CBS Sports Network – UND @ UMD

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College hockey returns to CBS Sports Network on Friday, Feb. 10 (8:00 PM, ET) as No. 16-ranked North Dakota visits No. 3-ranked Minnesota Duluth. Ben Holden and Dave Starman handle the call, along with reporter Shireen Saski.

The Network provides live pre-game coverage from AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. to preview the night’s action and discuss college hockey news from around the country. 

During the game, fans can join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #CBSHockey. This week’s Twitter Question is: What changes would you make to hockey’s NCAA Tournament?

For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

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Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

What a difference a week makes. The standing show that only 4 points separate 3rd through 8th places. That is a lot of teams in the fight for home ice in the first round, which is just a month away now.


WCHA STANDINGS

Team………………………W-L-T………Points
1. Minnesota………………15-5-0…..……30
2. Minnesota-Duluth……..12-5-3….…….27
3. Colorado College ……..12-7-3………..25
4. Denver…………..………10-6-4………..23
5. North Dakota……….…...11-9-0….…….22
5. Michigan Tech………….10-8-2………..22
5. Nebraska-Omaha…….…9-7-4………..22
8. St. Cloud St……………. 9-10-3……….21
9. Bemidji State….…………7-10-3…….…17
10. Wisconsin……………..7-13-2…..…….16
11. Minnesota State………6-15-1…………13
12. Alaska-Anchorage…...4-17-1…………9


WCHA Games

#10 Colorado College @ Bemidji State
Last weekend Tigers took 3-points from the Pioneers in a home-and-home series and the Beavers took 3-points from the UNO Mavericks in Omaha.

The Tigers vaulted over their rivals from Denver in the standings. CC might be riding high after taking care of business last weekend, but they better not be looking past the Beavers. BSU have been good at home in the Sanford Center, boasting a 9-4-1 record in Bemidji. SPLIT


Nebraska-Omaha @ Michigan Tech
Last weekend the Mavericks got a point at home against the Beavers and the Huskies split with the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato.

These games will be like a playoff series, since they are in a three way tie for the last home ice spots. A pair of losses now for either one can now mean the difference in playing in front of their fans in March or going on the road. The Mavericks are 5-6-2 away from Omaha and the Huskies are 8-4-1 in Houghton this season. The Huskies have been scoring at a 4.7gpg pace since January 1st. But when you get to this time of the season and teams are desperate for points, things happen. I’m going with the home team. HUSKIES SWEEP


Minnesota State @ Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Mavericks split with the MTU Huskies in Mankato and the Seawolves split with the Bulldogs in Anchorage.

If the Mavericks sweep this series they pretty much lock the Seawolves into last place. The flip side is if the Seawolves sweep they would be tied with MSUM for 11th place. The Seawolves should have the advantage, being at home last weekend, and MSUM having to travel, way up north. SEAWOLVES SWEEP


#2 Minnesota @ #14 Denver
Last weekend the Gophers were on a bye weekend and the Pioneers salvaged a point against their arch-rivals, the CC Tigers, in the home/away series.
Before last weekend the Pioneers still had sight of first place, now they need to fight to keep in the top half of the league, my how things can change in one weekend. The Pioneers can reel in the Gophers with a pair of wins this weekend. The Pioneers had been on a five game winning streak until last weekend. The Gophers come in winning their last 3 games and 4 out of their last 5. The Gophers offensive has not been putting up many goals as of late, so if the Pioneers can get some good goaltending and a few breaks they can get some points this weekend. SPLIT


#16 North Dakota @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend Bulldogs split with the Seawolves in Anchorage and North Dakota had bye weekend to rest.

The Bulldogs have struggle their last four games, and have slide out of first place in the WCHA. North Dakota has yet to go on their second half run that has been the norm for them the past seven years under Hakstol. UND needs points this weekend if they want to keep hold of the top half and try and secure home ice. The Bulldogs are pretty much assured of home ice at this point (barring a complete meltdown), but I’m sure they want the McNaughton Cup. SPLIT


BYE WEEK
St. Cloud State
Wisconsin

Related articles

• Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• WCHA Power Rankings - Super Bowl Sunday (insidehockey.com)
• Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• WCHA Power Rankings (2/2/12) (insidehockey.com)
• Goon's WCHA Power Rankings 2/5/2012 (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

UND vs. UMD series notes

The University of North Dakota  Fighting Sioux travel to Duluth Minnesota to play the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena February 10-11, 2012.

Game Time: 7:07 pm both nights.

Records and Rankings: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (15-10-2 overall, 11-9-0 WCHA); The Fighting Sioux are ranked 16^th in the USCHO poll and 15^th in the USA Today Poll. North Dakota was off last weekend. Official Release.

The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (18-6-4, 12-5-3 WCHA) split their last series with the UAA Seawolves in Anchorage Alaska (4-1 W, 2-3 L). The Bulldogs are ranked 3^rd in the USCHO and 3^rd in the USA Today Polls. Official Release 

Series History:  The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux are 17-6-2 in the last 25 games against the Bulldogs. UND also leads the all-time series between the two teams with 134-74-8 (.639), The Fighting Sioux have a 54-38-5 (.582) record in Duluth.

Radio: UMD 94X (94.1/104.3 FM)UMD’s Bruce Ciskie with the play-by-play. UND 96.1 (KQHT-FM) – The Fox, UND’s Tim Hennesy with the play-by-play. 

WEBCAST: www.b2tv.com

TV: CBS Sports Network (Friday only) 613 on DirecTV. 

Players to Watch: 

For UND: Forwards: Danny Kristo (14g-17a—31pts), Corbin Knight (8g-18a—24pts) and Brock Nelson (19g-12a—31pts), Carter Rowney (8g-8a—16pts). Defense: Nick Mattson (5g-10a—15pts), Dillion Simpson, (1g-12a—13pts), Ben Blood (2g-11a—13pts).  Goaltenders: Aaron Dell .892 save percentage and a 2.81 goals against average. Brad Eidsness .917 save percentage and a 2.31 goals against average.

UND Injuries: Forward Rocco Grimaldi is out (season knee surgery), Brendan O’Donnell out (season ending surgery), defenseman Derek Forbort questionable; Derek Rodwell is out (season shoulder surgery).

For UMD: Forwards: Jack Connolly (15g-27a—42pts), J.T. Brown (16g-21a—37pts), Travis Olesuk (16g-21a—37), Caleb Herbert (10g-14a—24pts) Defense: Brady Lamb (5g-14a—19pts). Scott Kishel (3g-14a—17pts). Goaltender: Kenny Reiter .914 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average. 
 
Other games in the WCHA:  Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage, Minnesota at Denver, Colorado College at Bemidji State, Nebraska Omaha at Michigan Tech. Saint Cloud, Wisconsin Idle

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Make that 3 down for the count (RW77)

UND beat writer Brad Schlossman reports that freshman forward Brendan O'Donnell is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Surgery is soon to come. This means that we've now lost three for the season: 2 freshmen (O'Donnell and Grimaldi) and 1 sophomore (Rodwell).

What it also means is that we have exactly ZERO depth as UND will dress EVERY healthy skater they have. They will only have one healthy scratch overall: Tate Maris. What does this mean?

For me, as a realist (ok cynic), it means that everything we do in the second half that is positive comes with added bonus. It also means that the chance of a "Fire Hakstol" thread appearing on SS.com and other message boards will increase exponentially. The haters will start appearing in force and demanding change. No, I don't think the masses will rise up, but the haters always become more vocal (and therefore more visible) when bad news rears its ugly head.

Which leads me to wonder:

1. Can they convince the Lamoreaux twins to get boy cuts and certain cosmetic alterations so as to boost our depth?

2. Is there a way that UND could go out and hold tryouts for depth players? If we get further injuries, things could get worse!

3. If we make the NCAAs this year with all the adversity behind the nickname distraction and all the injuries, would Hakstol be considered for coach of the year (haters need not answer this one. We already know what you'd say).

4. If we stop being able to dress 4 lines of forwards and 3 lines of D, how will expectations for this team be affected?

5. What about physical play? If we start dropping like flies, will our playing style have to change? I'd think it'd have to...

Dan Barreiro on the Fighting Sioux Nickname

I had a few people pinged me about Ban Barreiro radio show this afternoon and if you haven't heard this or listened to this podcast you iTunes, here is an opportunity to do so. I thought I would include up on the blog so you can listen to it yourself.

Doug Fullerton on the Petition – UND can be voted out

Image via WikipediaHere it is straight scoop, this straight from the horses mouth, Big Sky Commissioner Fullerton was on Mike McFeely's show this afternoon and you can listen to what he had to say. 

You can hear Doug Fullerton, commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, words. LISTEN NOW

These are the comments by Fullerton that really caught my attention...

“I would remind them that the NCAA is a club, a voluntary association. If you don’t like the club’s rules, you can leave. But this isn’t a government agency. The NCAA is UND and NDSU. These are colleagues who have made these rules.”

Related articles

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Big Sky Conference not Bluffing.

Image via WikipediaO.K. now the Big Sky Conference has weighed in... Sounds like they are not fooling around and they are concerned about the recent events in North Dakota. It also sounds like the notion that the BSC won't expel UND is not quite true.

Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald --- UND’s status within the Big Sky Conference won’t change immediately as a result of this week’s tentative restoration of the university’s Fighting Sioux nickname, Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said today.

But he said “it’s absolutely not true” that UND could not be dropped from the league, as some nickname supporters have said in seeking to dismiss concerns about consequences if the fight over the name continues.

“Our concern, as before, is not that they are the Fighting Sioux,” Fullerton said, “but rather whether they can be an effective Division I program and a benefit to our conference.”

UND’s membership status is still probationary, he said. “But even a full-fledged member can be removed from the league at any time by a vote of the presidents.” Such a vote, he said, would have to be unanimous.

Fullerton said he’s concerned about another example of what he called “misrepresentation” by nickname supporters, a suggestion “that we need UND more than UND needs us,” which would seem to counter concerns expressed by university and other officials that keeping the nickname could cost UND conference membership and Division I status.

Fighting Sioux nickname supporters file petitions with 17,000 signatures

Image via Wikipedia
Just when you think that the nickname is dead and gone, there is another event that resurrects it and brings back the Fighting Sioux nickname.

This is going to be interesting going forward, and maybe not in a good way. I am not sure anyone knows what will happen and there will be some anxiety as we wait to see what happens this week and in the future. Contrary to what some say about the Big Sky Conference, there is a very real possibility that UND’s membership could be in jeopardy.

That threat is very real and not something to be taken lightly, I don’t care what some have gleaned out of the letters that they received through the freedom of information act. Most of us know that the NCAA isn’t going to take this laying down and they are going to be behind the scenes pulling strings. You can count on it. The NCAA is an out of control organization. But we have to play by their rules if we want to be in Division I sports. Do I like it not one bit.

Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald --- After a last, celebratory campaign for signatures at a Bismarck Century-Bismarck High hockey game and from an RV parked outside the Capitol, Fighting Sioux nickname supporters delivered petitions to the secretary of state’s office Tuesday night to force a statewide vote on the long-running and controversial issue.

Members of the sponsoring committee, including members of the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes, delivered 604 petitions they said contained about 17,000 signatures, well more than the 13,452 required to make the June 12 primary election ballot.

“It’s still a long way to go, but I’m really pleased today,” said Reed Soderstrom, the Minot attorney who has helped to lead the petition drive, as he was about to enter the Capitol about 10 p.m.

Like I said before, I love the Fighting Sioux nickname and I think it’s "the best" logo in all of college sports and nothing will ever be able to replace it. I also find it interesting that the NCAA is telling UND that the Fighting Sioux nickname is hostile and abusive and then you see two Native Americans representatives from the two tribes handing in petitions last night at the dead line. What does that tell you?

UND President Robert O. Kelley has said that UND will again be called the Fighting Sioux.

Kelley said the action was taken “in keeping with state law” and direction from Shaft.

“I want to reaffirm our respect for the laws of the state and the processes guaranteed under the North Dakota Constitution,” Kelley said.

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• Fighting Sioux Nickname Could Be Up for a Vote (nytimes.com)
• So is the Fighting Sioux nickname on the way back (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Fighting Sioux backers finish petition work (sfgate.com)
• Organizers say they have enough signatures to restore University of South Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname (foxnews.com)
• Fighting Sioux backers get 16,000 to sign petition (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
• Spirit Lake Sioux to sue the NCAA. (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

King on the CHL; Misguided anger from NCAA

You had to know that the response would be coming... Here is the response/rebuttal to the UND head coach Dave Hakstol's comments that appeared in a Grand Forks Herald article this past week.

Patrick King, Sportsnet --- Their arguments make about as much sense as the analogy Hakstol presented. We've heard it all before; a player makes a verbal commitment and must then fulfill his obligations. Should he back out, he is then viewed as a liar and accused of using the NCAA as a bargaining chip to land in whichever CHL destination he desires most.

What's never mentioned is the timing the commitments are being made. To get a leg up on the CHL, players are being recruited and giving verbal commitments around the same time as they're attending a Grade 9 math class.

Kenny Ryan's father, K.C., once put it in perspective when his son was being wooed by college programs.

"Here's a kid who is still having sleepovers," he said.

And yet, when a young kid returns from said sleepover, he's supposed to have his college career sorted out well before high school graduation day. Should he change his mind, as teenagers are prone to do and hardly ever chastised for doing with any other decisions, he's suddenly a liar unwilling to see through a commitment.

From reading this article, it would appear that some parents of kids that are being recruited by Division I college hockey programs, also take issue with the age which kids are now recruited at. Personally, I do think it's asinine that college hockey programs are getting kids to commit so early to college hockey programs. But I think that this feigned outrage is a bit disingenuous, because the CHL is recruiting kids a very young age as well.

How come it's not an issue for some that the CHL is recruiting kids when they are 14, 15 and 16 years old as well?

That being said, college hockey programs have to recruit players at a young age to prevent losing the top end recruits to the CHL so it's really a double edged sword. your damned if you do and damned if you don't

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The University of South Dakota

Someone posted this on Sioux Sports today... Here is the link to the Fox News web page. Before we go and bag on Fox News, this is an Associated Press story. I am sure that the same mistake could happen at the Huffington Post or MSNBC as well.

Joey Crabb vs Johnny Oduya

If you watch the video closely it looks like Johnny Oduya slew footed Joey Crabb, hence the reason you hear Joey Crabb tell Oduya ef you. Then, there is fight, albeit not a very good one. I've got give Crabb credit for at least taking a poke at Oduya who is one tough S.O.B.