Blake's game winner.

Jason Blake got the game winner against the Islander last night in Toronto. The Leafs play the Bruins again tonight in Boston. The game will feature three former WCHA players, Blake Wheeler, Jason Blake and Phil Kessel.

Leafs fans want Wheeler suspended.

Some Leaf fans want Blake Wheeler to be suspended for this hit on Ian White and are upset that he turtled against Colton Orr. According to Elliot Friedman, "Bill McCreary apologized to Ian White for missing Blake Wheeler’s push from behind that sent White hard into boards." I know that the NHL wants to do away with the push checks like this.

Obviously, the fact that Bill McCreary missed the hit is mind-blowing. I won't beat around the bush, Ian White is bang on: he is very lucky. If he had been hit a half a stride or so sooner he could have woken up Sunday with a halo and paralysed from the waist or neck down. Blake Wheeler laid an absolutely filthy hit and the fact that he isn't suspended and that there was no call on the ice highlights the massive trouble the league faces in trying to cut dirty play out of the game.

The more upsetting part was that Blake Wheeler didn't stand up to Colton Orr when it came time to pay the piper. Normally, non-fighters obviously don't have to fight enforcers but 'The Code' is supposed to keep players from making those kinds of hits because they'll have to fight the Colton Orrs of the world. Instead, we saw Wheeler pull his best Claude Lemieux impression while the Bruins were rewarded with a powerplay. Of course, I don't want Orr to pull a Carcillo but is it to much to ask that Blake Wheeler man up? And if he won't, would it kill the league to dish out some punishment? I guess so. [Pension Plan Puppets]

Stand up and Cheer and make some noise.

I think this is a really good idea, its time for people to get up and make some noise. There are times when the arena can be a little dead. This will be the last time to see the Sioux play in WCHA action this year, so it’s time to set the tone going into the second half of the season. The next time the Fighting Sioux play will be on New Years weekend in the Notre Dame Shillelagh Tourney against Niagara University.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The third-ranked Fighting Sioux men's hockey program is asking its fans to take the name of the University's fight song to heart and "Stand up and Cheer" at the beginning of the first period until the first whistle of each game.
UND athletics recently solicited feedback from its fans in an effort to enhance the gameday experience at Fighting Sioux home games. Many new initiatives have already been implemented as a result and the "Stand Up and Cheer" initiative was suggested during an open forum involving UND athletics and UND students.

The "Stand Up and Cheer" initiative is similar to the longtime UND basketball tradition in which Sioux fans remain on their feet until the opposing team scores its first points of the game.

UND's men's hockey team will host WCHA rival and 11th-ranked Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. on Friday and 7:07 on Saturday.

- Go Sioux -

Ed Jovanovski suspended two games by the NHL.

Coyotes hack Ed Jovanovski was suspended two games for his brutal hit on Wild forward Andrew Ebbett (UMICH). I think the more troublesome fact was none of the Wild challenged Jovanovski after this hit. You can't hit an opposition player in the head. You have to wonder if this would have happened if Derek Boogaard had been in the lineup. Here is a novel idea if you can't hit someone legally don't hit them at all take a number get them back later. Mike Russo is reporting that Ebbett is out with a concussion, this is the fourth player to suffer a concussion for the Wild.

TORONTO -- Phoenix Coyotes' defenseman Ed Jovanovski has been suspended for two games, without pay, for an incident in NHL game #436 against the Minnesota Wild, December 7, the National Hockey League announced today.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Jovanovski will forfeit $67,357.52. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

At 9:34 of the third period, Jovanovski delivered a forearm to the head area of Minnesota's Andrew Ebbett. No penalty was assessed on the play.

Jovanovski will miss Thursday's game at Los Angeles and Dec. 12 against San Jose. He will be eligible to return Dec. 14 at Detroit.

In Twist, Tribe Fights for College Nickname

My friend Rusty from the Illegal Curve sent me this article in my email this morning. Interesting story and I am surprised the New York Times would cover this story. Funny that this story brings up a point that I have made mention of for a long time. That there are a number of people upset with the Fighting Sioux nickname that aren’t Dakota/Sioux. This sound awful familiar. [click to see article] The Whistler and I were quoted in this article back in November.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Sometime soon, the Fighting Sioux of the University of North Dakota were to be no more, another collegiate nickname dropped after being deemed hostile and abusive to American Indians.

Except that some members of the Spirit Lake Tribe, one of two groups of Sioux in the state, say they consider the nickname an honor and worry that abandoning it would send them one step closer to obscurity.

“When you hear them announce the name at the start of a hockey game, it gives you goose bumps,” said Frank Black Cloud, a tribal member. “They are putting us up on a pinnacle.”

And so, in a legal standoff that has turned some preconceptions upside down, North Dakota’s top state lawyers will be in court on Wednesday to oppose members of the Spirit Lake Tribe who have sued to preserve the Fighting Sioux name and logo, an image of an Indian in profile, feathers draping down.

The battle here, like some others at the 20 or so institutions urged by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to drop their mascots, names or images, has been painful and drawn out. The University of North Dakota is the only one still sorting the matter out, an N.C.A.A. spokesman said, and it is creating rifts on this campus of 13,000 students, among its web of alumni that run through nearly every realm in North Dakota, and, especially, among American Indians here.

All around, harsh new accusations are flying. The members from Spirit Lake behind the lawsuit assert that many of the American Indians opposed to the Fighting Sioux nickname are simply from tribes other than the Sioux, and are jealous of all the recognition. (Opponents call this absurd.)

Some against the name claim that the operators of the Ralph Engelstad Arena, the gleaming hockey stadium built by a particularly successful alumnus for more than $100 million — and contains 2,400 images of the logo — are secretly behind the lawsuit, hoping to block the nickname from being abandoned. (False, the Spirit Lake members and hockey stadium officials say.)

“Still, to do what they’re doing, you’re more or less selling out,” said Frank Sage, a Navajo and one of about 400 American Indian students at the university and one who says he finds the Fighting Sioux imagery hurtful and harmful. “They’re just being used.”

The lawsuit, filed last month by eight members of the Spirit Lake Tribe, is tangled, and grows out of a similarly tangled series of events that began in 2005, when the N.C.A.A. warned the University of North Dakota and 17 other colleges to change their nicknames and mascots if they wished to show the images at N.C.A.A.-controlled championships or to host such events. (Two other institutions were later added, according to the N.C.A.A.)

Since then, some colleges changed their logos, others sought and received permission from local tribes to keep them, and a few resolved the matter in other ways.

But the University of North Dakota is still at it. The state’s Board of Higher Education and the university sued the N.C.A.A. to preserve the nickname and logo, and in 2007 reached a settlement that let it keep them if the Sioux tribal councils in the state — at Spirit Lake and Standing Rock — agreed to the idea by the end of November 2010.

But some university officials said they began worrying that the debate was leading other institutions to avoid competing against them in sports. Robert Kelley, the university’s president, has taken no position on the nickname but said he found himself being asked about it almost constantly —at the supermarket, in meetings of the state’s Congressional delegation — and wanted to ensure that the debate did not eclipse the university’s academic focus.

Judge won't rule today on Fighting Sioux nickname suit

There will be no ruling today on the lawsuit brough forth by the Spirit Lake tribe. The Board of Higher Ed wanted this lawsuit thrown out. I believe it's so they can retire the Fighting Sioux nickname to pursue membership in the Summit League. Stay tuned. It will be interesting to see how this thing turns out.

DEVILS LAKE ----- District Court Judge Michael Sturdevant will not rule today on the lawsuit brought forth by Fighting Sioux nickname supporters from the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation.

The lawsuit argues that the state must abide by the timeline laid out in the state's settlement with the NCAA, which says UND has until Nov. 30, 2010, to win approval of both the state's Sioux tribes if it's to keep the nickname.

The NCAA considers the nickname "hostile and abusive."

Sturdevant said today he'd have a written ruling on the matter before Christmas

Scouting the Badgers.

Check out these stats for the Badger defenseman Brendan Smith, they are impressive and eye popping. You can bet that Smith’s NHL team will probably come calling after the season if he keeps scoring at this clip. The Badgers are the top scoring team in the WCHA and they are the second best defensive team behind the Sioux.

Wisconsin men's hockey stat of the week
Junior defenseman Brendan Smith has 24 points (7 goals, 17 assists) while playing in 15 of the first 16 games for the UW men's hockey team. Production like that demands closer scrutiny.

That point total leads the Badgers as well as the WCHA. The last defenseman to lead the league in scoring was 1996-97 when Minnesota's Mike Crowley (5-37-42) shared the honor with Colorado College center Brian Swanson (15-27-42).

Smith's point total and his number of goals are tops among defensemen in the nation.

His per-game average of 1.60 points is second in the country. The last UW player to have a higher average for a season was Steve Reinprecht in 1999-2000 (1.78). The last Badgers defenseman to have a higher average for a season was Theran Welsh in 1979-80 (1.61).

In his current career-best seven-game point streak alone, Smith has more points than any other WCHA defenseman for the entire season (5-10-15).

Perhaps the best measure of Smith's overall production is that, right now, he would have more points than the top-scoring UW defenseman from nine previous seasons. Here's the list, dating back to 1969-70 when the Badgers debuted in the WCHA:

It's worth noting that McBain (2009), Dessner (2000) and Jagger (1970) were first-team All-Americans; Gilbert (2006) was a second-team All-American and Tanabe, like Smith, was a first-round NHL draft pick.
[Badger Hockey Blog]

NHL checks Marc Savard deal

The NHL is investigating Marc Savard's newly signed contract. Peter Chiarelli is a smart guy so I don't think Bruins fans have to worry about this too much. Looks like the NHL brass isn't all that impressed with contracts that are front end loaded.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed yesterday that the NHL is investigating Marc Savard’s heavily front-loaded, seven-year contract signed last week.

The league, which reportedly also is looking into similar deals signed by Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa, Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, is concerned that clubs are violating the spirit of the collective bargaining agreement with so-called retirement deals, in which the player would get most of his money in the early years and then, as the salary decreases, he could choose to call it a career. Meanwhile, the club enjoys a palatable salary cap hit during the life of the deal.

Chiarelli was not concerned that the NHL, which has hired an outside law firm to investigate, would find anything wrong with the Savard pact.

“They’re looking at a number of contracts. It’s a matter of course,” said Chiarelli, confirming an ESPN.com story that was published during the weekend. “I’m confident we did everything by the CBA.”

According to terms of the deal, Savard will make $7 million the first two years of the deal, $6.5 million the third and $5 million the fourth. The money then drops precipitously, as he’s scheduled to make $1.5 million the fifth and just $525,000 in the sixth and seventh. That works out to an annual cap hit of $4.2 million. [Boston Herald]

The Sky is not falling.

This came across my twitter account today. This is to cheer up the people that are bummed out about last weekend's split with UMD. [UND Hockey Twitter]

To those who suggest UND can't protect a lead: Sioux are 9-1-1 when leading after 2nd, 5-2-0 when leading after 1st, 7-2-0 when scoring 1st.

That means if the refs don't blow last weekend game tying goal the Sioux are 10-0-1 in games where they had a two goal lead.

Denver suffered from what some might classify as a bit of a controversy non call as well last weekend in their series with their cross state rival the Colorado College Tigers. In a way It almost karma like, especially after how bad UND got homered in Denver. George Gwozdecky no matter how hard he works the officials isn’t going to get every call to go his way. The irony is that Todd Anderson comes back to bite the Pioneers again. You have to wonder if the Anderson will be working the Pioneers games again anytime soon?

UPDATE FROM MONDAY, after DU coach George Gwozdecky spoke with league officials: “When Patrick was (face-first) on the ice, we were in possession of the puck. In the heat of the moment, they probably regret the decision to not blow the whistle. It makes it even more difficult to blow the whilste seconds later when CC gains possession. As we all review the play, the play would have been blown dead a second or two after he’s down.”

Here’s what happened: Wiercioch escaped a defender behind the DU net and skated the puck up the left side of the zone. Just after he passed it ahead, a crouched Stephen Schultz checked Wiercioch, connecting only with the defenseman’s left knee. Wiercioch was down, and showed no signs of getting up, while DU had possession through the neutral zone, and into the offensive zone. A blocked Tyler Ruegsegger shot gave the Tigers possession, and they skated into the DU zone on a 2-on-1 rush, with Wiercioch face-down on the ice atop the right circle. Less than 10 feet away, Mike Testwuide scored to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

DU was furious. Referees Todd Anderson and Brad Shepherd later told Pioneers coaches they saw Wiercioch make an attempt to get up, and apparently lost sight of his actions once the play moved into the other end. From what I’ve gathered, the play should be blown dead because of an injury once the team with the injury has possession, or when the injured player is unable to get off the ice and there is no scoring opportunity at either end. Once the refs didn’t blow it dead when DU had possession, apparently they couldn’t when CC was coming into DU’s zone on

James Sheppard fight at the end of the game.

Someone needs to teach the waste of a uniform first round bust James Sheppard how to defend himself. Seriously, because Shep sure doesn't know how to fight very well and definately got himself clobbered in this fight. James was talking smack and going hard after the whistle. I have to wonder why Sheppard is still in a Minnesota Wild uniform because he is brutal. I just hope that Fletcher can get something for this waste of space soon.

Burke may make Olympic roster decisions next week

It will be interesting to see who is going to be selected to be on Team USA. You can bet that former Fighting Sioux star Zach Parise is going to be a shoe in to make team USA. I would also imagine that Phil Kessel will also be on the team as well. You can guess that the goaltenders will probably be Ryan Miller Buffalo(MSU) and Tim Thomas Boston (UVM)and a third goalie. Some think Jonathan Quick Kings(UMass). It will be interesting to see how many of the American's were former college hockey players.

TORONTO - His roster will be unveiled after the Winter Classic outdoor game on Jan. 1, but U.S. Olympic hockey team general manager Brian Burke is aiming to make his final decisions long before that.

Brian Burke hopes to have his U.S. Olympic men's team picked as soon as next week.

The team's six-man selection committee will sit down together in Pebble Beach, Calif., before the NHL's board of governors meetings next Monday.

"At that point, we hope to be down to between two and three decisions as far as our roster - if we have any at all,'' Burke said Monday on a conference call.

"The ideal world will be after we meet in Pebble Beach, we've got our team picked. And we go to Fenway Park and announce it.''

There will be some difficult decisions.

Even though the U.S. might not have boast as much depth as Canada or some of the top European countries, Burke acknowledged that it will be tough to get down to a 23-man roster.

The Americans had 34 players at their summer orientation camp in suburban Chicago and have continued to watch some who weren't in attendance.
------------------------------------------
The U.S. team promises to be one of the youngest in the Olympic tournament, led by such players as Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Phil Kessel. It probably won't leave much room for stalwarts of past teams like Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and others.

"We've got to figure out what the balance is (between old and young players),'' said Burke.

The GM doesn't plan on quietly tipping off any players once the roster is finalized. He's happy to have most find out by watching television and will instead focus on calling the players who weren't selected.

"My primary goal on Jan. 1 is to make sure I reach the group that's not going to be included,'' said Burke.

Kessel after his frist game in Boston.

It was one of the more talked about matchups in the Northeast division this past week. Former Bruins Phil Kessel was making his return to the Boston Garden and it wasn't pretty he was booed when he was announced during the starting line ups and he was booed every time he touched the puck, it was a lot like everytime Chara goes back to Ottawa. The fans boo him every chance they get.

I don’t know if Kessel expected anything different? The off season contract talks didn't really go well for him. It’s not hard for Boston fans or the players to get up for Toronto now that the Leafs have Phil on their team. I think there is some incentive for the Bruins players because they can stick it to Phil every time the Bruins play the Leafs. I mean seriously Kessel is basically is the one trick pony in Toronto. There isn’t that much talent around him, the Leafs have a couple nice players, but they have a brutal defense and no goaltending. That is a recipe for the Bruins getting a really high draft pick next season, further sticking it to the Leafs. I also can't wait to see Milan Lucic back in the lineup pummeling Mike Komisarek.

Here is what some of the guys has to say about Phil's return to the ice. Even Blake Wheeler had something to say about it. [click to listen]

Sounds like Phil tried to talk Marc Savard out of resigning in Boston. [click to listen to Savard]

Sioux 3rd in both national polls.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[December 7, 2009]
Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Miami (36) 11-2-5 977 1
2 Denver (11) 10-4-2 956 2
3 North Dakota 9-5-2 860 3
4 Bemidji State ( 2) 13-2-1 843 5
5 Cornell ( 1) 7-2-2 756 7
6 Colorado College 10-4-2 726 6
7 Quinnipiac 12-3-0 635 4
8 Yale 7-3-2 606 10
9 Mass.-Lowell 9-5-1 578 8
10 Boston College 8-3-2 542 15
11 Wisconsin 10-5-1 489 16
12 Minnesota-Duluth 10-5-1 438 12
13 Ferris State 11-3-2 419 17
14 Michigan State 10-6-2 399 11
15 Massachusetts 9-5-0 383 9
16 Alaska 8-4-4 233 12
17 St. Cloud State 8-6-2 194 20
18 Notre Dame 7-7-4 127 14
19 New Hampshire 7-6-3 112 NR
20 Union 7-3-5 79 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Vermont 47, Michigan 30, RIT 27, Nebraska-Omaha 17, Northern Michigan 10, Maine 8, Colgate 7, Air Force 2
------------------------------
USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Dec. 7, 2009]
Rank School (first-place votes) Record Points Last week's rank
1 Miami University (Ohio) (29) 11-2-5 505 1
2 Denver (5) 10-4-2 478 2
3 North Dakota 9-5-2 426 3
4 Bemidji State 13-2-1 398 4
5 Cornell 7-2-2 358 7
6 Colorado College 10-4-2 328 5
7 Yale 7-3-2 287 10
8 Quinnipiac 12-3-0 239 6
9 Massachusetts Lowell 9-5-1 223 8
10 Boston College 8-3-2 207 14
11 Wisconsin 10-5-1 162 NR
12 Ferris State 11-3-2 116 NR
13 Michigan State 10-6-2 113 11
14 Minnesota Duluth 10-5-1 104 12
15 Massachusetts 9-5-0 79 9
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska, 19; University of New Hampshire, 11; Union College, 8; St. Cloud State University, 6; University of Notre Dame, 4; Northern Michigan University, 3; Rochester Institute of Technology, 3; Colgate University, 1; University of Michigan, 1; University of Nebraska Omaha, 1.
Analysis: I am actually surprised that UND kept the 3rd place ranking in both polls after coughing up and losing a 2 goal lead albeit the second UMD goal shouldn't have counted.

Promo for Bruins and Flyers

Here is the commercial for this years winter classic to be played in Fenway Park.

INCH Power Rankings

As always I include the INCH Power Rankings for those looking for a good laugh on Monday Morning.

1. Denver
2. Miami
3. North Dakota 1 Senior defenseman Chay Genoway has missed seven straight games due to injury. Now senior forward Chris VandeVelde could be joining him on the shelf; he missed Saturday's series finale at UMD with an undisclosed ailment. 9-5-2 (6-5-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota Duluth, 4-2; L at Minnesota Duluth, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Wisconsin
4. Cornell
5. Bemidji State
6. Yale
7. Colorado College
8. Quinnipiac
9. Boston College
10. UMass Lowell
11. Wisconsin
12. Michigan State
13. Massachusetts
14. Minnesota Duluth
15. Ferris State
16. Alaska
17. St. Cloud State
18. Union
19. New Hampshire
20. Maine

Dropped out: Notre Dame, Vermont, Nebraska-Omaha
Bubble-licious: RIT, Air Force, Colgate, Vermont, Notre Dame

Coach Hakstol post game comments.

Check what coach Hakstol has to say after the game. Vandy injury status is day to day, hopefully we aren't week to week. Brad says, "that two pretty big leaders out of your line up". The quality isn't that good because all of the back ground noise

KPD at it again...

Apparently now Kevin Paul Dupoint thinks he is an expert on player salaries. This is the same clown that was the cheerleader and on the bandwagon for running Phil Kessel out of town in Boston. Now he is a critic of player salaries in another NHL Market. [props]

Blackhawks’ dollars don’t make sense

The deals signed last week by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and especially Duncan Keith officially and forever severed any lingering ties to the old Bill Wirtz regime in Chicago. In Keith’s case, the Blackhawks also severed any ties to reality (a state they rarely lived in during the miserly Dollar Bill’s days).

Beginning next year, young stars Toews and Kane each will pocket an average of $6.3 million for five years. Their annual payouts will be identical: $6.5 million, $6 million, $6 million, $6.5 million, and $6.5 million. Compared with the likes of, say, the Sedin twins (Henrik and Daniel) in Vancouver, or Anaheim’s Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, or Anze Kopitar in Los Angeles, the Kane-Towes payouts are right on the money. Solid value.

However, Keith’s deal is beyond extravagant, all the worse given that fellow Hawks back liner Brian Campbell is hauling in a bloated $7.14 million through 2013-14. Grossly overpriced.

Keith, 26, will earn an average of $7.913 million over the first four years, $7.55 million for the next two years, $5.5 million for another two, $4 million for two more, and then slightly more than $2 million for the final three. Total: 13 years/$72 million, for a cap hit of $5.54 million. If you’re still holding on to your calculator, it exceeds the 12-year/$62.8 million deal, in both gross dollars and cap hit, that career marksman Marian Hossa pocketed with the Hawks in July
[Boston Globe]

Sunday thoughts

Even when it appears that things aren’t going well, in reality there are a lot of positives moving forward for the Fighting Sioux hockey team. Here are some of the things that UND is doing well.

The UND defense is ranked 5th over all nationally and tied with their next opponent the Wisconsin Badgers. [National Stats]

UND sophomore goalie Brad Eidsness is ranked 8th nationally (8-4-2, 1.97 GAA and .919 SV %) Eidsness has only give up 5 goals once in a game.

North Dakota is 7th in the nation in penalty killing 75/88 for 88.2 percent. [National Stats]

Fighting Sioux freshman Danny Kristo is ranked 11th in points per game by freshman. (5g-9a-14pts) points per game 0.88 [college hockey stats]

UND is ranked 17th in scoring nationally; 16 games 52 goals 3.25 goals per game. [college hockey stats]

UND is ranked 10th Nationally on the Power Play 21/ 92 22.8%. [college hockey stats]

Combined Special teams UND is ranked 10th; 96/177 54.2. [college hockey stats]

Dogs 3 Sioux 2

For a second weekend in a row the Fighting Sioux managed to cough up another two goal lead in the third period and earned a split with the UMD Bulldogs. For the most part it was a pretty exciting game. The Sioux seemingly had the game under control until they basically went into a defensive shell and tried to protect a lead. I thought they did the same thing last weekend against Miami as well. This team needs to start learing how to put their opponents away.

The game tying goal wasn't without controversy. Apparently, the puck left the ice surface before the game tying goal was scored. Coach Hakstol made mention of this in his post game comments and I am sure the league office will get an ear full this week. Not to make excuses about the officiating but the officials have to be better. Having the puck hit the screen above the glass and not blowing the puck dead is a critical mistake and can’t be allowed to happen.

The Sioux (9-5-2, 6-5-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) left Duluth steaming — not only because of the loss — but also because they believe there should have been a whistle right before the tying goal was scored.

Sioux forward Jason Gregoire attempted to clear the puck out of the zone in the final minute. It hit a Duluth player’s stick, flew into the air and off the netting above the glass. When it came down, defenseman Derrick LaPoint pinned the puck along the end wall waiting for a whistle that never came.

Instead, a Duluth forward poked the puck loose and got it to the point, where Jack Connolly ripped a shot that hit Oleksuk standing right next to the post. He easily tucked the rebound behind UND goalie Brad Eidsness, who came out to play the puck. The DECC erupted and Gregoire immediately asked the referee if the play was reviewable.

“That’s a big-time call, because the puck went off of white and the faceoff would have been out of our zone with 40 seconds left in the game,” Gregoire said. “That’s a huge advantage, rather than five seconds later having the puck in the back of the net, the game is tied, and they are still on the power play.” [Grand Forks Herald]

I am disappointed but I also think Derrick LaPoint made a boned headed mistake by pinning the puck along the end boards to eat up time; in that situation I think LaPoint should have chipped the puck out of the zone. It’s almost as bad as the head coach calling time out in the final seconds of the UNH game from last season.

I don’t know if this is irony or what but after 12 games in the WCHA play last season the Fighting Sioux were 6-5-1. Fast forward to this year and the Fighting Sioux hockey team has the same record after 12 games. The good news is that the Fighting Sioux aren’t sitting in seventh place, they are in sixth place. [2008-2009 schedule]

In checking the pairwise rankings there are six teams in the WCHA that are sitting in the top fourteen positions of the rankings. That tells me that the WCHA is back and competitive again. Every weekend is going to be a dog fight, no pun intended.




[Box Score]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NDK-1 Andrew MacWilliam (2-Interference) MND 0x1 1:32
MND-1 Jordan Fulton (2-Boarding) NDK 0x1 4:46
NDK 1 - 0 6x6 Brad Malone (4) (Evan Trupp, Andrew MacWilliam) 14:54
NDK (+): 22,19,2,24,7,G31 MND (-): 17,7,20,28,2,G30
NDK-2 Danny Kristo (2-Interference) 19:25
MND-2 Mike Montgomery (2-Roughing) 19:25

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

NDK 2 - 0 5x5 Brett Hextall (4) (Jason Gregoire) 0:37
NDK (+): 26,17,27,2,G31 MND (-): 8,12,22,6,G30
NDK-3 Brad Malone (2-Holding) MND 0x2 17:59

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

MND 1 - 2 6x6 Kyle Schmidt (6) (Rob Bordson, Travis Oleksuk) 1:15
MND (+): 11,19,21,28,2,G30 NDK (-): 17,26,2,27,24,G31
MND-3 Scott Kishel (2-Tripping) NDK 0x2 9:58
NDK-4 Ben Blood (2-Tripping) MND 0x3 16:17
MND-4 Rob Bordson (2-Interference) NDK 0x3 17:29
NDK-5 Andrew MacWilliam (2-Interference) MND 1x4 18:17
Timeout - Minnesota Duluth 18:17
MND 2 - 2 5x5 EA Travis Oleksuk (3) (Jack Connolly, Mike Connolly) 19:27
MND (+): 21,12,22,37,2 NDK (-): 17,24,3,9,G31

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overtime (0:12)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MND 3 - 2 6x5 PP GW LL Justin Fontaine (12) (Jack Connolly, Dylan Olsen) 0:12
MND: 37,12,4,24,22,G30 NDK: 9,24,25,11,G31

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Game

Your Bemidji State Beavers.

Last night I went to the BSU and NU game. So here is this week’s column that I wrote for the Illegal Curve.

With my favorite team out of town in Duluth last night so I applied for a press pass and made the trek down highway to take in a game at the John S. Glas Field House in Bemidji, Minnesota. the game featured the CHA leading BSU Beavers 12-2-1 and league 7-0-0 and the Niagara University Purple Eagles 2-8-2, 1-1-1.

Much has been made about the Beaver's poll positions this season as they have been ranked in the top ten for a few weeks now, some have said the BSU Beavers didn’t deserve their high ranking because they hadn’t played anybody and they were overrated. The nay sayers were quieted down a bit when the Beavers went out and beat top ranked Miami University 3-2 last weekend in the first game of the Subway Holiday Classic. Currently the Beavers sit 5th in the USCHO poll and 4th in the USA Today poll. BSU was also ranked 6th in the latest INCH power rankings. The Beavers are ranked number one the PWR/RPI rankings (these rankings mirrors the NCAA selection).

Tenacious, High pressure, get pucks deep and speed

It would be an understatement to say that the Beavers have been winning in an impressive and dramatic fashion. From the drop of the first puck to the last whistle of the game the BSU Beavers play an aggressive fore checking high pressure game. The Beavers pride themselves in outworking their opponents. The Beavers are quick up front and strong defensively (ranked number one defensively) and aren’t very much fun to play against. When you play against the Beavers you can’t take a shift off against them or they will bury you.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers found out the hard way in the second game of their two games series against BSU back in November. With the game close at 3-1 after the two periods the Beavers came out in the third period and scored three goals in less than two minutes to bury the Gophers.

The Beavers keep coming at you by getting the puck deep in the offensive zone and then race in to converge on the puck. The Beavers mirror their coach short in stature but fiery and intense in nature. The Beavers are a breath of fresh air in the era of the Neutral Zone Trap. The Beavers play a race horse up tempo brand of hockey much like the Dean Blais UND Fighting Sioux teams of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

At last night’s game while sitting with my friend who is the faculty rep of the BSU hockey team, we watched in awe as the Beavers picked apart the Niagara defense. I told him that the Beavers just keep buzzing and they are relentless, they cycle the puck with a tenacious pace. The Beavers keep coming in waves as another line comes off the bench and continues the assault. During the Second period we looked on in amazement and after another long cycle by the Beavers in the Niagara end, Bemidji forward Ryan Cramer scored a nice goal.

Avalanche of goals

The BSU Beavers aren’t just squeaking out goals they are winning in impressive fashion. The Beavers have scored 5 or more goals seven times in fifteen games. The Beavers are ranked 3rd nationally in goals. That includes last night’s game where they put eight pucks behind the Niagara goalie Adam Avramenko. The score could have been worse if BSU hadn’t hit two pipes and albeit a strong effort in net by the junior goalie from Strathmore, Alberta.

The wins keep coming

Since January 24th 2009 the Bemidji State Beavers are an impressive 25-5-2. During that time frame the Beavers are 3-1-1 against the CCHA beating the likes of NMU, MU and Notre Dame. The Beavers are also 16-2-1 in their conference games during the same time period. There is a mind set developing; last night while visiting with some BSU fans I heard one of them brought up the point that the Beavers might not have to win the conference tourney to make the NCAA tourney this season. If the Beavers keep winning that is very true. Air Force Academy did it last year by qualifying 13th in the final pairwise ranking. Only time will tell if the Beavers can replicate that feat. Only once has a CHA team been given an at large bid, Niagara did it in 1999-200 season where the Purple Eagles went out and beat UNH Wildcats in the first game of the West Regional at Mariucci arena. Currently the Beavers have a big lead in their conference with a 7-0-0 record and are 10 points ahead of the next closest team the RMU Colonies who have a 1-3-2 record.

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