The Sicatoka

Now, let's talk special teams. I like the approach the team takes on the PK. Rather than setting up the traditional box outside the zone and rolling it back in they've gone to a more 1-1-2 where outside the zone the furthest out man is designated to chase and skate and "influence" the puck carrier to a particular side. It's more of a defensive open-ice forecheck designed to force teams to make good plays and passes and to force the action. (I think it makes some teams show weakness in talent.) However, at other times it seems they almost go into a 1-3 and stack the blueline. I believe I can sum up those times pretty easily: That system seems to be employed when obstruction isn't being called by the officials. That makes sense because a blue line "fence" works best to force a dump and you'd use it when you know you (on defense) can win a race to the puck (because the attacker has been "slowed up"). Where I'd like to see improvement is on the power play. They seem to play too much "shooting gallery" (stand there, take pass, look, fake, fake, stand there, pass, next guy takes pass, fake, shoot wide, and puck rings and get out of the zone) and not enough motion and diagonal, intentional puck movement at times. That makes for "flat feet" and far too many miscues. And that "shooting gallery" approach lets the goalie get stacked up before the shot. Movement, especially quick planned moves or "diagonal" passes, doesn't allow the goalie to get over much less get set. (SCSU and Minnesota are masters of the diagonal pass for the easy tap-in backdoor goal.) If you are going to play shooting gallery (umbrella) you have to get the shot through the traffic and on net, the "on net" part being critical.

What I notice more than anything: Hak changes style based on situation; Blais played wide open all the time and when his teams tried to take a more defensive posture they tended to give up goals. They weren't used to playing a defensive style and it showed and they broke down. The Blais teams' best defense was their aggressive offense and puck possession. That Blais aggressive offense made life tough on goalies, the other and his, however. You expected to see the Sioux goalie face at least a couple clean breakaways and a couple +2 odd-man rushes (3-1 or 4-2) per game. Hak's teams don't seem to give up as many bad odd-man rushes and fewer clean breakaways. I attribute that to Hak's penchant to keep a forward at the dots or above in the offensive zone when it's even, or he's up a goal, late. He seems to go for a full forecheck (three men below the goal line) when it's even early and they are looking to establish the lead (or are down late and need one). He also seems more willing to go full forecheck when you can see a clear mismatch in team speed and they know they can get back. Alternatively, I've seen "Hak Trap" too, with one chaser and four men in the traditional "trap box" back outside the blue line (say they're up two with five to play and just dumped for a change). But that's a smart strategy if you're able to run it and are just looking to run out the clock. And Hak's teams with a lead in the third are predictable in going to three step hockey*. All this is the long way of saying what I said before: Hak changes style based on situation far more than Blais ever did. * Three step hockey (that's how it was described to me): Step One: get it out of your own zone by any means available. Step Two: get it across the red line by any means available. Step Three: get it down deep by any means available (skate or dump).

I said back when one committed to NDSU and the other committed to UND that I thought UND got the better of the deal. Data to date says I may be right, but all the data isn't in yet.

Tu-Uyen Tran has taken this past blog and onto the news pages.

Anyone can join the FSC for as little as $110 annually. It gets you the ability to buy season tickets, and it gets you passwords, and it gets you into pre-game festivities, and it gets you higher on the list for road game tickets or Frozen Four charters. And it supports University of North Dakota Athletics. Yes, I want to help out a fellow Sioux fan, but I also want to support Chris VandeVelde, Jake Landry, and all the other student-athletes. So, I won't give "the sugar" (password) out as a way to encourage folks who want it to join the FSC and help support Fighting Sioux Athletics. <This unpaid announcement I'm sure would be supported by Josh Morton and the FSC.>

The AG worked hard to hammer out any settlement. Why would the ND SBoHE undermine that work?

Listen to the Coaches Show available on FightingSioux.com. Even there Mussman is obscure and obtuse about the nature of it. Basically he said it was internal and may have required an invasive surgery. But nothing more specific. And that's fine by me. I'm more interested in full recovery than nature of injury.

Dirty is blind and squirrelly?

FYP.

Why would Fighting Sioux Club members give that out? Just so they have more competion for seats?

You forgot "humble" too.

Ding. RBK wants their own style so they can sell it.

You can't be that smart, so, who told you. New Uniforms at Sioux Fan Fest PS - I haven't seen the new mens jerseys. The womens' green and black jerseys are fine. Please, please, please keep the mens' white jersey traditional, and not like that abomination that is the womens'.

Technically, TT didn't do that. They'd farmed that product out to a supplier.

Dude, this whole section of this posting board is dedicated to the subject, hence the "Sioux Name" forum name. Summary: About five years ago the NCAA created a list of monikers it found "hostile and abusive". Those schools had to either i) change the name, ii) get tribal approval to use the name, or iii) face sanctions like no home playoff games and having to have special uniforms w/o words like "Sioux". FSU and Utah have tribal approval. Illinois got special dispensation because in "NCAA logic" (yes, an oxymoron) Illini derives from the state name (even though the state was named for the Illini tribal confederations). UND is trying to get approval from the ND tribes (two). Central Michigan got approval from one of five Michigan Chippewa tribes and that was enough, yet UND needs both. Yes, more "NCAA logic".

Archie Fool Bear keeps trying. You have to respect the man because he seems sincere even facing great (tribal council) adversity. This, however, seems like a play the early 1970s Oakland Raiders ran: Stabler to Cliff Branch on a 'go', throw deep, big risk, potential big reward. If Mr. Fool Bear connects on that even Stabler and Branch would be impressed. So, why the focus on the pipe ceremony by Mr. Fool Bear. What is a pipe ceremony? The Standing Rock Constitution does say the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its tribal government is to " ... exercise our inherent ... unwritten Tribal laws, customs, and practices ... " Seems Mr. Fool Bear is not looking out just for UND's moniker but is looking to see that a pipe ceremony is not trampled by modern politics.

Back to the challenge of election results and the tribal judge's ruling, look at the fallout. Seems predictable namely because: - tribal politics at work (as I believe the tribal chair, yeah, the guy who barely made final ballot, has the power to fire this person) and - a particular non-UND friendly posts spewing his sewage in the comments.

Fargo's new coach is Steve Johnson. I think he has some sort of tie to UND ... I think the assistants may have heard of UND also given they both wore Sioux jerseys.

Two simple statements: 1. Recruiting 14-15 year olds is dicey at best: Their minds change faster than the weather in ND. 2. Verbal-schmerbal*: It ain't real until it's a signed national letter of intent. * That statement in no way advocates tampering with a kid after a verbal is given. Please refer to Statement 1 for clarification of my intent.

People, please, it takes two parties to carry on a conversation. One side has tried dialog; the other side not only rejects it but has shut it down. So, if you insist on fixing the blame please fix it where it belongs: Ron His Horse is Thunder and his ilk. Here's why: http://forum.siouxsports.com/index.php?s=&...st&p=402972

Honestly, no one knows right now. There are lots of new faces in new roles and that's unnerving for fans: We haven't seen this team play. On paper, sure it may not look as good. But are games played on paper? These guys have an opportunity to "overachieve" in the minds of many. I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised by it. Let's hope they do it.

I almost feel sorry for you WYO. Almost. The world of DI is filled with people who have moved around. The norm is to be extremely "pro" toward whomever is signing the check today; however, everyone in the DI game has an alma mater and that will nearly invariably show up when there's no other factor (direct game involvement) involved in hoping for an outcome of a game. If NDSU can't handle the fact that UND's head coach is a former ISU captain and said "Go Cyclones" I'd say they need to take a trip back down to DII because this won't be the last time something like this happens. Put another way, when Bemidji State was playing Notre Dame in last year's NCAA hockey playoffs (Mar 28, 2009) I'd imagine Minnesota coach Don Lucia probably said, "Go Irish" even if only in his own mind. It wasn't a slam on another Minnesota school or even a potential future conference rival. It was a former Notre Damer expressing the sentiment that every ... alumnus ... feels when he hears his team's playing. I suppose if NDSU ever plays Illinois in MBB, SDSU's Scott Nagy better not breathe a word. (Nagy got his masters degree from Illinois.) Or better, what would Craig Bohl (former Nebraska player) say in regard to a North Dakota at Nebraska matchup? I'm sure he'd be saying "Go Sioux" ... not.

Did I hear it correctly: NDSU played six true freshmen?

You need paint; however, I'd recommend putting on insulation and steel siding (and never paint again). Anyone can create a new Wiki page on this site. You just have to be brave enough to do it.