The Sicatoka

Do we know all of the details regarding jersey vendors and package deals? I don't. However, in addition to Nike jerseys this season, I noticed more Nike gloves, helmets, skates .... Economic reality.

Where to begin .... tnt: Unless you mean that you would have joined at more than Century Club level, you wouldn't have better seats in REA. It's Coaches Club or better in the lower bowl. Now to general issues .... Old Ralph: Everything not visitor or student was FSC. Nothing new there regarding seating. I'm sure our rivals have policies regarding club membership levels to get tickets also. Plus, some of UND's rivals pay $25+ per game ticket plus club membership fees. Tuition at UND went up 16.5% last year. It's going up 16.5% this year. Scholarships for UND Athletes will cost $200k more next year than last, that's going from $1.1 MM to $1.3 MM! The State won't pick that up. UND Athletics, as Roger Thomas has said, is "parent" to the UND Athletes. If tuition goes up, they have to pay the bill. How else does UND Athletics have to fund this? You want to watch them play? You gotta pay. Would you rather ticket prices go up at the rate of tuition? DO THE MATH! At $345 for a season ticket before, if rates had jumped 16.5% two years in a row, you'd be paying $468 per seat. That's a $123 increase per seat! Joining FSC for $110 for two seats doesn't sound so bad now suddenly, does it. This is economic reality in collegiate athletics today.

Let's correct that to be wholly accurate, and disparage the entire WCHA All-Academic team, if you insist: "all it says you are a good hockey player and played a lot for your team- getting B's in easy classes is not that difficult. They are good players - I am just saying lets not get carried away with their smarts! If you can't get B's in general college courses - there is something wrong with you. I assure you they are not sitting in organic chemistry or advanced physics."

When you make light of the WCHA All-Academic team you make light of it for all members, from all institutions, of the team. Could you have made it?

Seriously? I was oh-so hoping he was doing what is best for Eaves or Lucia.

Let's look at this from the macro- and micro- perspectives. The macro perspective is this: "Asked if high school and college teams should stop using Indian nicknames, 81% of Native American respondents said no." Source: Peter Harris Research Group, Inc., as reported in Sports Illustrated, March 4, 2002, page 69. Methodology: The pollsters interviewed 351 Native Americans (217 living on reservations, 134 living off). The responses were weighted according to US census figures for age, race, gender, and the distribution of Native Americans living on and off reservations. Margin of error: Plus or minus 4 percent. There can be no clearer macro message on the issue. The micro perspective, of someone of direct interest, is found here: http://www.uscho.com/news/2002/11/18_005487.php As Teddy Roosevelt would say, Marc Ranfranz is "the man who matters;" he is "the man in the arena."

They sure are worried about some DII trinket. You'd think a DI-AA would have loftier things to worry about.

And the Yankees lost to the Devil Rays in Japan. I'm not saying either is the Yankees or Devil Rays. I'm saying you don't always get the "expected result" in baseball. Lighten up, Francis.

This release should have been a clue. Notice that the three fall 2003 signings (Zajac, Radke, Kaip) are mentioned directly as is the fall 2002 signing of Phil Lamoureux, but no one else for fall of 2004. Before someone asks, the next signing period begins on April 14.

I'd recommend a visit to your eye-care specialist. http://www.uscho.com/news/2004/04/07_008433.php

It's clear there is a log-jam at defense in 2004-2005. Assuming no early departures: Seniors: Schneider, Jones, Fuher Juniors: Greene, Marvin Sophomores: Smaby, Bina, Foyt Freshman: Radke Based on what I see there, and losing four forwards (Parise, Lundbohm, Hale, Palmiscno) this year and with only three coming in (Zajac and Kaip have signed letters, Spirko was reported as a verbal), I wouldn't be surprised to see Lee Marvin or Scott Foyt become a full-time forward. But that also shows what's ahead for 2005-2006: No Schneider, Jones, and Fuher, and maybe no Greene. There are reported verbals for 2005 from Taylor Chorney and Brian Lee. There still appears to be space available for a defenseman or two in 2005. I wonder what the plan is.

I'm sure "The Don" wanted Taffe to stay as well. I'm sure Dean wanted Bayda and Lundbohm and Roche and Parise to stay. Get the point? To quote the great sage Mick Jagger, "You can't always get what you want."

I just realized something: Brady Murray, Salmon Arm, 2002-2003: 42-59-101 line in 59 games BCHL runner-up for both ROY and MVP. Travis Zajac, Salmon Arm, 2003-2004: 43-69-112 line in 59 games BCHL MVP.

"Potulny, who was drafted in the fifth round by Ottawa in 2000" ... "signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday." So Ottawa only signed him to a one-year deal? One could read that a lot of ways. I'll choose to read it as Ottawa isn't looking at signing forwards to big deals right now. That makes me a happy because I know who else Ottawa has draft rights to.

Brady centered his own line in Salmon Arm before coming to UND. He put up a 42-59-101 line in 59 games and was the BCHL runner-up for both ROY and MVP. He'll be OK without Zach.

Talking about county names, if the Forum can truncate "Grand" off the name of "Grand Forks" does that mean we can truncate others? Is Bismarck now in "_urleigh"? Can we take the "C" off the name of "Cass"?

Back, schmack. I'd rather look forward. Here's one just for "Virg Foss is God": http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/s...ota/8350946.htm

That reads pretty clearly to me: "There were six games .... in which .... held opponents to two or fewer ... and were 0-4-2." The goalies were meeting the Dean Blais formula: Give <25 shots and save 90% (GAA under 2.5). Where was the offense those nights? Here are UND's scoring lines from those six games: Genoway from Greene Bochenski from Jones McMahon from Fylling and Canady Fylling from Jones and Greene Lundbohm from Murray Parise (U) (none) Those games were a case of "Minnesota Wild" effect: great goaltending, no offense to get the win. Are people blaming Roli the goalie for the Wild's problems?

Once Albany missed the AHL playoffs I'm guessing Zach not playing was sealed.

Yeah, Parise could play for the Albany River Rats next year. That's why NJD gave him a two-way contract. He'll make $80k playing in Albany where he'd make (report claim) $1 MM at NJ.

The better analogy would be: In the NFL, .... NFL Europe.

I go to the source: The NHL Transactions Wire

He's not playing in the Saturday afternoon NJD at Boston game. Live shift chart showing line-ups

I just think Rosemary, excuse me, Basil (I always confuse all those herbs) just has poor reading comprehension skills. I base this on my observation that they apparently do not understand the purpose and usage of quotation marks in a written work of non-fiction.

Woe is UND. How'd they ever win the toughest league in college hockey with this " ... not one of them is outstanding ... " conference-games goaltending. Goaltender GP Minutes GA Saves Shots Save% GAA Record Win% GS SO %Time Jake Brandt 16 879:27 32 335 367 .913 2.18 12- 2- 0 .857 15 0 51.8% Jordan Parise 14 813:30 29 295 324 .910 2.14 8- 3- 3 .679 13 1 47.9% Saves over 91% and GAAs under 2.5 and " ... not one of them is outstanding ... "