The Sicatoka

... or should that be just the 2021 season because they won't play any regular season games in calendar 2020. Biggest stories going in? - "Hank" needs open heart surgery. https://nypost.com/2020/12/28/henrik-lundqvist-reveals-he-will-undergo-open-heart-surgery/ - Dach loses 4-5 months at WJC https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2020/12/28/chicago-blackhawks-kirby-dach-to-miss-4-5-months-after-wrist-surgery/ - TOR and MTL actually get some grind in the lineup -- TOR adds Simmonds and Thornton -- MTL adds Anderson, Toffoli, and Perry - The Cup champ TBL has just short of $17,000,000.00 on LTIR -- including Kucherov! -- They took on LTIR contracts/debt from OTT and trade away a F and a D to get cap compliant - The salary cap -- Teams still have a mess because it went flat/down -- Free agents are getting nothing

Is that like HDTV? NHLN just finished replaying the game and I caught the OT PPG winner (while filling a coffee cup). The announcers were even commenting that it worked out for GER because one of the SVK goals was way offside.

Quit. Making. Sense.

I caught most of the second. I agree.

Much the same is happening to Fargo South, and likely will to the West Fargo Packers.

Good news for the USA comes two-fold: - USA will have an off day before playing Sweden - Sweden will have RUS/USA on back to back days (and RUS will be ill-natured after that CZE loss) If the Swedish preliminary round winning streak ends this year, I predict it ends against the USA.

Better question: Why would the AAC want Boise State over San Diego State or UNLV? Both have better basketball and better travel options. Plus, UNLV Football now plays in Allegiant (home of the Raiders).* *Blue Turf <<< The Roomba

I think we've seen 13, 20, and 21 all that we're going to from here out (unless injuries dictate otherwise). I suspect 4 will be the travel (7th) defenseman and 11 and TBD* will battle for 12/13th forward. *Jamernik have a jersey number yet? It'll be 5, 6, 7, or 27, based on available.

Budgets won't be getting better in a post-COVID world (and yes, we'll get there soon). I see geographic consolidation happening as a result. Remember, to folks at Kentucky, six hours is a long, long, long, unbearable bus trip.

Is it? What is the status of Blaisdell? Will he be back or is this a sign his injury is worse than we know. No matter what, adding Jamernik is a sign we won’t see much of 21 and 13 going forward.

I'm no great basketball mind, but it would seem that "press" against a team with only one ball handler would be an obvious tactic to use.

Quarantine, schmarantine, ... old-school, ... the scotch/bourbon kills the virus in that room.

One more observation: I liked seeing most of the last 48 seconds played in the Duluth zone. That’s a winning attitude and approach.

The inability to make the simple off the glass play to break pressure is starting to concern me.

Thought for the day: In the eyes of the NCAA, UND is 1-0-1 against Duluth. Today’s win was big.

All the more so as 24 had a day to forget and 4 and 20 made nothing but soft passes.

Hain

If I'm crazy so are the NCHC Week 1 Defenseman of the Week voters.

Bust out the cigars and dim the lights in the back room: We're pickin' teams old-school.

There is no WAC football today. There is belief in some circles that a reading of the NCAA manual (in certain light, with special glasses) says the WAC can still "invite" teams to be FBS (as that transition now requires the invitation before transition). And this is where I'm going to miss SiouxVolley.

And that's what ultimately matters.

CHN.com

Yes, we are missing Sanderson and Kleven. Yes, we are playing the five healthy D we have. But ... five healthy. We are missing Ethan Frisch (upper body) also and I believe that hurts more than Sanderson or Kleven being gone. The way Frisch played the first week of the pod he might have been our best defender (yes, even over 3 and 24). My basis for my bold statement.

If it's five defensemen again (like v. WMU) you'll see a continual rotation of who's ready to go back out.

Pure speculative guess, but knowing UND Hockey has a break from Dec 20 to Dec 31, you won't see any of them unless they are either (a) 100%, or (b) can't get hurt any worse.