The Sicatoka

That's where the commissioner's office will probably be looking at costs versus benefits of various league sizes. Going to 12 makes sense: You sell the conference FB championship game. That I'd expect is net positive overall. Going beyond 12, then you have to start looking at splits from the MBB tourney payout. If you don't get more teams in, and more wins from those who do get in, you're dividing the same share among more "mouths". That's net negative. Then comes the evaluation of Big Ten Network and potential TV sets and advertising revenues. It's enough that it'll take some serious business case analysis.

UND should add mens lacrosse to add event dates to Alerus Center in the spring. Our Canadian friends would love it too. The preceding message was brought to you so you all could see GeauxSioux post a smilie.

I've always enjoyed: Big Te(leve)n Big Can't Count As far as the Big Ten-or-so going for 14, I can't see it. The biggest benefit is going to 12 for a conference championship game. Beyond that I don't see benefit for an "end point" conference like the Big Ten. The Atlantic 10 is not an "end point" conference. Teams in it would go if invited to a BCS conference. The A-10 is at 14 to cover the possible event of an unplanned departure with no impact on their status (and autobid).

Translated: We're making Delaney earn his check this month. He needs to use the "internets" to gather data on a short list of schools we might be interested in. Important stuff, like best pre- and post-game bars, and how much money we can squeeze out of them as an admission fee. And that dern star2city fellow knows the list somehow already.

I'd like to see the WCHA be the same for officials as it is for players: The best and brightest move on to the professional ranks. The others, after four or five years, move on to life after hockey and other careers.

No, it's both a BS answer and the sad reality of today. And ScottM nailed it: They've learned nothing from Bina, LaPoint (twice, concussion and slew foot), and now Genoway. I hope I'm not there the day that Travis Roy seems minor and instead they need a body bag.

The blatent problems with lack of control and willingness to do their jobs by officials is getting more and more notice in this league. Virg Foss spent some ink on the issue recently.

Go big or go home. PS - Santa doesn't give wishes that could be construed as selfish. Those wishes would benefit everyone so I'm golden. Ho! Ho! Ho!

I think I heard somewhere that one of the players on the roster has a dad that's played a few games at goalie in some beer-league. Maybe he could coach-up Eids and Dell. "NHL" stands for National Hefeweisen League, so that's a beer-league, right?

This is why I'm not always happy with 25-man rosters.

Given that the Saluki-grinch took a coach from UND around the holidays recently, I wouldn't expect a lot of sympathy from this crowd.

In the Manitoba v. North Dakota exhibition the "Bisons" dressed 22 (20 skaters) and UND dressed 23 (21 skaters). UND is running a 25-man roster. The non-appearance guys for UND were D Ryan Hill and G Tate Maris. Roll forward to this game: No Genoway, no Zajac, no Kristo. UND can only wish that it had 23 bodies to dress: 19 skaters and 3 goalies.

There are only 14 forwards on the roster. No Zajac, no Kristo, means welcome to every forward dressing. Being an exhibition does that mean that Ryan Hill and Tate Maris dress also?

Just 30 seconds into Saturday I knew that UND was the losing team. How? With God and everyone watching, because it happened at center and just seconds into the game, Kristo gets tripped and then contact to the head roughed to the ice. No. Call. None. So much for "points of emphasis" about stickwork and contact to the head.

I'd like league officials that actually care about the safety of the players on the ice. I'd like league officials who are disinterested in outcomes but interested equal and consistent enforcement of the rule book. Give me that and everything else I'd want would naturally follow.

Ask and ye shall receive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

My question is this: Why does "badger1" use an avatar that looks like a skunk in a popcorn box?

It's the ND SBoHE's party, but the Legislature is funding it. Too many forget that.

Again, the first to wrest power from the ND SBoHE was the non-governmental NCAA. The Spirit Lake Tribe is merely attempting to follow that precedent.

The transition rules are set up to make you struggle.

To what do you refer when you say "a non-government entity"? Surely you do not mean the state constitution defined courts of the State of North Dakota. You must mean the NCAA which, by it's monikers policy, effectively stripped power from the ND SBoHE.

What's worth more in national TV ratings? - a "round of 96" game between Moose Guts Tech and West Crawdaddy State, or - a quarter-final (opening round) ACC game between Wake Forest and North Carolina State. That will also play into this process.

So, looking at that from a conference point of view: UND must be in a cluster with SCSU, Bemidji St, and UNO as those teams play both home and road series. This gets UND 12 games. The other pairs must be: Home - Road Denver - CC Minn - Wisc Duluth - Mankato(?) UAA - Tech(?) Playing these make another 16 games for a 28 game schedule. Anyone know what the other clusters are?

I think that's been done already. That's the only street concrete in north Fargo without a pothole.

Finley's shoulder was - lower than Skille's (good trick when you're 6'7") - in front of Skille's when contact was made. Finley moved in front of the puck carrier to separate him from the puck. It's probably the best legal move Finley made in his career. Unfortunately for Skille the contact point was his elbow and it didn't deal with the force very well. Now, compare that hit to the hit by Marvin on Genoway. Or the slew foot. Of the CFBs on LaPoint and Bina.