Blues forward T.J. Oshie had an emergency apendectomy this morning and will be out of the lineup indefinitely, a source has told the Post-Dispatch.
Oshie went to the hospital Friday night, following the Blues’ 3-1 victory over Minnesota at Scottrade Center. He played 17 minutes, 33 seconds in the game.
The recovery time for the surgery varies from person to person. Blues goaltender Chris Mason had a similar surgery last season and missed approximately two weeks. [Stltoday.com]
A UND fan would naturally think nearly all of their upperclassmen are significant. Big surprise.Further investigation revealed that of the fore mention players only one of them (Davidson) didn’t register a point during the game. If my math is correct that is five points for the insignificant upperclassmen of the Fighting Sioux. I am pretty sure that if Alaska native Evan Trupp played for the Seawolves he would be one fo their top players. PWND!
But yes ...
Darcy Zajac is insignificant.
Brent Davidson is insignificant.
Jake Marto and Evan Trupp are .5 insignificant each.
Derek Lapoint is insignificant.
That equals 4 significant upperclassmen. And I actually undercounted UAA's significant upperclassmen. I probably should have said 11. But I left off the goaltenders and underrated a couple of other guys. I was sandbagging.
UND, in conjunction with Ralph Engelstad Arena, says its willing to take suggestions to avoid some of the unfortunate incidents that happened at the rink during last weekend's series against Minnesota.
Discussions already have started with students, season-ticket holders, event staff and security personnel in this process.
"We have one of the best men's hockey programs, the best collegiate hockey facility and the best college hockey fans in the country, but there were events during last weekend's home hockey series that point to a need for change," UND athletic director Brian Faison said. "The vast majority of the nearly 12,000 people in the building both nights created an electric atmosphere.
"We don't want our fans to dampen their enthusiasm for Fighting Sioux hockey one decibel, but what I am asking them to do is direct their passion in a more positive manner." [UND Hockey]
The transition from a “grind-it-out” style to a more offensive-centric formula will signal a shift in of coaching tactics from Schafer. Throughout Schafer’s tenure at Cornell, the program built a reputation for superior goaltending, defensive-minded forwards and oversized defensemen who controlled the neutral zone and shut down top-line scorers.
The approach to winning games included systematically wearing down the opponent through relentless cycling, capitalizing on the best opportunities, and playing a trap game in the third period.
With stronger league competition and national contenders like North Dakota and Boston University on the schedule this year, Schafer understands that to win, the team must run four lines that consistently threaten to score. Without a checking line, the team may sacrifice the best counter-punch to top scorers, but it gains a level of offense perhaps unseen in Schafer’s 15 years on East Hill. A hybrid approach, balancing the need for strong defense with the need to score more goals, makes Cornell a legitimate threat to make a deep run this year. [Cornell Sun]
Seawolves notes
• Already hurting on the blue line -- literally -- the Seawolves could again be down to five defensemen tonight, as they were in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Robert Morris in Fairbanks. Teams generally dress six defensemen.
Shyiak said senior defenseman Nils Backstrom (wrist) remains out and has not been practicing. Senior Trevor Hunt (wrist surgery) is listed as questionable -- he's practicing with limited contact. And Shyiak lists junior Luka Vidmar (groin/hip) as doubtful.
Backstrom and Hunt have yet to play this season and Vidmar missed the loss to Robert Morris. Those three have a combined 221 games of college experience and all three play on special teams, so the Seawolves are hurting without them. [ADN.COM]
Sioux Gophers and idiots on both sides.While this weekend I didn't see a lot of this stuff going on, I have witnessed this type of behavior first hand in the past at venues like the Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center. Who uses this type of language when talking to another fan from a different team in front of young children? These people should have their mouths washed out with soap. That does cross the line of what is considered acceptable behavior at a sporting event. If I brought my two year old daughter to the game I don’t want her to have to listen to this kind of vile stuff. Just because you’re a college student doesn’t give you the right to act like an ass. There is no birthright to sit in that seat at the arena; if you can’t behave, I am sure the REA management can sell that prime seat to someone will be able to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner.
I was at the Sioux/Gopher hockey games this weekend. The games were in Grand Forks and I was wearing Gopher gear on Friday night. Our tickets were also in the student section. We sat on the very far side of the student section. There were some Gopher fans in front of us who were clearly from the U. They were receiving a bit of heckling, and for the most part it was all in good fun, but there were a few weekend warriors” that went over the line from the UND side of things. They were invading some personal space and getting face to face with the kids from the U. Lots of you are a bitch. and you suck balls. Luckily for everybody involved where I was at, the Gopher kids stayed very chill about these 2 or 3 idiots getting too close to them.
The UND kids clearly had had way too much to drink. The problem was they kept coming back trying to instigate more and more each time. It could have turned bad pretty easy. Check out the story below. On Saturday night we also had student section tickets. I was not looking forward to the abuse again.
The night before there was a very drunk kid behind us who fell into our seats a few times. We were standing each time, but my wife got kicked once. He’s lucky he did not catch the 4 year old girl with a foot. So we got lucky Saturday nights, while we were waiting in line to get into the game some kids from the U said they had normal tickets but wanted to sit in student section. I overheard this and we traded our 4 student tickets for their 4 normal tickets. It was a much better game Saturday and we did not have to get kicked by drunk 19 year olds. All around a better experience.
Fan code of conductLike another hockey fan suggested from DU, I like the NFL fan code of conduct policy and I am all for this if being enacted at REA. If you’re an unruly fan and you can’t act in an acceptable manner, your ticket should be taken from you and you will no longer be allowed to be able to attend events in the arena. Attending college hockey is a privilege, not a right. If you can’t act like a member of the human race, do not bother coming to the arena. Someone else will gladly pay a handsome fee for that ticket and act in a respectful manner in your place.
"The National Football League and its teams are committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for all fans, both in the stadium and in the parking lot. We want all fans attending our games to enjoy the experience in a responsible fashion. When attending a game, you are required to refrain from the following behaviors:
» Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature.
» Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.
» Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
» Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field).
» Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.
» Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.
"Event patrons are responsible for their conduct as well as the conduct of their guests and/or persons occupying their seats. Stadium staff will promptly intervene to support an environment where event patrons, their guests, and other fans can enjoy the event free from the above behavior. Event patrons and guests who violate these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and loss of ticket privileges for future games."
BOSTON, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has placed forward Marc Savard on long term injured reserve (broken left foot) and has recalled forward Trent Whitfield from Providence on an emergency basis.
Savard is expected to miss four to six weeks with the injury. He has led the Bruins in scoring each of the last three years and currently leads the team in scoring this year, with 4-3=7 totals in seven games. In 2008-09, Savard played in all 82 games with a 25-63=88 line.
Guess what? I had today off but ran into Marty Havlat and his girlfriend at a restaurant in Minneapolis. He hopes to play Wednesday against the Avalanche. He practiced today (Tuesday) but said he does want to test his groin at Wednesday's morning skate before a final decision is made.
I talked to Rachel Blount, who covered practice today. She said Petr Sykora (groin) skated again on his own and coach Todd Richards said they're hoping he can rejoin practice any day. He's still day-to-day and won't play against Colorado.
Chay Genoway, a veteran defenseman at the University of North Dakota, has been chosen as the Red Baron® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 20-26, 2009 asa result of his outstanding play in a weekend series against league rival Minnesota. Genoway A 5-9, 174-pound senior and team captain from Morden, Manitoba, Genoway scored three goals – all on the power-play – in helping
No. 4 North Dakota gain three of four WCHA points from No. 9 Minnesota last weekend in Grand Forks. He is currently the top scoring defenseman in the WCHA with six points (3g, 3a) in four games.
Genoway’s three goals matched his output from the entire 2008-09 season, when he was a secondteam All-American and the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. In last Friday’s (Oct. 16) 4-0 win over UM, Genoway scored a PPG goal in the third period to give the Sioux a 3-0 lead and seal the game. He was also a +1 and was named the game’s No. 3 star by the media. Last Saturday (Oct. 17), Genoway scored two more PPGs, both in the second period, and was named the game’s first star. Genoway quarterbacked a UND power-play that went 4-for-12 (25%) in the series and anchored a penalty-killing unit that thwarted all nine UM power-plays. Also nominated were: Joe Howe, G, CC; and Marc Cheverie, G, DU.
[Official Press Release]
Line men: The Bulldogs aren't real deep up front, but their unit of senior left winger Jordan Fulton, sophomore center Jack Connolly and junior right winger Justin Fontaine looks pretty lethal. They've combined for 50 shots on goal in four games, led by Fontaine with a WCHA-best 23. Connolly (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points) and Fontaine (6-3-9) lead the league in scoring.Sounds like Gopher goalie Alex Kangas won't be getting as many starts as he has in the past. Looks like Patterson will get a few more starts.
That will hurt: Denver will be without center Joe Colborne indefinitely after the sophomore suffered a broken finger against Ohio State, an injury that required surgery. Colborne was a first-round NHL draft pick of Boston in 2008.
Travel alert: Preseason title favorite Denver heads to Minnesota, where coach George Gwozdecky is 5-8-1 going head-to-head with Gophers counterpart Don Lucia. Meanwhile, Wisconsin plays at Minnesota State-Mankato, where the Badgers are 1-7-2 since Mike Eaves took over as coach in 2002.
Stat of the weekend: Minnesota center Jordan Schroeder, arguably the best all-around player in the WCHA, didn't register a shot on goal during a 4-0 loss to North Dakota. [Wisconsin Hockey Blog]
Outstanding for the Gophers was sophomore goalie Kent Patterson . Lucia said he had planned all along to split this series between Kangas and Patterson, and after making 31 saves Saturday night, that will likely continue.There was some question where the UAA games being televised and where they would be shown. Brad clears it up with this [blog post].
“That’s kind of a week-by-week [decision], but obviously Kent, the way he played tonight, earned himself more playing time,” Lucia said. “That’s the way it should be, performance should dictate play.” [MN Daily]
The games will be carried live on all Fighting Sioux Sports Network cable systems, including Midcontinent Communications and all other independent FSSN affiliates. (This means all Midco stations will have the games).
Grand Forks -- Midcontinent Communications
Fargo -- Cable One
Devils Lake -- North Dakota Telephone
Bemidji -- Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone
Thief River Falls -- Sjoberg's
Minot -- SRT Communications
Minot -- Vision Systems
Park River, N.D. -- Polar Communications
Langdon, N.D. -- United Telephone Mutual Aid
Perham, Minn. -- Arvig Communications
Perham, Minn. -- Loretel Cablevision
Steele, N.D. -- BEK Communications
Jamestown, N.D. -- Cable Services
Dickinson, N.D. -- Consolidated Cablevision
Carrington, N.D. -- Dakota Central Telecommunications
Ellendale, N.D. -- Dickey Rural Networks
Halstad, Minn. -- Halstad Telephone Company
Maddock, N.D. -- Maddock Cable TV
Enderlin, N.D. -- MLGC, Inc.
Ray, N.D. -- Northwest Communications
Even before the Bruins’ 4-1 loss Saturday in Phoenix, a game in which Boston showed zero fight once the Coyotes made it 2-0, Peter Chiarelli was not pleased with the atmosphere surrounding his players.From the other side of the equation, the Wild free up 625,000.00 of dead weight that had no value what so ever to the Minnesota Wild. Craig Weller was another one of Doug Risebrough's horrible blunders, seriously, I think the Wild could have gotten more value out of a bag of pucks and a truck load of carbon fiber sticks than playing this guy.
They were too comfortable, believed the general manager. Too sleepy. Too full of themselves following an Eastern Conference regular-season crown. Too confident that with a flick of a switch, they could turn things on and revert to the 2008-09 version - which, considering its regular-season achievements, fell short of expectations.
“We won one playoff round,’’ Chiarelli said. [Boston Globe]
Losing Weller is a coup. Wild doesn’t have to pay his $625,000 salary anymore in Houston. So, if you assume Fletcher can eventually acquire a second-round pick to replace this second, this was Fallstrom for Kobasew. We’ll know how that works out in about five years. Is Fallstrom a bust, or is he the second coming of Tomas Holmstrom? We will see.
As for Kobasew, who’s hit the 20-goal plateau in three of the past four years, I know a lot of people in Boston, and the scouting report from a bunch is this: “Good skater, works hard, drives to the net relentlessly, plays bigger than his size, has some skill, generates a ton of scoring chances for others but needs many scoring chances for him to be the scorer, is streaky undersized for the way he plays, which is very gutsy. Just goes to the net, plays hard on the wall. Because of that, he does get injured often. Best fit as a third-liner on a good team, but can be a second-liner on a bad team. Teammates love him. Reporters love him. Well-spoken, great guy.”
Talked to Shane Hnidy, who played with Kobasew the past two seasons in Boston.
He said his cell phone rang, and “I was like, Why’s Chuck Kobasew calling me? I wonder if we just traded for him.” [Russo's Rants]
BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired a second round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the rights to unsigned draft choice Alexander Fallstrom and forward Craig Weller from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Chuck Kobasew.
Fallstrom, selected in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, began his freshman year at Harvard University in September, 2009. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, he played for Brinken, Lindigo and Djurgarden in Sweden before moving to Minnesota where he attended Shattuck St. Mary’s School from 2007-2009. A senior captain at Shattuck St. Mary’s in 2008-09, Fallstrom led his team with 40 goals and 87 points (40-47=87) in 52 games. In his first season with Shattuck he had 67 points (20-47=67) in 62 games.
Weller, a fifth round selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft (167th overall), has played in 95 NHL games with the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild and has 4-10=14 totals with 127 penalty minutes. This season, Weller has played five games for the Houston Aeros (AHL) and has one assist and seven penalty minutes. Last season, Weller played in 36 games for the Wild and earned 1-2=3 totals and 47 PIM's.
Kobasew was acquired by the Bruins along with Andrew Ference from Calgary in exchange for Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau and a fourth round draft pick in 2008 on February 10, 2007. This season he has appeared in all seven of the Bruins contests, tallying 0-1=1 totals and 2 penalty minutes. In total, he appeared in 158 games for the Bruins, with 44-40=84 totals. His career NHL totals are 368 games, 78-77=155.
A 60-some lady named Grace gave me and 40 others a tour of Ralph Engelstad Arena. Cheap entrainment for me, only $3. One rube actually said, "It's only three dollars."
Grace offered a little history of the Ralph. She said that in Dec. of 1998, Engelstad, a former UND alum who made millions in real estate and a Las Vegas casino, the Imperial Palace, pledged $100 million for a new arena. It took 21 months to build and he watched the progress.
[Red Star and Sickle]
