somewhere in the middle to lower rung of the WCHA standings. Currently the Mavericks are tied for eighth place with 10 points. The Mavericks are a tough team that has decent speed and above average defensive corps. Kurt Davis is one of the better defenseman in the WCHA and is always a threat to score; fortunately, the Sioux were able to hold him to one point on the weekend.
Goon's three stars of the game
1.) Matt Frattin (1g-0a-1pts)
2.) Evan Trupp (1g-0a-1pts)
3.) Brad Malone (1g-0-1pts)
[Box Score for the game]
Here are some stats for the first half of the season
The Sioux are 13-5-2 to start the season, that is the best start in seven seasons under Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol. The Sioux are in first place in the WCHA with 22 points.
The Sioux have record of 7-1-0 for conference games on the road. The Sioux have a record of 8-3-1 on the road to start the season. The Sioux have a record of 5-2-1 at home. The Sioux have a non-conference record of 2-2-2 and have three more nonconference games this season.
UND Fighting Sioux have a record of 6-0-1 against unranked teams and a record of 7-5-1 against ranked teams and a record of 6-3-1 against ranked teams in the WCHA.
The Sioux have a 5-0-1 record on Olympic ice, 7-5-2 on NHL ice.
10-0-1 when scoring 4+ goals this season and the Sioux have scored 5 or more goals six times.
Sioux have a killed 87.3 % of the penalties that they have taken; tops in the WCHA.
Four of the top five scorers for the Sioux are seniors.
Aaron Dell is still leading the WCHA in GAA with a 1.94 average.
Matt Frattin is first in the Nation with 17 goals and second in the WCHA with 12 goals. Jason Zucker from DU is leading the WCHA with 13 goals.
Chay Genoway is first in the WCHA for scoring by defenseman 3g-11a-14pts
The Fighting Sioux offense is second in the WCHA scoring 3.43 goals per game.
Sioux Defense is top in the WCHA giving up 2.21 goals per game. [Click for stats]
The Sioux also need to get more of their players scoring and can't just rely on the Pony Express to get the job done. Hopefully the Fighting Sioux can get Jason Gregoire and Brett Hextall back for the second half run and get them clicking on the power play again, both players have missed the last four games.
If UND can solidify their goaltending and cut down on the turnovers in the neutral and defensive zones I think they could make a run to the Frozen Four and finally get that elusive 8th national title. This team has played the best during the first half of the season during Dave Hakstol's reign.
Got away with two this weekend
I think UND played well in stretches but it wasn’t their best hockey of the season this weekend. Sweep at home and split on the road, frankly they got the sweep and that’s good, doesn’t hurt to get the breaks going your way. Personally, I don’t think MSU-M is an elite team and the Mavericks will finish somewhere in the middle to lower rung of the WCHA standings. Currently the Mavericks are tied for eighth place with 10 points. The Mavericks are a tough team that has decent speed and above average defensive corps. Kurt Davis is one of the better defenseman in the WCHA and is always a threat to score; fortunately, the Sioux were able to hold him to one point on the weekend.
Goon's three stars of the game
1.) Matt Frattin (1g-0a-1pts)
2.) Evan Trupp (1g-0a-1pts)
3.) Brad Malone (1g-0-1pts)
[Box Score for the game]
Here are some stats for the first half of the season
The Sioux are 13-5-2 to start the season, that is the best start in seven seasons under Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol. The Sioux are in first place in the WCHA with 22 points.
The Sioux have record of 7-1-0 for conference games on the road. The Sioux have a record of 8-3-1 on the road to start the season. The Sioux have a record of 5-2-1 at home. The Sioux have a non-conference record of 2-2-2 and have three more nonconference games this season.
UND Fighting Sioux have a record of 6-0-1 against unranked teams and a record of 7-5-1 against ranked teams and a record of 6-3-1 against ranked teams in the WCHA.
The Sioux have a 5-0-1 record on Olympic ice, 7-5-2 on NHL ice.
10-0-1 when scoring 4+ goals this season and the Sioux have scored 5 or more goals six times.
Sioux have a killed 87.3 % of the penalties that they have taken; tops in the WCHA.
Four of the top five scorers for the Sioux are seniors.
Aaron Dell is still leading the WCHA in GAA with a 1.94 average.
Matt Frattin is first in the Nation with 17 goals and second in the WCHA with 12 goals. Jason Zucker from DU is leading the WCHA with 13 goals.
Chay Genoway is first in the WCHA for scoring by defenseman 3g-11a-14pts
The Fighting Sioux offense is second in the WCHA scoring 3.43 goals per game.
Sioux Defense is top in the WCHA giving up 2.21 goals per game. [Click for stats]
Redwing77's Fan Behavior Rant and PR Fiasco
Ok, not related to Sioux hockey. Not even related to the NHL Interests of Goon (Boston), the region (Minnesota), or me (Detroit). This relates to the game I'm just watching right now on NHL Network: The NY Rangers vs. the Washington Capitols.
The game was out of hand. The Rangers were winning 6-0. Semin shoots the puck and hits Ovechkin in the knee. He goes down. THE CROWD CHEERS.
Ok, you know what? I boo every time Ovechkin and Crosby touch the puck. I boo ESPN and NHL Network every time they say their names. But cheering when one gets injured? I don't think that's classy... at least in that context. I cheer Pittsburgh without Crosby and Washington without Ovechkin because it forces the commentators are forced to NOT cream their shorts every time those two step on the ice. In other words, they're forced to recognize that these teams and the NHL are more than these two players (great or otherwise).
I'm sick as all get out of "Sid the Kid" or "Alexander the Great" or their newest incarnation: "The Great Eight." It's like calling LeBron "King James." King James is a version of the Bible. King James wasn't a basketball player.
It's never appropriate to cheer an injury. Injuries suck. There were some DU trolls on USCHO.com Fan Forum back when Paukovich hit Bina that gloated about it. Those people drove us UND fans nuts. I guess the scale of this one really set me off. The WHOLE ARENA cheered!!!!
On the flip side, like I hinted at above, I'm finding myself somewhat sympathetic. I can't be the only one who is simply sick to his stomach over the fact that the NHL seems to be Crosby and Ovechkin and nothing else. It's no wonder why they do little to promote the league and their televised games unless either the Capitols or the Penguins are one of the two teams playing. It seems often enough that the other teams in the NHL are afterthoughts. After Ovechkin got injured, the analysts went on and on about how the Great Eight got injured and this and that and seemed to be crying over how the Rangers fans could possibly fail to see how awesome Ovechkin is and become rabid fans of his. The commentators simply can't get it into their heads that no matter how good Ovechkin and Crosby are, they're still going to love their teams more. They'll nod and say "Yeah, they're pretty good," but they won't get all heavy breathing over them. It's almost as if you aren't their fans, you're obviously a clueless fan.
There's now a DVD being put out about Ovechkin! The height of egotism! But, hey, let Bettman pave the road towards the NHL's demise. No, not many in the front office would acknowledge such a thought because the NHL has been on a slight upward trend lately. They'd probably cite Crosby and Ovechkin as two of the reasons. But people don't see the long term big picture here. Bettman is carbon copying his mentor, David Stern (or maybe its his predecessor). The NHL and Crosby/Ovechkin absolutely REEKS of the NBA and Michael Jordan. Now... look at the trend. What happened to the NBA when Jordan retired?
The NBA went down the toilet. Why? Because their only recognizable player was gone. Now, look at what is happening with Crosby and Ovechkin. It's a few years away, sure, but what are you seeing the NHL doing to promote the league outside of Crosby and Ovechkin hype? Very little, if anything. So, when Crosby and Ovechkin depart the NHL, do you think the NHL will continue to trend upward? Will the popularity even out? Nope. I predict that the NHL will decline back into the irrelevance produced by the lockout. And the NHL is STILL recovering from that.
The NHL needs to do more to promote THE LEAGUE and all of its players rather than a select few. It's a tough proposition, for sure, but gimmick games and the Dynamic Duo isn't going to do it. ESPN is at the level of caring that they don't even bother to have the anchor people even study the basics of hockey. Hockey isn't relevant to ESPN and that's a direct statement towards the state of the game. Bettman isn't doing it. He thinks of us as no better than the NBA. Perhaps we can not hope to be more popular than the NBA overall and we definitely will not overtake Football, but we should try like hell to promote at every level. We should be trying to make some players from EVERY team visible to at least their regional fan base. We should have commentators that spend as much time ranting and raving praises towards players ON the ice as they do Crosby and Ovechkin. We should be pushing that EVERY team in the NHL is important, not just Pittsburgh or Washington. Oh, and by the way, it's not because a Red Wing is also mentioned as an "and by the way"
The game was out of hand. The Rangers were winning 6-0. Semin shoots the puck and hits Ovechkin in the knee. He goes down. THE CROWD CHEERS.
Ok, you know what? I boo every time Ovechkin and Crosby touch the puck. I boo ESPN and NHL Network every time they say their names. But cheering when one gets injured? I don't think that's classy... at least in that context. I cheer Pittsburgh without Crosby and Washington without Ovechkin because it forces the commentators are forced to NOT cream their shorts every time those two step on the ice. In other words, they're forced to recognize that these teams and the NHL are more than these two players (great or otherwise).
I'm sick as all get out of "Sid the Kid" or "Alexander the Great" or their newest incarnation: "The Great Eight." It's like calling LeBron "King James." King James is a version of the Bible. King James wasn't a basketball player.
It's never appropriate to cheer an injury. Injuries suck. There were some DU trolls on USCHO.com Fan Forum back when Paukovich hit Bina that gloated about it. Those people drove us UND fans nuts. I guess the scale of this one really set me off. The WHOLE ARENA cheered!!!!
On the flip side, like I hinted at above, I'm finding myself somewhat sympathetic. I can't be the only one who is simply sick to his stomach over the fact that the NHL seems to be Crosby and Ovechkin and nothing else. It's no wonder why they do little to promote the league and their televised games unless either the Capitols or the Penguins are one of the two teams playing. It seems often enough that the other teams in the NHL are afterthoughts. After Ovechkin got injured, the analysts went on and on about how the Great Eight got injured and this and that and seemed to be crying over how the Rangers fans could possibly fail to see how awesome Ovechkin is and become rabid fans of his. The commentators simply can't get it into their heads that no matter how good Ovechkin and Crosby are, they're still going to love their teams more. They'll nod and say "Yeah, they're pretty good," but they won't get all heavy breathing over them. It's almost as if you aren't their fans, you're obviously a clueless fan.
There's now a DVD being put out about Ovechkin! The height of egotism! But, hey, let Bettman pave the road towards the NHL's demise. No, not many in the front office would acknowledge such a thought because the NHL has been on a slight upward trend lately. They'd probably cite Crosby and Ovechkin as two of the reasons. But people don't see the long term big picture here. Bettman is carbon copying his mentor, David Stern (or maybe its his predecessor). The NHL and Crosby/Ovechkin absolutely REEKS of the NBA and Michael Jordan. Now... look at the trend. What happened to the NBA when Jordan retired?
The NBA went down the toilet. Why? Because their only recognizable player was gone. Now, look at what is happening with Crosby and Ovechkin. It's a few years away, sure, but what are you seeing the NHL doing to promote the league outside of Crosby and Ovechkin hype? Very little, if anything. So, when Crosby and Ovechkin depart the NHL, do you think the NHL will continue to trend upward? Will the popularity even out? Nope. I predict that the NHL will decline back into the irrelevance produced by the lockout. And the NHL is STILL recovering from that.
The NHL needs to do more to promote THE LEAGUE and all of its players rather than a select few. It's a tough proposition, for sure, but gimmick games and the Dynamic Duo isn't going to do it. ESPN is at the level of caring that they don't even bother to have the anchor people even study the basics of hockey. Hockey isn't relevant to ESPN and that's a direct statement towards the state of the game. Bettman isn't doing it. He thinks of us as no better than the NBA. Perhaps we can not hope to be more popular than the NBA overall and we definitely will not overtake Football, but we should try like hell to promote at every level. We should be trying to make some players from EVERY team visible to at least their regional fan base. We should have commentators that spend as much time ranting and raving praises towards players ON the ice as they do Crosby and Ovechkin. We should be pushing that EVERY team in the NHL is important, not just Pittsburgh or Washington. Oh, and by the way, it's not because a Red Wing is also mentioned as an "and by the way"
Sioux and Mavericks deuce
The lines have been posted for today's game. Sophomore Joe Gleason is in and Brent Davidson is out of the line up. The WCHA GAA leader Aaron Dell will be in net again this afternoon for the Fighting Sioux. The Purple cows from Mankato will be going with Austin Lee in net.
UND’s lines
19 Evan Trupp–22 Brad Malone–21 Matt Frattin
25 Jake Marto–10 Corban Knight–7 Danny Kristo
11 Derek Rodwell–9 Mario Lamoureux–27 Carter Rowney
8 Mike Cichy–29 Brock Nelson–20 Joe Gleason
24 Ben Blood–5 Chay Genoway
2 Andrew MacWilliam–4 Derek Forbort
3 Derrick LaPoint–18 Dillon Simpson
32 Aaron Dell
31 Brad Eidsness
[link to the stats]
MSU-Mankato’s lines
23 Michael Dorr–9 Mike Louwerse–25 Eriah Hayes
29 Eli Zuck–12 Rylan Galiardi–11 Corey Leivermann
15 J.P. Burkemper–19 Zach Lehrke–14 Justin Jokinen
24 Adam Mueller–26 Joe Schiller–7 John McInnis
16 Tyler Elbrecht–5 Ben Youds
28 Channing Boe–22 Kurt Davis
3 Cameron Cooper–17 Evan Mosey
1 Austin Lee
30 Phil Cook
35 Evan Karambelas
[link to MSUM stats]
UND’s lines
19 Evan Trupp–22 Brad Malone–21 Matt Frattin
25 Jake Marto–10 Corban Knight–7 Danny Kristo
11 Derek Rodwell–9 Mario Lamoureux–27 Carter Rowney
8 Mike Cichy–29 Brock Nelson–20 Joe Gleason
24 Ben Blood–5 Chay Genoway
2 Andrew MacWilliam–4 Derek Forbort
3 Derrick LaPoint–18 Dillon Simpson
32 Aaron Dell
31 Brad Eidsness
[link to the stats]
MSU-Mankato’s lines
23 Michael Dorr–9 Mike Louwerse–25 Eriah Hayes
29 Eli Zuck–12 Rylan Galiardi–11 Corey Leivermann
15 J.P. Burkemper–19 Zach Lehrke–14 Justin Jokinen
24 Adam Mueller–26 Joe Schiller–7 John McInnis
16 Tyler Elbrecht–5 Ben Youds
28 Channing Boe–22 Kurt Davis
3 Cameron Cooper–17 Evan Mosey
1 Austin Lee
30 Phil Cook
35 Evan Karambelas
[link to MSUM stats]
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Bruins trade Sturm to L.A. for 'nothing'...
The Boston Bruins needed to clear some cap space and they did so by trading one of their best defensive forwards Marco Sturm for future considerations to the L.A. Kings.
BOSTON, MA – Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that Boston has traded forward Marco Sturm to the Los Angeles Kings for future considerations. The trade is contingent upon Sturm passing a physical conducted by Los Angeles’ medical staff.I have seen where some think that the Boston Bruins will probably get some thing like a fifth round draft choice for the German. In my opinion the Bruins basically get nothing in return for him for a guy that scored 187 points in 300+ games. I would think the Bruins could have gotten something for a guy that scores 20 goals a season on a consistent basis.
2010-11 marked Sturm’s 14th NHL season and sixth with the Bruins. The Dingolfing, Germany native is a veteran of 855 NHL games with 234 goals, 232 assists and 466 points and is the NHL’s all-time leader in those categories for German-born players.
In his Bruins career, the 32-year-old skated in 302 games with 106 goals and 87 assists for 193 points. He began this season on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in Game One of the Bruins/Flyers Eastern Conference Semifinal series on Saturday, May 1, 2010.
The 21st overall pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Sturm was acquired by the Bruins from San Jose with Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart for Joe Thornton on November 30, 2005.
The Sky is the limit for the Sioux in 2011...
I have dusted off an old tweet by Jayson Hajdu that he posted last January 12th. So I updated his numbers.
@UNDSID Jayson Hajdu --- UND is 49-36-9 before Christmas under Hakstol and 84-33-14 after. In 07-08, the Sioux won an amazing 20 games after the break.So as of today the Sioux are now 61-41-11 before Christmas under Head Coach Dave Hakstol. With an impressive record in the first half of the season and the Sioux being a traditionally strong team in the second half the sky is the limit for this squad.
Sioux and Mavericks postponed till tomorrow
Well it's now official according to the MSU-M SID.
Mankato, Minn. --- Officials have announced that due to severe weather conditions in south central Minnesota, the Minnesota State vs. University of North Dakota men's hockey game, originally to be played Saturday beginning at 7:07 p.m., will now be played Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
The decision was made jointly after discussions were held with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association office and athletic administrators from both schools.
Linus Omark shootout goal
Check out this goal by Linus Omark the rookie from Sweden was playing in his first NHL game and he scored this highlight goal beauty to help the Edmonton Oilers win the shootout against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
Saturday Morning pontifications...
Edit: With his 16 goal of the season Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin is the leading goal scorer in the NCAA and second in the WCHA as well. Jason Zucker of Denver University has the leads the WCHA with 14 goals. As I mentioned last night, Frattin has 44 goals, 39 assist for 83 points for his career. Baring injury or some unforeseen issue; it's not a stretch that Matt Frattin will probably reach 100 points for his career if he stays on his current pace, as of right now he only need 17 points to break the 100 point mark.
Chay Genoway is regaining his scoring touch as leads all defenseman in the WCHA with (3g-10a-13pts).
Sophomore defenseman Aaron Dell is leading the WCHA with a 1.93.
Ryan Cardinal from Gopher Puck Live talks about college hockey on KFAN yesterday. [Click to listen]
Tonight's hockey game between the Minnesota Gophers and the Bulldogs has been postponed till tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
Due to the severe weather in the Twin Cities area, the men's hockey game scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight has been postpned. The game has been rescheduled for 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12. Saturday tickets are good for Sunday.
Sounds like the Phoenix Coyotes might not become the Winnipeg Jets after all. Apparently they actually found someone stupid enough to buy the Coyotes and keep them in the Desert.
Coyotes suitor may get $100M Glendale deal covers most of team's price [Winnipeg Free Press]
THN.com Blog: Potential new owner doesn't make Phoenix a hockey market [Hockey News]
Former Michigan Wolverine defenseman Steven Kampfer will be making his second NHL start with the Boston Bruins. [Bruins Hockey Blog]
Tonight there is a silent auction taking place before and during the game. It's located on the 1st level of the Verizon Center in a banquet room. Make sure to check it out! There will be lots of hockey gear (including Sioux stuff.....like a Team USA Parise jersey!). The auction is being held by a family of a young hockey player that died from Leukemia several years ago. The money raised goes towards scholarships for kids to play hockey and juvenile cancer research. It's a great cause people, so I want to see all of you there and bidding on stuff! In addition to hockey items there will be lots of other stuff, like Twins tickets. Come check it out, it's a great place to pick up some nice Christmas presents! Help me get the word out on Sioux Sports and with other Sioux fans about the auction.
Former UND defenseman Matt Green is a shot blocking machine for the LA Kings.
Mentality Key In Getting The Greene Light To Block Shots [NHL.COM]
There has been some discussion about the Frattin hit on Andrew Sackrison. While as I mentioned earlier the video sucked it didn't appear to be a dirty hit. Here is what the Mankato beat writer Puckato had to say on the hit...
Notes: The Mavericks lost Andrew Sackrison for the game when he was hit by Frattin in the first period. Frattin was called for interference on the play. Sackrison received 10 stitches on his chin. No word on his return for Saturday. ... WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod attended the game.Just for the record not every big hit or hit that results in a penalty where someone is hurt, shaken up is going to lead to a suspension or should it. I am afraid that the refs are going to call five minute penalties and a game misconduct every time someone is laid out on the ice with a vicious check.
Here is the Strength of Schedule rankings for games to date. Eight of the top ten teams are from the WCHA.
North Dakota 1 245.3
Bemidji State 2 230.9
Denver 3 205.0
Michigan Tech 4 197.7
Alaska-Anchorage 5 183.9
Minnesota-Duluth 6 182.9
Boston College 7 174.3
Notre Dame 8 173.9
Wisconsin 9 172.6
St. Cloud State 10 162.1
Yale 31 112.5
Sioux Hockey is the Biggest Joke on Earth!! (by LGM)- UPDATED!!
Nice title, huh? I totally did that to make fans mad so they would click on my post for sure:) I have some important information to get out to the Sioux fans attending tonight's game. Tonight there is a silent auction taking place before and during the game. It's located on the 1st level of the Verizon Center in a banquet room. Make sure to check it out! There will be lots of hockey gear (including Sioux stuff.....like a Team USA Parise jersey!). The auction is being held by a family of a young hockey player that died from Leukemia several years ago. The money raised goes towards scholarships for kids to play hockey and juvenile cancer research. It's a great cause people, so I want to see all of you there and bidding on stuff! In addition to hockey items there will be lots of other stuff, like Twins tickets. Come check it out, it's a great place to pick up some nice Christmas presents! Help me get the word out on Sioux Sports and with other Sioux fans about the auction.
Speaking of the auction, I'm thining of stealing my friend's game worn Marvin jersey for Sioux fans to bid on....since I know many of them would want it and wear it with PRIDE!! :) It's the one in the picture on this post...fancy, huh?
Ok, now that I hopefully got your attention about the auction I'll move onto a game summary.
So, the Mavs lost 4-3. It was a way closer game. Really, the Mavs played with or at times better than the Sioux for all but 7 minutes of the game. Of course in the 7 minutes the Sioux took advantage of the Mavs.
I was completely shocked when the Mavs scored first and then almost fell over when they had a 2-0 lead. Of course that meant "Ole Bitch!" text messages to Goon. Gotta rub it in, since I knew it wouldn't last.
For the most part the game was pretty clean. There were a few cheap shots from the usual Sioux suspects (MacWilliam & Blood) and some scrum going on. Oddly the Mav mixing it up with them was Ben Youds. That's very unlike him so obviously the Sioux were getting under Youds' skin...so that could make tonight's game interesting.
The only play I had a real issue with was when Frattin did a dirty hit on Andy Sackrison. The refs called it interference, which it so was not. However, we all know the refs never get the calls right. I haven't heard an update on Sackrison but I have a feeling he'll be out of tonight's game. This makes LGM a very unhappy gal, since she's a big Sackrison fan. Dirty little Frattin. I should go find him and kick his butt!
Of course Lammy was up to his typical jawjacking and cheap hits after the whistle. If our student section really knew details of hockey they would chant "Brad Miller Time Sucks!" and have signs just to annoy that kid. However, that would require knowing about hockey and not beer!!
Let's see...what else to summarize? Perhaps I should have written this last night when it was all fresh in my mind! Um, well the reffing....well, wasn't BAD. That's saying a lot. Of course they missed some stuff and called some BS calls each way but overall didn't do a horrid job. That's good because it made for a good hockey game that wasn't stop and go and overly dirty.
So, we'll see what tonight brings. I'm not really expecting the Mavs to win but if they play like last night, it's possible. To win though they need to do two things different, not let Genoway skate circles around them and not let big ass Sioux players camp out in front of Cook. I hate when they let players camp out in front of the goalie. Ugh! For some reason the Mav D always let the other teams do that. It's GOT to stop. That's exactly why the Sioux got a couple of goals. It's damn hard to see with some big dude in front of you!
Ok, that's all I have for today.....GO MAVS!
Ok, now that I hopefully got your attention about the auction I'll move onto a game summary.
So, the Mavs lost 4-3. It was a way closer game. Really, the Mavs played with or at times better than the Sioux for all but 7 minutes of the game. Of course in the 7 minutes the Sioux took advantage of the Mavs.
I was completely shocked when the Mavs scored first and then almost fell over when they had a 2-0 lead. Of course that meant "Ole Bitch!" text messages to Goon. Gotta rub it in, since I knew it wouldn't last.
For the most part the game was pretty clean. There were a few cheap shots from the usual Sioux suspects (MacWilliam & Blood) and some scrum going on. Oddly the Mav mixing it up with them was Ben Youds. That's very unlike him so obviously the Sioux were getting under Youds' skin...so that could make tonight's game interesting.
The only play I had a real issue with was when Frattin did a dirty hit on Andy Sackrison. The refs called it interference, which it so was not. However, we all know the refs never get the calls right. I haven't heard an update on Sackrison but I have a feeling he'll be out of tonight's game. This makes LGM a very unhappy gal, since she's a big Sackrison fan. Dirty little Frattin. I should go find him and kick his butt!
Of course Lammy was up to his typical jawjacking and cheap hits after the whistle. If our student section really knew details of hockey they would chant "Brad Miller Time Sucks!" and have signs just to annoy that kid. However, that would require knowing about hockey and not beer!!
Let's see...what else to summarize? Perhaps I should have written this last night when it was all fresh in my mind! Um, well the reffing....well, wasn't BAD. That's saying a lot. Of course they missed some stuff and called some BS calls each way but overall didn't do a horrid job. That's good because it made for a good hockey game that wasn't stop and go and overly dirty.
So, we'll see what tonight brings. I'm not really expecting the Mavs to win but if they play like last night, it's possible. To win though they need to do two things different, not let Genoway skate circles around them and not let big ass Sioux players camp out in front of Cook. I hate when they let players camp out in front of the goalie. Ugh! For some reason the Mav D always let the other teams do that. It's GOT to stop. That's exactly why the Sioux got a couple of goals. It's damn hard to see with some big dude in front of you!
Ok, that's all I have for today.....GO MAVS!
Oh and for the Sioux fans (ahem, GOON!) that think the Frattin hit was clean on Sackrison, Sackrison got 10 stitches in his chin from the hit to the head. Really clean there buddy! Don't be surprised if he gets a suspension for it, as McLeod is at the games this weekend and watching things. Ya know, if you can't get it right the first time let the bigger dumbass come in and hand out punishment later!
Sioux 4 Purple Cows 3
Thanks to B2tvNetwork I was able to see the game, for this I am very thankful. Thanks to B2tvNetwork, the broadcast wasn't very good, you really couldn't see the puck or the numbers on the players very well. From what I could deduced from the broadcast it also looked like the ice wasn't very good tonight as well, the puck appeared to be bouncing and the players from both teams looked like they were tripping over the blue lines.
It would be an understatement if I said that the Fighting Sioux came out sluggish to start the first period of tonight's game. The Sioux got behind early as the Mavericks forward Eriah Hayes score just 48 seconds into the first period. Things weren’t looking much better as the Mavericks senior defenseman Kurt Davis followed up the Hayes goal his 5th goal of the year at the 6:47 mark of the first period.
The Mavericks then took three straight untimely penalties and the Sioux finally cashed in on a 6 on 4 power play with a goal by senior defenseman Chay Genoway at 19:16 mark of the first period. From there the Fighting Sioux were out shot and out played in the second period by the Mavericks before the Sioux finally got their feet moving and methodically took over the game and scored three more goals in the third period. Mankato scored late in the game to make it close at 4-3 but couldn't get the game tying goal.
Fast start for the Sioux?
With the win the Fighting Sioux are temporarily in first place in the WCHA standings. Also, with the win the Sioux have one of the best start under head hockey coach Dave Hakstol.
Matt Frattin on Fire
Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin has been on fire since the second game of the Wisconsin series in Madison, Wisconsin on November 13th, 2010. Frattin has scored (8g-7a-15pts) in eight games. Frattin now has (44g-39a-83pts) for his career and has a chance a good chance of cracking the 100 point mark for his career if he keeps playing at this pace.
[Official Box Score]
Goon's three stars of the game
1.) Matt Frattin, UND (1g-2a-3pts)
2.) Brad Malone, UND (0g-2a-2pts)
3.) Corbin Knight, UND (0g-2a-2pts)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)