Wall Street Journal: North Dakota Needs a Nickname

 like many UND fans know that the nickname is gone and never coming back. I also didn't know that UND could become the first Division I team to win a title without a nickname.

Matthew Futterman, Wall Street Journal -- In 2012, North Dakota dropped its old nickname, the Fighting Sioux, after a long legislative and legal battle. The NCAA had threatened to not allow North Dakota to host postseason games if it continued to use the name and display its Native American head logo. In a statewide referendum, 67% of voters supported getting rid of them.

But in the process, a cooling-off period was imposed until 2015 before the school could pick a new name. So as North Dakota begins play Friday in the 16-team hockey tournament—it is hosting the West regional in Fargo, about 80 miles from its Grand Forks campus—there is another crucial piece of business at hand: replacing the beloved Fighting Sioux name.

“It is a very emotional issue,” said Lowell Schweigert, a North Dakota alumnus and booster who was a quarterback and a pitcher for the Fighting Sioux in the 1970s.

n January, Schweigert began serving on a committee charged with facilitating the selection of a new nickname this year. The committee only came into being as the end of the cooling-off period loomed. “Our charge now is to have something done by May,” said Schweigert, a financial consultant in Grand Forks. “That is a pretty ambitious goal.”

Relief is on the way. On Wednesday, the committee on the new nickname announced it will accept suggestions from the public through April. Suggestions must be 25 characters or less. The committee will choose three finalists for a public vote as soon as May.

Brock Boeser Is in Good Company

.@BBoeser16 joins 7 other @BlckHawksHockey players in #USHL Tier 1 era to score 30 goals http://t.co/c8CelDTTEY pic.twitter.com/VVKpnDX4Lh
— USHL (@USHL) March 25, 2015

As you can see by the tweet above, UND recruit Brock Boeser is in good company.

(Video) Dion Phaneuf and Kyle Brodziak Fight

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Minnesota Wild forward Kyle Brodziak drop the mitts. I would say that this was a good fight. I am actually surprised that Phaneuf fought.

NCAA Brackets are Set

The Gophers and the Bulldogs face off in the North East Regional.

For those that are wondering, UND 7:00 PM on ESPNU. Some fans are saying that UND has the easiest draw, but there are no easy draws this time of year.

The NCAA Bracket Projections

This is the bracket projection from College Hockey News.

Midwest Region, South Bend, Ind.
1. Minnesota State vs. 16. RIT
8. UNO vs. 10. Minnesota

West Region, Fargo, N.D.
2. North Dakota vs. 15. Providence
7. Michigan Tech vs. 12. St. Cloud State

Northeast Region, Manchester, N.H.
3. Boston University vs. 14. Quinnipiac
6. Duluth vs. 11. Boston College

East Region, Providence, R.I.
4. Miami vs. 13. Yale
5. Denver vs. 9. Harvard

Here's what SBN College Hockey is projecting.

Northeast Regional
Verizon Center
Manchester, NH
1. Miami
2. Denver
3. St. Cloud State
4. Yale

West Regional
Scheels Arena
Fargo, ND
1. North Dakota
2. Michigan Tech
3. Minnesota
4. Providence

Midwest Regional
Compton Arena
South Bend, Ind.
1. Minnesota State
2. Nebraska-Omaha
3. Harvard
4. RIT

East Regional
Dunkin Donuts Center
Providence, RI
1. Boston University
2. Minnesota Duluth
3. Boston College
4. Quinnipiac

Shot Charts After Two Periods

The shot charts after two period. Most of UND shots were from the perimeter. Not a lot of in the slot shots. s/t Stats on Crack.

UND vs. DU, Third Place Game

For UND, Johnny Simonson is out, Wade Murphy is in. Refs: Joe Sullivan and Tom Sterns. Linesmen: Sterling Egan, Justin Hills.

A Look at the Pairwise with One Game Left

According to Brad Schlossman, he seems to think that with the win, UMN will be heading to Fargo, ND. With the win, SCSU is in the tourney. UND is now the number two team in the Pairwise.

SCSU vs. UND Semifinal Lines

A couple of big lineup subtractions for the SCSU Huskies. Out for the game is forward Kalle Kossila and defenseman Andrew Prochno.

Update: UND Confused with NDSU Yet Again

Again, UND is mistaken for the AG School to our south. Apparently, this sign was in one of the bars in Minneapolis. What a great way to end up with no UND fans in your bar. I am not 100% sure what bar this was in. Tom Miller from the Herald posted that it was Sneaky Peats. I trust Millers word on that. 

Update: Seen the tweet from Tom Miller bellow. I would have posted this earlier, but I was in transit and not able to make sure the record was corrected. 

Minneapolis is still getting used to hosting the NCHC tournament. pic.twitter.com/3y5rSDDvdS
— Tom Miller (@tommillergf) March 19, 2015

@dereckmattson was told sneaky petes. I'm still en route.
— Tom Miller (@tommillergf) March 19, 2015

So, drink on at Sneaky Pete's, UND fans "@20gdawg: @tommillergf I emailed them and asked about the banner. ... pic.twitter.com/xKR23cpVGL”
— Tom Miller (@tommillergf) March 19, 2015

UND Press Conference. Hakstol and Pattyn

Well, another conference tourney is upon us. I really like the extra things the NCHC does during a season and during the conference tourneys. You get all of the video at this link.

Dumba's Dirty Goal

What a blast by the youngster. I like this kid's game. Matt Dumba seems to do everything at a high rate of speed.

And from the big story of the day, yesterday.

From Michael Russo, - Uh, uh, uh, well, lots of Wild fans asked me on Twitter what Zach Parise chirped at Shea Weber after Matt Dumba’s OT winner Tuesday. Said Parise with a big laugh: “Nothing you want to write. We were just going after each other all game. You reach your boiling point. I think he reached his, too.”

On the latest blog RT @stevejowild77: @Russostrib Mike, ask Parise what he said to Weber after Dumba's goal
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) March 19, 2015

How I Think It's Going to Turn out

Before some Gopher fan comes on here and calls me a moron, UMN is 1-2-1 in the state of Michigan, so I wouldn't be surprised if the final Pairwise Rankings looked like this. Feel free to share yours.

Here's another thing to consider, Minnesota has a 2-1-1 record against Michigan State and a 3-1 record against Ohio State this season. Three of those combined wins against the two teams came at home

Conor Gaarder, UND's Mr. March

In UND's last seven March games, Connor Gaarder has five goals & four of them were game-winners. #MrMarch @UNDmhockey pic.twitter.com/QBvL6rg73G
— Jayson Hajdu (@UNDSID) March 15, 2015

I love this picture. Maybe we're on to something, in UND's last seven March games, Connor Gaarder has five goals & four of them were game-winners. This isn't a one-time thing either, last year, in UND last four games of the season, Gaarder scored four goals in four games.

Nazem Kadri Suspended Four Games for Head Shot

This is an ugly hit and was dealt with by the NHL Department of Player Safety. For his efforts, Kadri has been suspended four games by the NHL.

NEW YORK– Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri has been suspended for four games, without pay, for an illegal check to the head against Edmonton Oilers forward Matt Fraser during NHL Game No. 1039 in Edmonton on Monday, March 16, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 10:58 of the third period. Kadri was assessed a minor penalty for an illegal check to the head.

Kadri is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, will forfeit $141,463.40. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Is this suspension excessive or not?

(Video) Andrew Shaw Headbutts Brock Nelson

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw headbutts Islander forward Brock Nelson. Shaw received a Game Misconduct for his efforts. I would imagine that the NHL's Department of Player Safety will look at this, but I don't think he will get suspended for this.

What are you doin Andrew? https://t.co/pdiNRe3koY
— Second City Hockey (@2ndCityHockey) March 18, 2015

A Look at the NHL's Wild Card Race

Hard to believe that the NHL season is almost over. Looking at the standings you can see who is in and who is out right now.

UND remains number one in USCHO Poll

UND leads Nation in Attendance for College Hockey Again

Since the 2005-06 season, UND has either lead or come in second for attendance in Division I College Hockey.

Ovie Takes Krug Slap Shot in the Junk.

S/t to Pete Blackburn.... Alex Ovechkin takes a Torey Krug slap shot in the junk. Dead center.

Right. In. The. Dingleberries. https://t.co/N7Krc4SHma
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) March 16, 2015