The Sicatoka

Mankato and that hoppy-skippy-bouncy-jump defense? The team should have a "fire" play (dive over the best run blocker?) called in the huddle as an alternate every time. When Bowenkamp sees that whole Mankato D line jump up and shift left-right-up-down-in-out-whatever call the "fire" and hit those guys when they are standing up and not ready for it. You'll push through them for at least four yards and blast a few of them onto the seats of their pants.

What I've really started to notice by watching so much of Giggy of the Ducks: The leg pads have been modified to work with the butterfly style. Look at them. The tops are square to match up when they are down: No five-hole. The insides of the knees are now what a goalie puts on the ice. It almost looks like Giggy (et al) are kneeling behind two sandbags. What's left facing the shooter is two recectangles a foot high and three feet wide each. (You see the whole "front" of the pad.) The bottom of the net is completely gone when they are down. You could just as well put sandbags down. Comparatively, when goalies dropped in the past they went down on the "front" of the pad (not behind them), even down there was a five-hole, and they, the pads, just seemed to cover less of the front of the net.

Phil Lamoureux is going to play in Lincoln this coming season and come to UND in the fall of 2004 as was the original plan when he first committed. (Wasn't that in the Herald?)

Mr. Engelstad's collection includes a Pope-mobile. Was Ralph the Bishop of Rome? Mr. Engelstad owned a car previously owned by Liberace. So could Ralph play the piano if enough candle stands were on and around it?

So I believe the concensus here is that if a player: - "keeps their nose clean" outside of school - works hard in the classroom/goes to class - stays eligible academically - works hard in practice - helps his team on the ice in games (be it scoring or another role, even off-ice*) the player should stay on the roster. Fair enough. Tough to disagree. However, do we know all of these things about any of the players (of any team) in question? Do we know everything that happens off the ice in a player's life? I'd guess far from it compared to what their coaches know. Do we know if players attend class and work hard at school? Not unless you sit in the room with them (as a fellow student or instructor). Do we have the grades of players? I hope not, or academic confidentiality died a little more today. (The most we should ever know is "eligible" or "ineligible.") Do we all attend every practice to see how hard they work? Dare I say, no. What do we see? The stat sheet at the end of a game. We base what we think we know from that, and, ultimately nothing more. We see a sliver of the total picture. The coaches see the total picture. You have to trust the coach's judgement. That's what they were hired to do, namely, make judgements, on an annual basis. * For example, David Hale's presence at games during his illness as a moral support.

Could you imagine if Jordan Parise walked on and made it? Handyman's greatest (G-rated) fantasy could become reality: Parise with the save. He passes off to Parise who moves up ice, around the defense, shoots and SCORES! Parise with the save and the assist on the goal by Parise!

Hammy, I understand your question. It's more than fair. Let me try answer it this way: Lincoln drafted Sydney Crosby in a late round of the USHL draft. Do we expect to see him in a Stars jersey this year (if ever)? Genoway was listed as a sophomore last year but it was his first WCHA season. He had played in some WHL exhibition games so it cost him a "sit out" year. A year away, just practicing, isn't the same as playing. He almost looked rusty at times. I'm not quite ready to give up on him. I hope he hasn't given up. About roster space: I only see five lines worth of guys. That's normal load isn't it? Seniors: Hale, Lundbohm, Palmiscno Juniors: Bochenski, Canady, Connelly, Fylling, Genoway, Massen, McMahon Sophomores: Parise, Prpich Freshmen: Murray, Porter, Stafford

You mean like The Forum did?

Didn't the Florida Panthers do that when they played for The Cup in 1996?

I feel obliged to point out that of the two sponsors of the bill, the NDSU alumnus bill sponsor (Froelich, Selfridge, D) voted for it and the UND alumnus bill sponsor (Wald, Dickinson?, R) voted against it. Suddenly I have the urge to quote 'tony': Who did "help trot out that lame horse of a bill" and voted for it? Who did "sponsor something just so the issue gets aired" and voted to "put to rest"?

The NCAA says the ice should be as close to 200'x100' (aka Olympic ice) as possible, but only 10 of 60 teams last season had it. Most play on something more like NHL (aka North American standard) ice (200'x85').

tony: As you pointed out factoids about legislation sponsorship earlier, I'll point out a factoid about legislation: Most of it has "grandfather clauses" in it covering pre-existing cases.

Unfortunately, this is not true in the specific case you mention. From NDSU's Carr Sports Associates report: 27 times 2.

Read where the annual American Hockey Coaches Association convention was held and it will all become clear to you.

The very frugal ND Legislature passes a law stating that donated buildings (in this case one specifically for athletics) must be self-sufficient so as to not drain general state funds from academics (to support athletics) at the institution. The very frugal ND Legislature introduces (but does not pass) a law stating that state funds should not be used for Division I athletics so as to not drain general state funds from academics (to support athletics) at the institution. Why is one case regarded as obviously ill being afoot (by one party against another) and the other case not? Both seem to me like a frugal Legislature at work.

As I read those stats, you better not give up more than 80 and you'd better score at least 110, and your differential had better be better than 30. Using that model, UND is very close on defense and offense, but both need to step it up a level.

I'm surprised the students haven't asked one of the players to lobby for them privately or publicly yet. (Hint! Hint! Hint!)

Let me take a swing at the point 'star2city' is trying to make: Take the average school in a DII power conference. Their choice is (a) move up to Division I(AA), or (b) add Division I hockey but overall Division II status. Going Division IAA has upfront costs, most importantly those associated with conference and travel, facilities upgrades, and scholarships (mens and womens). Estimates of improvals in "the gate" (attendance) are that of roughly a total of 1000 new patrons at all games, all sports, per year (based on NDSU's CSL report estimates). Going Division II with Division I hockey has upfront costs, most importantly those associated with conference and travel, facilities upgrades, and scholarships (mens and womens). Estimates of "the gate" (attendance) would be roughly half the gate of the existing tenant of the proposed playing facility, namely 2500 average during the first season. The new tenant by its name would have better ties to the community upon inception than those of the existing tenant at its inception (and it survived) which would serve as an attendance positive as well. Facilities? Either you need a practice rink or you need to make sure all the other facilities (baseball/softball fields, courts, FB fields) are DI calibre. Specifically looking at the travel/conference issue: All DI teams must play other DI teams. Regional logistics dictate that most of that travel (for everything from FB to tennis and swimming) must be done by air travel due to the lack of DI competition within a reasonable driving distance. Alternatively, hockey offers numerous (albeit most likely non-conference) opponents within a drivable range. Plus, your other (DII) teams would retain opponents within drivable range. Translated: It's cheaper to drive your hockey team(s) by bus (and occasionally have to fly them) than to fly all of your teams nearly everywhere. Scholarships? If you go from the DII 36 FB scholarships to the 63 DIAA FB number, you add 27 mens scholarships, which means you must also add 27 womens scholarships (and you many not even have room to do that in existing teams within existing limits). Adding hockey adds 18 mens (and potentially 18 womens scholarships, which could turn out to be in hockey at some point). Simple math says 27 times 2 is more costs to the school than 18 times 2. Translating all of the above: For roughly the same facilities costs (be they improvements, renovations, or new construction), and most likely lesser overall travel costs, and equivalent overall scholarship costs, the hockey approach offers more immediate payback in fan gate plus more potential long-term payback in that "new" hockey fans may be created where "new" football/basketball fans are very difficult to create in this region. Looking at this from a historical "what has worked for my peers" approach: MSU-Mankato, SCSU, UN-Omaha, and Bemidji State have all taken similar approaches, with the singular best comparator being UNO. UNO started with no previous program and went immediately DI. UNO currently uses hockey as a revenue positive basis for its overall athletics budget after playing DI hockey for less than a decade. Moral of the story: It's all about the Benjamins. Which model is going to work?

If memory serves, that legislation was introduced by an NDSU alumnus. Lead sponsor, Rep. Froelich's, Legislative Biography: In the sake of disclosure, the other sponsor (Wald) is UND 1959. Haven't we done this before?

And who can forget Duluth's finest hours last season.

Yo "Cap", that's a little tough, eh? The CHA is a "mid-major" college hockey conference. Pathetic must be a synonym.

I can't disagree with great portions of what is said in there. I'd still like to touch on a few things: 1. Why does the state with the lowest crime rate in the nation need two PhD Criminal Justice programs? Isn't that a formula just screaming for out-migration? (I won't go into why and how there are two.) 2. I'd like to see "the books" .... at both places. 3. A RRV Research Corridor would help the whole state. The schools need to work together on that one. I'm seeing the Congressional delegation doing things on one end of it. Where's the new work and projects on the other end? Remember, I try to think like a taxpayer first and foremost.

I'll say it again: Don't "dis" the view from the upper in The Ralph. I've watched games from up and down and to watch the game the up is far better.

BK: I think you missed the cynicism in my previous "note to self." At this point I was going to mention use of media to point out lack of facilities issues (cough, Fargo Arena, cough) but I'll decline because Jim seems to have this covered.

If they are serious, they'd be evaluating building a practice rink in Vermillion and play in Sioux Falls.