The Sicatoka

Folks need to read the rulebook. I'd recommend Bruce McLeod and Greg Shepherd give it a try, and then have their direct reports do the same. For example ... There's this Rule 6, Section 49 about "spearing" being a major (and either a Misconduct or DQ at ref's discretion). There's no black or white. DU #11 should have been in a suit Saturday for the spear followed by two malicious cross-checks (the DQ discretion decider) on Friday. But McLeod's press release this week? Point separation at the top. League parity (aka referee a split). Bruce McLeod = Vince McMahon.

GG was penalized under Rule 6, Section 1.d. He should have been penalized under Rule 6, Section 44.a. -- His entrance onto the ice was a refusal to start play. What's the penalty for that? UND 1, DU 0 (Final, by forfeit) And for those of you without the rulebook ... Under Rule 4, Section 10, no, the game can not be retroactively made a forfeit; however, it should have been called such by Anderson and Campion under 6:44.a. However, 4:10 says GG's actions may (should) face additional scrutiny.

Did you know ... George Gwozdecky was thrown out of the game before he came onto the ice. That action should have forfeited the game for DU. Lord knows I'm not a big fan of the NCAA, but they need to step into operations of this league if DU and GG don't face additional sanctions for this, up to and maybe including a retroactive forfeiture of that contest.

OBSERVATION 1 Denver changed strategies Saturday. They realized after the first goal that they just can't skate with North Dakota. So, they pulled out the game plan from the DU v. Maine championship game a few years back. And the officials allow those tactics to play. OBSERVATION 1A The officials (on ice and league) had better pray the NCAA doesn't look at that game. The "focus" on obstruction and holding was, shall we politely say, more than blurred. OBSERVATION 2 "Curious George, the Dancing Dasher Monkey" (attribution unknown) should have cost his team a game. The minute his shoes hit the ice, officials with (again, politely) gonads would have forfeited Denver on the spot. OBSERVATION 2A Curious George's stunt was dangerous and he should be sanctioned more harshly than "Birdman Hak" was. No helmet, on the ice, by the dasher: Remember UM at MSU-M in last year's playoffs? Ol' GG (pronounced "Gi-Gi") was out of control and the league must respond. With malace. OBSERVATION 2B The officials are weak. No official should put up with, much less acknowledge, such treatment. Anderson and Campion should have sent their linesmen down the tunnel when GG hit the ice, and then followed. And then sent the message of OBSERVATION 2 back up the tunnel from their room. No official should put up with an out of control "look at me" one-ups-manship display from a coach like that. Ever. Punish it. Harshly. So that it never happens again. OBSERVATION 3 Brad Eidsness ain't a freshman. Not any more.

OBSERVATION 1 I've seen goalies pulled. I've seen goalies pulled twice by a team in a game. I'd never seen the *same* goalie pulled twice in a game. OBSERVATION 2 How can Hextall be so well known around the league already? Is he a sparkling conversationalist that spurs vibrant dialog evoking primative response from the less linguistically capable. Or did he send league-wide pre-season calling cards (including pictures of him with opponents' moms, sisters, and girlfriends)? OBSERVATION 3 I must have picked up the wrong calendar at the mall last week. I thought it's 2009 so I bought a 2009 caledar. By the officiating I saw, it's 2004.

Dare I say ... "The Father, The Son, and the Holy ... Ghost." Yeah, old school Catholic, but just the same. I think that's your "churches" answer.

Mel Gibson wears Chuck Norris pajamas. Heck, Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas. More Chuck Norris facts.

Some observations (from a spy at the Jan 17 Waterloo at Fargo Force game) ... - Mike Fink seems to be thinking more than playing and reacting. He may be caught in a "system" coaching style that has him overthinking every action instead of reacting, or better, just acting. - Lee, the Force goalie headed to SCSU, seemed to mind-wander at times.

Good luck. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues...0005821985.html http://www.hockeydb.com

Whitey's West.

It's time for ... "WWDLS?" Yes, that funfilled game ... "What would Denis Leary Say?" [about people who complain their lives haven't turned out the way they wanted] "Hey, join the ******* club! I thought I was going to be the starting center fielder for the Boston Red Sox!" and, in closing he'd say ... Life sucks, get a ******* helmet, okay? It's going to suck bad for both sides of this unless something radically changes in the next few months. Funny, but only one side seems to realize that (the other seems to think the world will be all duckies and bunnies if a school changes a piece of artwork on a shirt). Tighten that chin strap. And thus ends today's installment of WWDLS.

No, you don't run, it's a motion/cut offense from set formations, not run and gun. Princeton Offense

Tech to the CCHA for UN-Omaha (and a bag full of old pucks to be named later). Add Bemidji State. Add Air Force. Viola! 12 team conference: McLeod Division - UAA, DU, CC, USAFA, UNO, MSUM Shepherd Division - UM, UW, BSU, SCSU, UMD, UND Play home and home in your division - 20 games Play other division half home, half road - 12 games Problems? Not a lot of room for non-conference games. DU only sees UM in Denver every other year. EDIT: Play other division as follows (and this is far from perfect) ... If you're UND you play at DU Friday, at CC Saturday (or at MSUM Fri, UNO Sat; or at UAA Fri and USAFA Sat). Then you they come to GF say CC Fri and DU Sat. For example -- Friday: DU at UND, CC at BSU Saturday: CC at UND, DU at BSU later in season ... Friday: UND at CC, BSU at DU Saturday: BSU at CC, UND at DU You'd see everyone at least once home and road. But that USAFA/UAA trip, that'd be a ... (makes you wonder if Fairbanks would be better that USAFA). EDIT OF MY EDIT: Make the pairs when you're playing cross division ... UND/BSU (2 hours by bus) SCSU/UMD (3 hours by bus) UM/UW (4 hours by bus) CC/USAFA (Colorado Springs) UNO/MSUM (5 hours by bus) UAA/DU (you have to fly, but this way you eliminate additional bus travel as you fly to Anchorage or Denver)

What we know: BSU Hockey is in trouble if they don't get into the WCHA. Minnesota and Wisconsin are not in favor of adding another MnSCU school. An 11 team conference is almost unworkable. A 12 team conference is workable, but it makes "prime matchups" even less common than today. And then there's the Big Ten Network ... This is going to get messier before clearer.

He's playing zone because it's part of the Princeton system that they're installing (motion, back-door cuts, team play, and zone defenses). We'll never have the horses to play run-and-gun with the ACC or Big Ten, so why not play a style that fits the talent UND will be able to get.

And then you turn around with ... ... which is correct, only after a signed NLI is in hand can a coach use a name in public. So you refuted your own theory. How dumb are you?

One note: The title of this thread should be .... Doug and The Rug. It flows better. :silly:

Dear Dave Hakstol: Holy crap Dave, I had to look behind the bench to see who was there! For the first time (maybe ever?) I thought I saw a "you won't notice much difference" team (Hak v. Blais style) on the ice. Look what they can do when you set up loose! Please, keep it up!

Yup, that's who got the 30 pieces of silver for the moniker. Seventy years of respectful tradition for a mere passing chance, not even a guarantee, to play the worst team in the Big T(elev)en. Impressive, even by this guy's standards ...

<insert my four favorite words here>

A money-based moniker's been done. Just ask Travis Zajac, the former Quesnel ...

Uh, but part of the UND/NCAA settlement is that the NCAA step away from this for three years (thus giving time and space to allow UND and the tribes to try to reach an agreement)? Under your scenario the NCAA would be in violation of that out of court settlement (by causing secondary influence on the tribes via Summit/Douple). Whups.

I'm pretty sure Mr. "Benjamin" can explain it to you. I've seen too many "charlie foxtrot" to say "whiskey tango" enough for one lifetime. Familiar with "charlie juliet"?

Malcolm wasn't a captain. He was a second-round NHL draft pick who played on the Hrkac-Joyce line for part of the season. His most notable moment: He scored the 4th UND goal (the game winner) in the 5-3 National Championship victory in 1987.