Fighting Sioux nickname bill on Senate's Friday lineup

Looks like there is going to be a vote on the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname. Preliminary reports show that an unofficial poll taken show more than 50% Of North Dakota Senators Supporting Fighting Sioux Nickname.

BISMARCK — The Fighting Sioux nickname and logo issue is listed on Friday’s North Dakota Senate voting lineup.

Just because the bill is on the calendar is not a guarantee that it will be voted on tomorrow. At least three senators will not be present because they are away on state business.

House Bill 1263 states UND athletic teams shall be known as the Fighting Sioux. Neither UND nor the state Board of Higher Education may take action to discontinue the use of the nickname or logo.

It requires the attorney general to consider filing a federal antitrust claim against the NCAA if the association takes any action to penalize UND for using the nickname and logo.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

kceyThe bad news, the regular season is over, the good news, the playoff season is starting, yeah! This is it. Everyone has a chance to start their run to the Broadmoor Championship and the auto-bid to the NCAA tournament.

For the bottom six teams this weekend is do or die time. For the top six it is a time to tune up for a run at/into the NCAA tournament. Last year there were no upsets in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. This year I think we might see an upset or two in the first round. Looking at the match-ups this weekend only UNO-BSU have played each other 4 games this season, everyone else is just 2 games.

The Goon and I will be attending the Final 5 again this year. So, next week I will try and get some predictions up for the 2 play-in games on Thursday. And maybe get something up on Friday and Saturday for those games too.

I hope everyone has enjoyed my weekly guessing attempts again this year. I look forward to seeing some of you in St. Paul next week.


WCHA FINAL standings
TEAM……………........W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota…....…….21-6-1…43
2. Denver……..…….......…17-8-3…37
3. Nebraska-Omah.a.…..17-9-2…36
4. Minnesota-Duluth......15-8-5…35
5. Minnesota…….....…...13-10-5…31
6. Colorado College..….13-13-2…28
7. Wisconsin……….....….12-13-3…27
8. Alaska-Anchorage…12-14-2…26
8. St. Cloud State…......11-13-4…26
10. Bemidji State…….….8-15-5…21
10. Minnesota State..….8-16-4…20
12. Michigan Tech….……2-24-2…6

WCHA (Numbers are current PairWise Rank)

Michigan Tech @ #3 North Dakota (season series UND wins 2-0-0)
Last weekend the Sioux swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton.

The Sioux beat-up the Huskies last weekend, by 6-1 and 11-2 scores. UND just needs to keep playing their game - use their speed and size to their advantage. The Sioux need to take care of Tech in 2-games and then concentrate on the Final Five. It appears that MTU might have decided to phone it in last weekend. But this weekend, it’s a new season, everyone is even. The Huskies can try and play spoiler this weekend, but UND needs to keep focused on the games this weekend and not look ahead. SIOUX SWEEP

Minnesota State @ #5 Denver (season series DU wins 2-0-0)
Last weekend the Mavericks were swept by the UAA Seawolves in Mankato and the Pioneers split with the SCSU Huskies in Denver.

The Pioneers are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, not bad, but not good either, especially heading into the playoffs. The Mavericks enter the playoffs on a three game losing skid. MSUM owns a 3-8-3 WCHA road record this year, while DU has an 11-2-1 home WCHA record. The Pioneers beat the Mavericks in Magness Arena back in mid-November by scores of 3-2 and 6-1. Denver definitely is the better team in this match-up, but don’t count the Mavericks out. If MSUM’s goalie(s) get hot they could steal a game in Denver. But in the end, the Pioneers are just too deep for the Mavericks. PIONEERS SWEEP


Bemidji St. @ #6 Nebraska-Omaha (season series BSU wins 3-0-1)
Last weekend the Beavers earned 1-point against the UM Gophers in Bemidji and the Mavericks split with the UMD Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Mavericks get a chance this weekend to get some revenge on the only WCHA team they didn’t beat in the regular season. The Beavers will have the mental edge in this series, they know they can beat UNO. The Mavericks have to stick to their game plan and play at a higher level than BSU, if they want to go on to St. Paul. The Beavers will need to score more than 2 or 3 goals per game in Omaha if they want to win. BSU needs to find some offense, especially if senior Matt Read is unable to play (injury) this weekend.
MAVERICKS in 3

#20 St. Cloud St. @ #10 Minnesota-Duluth (season SCSU wins 1-0-1)
Last weekend the Huskies split with the DU Pioneers in Denver and the Bulldogs split with the UNO Mavericks in Duluth.

In early February the Huskies invaded Amsoil Arena and beat the Bulldogs 8-2 and tied in the rematch 3-3. SCSU is 5-2-2 in their last 9 games with loses to UND and DU, not too shabby. The Bulldogs are 2-4-2 in their last 8 games with wins over UNO and MSUM. This series has upset written all over it. SCSU is playing its best hockey of the year and are looking like the team that was picked to finish in the top 3 to start the year. The Bulldogs seem to be sliding into the playoffs. UMD needs to get back on track if they want to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament, which would include winning their first round playoff series. The Huskies still have hopes of making the NCAA tournament, but they need to win this series and do some damage in St. Paul to get in. Looking at the stats UMD has not last a league game when they were ahead after the 1st period, same goes for their 2nd period. The Huskies need to get a lead or be tied after the 1st and 2nd if they want to win, according to the stats. This could be the most interesting series this weekend, in my opinion.
SCSU in 3

Alaska-Anchorage @ #18 Minnesota (season series tied 1-1-0)
Last weekend the UAA Seawolves swept the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato and the Gophers took 3-points from the Beavers in Bemidji.

At the end of January in Minneapolis the Gophers beat the Seawolves 5-1 to open the series and the Seawolves responded in the rematch winning 1-0. Prior to last weekend UAA had only 3 road wins on the season, now they have 5 with a sweep of MSUM. The Gophers seem to be heating up at the right time of the year, they are riding a 7-game unbeaten streak, 5-2-0. The Seawolves will be looking for the upset this weekend and earn their second ever trip to the Final Five. The Gophers still have hopes of getting into the NCAA. In order for the UM to get in they need to keep winning, but beating UAA will not help them too much, but they need to beat them to move onto St. Paul. The Gophers will need to use their speed and cause UAA to take penalties this weekend. If UAA can find ways to score they could make life miserable for the Gophers. When the Seawolves get a lead and play defense, it can make for a frustrating game.
GOPHERS in 3

Wisconsin @ #14 Colorado College (season series tied 1-1-0)
Last weekend the Tigers split with the Badgers in Madison

A rematch from last weekend, this should be an interesting series, now that they have moved from Madison to Colorado Springs. The Tigers are 7-6-1 at home in WCHA games this year, and the Badgers are 5-7-2 away from the Kohl Center. (The Tigers have lost 3 of their last 4 home playoff series.) CC has clawed their way back into the NCAA picture and UW has fallen off the NCAA picture. Since these teams are the 6 & 7 seeds there won’t be much of an upset if UW won the series. The Badgers need to get more scoring from their forwards, if they want to advance to St. Paul. The Tigers need play smart hockey and not take any bad penalties this weekend.
TIGERS in 3

All WCHA teams released. Frattin Player of the Year

This is from WCHA.COM
First team all-WCHA

F — Matt Frattin, UND
F — Mike Connolly, Minnesota Duluth
F — Jack Connolly, Minnesota Duluth
D — Justin Schultz, Wisconsin
D — Chay Genoway, UND
G — Aaron Dell, UND

Second team all-WCHA

F — Justin Fontaine, Minnesota Duluth
F — Drew Shore, Denver
F — Jason Zucker, Denver
D — Jake Gardiner, Wisconsin
D — Matt Donovan, Denver
G –Kent Patterson, Minnesota

Third team all-WCHA

F — Jason Gregoire, UND
F — Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College
F — Drew LeBlanc, St. Cloud State
D — Kurt Davis, MSU-Mankato
D — Justin Faulk, Minnesota Duluth
G –John Faulkner, Nebraska-Omaha

All rookie team

F — Jason Zucker, Denver.
F — Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College
F — J.T. Brown, Minnesota Duluth
D — Justin Faulk, Minnesota Duluth
D — David Makowski, Denver
G — Sam Brittain, Denver

Player of the year: Matt Frattin, UND.
Rookie of the year: Jason Zucker, Denver.
Student-athlete of the year: Chay Genoway, UND.
Defensive player of the year: Justin Schultz, Wisconsin.
Coach of the year: Dean Blais, Omaha.
Scoring champion: Frattin.
Goaltending champion: Aaron Dell, UND.

From WCHA.COM

Frattin, who received 58 votes in player of the year balloting, also captured the league's scoring title (conference games only) with 40 points (22g, 18a), the most points by a Sioux player in league games since 2000-01. In 28 league games he averaged 1.43 points per game as the Sioux claimed the regular season championship for a record 15th time overall and second time in the past three seasons. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Frattin is tied for the NCAA Div. 1 lead with 29 goals, including a nation's-best 19 goals scored away from home, and leads UND in points (49), goals (29), power-play goals (9), game-winning goals (4), and shorthanded goals (2). He is currently riding his second nine-game point streak for the season, scored a goal in eight straight games earlier this season, and has gone consecutive games without a point on only two occasions. Frattin is a draftee of the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs.
------------------------------
Genoway, who also earned All-WCHA First Team honors, was named the men's WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year in a vote of league member team Faculty Athletic Representatives. A two-time team captain and one of only three individuals to earn WCHA Scholar-Athlete honors four times (the others were Scott McCulloch of Colorado College from 2005-09 and Jenna Hewitt of Minnesota State from 2006-10), Genoway maintains a 3.558 cumulative grade-point average at North Dakota and will graduate in May with a BBA in Management. After a season-ending injury last year, the Morden, Manitoba product went on to earn a 4.0 GPA in the fall of 2010, has done a team-leading 68.5 hours of community service during this academic year and was named an ESPN the Magazine All-American as a junior. He is the fourth highest scoring defenseman overall in the WCHA this season with 26 points (6g, 20a) despite missing eight games, ranked second in the WCHA in points per game by a defenseman at 0.95, leads all active WCHA defensemen with 116 career points, and put together a 12-game point streak earlier this season, tying a 33-year old school record for defensemen. Genoway is also a finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award and has earned UND's Archie Krum Memorial Athletic Scholarship for "leadership qualities, high academic standards and athletic excellence" three years in a row.

The things that make you go hmmmm...

I think this song is appropriate for this discussion… Like I said in earlier blog post, for the most part I like Kevin Gorg and his hockey analysis, I also like listening to Gorg and P.A. on KFAN 1130 during my workouts at the gym or while riding my bike, weather permitting of course, I down load the broadcasts on my ipod so I can listen to Ryan Cardinal and Gorg, I am surprised that Gorg said this… You can listen to it on this link… [Click to Listen]

One note . Heard a respected hockey person (Kevin Gorg) say on radio (KFAN 1130) he hoped the NCAA would give the Gophers special consideration this year for an at-large bid because the Frozen Four is at the Xcel Center.

That won't happen. There is no subjectivity in the selection process of at-large teams. None. Zero. Nada. Schools hosting the Frozen Four get no special consideration.

Complain if you want, that's just the way it is.

I guess I am shocked because I would think a great hockey like Gorg would know that the NCAA tourney isn’t selected in some smoke filled room anymore, the selection goes straight by the numbers of the RPI/PWR rankings. If Minnesota isn’t in the top 15 schools they will not make the NCAA Hockey tourney.

Speaking of Ryan Cardinal; Here is the audio from Cardinal's weekly bit on KFAN 1130 on Wednesday. [Click to listen]

So I wonder who Roman is talking about?

Gophers coach Don Lucia said Monday on his weekly WCCO radio show that his staff didn't expect to be playing Alaska Anchorage this weekend.
"We actually had done our video work for St. Cloud [State]," he said, "because the way things were looking, that's who we thought we would end up playing."
(One silly blogger even predicted it would be St. Cloud State at Minnesota. Won't name names.)

So if silly blogger said that the Gophers would be playing the SCSU Huskies and the coaching staff thought they were going to be playing the Huskies and were even reviewing tape of the SCSU Huskies does that make the blogger in question silly?

Thursday Links – Where is Spring?

The Zdeno Chara and Max Pacioretty incident has really blown up on the Internet and the blogsphere, now the Montreal police department wants to conduct a criminal investigation on the hit. I don’t think that this warrants a criminal investigation. If there is a hockey player(s) that deserve to be in jail it’s Matt Cooke and Todd Bertuzzi, Zdeno Chara isn't a dirty player contrary to public belief. Zdeno Chara didn't have a history of being a dirty player after 13 years of hockey, however, Chara made a bad decision with his hit on Max Pacioretty and Chara is going to have to live with that hit for a very long time.

Don’t get me wrong I am not excusing this hit; it was an unfortunate hockey play that went poorly and ended up ending a player’s season. This latest dustup will only further strain the Habs and Bruins on ice feud and could possibly make the next game in this series a blood bath. There is a strong possibility that the Bruins and the Habs could end up seeing each other in the playoffs as well.

I was watching the game as it happened in time, no one ever wants to see a player get hurt on the ice, never. That being said, hockey is also a physical sport and people are going to get hurt, unfortunately a player was hurt in this situation. Was this a penalty, you betcha, it was called a five minute major on the ice, it was a classic definition of interference; Pacioretty was no where near the puck when he was driven into a metal stanchion. There has been an on going debate on whether Chara meant to do that, short of giving him a polygraph; I don’t know how we will ever figure out if Chara meant to do it or not.

We have learned nothing in the last week

So here we are a week after the Trevor Gillies hit on Cal Clutterbuck and we are right back at square one again, another horrific incident and another player out with another concussion. Sometime in the future, tonight, tomorrow or next week there will be another hit like this that will make its way onto YouTube.Com and the fans and the media will pick the hit apart and the various NHL fan bases will spar over the hit in question.

So what does the NHL do going forward? In this specific instance should Chara pulled up and not followed through on the hit, yeah probably, the puck was already by him, Chara didn’t pull up and Pacioretty was hurt on the play and carried off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. I would be willing to bet that Chara feels bad about the hit that he put on Max Pacioretty, I don’t think that there are that many players in the NHL that intentionally want to hurt people. I have also seen where some pundits have said that Pacioretty put himself into that situation by instigating and stirring the pot with Chara over the course of the season and that Chara had enough.I wonder if the league took that into consideration when they made their ruling?

In conclusion; I think that the NHL has pinned themselves into a corner with their past decisions and at times I question whether they really have a clue what they are doing? There is evidence by some of the NHL's recent decisions involving on ice incidents that the front office has no clue what they are doing. That being said, NHL hockey is a physical game and short of taking hitting out of the game, injuries and questionable hits are going to be part of hockey. The way the NHL responds to these hits going forward is going to make a difference on how often we see these types of hits. I also believe that as long as we have a certain player out patrolling the ice conducting acts of thuggery we will continue to have this discussion.

The Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice needs and has to be more consistent going forward, if not the NHL will never improve it’s player safety. While I think that the NHL "probably" made the right decision in this case under their current guidelines and rules it does seem like the only acceptable response to some fans and the talking heads and a percentage of NHL players would’ve been to give Chara a game or two suspension for his hit. I don’t know if the NHL is at that point yet in the discussion but I wonder if that isn’t on the horizon in the future? To be continued.

Links to the Story...

NHL Misses Opportunity to Send Message of Safety by Not Suspending Zdeno Chara [NESN.COM]

Montreal Police Launch Criminal Investigation for Zdeno Chara's Hit on Max Pacioretty [NESN.COM]

Chara: 'It was just a hockey play'[Sabres Edge] Here is what Zdeno Chara had to say on the matter.

"I totally understand. He's in the hospital so he's got the right to be emotional so I respect that," Chara said. "I obviously feel bad he got hurt. As a hockey player we all feel bad when something like that happens. ... I'm wishing him to a fast recovery and hopefully he'll be back on the ice soon. That's all we love to do. We love to be hockey. When we go out there, we take risks and sometimes we do get hurt. But it's just very unfortunate."

Air Canada threatens NHL over headshots [Toronto Sun]

That’s hockey?! NHL still whistling after Zdeno Chara’s rub-out of Max Pacioretty [The Vancouver Sun]

Poking the bear [Sportsnet.ca]

Personally, I see Pacioretty as a player who poked the bear for three straight games, then was foolish enough to put himself in a position where the big Bruin could exact payback.

We're not saying the payback was legal. It wasn't -- the puck was nowhere near.

But we are saying that if you expect Chara to know that turnbuckle was there, then you have to grant that Pacioretty did too. He also knew Chara was after him, since Pacioretty had antagonized Chara off and on for most of three games.

The Habs forward rolled the dice and lost. He could have hit the brakes, he could have gone inside. He chose instead to attempt to squeeze past Chara down the boards, and it was a bad decision.

McKenzie; Pacioretty not happy with Chara or League Decision [TSN.COM]

Bettman say Pacioretty hit horrific, but part of the game. [TSN.COM]

UND Hockey Coach pleads to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname

This article was in the Plains Daily and I actually got this email from a friend of mine as well. You have got to love coach Hakstol, I love his commitment to the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname. Flood the senators email address and let them know how you feel. I would also like to remind your senators if they vote against this bill that they are out of touch with the majority of North Dakotan's. If my Senator Ray Holmberg votes against this bill he will no longer get my vote very again.

PlainsDaily has obtained an email sent out to a broad list of individuals on behalf of UND Hockey Coach Dave Hakstol. In it, Hakstol makes an impassioned plea for citizens to call or email their state senators and urge them to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname.

The email states:
The North Dakota Senate is expected to vote on the Fighting Sioux name and logo in the next week to 10 days. It is very important that we have as many people as possible contact the senators and let them know they support the name and logo. The senators are all keeping a running tally of how many emails they’re getting in support, and opposition, to the bill. Please voice your opinion.

Feel free to forward this email to as many folks as you want to. We need a good grassroots effort from the silent majority out there to make sure the senators know this is an important issue they need to support.

The email includes specifics regarding the bill number and how to email senate senators. Hakstol also thanks the many people who support the fight to keep the “Fighting Sioux.”

Hakstol has been an unwavering supporter of the nickname ever since his tenure as a former player and in more recent years as a coach. Some faculty have stated that UND administration has made calculated efforts to stifle any faculty or staff voicing support for the nickname, but none have actually issued formal complaints.

Coach Hakstol has earned the title “the 3rd most winningest” coach in UND’s impressive hockey history, ending last season with an overall record of 25-13-5. He has led the Sioux Hockey team into eight straight years of postseason play, one of the longest streaks in the nation. Hakstol coached the Fighting Sioux to an overall postseason record of 30-14, more wins than any other WCHA team over that period of time. The Sioux’s WCHA playoff games boast an impressive 21-8 record, and an NCAA playoff record of 9-6.

North Dakota Senate Email List
Simply cut and paste the entire group of email addresses below into a new email:


rmarcellais@nd.gov; ddever@nd.gov; rkilzer@nd.gov ; msitte@nd.gov; bstenehjem@nd.gov; bbowman@nd.gov; galee@nd.gov; jandrist@nd.gov; doehlke@nd.gov; glnodland@nd.gov; rwardner@nd.gov; colafson@nd.gov; lluick@nd.gov; sdberry@nd.gov ; tfischer@nd.gov; tflakoll@nd.gov; tgrindberg@nd.gov; jlee@nd.gov; tmathern@nd.gov; cnelson@nd.gov;
rsorvaag@nd.gov; jklein@nd.gov; rholmberg@nd.gov; llaffen@nd.gov; macschneider@nd.gov; ctriplett@nd.gov; rchristmann@nd.gov; dnething@nd.gov; tmwanzek@nd.gov; doconnell@nd.gov; rerbele@nd.gov; dcook@nd.gov; raburckhard@nd.gov; dhogue@nd.gov; kkrebsbach@nd.gov; olarsen@nd.gov; dgschaible@nd.gov; jheckaman@nd.gov; guglem@nd.gov; joetmiller@nd.gov; pmmurphy@nd.gov; jwarner@nd.gov; rtaylor@nd.gov; lfreborg@nd.gov; lrobinson@nd.gov; slyson@nd.gov; jdotzenrod@nd.gov

Ladislav Smid Boarding Major on Darroll Powe

It seems like there is one of these hits from behind every night of the week in the NHL, eventually unfortunately someone is going to get hurt very seriously from a check from behind. This one is worse than the some of the other ones I have seen this season that have ended up being suspensions. I don’t like hits from behind, you can really hurt someone badly… From what I have seen I don't believe Ladislav Smid is a dirty player and Smid reacted as if the knew he had did wrong the minute he made the hit.

WCHA without UNO or BSU? (by Sioux 7)

Here are the final standings for the 2010-2011 season. But, what would the standing look like IF the league didn’t expand, and BSU and UNO were not in the league?

WCHA 2010-11 FINAL standings (28-games played)

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota…....…….21-6-1…43
2. Denver……..…....………17-8-3…37
3. Nebraska-Omaha..…..17-9-2…36
4. Minnesota-Duluth......15-8-5…35
5. Minnesota……..…......13-10-5…31
6. Colorado College...….13-13-2…28
7. Wisconsin……….....….12-13-3…27
8. Alaska-Anchorage….12-14-2…26
8. St. Cloud State….......11-13-4…26
10. Bemidji State…….….8-15-5…21
10. Minnesota State..….8-16-4…20
12. Michigan Tech…..……2-24-2…6

WCHA standings WITHOUT BSU and UNO figured in.

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts---GP
1. North Dakota…....…….15-4-1…31---20
1. Denver……..………....…14-7-3…31---24
3. Minnesota-Duluth......13-7-4…30---24
4. Minnesota……..…........12-8-4…28---24
5. Colorado College...….12-11-1…25---24
6. Wisconsin………....….10-11-3…23---24
7. Alaska-Anchorage…10-12-2…22---24
8. St. Cloud State.….......8-10-4…20---22
9. Minnesota State…..….7-13-4…18---24
10. Michigan Tech…..……2-21-1…5---24

You notice in this version, that UND has only 20 games played and SCSU only has 22 played where everyone else has 24 games played. With that in mind it would make sense to say UND would still have won the league, but SCSU could have finished up a few spots. Just something to ponder about…

Chara will not be supended.

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara will not be suspended by the NHL for his hit on Max Pacioretty. I was watching the game last night and nobody wants to see a player get hurt on the ice, if there are fans that like to see players get injured they are seriously demented, that being said I am glad I am not the person that had to make a decision on whether Chara had to be suspended or not. I will predict that there will be fans that are not going to be happy with the hit and the fact that Chara wasn’t suspended by the NHL, whether you want to acknowledge it or not hockey is a physical game and people are going to get injured playing a physical game. Zdeno Chara is not a dirty player and doesn’t have a history of doing questionable things on the ice. I think in this case the NHL might have made the right decision in this case.

"I conducted a hearing with Boston Bruins' defenseman Zdeno Chara with respect to the major penalty for interference and game misconduct that he was assessed at 19:44 of the second period for a hit on Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens.
"After a thorough review of the video I can find no basis to impose supplemental discipline. This hit resulted from a play that evolved and then happened very quickly -- with both players skating in the same direction and with Chara attempting to angle his opponent into the boards. I could not find any evidence to suggest that, beyond this being a correct call for interference, that Chara targeted the head of his opponent, left his feet or delivered the check in any other manner that could be deemed to be dangerous.

"This was a hockey play that resulted in an injury because of the player colliding with the stanchion and then the ice surface. In reviewing this play, I also took into consideration that Chara has not been involved in a supplemental discipline incident during his 13-year NHL career."

Goon's All WCHA Team

This is my tongue and cheek who I would like to see on the All-WCHA team(s). Why not the spoils should go to the “victors” right?

Goon's All UND Homer Team

F - Matt Frattin
F - Corbin Knight
F - Jason Gregoire
D - Ben Blood
D - Chay Genoway
G - Aaron Dell

COY Dave Hakstol
POY Matt Frattin
ROY Brock Nelson

This who I would select for first, second and third teams if I had a vote.

First Team

F - Matt Frattin, UND
F - Jack Connolly, UMD
F - Jason Zucker, DU
D - Chay Genoway, UND
D - Jake Gardiner, UW
G - Aaron Dell, UND

Second Team

F - Jaden Schwartz, C.C.
F - Mike Connolly, UMD
F - Jason Gregoire, UND
D - Matt Donovan, DU
D - Justin Schultz, UW
G - Kent Patterson, UMN

Third Team
F - Drew Shore, DU
F - Justin Fontaine, UMD
F - Corban Knight, UND
D - Eric Olimb, UNO
D - Ben Blood, UND
G - Scott Gudmandson, UW

All Rookie Team

F - Jason Zucker, DU
F - Jaden Schwartz, C.C.
F - J.T. Brown, UMD
D - Justin Faulk, UMD
D - Nick Jensen, SCSU
G - Sam Brittain, DU

POY – Matt Frattin, UND
ROY – Jason Zucker, DU
COY – Dean Blais, UNO

How about the Fans have a hand in the selection process?

While I don’t get a vote nor should I get a vote in the process. Also don’t pseudo media and fan bloggers should; none-the-less, it’s a lot of fun to pontificate about who we think should be on the All WCHA teams… There is one thing I would like to see happen, I think that college hockey fans should be able to have a hand in picking the All WCHA teams. The game of hockey is played for the fans and not just for the media. The Fans are what drive the game of hockey, that’s not to say that the media isn’t good at what they do, I am not saying that at all, however, I like how the NHL All Star teams are picked by fan voting. Why not have college hockey all star team picked that way?

Rhythm or reason?

I think it’s a mute point that Matt Frattin is the best player in the WCHA in my opinion, Frattin has been a man among boys this season. Frattin is the complete player, he plays solid defense, skates very well, he is hard to knock off the puck and hits like a freight train. If I was the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager I would be drooling with the prospects of him being in their line up in the very near future. Brian Burke can have him after the Fighting Sioux end their season in April. Having watched Frattin play all season and he is the best player that I have seen on the ice… That’s not to say that Jason Zucker, Mike Connolly and Jack Connolly aren’t good hockey players as well…. There are a lot of good players in our league; some will never get a sniff on the All WCHA teams.

I also think that if a team finishes number one in the standings that they should have the most players on the All-WCHA team. A college hockey team that finished in fourth or fifth place in the standings shouldn’t have 2/3 of their top line on the first team. Just saying… I know there is a solid argument that Kent Patterson and how he should be on the first team, in my opinion Patterson is a good goalie on a mediocre team so he is worthy of being on the second team, "'to the victor belong the spoils." One defensive player that I feel is being overlooked is Ben Blood, while Blood might only have (2-g7a-9pts) Blood is a solid defenseman and is a +28 so he is truly an elite defensive player for the Fighting Sioux.

Injuries hurt your chances of landing on the first team?

I also think that Jaden Schwartz could have been on the first team if he hadn’t missed so many games with an ankle injury, in my opinion Schwartz is still “one of the best” forwards in the WCHA. I also think the injury kept him from being the rookie of the year as well. For the defensemen Chay Genoway finished 7th in scoring by defenseman but he also missed 8 games, that being said, I do think he is definitely worthy of being on one of the three teams.

Here is how the media voted

Goal Gophers

RWD's Favorite beat writer, Schlossman UND Hockey

Puckato

Omaha World Herald

Ciskie Blog

Baggot WSJ

Eric Stromgren, Bemidji Pioneer

Mick Hatten, St. Cloud Times

Mike Chambers, Denver Post

They said what?

Here is the INCH first shift... I found this though provoking because traditionally hockey teams sitting at the top of the standing are going to score more of their goals against lesser opponents, on the flip side of that argument I believe that it’s only obvious that playes like Frattin would score less goals against the upper echelon of teams.

This question came in to our weekly chat at ESPN.com on Friday:

Ryan (Sheboygan, WI) — Do you think about strength of schedule when casting your Hobey votes? A player like Matt Frattin has all of his points against TUCs while the players from Miami have racked up points against an easier schedule.

Frattin’s performance against a strong schedule has been a popular discussion point from the North Dakota contingent, and prior to this past weekend’s series against Michigan Tech it was a correct note since all of North Dakota’s games came against Teams Under Consideration as determined by the NCAA Tournament selection criteria. Two things about that got us thinking—first, a TUC is a pretty broad category, since more than half of the nation’s teams fall under that umbrella. Second, just how good was Frattin against the truly elite teams?

We looked at three categories and here are the numbers. We’re not here to draw conclusions, just to present the data.

•Frattin against the second-to-seventh place teams in the WCHA (Denver, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota, Colorado College, Wisconsin): 15 games played, 10 points, 0.66 points per game

•Frattin against the eighth-to-12th place teams in the WCHA (Alaska Anchorage, St. Cloud State, Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech): 15 games played, 31 points, 2.07 points per game

•Frattin against non-league teams (Alaska, Maine, Notre Dame, Robert Morris): 7 games played, 8 points, 1.14 points per game

Zdeno Chara Hits Max Pacioretty

So what do you think? Is there going to be a suspension coming for Zdeno Chara? You can bet that Colin Campbell will take a look at this hit. Chara was giving a 5 minute major and a game misconduct. Chara and Pacioretty have a history as well, as Chara went after Pacioretty back in January after Pacioretty scored a goal in overtime and pushed Chara...

Mike Chambers on the BTHC...

If you haven't seen this article by Mike Chambers it's worth a look, there are some really good points in it about the impending BTHC. As some of you know I am on record as saying I am not in favor of the BTHC because I think it’s going to do some serious damage to the college hockey landscape. There are going to be some winners and losers, this blog post talks about some of the possible winners.

Another good point that I like is currently there are only one of the six Big Ten Hockey Schools in the NCAA tourney, that's if the NCAA hockey tourney started today, so the only Big Ten Hockey team currently in the NCAA hockey tourney is Michigan. That being said there is a chance there could be two teams, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have a small chance but they are going to need a lot of things to go their way to make it into the final 16 teams. I also like the Notre Dame and Miami being in the WCHA, because I think both team would be attractive options.

Mike Chambers, Denver Post --- This season’s big off-ice discussions have centered on the possible, if not probable, new Big 10 hockey conference. I’m all for it. If long-time Colorado rivals and WCHA members Wisconsin and Minnesota want to join Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and the new Penn State program and do their own thing, have at it. And we will happily do ours.

Right now, I like the look of ours. What I mean my “ours” is a hypothetical, Western-based power league consisting of DU, CC, North Dakota, Miami (Ohio), Notre Dame and Nebraska-Omaha, and maybe the other ‘Sota schools — Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State and Bemidji State. If it’s only a six-team loop — preferrable to guarantee home-and-away series against every league member, a key for building rivalries – I’ll take our six teams over the Big 10 boys.

Right now, our six teams are each among the top 14 in the PairWise Rankings: North Dakota (third), Denver (fifth), Nebraska-Omaha (sixth, tied), Miami (ninth), Notre Dame (10th, tied) and CC (14th, tied). How many does the proposed Big 10 have? One — Michigan (four). Minnesota, while hot lately, is a longshot to make the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State will have to win their league tournaments to get in.

Assuming CC gets in, our guys will go 6-for-6 in making The Show, while the Big 10 (or Big 5 right now) is looking at 1-of-5.

If the Big 10 was really smart, it would partner with our league and make it a 12-team super conference split into two divisions. The Big 10 division would have home-and-away series against each other, so 20 Big 10 games apiece, and also play each of our teams in one, two-game series — making it a 30-game league season (or 28 as it is now if we skip one opponent every year).

Whatever happens is fine by me, because I know “our” programs are going to like where they land. I sense that people within the proposed Big 10 conference are full of themselves about how great they are, and at the same time, I don’t like how our teams, our fans, are feeling sorry for themselves about these big schools doing their own thing. If our teams make a plan and stick together, our new league could be more exciting than what we currently have. Certainly, longtime WCHA rivals DU, CC and UND could sell far more tickets in home games against Notre Dame, Miami and Nebraska-Omaha than Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage or Bemidji State. And undoubtedly, if a super conference happens, Minnesota and Wisconsin would benefit by still playing North Dakota and DU a couple times a year.

How did we do? - Inaugural Blogger Poll Standings

At the beginning of the season I participated in the Inaugural WCHA Website/Blogger Preseason Poll and here is how the vote played out.
1. North Dakota (12) 177
2. St. Cloud (2) 158
3. Duluth (1) 154
4. Denver 125
5. Minnesota 117
6. Wisconsin 113
7. Nebraska-Omaha 81
8. Colorado College 77
9. Bemidji State 73
10. Minnesota State 39
11. Michigan Tech 30
12. Alaska-Anchorage 26

WCHA Player of the Year:

Jack Connolly-Duluth (6)
Garrett Roe-St. Cloud (5)
Jacob Cepis-Minnesota (1)
Chay Genoway-North Dakota (1)
Jason Gregoire North Dakota (1)
Matt Read-Bemidji (1)

WCHA Rookie of the Year:

Jaden Schwartz-Colorado College (6)
Beau Bennett-Denver (2)
Derek Forbort-North Dakota (2)
Nick Bjugstad-Minnesota (1)
Erik Haula-Minnesota (1)
Matt White-Nebraska Omaha (1)
Mark Zengerle-Wisconsin (1)
Sam Rendle-Bemidji (1)

Voters:

Goon-Goons World (North Dakota)
RWD-Runnin' With The Dogs (Duluth)
Brandon-Sioux Yeah Yeah! (North Dakota)
Chuck Schwartz-Sixty Minutes (Wisconsin)
Exile on Dayton Street-Sixty Minutes (Wisconsin)
Gandalf The Red-Sixty Minutes (Wisconsin)
Hammy-Gopher Hockey Blog (Minnesota)
Dirty-Dirty's Diatribe (North Dakota)
Jeremy-Husky Hockey Blog (St. Cloud)
USAFA Bulldog-The DECC is Stacked (Duluth)
Jon-Mav Puck (Nebraska-Omaha)
Fade to black and gold-Michigan Tech Hockey Blog (Michigan Tech)
Exiled One-College Hockey Recruit Exchange & DaHuskies.com (St. Cloud)
Donald - Delusions of Grandeur (Anchorage)
Millsy-The Beaver Pond (Bemidji)

Here How I voted in the first WCHA Website/Blogger Preseason Poll
1.) UND
2.) SCSU
3.) UMD
4.) DU
5.) UW
6.) UMN
7.) UNO
8.) BSU
9.) CC
10.) MSU
11.) UAA
12.) MTU

Poy Chay Genoway-UND
ROY Jaden Schwartz-Colorado College

Here is now the league ended.
1.)UND - 43
2.)DU - 37
3.)UNO - 36
4.)UMD - 35
5.)UMN - 31
6.)C.C. - 38
7.)UW - 27
8.)SCSU - 26
9.)UAA - 26
10.)BSU - 21
11.)MSUM - 20
12.)MTU - 6

Here is what I predicted in my only attempt at the "What-If"
Team GP Pts
1. UND 28 48
2. Denver 28 42
3. UMD 28 39
4. UNO 28 34
5. UW 28 32
6. C.C. 28 29
7. UMN 28 28
8. Mankato 28 21
8. SCSU 28 21
10. AA 28 18
10. BSU 28 18
12. MTech 28 6

UND President Kelley on the Fighting Sioux Nickname.

UND President Robert Kelley who has tried to appear neutral in the past on the Fighting Sioux Logo and nickname, let his feeling be known for the media yesterday, Kelly said that he “would have urged the committee to oppose the bill. ” I don’t think any of us are all that shocked that a college professor that gradated from liberal Cal Berkley is against the Fighting Sioux nickname.

Grand Forks Herald --- UND President Robert and other officials sat through the four-hour morning session, waiting their turn, but time ran out before they and several others on both sides could testify. “We covered a lot of the same ground” as was presented before the House Education Committee, Kelley said, “and I think the chairman balanced the testimony effectively. I had a testimony, but I wanted to give our students a chance to speak. Also, I knew the board (two members of the Board of Higher Education) would testify effectively.”

Kelley said he “would have urged the committee to oppose the bill” because he’s increasingly concerned about the “uncertainty” it raises for the university as a whole.

Poll Monday

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[March 7, 2011]
1. North Dakota (39) 26- 8-3 987 1
2. Boston College (10) 26- 7-1 953 2
3. Yale ( 1) 23- 5-1 892 3
4. Union 25- 7-4 842 4
5. Michigan 23- 9-4 784 5
6. Denver 21-10-5 709 5
7. Miami 19- 9-6 666 8
8. Notre Dame 21-10-5 620 10
9. Merrimack 22- 8-4 583 9
10. New Hampshire 19- 9-6 573 7
11. Minnesota-Duluth 20- 9-6 531 11
12. Nebraska-Omaha 21-13-2 488 12
13. Boston University 18-10-8 353 13
14. Maine 17-10-7 345 14
15. estern Michigan 16-10-10 286 15
16. Colorado College 19-16-3 221 17
17. Minnesota 16-12-6 185 19
18. Dartmouth 16-10-3 165 20
19. Wisconsin 20-14-4 164 18
20. Rensselaer 20-12-5 98 16
Others Receiving Votes: St. Cloud State 21, Ferris State 17, Cornell 10, Rochester Institute of Technology 4, Robert Morris 2, Alaska 1
_____________________

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
[March 7, 2011]
1. University of North Dakota 503 (29)1 26- 8-3
2. Boston College 480 (5) 2 26- 7-1
3. Yale University 438 3 23- 5-1
4. Union College 394 4 25- 7-4
5. University of Michigan 374 5 23- 9-4
6. University of Denver 330 6 21-10-5
7. Miami University 286 10 19- 9-6
8. University of Notre Dame 257 9 21-10-5
9. Merrimack College 241 7 22- 8-4
10. University of New Hampshire 220 8 19- 9-6
11. University of Minnesota Duluth 179 11 20- 9-6
12. University of Nebraska Omaha 171 12 21-13-2
13. Boston University 77 13 18-10-8
14. University of Maine 58 14 17-10-7
15. Western Michigan University 24 NR 16-10-10
Others receiving votes: Colorado College 17, Dartmouth College 15, University of Minnesota 8, University of Wisconsin 4, Rensselaer 3, Rochester Institute of Technology 1.

Rangers Ryan Callahan nets 4 goals versus Flyers

Nice to see the American boy and Rangers forward Ryan Callahan getting four goals against the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday. Callahan single handily destroyed Eastern Conference Leaders the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0.

If the deal in the desert dies, reincarnation in Winnipeg won't be overnight

I have been following the Coyotes story in Phoenix and seeing how it’s playing out and I have to feel just a little bit hopeful that eventually either the Coyotes or the Thrasher are going to end up relocating in the city of Winnipeg, hopefully sooner rather than later… That being said it’s not going to happen overnight but eventually.

Winnipeg Free Press --- There will not be any announcement at Portage and Main this week to reveal news that the NHL is returning to Winnipeg.

If you're hoping for that — stop. You'll only be disappointed.

There is, however, a chance that the NHL will determine it has exhausted all avenues to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona and begin to look at other options.

Winnipeg, we have come to understand, is at the top of the list of those options. But even if NHL commissioner Gary Bettman picks up the phone and tells True North's Mark Chipman it's time to start talking about a potential purchase of the franchise for relocation -- there will still be the matter of a sale agreement to hash out as well as a blessing from the NHL's board of governors.

That's a lot of steps, so cool your, uh... sorry, jets.

Reports are swirling north and south of the border that the NHL is on the verge of either closing this sale or calling it dead.

Any announcement, if one is to come at all as a result of a collapsed sale of the Coyotes to Matthew Hulsizer, would be weeks or months away.

There's a process that would need to be executed and it requires work and time and lawyers and money.

Chipman's True North Sports and Entertainment has all of the above, but the machine has to be put into action before it can spit out an NHL franchise for the city of Winnipeg and we're unsure if it's even turned on or perhaps quietly idling.

Bettman remains tied to Phoenix at this point as the Coyotes are an official franchise of the NHL and he'll be looking behind every cactus for an answer that keeps the team in Glendale's Jobing.com Arena. He's been doing that for more than two years, so don't expect him to suddenly quit.

Bettman, it should be noted, is quite resourceful when it comes to digging up monied folks willing to invest in shaky sports franchises. So don't count him or this bizarre sale agreement in Glendale out.

The commish is still swinging and he can land an unexpected jab at any moment.

Why is Bettman working so hard to save this clunker? That's a question that's being asked all over the province and likely this country.

For starters, just because many of us are convinced a return of the NHL will work in Winnipeg, there are many others who don't believe. CBC's resident genius Mike Milbury ran off at the mouth on Saturday night suggesting Winnipeg, "will need a sugar daddy willing to lose $20 million a season."

Milbury was quickly shut down by ESPN's Pierre LeBrun and host Ron McLean, who apparently have done more homework on the subject, but the reality is many NHL types are still skeptics when it comes to Winnipeg.

INCH Power Rankings - Sioux remain number 1

For another Week UND is at the top of the INCH Power Rankings...
INCH Power Rankings
March 6th, 2011
1. North Dakota - Jason Gregoire extended his point streak to 12 games with four goals and two assists in the Fighting Sioux’s weekend sweep of Michigan Tech. The junior forward has 14 goals and nine assists in his last dozen matches. 26-8-3 (21-6-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Michigan Tech, 6-1; W at Michigan Tech, 11-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech (WCHA First-Round Series)...
2. Boston College
3. Union
4. Yale
5. Miami
6. Michigan
7. Merrimack
8. New Hampshire
9. Denver
10. Notre Dame
11. Minnesota Duluth
12. Nebraska-Omaha
13. Boston University
14. Western Michigan
15. Minnesota
16. Maine
17. Wisconsin
18. Colorado College
19. Dartmouth
20. RIT
Dropped out: Rensselaer
Bubble-licious: Air Force, Cornell, St. Cloud State

Goon's on KNOX 1310 Monday from 4:00 – 5:00 PM Monday

Listen to the Goon live at 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm on KNOX 1310 AM on Monday March 7th, 2011. R.J. and I will be talking about WCHA hockey... R.J. and I will also talk about the WCHA playoffs, the Fighting Sioux's upcoming playoff series against MTU and who I think should be on the All WCHA ballot…. If you live out of town you can listen live by clicking on this address. [Click to Listen]

Call in 701-775-5559, 1-866-KNOX-1310, email: Live@KNOXRADIO.com