Alabama Lawmaker Leading Last-Ditch Effort To Save UAH Hockey

Image via WikipediaIt would appear that there is still a glimmer of hope to save the UAH Hockey program. Some wealthy donors, whose names have not been revealed, have said they will donate 1.5 Million to keep the UAH hockey program running. That is a lot of money and I think you could support a Division I hockey program with that kind of a donation. [Link to the video]

HUNTSVILLE, AL— Details of the plan have yet to be revealed, but Williams said it involves a group of wealthy hockey supporters who would fund the team's yearly budget of $1.5 million. But even if enough money was raised, there's no guarantee that a decision which dropped the program from varsity status could be reversed.

The death blow for Charger hockey appeared to come last week, when officials announced that UAH would no longer field a varsity team. University of Alabama System Chancellor Dr. Malcolm Portera cited lack of finances as the main reason behind eliminating hockey, which will be relegated to club level status starting next year.

Rep. Williams is an avid hockey fan, and said he has also been discussing the matter with Governor Robert Bentley's office. A meeting between the two is scheduled for later in the week.

UA-Huntsville Athletic Director E.J. Brophy said he had been contacted about the last-ditch effort, but said financial committments would have to be made in a matter of days if varsity hockey were to stay alive.

"I am aware that there are some people who want to help, and quite frankly we appreciate that sentiment," said Brophy. "If there is a benefactor, a heavy hitter, a benevolent angel that wants to write a monster check, that needs to happen very, very quickly."

The UA-Huntsville Athletic Department said for now they were moving forward with plans to convert hockey into a club level sport starting next year.

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• Effort to Save UAH underway... (mvn.com)
• Save UAH Hockey - a program on the "brink" (mvn.com)
• Save - UAH Hockey (mvn.com)
• Alabama-Huntsville Dropping Men's Ice Hockey as NCAA Sport (bleacherreport.com)
• With the UAH hockey program threatened, their fans and students try to save it again (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• You: Future of the University of Alabama-Huntsville Hockey Program in Question (bleacherreport.com)
• What Conference Should Alabama Huntsville Join? (stupidhockey.typepad.com)
• RW77′s Take on Conference Realignment Part 2 (mvn.com)
• Best Of The SB Nation Network: October 24, 2011 (sbnation.com)

UAH Hockey has donors willing to support team.

 (The Huntsville Times file photo)

Developing.... Looks like the Save UAH crowd isn't going to let their team go down without a fight. It also appears that they have a AL congressional leader that supports their cause. Here is a link to a video that talks about this issue as well. [click to view]

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Money will no longer be an issue to save the hockey program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville because of additional last-minute donors, a state legislator says he has been told.

In fact, Rep. Phil Williams, R-Monrovia, said today he has separate meetings scheduled with Gov. Robert Bentley and new UAH President Dr. Robert Altenkirch to discuss salvaging the program.

UAH announced last month that its NCAA Division I hockey program would be scrapped after this season and that the school would instead field a club team. Dr. Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama System who was serving as interim president at UAH when the decision was announced, said the $1.5 million annual expense was too rich for the school to support.

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• Save UAH Hockey - a program on the "brink" (mvn.com)
• Save - UAH Hockey (mvn.com)
• Effort to Save UAH underway... (mvn.com)
• Surviving Families Of Massacre File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against University Of Alabama Huntsville Provost And Others (prweb.com)
• Alabama-Huntsville Dropping Men's Ice Hockey as NCAA Sport (bleacherreport.com)

Sioux to continue series with Gophers

Here is some good news for Sioux fans. If Roman’s blog is right the Sioux and the Gophers will continue to play each other after they both go their separate ways.

SCHEDULE UPDATE

Lucia said he is happy North Dakota is playing the Gophers at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers have played nine of the last 11 games in the series at the Ralph. That's partly because Minnesota had to travel there for a three-game, first round WCHA playoff series at the end of the 2009-10 season.

Lucia said he hopes to play North Dakota when the Gophers join the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15 and the Fighting Sioux become members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. But how often will depend on how many conference games the NCHC will play. The new conference could play up to 28 league games, he said, leaving room to schedule only six nonconference games.

He said the Gophers and the Fighting Sioux would play at Mariucci one year and at the Ralph the other in any scheduling arrangement they make after they are in different conferences.

Boston College coach Jerry York e-mailed Lucia about a fourth-year scheduling agreement. One year, the Gophers would head East and play Boston College and Boston University the same weekend, Lucia said, the next year, Boston College would play at Mariucci, then the Gophers would play at BU and BC and, in the fourth year, BU would visit the Gophers.

Lucia said the Gophers and Notre Dame have discussed playing each other, too. The Irish and Gophers play one game, the U.S. Hall of Fame Game, in early January this season.

NCAA Hockey on NBC

s/t to Ken Schott. Here is the new TV schedule for the NCAA Hockey on Versus/NBC Looks like there will be a few teams from the WCHA on, DU 3 datesm UNO 2, UMN, UND, UMD 1 game each.

Here is the broadcast schedule:

Dec. 31 Boston University at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Jan. 6 Dartmouth at RPI, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 Minnesota Duluth at Nebraska-Omaha, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 Michigan at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 Yale at Harvard, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 Cornell at RPI, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 Boston College at Vermont, 7:30 p.m.; Minnesota at Denver, 10 p.m.
Feb. 17 Dartmouth at Yale, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 Boston University at Vermont, 7:30 p.m.; North Dakota at Denver, 10 p.m.
March 2 Denver at Nebraska-Omaha, 7:30 p.m.

Hockey East Tournament

March 9 Quarterfinals 7:30 p.m.
March 16 Semifinals 5 and 8 p.m.
March 17th Finals 8 p.m.

WCHA Power Rankings

Zach Friedli I will be doing the WCHA rankings every Monday for Inside Hockey. Here are my power rankings for the week. People are going to ask me why Michigan Tech isn’t ranked higher and my reason is that BSU swept them last week in Bemidji so I decided to rank them both 9th. [click to see the rankings]

1. Colorado College – The Tigers (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) swept the RPI Engineers (4-1, 4-1) in Potsdam, N.Y. This weekend the Tigers travel to Omaha, Nebraska to play the UNO Mavericks.

2. Minnesota – The Gophers (7-1-0, 4-0-0) are red hot after sweeping the UAA Seawolves in Anchorage this past weekend (5-0, 3-1). The Minnesota Gophers play their “arch rival” the Fighting Sioux this weekend in Mariucci arena.

3. Denver – The Pioneers (3-2-1, 2-1-1 WCHA) left Houghton, Michigan with “one” point after being pounded on Friday night by a score of 7-2, the Huskies and Pioneers skated to a 2-2 tie on Saturday 2-2.

4. Wisconsin – The Badgers (4-4-0, 3-3-0 WCHA) split with the UNO Mavericks in Madison, Wisconsin this past weekend. The Badgers lost on 5-4 on Friday before coming back to beat the Mavericks 6-3 on Saturday night. The Badgers will now travel to Saint Cloud to play the Huskies this weekend.

5. UMD – The Bulldogs (4-3-1, 2-2-0 WCHA) swept the BSU Beavers 6-2 and 1-0 at Amsoil Arena. The Bulldogs travel to the Mile High City to play the Denver Pioneers.

6. North Dakota – The Fighting Sioux (3-4-1, 1-3-0 WCHA) split their series with the SCSU Huskies. This weekend the Fighting Sioux travel to Mariucci Arena

7. St. Cloud State – The Huskies (3-4-1, 1-1-0 WCHA) split with the Fighting Sioux in Grand Forks, ND 4-0 and 3-1. The Huskies entertain the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend.

7. Nebraska-Omaha – (4-4-0, 3-1-0 WCHA) split with the Badgers in Madison Wisconsin 5-4 and 6-3. The Mavericks entertain the C.C. Tigers this weekend.

9. Bemidji – The BSU Beavers (3-5-0, 2-4-0 WCHA) were swept by the UMD Bulldogs 6-2 and 1-0 in Amsoil Arena this past weekend in Bemidji.

9. Michigan Tech – The surprising Huskies (5-2-1, 3-2-1 WCHA) took three of four points from the Denver Pioneers, The Huskies entertain the injury riddled Mavericks of Minnesota State University-Mankato.

11. Alaska-Anchorage – The Seawovles (3-4-1, 0-4-0) Swept by the Minnesota Gophers in Anchorage, Alaska this past weekend. The Seawolves are off this weekend.

12. Minnesota State – The Mavericks (0-4-0, 1-5-0) were off this past weekend and travel to Houghton, Michigan to play the MTU Huskies.

Next weekend the Sioux and the Gophers will be on FSN on Friday and BTN on Saturday Night.

Next weekend, Minnesota returns home to Mariucci to face the twelfth-ranked and very loved hated University of North Dakota. Friday’s game starts at 7 PM and is broadcast on Fox Sports North while Saturday’s game starts at 7:30 and is broadcast on the Big Ten Network. [minnesota.sbnation.com]

Check out this post... Stupidity at its best.

Image by afiler via FlickrIf you don't read the webpage GPL aka Gopher Puck Live, you're not missing much. Check out this nugget from David Handler aka Handyman, if I am not mistaken he was the guy that used to sell the John Waibel factor shirts as well.

Just for the record no one that I know speaks like this. Not the crowd that I associate with. NO ONE. I do not know anyone  that uses that type of language. Wow!!! I guess we must be a bunch of hicks and losers up here in Grand Forks, ND? I wonder what Handyman thinks about the people that live in Moorhead and East Grand Forks, MN?

Handy Man, Gopher Puck Live --- Well they hate the Minnesota chant because the hicks can't spell. They sure can spit when they talk though and get that "derr shucks what ya talkin bout dere" look on their face when you ask them a question. (see: Goon)

Grand Forks, the only place I saw a pregnant waitress smoking and doing shots. (no lie) Most worthless piece of crap town in the world. I would sooner spend a week in Gitmo than ever go back there. The collected amount of missing chromosomes boggles the mind. The two days I spent there was the longest year of my life...Amsoil Arena >>>>> The Big Puke in the Prairie!

I hate everything about that state and its fans. Their idiotic conspiracy theories (like Adam Hauser, the Godfearing one, doing the neckslice to the Sioux bench...thanks Tim Hennessey stop drinking your namesake during games your full on d-bag) their hypocritical bs and their goontastic squad. Remember folks, the Bina hit was criminal, the other 10k times a Fighting Goon does it though is just hardnosed hockey! Also remember, winning the McNaughton doesn't matter it is all about the National Title...unless the Sioux win the McNaughton then it matters. (see also: Final Five) And finally, remember that Doug Woog was a choker because he never won the big one, Hak though is the best coach in college hockey...well he is when half the fan base isn't calling for him to be fired. But hey, they at least have Holy Cross to hang their hats on since they piss down their leg in the big game now.

I can't wait until they are gone...let them languish in the Noone Cares Hockey Conference with Denver and their 6 fans.

Just for the record and last time I checked, most of Minnesota is rural, except for the "Metro Area" and a few other cities like Duluth and Rochester, meaning the state of Minnesota resembles North Dakota except the state of Minnesota has more trees.

Most of the people Handyman is insulting in North Dakota resemble the people from the great(er) state of Minnesota that is supposed to be heads and tails above the state of North Dakota.

I guess there will be a few of us as that are going to be happy as well that we don't have to deal with moronic and  pompous jerks like this buffoon/clown and I doubt many of the fans of the new NCHC will make as many classless statements like this, I am sure there will be a few.

Don't like Grand Forks don't come here

Don't get me wrong I know many good Gopher fans and I am friends with many cool Gopher fans but this week seems to bring the bads one up from the bottom of the lagoon. Also, if Grand Forks is such a bad place to visit stay home, watch the game on TV. Let your better fans come up here and enjoy the game with us.

Behind Enemy Lines - Wally Shaver's Gophers-UND Preview

The boys over at Gopher Puck Live had this in their twitter feed today so I thought I would share it with you. Wally Shaver does the Gopher hockey radio broadcasts along with Frank Mazzocco. Should be a good series between the Fighting Sioux and the Minnesota Gophers.

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Really Jack...

Image via WikipediaWow! Jack Campbell doesn't like the new NCAA rule that allows colleges and universities to pay a $2,000.00-per-year stipend to their athletes. That money is a drop in the barrel, it's chicken feed. I am not sure why Campbell would be opposed to it?

Jim Parker, Yahoo Sports --- Long an opponent to paying athletes, the most notable change will see the NCAA allow conferences the option to pay athletes a $2,000-per-year stipend to cover incidental costs of college. That’s over an above the money paid out for scholarships, which can cover tuition, fees and books as well as room and board.

“I’m a little disappointed the NCAA felt they had to do that,” Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell said. “You go to school because you want an education.”

NCAA president Mark Emmert said the move isn’t meant as a pay-for-play, but rather a recognition that athletes train year round and because of that cannot get a part-time job to cover some costs.

“Two thousand (dollars) will buy a nice laptop, but it doesn’t matter,” the 19-year-old Campbell said.

Who is filing the lawsuit?

This screen shot will tell you who is filing the lawsuit, Reed Soderstrom and you will also notice that Archie Fool Bear on behalf of 1004+ petitioners.

Spirit Lake Sioux to sue the NCAA.

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaIt appears that the Spirit Lake Sioux is going to sue the NCAA. s/t to the SayAnythingBlog.com. I have no idea where this is going to go, but do you see the irony in this? The NCAA has said that the Fighting Sioux nickname is hostile and abusive and is now going to be sued by the same people that they are supposed to be protecting.

FORT TOTTEN, ND – Speaking at the tribal headquarters of the Spirit Lake Sioux Nation, attorney Reed Soderstrom announced a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging copyright infringement and civil rights violations. The Sioux tribe supports the University of North Dakota’s “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo, but the NCAA has deemed them to be “hostile and abusive.”

“Today, the Spirit Lake Tribe of Indians, by and through its Committee of Understanding and Respect, and Archie Fool Bear, individually, and as Representative of more than 1004 Petitioners of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, filed a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association in direct response to their attempt to take away and prevent the North Dakota Sioux Indians from giving their name forever to the University of North Dakota,” said Soderstrom in prepared remarks.

Soderstrom alleges that the NCAA has violated “the religious and first amendment rights of the Dakota Sioux tribes.” He also alleged a double standard in the application of the NCAA’s policy against the use of Native American names and imagery.

The first charge we are going to hear from the Anti-Fighting Sioux nickname foes is that Englestad Arena is behind this action and financing it. I have yet to see any evidence to back this up to date.



20111101 Lawsuit Fact Sheet Final

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Audio from the Spirit Lake Announcement

Watch live video from scotthennenshow on www.justin.tv
The Scott Hennen show has the announcement live.

Check it out...

I had to share this screen shot from HockeyBias, you can click on the photo to make it bigger. I guess I better put it in context, Charlie the owner of HockeyBias is a Gopher hockey fan, you know your typical Gopher fan that thinks the Sioux are a bunch of knuckle dragging Neanderthal goons and this is how he linked this article.
I would like to say thanks for the link.

DirecTV and News Corp. Avert Channel Blackout

Image via WikipediaThis is some of the best news that I have seen all day. This means that people that have DirecTV and watch college sports and NHL hockey on Fox Sports Net or Fox College Sports will not have an interruption of their service and will still be able to watch their favorite teams games if they have DirecTV.

Good news for Gopher and Sioux hockey fans that have DirecTV and are not able to attend this weekend's game on Friday. Saturday's game is on the Big Ten Network.

Brian Stelter; New York Times blog --- Representatives for DirecTV and News Corporation said Monday evening that they had averted a looming blackout of regional sports networks, FX and other Fox-owned cable channels.

After warring in public for a week and a half, the two companies said they had come to a new contract agreement.

“We both know the past ten days have been challenging, but we’re pleased that both sides could eventually come together to ensure our viewers continue to enjoy Fox programming,” the companies said in a joint statement.

Both sides had been warning that many Fox-owned channels would be blacked out on DirecTV’s system beginning on Nov. 1 if a new contract agreement was not accepted. Such spats are usually resolved close to the self-imposed deadlines, but occasionally they do result in blackouts; Fox network programming was removed from Cablevision’s systems for two weeks last October.

Poll Monday - Sioux drop to 15 in both polls

Spirit Lake Tribe To Make “Major Announcement” on Fighting Sioux nickname

Sounds like something big coming down the pike from the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, I am guessing that the NCAA, UND and or the Big Sky is going to be party to a law suit. SayAnythingBlog.com and Plains Daily also has picked up on the story as well. I have no idea where this is going.

Chuck Haga; Grand Forks Herald ---- Fighting Sioux nickname champions at Spirit Lake say they will make “a major announcement” Tuesday in their campaign to thwart retirement of the name and logo.

Members of the Committee for Understanding and Respect, acting with the blessing of the Spirit Lake Tribal Council, have scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Spirit Lake Tribal Headquarters in Fort Totten, N.D.

Frank Black Cloud, the designated spokesman for the committee, said today that members of the committee, their attorneys and perhaps a Tribal Council representative would make statements, but he could not comment on the nature of the announcement. A news release issued today by the group provided no other details.

Eunice Davidson, a leader of the effort to preserve the Fighting Sioux name at UND, also declined to comment.

In a statement released Oct. 13, the committee denounced remarks by UND President Robert Kelley and Grant Shaft, president of the State Board of Higher Education, both of whom have urged repeal of a state law ordering UND to retain the nickname.

A trip down memory lane, 2007 West Regional... Sioux beat Gophers 3-2...

I was been reading the various message boards and I get a chuckle out of how Gopher fans love to bring up the Blake Wheeler goal against the Sioux in the Final Five, I have to give credit where credit is due, that was a great highlight goal, in fact it was one for the ages, that euphoria was short lived as a week later the Fighting Sioux got the last laugh with a great overtime winner in Denver.

Zajac doing light skating

Image by clydeorama via FlickrThis might be good news for the New Jersey Devils, Travis Zajac is a valued member of the New Jersey Devils and had been pretty durable up until this injury. In fact if you look at his Hockey Database page you will see that he has only missed two games in five season before this year.

NJ.COM --- Travis Zajac, who has missed the entire season so far with a torn left Achilles' tendon, is at practice today, having flown into New Jersey over the weekend to tend to some "personal business'' he said. The Devils top center said he skated lightly for the first time on Thursday at home in Winnipeg and will skate again this week after he returns to Winnipeg.

Zajac, who suffered the injury during an off-ice training session over the summer, said he "definitely'' will play this season, but he has no idea when that might be. He said he doesn't have pain as much as tightness that restricts his movements. He said skating was actually easier than walking, because the skate boot provides more support than his normal shoes. He said now that he has skated, he anticipates being able to skate more often -- more than once a week.

INCH Power Rankings

Image via WikipediaAs always I include the INCH Power Rankings and I think you will find them amusing, Yale who has played two games against ECAC foes is ranked 5th. 6 ECAC teams in the two twenty power rankings.

Are we to glean from these rankings that the ECAC is the best conference in college hockey?

1. Boston College
2. Colorado College
3. Minnesota
4. Michigan
5. Yale
6. Merrimack
7. Union
8. Denver
9. Notre Dame
10. Western Michigan
11. Ferris State
12. Lake Superior State
13. Colgate
14. Boston University
15. Dartmouth
16. Quinnipiac
17. North Dakota
18. Michigan Tech
19. Clarkson
20. Northern Michigan
Dropped out: Miami
Bubble-licious: Harvard, Maine, Minnesota Duluth

Something to get you in the mood, Sioux vs Gophers

It's Sioux and Gophers week again and I would compare this historic rivalry to the Hatfield’s and McCoy feud. All you have to do is watch the videos to figure out that these two teams just that don't like each other very much. Some of it’s due to the fact that UND has quite a few players from the Metro area that like to play against the Gophers and beat them. I am expecting an awesome effort from Danny Kristo, Ben Blood, Nick Mattson, Joe Gleason, Brock Nelson, Derek Forbort.


Nothing like a big hit by one of the Sioux’s forward to fire the team up and then start a Donny Brook.I found this gem on Gopher Puck Live...

Why do Sioux fans continue to manufacture reasons to fuel the rivalry? There's this phantom incident, Wheeler insulting Finley's sister, the never seen Lucia spear and they also accused Bickel of "hiding behind a ref" a few years ago. I figure in a few years some idiot will recycle the spear and sister insult. Just embrace your goonery and stop trying to justify it.

As you just read above, we will hear from Gopher fans how the Fighting Sioux are a bunch of classless Goons. If you believe the hype, it's almost like the Sioux are a bunch of knuckle dragging Neanderthals straight out of the movie Slap Shot.

Me personally, I like to refer to the Gophers as being "Minnesota's Pansies on Ice". You know the team that won’t go head to head with your favorite team, but will stand behind the referee and yap (i.e., Stu Bickel, Seth Helgeson, Tony Lucia) and when they are called out beg for the ref to save them.



Just a reminder to folks, remember it’s just a game folks, we don’t need anyone getting into a fight outside the arena or in the bars on either side of the ice. When it’s all said and done hope everyone has a fun time and no one gets hurt or arrested. Back in 2009 I wrote a blog post on fan behavior at the Illegal Curve.


Here is the video of the after math of "the never seen Lucia spear," of course there wasn't going to ever be a video proving that there was a Lucia spear. FSN isn't going to come forward with a spear that showed on of their golden boys in a bad light.

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Dan Carcillo suspended for two games...

Ironicall, this is the first time that Chicago forward Dan aka "Car Bomb"Carcillo  has never been suspended by the National Hockey League for an "illegal hit" during his NHL career. It seems like the 2 game suspension is a standard suspension NHL nowadays.