The Sicatoka

I take this time of quiet to be a good thing. We've had lots and lots of heat; now is the time for light. Grandstanders (heat) prefer the cameras and press. Thinkers and solvers (light) prefer to work at a slower, more measured pace. Use the three year cooling off period to allow everyone, everyone, to think about all of the direct and indirect effects that would come with UND making a change: Really ponder it. Really examine it. Really understand it. Like a wise man told me long ago: Be careful what you wish for ...

The bad news: UND's three roster goalies have a total of one collegiate start. The good news: Walski's one start was a 1-0 shutout. Eidsness just cleaned up on a bunch of AJHL awards and draws some interesting comparisons to a past Hobey winner: And Harrington just took his Dryden team to an SIJHL championship with a playoff 0.917 save percentage and a 2.59 GAA (regular season: 0.904, 2.95). One of these three will see, and act on, this for what it is: A massive opportunity to be "the man".

If what matters most to you is the last two letters of a player's hometown, (Anytown, MN, or Anytown, ND) might I recommend becoming a fan of a certain maroon and gold team from the banks of the Mississippi. A team is not about where the players are from; A team is about where the players came together and are going together.

Hope he writes down his score the way China writes down gymnast ages: Gets 5, writes 7.

To me the only open question is who wears an "A". Duncan wears the "C".

If not for the effective block on DIIIs moving up hockey to play at DI level (only the existing DIIIs playing DI hockey are allowed to give scholarships) I'd guess Concordia College would be the best best to play DI hockey in Fargo-Moorhead.

Both of them? (Hey, it's sad, but that's where the NDHS enrollment trend is.)

Why do I care about that one particular blogger's opinion? Tell me when the GF Herald pre-season poll (predictions of coaches and media) are out. Tell me when INCH, or CHN, or USCHO, put out their pre-season top 15. Until then, my blog opinion is just as good as that one.

Put another way: Opponents benefit from the capabilities of REA and Alerus Center when visiting GF and we get whatever bad capabilities they have when UND is on the road.

So being an FCS school playing mid-major BB is an acceptable status. Isn't that just saying that there's really a missing level in collegiate athletics? Some really smart guy I know has been stating that for over five years. Or at risk of really getting some folks' knickers in a twist ... Maybe the real problem is the over-focus on program development at some schools. Could those over-focused schools have created an over-inflated level beyond the collegiate, amateur level that Myles Brand loves to tout. Let's face it, Duke runs it's basketball team more professionally than the LA Clippers and Florida runs it's football team better than the Dolphins have been run lately. PS - Found this blog just for "DaveK": http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_co...ge-footbal.html DISCLAIMER: I believe BSC Commissioner Fullerton. I believe a "big bang" is coming in college athletics. What it will be is the question. Could this be it? http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_co...ase-for-th.html

DI-A or FBS. DI-AA or FCS. Fine. But what prevents "the big lie" as some seem to want to call it from being told just the same to any ol' recruit? To play off the UI/SIU scenario above, what prevents the following hypthetical scenario? UI Baseball Recruiter: "SIU? You don't want to go there. They're small-time. Heck, you ever see them play in a bowl game on TV? You want, you need to go big time. Bowl games, excitement. UI is big time, not them."

Agreed.

Did you miss the insert in this weekend's Fargo Forum? It is/was the opening splash page ... http://www.fightingsioux.com

This is my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Last year with Oshie, Duncan, Kozek: Kozek acted more along the boards (getter) and Duncan served as the primary shooter. Kozek can be a getter, but he's a natural shooter and is more likely needed in that role this year. The question is: What roles will guys be asked to play in this year?

I think you mean back to intramurals. Technicially that's where he was before he was brought in. PS - There's additional new information at http://www.areavoices.com/undhockey

Yes, their knickers are in quite a twist I'd say.

Lubbock in September. http://www.myforecast.com/bin/climate.m?ci...mp;metric=false

Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a tie in the race for the least credibility in Grand Forks: The Herald (for printing it) and Hoff (for writing it) are running neck and neck.

They probably owned the "Great West" logo and trademark so it was easiest to just keep that name for now.

Is that the piece I'm missing? I thought this approach was created so everyone used the same pattern.

They swapped the pairs to MSU-M/UMD and UAA/MTU in about 2003 or 2004. Just look at last year's and this year's schedules to see I'm right. (We play four against both MTU and UAA, 4/4, this year. You don't do that against a "rivals pair". You play 2/4 or 4/2 against a "rivals pair".) The reason: Tech and Anchorage are the two toughest (travel logistics) places in the conference to get to. Making them a pair makes travel a little better for the rest of the WCHA. And, really, UMD/MSU-M make more sense as "rivals" too.

Mentioning staffing ... http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.d...;ATCLID=1546728 It looks like Faison has his staff in place with the exception of a CFO. http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.d...p;ATCLID=736144

July 21: Clear Channel contract renewed for 1 year. July 31: New external operations AD hired.