The Sicatoka

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.

No, the point being SCSU is literally "Zero for the NCAA tournament". I believe that translates to seven opening round game defeats to date. (EDIT: Now that I think about it, didn't SCSU win an NCAA tourney game recently?) I knew only hockey fans would really understand the dig there. As far as UP Center: I'm running under the same rules as when junior league games were played in the Fargo Mauseleum, er, Coliseum, namely, only when there's a UND recruit on the visiting roster (and there's no Sioux game in Grand Forks to attend).

Semper Fi. Lux et Lex. You'll be missed TC.

And you have to assume that cutting a womens program is not an option due to needing those womens scholarships to balance out mens FB (Title IX).

<cue the Barry White music> " ... We're gonna take the receiver off the phone ... because baby, you and me, heh ... this night, we're gonna get it on ... "

Minnesota and UAA have each only played 24 games where the rest of the league has played 27+ meaning Minnesota and UAA have seen a lot of Bye so far this season. It really doesn't seem to have done much for either, other than maybe making Minnesota somewhat feistier than usual. I wonder about Bye's style of play affecting teams. UND played the GLI after seeing them earlier this year and we know how *that* turned out.

Correct: G. Shepherd was in St. Cloud. Why? Because UND and UM went at it and so did UND and DU. Yet there was nothing in the UND and SCSU game last night like that. So apparently (according to some at least) the Sioux were in Mankato and Denver.

1. A Schack/Boe fight? When. Boe got run in the corner after the bad hit at center on Barriball (or was it Carmen?). A pile-up happened, like six players, and out if it comes Boe, leg twisted under, down on the ice, no helmet, and Schack pounding on the back of the head of a guy face down on the ice. There was no offer, there was no square-up: there was a run, and an opportunist. 1a. Jones offered Lucia. Lucia ran. Period. That's all that need to be said about either team. 2. None of this would have happened if MSU-M would know their place and not have scored on the three (four?) fat juicy breakaways given up by the suspect (at best) UM defense. Shame on MSU-M, right? 3. The WCHA officials are calling, well, nothing. "Let 'em play!" I'd love to. When'll they start? All they do now is clutch and grab and interfere because it's not called. 3a. A broken neck didn't trigger real change. A broken neck didn't. I guess, unfortunately, we know what it's going to take. 4. The NCAA do something? Let me give you a clue: I corresponded with a member of a key NCAA committee last week* (re: Gwozdecky of the Wandering Coach Hockey Association). If you're expecting them to step in don't be holding your breath. It's a league matter I guess. 5. I haven't laughed as hard as I did this morning when the "Beyond the Pond" guys on KFAN were talking about how taking the masks off would be a good thing. Really? You want to see Gophers get their butts kicked for that trademarked facewash they're so adept at? That's what'll happen when there's no mask and you really are getting into another guy's face with a glove. * For those who don't believe me, a well-regarded former poster here was on cc:.

No score. 15:20 left in the first. (KFGO on the 'net.)