mikejm

Matt Becker is a hard nosed kid who plays tough all the time. Yes, his dad, Brad, played @ UND '73-'77, then spent time with Rangers and Caps systems. He was on a yo-yo with the Rangers between Madison Square Garden and their top farm club. He told me a story one time about the first time he came into Manhattan on the train. He got off and asked a porter how to get to Madison Square Garden. (No, the guy didn't say, "practice, practice, practice." That's Carnegie Hall.) The guy told Brad to take the escalator up two levels...the train station is (or was) right underneath the Garden. Matt's older brother Bryan is playing with Billings in NAHL. 27 points in 50 games, and is committed to Air Force. Their grandfather is Willard Ikola...Edina coach extraordinaire.

Regular season stats from WCHA (conference games only) Goals Against Average: Minutes GA GAA 1 Bernd Br

yes, indeed, that is the MacNaughton Cup. But the nursing home visit will do you little good. The WCHA won't let me near it anymore. Seems my drooling was tarnishing the finish.

I think Ballard is the Randy Moss of the Goofies: he is dangerous as h*ll when he's on; but he can stink the place up pretty righteously when he's off. He seems to have a real split personality in that he makes some of the most boneheaded mistakes I've ever seen at this level. But just when I start wondering what he's doing out there, he rifles that shot. He needs to do something to keep himself focused.

don't forget his assistant: Rick Wilson

Coach told me a funny story during lunch: Seems they had four cases of champagne on ice waiting for the team to clinch the Cup: two alcolholic (stored in the equipment room for coaches, wives, etc.) and two alcohol-free in the locker room for the guys. Dean said they're just going to spray it all over the place, and a lot of them are under age, so why give them the good stuff? So the boys evidently did as expected, spraying their bottles of (unbeknownst to them) alcohol-free champagne all over, but saving a little in the bottom of each bottle to pour into the Cup to then drink. It wasn't until almost all the team had poured their "leftovers" into the Cup that one of them finally noticed the "Non-Alcoholic" verbage on the label. The coaches evidently had a good laugh over that. Coach said it's just what he needs to be going all over town, that his boys were getting trashed in the locker room, with another game to play the next day, underage, etc. Dean certainly was in a good mood today.

I guess I had that coming...as in, "from one geriatric to another".

Really 'preciate the photo PCM, but did ya hafta lay the title right over top of my head?

Right there is the problem. You are NOT being asked to abide by a different or separate set of rules. We ALL got the two-sided letter. We ALL have been asked time after time after to time to act like human beings and treat one another with respect; to use appropriate language, to stand when it is appropriate, etc. This thing won't be solved into you figure out this isn't about the administration, or the season ticket holders or the management at Ralph Englestad Arena picking on students. It's about how we ALL conduct ourselves. If we ALL work together to solve this it'll get done.

I simply don't buy this nonsense... "could care less about the game"? As I've said before, there are several times during the season when I share my season tickets with a business associate or client. But there has never been a time when my seats were occupied by someone who doesn't care about the game. Those seats cost me way too much money (about $35 per seat per game) to waste on someone who won't enjoy the action. An arena of any type is hardly the place to "conduct business". I sell things for a living. Have you ever tried to make a sales pitch in an environment with a band playing, cheerleaders beside you, a VERY loud public address system blaring away, etc.? I don't care how "dead" the crowd is, a hockey arena is not conducive to closing a sale. Now, if you said the suite holders are doing business I'd give you some credit; but considering the relatively small number of people inside the suites compared to the Ralph's capacity, I think that argument holds little water as well. There ARE things that can be changed to make the atmosphere louder and more "intimidating" to visiting teams. Hoping that 11,000 voices are going to join in obscene chants isn't going to happen, so if that is your goal, please move on to Plan B. One thing that always bothers me is that almost without fail, when the scoreboard and/or facia urges people to stand up and cheer and get loud (the loud meter?) it is during a TV timeout. Talk about a buzz-kill! How can anyone expect a crowd to sustain any sort of excitement or cheer for over a minute with nothing to cheer about except the cheer itself? The folks who run the scoreboard need to know when a TV timeout is imminent and not try to stir the crowd into a frenzy until almost the end of the "red light". I'm going to resort to something I wrote on a related topic a week or so ago: if atmosphere is defined by 11,000 voices raised in a cheer, make it clean and easy. How 'bout something as simple as: (picture in your mind's ear the crowd at Lake Placid, 1980, USA vs. Russia:) "UND ... UND ... UND ... UND" As to your comment about the advertising turning off "real" hockey fans: if they were such true and diehard students of the game, the advertising wouldn't distract them at all.

Whoa people. Why all the sad sacks? Yes, Saturday's game was sort of a bummer, and the crowd showed only glimmers of life. But watching CC put the neutral zone trap on the Sioux made it about the most boring college hockey games I've ever seen (31 years and counting!). It was just flat-out a crummy game to watch; kinda like an NHL game. But the Sioux, as noted elsewhere in this topic, still hold onto the No. 1 spot in both Pairwise and RPI, and No. 2 in KRACH. The NCAAs are in the future, the only question is a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed. Look what's in the near future: Mankato: sure we were swept there last year, but these are two vastly different teams than 12 months ago, and both lean to the Sioux's favor. Duluth is rolling, but they'll play a game the Sioux can win: not a clutch and grab trapping style, but a skating clinic. I'll say Sioux take 3 points in the DECC. Then Tech to close the regular season. That looks like 5-0-1 or 5-1-0. The boys skated well last night; there was frustration that the puck didn't go in the net, and the game got quite chippy. But they skated well. JPar got beat twice, and the defense hung him out to dry twice (Come on Lee, you can do better!). I don't see a need for panic, and I don't disagree with Blais' post-game comments: they can still win the WCHA.

POI has a link to a "cheers" page. The "official" UoM school songs link is also there. I don't agree with some of their featured cheers but perhaps its a way to get things started. http://prideonice.com/cheers.php

I'm having a hard time parsing this statement: by using profane cheers you are "trying to change the degree of negativity"? Huh?

I fail to see how profanity adds one iota of positive to the "atmosphere".

Amen

This is an exceptional hockey team that can, and should go deep, deep into the NCAAs. Championship team? Maybe. A one-and-done playoff exposes any team to the vagaries of the game: run into a hot goaltender and I don't care how good you are, it's going to be tough sledding. I think writing off the Goofies is dangerous. And I think overlooking Duluth is Pollyanna-ish. There are at least three teams in the WCHA alone who are capable of winning it all this year; maybe more if a goalie or a goal-scorer gets in the zone. But the one-and-done format can help the Sioux as much as any other team. Look at the Saturday scores since Christmas: teams make adjustments after getting pushed around and skated around for 60 minutes on Friday and all of a sudden the game is on. I'd take the Sioux one-and-done against anyone right now. Jake and JPar had off nights last weekend; that probably won't happen again. A soft Regional pairing will just add frosting to the cake. (Cupcakes anyone?)

A couple of observations:

So, now that we've all had time to panic and rant and predict the coming of the anti-christ, let's all take a deep breath and find positives from the trip to Madison: 1. Team-wise, the Sioux probably played their best overall game since Christmas. I don't buy that anyone was dogging or didn't show up. Sioux got beat by one incredible goalie Saturday. (Friday wasn't that different than any Saturday night game for the last two months.) The fact that the Sioux haven't had their hats handed to them some night before this weekend I think has hidden some of the undisciplined and under-enthusiastic play I've seen. Saturday, just listening to the radio call, it sounded like the spring was back in their steps and the fire re-lit. 2. The losses took the Number 1 target off the boys' backs. Should allow them to un-tighten certan parts of their anatomies and play fluid, short-passing, aggressive hockey that's been missing for quite awhile. 3. Did you look at Pairwise, KRACH and RPI? Sioux are still No. 1 in each. 4. This weekend gives a nice chance to bounce back, a home series against a team that is clearly struggling. The weekend after that go to Mankato and take care of business. Duluth is a concern, but hey, no body ever said this was going to be easy. Yes losing two to the BADgers is a set-back but for cryin' out loud it is hardly the end of the world, nor is it the start of a slide. I, for one, think the losses will prove beneficial to this still very young team.

How does UND (and whoever is hiring these people) keep coming up with such limp-wristed panty waists? I really thought Kendall Baker was the worst possible president, but after he's run out of town, along comes Uncle Chuck who is apparently cut from the same cloth. No one is (nor should) make excuses for racially-motivated or slanted chants, etc. by anyone, but Kupchella has a stick pushed so far up a southern bodily orfice about athletics that I'm surprised his next crusade isn't to move the Sioux DOWN in NCAA division, rather than up ala 'SU. This is the same guy who is pushing for the lofty ACT scores as entry requirements. It would be too much to ask to have Clifford back in the saddle. I imagine the tea and crumpets crowd in Grand Forks is happy with an intellectual like Kupchella, and would fight like the dickens to keep out a "people's president" like Clifford.

This just in from Commissioner McLeod's office: (an actual reply to my beef concerning the UND-UAA officiating) First, let me apologize for this generic response to your email. I would normally like to respond to each one of you individually, but in this case that would have been very difficult. Also, this way I can respond on behalf of the various people copied on the different messages. Secondly, I want to thank each of you for caring enough about Sioux, WCHA and collegiate hockey to take the time and effort to voice your concerns. Let me say that while I do not wish to debate some of the specific allegations and the degree of concerns you should or should not have, we here at the WCHA share some of your concerns in regard to these trends in hockey and in particular collegiate hockey. In fact at recent meetings, January 11, materials were distributed to raise the awareness level of these concerns and our officiating program was discussed. In addition our Supervisor of Officials, Greg Shepherd, who was at the UND - UAA game on Saturday night and myself have reviewed the game tapes. Greg has followed up with both the game officials involved and all of our head officials with our thoughts. More long term, we are formulating an action plan to include all pertinent entities to put together the most effective way to collectively combat our concerns. Now, let me tell you that getting this collegiate hockey community on the same page, is not an easy task. But as a person who has been involved with the WCHA and collegiate hockey for thirty plus years I feel I have as high a stake in this league and sport as anyone and can assure you that your concerns are taken to heart and are shared. Once again, thanks for your concern and for your support of the WCHA. Best Regards, Bruce McLeod Commissioner Carol LaBelle Western Collegiate Hockey Association/College Hockey America Assistant Commissioner 303-871-4491 2190 S. High Street Denver, CO 80210 Anything here give us a hope for improvement?

Interesting tidbit from Devils GM: Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said top 2003 draft pick Zach Parise, who was MVP at the world junior championships in Finland, would be staying at the University of North Dakota until the college hockey season is over in March. And then? "The college rule is a player has to request (a contract offer) from the team," Lamoriello said. "We'd make that judgment (whether to sign Parise) at that time. That's not something in our mind that we're thinking of." (here's the whole story) http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?...49440322860.xml

I spoke with Coach Blais for a little bit after Booster meeting and he is VERY concerned about both the ACT thing and Zach being lured to the NHL. I asked him if the Devils would invest $1,000,000 just to have Zach come in late this year for a playoff run, even if they thought the 04-05 NHL season would be cancelled. He thinks the Devils would do so in a heartbeat. He asked a friend of mine, who is quite wired in the NHL, to come talk to the boys about the chances of the CBA thing shutting down the NHL next year. It seems Coach is taking this threat very seriously. As to the ACT standards: there are over 400 student athletes on campus at UND right now. If the 22 score standard had been in place, Blais said something like only 50 to 75 athletes would be in school. This is not a proposal; Coach said it is a done deal that the administration is putting in place. The only hope is for a student/athlete waiver or something similar. Might be time to crank up the emails to President Kupchella. c.kupchella@mail.UND.nodak.edu

Hate to jinx anything, but don't forget to hop over to Hobeybaker.com and cast your ballot for your favorite Fighting Sioux skater. BTW a certain Sioux forward (initials BB) is in second place as of this morning.

Mason's never impressed me as a referee who paid a lot of attention to what's going on on the ice, but this weekend was absolutely horrible. Some of the calls he made were really questionable, and a lot of very obvious infractions were overlooked. And I'm not just being a homer here; they were going both ways. Two questions: Is Mason the worst ref in the league? and what will it take to get better officiating in the WCHA?