The Sicatoka

If "the hockey buzz" gets one more potential student to take 30 seconds to look at UND's website, or to ask a HS counselor about UND, or gets them to visit campus, athlete or not, it's good.

This article is quite revealing: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2016/04/17/ncaa-football-basketball-power-five-revenue-expenses/83035862/ So why doesn't the NCAA fix the core issue, namely, sport sponsorship requirements. I'll say it again, so what if UAA decides to sponsor men's hockey and only men's hockey in their entire athletics department? So what if NDSU decides only football at a level they can support. So what if UConn sponsors women's basketball and only women's basketball. Eliminate this whole "n men's and m women's teams to play at Division X" elitist NCAA approach. It's time for a cafeteria plan approach in the NCAA: pick and choose just what you want to play ... and can afford.

The most recent link given was the one by GeauxSioux (2 day old article as I type this).

Thanks to the folks minding this. I've been busy with some other items the last week or so. Please keep up the good work.

Thus, with 0 minutes of regular season play, Tomek did not burn a season but he did burn a year of eligibility. And remember, you have five years to play four seasons. Effectively Tomek just redshirted (like FB guys do) this season.

RPI took it to heart, and its heart was named Adam Oates and Joe Juneau. I never said Quinnipiac would win it all, just that they were in a similar position. I don't see an Oates/Juneau at QU.

I put Quinnipiac right now in the same place Rensselaer (RPI) was in 1984. RPI thought they were on their way to a title. UND went to their barn in the NCAAs and it was men against boys. RPI got humbled. But they took it to heart. RPI is the 1985 NCAA champion.

So the thought is LaDue would use the same option that Jimmy Vesey is exercising right now. Interesting. I might be wearing green glasses, but I don't see where there's room in the Chicago system for Johnson or Schmaltz other than on a bus in the minors.

Dear shallow NDSU columnist, I believe sentiment expressed by Col. Nathan R. Jessup sums up my thoughts about your inputs on college hockey: " ... I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think ..." -- Col. Jessup, A Few Good Men I suggest NDSU pick up a stick and stand up to the face-off dot; then, I might give a damn, or not.

Quinnipiac isn't a big boy of college hockey. I'll accept that. But they were a worthy opponent as they earned a spot in the title game by knocking off Boston College. And, I still see Michigan and Denver left in the debris on the path to UND's number eight; ... And Boston College on the path to seven; Boston University on the way to six; Michigan State on the way to five; Wisconsin on the way to four*; Boston College and Denver on the the way to two; Michigan State on the path to the first. *UND got the "easy path" to number three as they only had to beat Ivy Leaguer Dartmouth and Northern Michigan along the way.

Q: Why don't you hear Quinnipiac fans cheering the retired "Braves" name? A: There are Quinnipiac fans?

I'm not sure what your point is; however, I've said for quite a while that I wanted to reshape the sport offering within UND Athletics to better align to facilities and climate.

It was UND's Super Bowl.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/sports/college/blogs/cruces-sports-extra/2016/04/13/board-regents-wantsneeds-more-input-regarding-conference-affiliations/83005146/

UND dropped baseball from 1921 to 1955 (and for one short stretch before that). I didn't know that until I just read it in the Herald.

I'm free to my opinion; they're free to theirs ... no wait, ... their opinion comes with a price tag.

I don't care what logo is on the banner, I really don't need the logo. I just want banners that say: < conference > Champion < year > University of North Dakota or NCAA National Champion < year > University of North Dakota I'd find room for as many of those as they can acquire.

UND's conference regular season champion banner array is too wide for the width of a hockey rink so it has to be turned lengthwise. What a terrible problem to have. And the NCAA National titles needing to be split up for space ... again, terrible problem.

There is a single banner in REA, over the north club room, toward the west, listing conference tournament championship years. Linky to image. It's the left one in this photo. I believe the one on the right is NCAA appearance years.

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It's in before first puck drop so Stamkos Tavares.

Shhhh ... no prompting from the studio audience.

This is probably the least I've thought about "who's in, who's out" in the last 15 years or so. I guess something else had my attention. Defense: LaDue is gone. Stetcher is too. Thompson? I'm gonna say it: He's not ready. He may think he is; the LAK may be afraid of him pulling a Vesey; but, he's not ready. Poolman? I'd worry, but I think he wants to play a season with his brother (and dad with them at the bench). I've heard nothing about Ausmus so that's safe ... well as safe as anything is. Figure we'll lose two at best, three at worst. Forward: Boeser is staying. I'm hoping Jordan talks to Nick and tells him to stay for a junior season. Many are saying Luke Johnson is gone. He'll probably go, and have a long AHL career. Poganski is the only other wildcard I see (because Trevor Olson tweeted he's coming back. ) So we lose four senior forwards and let's say two more. That's six (?) forwards and three (?) defense. Now comes the tough part: Who comes in? I'd say the guys who are age 20* as I write this, namely, ... Defense: Poolman and Johnson. If they need another ... Bast? Peski? Evers? Forward: Smith, Yon. Jost is a gimme. Hoff, Bowen* ... then ... Keane? *Take that Big Ten **A nice "have" in case another defender is needed.

So other schools knew commodities prices (oil, ag) were going to tumble, decimate the State budget, and that the Governor would be ordering all State agencies to prepare cuts at 4.05% and 10% levels? Until I see public plans and statements from the remainder of the NDUS schools, I stand by my prior assessment. I hope I'm wrong and they aren't just hoping to slide by, but to this point I haven't seen much to believe otherwise.

Things that look like that on org charts always humor me. They result from having to do something with a person after they've proven "The Peter Principle". I call them "uncle" positions because they are out there like an uncle who doesn't have a family of his own.