The Sicatoka

So you'll play two freshmen? I'd expect to see MacWilliam and Gleason played the same way Blood and Fienhage were: One or the other playing during the early part of the season (unless other circumstances warrant something else).

We've lost a defenseman for the year with about two months left in the season each of the last two. And we continually hear about the "play through it" injuries after the seasons. A wise man once told me: Plan for the worst; if better happens you're ahead.

Ah, but the rub: Those who know football knew that NDSU was the favorite against that Minnesota squad. Worst Minnesota team, any sport, in a century.

If you can trust DOB info from Heisenberg and the wiki here, here's the recruits pipeline in DOB order ... The * designate who I expect to see at UND this fall. Note: The oldest forwards are coming with one "one day difference" exception. F Michael Forney -88 * F Brett Bruneteau 1-5-89 * G Aaron Dell 5-4-89 * F Carter Rowney 5-10-89 * D Andrew MacWilliam 3-25-90 * D Joe Gleason 3-30-90 * F Danny Kristo 6-18-90 * F Mike Fink 7-7-90 F Mike Cichy 7-8-90 * F Derek Rodwell 7-8-90 F Corban Knight 9-10-90 F Danny Mattson 11-20-90 F Matt White 10-21-91 D Nick Mattson 10-25-91 F Michael Parks 2-15-92 D Derek Forbort 3-4-92 F Brendan O'Donnell 6-25-92[/code]

Two injuries to defensemen and there'll be a Mark 50, Mod 1, wire-guided "gift" seeking the screws of that boat.

Do card-carrying booster club members in Minneapolis and Madison grab the schedule and circle the dates you're coming to town every year? There's known. And then there's looked forward to with, shall we politely say, emotion-filled anticipation. UND can garner that "anticipation" in Minneapolis, Madison, Denver, and even in Ann Arbor or on Chestnut Hill. It's good to be ... "loved" ... by so many.

So you run with 14 in 2009-10? If you don't bring in Rowney now you have to bring him in ... in 2010. How exactly does that solve this assumed 2010-11 issue? A year from now the departures at forward are Vande Velde and Zajac. But I truly don't believe that will be the extent of it. I expect the NYI woes to continue and Garth Snow to come sniffing after Jason Gregoire after he has a break out season. And I know what players say, but there is some flight risk if either Malone or Frattin have big years.

My prediction for the 2009-2010 season: More predictions about the season will be wrong than will be right.

That was so easy. I just had to pick on you a little. Actually, I just wanted an excuse to type ... chick-fight!

In 2008-09 they went with a 14F-8D-3G (25 man) roster (and that considers Brad Miller as a D, so really we could call it 14.5-7.5-3). Right now, assuming Cichy, Kristo, Bruneteau, Rowney, (Gleason, MacWilliam, and Dell) they're at 14F-7D-3G (24 man) roster. I don't believe they'll go with a 24 man roster. That's not much room to account for injuries. My guess: Welcome back Michael Forney. Now here's my question: Are there any forwards who've played defense in the past? With 7D on the roster you're two injuries away from being short on the blue line.

Schlossman's blog now has Knight back to the AJHL and Mattson to the USHL. At risk of repeating myself:

I know what a donnybrook is and I know that "blond" normally refers to males and "blonde" normally refers to females, so, does that mean a donnybrooke is a chick-fight?

That's maintained by your fellow posters. And none of us are sure. We're not sure Forney's sure.

I flop my Midco between Versus and VersusHD: No. Contest. And it's the most dramatic for sports. I can watch an HD or a non-HD program on TNT or USA and I can't see the difference as dramatically as I see it for things like hockey.

I know I speculated otherwise elsewhere, but if both "Knight back to AJHL for 2009-10" and "Mattson trying out in Omaha" are true ... and Hakstol needs five forwards to replace the seniors ... Cichy, Kristo, Bruneteau, ... Forney? , ... Rowney? ... Forney is a unique case (1988 DOB). Bruneteau and Rowney are 1989 DOBs. This would essentially have the five oldest forward recruits in the pipeline coming this fall.* * Yes, Mike Fink is one day older than Cichy and Cichy and Rodwell were born on the same day.

One thing that should help hockey viewership in the future: High-Definition broadcasts. I struggle to watch hockey not in HD now.

For those of you in that primative outpost called "Phaar-ghoe" where Cable One does not carry Versus: West Fargo and the surrounding ND towns are Midcontinent Cable towns. If you have Midco you can get Versus (sports package). If you have Midco and an HD TV you can get VersusHD (sports package). Gonchar's goal looked really good in HD slow-motion.

It's a club program. The student who started it was very passionate. I'm sure he's since graduated. Who took over I'm not sure. You need a passionate advocate to make any program work.

Then the Bison club hockey titles in the 1980s aren't "official". And actually, NDSU football would only have five titles if only NCAA titles are "official".

I'd call UMLL games, which is part of MCLA, official.

I've said this all along. Leigh Jeanotte and his Jeanotte-headed followers have cried about being equal on campus. What they don't realize is that by doing this, yes, they'll be equal: They'll be coming down off the pedistal that Tom Clifford put AI programs and AISS on back during his tenure. Those programs will now all be fighting equally, no more AIs using the moniker as a fulcrum, against every other program for limited campus resources strictly on merit. Welcome to "equal" Leigh Jeanotte: It probably won't be what you expected, but it is self-inflicted.

Rantus Maximus Agreemus! But I did fix your one mistake (in bold above) ...

In this round, you're not in trouble until you lose at home.

"redwing77" is really "Ma Flower" (aka Marc-Andre Fleury)!?!?! That "redwing" moniker is awesome cover; I'd have never guessed.