The Sicatoka

The evil of the portal is going on full display for all to see. Wisconsin will pluck MSU-Mankato of recruits and select players via the portal. And the rest of us can only watch in amazed horror.

Someone check on @bale31.

I was thinking "Danger! Danger! Red flag!" but if the coach bolts the day after he commits he deserves a press of the "Reset" button.

Updated.

You missed something.

We can solve that. We'll put him in 25 and leave the "Kleven" name plate on it.

This gamble of holding out may pay off. There are a lot of names from Frozen Four teams showing up in the portal. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SQ4XmlO3FZQRk0oz28lqvw-sg7US4nQJneD7KmVewUY/edit#gid=876547355

OK, @AlphaMikeFoxtrotbrought up KC, but you had cool architectural images!

What's book on Keaton Pehrson of Michigan? One year left, RH D, 127 career games, 1 goal (as a freshman, ouch). Must be the "D" guy to cover all the young offense's mistakes.

C'mon @nodak651they're all just ...

So the day before fall classes start?

So "current", it'll just keep proliferating. Oooh. That'll melt some keyboards.

What, Northstar Christian Academy ain't gettin' it done for ya? (Strinden, soon Croal, and strangely Bauer Berry attended there also.)

Pyke wore 7 at Alaska. Will he just slide into 7 with us like the last Alaska defenseman transfer?

If they are doing their jobs I know of at least three cell phones that should be near melting (and plugged in while being used).

We knew that already. (And Pyke is a LH shot.) I'm looking for fresh produce. My guess is they'll roll those out for Persson, Berg, and Johannes over the next 48 hours to distract us from the reality of Pyke plus four for sure freshmen defensemen being all we have.

I'll be bitterly disappointed if Pyke doesn't bring exploding ninja space jet bear with him. Jandric failed us on that. Mr Miagi fighter plane volcano bear is mandatory minimum.

< gets pipe passed to him > Dude, you brought up KC ... them too ... < long hit >

Seems this is what we get today ...

Was that English? (And no politics, please.)

If Tennessee State would "poop or get off the potty" on a decision an "Almost Appalachia" conference could be spliced together. A look at a map ... Miami, Lindenwood, TnSU, UA Huntsville ... they'd probably lure Bowling Green and when you look at a map ... Omaha might be interested in staying south more in winter.

Summit Hockey would do one other thing ... keep UND, DU, and UNO from wandering eyes for other conferences or hockey affiliation. Summit Hockey would likely lock in UND, DU, UNO, and StT for a decade or more.

I'm assuming as you are. The changes will be (a) less administrative cost, and (b) new logos and letterhead. Should the teams change (say 1 in 4 chance*) I suspect it'd be at most: WMU and Miami out, StT and ASU in. (In that scenario, WMU, Miami, BGSU would probably lobby for "MAC Hockey" and start scooping regional affiliates ... RMU, Lindenwood, et al.) *Ask @stoneySIOUXabout my recent odds-making. I put a "1 in 100" (1%) on needing 8 defensemen for the fall.

Today would be a good day to learn about an incoming defenseman or two* ... or three. Right-handed shot if I get a choice. *That's everyday for the last month or so ...

Some logical 'why' as to the Summit may be wanting to add hockey: The OVC is now sponsoring men's soccer, which means SL loses 3 affiliate soccer members. SL men's soccer goes to (minimum) 6 teams. Not good. The SL is at the minimum number of men's team sports required for a D1 conference. If just one of WIU, Oral Roberts, Denver, or StT leaves it wrecks the conference. Adding hockey gets another men's team sport to protect the conference's DI status. Another thought: DU, UND, and UNO have to be wondering why are they paying for two commissioners and two league offices (SL and NCHC) when the SL commish (Fenton) knows how to run both. Why not combine the "front office" administration to save costs. Bringing the NCHC into the Summit would give a chance to do a strong rebrand to all of it.