The Sicatoka

The Official Colors: However, did you know ...

Is the team back in Grand Forks, no, let me be more specific .... Is the team away from that &%$#@! volcano yet? A little birdie told me UND AD Faison had stated to Fargo Sioux Boosters that the WCHA office had no contingency plans in the event of an eruption postponing games or trapping a team (or teams) in Anchorage. I guess he didn't seem real impressed with the league or its leadership on that subject. Let me guess: If something happened the schools would decide and the league office would rubber-stamp it.

Let's see ... - a checking from behind (called as boarding) on Gregoire - a kneeing on Genoway - a slew foot on LaPoint that ends his season and he gets one game. One. That's maximizing your value because that's the same penalty Mullen of DU got for a slash at UMD. Think it can't get any worse? Wrong. One non-conference game. He is great. He truly saves.

Folks, the press release has the answers. So read it. Now, those of you with Midcontinent Cable: Spam them asking for them to put it on the entire FSSN. If they can do it for the Grand Forks region, why not the entire FSSN. http://www.midcocomm.com and click "Contact Us" in the upper right.

Dude, I am "Craig Dahl"-ing it: I'm sittin' by the phone waitin' for "The Call".

Of course he'll get nothing. Look at the history, namely ... Robbie Bina wore a halo to free you from your sins. You see, now, anything short of that no longer matters. Bruess and Irwin will play to knee and CFB and slash again another day. Praise Robbie: He paid for your sin. He keeps you from paying for your sins. What's worse: In this little theatrical production the Pharisees are played by Bruce McLeod and Greg Shephard. (For those of you who don't understand that ... )

I'm allergic to "bloody stool brown" and "pee-stream yellow" (some schools try to pass it off as "maroon and gold" but we know better). I'm especially negatively reactive to "stream yellow".

Derrick, Thank you for everything this year. You'll be missed on the ice the rest of this year. Your injury looks tough. You're tougher. You tried to get up and off the ice with that injury. You are tougher. And you make that jersey proud. But let me warn you: The toughest part will be the mental part. Seek out Robbie for advice. You will get the best care available. Your body will heal. You must keep telling yourself that you're coming back better and stronger from this. Your team was mentally tough for you Saturday. Be proud of them. And do them proud: Get well. I, we, need to see "3" wheeling around REA this fall.

Will the "Rubber Stamp Crew" (all they do is rubber stamp whatever DU puts out for suspensions, right?) be reviewing ... - Bruess' "boarding" - Bruess' attempted knee-to-knee - Irwin's post-game slash on Zajac Wicked slash at end of game that could have set off melee ... I've heard that one ... Where was it ... I think I'll ask #7, Mullen, at DU if he's heard anything like that lately.

Random musings: Those of you who wanted fisticuffs: No. Just no. Hak's right on this one. No fighting. Two points is worth more. More damage was done by not dropping the gloves but instead dropping two late behind Zacharias and being able to go to Altru to tell Derrick that they won coming from behind. The Sioux showed they are the mentally strong team by not allowing purple cow "excrement" to turn them off their primary focus. (These "details" can be "cleaned up" later, like Finley says.) I have reports that Irwin was seen in the tunnels outside the purple cow locker room after the game crying. Boo-hoo. And mentally weak. Trevor Bruess came looking for trouble this weekend. The "boarding" wasn't on Friday; it was CFD. He shouldn't have been on the ice Saturday. Yet, he was and he continued. He seems fixated because he got whupped by Rylan Kaip last year. Well, his fixation may have cost his team a series and its last shot at home ice. Mentally weak. Nice job Trevor. One last thought: A fight would short this roster even more going to UAA. No. Mentioning UAA ... UND has a pretty banged up team right now it seems. LaPoint is not available. Who knows on Jones and Hextall (Hak was unwilling to commit.) Mr. Blood: you did a nice job tonight keeping it simple after being thrust into the "fifth D" role. Guess what. You may need to do that again. Keep it simple. Mr. Fienhage: Reports are that you've been coming along nicely in practice. You may be thrust into a position to take it to prime time. Again, keep it simple. Mr. Davidson: You're not that far from "the call" either. Are you ready? The rest of you (coaches too): I'm very proud. You could have let the purple cows distract you. You didn't. You actually upped your focus in the last ten minutes of the game and came out with what you needed. You'll find out that you got more from last night than you realize even now. Remember that feeling of wanting to lash out but instead focusing on the most important. You'll need that clarity and mental strength again. And now you know ... You have it.

That'd be a really bad time to "stub your toe". No pressure, eh? A friend who used to have a fairly high-level role in TeamMakers once told me: Fargo is a front-runner's town*. I believe that and I believe it's a "we go to new and novel" town**. * Look at Bison WBB attendance now v. the glory days. Look at seasons when the RedHawks are closer to 0.500 than not. ** UP Center is busy. The newest restaurant is always busiest.

Kim Jong His Horse is Thunder ...

Geez, another internet site with a bunch of people sitting 'round talking about how they spank ... Fighting in hockey is a boorish tradition that has nostalgic mystique attached to it. Am I pro-fighting? No. But it does have its place in hockey (as long as "the fighter's code" is followed). But not amongst the general populace. As much as I hate to say it, a real fight (to end it and be done) is a better solution than the non-sense I saw involving Albert Hainsworth stomping an opponent on the field (a few years back), or that non-sense in Super Bowl XLIII where Pittsburgh's Harrison took a shot in the "swimsuit area" from AZ's Francisco and sucker-punched back: Square up and settle it on equal footing (fighter's code), like men, there boys.

I just don't find that requirement in section 14.2.4 "Hardship Waiver" of the 2008-2009 NCAA DI Manual. Asking for (quoting) "an additional year of competition" makes no sense until you have need for it. Section 14.4.2.3.3 says all you need are the medical records that say "no competition" for the rest of that season. However, I do find that the "20%" rule is now "30%" so I correct myself there. (The no games in the second half of the schedule is the same.) Oh, and who grants that additional year: the conference grants/administers it.

Yup, just like cheap underpants, they are.

Again, pure speculation or thinking aloud by me but ... Forney only played in three games, last being Game 17 of a 35 game regular season, in 2007-2008. His lack of play was due to the nagging effects of surgery from injuries from the 2006-2007 season. Those are key pieces of data given that ... The medical hardship waiver rule paraphrases to: You, due to injury, can have played not in more than 20% of your team's (regular season) games and none played can be in the second half of the season. So, 20% of 35 is seven (and 3<7) and half of 35 is 17.5, so Game 17 would still be the first half of the season (because game 18 would be "the middle" with 17 before and 17 after). Under that rule Forney didn't complete a "season of play". Technically I believe Michael Forney is eligible to apply for a medical hardship waiver and have his "sophomore" status restored. Without that, yes, he'd be a junior. Before someone asks, technically, this season is like a "redshirt" year that football players take. It counts as one of the five (academic) years to complete four seasons of play. A medical hardship waiver grants a sixth year to complete four seasons of play.

Remember this, specifically point 2? How many times last night did we see a red jersey coming in on Kangas all alone. PS - Just for Sioux-cia, same link, 1a.

I honestly believe that Bachman at CC and Kangas at Minnesota are suffering the same fate: Sophomore slump. Their teams each rode them to success last year. Now, when each shows that they're human look what happens to them and their teams. And considering that notion, Sioux fans I have one thing to say to you ... be happy 'cause ...

It would be bloodsport the likes of which seldom is seen in ND. Me? I'd "get me some popcorn" and enjoy the show. :D

Did I just read an "everybody does it" defense in this? People forget: RAs are university employees doing a (not a lot of fun always) job. I hope President Kelley steps in now and every time someone messes with a University employee. That's a big key in this situation (from UND's perspective) I'm sure. You have to have the back of those RAs (from getting punched) and you can't favor athletes. Let's go to root cause: Minor + Alcohol consumption. The rest followed.

And we know NDSU fans would be against that and would never stand for that. NDSU fans raised "Gehenna" when UND did that back in 200x (when Digger broke the kid from Dickinson's leg) and earned a Nickel. However, that's what big-time programs do against big-time rivals. It's far from unheard of in Big Ten football, UND hockey, ACC basketball ...

Multipurpose facility for NDSU, that could support hockey, and BB. Lemme think ... when've I heard that one ... Oh, yeah, ... 2005, ... 2000 ... 1991-ish (called Fargodome) ... The political repercussions of adding hockey capability to any Fargodome addition (post- UP Center) would be great theatre to observe.

I think it's so-o-o-o-o-o cu-u-u-u-u-ute when Bison fans: a) come to the board of a school they "no longer care about" to b) debate conference membership of a conference said "no longer care about" school is not even in, and c) in the process, end up ripping each other to shreds. That's good stuff.

Slightly re-arranging what I said here ... Goaltending is like money and horsepower: There is no such thing as "too much."

Yes, but I believe that also makes them not eligible for post-season play.