The Sicatoka

Blais seemed to make his roster on the philosophy of "if two guys are playing equally well I skate the younger one in hopes to get him to develop for later". Evidence: How many times did (a junior or senior) Tom Philion* sit while a high-potential freshman played (and admittedly made some mistakes along the way)? That's one Blais-ism that Hak is apparently using. I like it. Hak used "skate or sit" recently with Kozek and Trupp. I like it. Now I just wish Hak would go with Blais' offensive approach, especially since obstruction and clutching are being called: When those horses are allowed to run, they can run. Just ask Cornell. * Picked a Minot, ND, guy to make the point.

Geez, talk about reverting (as 'sprig' says) to the ugly "DU v. Maine" officiating style. Which would you rather watch for style of play: Friday* or Saturday? I sure hope the head of officials Greg Shepherd reviews this tape and sanctions those officials for not calling according to the NCAA strict enforcement of obstruction standards. Oh, ... yeah, ... one of the officials was Greg's son: Brad. Nepotism. Gotta love it. * Before DaveK chimes in about "defensive hockey" UND only gave up 3 on Friday in a fast skating game. That's just fine defense by me. I don't like "golden goals" and soccer.

UND Medical School Dean Leaving Nov 25, 2008 GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) The dean of the University of North Dakota medical school is stepping down at the end of the academic year. H. David Wilson says he's not ready to retire. He says he's looking at several national administrative posts. Wilson has been at UND for 13 years. He also serves as the school's vice president for health affairs. UND says Wilson is the fifth-longest tenured dean among the nation's 130 accredited medical schools. The university plans a national search for his successor.

I have the solution: WWCND.

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I second.

Older players? We have any? Seriously? The only guys I see showing up night after night so far are freshmen: Gregoire and Hextall. I haven't seen much of the older guys. Maybe they (Gregoire, Hextall) haven't bought into this "turn it on at the end" nonsense because they haven't been here the last four years. This turn it on at the end (game, season) got them beat by UAA last night. Hak preaches a never too high, never too low approach; he preaches consistency. Fine. Dandy. How about consistency in game to game performance: To run with CC one weekend then get used by UAA the next (at home no less) is just plain immature, and totally unacceptable. Dear Dave: Stop being their buddy, their older brother, their protector, and their excuse maker. Start being their coach, their task master, and sometimes, yes, their hash and unrelenting disciplinarian. Set the standard very high and guess what: You and these guys will achieve it.

Would Genoway please stop hanging his partners out to dry by his offensive zone decisions, please.

What concerns me: 1. Decisions. The team needs a win and he starts the career backup goalie. 2. Intensity. His teams don't show up until it is past critical and gone to desperation, and that means either game or season. 3. Maturity. When the intensity shows up it is a finger, or a stupid boarding call late in a game. Yes, they are related and would not have happened under the past regime. The goodwill is gone when the team has 6 losses before Thanksgiving. Sorry, but it is.

You'll understand if I say I'm somewhat skeptical of a story that includes: Yes, I-29 is desolate in some areas, but you don't block a Federal highway and fire weapons at someone and have it go completely unnoticed by law enforcement.

That's part of the picture. The other part is that Congress, or the subcommittee overseeing Fannie Mae at least, was led by Barney Frank who had an, ahem, unique relationship with the Fannie Mae management during that same period of time.

Do we? Haven't really seen it for quite a while. So if we do, pretend I'm from Missouri: Show me.

I'm tired of "hot goalies" and "battled and battled". Those are excuses. UND has unproven goaltending right now. The solution to that is fairly simple. Yes, it's pretty simple: skate, shoot, score. Skate. Shoot. Score. You come out with the intention of hanging up 2 goals per period and not many will hang with you. Skate. Shoot. Score. Folks, that's how the rest of the country is playing. That philosophy has whipped UND hard in the playoff the last couple of seasons. And now it kicks off this season. Yes, defending your net is important, but goaltending can relax and play better if you do something very important to help it out: Skate. Shoot. Score.

I heard Steve Hallstrom (or was it Scott Miller) saying that Mertens is the best option NDSU has right now*. Seriously? Ouch. I guess I'll smile every time I see Jake Landry in the correct shade of green. * I was listening for Bob Brinker's MoneyTalk on WDAY and instead I got to listen to the Fargo version of Vikings Fan Line, but called "Bison Feedback".

Last I'd seen regarding FSU and the (real) Seminole Nation, there is an annual straight cash payment (~$500k).

We're sorry. You've broken a "Yellow Kool-Aid Poster's Handbook" mandatory guideline which clearly states: All that matters is Division I. Thus, correcting your statement to the Division I tallies: 0<7. Thank you. Please hang up and and don't dial again. Thank you. Good bye.

You hear stories of people coming back from knee injuries with a stronger knee due to rehab. So, silly me, I wonder why we don't put athletes with good knees into knee rehab before the injury as a preventative measure.

I saw something I never thought I'd see: An undisciplined Dale Lennon team defeating itself. The off-sides on the FG to hand NDSU a TD was the utmost in moronic play.

Sometimes you just need to deal with a long-festering blemish to return to health. Props to you Dr. Kelley for popping that zit, but make sure to mop up the puss and dispose of it accordingly.

I've heard that name pronounced "Gre-gore" by some and "Greg-wah" (French) by others up in Can-na-dah, eh? Kind of the same thing as the (soft g) Genoway, sounding like "Jenoway" as Colby used it, or (hard g) Genoway as in Chay Genoway.

I'd guess "more than a dollar".

I support the University of North Dakota. Consider: - there was a UND without Aero; there is one with - there was a UND before Tom Clifford; there is one after - there is Athletics today; there will be tomorrow - there was a UND with an old moniker (Flickertails, blech); there is one with a new one (Sioux) If all you know about UND is athletics I feel sorry for you. You are missing so much. UND is an institution that will come out of this stronger, no matter the outcome.

Someone told him to do his "Dave Hakstol, behind the bench, up by 3, or down by 3" impression. Moving on ... Looking at Gregoire's picture (and I have no idea if he has a French accent) but with that French last name and little smirk it seems it could well be captioned: " ... and zen I vill tek zee puck and moof to zee left and zee right zen shoot-score on you. Zen I will keez your girlfriend and she weel be mine az well shoot-score ... huhuh!"

Did Omdahl really say ... Black? I think Lloyd needs to be sent to an NCAA sensitivity re-education camp.

Mine makes it sound worse, and better.