Turf Wars.

I saw this story on line while I was perusing the internet this afternoon. The Columbus Dispatch had this news nugget on it.

Puck Rakers Blog --- It’s commonplace for players to limber up by kicking a soccer ball in a circle, but the teams are usually separated by a considerable distance to avoid conflict. For example, in Nationwide Arena teams play soccer at either end of a 200-foot hallway.

The Blues, however, are the one visiting club with a history of circumnavigating the unwritten code in Columbus, an NHL source said. Last night, Blues players walked around the inside of the building to hold their soccer game within about 100 feet of the Jackets’ players, eyewitnesses added.

Jackets alternate captain R.J. Umberger, who does sprints before every game, apparently ran through or nearby the Blues’ circle sparking a verbal exchange, several eyewitnesses said. Umberger has grown weary of what he perceives as gamesmanship by the Blues, a source said. The Blues certainly have set a physical tone against the Jackets in recent seasons and the local club has not always responded well.

It’s unclear how many players on each team were involved. The skirmish was broken up quickly, but the game featured two fights, multiple scrums, 92 penalty minutes and venomous verbal barbs.

Sounds like the rivalry between the Blue Jackets and the Blues is getting heated. As an NHL fan, you have got to love a near scrum in the building before an NHL game. Nice! I would love to have former Ohio State University Buckeye R.J. Umberger on my team any day.

Friday afternoon pointifications

Match up

#10 North Dakota Fighting Sioux (5-4-1, 4-2-0 wcha) versus #13 Wisconsin BADgers (6-2-2, 3-1-2 wcha) UW is 5-4-1 in the last 10 against UND as I mentioned in another blog post.

Televsion - Tonight's game is on FCS if you have Midco.Net, you will need the extended sports package from Midco.net to get the game. Tomorrow night's game is on http://www.uwbadgers.com/ to buy the webcast.

Century mark for Genoway

Chay Genoway is 4 points away from hitting the 100 point total for his Fighting Sioux hockey career. Chay has played in 142 games (21g-75a-96pts). The next closes player for UND to reach the century club is Evan Trupp 123 games (26g-49a-75pts) and Jason Gregoire 95games (35g-39a-74pts) baring injury both players could have a good chance of hitting the century mark.

To trap or not to trap

The BADgers used to be known for being a boring trap first and offense second type of team, now the BADgers are proving that stereotype wrong. The BADgers ranked 3rd nationally in scoring offense (4.3 goals per game) and fourth in scoring defense (1.80).

Links to the series

Andy Baggot beat writer for the BADgers [Madison.com]

My Favorite oppostion hockey blog breaks down the weekend [60 Minutes, No Alibis, No Regrets]

Theresa Spisak from USCHO picks the Sioux to split and her side kick Tyler picks the Sioux be swept by the BADgers this weekend. [USCHO]

Tonight's WCHA Schedule with TV listings

Colorado College at Air Force 7:05 MT
Michigan Tech at Minnesota Duluth 7:07 CT My9
North Dakota at Wisconsin 7:07 CT FSN/WC
Nebraska-Omaha at St. Cloud State 7:07 CT Charter
Alaska Anchorage at Bemidji State 7:37 CT LPTV
Minnesota State at Denver 7:37 MT

Roman from Goal Gophers has been picking the series this season on his blog, last week he predicted a sweep for the Sioux and they split, this week he is predicting a BADgers sweep, lets hope Roman is wrong again.

Roman: Sioux used frosh G Aaron Dell in both games last weekend, instead of Brad Eidsness and split at the Ralph with UMD. No. 10-ranked NoDak is 4-0-1 when it scores four goals or more, 1-4-0 if held under four. D-man Chay Genoway had three assists as he continues comeback. No. 14 Badgers are 3-0-2 in last five games, are third in nation in scoring, averaging 4.3 goals per game. Frosh winger Mark Zengerle had six-point weekend (one goal) at Maroosh. PP clicking. ... Badgers sweep

Sioux and BADgers week.

This week the Fighting Sioux face off against their heated rival the Wisconsin BADgers. Last week there was a discussion on Sioux Sports about past records and if they mattered. Personally, I do believe that historical records do matter and they might play into a equation on how a team plays another team, even if it’s just a small fraction of the whole equation.

One could say by looking at the numbers/results that the Fighting Sioux have had a tough go against the BADgers as of late. The UND Fighting Sioux went 0-1-1 against the Wisconsin BADgers last season at the REA, the Sioux did not travel to Madison last season.

During the 2008-2009 season; the Fighting Sioux went 2-3 against the BADgers losing the deciding rubber match against the BADgers in the third place game of the Final Five.

In the 2007-2008 Season the Sioux went 2-1 against the BADgers beating them in the regional at the Kohl Center. The BADgers had made the NCAA tourney as a at large bid and there were a few people that were upset the BADgers missed the Final Five but qualified as an at large bid with a losing record. The BADgers beat the Pioneers 5-2 before falling to the Sioux in over time. The next summer the NCAA made a rule that said if you don't win your conference tourney and you have a losing record you can not qualify for the NCAA tourney, no matter where you are sitting int the RPI/PWR rankings.

So in the last ten games the BADgers hold the edge 5-4-1 the Fighting Sioux. This could also be the last time the Sioux play the BADgers as the Fighting Sioux.This weekend I think the Sioux are due to change their fortunes against the BADgers - Sioux Sweep.

2/12/2009 Wisconsin 4 North Dakota 3 Wisconsin
12/11/2009 Wisconsin 3 North Dakota 3 (ot) Tie
--------------------------------------------
03/21/2009 Wisconsin 4 North Dakota 1 Wisconsin
03/07/2009 North Dakota 1 Wisconsin 4 Wisconsin
03/06/2009 North Dakota 2 Wisconsin 1 North Dakota
11/01/2008 Wisconsin 5 North Dakota 2 Wisconsin
10/31/2008 Wisconsin 2 North Dakota 3 North Dakota
--------------------------------------------
03/30/2008 Wisconsin 2 North Dakota 3 (ot) North Dakota
11/10/2007 North Dakota 3 Wisconsin 1 North Dakota
11/09/2007 North Dakota 0 Wisconsin 4 Wisconsin
--------------------------------------------

Happy Veteran's Day...

I would like to thank our brothers and sister in arms for their service to this great nation, I salute you. I honestly mean that, It’s not just a fancy cliché or a day off from work but it’s a day to thank and appreciate those have give so much for in service to this great nation. All game some, some gave all. We still have soldiers fighting two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, yet we hardly hear about them anymore. We can not forget them, or those veterans from the other wars... My wife's grand father talks about fighting the Nazis in World War Two as he landed on Normandy Beach in France. I was talking to a friend on facebook last night that reminded me that it has been twenty years since Desert Storm. Let's not forget these people have given up so much for us. This We'll Defend.

What does it take...

As you know PSU is moving their club hockey team up to division one hockey after one of their wealthy alumni Terrence M. and Kim Pegula decided to give Penn State University 88 million dollars to start a hockey program and build a new hockey arena on campus. Good for them, I am excited for them. Comments oozing with sarcasm.

Thank you Terry --- There's been some discussion in the Penn State community about how successful our men's hockey team will ultimately be. Some (myself) feel like we're going to have everything in place to be a top program, while others point to the men's basketball program as evidence of Penn State's ability to run a high-profile program that isn't football.

There is a school of thought that I have seen a few places on the internet where I have read comments by PSU hockey fans that think they are just going to build a brand new hockey arena, start a hockey program then they are going to become this division one power house hockey team. It doesn’t work like that. That line of thinking is comparable to saying I am starting a division one football program, I want to play the power house teams in the south like FSU, Miami, Georgia, Alabama, beat them on the football field and oh yeah, I am going to compete for a SEC title right out of the blocks. First thing I would ask you, "is what are you smoking?"

Seriously folks, it takes many seasons to build a successful division one hockey team. To answer the comment “We're sorry that Joe Battista didn't abandon his life's work and tell the guy with $88 million to stick it so you could keep playing Michigan Tech and St. Cloud State .” The comments are clueless and lack merit, Oh yeah! In case you forgot; Michigan Tech has more historical significance than you think; they have actually won a couple of NCAA titles during the 1970’s and they gave us the awesome/great Michigan Tech pep band and the MacNaughton Cup. SCSU has left a pretty big mark on college hockey as well and just look around the NHL, you will see many great SCSU alum playing in the NHL. Same thing with new member Bemidji State they have actually gone to the NCAA tourney and made the Frozen Four.

I think this type of thinking is ridiculous; there are established college hockey programs and Big Ten Schools like Minnesota with five NCAA division one hockey titles struggling to make the WCHA Final Five and or make the NCAA hockey tourney. One can make the argument that Minnesota has all the advantages, they have a great television deal with FSN, they have a big beautiful hockey arena, a great metro area with many blue chip hockey recruits sitting right in their back yard and they are struggling to make the NCAA hockey tourney.

What makes people think in the non hockey state of Pennsylvania they are going make it to the top? Where the hell are you going to recruit you players from? The East Coast is already saturated with great hockey teams recruiting for hockey recruits. Do PSU fans think they are going compete with a the BU and B.C. hockey teams for recruits? Traditional hockey powers like DU, UND, UW UMN, and Michigan have trouble at times competing with B.C. and BU. I don’t want to hear the argument that Cindy Crosby has put PA on the map and that is going to benefit the PSU hockey team.

In conclusion I don’t blame college hockey fans for be a little surly when it comes to the discussion of a Big Ten Hockey Conference. We have survived for a very long time without having a BTHC. I don’t like the concept of having a BTHC because I think it’s going to be a death sentence for unstable division one hockey programs. The WCHA will fine but what about the CCHA? How are LSSU, BGSU, WMU and a few other hockey teams going to be able to survive if you take the big money maker teams away from their league? We were told that a few of these teams were on life support and that was the reason why the CCHA couldn’t add UAH.

Is killing college hockey in its present form that important to the Big Ten so the BTN can show a few more hockey game on television? What’s preventing them from doing that now? I think when it’s all said and done that hockey people need to discuss this issue and not make a bunch of rash decision and tell the football cabal needs to get the hell out of the way and STFU.

Weekend Match-Ups

Some teams now have complete the first quarter of league play and most will achieve that mark this weekend, by playing at least 8 games. The standings are starting to show which teams will still be in contention for the title and home ice. I feel pretty comfortable saying that UAA and BSU are already out of the title race, this early in the season. And I also feel safe saying that MSUM and CC are almost out of the title picture too. I know it’s early, but these teams are averaging less than one point a game, in league play. Like the cliché goes, “You can’t win the title in the first half of the season, but you can lose it.”

WCHA standings

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

WCHA

Alaska Anchorage @ Bemidji State
Last weekend the Seawolves enjoyed a free weekend and the Beavers split with the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

The Seawolves are in a familiar place, the basement, but they have a new neighbor this year, Bemidji State. The Beavers are off to rough start in their first year of WCHA action. They knew (or should have) that the competition is a bit stiffer here than in the old CHA. However, the good news for the Beavers is they got their first league win last weekend, on the road. Now all BSU has to do is get a win in their brand new arena. If BSU can get a sweep this weekend it will almost even their league record, the same can be said for UAA. The Seawolves have two games in hand on most of the conference, including BSU, so they have some more games to get points in. BSU has played two of the top league teams in UND and UMD this season, and got only one point. The Seawolves like the Beavers need points every weekend if they want to stay in the middle of the pack. SPLIT.

Minnesota State @ #15 Denver
Last weekend the MSUM Mavericks were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Pioneers split with the Tigers in a home-away series.

The Mavericks in the Pioneers are separated by only a point in the standings this week, but DU has two games in hand. The Pioneers were embarrassed on Saturday by arch-rival CC. I’m not sure if there is a wood shed out back of CC’s world arena, but DU definitely got a whoopin’ to the tune of 9 to 2. I’m sure DU boss Gwozdecky will have his team ready for this weekend. The Mavericks find themselves in the middle of the pack, after playing 8 out of their 28 league games. MSUM will almost be at the half-way point of the season come Sunday and I’m sure they would be happy to have a five hundred record at that point. The Pioneers might be showing signs of playing a tough schedule to start the year (BC, UND, UW, CC). Another hard series to predict this weekend, SPLIT.

#6 Nebraska-Omaha @ St. Cloud State
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the MSUM Mavericks in Omaha and the Huskies split with the Beavers in St. Cloud.

The Dean Blais led UNO Mavericks are now the only team to have a spotless record in the WCHA. The Mavericks will be playing a ranked team this weekend for the first time in league play. The Huskies have been a little bit unpredictable this season; they have split both their league series. If SCSU wants to live up the preseason hype, a couple of wins this weekend would definitely put them back on the radar. I’m going to go out on a limb here and go with the Huskies 3-pts.

Michigan Tech @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Huskies enjoyed a free weekend and the Bulldogs split with the Sioux in Grand Forks.

The Huskies are off to a mediocre start this season through four league games, and the Bulldogs are off to excellent start through six games. A few bounces here and there for UMD have gotten them overtime wins, some bad bounces and UMD would be in the middle of the pack. The Huskies need to continue to get points week in and week out to stay out of the bottom third of the league. The Bulldogs need to take points from the bottom teams, if they want to stay on top of the standing, because there are better teams on the horizon. SPLIT.

#10 North Dakota @ #13 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Sioux split with the Bulldogs in Grand Forks and the Badgers took 3-pts from the Gophers in Minneapolis.

The Badgers get to play their two biggest rivals, UM and UND, on back to back weekends. I watched the Friday UW-UM game and the 6-0 Badger win was not that impressive. It could be said that the UM defense needs to get better, and they were/are the problem in Minneapolis. (Kangas stopped a penalty shot that game too.) The Badgers lost a bunch of talent from last year and it is starting to show now. The Sioux played well on Friday and looked a little sluggish on Saturday. UND got a split for the second weekend in a row. The Sioux also got a 5-minute major and game misconduct for the second weekend in a row too. The Badgers have done well against the Sioux the last couple of years, but times, they are a changing. SPLIT.

Non-Conference

#3 Yale @ Colorado College (Friday only)
Last weekend the Yale Bulldogs beat Princeton (Fri) and Quinnipiac (Sat) and the Tigers split a pair with rival Denver.

Two weeks ago the Tigers had 9 goals hung on them and last weekend they hung a 9 on rival DU. The question is, will another 9 show up this weekend at the World Arena scoreboard? Tigers win.

BYE WEEK
#19 University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) – Golden Gophers

Thursday links... (Former college hockey player fight log)

I found this picture on Bisionville and I thought it was funny so I included it. 

Gopher Puck Live's Ryan Cardinal was on KFAN this morning. [click to listen]

DU’s Gwozdecky met with NHL brass [click to view] and Badgers coach Mike Eaves is unable to catch a plane out of Madtown.[Click to view].

Andy Baggot beat writer for the Wisconsin Badgers has an article on the early departures. [click to view]

Delusion of Grandeur has an interesting post this week; one might even say that it’s a head scratcher, I am not sure why a division one college hockey coach would even entertain the idea of answering his ridiculous email.[Click to see for yourself]

The College hockey blog has picked traditional doormat team Western Michigan University as his team of the week. [Click to view]

Surgery on Jesse Martin's broken neck 'very successful' Doctors see potential for Edmontonian to play hockey again. [Click to read article]

Oshie's broken ankle severely tests Blues [Click to read article]

Ex-College hockey players fight log

Former Badger Jack Skille purse fight's Sami Lepisto from the Yotes. [Click to view]

Former Princeton Tiger George Parros fights Frazer McLaren [Click to view]

Zack Stortini vs former MTU hot head John Scott. Scott works Zach Stortini like a clown. [Click to view]

Former SCSU Huskies Ryan Malone vs Jamie McGinn [Click to view]

Former MSU Spartan Justin Abdelkader vs Former Gopher Keith Ballard in a hug feast.[Click to view]

Brian Sutherby vs former BU Terrier Brandon Yip, Yip isn't going to known for his fighting skills. [Click to view]

Steve Montador vs Former Michigan Wolverine and Canadian's hack Michael Komisarek. [Click to view]

Former Minnesota State University Mankato Maverick David Backes vs Andrew Ference. [Click to view]

102 million dollar fail - Kovy shoot out fail

I added this one for Sioux7 as he is a unapologetic New Jersey Devils fan. Check out this Ilya Kovalchuk's horrid attempt on the shootout tonight, I think we can classify this one as an #epic fail.

Former Sioux Oshie out with broken ankle (video included)

s/t to pro hockey talk as I took the video from his site. Looks like T.J. Oshie was hurt in the scrum after the hit. None the less, this is not very good news for the St. Louis Blues hockey team; according the St. Louis beat writer Jeremy Rutherford of the St Louis Today, former Fighting Sioux forward T.J. Oshie has a broken ankle and will need surgery.

Jeremy Rutherford
According to Blues coach Davis Payne, forward T.J. Oshie has suffered a broken ankle, which will require surgery.

This is what the St. Louis Radio station KMOX had to say.

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — Already having their worst night of the season, the Blues may receive more bad news when T.J. Oshie’s injury is determined.

With just under 11:00 minutes left in the third period down 8-1, Oshie jumped on the back of a Columbus Blue Jackets player trying to break up a fight. However, when the player fell backwards with Oshie on his back, it appeared that the third-year forward came down on the left leg awkwardly.

The reaction from Oshie drew the Blues training staff to the ice immediately. He was not able to come off the ice, nor able to get to the locker room, on his own power.

Update on Jesse Martin

Mike Chambers from the Denver Post an update on Jesse Martin's surgery.

Terry Martin, father of injured University of Denver hockey player Jesse Martin, said his son’s surgery on Monday to stabilize multiple C2 fractures “was fabulous” and it should give the 22-year-old a chance “for a real good lifestyle.”

Terry said doctors operated through Jesse’s throat, and afterward told the family they anticipate Jesse will regain “full range of motion” of his neck.

His hockey career, however, likely ended Oct. 30 when he awkwardly absorbed an open-ice check from North Dakota’s Brad Malone in at game at Grand Forks, N.D. In addition to the C2 fractures, the hit also caused trauma to the spinal cord, and Jesse has lost some feeling and strength in his arms.

Derek Boogaard scores his third goal of his NHL career.

Derek Boogaard is not known for scoring goals but he just blasted the puck past the Rangers goalie like an old pro. I wonder if it will be five more years before Boogey scores another goal? It was 234 games between goals.

Would this work in Hockey?

Here is a question; you have a hit that might appear to be questionable say like the Joe Tornton hit on David Perron last week. Why not have a replay official to review the play. This is what some are suggesting for the game of football, would this work for hockey? Comments...

Jason Whitlock Fox Sports ----- Goodell is correctly trying to change the needlessly violent culture of the NFL. I get that. I’m for that. But let’s do it the right way.

Quarterbacks don’t get injured when hands accidentally hit the back of their helmets. The play Coleman and Mikell made on Austin Collie cannot and should not be eliminated from the game.

Collie was not defenseless. The helmet-to-helmet contact was just as much Collie’s fault as it was the Philly defensive back. The contact was unintentional.

You could see all of that watching the replay. The ref on the field did not have the benefit of replay, and he should have.

Use the cameras! The NFL is a reality TV show. There are cameras seemingly everywhere. Use them!

Add a seventh referee who calls the game from the replay booth. Give him a microphone, put a camera on him and make him a part of the game. Let him arbitrate judgment calls such as unnecessary-roughness penalties.

Gandalf nails it...

This week features the watch up between the UND Fighting Sioux and UW Badgers. With the BTHC becoming a reality in the future with the addition of the Penn State University Nittany Lions we may not will not see the Wisconsin Badgers as much as we have in the past, it shame as well because it is one of the great rivalries in college hockey. The Badger fan base is one of the best in college sports, they get it and Badger fans are a lot of fun to converse with and talk hockey over a few beers. ExileOnDaytonStreet has a great article on the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference, basically he is telling WCHA fans enjoy it while you can. Here is what Gandalf the Red had to say about the BTHC.

I'm not sure who this "welcomed by many of us" crowd is. The hardcore Badger HOCKEY fans that I know aren't looking forward to the BTHC, or at best are luke warm to the idea. I think the casual fan who is more into football and basketball, would be the welcoming crowd. You already have your sports, don't ruin men's hockey.

I don't like the idea of the BTHC. While UAA sucks, and Tech sucks and Mankato sucks, Penn State is going to suck, MSU often sucks, and OSU hasn't exactly ever been a powerhouse though Oz might turn them into something 5 years from now. So what is the trade off? More of the same old boring programs IMHO in the Big 10, or old rivalries built against other WCHA powerhouses over the years. Oh sure we can still schedule North Dakota, St Could, Duluth & Denver in non-conference, but that is a two way street. They have to agree, and just because UW and um leave the WCHA, don't kid yourself, those four schools listed aren't going to turn into Lake Superior State. North Dakota and Denver especially will still recruit stud filled classes. The BTHC won't be anything more special for the junior A players in Canada, or mn high school kids, or kids in the USHL.

Sure it will be more money in the pockets of the big 10 schools, wow that gets me really fuckin excited. Good for Barry who didn't even know what the Hobey Baker was until last year.

I agree about conferences, and opening things up, but it will sure suck to replace home games against great teams like DU and UND w/ OSU & PSU. Wow I can't wait...

Sure I go to Kohl Center to see the Badgers play first and foremost, but I also enjoy watching the boat loads of talent that exist in the WCHA, which is only rivaled by Hockey East, and the BTHC will not feature that kind of talent outside of michigan and minny. Sure it might some day, but if I had a vote on this one, Barry can stuff change right up his fat ass

I also think the formation of the BTHC is a direct result of what happens when you let athletic directors with football and basketball backgrounds run ruin college hockey. All you have to do is return to the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules committee kerfuffle from this past summer, that was a exercise in futility that looked like a major league Cluster Fuck , oops I mean Charlie foxtrot.

I can guarantee there more Charlie foxtrots and proverbial goat ropes if we continue to let football and basketball buffoons people like Barry Alverez and James E. Delany continue with their determination to ruin college hockey. Seriously folks, we don’t need a BTHC to maximize the money of the six Big Ten Schools that will have hockey.

I also hate to think how many CCHA schools will just pull up shop and drop hockey, I am sure some of the CCHA schools that have struggled as of late probably depend on big draws like Michigan and Michigan State to beef up their gates. I actually can’t imagine the CCHA without Michigan and Michigan State and without those teams that could drop the CCHA to a league on par with the AHA. Who knows what Notre Dame will do if they are coaxed with the prospects of the playing all of their sports in the Big Ten. I think there is a delicate balance that could be upset with they BTHC goes about this the wrong way.

Should I stay or should I go...

There is an ongoing and continuous discussion about division one college hockey players leaving their college hockey early before they have used up their college eligibility to chase the dream of a professional hockey career. It would appear that those who leave early, very few actually move right from the NCAA to the NHL. In fact the numbers are against them. While the promise of big money and the glitz and glamour of the NHL might be very persuasive to a young m an/player, there are very few Jonathan Toews or Derek Stephan’s in Division one college hockey. If you’re still not convinced, check out these posts from Brad Schlossman’s twitter page. I was actually surprised with the numbers.

According to the @inch list of guys who left early, 7 of 36 are in the NHL now. Only Stepan went straight from college to NHL.

Some are playing well in AHL and might make it up by the end of the year, but still an interesting stat.

12 WCHA players gave up eligibility to sign pro contracts this summer. Only UW's Derek Stepan is in the NHL right now.

According to a Denver Post article Former all-WCHA and DU goalie Marc Cheverie is struggling at the next level of his hockey career. As a matter of fact I was really shocked and surprised to read that Marc Cheverie's save percentage isn’t even above .850. Why am I shocked; in college Cheverie wasn't just a good goalie, he was a dominating goalie during his junior year in the WCHA (24-6-3, 2.08 GAA, .932 SV% 6 shutouts). We are talking about a goalie that was near the top in the NCAA for shutouts, wins, save percentage and goals against average. Cheverie was dominating in all facets of the NCAA statistics, now that all star goalie is struggling in the ECHL.

The Denver Post - It wasn't at all shocking when Cheverie decided to skip his senior season at DU and sign with the Florida Panthers last summer. He already was 23 years old and had been the WCHA player of the year as a junior.

The Panthers, who claimed him in the sixth round of the 2006 draft, could sell the notion that he had little left to accomplish — at least on the personal level — in the college game.

But this is a bit jarring: While, in theory, the native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, could have been in the net for the Pioneers in the weekend series against Colorado College, Cheverie instead was fighting through a horrible start to his pro career. He's not even in the American Hockey League, but with the Panthers' lower-level affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. And going into the weekend games, he had a 5.04 goals-against average, an .848 save percentage and a 1-2-1 record for the struggling Cyclones, who had won only once in eight games to open the season.

"It's a learning process I have to go through," Cheverie said on the phone last week. "It's not one of my goals to be here, but if this is how I have to get there, this is how I have to get there. I want to be in the NHL someday, but I have some work to do at this level to move up. If I had my way, I'd be in the NHL right now, but obviously, I'm not ready yet, so that's the way it is."

There are worse places to play below the AHL level than Cincinnati, so that's one of the positives.

"I've struggled a bit," Cheverie conceded. "It's been tough mentally, but that's part of the learning experience, part of getting in your comfort zone. You just want to be in a place where you're going to get better, and I think I have that here."

Summer of discontent

Every spring and summer college hockey fans cringe as they wait for fall to come, past experience has told them that some of the better players on their team or on other teams in the NCAA will lose players before they have played their four years of college.

The teams that suffer the most early departures are the teams that recruit blue chip hockey players. I would rather my favorite team recruit these types of players and take the risk that they play 2 or 3 seasons, than to not have them at all. Not many NCAA fans can saw that I enjoyed the likes of Zach Parise, Drew Stafford, T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews.

The NCAA coaches are trying to work out a deal with the NHL but I am not all that positive that they will be able to get the NHL to back off stealing their prized players. [Pioneer Press]

Denver forward Jesse Martin has surgery

Denver University senior forward Jesse Martin had surgery to repair his broken C2 vertebra. Let's hope that Jesse has a successful recovery.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - University of Denver senior center Jesse Martin (Edmonton, Alberta) underwent surgery Monday afternoon at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., to stabilize a broken C2 vertebra in his neck. The surgery went as planned. Doctors will reassess his condition on Tuesday morning.

The surgery was performed by Alex Mendez, MD, and Robert Morgan, MD. Mendez specializes in cranial-based neurosurgical procedures, and both complex and minimally invasive spine surgery. Morgan specializes in complex spine surgery and reconstruction.

The surgery was performed at Regions Hospital's Center for Spine and Spinal Cord Injury. The center fosters increased collaboration across the medical, surgical and rehabilitation teams that provide care to patients who sustain injuries or have illnesses of the spine.

Martin suffered the injury during an on-ice collision with North Dakota's Brad Malone on Oct. 30.

Poll Monday, Sioux drop to 10th?

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[November 8, 2010]
1 Boston University (31) 6-0-2 955 3
2 Minnesota-Duluth (11) 7-1-2 867 2
3 Yale ( 5) 4-0-0 863 5
4 Miami ( 2) 5-2-3 842 1
5 Maine 4-1-3 771 7
6 Nebraska-Omaha ( 1) 7-1-0 717 8
7 Boston College 5-3-0 706 4
8 Michigan 5-2-3 675 6
9 New Hampshire 4-1-2 634 10
10 North Dakota 5-4-1 547 9
11 Notre Dame 6-2-1 461 11
12 Union 6-1-3 421 15
13 Wisconsin 6-2-2 406 15
14 Alaska 6-3-1 399 14
15 Denver 4-4-2 302 13
16 Michigan State 3-2-3 214 12
17 Western Michigan 6-2-2 154 NR
18 Rensselaer 4-2-3 145 18
19 Minnesota 5-4-1 141 17
20 Ferris State 5-3-2 132 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Cornell 30, Robert Morris 30, St. Cloud State 26, Colorado College 22, Michigan Tech 16, Quinnipiac 11, Merrimack 7, Clarkson 2, Dartmouth 2, Harvard 1, Niagara 1

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Nov. 8, 2010]
1 Boston University (23) 6-0-2 489 3
2 Minnesota Duluth (5) 7-1-2 444 2
3 Miami (Ohio) (3) 5-2-3 424 1
4 Yale (2) 4-0-0 423 6
5 Maine 4-1-3 333 7
6 Boston College (1) 5-3-0 320 4
7 Nebraska-Omaha 7-1-0 297 8
8 New Hampshire 4-1-2 282 10
9 Michigan 5-2-3 278 5
10 North Dakota 5-4-1 232 9
11 Notre Dame 6-2-1 155 11
12 Union 6-1-3 124 14
13 Alaska 6-3-1 105 15
14 Wisconsin 6-2-2 77 NR
15 Denver 4-4-2 56 13
Others receiving votes: Michigan State University, 13; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 13; Western Michigan University, 8; Ferris State University, 2; University of Minnesota, 2; Cornell University, 1; Robert Morris University, 1; St. Cloud State University, 1.
**********************
I am going to bring this up again; The Sioux dominate the Bulldogs on Friday night and come within seconds of scoring the winning goal on Saturday night before losing in overtime yet drop in the ranking and the number two team in the nation keeps their ranking, that’s ridiculous. It's a meaningless poll, but it's silly. Also; no one is saying that UMD isn’t good but let’s put this into perspective, comparing the two teams schedules, the Sioux have played a tougher schedule. Notice I didn’t say that UMD is not a good team. I said lets look at this with some perspective.

INCH Power Rankings

INCH Power Rankings
[November 7, 2010]
1. Boston University
2. Minnesota Duluth
3. Maine
4. Yale
5. Miami
6. Michigan
7. Union
8. North Dakota - The Fighting Sioux are in the middle of a six-week stretch of games against teams currently in the INCH Power Rankings — they've already faced Maine, DU, and UMD and have Wisconsin, UNO, and Notre Dame up next.
5-4-1 (4-2-0 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota Duluth, 4-2; L vs. Minnesota Duluth, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin
9. New Hampshire
10. Boston College
11. Nebraska-Omaha
12. Wisconsin
13. Notre Dame
14. Alaska
15. Michigan State
16. Denver
17. Western Michigan
18. Rensselaer
19. Robert Morris
20. Ferris State

Analysis - I think these rankings are a little off, UMD stays in second place after being dominated by the Fighting Sioux on Friday night and then the Sioux lose a close one on Saturday night. This is the same game that Sioux just miss winning in the waning seconds of regulation.

Two other things that don't pass the smell test are Boston College in 10th, Boston College is a better team than 10th. Also, you can't tell me that Union is the 7th ranked team in the nation.

Backes and Ference

Let me preface this with I am a Bruins fan, I also have to admit that admire the way that David Backes plays the game of hockey. Let's look at this hit, its a text book legal shoulder check. Breaking it down further; Backes puts an awesome, legal and violent check on the Bruins Marc Recci, who gets up and skates away. The problem I have is why should Backes have to fight? It wasn't charging, Recci wasn't hurt and it wasn't a dirty hit.

T.J. Oshie steam rolls David Krejci

Wow! This is the hit that everyone was talking about last night. After watching the hit I would think that it's a text book legal hit. Too bad David Krejci is the one on the receiving end of the hit. Krejci is out at least a week with a concussion.

Scores from 11/06/2010

Saturday, November 6


Non Conference

Sweden Under-20 1 at Massachusetts 5
Alab-Huntsville 1 at Ohio State 5

AHA

Robert Morris 2 at Holy Cross 3 OT
American Int'l 2 at Sacred Heart 4
Canisius 1 at Connecticut 1 OT

ECAC

Colgate 1 at St. Lawrence 4
Cornell 6 at Clarkson 1
Princeton 4 at Brown 3
Quinnipiac 1 at Yale 5
Rensselaer 0 at Harvard 1
Union 0 at Dartmouth 0 OT

Hockey East

Vermont 3 at Providence 3 OT
Maine 2 at Boston University 2 OT
New Hampshire 2 at UMass Lowell 1

CCHA

Miami 1 at Ferris State 1 OT
Michigan 5 at Alaska 2
Notre Dame 6 at Bowling Green 3
Northern Michigan 1 at Lake Superior 3
Michigan State 1 at Western Michigan 3

WCHA

Bemidji State 3 at St. Cloud State 2 OT
Denver 2 at Colorado College 9
Minnesota Duluth 3 at North Dakota 2 OT
Minnesota State 2 at Nebraska-Omaha 5
Wisconsin 3 at Minnesota 3 OT

What a wild night of college hockey. The old Cliché is standing true this season anyone can beat anyone on any given night.