Vote for Chay Genoway in Hobey Baker Award fan balloting

It's that time of year again and I believe that Chay Genoway is a deserving of Hobey Baker Memorial Award Candidate. Vote early and vote often.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Fighting Sioux hockey fans can vote for North Dakota senior defenseman Chay Genoway in the 2010 Hobey Baker Award fan balloting, which begins today.

To submit your vote, visit the Hobey Baker site and click on the ‘Vote for Hobey Baker' tab. This first phase of fan balloting will run through March 7, 2010. The fans' vote accounts for a full one percent of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year's award recipient.[Fighting Sioux]

NHL Coaches told to watch their language.

I think this is the type of language that the NHL is talking about. John Tortorella is always an interesting during the post game press conferences. Check out this youtube.com clip.

(NHL Memo)

"Recently, we have had several instances of team personnel using inappropriate and profane language in media interactions and, in particular, in press conference settings. We appreciate the intensity and passion with which you approach your jobs, however, what is said publicly, and how it is said, reflects directly on the images of your respective organizations, the National Hockey League, and the game of hockey generally. In this context, profanity in public areas or where likely to be overheard by members of the media and/or general public is clearly inappropriate and unacceptable and, as previously advised in a memorandum to Clubs dated April 28, 2006, will be deemed a violation of the Media Regulations, NHL By-Law 17.4(a) (prohibiting statements "prejudicial to the welfare of the League or the game of hockey or of a Member Club"), and Article 6.3(j)(1) of the NHL Constitution (prohibiting conduct "detrimental to the League or the game of hockey"). Please be reminded that any such violations will subject both the individuals involved and their Clubs to potential fines." [TSN]

Stepan's missing luggage.

This was on Russo's Twitter. I already saw where people are trying to blame the TSA over on Twitter for this. Stop! Before someone tries to blame the poor TSA for losing Stepan’s luggage it’s not their fault, the airlines lost his bags like Russo said. Also the TSA ENFORCES the laws that DHS and the American congress enact. If you want to blame someone blame Janet Napolitano and DHS.

Just got off phone with Team USA captain Derek Stepan. Airline lost all his bags, including his gold medal, bc no carry-ons out of Canada

It's Game Day!! (by LGM)

It’s game day people! YEA!!

As promised, here is another post for the week of my thoughts on the Sioux/Maverick game and what to expect from the Mavericks.

Let’s start out by the most important thing….who’s hot or not on the UND team. Goon’s probably going to beat me for putting this on his blog, but I just can’t resist. Normally I do a run down of each player. This time, however, I’ll just point out who’s the #1 hot and #1 not. While I’m not going to comment on every player, I must point out that UND has an abnormally high number of red haired players. What’s up with that?!? It significantly brings down the hot factor!

Drum roll please……………

#1 HOT

#1 NOT....it's Lurch's long lost nephew!
#2 NOT…woah, nice hair. No wonder this kid wears his goalie mask all the time!

I was pretty tempted to pick Mario Lamoureux or Brett Hextall but I figured my opinion was jaded from “Brad Miller Time.” I’m not going to lie, I’m a closeted fan of that show. It cracks me up on a regular basis and Lammy and Hextall are pretty good hosts. I especially love it when they have Ben Blood on the show. Seriously, how many hits to the head has that kid taken?!? (Sorry Sioux fans…but we can all agree he’s not that bright!)

Moving on from Hot or Not, let’s talk about the Mavericks and what the Sioux fans can expect to see this weekend.

Tonight in goal you’ll see a new goalie, Phil Cook. Cook’s been hot in goal as of late and I really like his style of play. He’s aggressive, quick, and doesn’t leave a lot of fat rebounds. I’m hoping he has an excellent night and gets the nod again tomorrow night. It’s not that I have anything against the other goalie on the trip, Lee, but I just don’t think he’s as good of a goalie and that the Sioux players will take advantage of his weakness. I’m sure they’ve watched lots of films on the Mavs and know exactly how to easily score on Lee. Hell, at this point in time I think that even I could get a few goals against him!

Forwards to keep an eye out for are #11 Mike Louwerse. He’s small but fast, feisty, and talented. I think UND fans will probably be reminded of Ryan Duncan with his ability to play at this level with his size. Next to watch is #10 Zach Harrison and #15 Jerad Stewart. They’re the team leaders in points and both play an intensive and quick game. Stewart is much more physical than in past years and will give the Sioux players a run for their money. Other forwards to take note of are #25 Eriah Hayes, #9 Kael Mouillierat, and #19 Geoff Irwin. All play a pretty intense game and are capable of scoring at any given time.

A standout forward freshman to watch it #7 Tyler Pitlick. Make all the jokes you want about this kid’s name….the end story is he’s damn talented. He’s got some sick moves and will make the Sioux D look silly at times.

The main defenseman to keep an eye on is #28 Channing Boe. He’ll be a favorite of Goon’s since he’s a home grown Bemidji boy and I think most people have become a fan of him, especially since he was attacked by Gopher hack Brian Schack. Boe is a good defenseman that is 100% committed to playing defense. He’s not worried with scoring goals or afraid to be hit or give hits (ala #22 Kurt Davis). He takes his role as a defenseman and Alternate Captain seriously and does a great job. Plus, he’s a LGM favorite so you all have to love the kid!

The other D combo to watch is Mosey and Elbrecht. They’re a new freshman D combo and as of late they’ve been looking very good. The Mavs will need them to bring their “A” game this weekend to pull off a win for sure.

So, there are the Mavericks in a nutshell as seen through my eyes. Most Sioux fans are calling this an “easy sweep” series and seem to have the attitude that there is “no way” that the Mavericks can win at the Ralph. Granted, the stats show that the Sioux have had the Mavericks number in the past years. However, I’m saying this weekend will be a split with the Mavs winning tonight.

Flyers get hosed by video review.

Check out this blown call. So what is the point of this going to video review if they can't make the right call. How do they manage to screw this video review up this bad? I guess its not only the WCHA refs that are blowing the calls on legit goals. Wow!
[Props]

Jeff Finger vs Scott Hartnell

I have to give former SCSU Huskie Jeff Finger credit for fighting Scott Hartnell who is one of the biggest hacks in the NHL, notice how Hartnell takes off his helmet and shield after the fight. The Pittsburgh television announcers call him mop head. I think he looks like a French poodle. If you going to fight on a regular basis lose the face shield.

Alcohol Control at the Ralph: Actual Concern or Greed? (by Sioux 7)

I received the following message from "The Ralph"

Responsible alcohol service is a priority at the Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA) and we are committed to promoting responsible alcohol consumption at all events.

In an attempt to more appropriately align our operational plans with our stated alcohol service objectives, effective immediately, the largest serving size of draft beer at REA has been changed from a 32 ounce serving size to a 24 ounce serving size for all events.

The price of a large domestic draft beer has been reduced from $6.75 to $6.00 and a large premium draft beer has been reduced from $7.25 to $6.50 to accompany the serving size change.

We're committed to promoting responsible alcohol consumption that enhances the entertainment experience for all of our guests while also reducing alcohol-related incidents both in our facility and on surrounding roadways. We believe this proactive step is the right thing to do.

Thanks for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Jody Hodgson
General Manager

I'm an engineer working in marketing now, and this doesn't sound like a sound alcohol policy. People can still buy as many beers as they want. This is greed, make no mistake about it. If they wanted to control alcohol consumption they would have to scan your ID and only allow you to purchase, say 2 or 3 drinks, at the Ralph each game. If you do the math on a regular beer, the 32-oz works out to be $.21/oz.,with the new 24-oz beer it will be $0.24/oz. If they want to maintain the same pricing the new 24-oz beer should be $5.04. This is clearly another way for the Ralph to make more money, or as they call it "align our operational plans" and increase their mark-up by 19%, not curb alcohol sales.

I understand that alcohol was a factor in the unfortunate incident after the UND-UM game in the parking lot. People will always be drinking at, or before, hockey games, legal or illegally. If the Ralph really wants to lessen the amount of inebriated individuals at the game, they need to keep track of how many drinks a person is served. I also know that their will always be ways around it, like having your friend (or even sober driver) by drinks for someone who already has been "cut off" at the Ralph. The Ralph is attempting to minimize drinking by hitting fans in the pocket book, during tough economic times already.

I like the spirit, that they want to cut down on the number of drunk fans at the game, but they are going about it the wrong way.

Is the USA catching up to Canada?

It doesn't get old watching that video, for me it’s something special, especially as an American hockey fan. It had been too long since the last USA title in the World Junior Hockey Championship. There is no doubt about it, team USA’s win in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada was big,no matter how you spin it Team USA was the underdog.

I also don’t know if the has USA caught up to Canada in hockey, this argment might be a bit premature. Hockey is Canada’s game and they have enough talent to field two or three WJC teams. I do think team USA has closed the gap between the two countries, there is still a ways to go.

This also makes one wonder what USA hockey could be like in the future. The Canadians are still the king of international hockey but USA has had some big win in hockey as of late, Fargo U-18, Saskatoon U-20…

On the heels of Canada's loss to the U.S. at the world juniors and Al Maki's story today on the development of hockey in both countries, I wanted to chime in on the topic a little.

My own theory as to why there’s a shift is that there are simply a lot more Americans playing hockey these days than a decade or two ago. USA Hockey is just a far bigger organization than it used to be.

All of those American juniors in the tournament were born around 1991 and would have entered the system five or six years later, right as participation in hockey in the U.S. was beginning to catch up with Canada (in terms of overall numbers).

I'm just using the data provided by Hockey Canada and USA Hockey on their websites, but it does make sense that with so many American youngsters now playing in places like California (and going on to the WHL for junior hockey) that the number of total players in the U.S. is up significantly.

It's a trend that's been evident in the NHL for a while, too. Ten years ago, Canadian players made up roughly 60 per cent of the NHL, a number that was down to around 52 per cent last season. American born players, however, are up from about 16 per cent of the NHL to close to 20.
[Globe and Mail]

Weekend Match Ups (by Sioux 7)

I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas break and took in some holiday games and/or tournaments. (I took in some local action and caught a Fargo Force USHL game, and a couple of local High School games, one game was the Fargo South High and Moorhead High Minnesota tilt.) We now start the year 2010 and the second half of the WCHA season. So with out any more babbling on, here we go.

Current WCHA standings

TEAM.......................GP....W-L-T...PTS
1 Denver.................14....9-3-2...20
2 Colorado College..14....8-3-3...19
3 Wisconsin.............14....8-4-2...18
4 Minnesota-Duluth..14....8-5-1...17
5 St. Cloud State.......14....7-5-2...16
6 North Dakota........14....6-6-2...14
7 Minnesota............14....6-7-1...13
8 Minnesota State.....14....5-8-1...11
9 Alaska-Anchorage..14....4-10-0...8
10 Michigan Tech......14....2-12-0...4

WCHA

Alaska-Anchorage at #2 Denver
Holiday break, UAA was enjoying the Christmas season and DU beat Nebraska-Omaha (7-0) and Boston College (4-3) to win the Denver Cup.

Earlier this season these teams split in Anchorage, and it’s now time for the rematch.
UAA has only 1 win on the road this year and that came in the state of Colorado, against the CC Tigers. DU is the better team, their record shows that, but UAA has got some quality wins, in my opinion, this season. I’m sure everyone in the middle of the league would like to see the Seawolves take some points from the Pioneers. Interesting tidbit is that all of UAA‘s WCHA wins have come on Saturday nights. DU should beat UAA handily on Friday, since UAA hasn’t played a game since December 5th. I’m going to go with a split DU Friday, UAA Saturday.

#3 Colorado College at #13 Minnesota-Duluth
Holiday break, CC was at the Florida College Classic where they beat Cornell (4-2) and lost to Maine (3-2). UMD was participating in the Catamount Cup in Vermont, they beat Mercyhurst (6-0) and lost to host Vermont (5-2).

Early in November these teams split in the Springs with UMD winning 4-3 in the opener and CC winning 6-2 the following night. CC has brutal schedule in 2010 with the only, shall I say lax games against UAA in conference, after going to UMD they host UW. The Tiger have not lost on the road this season, posting a 4-0-3 record to date, and the Bulldogs are 8-4-0 in this, the last year at the DECC. I’m going to go the safe bet and call this a SPLIT.

Minnesota State at #5 North Dakota
Holiday break, MSU-M swept RIT (6-1, 3-0) and UND played in the Shillelagh Tournament beating Niagara (3-1) and tying Notre Dame (3-3).

This will be the only meeting between these teams this season, barring a match up in the playoffs. The Sioux split in Mankato and then swept the Mavericks in Grand Forks in the ’08-’09 season. It looks like UND will still be without the services of D-man Chay Genoway, and possibly without forward Brett Hextall (lower body injury). The Mavericks are 4-5-1 on the road and the Sioux are 5-2-3 at The Ralph this season. Since Coach Hakstol has had the reigns he has gotten the Sioux going after Christmas break, so why change now? SIOUX SWEEP.

Michigan Tech at #15 St. Cloud State
Holiday break, MTU was swept at the Great Lakes Invitational they got hammered by Michigan St. (10-1) and lost to Michigan (5-3). SCSU hosted Brown and swept them last weekend (5-1, 5-3).

To say that MTU has struggled this season is a nice way to put it. They have given up 8 or more goals in 4 games this season already. They have been outscored 85-38 on the season in 19 total games, that’s 2 goals for a game and 4.5 goals against per game. The other Huskies from SCSU have quietly put together a good record in and out of the league, having a 10-7-3 overall record and are 5-2-3 at the National Hockey Center. This should be all Huskies (SCSU that is) in this series, SCSU SWEEP.

Non-Conference

Harvard at Minnesota
Holiday Break, the Gophers hosted the Dodge Holiday Classic (here is my cheap shot to start 2010 – maybe it is sponsored by Dodge because that is what you should do with this tournament, dodge it!) where they beat Bowling Green(3-1) and lost to Northern Michigan (4-2) in the title game.

Harvard are the owners of a 2-8-2 overall record and currently sit in 10th place in the ECAC. The Gopher own a 9-10-1 overall record this year and are looking to improve on that. The Gophers will need to get a pair of wins this weekend if they hope to make a run at the NCAA tournament in March. The rest of the WCHA needs UM to win these non-conference games to help everyone in the league with the PWR system. It kills me to say we need to cheer for the Gophers, but here it is, GOPHERS SWEEP.

Exhibition

US Under-18 Team at #4 Wisconsin (Saturday)
Holiday break, the Badgers hosted the Badger Showdown, where they proceeded to beat Merrimack (5-4) and tie Yale (2-2).

Since this is an exhibition game, it doesn't officially exist. But I have to go with our cheesy friends, BADGERS WIN.

Tuesday January 12th

Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech

The Huskies lost to the Wildcats 2-1 on Dec. 18th at Marquette. This time it is in Houghton, and the Huskies don't want to drop another to their Yopper competition. I will go with the Huskies to upset the Wildcats in this match up. HUSKIES WIN.

Clutterbuck and Scott talk smack with Phaneuf

This was too good not to share, I wish we could hear more of the back and forth that goes on between the players. I suppose a lot of it is unfit for public consumption.

On Phaneuf, recently snubbed from Team Canada, Clutterbuck said, "I asked him how his Olympic break was going to go. [Defenseman] Johnny Scott asked him first. It’s not my joke. It’s Jonny’s. I double-used it on him.”
[Russo's Rants]

Dallas gets sloppy seconds...

New York Super punk former Dallas Star Sean Avery had a career night against his former club having a career game and racking up four points (1g-3a-4pts)to help sink his former club 5-2. Check out these quotes, they are classic.

Avery said, “I was getting paid by two teams,” he deadpanned. It was the only joke he made as he talked afterward about his need to play well consistently.

“I would have loved to see that delinquent do that for us last year,” Dallas goalie Marty Turco said.
[NHL Round Up]

Empty seats in Saskatoon for WJC.

The WJC not selling out in Canada. This actually surprises me a bit because hockey is a religion in Canada. I think this is a legit question why was Winnipeg, Manitoba passed over?

SASKATOON -- It's been one of the most asked questions of the 2010 world junior championship: What's the deal with all the empty seats?

There have been thousands of them -- swaths in the upper deck for the preliminary round. And that's for games involving Team Canada, no less.

In fact, the only sold-out game to date at Credit Union Centre was for the much anticipated Canada-USA tilt on New Year's Eve. And tickets for that game were available practically until game time.

As of Monday morning, there were still tickets left for tonight's gold-medal final -- a Canada-USA rematch -- at least, for anyone willing to shell out $388 dollars for a pair.

So you can forgive a red-blooded Manitoba hockey fan for wondering why the Winnipeg-Brandon bid for the 2010 junior worlds was passed over in favour of our Saskatchewan neighbours. The Regina pool featured perennial junior powers such as Sweden, Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic, yet those matches didn't come close to selling out the 6,000-plus seats in Brandt Arena, either.

Mike Liambas suspended again.

Remember this guy? Mike Liambas the guy who was suspended from the OHL for the rest of the season for this hit has gotten himself suspended again from the IHL.

BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington PrairieThunder forward Mike Liambas, who was suspended for the remainder of the season at the junior level in October for a hit that caused serious head injuries to an opposing player, has been suspended for the next five games by the International Hockey League for a Dec. 29 hit against a Muskegon player.

The suspension issued Tuesday stems from a hit that Liambas made on Lumberjacks defenseman Jason Lawmaster early in the game at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. The hit ruptured Lawmaster’s spleen, and he spent four days at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington after undergoing a splenectomy.

Are James Sheppard's days numbered?

I really think that the Wild should keep Robbie Earl up with the big club and put waste of a Wild uniform and first round bust James Sheppard on waivers and then send him to the Houston Aeros and leave him there and let him play out his contract in Houston. Robbie Earl has played in less games (10games 3g-0a-3pts) than James Sheppard (37 games 2g-3a-5pts)and had more goals. There seems to be a correlation the Wild are winning without the Sheppard in uniform as well, lets keep it going.

James Sheppard has found himself again on the outside looking in. If Robbie Earl plays, he will have to clear waivers in order to be sent back to Houston, as will James Sheppard. So ... if Robbie Earl plays well again (as he has every game he's played up here) is there any way they don't keep him on the roster the rest of the season?
[Hockey Wilderness]

EDIT: This situation actually got more interesting. Let Christmas come again early...

• Robbie Earl, who scored three goals in nine games during three previous call-ups, played after Richards said in the morning he may "shake up the lineup." Petr Sykora and James Sheppard were healthy scratches, meaning Earl's 10th game is an official recall and not an emergency recall. He will require waivers if the Wild wants to return him to Houston. [Star Tribune]

Good news and bad news.

Wednesdays mean press conferences and updates on what is going on with UND hockey. Unfortunately, there is some bad news this week. Brett Hextall is out with an injury, the North Dakota injury bug continues. It would be nice to see the guys get a break.

Kristo and Zajac are back in the line up, Hextall is out with an assumed leg injury. [UND Hockey Twitter]

Good point on the shoot out.

The boys at INCH really have a good point on the shoot out. I am on record as being in favor of the WCHA having the shoot out to decided CONFERENCE game.

Regular readers of this site know that we’re not the greatest fans of post-game shootouts. Unfortunately, at many holiday tournaments across the country, the shootout is used to determine which teams advance and in some cases which teams win the tournament (Wisconsin). Our personal opinions aside, the holiday tournament season is probably the best time to use this format. With teams playing back-to-back nights and more than one game at each venue, there are time concerns and burdens on the players. Still, we applaud the Great Lakes Invitational and Beanpot for putting 20 minutes on the overtime clock.

We can accept that the CCHA uses the format for its league games, but why was there a shootout after Saturday’s 0-0 tie between Bemidji State and Western Michigan? When the host Broncos prevailed, fans left the rink with the perception that the Broncos won the game. Not bad for a team that failed to score an actual goal all weekend.
[INCH]

Personally I do find the shoot out to be exciting, however, to suggest that WMU won the 0-0 nonconference game against the Beavers last weekend after winning a shoot out is asinine. I don’t see the point of having a shoot out in that game. When it is all said and done WMU was shut out twice and the game in question will go down in Pairwise rankings as a tie.

As for breaking ties in the WCHA/college hockey I would run overtime in this manner. I would have 5 minutes of 4 on 4 hockey like the NHL does. Then I would have a three round shoot out. Points would be awarded in this manner; 2 points for a win in regulation overtime and or shoot out. One point would be awarded for a loss in over time or shoot out.

More WJC video.

Watch and enjoy...

Some more on the USA WJC win. (Kristo interviewed)

USA had lost 6 games in a row to the Canadians.

Gopher forward Jordan Schroeder is the all time leading American Scorer over taking Jeremy Roenick's for the all-time U.S. Under-20 scoring mark.

USA strikes gold in Saskatoon

Team USA’s win in Saskatoon doesn't require a lot of pontification, one of the first words that comes to mind is F’N awesome. It’s about time and not since 2004 has team USA been able to lay claim to the crown.

Enjoy the game winning goal scored by John Carlson. I swear my heart was in my throat during the overtime until the game winning goal, then I had tears of joy in my eyes. Yes, I did the dance again.


This win means so much for American hockey; it’s one of them defining moments in history like the 1980 Olympic team win in Lake Placid. The Canadians were the over whelming favorites to win the gold medal game and what makes this win more significant is team USA beat the Canadians on their turf. What makes it even more specials is after listening to their fans boo our players for almost two weeks our guys get to walk out of Canada carrying the gold.

Fighting Sioux forward Danny Kristo leads team USA [in a song]

Roenick 'baffled' that Drury named to Team USA

Tip of the hat to my friend Mike Swainey of Jackets required. I have to say that I agree with Jeremy Roenick, how the hell does Drury make team USA? No disrespect to Drury but he doesn't deserve to be on the team. There are other American players that are having better seasons than Drury.

Jeremy Roenick says there isn't too much to quibble about when it comes to Brian Burke's picks for Team USA, but that didn't stop the outspoken American from picking apart some of the roster decisions.

Roenick said Tuesday he was surprised at the addition of Chris Drury to the team ahead of someone like Scott Gomez and T.J. Oshie.

"Not to take anything away from the guy because he's had such a great career, but for Chris Drury to be on the team, it baffles me," Roenick told Toronto radio station AM640.

"I know he's a great leader and if he's captain of the team, he'll be a great captain, but I just don't see him being as good for the team as a guy like Gomez would be or T.J. Oshie. Oshie would bring so much energy to this team and this type of format in an international event, that I don't understand how those two guys aren't on the team."

Roenick, who won a silver medal in 2002 with Team USA, believes Burke is likely counting on Drury to provide leadership on a very young team. But the two-time Olympian can think of at least one other player who could have filled the same role.

Bruins work Brian Elliot and the Senators 4-1.

This is for our friends over at Sixty Minutes. No Alibis. No Regrets. I couldn't resist this one. I got found this priceless picture over at Stanley Cup of Chowder. The Bruins hung 4 goals on former Badger goalie Brian Elliot in the first period of tonight game between the Bruins and the Senators and cruised the rest of the way, winning 4-1. To add injury to insult former Gopher Blake Wheeler picked up two goals and an assist tonight.