The Senators send down former Sioux Brian Lee.

Former Fighting Sioux hockey player Brian Lee was sent down to Binghamton today to make room for uber sieve Martin Gerber. In a way you kind of feel for Brian Lee especially after the last game he had, I expect Lee to get called up again before the season is over.

SPORTSNET.CA –- The Ottawa Senators assigned defenceman Brian Lee to the Binghamton Senators Friday and recalled goaltender Martin Gerber.

Gerber, 34, has posted six wins and as many losses in 13 games with Birmingham this season, posting a 2.90 GAA with a .911 save percentage and one shutout.

With the Senators this season, Gerber has four wins, nine losses and an overtime loss in 14 games with a 2.86 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.

According to Sportsnet’s Ian Mendes, Alex Auld has the flu, so there is a small chance they need Gerber to back up Brian Elliott Saturday night.

He last saw action with the Senators in a 6-4 loss to the Bruins in Boston on Jan. 8.

Lee, on recall for a third time this season since Dec. 13, has two goals, nine assists and 14 penalty minutes over 36 games with the NHL club.

In 22 AHL games, the 21-year-old has one goal, eight assists, 28 penalty minutes and a +4 rating.

Rangers get the Star's sloppy seconds.

The soap opera continues. It will be interesting to see what happens next. You have to wounder if the Rangers are picking Avery up just so he can get into Martin Brouder's kitchen.

SPORTSNET.CA --- Sportsnet has learned the Dallas Stars will place Sean Avery on re-entry waivers as early as Monday.

Avery will play in both AHL Hartford Wolf Pack games this weekend. The New York Rangers have committed to claiming Avery providing he was still available.

In six games with the Wolf Pack, Avery has one goal and one assist.

Avery previously played in New York under coach Tom Renney, who was fired and replaced by John Tortorella on February 23, 2009. In December Tortorella commented on the Avery-Dion Phaneuf controversy while serving as a Canadian television analyst.

Tortorella said: "Enough is enough. He's embarrassed himself, he's embarrassed the (Dallas) organization, he's embarrassed the league and he's embarrassed his teammates, who have to look out for him. Send him home. He doesn't belong in the league."

Rangers GM Glen Sather told the New York Post on Monday of the potential conflict between the new coach and Avery: "He doesn't have the history with Sean that we do. Over time you learn to love him, just like I do."

Derek Boogaard suspended 5 games by NHL.

This is the hit that got Derek Boogaard "the Boogey man" suspended by the NHL for 5 games. I think it's definitely a penalty that warrants a suspension, whether it be a boarding or elbow. You have to wonder if the name on the back of the jersey had something to do with the length of the suspension. What would have happened if this was Ovechkin or Crosby that did this hit? Would there be a suspension? You have to wonder if there are two sets of rules for certain players.

Wild's Boogaard suspended for five games
News By NHL .com
Minnesota Wild forward Derek Boogaard has been suspended for five games, without pay, as a result of an elbowing incident during NHL game #921 against the Calgary Flames, the National Hockey League announced today.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Boogaard will forfeit $23,521.50. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

At 18:48 of the third period, Boogaard delivered a blow to the head area of Calgary forward Brandon Prust. Prust was injured on the play and did not return to the game. Officials assessed Boogaard minor penalties for boarding and roughing on the play.

Boogaard will miss tonight’s game at Edmonton, March 3 against Vancouver, March 5 against San Jose, March 7 against Los Angeles and March 8 against Anaheim. He will be eligible to return March 10 vs. San Jose.

Message to WCHA Fire Todd Anderson NOW!!!

Another week in the WCHA and wouldn’t you know it another incident involving an on ice WCHA official. Taking it a little further; it is another incident that involves WCHA referee Todd Anderson, again. When does the league say enough is enough with this guy? Do they give Todd Anderson the Randy Schmidt suspension, where he gets suspended and goes away quietly into the night to never be seen again on the ice. Friday night there was another series of incidents in the game between the Badgers and the Mavericks in Mankato.

Tonight I got a text from Lets Go Mavs and she says that Todd Anderson and the other official took 10 minutes to wave off a goal on video review. That is ridiculous, it is either a goal or it is not a goal.

Here is a run down of the incident on Friday night in Mankato.

In the third, with UW clinging to a 3-2 lead, a centering pass from freshman pivot Derek Stepan hit the right skate of Gorowsky and caromed past Mankato goaltender Mike Zacharias (32 saves).

Referee Todd Anderson looked at the sequence on video along with partner Pete Freesma and waived it off, telling Eaves that Gorowsky used a distinct kicking motion, which is illegal.

“I don’t know how he made that distinction after watching it on video,” Gorowsky said. “I didn’t know I touched the puck at all. I saw it come through and I tried to hit it with my stick and I thought it went all the way through. I looked and it was in the back of the net.”

Eaves’ voice was elevated during a post game discussion with Greg Shepherd, the WCHA supervisor of officials. When Eaves emerged from the ante room, he was diplomatic and terse with a sense of humor thrown in when asked about the two goals that weren’t

“I’m not going to go down that path,” he said. “Obviously they were critical times in the game. Unless I was willing to give you a $1,000 check right now — unfortunately I called my wife and she said I can’t — I’m not going to say anything about those things.”

Public criticism of game officials could result in a fine from the WCHA, something Eaves tried to avoid.

“Those viewpoints that those gentlemen have certainly aren’t the ones we have,” he said. (read the whole article here)

Let’s take look at Todd Anderson’s hit parade over the past couple of seasons. These incidents happened in the games that Todd Anderson has worked in. All these dust ups involved a game where Todd Anderson as the on ice official was not all that sharp. In fact his performance was unsatisfactory. The League office needs to man up and get rid of some dead weight.

1.) The Prpich cup check and the Dasher dance.
2.) The dasher dance and ejection from the game. Guess who is the official? Todd Anderson.
3.) The Brian Schack incident in Mankato as Schack attacked Channing Boe.

Sister kissing in Grand Forks: Sioux 4 Tigers 4

I started this glorious day at Purpur Arena where I watched the first of three hockey game live today. First on the docket was the Central Knights as they beat the Fargo South Bruins 3-2. Then I drove over to the Ralph to watch the Fighting Sioux battled to a 4-4 tie with the scrappy Colorado College Tigers. Then we went to Whitey's where we had supper and then headed back to the Ralph to end the night watching the Red River Rough Riders do the unthinkable; Red River was out shot for the game but beat Bismarck 3-2. Red River goalie Cory Meland saved his best games for the last two games of high school career.

I am not a big fan of Fighting Sioux playing at 3:37 pm in the afternoon; however it's better than working. I know it’s a cliché but a bad day of hockey is better than a good day of work. Today I thought the Fighting Sioux looked a little sluggish against the Tigers in all three zones and were a step behind during the middle part of the game. I also think that is to be understood since they played in Anchorage last weekend and that trip takes a lot out of any hockey team.

Brad Eidsness was the difference in this hockey game today; Brad Eidsness made some huge saves at the right time. I remember at the beginning of the season some were questioning if the Sioux would have enough goaltending to contend for a title. I think those questions have been answered as the Fighting Sioux are closing in a WCHA regular season title. The one save that he made in the third period was absolutely amazing. Tomorrow afternoon the defense is going to have to tighten up and start getting ready for the playoffs. The team as a whole cannot be giving up odd man rushes and letting the opposition move into the offensive zone unchallenged.

As it stands right now the Fighting Sioux are one point behind Denver with two games in hand. Realistically that means UND has a possibility of 6 points and DU has a possible 2 points left. If the Fighting Sioux can get three more points they would at least tie for a league title. If the Fighting Sioux can get 4 points they can win a McNaughton Cup out right. That would be the first McNaughton Cup of Coach Hakstol’s tenure. The Fighting Sioux have not won a McNaughton Cup since 2004.

Box score
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CC-1 Brian McMillin (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x1 8:20
NDK 1 - 0 6x6 Matt Watkins (6) (Andrew Kozek, Zach Jones) 10:56
NDK (+): 20,10,6,11,25,G31 CC (-): 7,18,16,26,10,G30
CC-2 Ryan Lowery (2-Tripping) NDK 0x2 12:18
NDK-1 Chris VandeVelde (2-Tripping) CC 0x1 12:36
CC 1 - 1 5x5 Mike Testwuide (4) (Matt Overman, Gabe Guentzel) 14:04
CC (+): 25,18,10,15,G30 NDK (-): 20,5,14,11,G31
NDK 2 - 1 6x6 Brett Hextall (10) (Ryan Duncan, Jason Gregoire) 14:58
NDK (+): 26,16,17,24,5,G31 CC (-): 22,4,2,14,15,G30

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

NDK-2 Chay Genoway (2-Tripping) CC 1x2 2:44
CC 2 - 2 6x5 PP Chad Rau (15) (Bill Sweatt, Brian Connelly) 3:06
CC: 14,21,11,28,10,G30 NDK: 20,25,6,11,G31
CC-3 Jake Gannon (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x3 3:53
CC-4 Tyler Johnson (2-Roughing) 7:10
NDK-3 Jake Marto (2-Tripping) 7:10
NDK-4 Mario Lamoureux (2-Roughing) CC 1x3 7:10
CC-5 Nate Prosser (2-Cross-Checking) NDK 0x4 11:02
NDK-5 Chris VandeVelde (2-Interference) CC 1x4 12:33
CC 3 - 2 6x6 Bill Sweatt (12) (Gabe Guentzel, Chad Rau) 14:35
CC (+): 21,10,14,28,11,G30 NDK (-): 19,25,29,6,22,G31
CC-6 Tyler Johnson (2-Hooking) NDK 0x5 17:33
CC-7 Andreas Vlassopoulos (2-Roughing) 19:35
NDK-6 Jason Gregoire (2-Roughing) 19:35
NDK 3 - 3 5x5 Darcy Zajac (3) (Joe Finley, Chay Genoway) 19:54
NDK (+): 11,20,2,5,G31 CC (-): 11,14,25,24,G30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NDK 4 - 3 6x6 Brett Hextall (11) (Brad Miller) 1:49
NDK (+): 26,14,16,17,24,G31 CC (-): 16,28,18,15,4,G30
NDK-7 Matt Frattin (2-Hooking) CC 1x5 7:29
CC-8 Mike Testwuide (2-Holding) NDK 0x6 7:42
CC 4 - 4 5x5 GT Chad Rau (16) (Eric Walsky, Gabe Guentzel) 7:59
CC (+): 14,10,7,22,G30 NDK (-): 16,17,2,5,G31
CC-9 Mike Testwuide (2-Hooking) NDK 0x7 13:05

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overtime (5:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Timeout - Colorado College 4:00
Timeout - North Dakota 4:20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Game
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Scores from 2-27-2009

Friday, February 27, 2009

Atlantic Hockey
American Int'l 3 at Army 3 ot
Mercyhurst 4 at Canisius 1
Bentley 1 at Connecticut 4
Air Force 4 at RIT 6
Sacred Heart 2 at Holy Cross 5

Analysis
RIT beat Air Force Academy again 6-4 and is leading the AHA by two points.

CCHA
Ohio State 6 at Miami 2
Lake Superior 3 at Northern Michigan 7
Michigan 6 at Ferris State 1
Bowling Green 2 at Western Michigan 5
Michigan State 0 at Notre Dame 5

Analysis
tOSU beats Miami in Oxford and drops the RedHawks to 12th in the Pair Wise Rankings.
Notre Dame rolls over MSU, I watched this game for a while last night and Notre Dame took it to the Spartans. I don't think anyone wants to play that team in the NCAA tourney. Michigan rolls again.

CHA
Niagara 3 at Robert Morris 3 ot

Analysis
Niagara is 0-3-1 the last four games and is now probably locked in the second seed going into the CHA tourney in Bemidji in two weeks.

ECAC
Princeton 0 at Dartmouth 2
Cornell 2 at Yale 4
Clarkson 4 at Rensselaer 2
Quinnipiac 1 at Harvard 2
Colgate 3 at Brown 3 ot
St. Lawrence 2 at Union 0

Analysis
Yale is on top of the ECAC and the regular season champ. Cornell has kind of stumbled in February with a record of 3-4.

Hockey East
Mass.-Lowell 0 at Northeastern 3
Vermont 3 at Maine 2
Providence 1 at Boston College 5
New Hampshire 4 at Merrimack 3
Boston University 6 at Massachusetts 3

Analysis
Boston University 10-0-3 in their last thirteen games and has lost one game since December. Boston College won for the first time in 5 games.

WCHA
Minnesota-Duluth 2 at Minnesota 2 ot
Wisconsin 3 at Minnesota State 4 ot
St. Cloud State 1 at Denver 3

Analysis
UMD and Minnesota the sister kissing in Minneapolis. Come on Dogs beat the dirty Gophers tonight. MSU-M wins another game against the Badgers in Mankato and WCHA on ice official Todd Anderson is the center of another controversy. It's time for the league office to fire Todd Anderson because he is not good official.

Non-Conference
Alaska-Anchorage 1 at Alaska 0

Exhibition
US Under-18 Team 1 at Bemidji State 3

Is Pronger going to Boston?

I have seen this rumor and like the thought of Chris Pronger playing on the Bruins blue line. Could you imagine Pronger teamed up with Chara? Holy cow! That would be an awesome sight. I can't imagine the Bruins wanting to give up Phil Kessel. Kessel is a budding, up and coming star in the NHL that could very well be a 40-50 goal scoring in the next couple of years.

So who would the Bruins give up? They are loaded on the blue line but thin at forward. I can't see the Bruins trading Kessel, Wheeler, Lucic, Krejci or Ryder. The one of the most consistant lines for the Bruins as of late have been the Wheeler, Krejci Ryder line.

Latching onto Chris Pronger, Veteran in Bruins sights
By Stephen Harris --- Friday, February 27, 2009
If you believe what you hear from various NHL sources, you can bet the Bruins had many sets of eyes trained last night on Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger.

And the Ducks were sizing up talent on the Bruins side, as well.

It’s believed the Ducks will deal away the multi-talented 34-year-old Pronger, and that the Bruins could be interested shoppers. That was certainly a hot topic at the Garden last night, site of the B’s 6-0 victory.

The obvious speculation is that the B’s end of the deal would be young speedster Phil Kessel [stats], their top goalscorer and one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the game.

“The chatter is increasing,” said B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli, “but I’m not getting any closer to doing anything. I don’t want to subtract anything from our team. I like our team and I like the chemistry.”

Notice he said he doesn’t want to subtract players. He didn’t say he wouldn’t do it. Chiarelli is understandably loath to part with a young talent like Kessel, a 21-year-old with the potential to be a 50-goal superstar.

Could Zach Parise get 50 goals?

It seems that it could be a very possible. Former Fighting Sioux hockey player Zach Parise scored his 36th goal of the season last night against the Colorado Avalanche and added his 37th assist of the season giving Parise 73 points for the season. Also Former Fighting Sioux hockey player Travis Zajac who is fourth on the Devils in scoring added a goal and two assists giving him (17-34-52).

Zach Parise feels scoring 50 goals for New Jersey Devils this season still possible.
by Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger --- Friday February 27, 2009.

Devils winger Zach Parise scored his 36th goal of the season Thursday against the Avalanche, when he beat defenseman Brett Clark to the puck then Andrew Raycroft top shelf. Zach Parise notched his 36th goal Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche and it was a beauty.

But what about his chances of scoring 50 goals this season. He would become the first Devils player to do it.

"I hope so. I don't like talking about it. We'll see," Parise told me. "I guess I've been a pretty streaky scorer. Not so much this year, but in past years."

Parise is on pace to score 48 goals.

Randomization...

Excuse me if I am a little giddy today after watching my favorite team the Boston Bruins take apart their last two opponents scoring 12 goals in two games and giving up a meager one goal. How about Bruins goalie Tim Thomas for the league MVP? It seems the roar of the late 1980's early 1990's is back in Boston. I used to live in the Boston area from 1988 - 1990 and I was able to go to seven Bruin's game at the old Boston Garden. In my opinion this years Boston Bruin's hockey team is probably better than the team(s) that went to the Stanley cup playoffs in 1987-1988 and 1989-1990 season. This Years Bruins are bigger, bader, tough and better offensively and defensively that the last two Bruin's teams that went to the Stanley Cup finals.

First after re-watching the Lucic and Brown fight In response to BrentB's comments on another blog post; Yeah I think Milan Lucic crossed the line and violated the code last night by hitting a player that was laying on the ice. Was Lucic justified because Brown hit him before Lucic was ready to fight, I don't know. Here is what Fluto Shinzawa, Boston Globe had to say on the matter.

* Based on the ruling on Mike Brown (instigating, fighting, 10-minute misconduct), Milan Lucic had a reason to be upset with the Duck's early right to start their fight. The replay showed that Lucic might not have finished shedding his gloves before Brown got in his first pop. That shot prompted Lucic to continue punching Brown when he hit the deck -- usually considered a no-no between fighters.

Here is what Blake Wheeler had to say about last night's game.

"I think guys are playing more loose," said Blake Wheeler, who had two assists. "It might sound like a really easy thing to just flip the switch. But sometimes it's the hardest thing in the world out there to just relax, play your game, let loose, and go about your business. Everyone wanted to do the right thing. When we were struggling for a little bit, everyone wanted to get things going the right way and take it upon themselves. As a group, I think we've found our rhythm again with that calmness. We're going out there and reacting and just playing hard. We're confident that the results are going to be there."

The Boston Bruins are a little banged up after playing against the Dirty Ducks last night. The game was a head banger's ball.

Marc Savard and Milan Lucic, kept out of practice today because of upper-body injuries, are questionable for tomorrow. Marc Savard, roughed up in last night's second period, is questionable for tomorrow. Blake Wheeler took a Chris Pronger shot off the foot in the first period and didn't practice today, but Claude Julien said the rookie should be available tomorrow. Julien said there could be promotions from Providence today if neither Savard nor Lucic can go tomorrow.

A couple of former Fighting Sioux made Puck Daddy's Thursday's three stars. First Zach Parise made the second star of the night. Nice to see Zach Parise doing well, too bad it's for the New Jersey Devils. I hope the New Jersey Devils fall flat on their faces during the NHL playoffs. (Sorry Sioux7)

No. 2 star: Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils We hate to double up on a full-slate night, but Parise and his linemates were that dominant in keeping the heat off Brodeur in his return after four months in mothballs. Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner and Travis Zajac combined for eight points and half of New Jersey's 32 shots. The highlight goal of the evening came when Parise out-muscled Adam Foote before beating Raycroft top-shelf from close range. The goal was his 36th, tying him with Jeff Carter for second in the NHL. Parise added two assists and did some uncredited dirty work in front of the net on the Devils' fourth goal.

It sounds like former Fighting Sioux defensman Brian Lee didn't win over the hearts and minds of the officials last night as he spent a fair amount of time in the Sin Bin.

Ottawa rookie defenseman Brian Lee was called for three minor penalties in the second period against San Jose. The Sens killed the first infraction, but the Sharks scored twice when Lee protested a holding call and had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty added to his punishment. Final score: 2-1.

The paint thinner will be flowing in Madison

The blog that Yost Built is reporting that Wisconsin and Michigan will be playing in an outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall the day before the Superbowl. Personally, I think the outdoor games are a mildly entertaining gimmick and your at the mercy of mother nature. I can't imagine sitting at a game a Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, ND freezing in sub zero weather. I also have to admit that I have watched all the outdoor games to date.

Wisconsin formally invites Michigan Wolverines to play outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall Stadium next February
by Kevin Ryan | The Ann Arbor News
Thursday February 26, 2009, 6:34 PM
The University of Wisconsin is banking on Camp Randall Stadium to draw a world-record crowd next year, but not for football.

The university has tendered a formal contract to the University of Michigan for an outdoor hockey game to be played at the 80,321-seat stadium Feb. 6, and the Wolverines are expected to accept the offer, Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson said Thursday afternoon.

"We're just sort of reviewing (the contract) right now just to make sure everything checks out OK," Pearson said, adding he couldn't provide more details.

If Camp Randall filled to capacity for the Saturday game, it would shatter the current outdoor attendance record, which involves the Wolverines. Michigan and its biggest hockey rival, Michigan State, played to a 3-3 tie before 74,544 fans at Spartan Stadium on Oct. 6, 2001, in a game dubbed "The Cold War."

Fight night in Boston.

The "Big Bad Bruins" are back. I just got done watching the Ducks and Bruins beat each other up on my DVR. Wow! You have got to love the way Bruins TV announcer Jack Edwards calls a hockey fight. On the Lucic fight, I think Andy Brickley is right Mike Brown broke the code when he sucker punched Lucic in front of the Ducks goal and Milan Lucic hammered him. Incidentally, Milan Lucic suffered an upper body injury tonight and didn't play in the third period and I wonder if he broke his hand beating up Brown because he seemed to be favoring right hand in the penalty box after the fight with Brown. I am sure we will find out soon.

In the heavy weight fight of the night Shawn Thornton fought former Princeton grad George Parros. I have to give Thornton credit for fighting Parros because that is about only thing he is good at doing. Parros also took a run at Bruins Star Marc Savard tonight during the second period.

(Hockey fights on the game tonight) It seems that the Bruins have fought in bunches this season. The majority of the team’s fighting majors have come during six multi-fight games. Last night was no different in Boston’s game against the Ducks.

With the B’s up 3-0, a heavyweight bout between Shawn Thornton and George Parros took place eight minutes into the second period. Moments later, things escalated after Mike Brown took exception to Milan Lucic rushing in on Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller, who was covering the puck.

Brown gave Lucic a gloved punch to the face and then continued to go after him. They dropped the gloves and Brown landed a right hand before losing his balance and falling to the ice. Lucic followed him down and hammered away until Sheldon Brookbank jumped on top of him. All of the other players on the ice (sans goalies) piled in but nothing else came of it. Brookbank was ejected from the game for being the third man in.

Less than a minute later, Marc Savard dropped the gloves after being roughed up by Scott Niedermayer, but the two only received roughings. The Bruins and Ducks won’t see each other again this season, but their next meeting might be one to look out for if certain players remain on the respective rosters.

INCH CHAT...

Here is the latest from this weeks INCH Chat, my favorite post from Jess Meyers talking about how he is going to be eating crow. I would be glad to cook him some on my grill at home.

John, (Hartford Conn): Thanks for taking our questions INCH! Being from the east coast I dont get to see much of the WCHA. Whats up with the Fighting Sioux and how come year after year they are able to make their second half run? Do they have a chance at a fifth straight Frozen Four?

Jess Myers: Every year we wonder if this will be the time that North Dakota is consistent start to finish, and every year it seems like the second-half surge is the rule in Grand Forks. Although this year a second half turnaround was maybe a bit more expected because NoDak started the season with so many talented, but young, players, and you're seeing the results of their increased maturity in the second half. As for the Frozen Four, I'd be surprised to see more than one WCHA team there, because I think the league is weaker overall. But if I had
--------------------
UND in SLP: St Louis Park, MN: In this week's INCH podcast, you mentioned that UND is winning, and finding ways to win, by playing as a team. In the off season I thought that T J Oshie leaving was a blessing in disguise. The effect of losing JPL and Chorney notwithstanding, Oshie leaving got rid of the Sioux's "star player" notoriety, leaving more room for team cohesion and chemistry, and the inherent success we are seeing. Any thoughts?

Joe Gladziszewski: Absolutely, and thanks for listening to the INCH Podcast. I don't think a team is necessarily helped by losing star players, but it can have a positive impact in re-distributing the roles on the team. The Sioux have done it with an overall team effort and everyone improving to put them in their current position to win the league.
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Jennifer (Madison, WI): What do you think of the battle in the WCHA? Who's going to win? Who will have home ice? And who will be on the road for playoffs? Should end up being a great Final Five this year!

Jess Myers: I'm eating a lot of crow and admitting that North Dakota is going to win the MacNaughton Cup. Denver is my pick for the Final Five title. I see NoDak, Denver, Wisconsin, Minnesota Duluth and Colorado College at home for the playoffs. And I think the Final Five is always a great tournament (often better than the Frozen Four) but I'd be curious to see how much the attendance would drop in St. Paul if the Gophers don't get there.

Another region of death?

Here are the latest Bracketology Brackets from Jayson Moy. Interesting is the first word that comes to mind. I could see a bracket like that. UND beats Princeton and then takes on the winner of UMD and Michigan, sweet. I would love to see Red Berenson's face on the ESPN selection show as Red is explaining how he likes the prospects of playing two of the WCHA tougher teams in their back yard. At least we don't have to go to Yost Ice Arena. If these were the brackets on selection Sunday DU would have a the easiest route to the Frozen Four.

Midwest Regional:

Air Force vs. Notre Dame
Miami vs. Northeastern

West Regional:

Minnesota-Duluth vs. Michigan
North Dakota vs. Princeton

East Regional:

St. Lawrence vs. Denver
Yale vs. Vermont

Northeast Regional:

Bemidji State vs. Boston University
New Hampshire vs. Cornell

Ralph Engelstad Arena in Lawsuit.

Here is an interesting story I don't think many people knew about. It has probably kind of flown under the radar. The company CIMCO that REA is suing is being represented by a UND grad as well.

Ralph Engelstad Arena sues over ‘inefficient’ ice-making
By: Archie Ingersoll, Grand Forks Herald
The ice in Ralph Engelstad Arena hovers just above 20 degrees — the ideal temperature for hockey.

But inches below the hard, fast surface, there’s a multimillion-dollar problem, according to the Grand Forks arena.

The Ralph says the systems that make ice in both rinks in the landmark arena weren’t built to agreed-upon specifications.

“The whole system is just running inefficiently,” said Pat Morley, REA’s attorney. “As a result, the maintenance and energy costs are … way, way too high.”

Because of this alleged inefficiency, REA has brought a lawsuit against CIMCO, a Canadian company that installed the rinks and the ice-making equipment.

But CIMCO’s attorney Mark Hanson argues that his client’s work is not causing The Ralph’s problem.

“We frankly don’t see any issues with the equipment and how it was installed,” he said. “We just believe the arena needs to make adjustments.”

Some residents of Grand Forks County recently received surveys in the mail about the suit from a consultant hired by CIMCO. Hanson said the surveys — which ask questions about REA, UND and its hockey program — were sent out to learn what type of juror could be fair and impartial. (Read the whole article right here)

February Last Games (Sioux 7)

Last week in the WCHA the playoff picture cleared up some. With UND sweeping UAA and DU sweeping UW, both teams have locked themselves into home ice. CC's sweep of UM helped them into 3rd place, but have only 3-games left. UMD took 3pts from MTU to help them stay in the race for home ice. MSU-Mankato is pretty much guaranteed a road trip to start the playoffs which means they join UAA and MTU as teams that will be on the road for the first round.


WCHA STANDINGS
1 North Dakota..............15-6-3...33
1 Denver......................15-7-3...33
3 Colorado College..........12-8-5...29
4 Wisconsin.................13-9-2...28
5 Minnesota-Duluth........10-8-6...26
6 St. Cloud State.........12-11-1...25
7 Minnesota..............10-10-4...24
8 Minnesota State........9-13-2...20
9 Alaska-Anchorage......7-14-5...19
10 Michigan Tech..........1-18-7...9


#16 Wisconsin at Minnesota State
This is the only series these two teams play against each other this year. Last season the Mavericks owned a 2-1-1 record against Bucky. The Badgers need some wins to keep their position in the top half of the league and improve their odds of getting into the NCAA tourney. It looks as if UW will most likely finish somewhere between 3rd and 6th place. While the Mavericks look to finish between 6th and 8th place. MSU-Mankato needs loads of luck to get home ice, so now they can play the spoiler role. UW is 3-3-0 and MSU-M is 2-3-1 in their last six games. Both teams were swept in their last WCHA series. The Mavs magic number seems to be 2, if they hold their opponents to 2 or fewer goals they have a good record, 11-0-1 overall. Bucky has been shut-out in 2 of the last 5 games, so they need to score. I'm going with the Mavericks this weekend, they had last weekend off to rest up and get ready for their final push. Mavericks sweep the Badgers.


#19 St. Cloud State at #5 Denver
The Pioneers are pretty much a lock for the NCAA tourney, and most likely will finish 1-2 in the league. The Huskies are only a point out of the final home ice spot, after a bye last weekend, so they need points to keep the dream alive. Back on Nov. 14-15 SCSU sweep DU at the National Hockey Center. DU is coming off a big road sweep of UW, so they hope to keep momentum rolling, and hope they do not suffer a let down, this weekend. The Huskies would like nothing better than to get a season sweep of DU and really improve their chances for home ice in two weeks. DU would like to take four points and lock them into at least #2 in the league. DU might be without forward Tyler Ruegsegger (5th in team scoring 12g, 11a) who suffered an "upper body injury" last weekend. With that in mind I'm going to call a split in this series. Huskies on Friday and Pioneers on Saturday.


#14 Minnesota-Duluth at #18 Minnesota
Well this is another big series in the race for home ice. IF the Bulldogs sweep the Gophers, UMD is in good shape to hold a playoff series, and the Gophers would be on the road, possible to Duluth... IF the Gophers sweep they would be in position to grab home ice, but would need some help this weekend and next. The Bulldogs are 4-6-4 away from the DECC, and the Gophers are 8-5-5 at Mariucci this season, but are 1-3-1 in their last 5 home games, ouch! If the UM doesn't get some points this weekend, Coach Lucia might feel worse now then when he had his medical condition earlier this year. UMD plays well when they have the lead, and UM has not played well when they have been trailing. With that said the first goal of the games is going to be important and I also say who ever scores first wins the game.


#13 Colorado College at #8 North Dakota (Sat. & Sun.)
The Sioux have secured home ice for the first round, and the Tigers are in a good spot to hold onto home ice. If UND can sweep CC they would only need one more win secure the top spot in the WCHA. CC has 3-games left, these two at Grand Forks and one at Denver, not an easy way to end the season. The Tigers got their second WCHA sweep of the season last weekend, their last was back in mid-October against MTU. While the Sioux swept UAA on the road, in doing so goalie Brad Eidsness became only the 3rd UND freshman goalie to hit the 20-win plateau, joining former Sioux greats Ed Belfour and Karl Goehring - Congratulations Brad! Since the start of 2009 the Sioux have been scoring over 4goals/game and giving up just a shade over 2 goals/game. I watched the CC-UM games last weekend, and CC capitalized on some UM mistakes and got a few bounces. The Tigers were outplayed by the Gophers for large chunks of time, and where out shot 37-19 on Saturday. I don't think they have "turned things around" in C-springs just yet. This is a big weekend for both teams, but with the Sioux rolling and being back at home and CC being 5-5-4 on the road this season, I'm taking the Sioux, sweep.


UAA at UAF (Non Conference)
All I know that this series is for the Governor's Cup, I hope Governor Sarah Palin presents the winners the Cup... A look the standing and records this year points to the Nanooks being the favorite. UAF is 4th in the CCHA and UAA is 9th in the WCHA. So with the "Battle for Alaska" going on this weekend in a home-and-home series, I'm backing the WCHA, and saying the Seawolves sweep the Nanooks.


MTU is on a bye week, next week they host the Gophers.

This is what I like to hear.

This is what I like to hear come out of a hockey coach's mouth. I don't know a lot of hockey fans that like to watch the neutral zone trap. I think the Wild need to adopt this philosophy. Kind of reminds me of the days when Dean Blais was coaching for the Fighting Sioux, race horse hockey.

“We want to attack,” Tortorella said. “I’m not interested in trapping. I’m just interested in getting some puck pressure. And if we have some breakdowns, we’ve got the best goalie in the league,” a reference to Henrik Lundqvist, in his fourth season.

When he coached Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup in 2004, Tortorella used an all-out attacking style that gave lots of ice time to the immensely productive Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards and the power-play specialist Dave Andreychuk. They controlled the puck in the other team’s end and often scored.

Andy Schneider vs. Justin Soryal

While surfing the net tonight I found this fight over on hockeyfights.com. The fight is between former Fighting Sioux defenseman Andy Schneider and Justin Soryal. Soryal is a goon who has been in an impressive sixteen fights this season while playing in the AHL. In comparison Andy Schneider has only been in two fight this season. Let's just say that Soryal's is probably playing for his fisticuffs.

INCH Pod Cast.

The latest INCH podcast, in my opinion is a must listen, there is some funny stuff on this podcast. (Click here to listen) For Fighting Sioux fans at about the 20:00 till 25:00 minute mark there is some really interesting stuff that Sioux fans will get a good chuckle out of. For the Golden Gopher fans the INCH boys all but said the Gophers are done.

Jason Blake News.

There has been a lot of speculation that Former Fighting Sioux forward Jason Blake might get moved at next weeks trade dead line. Fiona Quick reported that Leafs General Manager Brian Burke was at the last Wild game with the L.A. Kings. Is Doug Risebrough & company considering acquiring Jason Blake? Being a Wild fan I would love to see Blake playing for the team of 18,000.

** Jason Blake -- A surly outcast last year, he’s now Mr. Sunshine and attempting to become the first American to lead the Leafs in scoring since Ed Olczyk 20 years ago.
Personally, I would love to see a Former Fighting Sioux Hockey player and a American born hockey player as the top scorer for the Maple Leafs.

Jason Blake is a mess after running into Colby Armstrong check.

A still woozy Jason Blake was not on the ice for the Leafs noon-hour practice today and won’t make the trip to Ottawa for tomorrow’s date with the Senators.

In his place, the Leafs have recalled tough guy Andre Deveaux from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. The 24-year-old, who has yet to make an NHL start, will more than just fill the spot on the roster. With 54 penalty minutes in 13 games, he figures to add some much needed toughness.

Here is a clip about the possibility of Jason Blake being moved at the Trade Deadline.

*on Blake

Position: Forward

This year: 56 games, 22 goals, 25 assists, 47 points

Why he might be moved: The veteran forward will likely be retired by the time Toronto starts to compete for a championship.

What he might be worth: Not much. Teams may be only willing to offer a reclamation project or a late-round draft choice.

Why teams are interested: Blake may not score 40 goals again, but a disastrous 2007-08 - 15 goals in 82 games - and time spent in head coach Ron Wilson's doghouse seems to have helped the speedy winger rediscover his offence.

Why he could stay: Despite his improved numbers, the only numbers that league GMs appear fixated on is Blake's age (35) and contract (US$4-million for the next three years).

The scouts say: "I think that the way he's played this year has proven that he's a guy - when motivated - who loves to score goals. You can find fault with him, but the fact of the matter is he has been producing."

University of North Dakota nickname group to meet

Here is the latest from the Fighting Sioux nick name group.

A committee considering the future of the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and Indian head logo has scheduled its first meeting.

Board of Higher Education member Grant Shaft is chairman of the group. He says it will meet by conference call at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The panel has 10 members. It includes representatives of UND and the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes.

The group is supposed to talk with tribal leaders about whether UND may keep its Fighting Sioux athletics nickname and Indian head logo. The chairmen of the two tribes want UND to drop the nickname and logo.

The meeting's agenda says Shaft will discuss the committee's responsibilities and organization, and talk about a timeline for doing its work.