The Sicatoka

It would be interesting to compare the number of references to UND in "The Spectrum" in non-UND/NDSU weeks to the number of references to NDSU in "The Dakota Student" under similar circumstances.

For that to affect 'Siouxrock' he'd have to be good enough to make the Showcase. We don't even know he really plays for GFRR. It could be more of the act. The day of UND's 1st round NCAA game he proved he is merely a shallow poseur.

Reality check: 1. Blais is under contract through the 2003-04 season. 2. Blais has a $500,000.00 bonus that kicks in if he completes that contract, if he leaves he leaves $500,000.00 on the table that he was a year away from. 3. The GF Herald reported during the season that Blais was renegotiating a new five year deal. And most importantly, 4. Today's date is April 1, 2003.

Flying to GF or to Fargo, pricewise, will be a wash. The best you can do is hope for a fare war. Northwest is the big airline here. Sign up for their weekly fare email (at NWA.com) and keep your eyes open. If you are considering driving from MSP (320 miles), why not consider flying to Winnipeg, Manitoba. (I'm not sure how the airfare to there compares but it can't hurt to look.) Good news: It would only be a 150 mile drive. Bad news: You'd have to cross the border on the drive.

Scholarships are year to year agreement (contrary to anything else you may hear). Once the scholarship is offered and accepted it can not be withdrawn. "Full boats" or full rides are nearly unheard of in the WCHA. More to my point, scholarships are like grades or salaries: it's poor form to be discussing them (who's getting what) publicly.

The NCAA maximum ice hockey scholarship limit is 18 (spread over no more than 30 players). That's Section 15.5.6 in here. You dress 20 players for a game (as stated, normally 12/6/2). You are allowed to take 22 players on the road, but again, only dress 20 for the game. See Rule 2, Section 3, "Players in Uniform," here.

David Hale is intensity wrapped in flesh. He had been out for two months and was probably the best looking player in green on the ice that day. (That's both amazing and sad when you think about it.) He had just sprinted back and dove to try to stop that ENG shot and just missed. I'm sure that was a release of the complete frustration with how the season (and especially his) closed out, meaning from February on.

As I recall, the powerplay units for most of the season were (conference PPGs listed): Parise (5), Bochenski (6) and Massen (4) (or Prpich (1)) up front with Lundbohm (2) and Schneider (4) at the points and Spiewak (3), Notermann (5), and McMahon (2) up front with Fylling (0) and Fuher (3) at the points. We're comparing Schneider this season to Murphy or Williamson. Our memories focus on Murphy or Williamson's senior seasons. Andy's just a sophomore. Before Andy's done we will see.

Was Jake playing a bad game? No. Was the defense giving him any help? No. But was the team doing anything up to and at that point? No. Yes, something had to be done to "light a fire" under those guys. Before the third period I thought the guys in green should have been charged admission because they were watching a game. The goal Siembida let in? Let's look back on it. He stopped the first shot and it was a shot that should have never come because the defenseman there should have never allowed it. The defense takes the rebound (which was directed properly toward the corner) and does what with it? They try some drop-pass tricky-ticky-tacky crap ten feet off the right pipe of their own net at the goal line with FSU guys in on the forecheck. What happens next? An FSU player kicks it back up the slot on the backhand and no one covers the next FSU guys crashing down the slot. Shot. Goal. The second shot only happened because the defense got cutesy didn't maintain control of the puck in its zone. Josh Siembida made the initial save and put his defense in position to control the puck. (That is his job description, yes?) The defense failed at that point. Don't blame Josh for that second goal going in. The blame goes to the defenders who (a) didn't maintain possession and (b) didn't keep the trailer from crashing down to get the second shot off. I've harangued Josh throughout the season; however, this is one time that he does not deserve it. Look at the tape. Look at the total defensive zone breakdown leading up to that goal. Josh did his job on the first shot and gave the puck to his team. The second shot should have never happened and the blame for the second shot does not belong to Josh.

Fargo? Let's see .... Gary Kaiser (North) played on the 1987 team at UND. Pat O'Leary (North) played on the 2001 team at UND. Dan Irmen (going to Minnesota) is really from North as well although he used open enrollment and played his sophomore year at GFRR before going to the USHL. Believe it or not, the next big DI hockey recruits out of Fargo just might be playing for .... Shantell Rivard.

OK, roll the calendar back about a year. UND at that time: 16-19-2, 11-15-2 WCHA Regular Season: T6 WCHA Playoff Seed: 8 Season ended: OT loss, WCHA 1st round UND currently: 26-12-5, 14-9-5 WCHA Regular Season: 4 WCHA Playoff Seed: 4 Season ended: NCAA 1st round Coming into this season, what were the expectations? A winning record at home? Home ice? Maaaaybe an NCAA bid? Winning record at home? Check. Home ice? Check. NCAA bid? Maybe surprisingly, check. The fast start (21-2-3) may have deluded many of us. But where is the team right now? About where many of us were predicting (back in August) they'd be. Do I like the way the second half played out? Not really. But I'm also hopeful that it's not sitting well with some of the guys. I know a couple guys that I'm expecting to, and if I was in position to I'd be demanding that they, stand up and say "Follow me!" next year. This team seemed to lack the ability to deliver the blow that would put an opponent down for good. They could get the opponent down, but not finish them off (for example, not getting the goal to go up three, or a late one in a one goal game to make it two). I saw one "death blow," a "you're not coming back, you're done" blow, delivered to an opponent, when it was needed, all season. (Hint: Start of a 3rd period at Wisconsin.) You need goals like those. Those come from leaders who plain old refuse to lose, and who can do something about it. I liked that flash. This season is in the books. These guys now need to go and use the mirrors and decide if they are happy with the outcome and what they are going to do about it. The time for patience is now officially over.

As has been stated many times already, that is a new DI ACHA league, not NCAA. NDSU played in the ACHA before they dropped club hockey.

Congratulations to the Jacks. They only lost five times all year. Twice in exhibitions (to Drake and Minnesota) so they don't count on the record. At Vermillion (to USD) At Grand Forks (to UND) And their only home loss was in the NCC Tourney (to UND). Hey, it's a Sioux board, I had to point out who gave them two of their three official losses.

Some of us are still stuck with "game in progress" coverage from Fox Sports North. Game in progress abbreviated is "GIP" and pronounced with the "gi" making a "j" sound. Fox Sports North is hooked on phonics.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Beasley a first-team All-American.

I'd check UNDAlumni.org, then WCHA.com, for 'net feeds. I think both use RealAudio player so you should be OK.

By the strict definition of the Cambridge dictionary (castrate: to remove the testicles of a male animal or human), that would be most impossible based on recent photographic evidence. Apparently an equivalent, or possibly more harsh, penalty would be withhold said alcoholic beverages.

(whistling merrily and strolling nonchalantly down the boulevard past flatspin's house .... ) Fl-l-l-l-i-i-i-p! (this is tossed into flatspin's front yard by the passer-by) http://www.gfparks.org/ndaha/grandforksredriver.html (the passer-by continues on with few noticing what he has left)

Saturday at 7 is fine, but Friday at 7 is too early if you have to drive. What do you answer? I found that problem on a couple of questions.

Before we all get too down on REA, remember, REA has to show a profit by State law before it can be transferred to UND or a UND foundation. Next, remember, profits from REA (anything at REA) are funnelled back into UND Athletics. (Does $500k to fund womens hockey this season ring a bell?) Yeah, they're after a buck, but there are far worse causes in my opinion.

Why listen to them when you can get it from the source? Minneapolis National Weather Service Office By the way: Grand Forks National Weather Service Office

Don't you enjoy his profile pages.

This should put The 'Bad1 over the edge: http://www.ncaasports.com/icehockey/mens/story/6263459 They'll be watching it in Big Rapids, Michigan, home of Ferris State.

The team has 21 skaters. You can only dress 18 of them. When I heard Connelly is unavailable I figured the three to sit was easy: Connelly, Palmiscno, and Leinweber. Connelly is obvious and the other two haven't played in at least a month. Not knowing how David Hale would be in a game situation I figured you have to play both Ryan Hale and Marvin (because both can play either forward or D). Marvin played forward for a while at Mankato (after Canady's DQ) and looked more than capable. I figured Ryan Hale would move back up front and Marvin stay back. Either way gets the desired effect. They'll probably be down to four D and three lines by the middle of the second anyway. (Hey, it's the playoffs.)

Paddling through the link Jim provided above, the closest thing to D-IAA minimums that I found was the general DI minimums: