The Sky is falling in Grand Forks, ND – Time to fire the coach?!?

Here is a better version of that song. [Bad Day]

In Blais we trust

Last night the UND Fighting Sioux hockey team played the UNO Mavericks which are coached by former UND Fighting Sioux Head Dean Blais. The Mavericks got the best of the Fighting Sioux in the first game of the series winning by an 8-4 score. This result of last night’s game has caused a chain reaction in Grand Forks, ND and around the Fighting Sioux hockey nation and today “some” Sioux fans want head hockey coach Dave Hakstol fired. Yeah I am serious!!!

It’s no mystery that Dean Blais is a “God like” figure in Grand Forks, ND and his record speaks for himself, Blais was responsible for bringing the UND hockey program out of the basement of the WCHA and back into national prominence winning national titles in 1997 and 2000. Blais is a great hockey coach in my opinion; I believe that Dean Blais will someday be in the USA Hockey Hall of Fame, based on his accomplishments as a player and a coach.

After winning a McNaughton Cup and then losing to Denver University in the 2004 West NCAA Regional Final, Dean Blais left the University of North Dakota and headed to the NHL to become an assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets, after a couple of seasons in the NHL Dean Blais moved on to coach a first year USHL team the Fargo Force in 2008-2009. True to form, Blais took a first year team to the USHL finals where his team finished second in the USHL playoffs. After one season in the USHL, the University of Nebraska Omaha was looking for a top flight coach and made Fargo Force head coach Dean Blais an offer he couldn’t refuse, I read somewhere that the salary offered was somewhere in the 250,000.00 range so off to Omaha coach Blais went. True to form Coach Blais gided his Maverick team to a 20-16-6 record, after his first year in the CCHA and the Mavericks moved to the WCHA with the BSU Beavers and coach Blais has the UNO Mavericks playing well sitting in fourth place of the WCHA with a 13-8-2 record over all and a conference record of 10-5-2.

Hakstol era

When Blais left the University of North Dakota he gave UND Fighting Sioux assistant coach Dave Hakstol his personal endorsement, basically saying that the University doesn’t need to look outside for a new head coach because they already have his replacement on staff at UND.

During his tenure at UND Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol has racked up an impressive record of 172-91-26 and a conference record of 104-63-18. The Sioux under coach Hakstol have finished as the NCAA runner up (1X), third overall (3X) , (2x) Broadmoor trophies and (1X) McNaughton Cup. In his first four seasons coach Hakstol was very successful going to the Frozen Four each seasons, but falling short each year by never winning the National title, during that run Hakstol’s teams lost to once to Denver and three times to Boston College. So by most people’s standards that’s been a pretty good run for the Fighting Sioux but for the Debbie Downers "we didn’t win the big game." I always wonder what it's like to be an SCSU, MTU or UAA fan?

Fans with pitch forks and rakes to storm REA

So last night the Sioux took one on the chin and lost the game 8-4 to the UNO Mavericks lead by Dean Blais, the game was a night mare and everything that could have went wrong did, it was one of those games where one team has been doing well in the standings and was prime for the picking. Coach Blais’ team was all over UND and you could say that they beat the Sioux at their own game, the Mavericks played a high pressure game and sent two fore checkers in on the Sioux. This threw the Sioux off their game and the Sioux also had trouble getting the puck deep and fought turnovers all night long. The Sioux also had to kill off like three five on threes last night and that even further derailed the Sioux effort, the defense and both Sioux goalies looked like they were a bunch of orange road cones that were caught out of position all night long. The spelled disaster for the Fighting Sioux.

Over on the UND Hockey Blog and Sioux Sports some Sioux fans have been calling for the head of Dave Hakstol and would like to see him fired. Are you kidding me? The University of North Dakota is not going to fire Dave Hakstol unless he does something really stupid or criminal. Let's not bail on this team yet, it was one game and there is a lot of season left.

Dominic Moore's shootout goal... You make the call...

This the shootout goal that everyone is talking about today. It appears from watching video that the former Harvard Crimson and current Lightning forward Dominic Moore's shootout goal shouldn't have counted because it was scored on a rebound, this is against the NHL rules. It's incidents like this that make people cool to the shootout.

Sioux 4 Mavericks 8 Ouch!

JOHN STENNES/GRAND FORKS HERALD

What’s a blog post without a Friedrich Nietzsche Quote - That which does not kill us makes us stronger… Well, maybe not! I am sure right now Rival fans across the country are enjoying the fact that the Fighting Sioux lost tonight to the UNO Mavericks 8-4, however, it’s not the end of the world and there is no reason to get our pitch forks and rakes and march on Ralph Englestad Arena just yet. For the Sioux fans that are ready to call for Coach Hakstol's head the University of North Dakota is not going to fire coach Hakstol and the Sioux are still sitting pretty good with an 17-7-2 record. While this was the worst loss since the Sioux lost 10-1 to the Gophers on March 6th 1992 there will be better days and I think this team is something special.

I have been watching the replay of the game to see if it was as bad as it looked from the stands and unfortunately it was. Tonight was not a good game for the Fighting Sioux; in my opinion the Fighting Sioux got beat at their own game, they were out muscled and out hustled to the puck all night long. One might say that the Fighting Sioux were run out of their own building by a more motivated hockey team.

This was also a case of the Fighting Sioux not playing well for the last four games and it finally caught up with them causing them lay a steamy stinker on the ice tonight and there is no sugar coating it, they played like dog crap. I can think of a 1000 sports clichés to describe tonight’s game but the plain and simple explanation was that the Fighting Sioux came out flat and the Mavericks hammered them, it is what it is. The UNO Mavericks are a good hockey team and they are coached by a future hall of fame coach they had the right game plan tonight.

After the game during the post game radio interview with Tim Hennesy Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol took the blame for the loss but I think we can lay the blame at the players feet, coach Hakstol wasn’t out on the ice taking undisciplined penalties that cost the Sioux five power play goals on seven power play chances. Coach Hakstol said the same thing in this morning's paper.

We weren’t good and that starts with me,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “Bottom line. That’s where it starts. That’s where it ends.

“The difference in the game was that we weren’t ready to play tonight. I didn’t have the guys ready to play. Saw a few signs of it early in the week. We weren’t ready to play. We didn’t prepare well enough and you saw the results.”

It’s one loss and I am not ready to write off the season or call for the university to fire the head coach yet. It’s time for some perspective, the Fighting Sioux have a 17-7-2 record and have played the toughest schedule to date in NCAA hockey, and they didn’t rack up 17 wins playing the weak sisters of the poor or by beating non-conference cupcakes. I have also been reading the comments on the UND Athletics chat from earlier tonight and I must laugh, The Mavericks were the better of the two teams and they jumped on the loose pucks and capitalized on the turnovers and buried the Sioux on the power play going 5/7 tonight.

[Box Score]

USCHO

UND Hockey Blog

Fighting Sioux

Omaha.com

What does it take to be a ref? (by Sioux 7)

I think I'm going to write the wcha and/or und tomorrow and ask how I become a ref, since the ncaa is NOT in charge of reffing.

This is from the ncaa.com website:

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/sports+and+championship/ice+hockey/womens/playing+rules/officiating

Officials are selected, trained and assigned by conferences, institutions or local assigning authorities. The NCAA selects officials for championships only and does not certify officials. For more information, contact a conference office or institution in your area for the name of a local assigner.

I bet if I red more of the rule book tomorrow, I would be better educated than all the refs in the WCHA.

I'm not a lawyer but I have dealt with laws and legislation before. There is the "what the law reads" and how the "law is interpreted" and what the "spirit of the law" is. So, depending on how you decipher that quote from the ncaa, it can be red a couple of different ways.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, and I am. But why did the league take the names off the refs and linesmens jersey's? Did they all enlist in the witness protection program. I know, what your thinking how can they be in that program, since it seems that they haven't witnessed anything :)

If the ncaa only selects officials for championships, why not get some pro's? You know like NHL refs or AHL refs or ECHL or why not USHL or even NAHL refs?

Also if the NCAA doesn't certify refs, shouldn't the institutions in a league have the right to assign/request officials for their games?

So who pays the refs? The ncaa, the league, the institutions, rich alumni, coaches, who?

If, I write an actual letter and not a email to UND about applying to be a ref, I wonder what would happen? (I have to send it certified mail, so they have to sign for it and can't deny that they didn't receive it.) Would they forward that to the WCHA office in Denver? Will they send me a job application. I think I will. I really want to see a wcha ref application.

Here is another angle, why doesn't each school have/select a ref and linesman? Then you can hold them responsible for their actions/calls. Think about it? For example say a UND ref is totally biased, in favor of the Sioux. After he screws a couple of teams all the other schools in the league can get together and get him thrown out. I don't think that is such a bad option. It can't be any worse than the what we have now.

Okay, I've said enough, time to get off my soap box.

Freezing your butt off in North Dakota - Sioux and Red Cows...

There has got to be a reason that we live up here in this God forsaken land, the weather is quite inhospitable and its not very much fun to be outside in it right now. Any thing that is exposed could probably turn into an ice sickle and getting frost bite is not very much fun, the fact that you can lose your fingers or toes because of it makes it less attractive.

With college hockey now in the second half of the season there are many good stories out there right now.

The Daily Gophers is wondering what is wrong with Minnesota Pansies on Ice...

As I had mentioned yesterday; It looks like C.C. Tigers forward Jaden Schwartz will not play against the Sioux next weekend.

The Fighting Sioux six game homestand ends with first-time visitor UNO coming to town with former UND head hockey coach Dean Blais at the wheel.

This weekend's games between the Sioux and the UNO Red Cows Mavericks will be broadcast live on the FSSN, the Midco Sports Network Channel 27 in Grand Forks, ND, Fox College Sports (FCS Central on Friday 617, FCS Atlantic on Saturday 623), WDAZ Channel 8 in Grand Forks, ND (Saturday only) and WDAY Channel 6 in Fargo (Saturday only). Friday's game will be re-broadcast on the NHL Network at 11 a.m. Central on Saturday, Channel 307 in Grand Forks, ND.

The WCHA blog predicts that UND will split with the UNO Red Cows Mavericks this weekend. I disagree with him I think UND wins tonight 4-2 and Ties tomorrow night 3-3.

The MGOBLOG has an interesting post about the Big Ten Hockey Farce and what a schedule might actually look like. I highly doubt you would see a 24 game conference schedule that would mean a lot of games between very few teams. I hate to think what that would do for the RPI/PWR. I could imagine a twenty game conference schedule. I find the comments by the people that commented on the article to be interesting as well.

Over on the Sioux Sports blog Dave Berger has this weekend UND and UNO series review. Dave predicts a three point weekend for the Fighting Sioux...

The CCHA has suspended LSSU head hockey coach Jim Roque for one game.

Ryan Cardinal from Gopher Puck Live was on KFAN on Thursday and you can listen to what he has to say about “Minnesota’s Pansies on Ice”… Cardinal is expecting a sweep against the big slow lumbering team from UAA.

As I mentioned on Twitter this morning, I will be on 1310 KNOX A.M. in Grand Forks, ND during the 4:00 PM hour with R.J. Richards and yeah I do have a face for radio… You can click on this link if you want to listen.

As usual U.S. College Hockey Online makes their weekly predictions and according to Theresa and Tyler they expect the Sioux to sweep this weekend.

Brian Sullivan from the EZAC blog has another entertaining article about how the ECAC is no longer the EZAC. You can put a tuxedo on a goat, but it’s still a goat.

Flames Curtis Glencross gets slap on the wrist for boarding Wild’s Clayton Stoner

Former UAA Seawolves forward Curtis Glencross gets off with a very light slap on the wrist, the fine of 2,500 dollars has “no teeth” to it what-so-ever, in fact I think this ruling is an utter joke especially for Curtis Glencross. Seriously, I have nothing against the player but Glencross makes something like 1.2 million dollars so that is a drop in the bucket for him.

I also think it’s funny that now we are blaming the player that was checked into the end boards, give me a break. I think this latest ruling is a joke, especially if the NHL wants to get serious about player safety. I think a one or two game suspension would have been more appropriate since Curtis Glencross is a repeat offender.

Toronto Sun --- Curtis Glencross won’t have to take a league-mandated seat in the pressbox.

But his next paycheque will be a few bucks light.

The Calgary Flames speedster escaped a suspension for the second time this season when he was fined $2,500 Thursday for a boarding major in Wednesday’s 6-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

A day after blasting Minnesota Wild defenceman Clayton Stoner, Glencross said he wasn’t expecting a call from league disciplinarian Collin Campbell before the fine was announced.

“I would have got a call already,” Glencross said after Thursday’s practice when asked if he was expecting to hear from the NHL’s head office.

Replays confirm the winger’s assertion that Stoner stopped short of the boards, which was at least partly responsible for causing the dangerous incident.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Here we are now officially past the half-way mark of the season. Everyone has played 14 or more league games. Looking at the standings this week it looks like everyone still has a chance to get home ice, except MTU. Sorry Tech fans, to get home ice it looks like you’d need to have a five-hundred. And for MTU that would entail them to win out the rest of their schedule, not likely. The UNO Mavericks need to get some points this weekend, if they want to stay in the hunt for a WCHA title and not fall back into the “middle of the pack”.


WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………12-4-0…24
2. Denver……………...10-3-3…23
2. Minnesota-Duluth....10-4-2…22
4. Nebraska-Omaha….9-5-2…20
5. Colorado College…..8-8-0…16
6. Minnesota…………..7-7-2…16
6. Wisconsin…………..7-7-2…16
8. Alaska-Anchorage...6-8-2…14
9. Bemidji State……….5-9-2…12
10. St. Cloud State….....5-8-1…11
10. Minnesota State…...4-9-3…11
12. Michigan Tech……..1-12-1…3


WCHA
Alaska Anchorage @ #4 DenverLast weekend the Seawolves swept the CC Tigers in Anchorage and the Pioneers took 3-points from the Mavericks in Mankato.

These two played back in December with the Pioneers taking three points that weekend in Anchorage. The Seawolves long Christmas break seems to have paid off by getting a sweep of CC last weekend (UAA’s last home WCHA sweep was on Nov 16-17, 2007 vs UND). Now all UAA has to do is keep that momentum going into Denver. The Pioneers are on a six game unbeaten streak going 3-0-3 (with a win & tie versus UAA) and have just one loss in their last 14 (10-1-3). Both the Pioneers games last weekend went into overtime. I have a feeling DU is due to drop a game and this weekend might be it. SPLIT


St. Cloud St. @ Bemidji StateLast weekend the Huskies were enjoying a bye week, meanwhile the Beavers took 3-points from the UNO Mavericks in Omaha.

The Huskies hosted the Beavers earlier this season in St. Cloud and the Huskies took 3-points from them on the weekend. Now the Beavers look to return the favor in Bemidji this weekend. These two are currently separated by one point in the standings with BSU in the lead, but the Huskies have two games in hand. The Huskies need to start some type of second half run, if they want to try and salvage their season. The Beavers are in the midst of a good run going 4-1-1 in their last six and the Huskies are on a 4 game winning streak. SPLIT


#16 Nebraska-Omaha @ #2 North DakotaLast weekend the Mavericks tied and lost to the BSU Beavers in Omaha and the Sioux split with the Golden Gophers in Grand Forks.

The Mavericks are 5-6-1 away from home this season, while the Sioux are 8-3-1 in Grand Forks. When these two teams meet back in November in Omaha each team won a game, UND 6-5 and UNO 1-0. This weekend will mark the return of Dean Blais to The Ralph, I think it is safe to say, he will get a big warm cheer from the crowd, when they announce his name on Friday night. The Sioux can turn the WCHA into a three team race this weekend if they sweep the visiting Mavericks. On the flip side, the Mavericks need points to stay in the title race and home ice. UNO has been on a bit of a skid as of late, and playing at The Ralph is not an easy task and can be intimidating, especially the first time (UNO has never played in Grand Forks). I’m going to go with the Sioux this weekend again. SIOUX SWEEP


Minnesota State @ #9 WisconsinLast weekend the Mavericks tied and lost to the Pioneers in two overtime games in Mankato and the Badgers split with the Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Mavericks had their five game unbeaten streak snapped on Saturday. The Badgers continue to be hot as well going 8-1-0 over their last nine games. If the Badgers can get a sweep this weekend it will keep them in the driver’s seat for getting home ice. If the Mavericks get a sweep it would put them in the thick of the hunt of home ice. However, the Mavericks have not been a great road team this season going 3-5-2 to this point and the Badgers are 11-4-1 at the Kohl Center. I’m going to go with the Badgers in these tilts. BADGERS SWEEP


#5 Minnesota-Duluth @ Michigan Tech Last weekend the Bulldogs split with the Badgers in Duluth and the Huskies tied and lost to St. Lawrence in Houghton.

When you look at the numbers on paper this shouldn’t be much of a series. It looks like the Bulldogs should beat the Huskies up and down Michigan’s peninsulas. The Huskies last win came back on Friday October 15th against the MSUM Mavericks in Houghton (that is over 3 months ago!). I’m going to say that the hockey god’s will bless the Huskies with some “puck luck” this weekend. SPLIT

NON-CONFERENCE

Alabama-Huntsville (3-21-2 overall) @ Colorado CollegeLast weekend the Chargers were sweep by Merrimack (Hockey East) in Huntsville and the Tigers were swept by the Seawolves in Anchorage.

The Tigers have stumbled the month or so going a dismal 1-4-0. But, the Chargers are an awful road team, going 0-10-2 on the road. I think the Tigers will be mauling the Chargers this weekend. TIGERS SWEEP

BYE WeekUniversity of Minnesota – Golden Gophers

Thursday’s freezing North Dakota addition.

Omaha.com Photo

Sioux fans if you don’t have your passport yet I recommend going down to the post office and getting one. Next winter UND is going to play UNO in men's hockey in the MTS Center in Winnipeg: Sioux to play game in Winnipeg...

There is a nice article in the Omaha.Com about Ralph Englestad Arena. Engelstad Arena home to big crowds, big wins.

There are some interesting points from Goal Gophers, apparently the Minnesota Golden Gophers are going to have an outdoor game at the Gopher Football Stadium. [Goals Gophers]

Apparently C.C. Tigers freshman forward Jaden Schwartz is close to returning to the lineup soon.

The “Weekly Rankings” are up on the College Hockey Blog…

Bemidji State University is on a roll right now and they are playing some great hockey. According to the BSU beat writer, the Beavers have an impressive 7-3-1 record for the last 11 games, that's a 4-1-1 record since for the start of the second half of the season. According to the KRACH BSU has played the 5th hardest schedule to date..

The Wisconsin Hockey Blog has their version of “Bracketology” up and I like where they have the Fighting Sioux going… I would love to see the Sioux in Green Bay Wisconsin because it’s closer to home than Bridge Port or Manchester.

Curtis Glencross boards Clayton Stoner

Last night during the Wild and Flames game, former UAA Seawolves forward Curtis Glencross boarded Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner into the end boards with this hit and for his effort Glencross will likely be the next victim of the Colin Campbell “Wheel of Justice.” Glencross was given a five minute major on the call but not given a game misconduct.

PK Subban overtime winner

I am going to preface this with I am a Bruins fans and the Habs are as disgusting to me as the Minnesota Gophers, so excuse me for not being amused with P.K. Subban antics. While I do think P.K. Subban is an exciting young talent, what do you think Gordy Howe would have done to him if has celebrated like that in front of him? This is one thing I hate about hockey; there are players that celebrate like they have won the Stanley Cup on every goal. Act like you have been there before. Was P.K. Subban’s sniper gun celebration over the top?

TSN.com --- "I scored the goal, I did a celebration," said the 21-year-old rookie who has taken some heat for being cocky this season. "I wish I had just put my stick up, but that's something I've always dreamed of -- scoring the winner in overtime.

"It was a great moment, but the important thing is we got the two points."

It didn't bother the Flames, who not only erased a 4-0 Montreal lead but got an important point while playing their third game in four nights on the road. Calgary, trying to battle back into playoff position in the Western Conference, went 2-0-2 on a four-game road trip and have at least one point in five straight games.

Bob Kurtz the voice of the Wild...

Here is the radio voice of the Minnesota Wild Bob Kurtz as he does a number on the NHL refs during Peckham and Havlat incident in last night game that led to Oilers “hack” Zach Stortini fighting Wild Defenseman Brent Burns

They said what?

Check this out, this is from Roman’s blog on Goal Gophers.

THE DON ON RADIO

Tuned in on Monday evening to hear coach Don Lucia on his weekly radio show. Trouble was, there was not a program this week. He was on KFAN on Tuesday morning for a while. Some highlights:

* On recruiting: He drove 1,000 miles the past couple days recruiting. He still wants to recruit the high-end talend but believes the one-and-done players probably hurt you more than they help. He said he is trying to get a blend, including players who will stay four years.

* On Friday's 3-2 victory: "We answered the ball physically. ... Even on Saturday it was a one-goal game in the third period."

* On unbalanced schedule: Nine of the past 11 games against North Dakota have been at the Ralph in Grand Forks. Partly explaining that is three-game first-round playoff series there last March.

* On special teams: He is not worried so much about the Gophers' power play even though it was 0-for-6 on Saturday. The penalty kill is the biggest area which needs fixing. North Dakota only scored two five-on-five goals.

* On a bye week so soon after the holiday break: Ideally the Gophers would have had their next bye week in early February.

* On skating legs of Erik Haula and Nick Bjugstad, freshmen forwards who played in the World Juniors: Their legs are fine.

Blasier not expecting any love this weekend.

I think I can speak for quite a few of us, that former Fighting Sioux hockey coach Dean Blais will always be loved in Grand Forks, ND. Personally, I had tears in my eyes when I found out he was leaving UND for the NHL. I think that I will always have a soft spot for the Dean Blais, he is a future hall of fame coach that can get the most out of his players. Blais brought UND back to greatness 1990’s after UND had hit rock bottom, winning NCAA titles in 1997 and 2000.

Omaha.com --- 1:50 p.m., Tuesday: Former Sioux coach Dean Blais already knows what it feels like to work from the visiting team's bench at North Dakota's Engelstad Arena.

Blais last winter led his U.S. National junior team to a 4-2 win over the Sioux. The crowd of 10,000-plus in Grand Forks was happy to have Blais back on UND's campus, and there was no chance they'd act hostile toward a team representing the USA.

But that was only an exhibition, and it didn't count a lick toward North Dakota's WCHA and NCAA championship hopes. Blais even had one of the Sioux's own -- Danny Kristo -- skating for him in a Team USA sweater.

Blais remains a revered figure at UND, but he fully expects all that good will to go out the window this weekend. For the first time since he left the Sioux in 2004, Blais will go back to Grand Forks as the coach of another college team.

"I left the University of North Dakota on great terms, going to work in the National Hockey League," Blais said Tuesday prior to the Mavs' practice. "And obviously last year, coaching for my country, that's a compliment for what we accomplished at North Dakota, too.

"But now, coming back to Grand Forks as UNO's coach -- trying to take away their points and beat their Fighting Sioux -- there's going to be no love for me up there at all."

Andrew Brunette's slick goal

This is an awesome goal by Andrew Brunette...

Tuesday morning links – freezing in the north country.

Apparently Omaha.com writer Chad Purcell didn't get the memo from the "East Coast" hockey pundits because he too thinks UND is the best team in the NCAA. How dare he even suggest that; this is utter blasphemy!!! [Omaha.com]

UNO freshman is a quick learner [Omaha.com]

There will be a lot on the line this weekend when the Fighting Sioux play the UNO Mavericks. NCAA hopes on the line for Mavs [Omaha.com]

According to the Goal Gophers playing a physical brand of hockey is considered by some to be intimidation hockey down in the land of 10,000 excuses. [Goal Gophers]

Apparently, the Lansing State Journal didn’t get the memo on Yale either... [lansingstatejournal.com] I have asked the same questions as well...

But here's the big question being asked around college hockey - by fans and media publicly and coaches and players privately: "Is Yale really the best team?"

Most everyone admits the Bulldogs are good, talented and the best in their league. But the question often asked is, "What would their record be if they played in a more competitive conference?"

The Little Caesars North American Showcase is taking place at the REA on Jan 20 - Jan 23 admission is free. [Click for details]

Apparently, Merrimack College sophomore Stephane Da Costa is going to be a hot ticket on the free agent market this year after M.C. is eliminated from the NCAA hockey tourney. [CBC.CA]

Oshie Set to Return This Week?

According to Andy Strickland of True hockey and Hockey Buzz former Fighting Sioux hockey player T.J. Oshie is set to return to the St Louis Blue line up sometime in the very near future.

TrueHockey.com --- Monday was a significant day for Blues forward T.J. Oshie who could return from ankle surgery as early as Tuesday when the Los Angeles Kings visit St. Louis.

For the first time since beginning the on-ice portion of his rehab, Oshie participated in contact drills as he begins to put his surgically repaired ankle to the test. Prior to Monday’s practice Oshie told his teammates he didn’t want them to hold back as he was looking to push it.

After practice Oshie looked good and there is a chance he suits up Tuesday night. How big of a chance remains to be seen as a lot of that will depend on how his ankle feels Tuesday morning. Obviously if he’s experiencing any soreness the team will hold him back.

It appears the safer play would be to sit out against the Kings but no one is willing to rule anything out at this point. If Oshie is not in the lineup on Tuesday, it looks like Thursday against Detroit is looking pretty good.


Oshie originally broke his ankle November 10th in Columbus.

Rangers and Flyers shenanigans.

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers 3-2 last night and there was a lot of extra stuff going on during the game. Check this out move by Flyers forward Danny Briere and Flyers “hack” Scott Hartnell they are actually taking swipes at Rangers forward Brandon Prust as he skates by the Flyers players bench after a big hit on Kimmo Timmonen, that’s straight out of the movie Slap Shot.


Sean Avery you should be ashamed of yourself, first off Matt Carle is not a fighter, second, when your sparring partner hits the ice you stop swinging, its part of the hockey code you don’t keep feeding him a few more rights. Sean “sloppy seconds” Avery should get a couple days on the beach for that bush league move, I think it would be an understatement to say that Avery is a two bit knuckle head. That was the first ever fight for Matt Carle, I guess if you can call getting fed a couple of right while you're laying on the ice a fight.

Poll Monday - Fighting Sioux second in both polls.

USCHO Division I Men
[1-17-2011]
1 Yale (38) 15-2-0 978
2 North Dakota (9) 17-6-2 929
3 Boston College ( 1) 15-6-0 844
4 Denver ( 1) 14-5-5 814
5 Minn. Duluth 15-5-3 802
6 Michigan ( 1) 15-6-4 761
7 New Hampshire 12-4-4 750
8 Notre Dame 15-8-3 596
9 Wisconsin 15-8-3 552
10 Maine 11-6-4 508
11 Miami 13-8-3 485
12 Union 15-6-3 451
13 Merrimack 12-4-4 412
14 Rensselaer 13-6-3 364
15 Boston University 10-5-6 317
16 Nebraska-Omaha 12-8-2 290
17 Western Michigan 12-6-6 211
18 Dartmouth 10-5-2 147
19 Alaska 10-8-4 129
20 Princeton 11-6-1 45
Others Receiving Votes: Minnesota 31, Colorado College 28,Ohio State 15, Robert Morris 15, Ferris State 9,Minnesota State 7, Clarkson 4, RIT 2, St. Cloud State 2,Niagara 1, Northeastern 1.
________________________________________________

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Jan. 17, 2010]
1. Yale (26) 15-2-0 500
2. North Dakota (8) 17-6-2 479
3. Boston College 15-6-0 404
4. Denver 14-5-5 380
5. Minnesota Duluth 15-5-3 370
6. Michigan 15-6-4 353
7. New Hampshire 12-4-4 325
8. Notre Dame 15-8-3 236
9. Wisconsin 15-8-3 190
10. Union 15-6-3 172
11. Maine 11-6-4 164
12. Miami (Ohio) 13-8-3 151
13. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 13-6-3 121
14. Merrimack College 12-4-4 120
15. Nebraska-Omaha 12-8-2
Others receiving votes: Boston University, 37; Dartmouth College, 21; Western Michigan University, 4; University of Alaska, 3; Robert Morris University, 2.

INCH Power Rankings

As always I include the INCH Power Rankings. This past weekend everyone in the Top five lost this past weekend, Yale lost to the unimpressive Brown Bears, UND lost to the hapless Gophers, UNH lost to Dartmouth, Boston College lost to Maine and UMD lost to Wisconsin.

INCH Power Rankings
[January 16, 2011]
1. Yale
2. North Dakota — Down 1-0 early on Saturday and facing an upset home sweep against the rival Gophers, it took Evan Trupp just 34 seconds to respond with an unassisted breakaway goal to turn the momentum North Dakota's way. 17-6-2 (12-4-0 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota, 3-2; W vs. Minnesota, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Nebraska-Omaha, vs. Nebraska-Omaha.
3. New Hampshire
4. Boston College
5. Minnesota Duluth
6. Denver
7. Michigan
8. Union
9. Merrimack
10. Rensselaer
11. Notre Dame
12. Miami
13. Wisconsin
14. Maine
15. Nebraska-Omaha
16. Boston University
17. Western Michigan
18. Dartmouth
19. Alaska
20. Ohio State

Dropped out: Colorado College
Bubble-licious: Minnesota, Princeton, RIT, Robert Morris

Drew Doughty's Hit On Taylor Hall

Check out this hit by the King's defenseman Drew Doughty on Oilers forward Taylor Hall. Drew Doughty absolutely blows up Taylor Hall. There was no penalty on the check and the Oilers Dustin Penner was the only one to receive a two minute roughing penalty for his retaliation on Drew Doughty. What do you think? Was that a head shot?

Why Yale Is #1 in the Statistical Polls

Our friend Goon has expressed some skepticism about the Yale Bulldogs being a legitimate #1 team. You may have noticed that.

Yale has played the 31st easiest schedule while UND has played the toughest overall. We even have more wins then them. I'd think that fact alone would get some #1 votes.

But then on the other hand Yale is #1 in the Pairwise. That's hard to argue with since it's statistical in nature and you know, statistics is hard.

Right now we only have one comparison with Yale and that's the RPI. The problem with the RPI is that Yale has this asterisk thing by their RPI score:

Excluded Yale's 1 wins over Colgate because their game RPIs (0.5694) would have lowered Yale's RPI (0.6057) Excluded Yale's 1 wins over Sacred Heart because their game RPIs (0.5637) would have lowered Yale's RPI (0.6057) Excluded Yale's 1 wins over Holy Cross because their game RPIs (0.5886) would have lowered Yale's RPI (0.6057) Excluded Yale's 1 wins over Harvard because their game RPIs (0.5965) would have lowered Yale's RPI (0.6057)

There are four other team with one exclusion each. Yale's schedule is so weak that they have as many exclusions as the rest of the 57 teams put together.

I'd like to know what Yale's real RPI is. But the problem is, statistics are hard.

College Hockey Scores from 1-16-2011

Atlantic Hockey
Niagara 3 at American Int'l 1
Holy Cross 2 at Mercyhurst 3 OT
Army 5 at Air Force 4
Connecticut 2 at Robert Morris 4
Bentley 3 at RIT 3 OT

CCHA
Michigan State 2 at Lake Superior 2 OT
Alaska 4 at Notre Dame 1
Michigan 6 at Ferris State 1
Bowling Green 1 at Miami 3
Ohio State 2 at Western Michigan 2 OT

ECAC
Rensselaer 2 at Colgate 1 OT
Brown 2 at Yale 5
Union 5 at Cornell 1

Hockey East
Vermont 0 at Northeastern 2
Mass.-Lowell 1 at Massachusetts 4

WCHA
Denver 4 at Minnesota State 3 OT
Colorado College 1 at Alaska-Anchorage 2
Bemidji State 3 at Nebraska-Omaha 2 OT
Wisconsin 3 at Minnesota-Duluth 2
Minnesota 1 at North Dakota 4

Non-Conference
St. Lawrence 6 at Michigan Tech 0
Harvard 2 at Boston University 5
Merrimack 7 vs. Alabama-Huntsville 0
New Hampshire 4 vs. Dartmouth 5

Analysis – Another great night of hockey in the WCHA, the best conference in college hockey. Four games were decided by one goal and only the Sioux and Gophers game was decided by more than one goal.

Denver 4 at Minnesota State 3 OT – The MSUM Mavericks played the Denver Pioneers tough all weekend long and only got a point to show for the whole weekend. On Saturday night the DU Pioneers came back from a three goal deficit to beat the pesky MSUM Mavericks 4–3 in overtime. Adam Murray improved his record to 4-1 for the Denver Pioneers. The Mavericks are 8-3-1 in their last 12 games but couldn't close out the two best teams in the league when they had leads against them. [Box Scores], [Pukato], [Denver Post]

Colorado College 1 at Alaska-Anchorage 2 – The UAA Seawolves gutted out a sweep this weekend against the Colorado College Tigers in Anchorage Alaska. The Seawolves goalie Rob Gunderson was solid in net all weekend long for the Seawolves. With their sweep this weekend the Seawolves are now 2 points out of 5th place in the WCHA. The Seawolves sweep of the C.C. Tigers was their first since taking two games from the lowly Michigan Tech Huskies on Jan. 10-11, 2010 [Box Score],[Delusions of Grandeur], [Woody on Hockey],[Eye of the Tigers]

Bemidji State 3 at Nebraska-Omaha 2 OT – The BSU Beavers have had a lot of good fortune against the UNO Mavericks this season, the Beavers took seven of eight points in the season series against the Mavericks. I think it would be safe to say that Dean Blais doesn't want to see the Beavers in the WCHA playoffs. Last night Matt Read scored the game winning goal in overtime to beat the Mavericks 3-2. The Beavers have been hot as of late as they won for the fourth time in six games and sport a 4-1-1 since the Christmas break. The Mavericks on the other hand have been slumping and they are 3-6-1 in their last team games. [Box Score], [BSU Beat Writer Blog], [Maverick Beat Writer]

Wisconsin 3 at Minnesota-Duluth 2 – The Wisconsin Badgers won it’s first game against an upper division WCHA team, in their previous games the Badgers had gone 0-2 against UND, 0-1-1 against DU and 0-3 against UMD. Saturday’s win was only the second time the Badgers have beaten an opponent with a wining record. According to Andy Baggot the beat writer for the Wisconsin Badgers, UW is 1-7-3 against clubs with records over .500, scoring 2.90 goals per game. The Badges are also 13-1 against clubs under .500, averaging 3.92 goals per outing. The Badgers are going to have to beat some teams with wining records if they want to solidify their NCAA chances and get into the top twelve. The UMD Bulldogs held the Badgers without a shot in the third period. [Wisconsin Beat Writer], [Box Score], [Rink and Run]

Minnesota 1 at North Dakota 4 – The UND Fighting Sioux picked up their wining ways after they lost for only the second time all season on Friday night 3-2 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Senior forward Evan Trupp extended this point streak to eight games with a goal and an assist as the Sioux beat the Gophers 4-1 in game two. UND was also 2/6 on the power play and limited the Gophers to 21 shots on goals. The Sioux play the UNO Mavericks next weekend in an important WCHA home series. After the game the Gophers seemed miffed and were questioning the legitimacy of the penalties that were called on them during the game. [Box Score], [UND Hockey Blog], [Goal Gophers], [Gopher Puck Live], [Grand Forks Herald], [USCHO]

Brown 2 at Yale 5 – The Yale Bulldogs win a game against another unimpressive conference opponent and again this week will be the number one team in college hockey in all three rankings. Yippee, Skippy!!! Yale has won 10 straight games against the weak sisters of the poor. [Box Score], [Boston.Com]

They said what?

The “halos” are out in Minnesota this morning. I guess the Sioux didn’t get the memo that you’re not allowed to go down when you’re cross checked. Lol!

"Then the penalties came," Lucia said.

Most notably, senior Jay Barriball took an inexplicable penalty, cross-checking Ben Blood from behind in the neutral zone. Blood flew to the ice like he'd been shot out of a cannon.

"I tapped him in the back, and I didn't think I did it too hard, and he kind of flailed his arms out and dove forward," Barriball said. "That was the first penalty." With the referee's arm up, Barriball then knocked down Chay Genoway and drew a second penalty for tripping, resulting in a four-minute stay in the box. On the ensuing kill, Aaron Ness was called for cross-checking when Brett Hextall went down like a ton of bricks in the crease. [Read the whole article]

Yeah! I have to admit that I saw the replay last night at home of the play where Blood got cross checked by Jay Barriball, yeah I admit that Blood might have sold it a bit, one could/might say that Blood took a dive… So what? It was the first time I have seen him embellish in three years of hockey. It would have been a penalty either way because Barriball hit him with a cross check from behind. Roe and Cepis embellish on a weekly basis... On the flip side of that argument, as a player, Barriball and Ness have to know better, just because your team is down two men doesn’t mean that you have a free pass to start hacking and cross checking people and the Gopher paid for it last night. The Sioux cashed in on that power play. I have seen the Sioux get called for the same thing.

Sioux 4 Gophers 1

Except for a fluky goal by Mark Alt in the first period the Sioux took it to the Gophers tonight and really didn't let them get “too much” sustained pressure in the Sioux defensive zone. The Sioux also punished the Gophers every chance they got and in the end the Gophers were looking not to get hit and at times avoided going into the corners to get the puck. Aaron Dell had a much better effort and made the stops when he had to. In the Defensive zone the Fighting Sioux cleared the rebounds out of the reach of the Gopher forwards and made the Gophers earn every inch they got in the offensive zone. It was not easy sledding for the Gophers and they don't like to play that kind of hockey.

In my opinion, it was a much better effort all the way around the ice tonight. The Fighting Sioux limited the number of stupid penalties taken and went 2/6 on the power play and didn’t allow a power player goal to the Gophers. Ironically, the Sioux and the Gophers had an even number of power plays on the weekend, that's 12 for each team, or 6 power plays a piece each night. The UND Fighting Sioux went 4/12 on the power play while Minnesota went 2/12.

Turnovers kill

In other end of the ice I thought that the Gophers turnovers would eventually came back to haunt the Minnesota Gophers, you can’t give the Sioux forwards chances in the slot and not pay for it eventually, the Fighting Sioux have too many talented forwards that know how to score goals. If you play with fire long enough you’re going to get burned, I don’t care how good your goaltender is… A Gopher fan called it on Twitter last night: “We can only make horseshit passes in front of our net for so long before you guys capitalize.” I went back and re-watched last night’s game on the NHL Network this afternoon and UND let a lot of opportunities go to waste, they should have won that game last night as well. Tonight that fortune changed and the Sioux forwards buried the puck when they had to.

Goon’s World

1.) Evan Trupp (1g-1a-2pts)
2.) Aaron Dell 1 gaa
3.) Brad Malone (1g-1a-2pts)

[Box Score]

Jacob Cepis up to no good.



Photo by MissSioux85

This is the reason I don’t like the “no fight rule” in NCAA/college hockey. There is no way that Jacob Cepis would do this if he had to face Andrew MacWilliam like a man. This is a very dangerous move.

Friday night going forward; strap on your helmet...

Going forward today I believe UND hiccupped a bit last night but it’s nothing to get upset or excited about, the better team is the UND Fighting Sioux and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are going to have to kill themselves to make the NCAA tourney they will also be hard pressed to make the final Five in March. There is no need for Sioux fans to get down or over excited, it is what it is. Cue the catchy sports clichés. The sky is also not falling. Let me be clear, I do not blame the officials for last night debacle and it’s not a reason the Sioux lost the game because the officials were equally horrible for both teams.

Let’s play disciplined hockey please

Last night I felt the Fighting Sioux out played the Gophers for forty minutes and unfortunately hockey games are sixty minutes long. To be successful you have to play from the drop of the opening faceoff till to the final horn. You have to play disciplined hockey, the Sioux also took some untimely, knucklehead and undisciplined, stupid penalties at inopportune times. These penalties are momentum killers, the Rodwell Penalty was weak call by the officials and killed the Sioux’s momentum when they were starting to take the game over at that point.

While I like the game Brett Hextall plays, he has a lot of offensive creativity, Hextall has to play more disciplined hockey and stop taking knuckleheaded and selfish penalties, one of his penalties in the first period lead to a power play goal.

If the Sioux want to go far in the NCAA tourney they can’t take penalties like they did last night, good teams like B.C. will bury them on the power play, the Sioux have to play under control to be sucessful. Also, the eastern refs aren’t going to call the game like the WCHA refs. The eastern refs are competent and call the game per the rule box and make no bones about calling penalties against a team all night long, they have no sense of humor for WCHA hockey. They aren't concerned about number of penalties per side. You will not see the penalties even out at six to six by the end of the game.

Buffoon's in stripes

Now on to the refs, the WCHA continues to be a gong show of stupidity, nepotism and Buffoonery every single week. They have no credibility anymore and it’s amazing that the NCAA even invites our officials to the NCAA tourney. The on ice officials were brutal in all three zones of the ice missing calls both ways and they are culpable for the mess that happened at the end of the second period.

Lines man not good either

The lines men were also brutal last night and missed four instances where the Gophers had seven players on the ice for big stretches, this is unacceptable. The linesmen in last night game also missed many offsides and that can’t happen. Being that Derek Shepherd is the son of the head of official’s Greg Shepherd nothing will ever happen to this officiating crew. They were probably told that they did a great job last night by Greg Shepherd. Lol! The WCHA got the result they wanted the Gophers stay in the hunt for home ice.

Donny Brook in Grand Forks

It also amazes me how the refs can allow a team to just start piling on to the ice while there is a scrum/altercation at the end of a period. Straight out of the movie Slap Shot. That was a serious blunder by the officials. Seriously folks; the Gophers players that came off the bench first should be suspended for tonight’s game, these players caused the event at the end of the second period to further escalate... That’s on the officials.

There has been a lot of discussion about the hit by Malone. In my opinion the hit by Brad Malone on Kevin Wehrs was a legal check it was correctly not called a penalty on the ice. We can debate that if you want. Also, if the Gopher hockey player wants to challenge the person that hit him, challenge him to a fight, or check him later take a number. I know fighting in college hockey is frowned upon but I am sure Malone or one of the other Sioux players would oblige. Nope! The Gophers like to jump a smaller players that wasn’t in on the act itself or wait till they have an odd man situation like two on one situation, which if the refs actually used the rule book to officiate, is considered a third man in and an automatic ejection from the game, another blunder by the ref, but who's counting. Looks like the Gopher players took lesion from former Gopher hack Brian Schack on how to jump the opposition and act like an utter thug. What they should call the Gophers is Minnesota Pansies on ice.

If the refs had done their job they would have told the players from both benches come off the bench and you’re going to sit tomorrow night. Ask former SCSU Husky Chris Hepp what happens when you leave the player’s bench. They didn’t and the scrum became an instant classic on Youtube.

Play by the "Code"

The fact that the Gophers weren’t penalized for leaving the players bench is unacceptable and needs to be reviewed by the ref. Also, Jake Hanson should have received a game disqualification for throwing punches at a guy that was lying on the ice. Seth Helgeson is really a tough guy as well, if you want to fight someone Seth, challenge them to a fight. Don’t stand there with your stick in your hand cross checking a guy that is already on the ice with a guy lying on top of him. Should be a great game tonight.

College Hockey Scores from 1-14-2011

Friday, January 14

AHA
Army 1 at Air Force 5
Bentley 1 at RIT 4
Connecticut 1 at Robert Morris 3
Holy Cross 1 at Mercyhurst 3
Niagara 3 at American Int'l 2

CCHA
Alaska 1 at Notre Dame 2
Bowling Green 1 at Miami 5
Ferris State 2 at Michigan 3
Ohio State 2 at Western Michigan 4
Michigan State 4 at Lake Superior 0

EZAC
Rensselaer 1 at Cornell 5
Union 2 at Colgate 1

Hockey East
Massachusetts 5 at UMass Lowell 4
Vermont 3 at Northeastern 1
Providence 3 at Maine 4 OT

WCHA
Bemidji State 2 at Nebraska-Omaha 2 OT
Denver 4 at Minnesota State 4 OT
Minnesota 3 at North Dakota 2
Wisconsin 0 at Minnesota Duluth 2
Colorado College 1 at Alaska Anchorage 4

Non-Conference
St. Lawrence 4 at Michigan Tech 4 OT
Merrimack 5 vs Alab-Huntsville 4

Analysis – BSU 2 and UNO 2 – The BSU Beavers have taken five of six points against the UNO Mavericks so far this season and since the UNO Mavericks played the Fighting Sioux in Omaha the UNO Mavericks have come back to earth going 3-5-1. The Beavers on the other hand have gone 5-3-1 since the month of December. [Box Score], [BSU beat writer], [UNO beat writer]

Denver 4 and Minnesota State 4 OT – The Minnesota State Mavericks have been on a bit of a tear as of late losing only to the UND Fighting Sioux and have gone an amazing 8-2-1 since being swept by Denver back in November, losing only to the Fighting Sioux. The Pioneers had to score with 1:16 left to force overtime. [Box Score]

Minnesota 3 and North Dakota 2 – Old Time Fighting Sioux hockey A legal hard check by Brad Malone on Kevin Wehrs and a reaction to the hit by the Golden Gophers hockey team set off a near Donny Brook at center ice at the end of the second period but when order was restored the two teams played hockey the Minnesota Golden Gophers hung on by the skin of their teeth and won on a power play goal by Nico Sacchetti in the third period, yeah say that name 15 times really fast. [Box Score], [UND Hockey Blog], [Goal Gophers],[fan comments from Star and Trib article],[USCHO Arena Reporter]

Wisconsin 0 and Minnesota Duluth 2 – The UMD Bulldogs beat the Badgers for the third time this season and if my math is correct the Wisconsin Badgers have a record of 0-6-2 against ranked teams. [Box Score], [UMD beat writer], [60 minutes. No Alibis. No Regrets]

Colorado College 1 and Alaska Anchorage 4 – This was the first game the UAA Seawolves had played in five weeks according to the post game interview with UAA head coach Dave Shyiak and the Seawolves made it count with a 4-1 win against the Tigers. The Seawolves went 3 for 3 on the power play. This was the 4th game between UAA and C.C. this season and the rubber game is tonight.

With the win the Seawolves are 4 points out of 6th place (top six get home ice) and UAA very possibly could get home ice if they keep up their winning ways. I don’t think anyone wants to go up to Anchorage to play the Seawolves in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. [Box Score]

St. Lawrence 4 and Michigan Tech 4 OT – The MTU Huskies have had a miserable season and haven’t won a game in sixteen games pushed the streak to 17 games, got the tie against a St Lawrence in Houghton, Michigan. [Box Score]

Lucia's Goon Squad? (by Sioux 7)

So being at another UND vs. UM game you expect a heated contest. Lucia, said a few years ago, that everytime some fight breaks out, it seems UND is involved. Well Don, it happened again tonight in Grand Forks. Hey Don, why didn't you or your coaches stop your players from getting on the ice at the end of the second period? Even after the benches had emptied, the Gopher staff did nothing to get their players off the ice (neither did the UND coaches). If the Don is that against fighting, like he has always said, why did he let his team get in that "situation" at the end of the second? I think Lucia finally said to this players, "you better fight" it's not just my job , but your scholarships that are on the line. :)

I suspected UND was due for a loss, going on a nine game unbeaten streak, you are due a game where things just don't go your way. I wasn't impressed by the UM of play or UND's play for that matter. Tomorrow's another day, the only downside is that it is the same refs/linesmens' again.

Again it was another subpar night for the officials. I don't know how many times the Gophers had too many men on the ice and the linesman didn't blow the whistle. It generally wasn't a big issue, but come on guys, that's a penalty.

If I could make an offical box score it would read 2-2-2 game, UM 2, UND 2, Refs 2. Neither team really "earned" a win tonight, and the officials deserved at least a tie, if not a win.

Lucia, you should keep your players under control, since they are essentially paying your salary. You should be ashamed of your hipocracy after tonight, ashamed. I'm happy you recovered from your infection they other season. But the way you handled, or in this case, didn't handle the situtaion at the end of the second period, is another mark against the Gopher program as a whole. Malone's check was legal, he didn't get a penaltly for it, watch the replay, their was nothing wrong with it. I don't want anybody to get hurt, it's only a game, but I like checking, this isn't the womens' league.


All in all I'm looking forward to Saturday's night game, hope to see you there.

PS - Have you all seen last weekend's "incident" where the Goon falls down? As the press might say, "alcohol may have been a factor." :)

Redwing77's Gopher/Sioux Opener Recap

I'm going to leave the authentic recap to Goon as, due to professional obligations (that turned out were awful), I was unable to catch the first period. Upon reflection, I'm glad I didn't.

We lost this game. We made it close thanks to some stupid plays by the Gophers, but the Gophers won this one clean. I'm going to break down a few points as we go so it is going to be a bit choppy, but that's how it rolls tonight.

Team Defense

I rail on the Gophers for having abysmal Team D and maybe I've been only partially wrong on this one. They may not have bad Team D, they just have subpar coaching (Hill sucks, I don't care what happens this series or the rest of the season. There's nothing that can change this opinion) and are unbelievably inconsistent. Tonight, they showed a Team D scheme that, if they put this kind of effort on from day one, they'd be competing with UND and UMD for first place in the WCHA and would be ranked in the top 10 nationally. They blocked something like a million shots on goal (+ or - 999,950 shots) and really clogged up the front of their net. They gave UND very little. Mostly the center of the offensive zone just inside the blue line. I don't think many goals will be given up if you can't control the puck inside the faceoff circles.

Passing

I maintain that the Gophers are one, if not the best passing team in the WCHA. Their passes tonight always seemed to be crisp, tape to tape passes. If we didn't get a stick on it, it made it to its target. That is usually bad.

Penalties

As Goon stated, Hextall took incredibly stupid penalties. This might have been one if not the worst game Hextall has played in a Sioux jersey. Yeah, UND played with some fire in the second and third, but we always seemed to piss it away with penalties. Now, there were some good penalties in this game, such as two Minnesota took (Condon and Schmidt I think were the two) that basically prevented UND goals and the one Simpson took that prevented a sure Gopher breakaway. However, you cannot commit penalties on a good passing team that is playing desperation hockey and expect Dell to bail you out.

The Rivalry

Folks, I've said this so many times on message boards I've frequented and to various Sioux fan buddies: It doesn't matter what the records say. It doesn't matter what streaks are relevant when the puck drops. It doesn't matter what venue or when in the season it occurs. The Gophers always play their best hockey when facing North Dakota. Sometimes, it doesn't look like it because North Dakota comes ready to play and their will overpowers Minnesota. But 9 times out of 10, both teams bring their top games to the arena. Tonight, Minnesota played a great game AND they added desperation into the equation. Lucia said they absolutely needed points in Grand Forks and they earned it tonight hands down.

UND didn't exactly play poorly in the second and third, but they didn't play dominant consistently. When they did dominate, Patterson had things covered. Sachetti's game winner was just a great shot. I didn't see their first two goals.

The Scrum

There were good points and bad points. First off, that was a legal hit. I loved the look on Wehr's face though. He looked pissed. It was a shoulder to sternum shot that sent Wehrs flying back first into the boards. The dasher knocked Wehr's lid off and he sat there looking. The Gophers immediately started a scrum and went after everyone, including Chay Genoway.

This is where it got shady. Forget the Genoway business. I look at Malone's actions and then what happened to Forbort. First, Malone. He headlocked a Gopher player to the ice. Instead of letting go and facing off against those who are still in the scrum, he kept the headlock on. I don't know, maybe this is what you should do once initiating the headlock, but it didn't look clean to me. Speaking of dirty, scrum or not, you never double team guys. Genoway and Forbort were doubled teamed by Gopher players. If you want to fight or scrum, then go one on one. If you're going to scrum out, take on someone your own size. Apparently even the Gopher announcers were critical of the Gophers players scruming with Genoway. However, Captain or not, I think Genoway should've been more careful.

The smartest Sioux in the scrum? Corbin Knight. He was in the penalty box and the period was over when the scrum happened. He could have skated over but he didn't. He stayed in the penalty box and waited for the scrum to conclude before skating to the bench.

The officiating

Mediocre. And that's a compliment. Yes, UND did get something like 4 or 5 straight PKs, but UND earned every penalty they got called on. The Rodwell penalty was moronic (on Rodwell) and we already talked about Hextall. They did miss a horrendous penalty on a Gopher player for checking Hextall into the net well after the puck left the zone, but to my knowledge, that was really the only missed call I caught.

UND players of the Game

I don't know. I know who wasn't. It's not Hextall or Rodwell. I liked the play of Kristo and Trupp. I think Gregoire had a good game despite seeming a bit sluggish. I think I'd give Gregs the Sioux Player of the Game.

Player of the Game overall

....is probably Kent Patterson.

Tomorrow is an important game for UND. They need to win. This is a Minnesota team that lost to Union and Couldn't dominate a mediocre Ferris State. They're not going to let off the gas. UND has to bring it Saturday.

Gopher 3 - Sioux 2 (scrum video)

Gophers cashed in on their opportunities and the Sioux didn't. Can't win a game only playing forty minutes of a sixty minute game. Game two tomorrow night barring a massive blizzard or natural disaster. The Sioux have to play better and cut down on the knuckle headed penalties. Tonight, Brett Hextall took three stupid, ill advised penalties, that has to change tomorrow. If I was coaching this team he would be sitting in the stands tomorrow night.

Don't have much time tonight, have to work tomorrow morning, I will put something up tomorrow. I watched the video a few times and it's a text book legal check... Funny that the golden boys in maroon are going after the smallest guy on the ice Chay Genoway, Malone is the one that hit Wehrs... Like T.H. said none of them want anything to do with Malone or McWilliam.

[box score]

Bruins and Flyers

This is one of the better NHL Hockey games that I have watched in a very long time, it was an impressive offensive exhibition there were 12 goals were scored. I also think that these are the two teams that are going to be fighting it out for the Eastern Conference title for a trip to the Stanley Cup finals. You heard it here folks. On a side note; if you watch closely on the Nikolai Zherdev goal you will see that he was offsides.

INCH Chat dominated by UND fans...

Check out the latest INCH chat it was dominated by UND fans.

Terry F. ((Les Grandes Forches))
Gotta ask the question you don't want to hear, if the Sioux sweep the gophers this weekend, do they finally earn the tag of "better than Yale"?
Joe Gladziszewski (2:05 PM)

That's a question we'd love to hear, and I'll answer by saying that it probably won't change our minds that much. We evaluate teams after each weekend. North Dakota is playing at home against a .500 team. Union, second-best to Yale in ECAC Hockey, recently won at Minnesota. We keep an eye on all results, North Dakota and Yale are pretty even, and Yale has a decent test this weekend in a home-and-home against Brown. We'll see.
__________________________
Curt (Minnesota)

What are your guys expectations of the biggest rivalry in college hockey for this weekends series between Gophers and Sioux?
Mike Eidelbes (2:06 PM)

Minnesota has played pretty well at times this season, but they haven't been at North Dakota's level. It'll certainly be the most hostile environment the Gophers have seen to date. In order for them to get out of Grand Forks with any points, I think they'll have to get a huge performance from goalie Kent Patterson on one or both nights.
__________________________
K-Unit (UND)

Out of all of college hockey's areas, which team do you think is the toughest area to play at? Also, which fans do you think are the craziest about their team? ~GO SIOUX
Mike Eidelbes (2:11 PM)

If I didn't know better, I'd say you're trying to bait me. Each league has its toughest place to play--Cornell, Michigan, and, certainly, North Dakota. Maine might be tops on that list, however. Orono is impossible to get to and once you get there, you've got all those fans literally hanging over the ice making your life miserable. Ask the Fighting Sioux how that trip back in October went for them.
__________________________
Stat (Atlanta)

Will Matt Frattin's off ice issues of season's past make hobey baker voters look past him (like they did to former Nodak standout Brandon Bochenski) or will the fact that he leads the country in goals while playing the nations toughest schedule be enough to garner support? Also, Go Sioux, stomp the rodents!
Joe Gladziszewski (2:19 PM)

Man, good to see such excitement about North Dakota before the fans' favorite series of the year. Frattin's case is an interesting one. Some voters consider past indiscretions more highly than other voters. There's no doubt that Frattin has taken positive steps and is having a great season. Hobey or not, that should be applauded.
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cliffy (Grand Forks, ND)

I feel that the ECAC writers and fans are little sensitive when fans of other leagues question Yale and if they are a legit team. I would be willing to be that UND head coach Dave Hakstol would love to have a home and home series with Yale... The Sioux have traveled out east almost every season.
Joe Gladziszewski (2:32 PM)

I'm a longtime follower and writer on ECAC Hockey, and I don't know if it's over-sensitivity (funny, this coming from Grand Forks) but the dismissal of Yale by North Dakota fans doesn't add up. North Dakota has played home-and-home series with top teams in ECAC Hockey in the last two years, and both were splits against Cornell. Yale knocked North Dakota out of the NCAAs last year, and this year's Yale team is better. You'd think after those types of results, Sioux fans would maybe realize that there's some good hockey out here.

Extra security on tap for Sioux-Gopher hockey series

There will be extra law enforcement and security guards for this weekend's WCHA series between the Sioux and the Gophers. Last season there was a major incident between two fans that ended up sending a guy to the hospital with a head trauma. That incident sparked this blog post - Fan Behavior.

Grand Forks Herald --- In the shadow of a scuffle that left a hockey fan seriously injured last season, UND police and Ralph Engelstad Arena officials are beefing up security for the Sioux-Gopher games set for Friday and Saturday.

At both games, UND police will have three uniformed officers and two plainclothes officers in the arena. That’s three more officers than usual, Lt. Tracy Meidinger said.

“In the past, we’ve had a few problems,” he said. “This time, we’re trying to be a little more proactive and a little more visible.”

Meidinger said the additional officers come at the request of arena officials. “They’re interested in making sure this is safe, too,” he said.

Arena spokesman Chris Semrau said The Ralph typically has more than 20 of its own security officers at men’s hockey games. For this series, the arena will have four to six extra officers on duty.

“There’s a little greater attention paid to this weekend, but no major shift in approach,” Semrau said. “For the most part, fans behave very appropriately. There’s always a handful that may step out of line.”

After the UND-Minnesota hockey game Oct. 16, 2009, two fights broke out simultaneously on opposite sides of the arena, Meidinger said.

Feeling Minnesota

Tomorrow is the start of the “Rivalry” series with our heated conference opponent the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This series usually is a pair of very contested games where the penalty minutes can rack up into the historic levels. I would compare this rivalry to the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s feud. The Sioux players don't like the Gophers and the Gopher players don't like the Sioux.

Now, while I think that this series could go either way and the series have historically, I do believe the Fighting Sioux are hands down the better of the two teams. None the less, I don’t know how to read this weekend’s tilt, the Gophers haven’t been very good as of late, they sport an unimpressive and mediocre record of 9-8-3, The Gophers unimpressive record includes losses to EZAC team Union and CCHA cellar dweller Michigan State and they were also swept by a mediocre MSU-M team. Fighting Sioux hockey head coach Dave Hakstol has owned the Gophers during his tenure and has a record of 14-8-3 against the Gophers. This weekend, I predict UND gets three points against the Gophers.

Last season of the Fighting Sioux and Gophers

This series is historic because it will be the last time the Sioux will play the Gophers. Next season the Fighting Sioux we will probably become just the University of North Dakota. So in a sense it’s bitter sweet in my opinion.

The legislative action to attempt to keep the Fighting Sioux name is nothing more than grand standing, in my humble opinion and nothing will change what is already taking place, if anything I would ask the leaders of the great state of North Dakota where were you a few years back, it’s a little too late now, the ball is already rolling and don’t know how you could stop it accept by a law suit against the NCAA. Next season the Fighting Sioux will become the University of North Dakota.

Links

Dan Hammer and Chay Genoway [Click to listen]

Here is what Jacob C-Piss had to say about the rivalry. [Click to listen]

Alex Kangas talks about his upcoming surgery, his recovery will take four months. [Click to listen]

Coach Luica on the series between the Sioux and Gophers [click to listen]

PA and Cardinal discuss the Gophers and Sioux [Click to listen]

The latest INCH podcast [click to listen]

FanHouse's Top 10
1. North Dakota (16-5-2)
2. Yale (14-1)
3. New Hampshire (12-3-4)
4. Boston College (15-5)
5. Minnesota Duluth (14-4-3)
6. Denver (13-5-4)
7. Wisconsin (14-7-3)
8. Michigan (13-6-4)
9. Notre Dame (14-7-3)
10. Nebraska-Omaha (12

Thank You Kessel

ota

Image courtesy of NESN

Since it Sioux versus Gophers week and Hockey Bias said the Grand Forks vitriol amping up with Gophers heading to town; I thought I would throw some more gas on the fire… Check out this picture of a thank you Phil Kessel jersey. Phil Kessel played for both Gophers for a minute year and his last game was the historic Holy Cross game at the REA. After his one year in Minnesota the young Kessel signed with the Boston Bruins and played there for three more season before he was traded out of town to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a couple of first round draft picks. With the Toronto Maple Leafs being proverbial doormats again this season and with the Boston Bruins holding the Toronto Maple Leafs first round draft choice, its very possible that the Bruins will get another play of Tyler Seguin’s caliber.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Here we are mid-January, the dead of winter, but it’s the heart of college hockey season. Everyone has now played 14 league games that means we are half way done with this season. Well let’s get down to business.



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. St. Cloud State….....5-8-1…11
9. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
9. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
11. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
12. Michigan Tech……..1-12-1…3


WCHA

#6 Denver @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Mavericks swept American International in Mankato and the Pioneers enjoyed a free weekend.

This will be the first and only meeting between these two teams this year. The Pioneers are on a roll, they are 9-1-2 in their last 11 games, and the lone loss was to UMD. The Mavericks are heating up too, they are riding a 4 game winning streak, and are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games with both losses coming at the hands of UND. MSUM might have an advantage on Friday, being they played last weekend and DU did not. These teams have had some wild games in past seasons and I would like to see some more of them. This time of year points are becoming a valuable commodity, for DU they are in the title hunt and MSUM is in a race for home playoff ice. I’m going with the Mavericks on Friday night and the Pioneers on Saturday. SPLIT

Bemidji State @ #11 Nebraska-Omaha
Last weekend the Beavers split with Alabama-Huntsville and the UNO Mavericks enjoyed a weekend off.

Back in early December these teams played a series in Bemidji with the Beavers coming out on top with a sweep. I’m sure the Mavericks want to return the favor this week. BSU got off to a slow start this season, but have been picking up steam (6-3-0 in their last 9 games) as they have progressed through the WCHA season. UNO got off to a blistering start (8-1-1) to the season and has cooled down of late going 3-5-0 in their last 8 games. The Beavers in the midst of playing 10 out of 14 games on the road, ouch, maybe. BSU can start to be road-warriors with picking up some points this weekend. UNO needs points too, if they are to keep pace with the other top teams, considering they play at UND next week. The Mavericks will need to shake the rust off quickly to get some wins, but that is easier said than done. SPLIT.

Minnesota @ #2 North Dakota
Last weekend the Gophers beat the USA Under-18 team and the Sioux (well that’s what we still get to call them for at least another few months) swept Robert Morris in Grand Forks.

The Gophers are struggling this season, owning an even record in league play to this point. The GoGo’s are 2-4-2 in their last 8 games, however the wins came at the expense of Michigan and UMD, both ranked in the top ten. The last few trips to Grand Forks for Minnesota have been, well, let’s just say it has not been good for them. The Sioux have been on a steady boil the first half and are currently on a 7 game winning and 9 game unbeaten streaks. The Sioux have been stingy on defense allowing only one goal in the past three games. UND’s stiff defense coupled with the Gophers offensive inconsistencies could spell trouble for the Mariucci-land fans. However, this is a big rivalry for both teams, so I would expect the GoGo’s to be up for this series… should? In the end, I think the Sioux are playing too well for the Gophers to handle them right now. SIOUX SWEEP

#9 Wisconsin @ #5 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Badgers swept Canisius in Madison and the Bulldogs beat the USA Under-18 team.

These teams met in Madison back in mid-November with UMD winning both games in overtime. Those of you may remember that the refs blew one of those games in OT. The buffoons (as Goon so lovingly calls them) messed up again, when they didn’t call a hooking penalty on UMD that directly resulted in them scoring the overtime winner. The Bulldogs have cooled their heels going 3-3-1 in their last 7 games. Meanwhile the Badgers have been heating up, they are riding a 7 game winning streak. This should be one of the hotly contested series of the week. UW is looking to climb up the standing and try and put some space between them and the rest of the WCHA middle pack. UMD is in their own dog fight, only two points out of first and tied with DU for second. SPLIT.


#17 Colorado College @ Alaska Anchorage
Both teams were on bye-weeks last weekend. The Seawolves last played games back on December 10-11 when they hosted DU in Anchorage (UAA lost Friday and tied Saturday). The Tigers last played December 29-30 against Michigan State and Michigan at the Great Lakes Invitational (they beat MSU and lost to UM).

The Tigers have been quietly playing good hockey, sitting in fifth place, since they are not in the thick of the McNaughton cup race, they are not really on anyone’s radar, in my opinion. The Seawolves find themselves still in the race for a home ice playoff spot. It currently looks like an even record could net a team a home ice series. Back in October the Tigers defeated the Seawolves in a non-conference game during the Alaska Gold Rush Tournament. It is always a long trip up to the great state of Alaska, which can affect a team. SPLIT


NON-CONFERENCE

St. Lawrence (6-10-3 overall) @ Michigan Tech (3-15-2 overall)
Last weekend the MTU Huskies were swept by the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

Let’s give everyone a little background on St. Lawrence. The university was founded in 1856 in Canton, NY, the enrollment is about 2,000, colors are scarlet and brown, and they are coached by Joe Marsh (he has been their coach for 26 seasons).
I always like to pick WCHA teams to win non-conference games because it is good for everyone in the WCHA. I just hope Tech can make us all proud this weekend and get a win or two. (We all need to cheer for MTU this weekend) HUSKIES SWEEP


BYE Week
St. Cloud St.

Injuries end Alex Kangas' college hockey career...

As a Sioux fan I am saddened by the departure of Alex Kangas from the college hockey ranks, his career has ended due to a lower body injury. Alex Kangas has sure been good to the Fighting Sioux. According to Roman from Goal Gophers Kangas is one of the better goaltenders to ever put on a UM jersey.

Kangas Ranks
1st: in save percentage, .912
3rd all time: in minutes played, 6,359,
3rd all time: in saves, 2,802,
3rd all time: in games, 108;
3rd all time: in consecutive starts, 51 in freshman and sophomore seasons.
4th all time: goals-against average, 2.56

Sweet shootout goal by Mason Raymond’s

Check out this sweet shootout goal by former UMD Bulldog forward Mason Raymond. Apparently the Islanders goalie Kevin Poulin thought it was a showoff move… If the NHL is going to continue to use the shootout to decide games players are going to find creative ways to score goals.

So you don't like our refs?

I found this comment over on INCH's first shift to be interesting. All I would say is welcome to the club buddy; most of us in the WCHA nation aren't all that thrilled with the quality of our officials either.

In the first half I can only think of three games when we were in the box a lot, the game against Brown and two games at St. Cloud, but we were a road team against the WCHA in those.”

One of the topics of conversations in last week’s ECAC Hockey notebook was that Quinnipiac is among the least-penalized teams in the nation. Bobcats head coach Rand Pecknold offered the above reflection on the first half of the season with a chuckle months after the fact. It’s not a criticism of the officials, but we felt it was worthy to share simply for the reason that a number of other coaches and fans are probably saying, “Yeah, I’ve seen that movie before.”