farce poobah

When all is said and done, I think the freshman class of 2005-2006 will go down in Sioux hockey history as the best single recruiting class ever. Perhaps the best in college hockey history. Of couse, a lot depends on how they finish; let's hang a banner. Four already have appeared in the show, Finley is a lock for some NHL time, and I wouldn't be surprised to see 3-4 more make it in the show (Duncan, Kozek, ...).

I think a key move was splitting Duncan and Vandevelde back in Novemberish ... that made us harder to play against.

Full size. (Too much shot to be edible.) My roommate was pretty creative. Bib overalls, down vest, Air Force parka. He said the worst part was it was cold, it was frozen ... Dead gophers are too small to really make you feel colder ...

I'm Farce Poobah, and I approve this message.

Thanks guys. Yes, that was an x-rated puppet. We had a good time singing to the Bulldogs in the penalty box that weekend. "You've lost that loving feeling", "how much is that doggie in the window", etc.

Like tossing a 3-foot styrofoam puck onto the ice after a Sioux goal. Or tossing a dead goose to celebrate UND's 10th goal of the night in a 10-0 win over CC? (You have to be supremely confident to hang onto that goose waiting for goal #10.) Or the traditional rain of gophers after the first goal of the night. (Some of the old timer Gopher fans here remember their TV and radio guys talking about how it was raining dead gophers.)

Here I thought this was about the Fargo Force. [Cue orchestra] A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, began The Farce. Starting small and green .... It was more fun than should be legal. Well, now that I think about it, some of it wasn't. lol. A lot of really clever, smart people, including a bunch that went on to be engineers, pilots, doctors, lawyers,and ironically enough even law enforcement. The Farce was equal parts: * loud and raucous support for the home team from at least 3 hours before game time to about 3 hours after, and * abusive but rarely profane ridicule of the opponents. For those who don't remember, in the late 1970's you could stand on the front-row seats and put your elbows on the glass. It was easy to converse with the other side during warmups, and referees during the games. This made ridicule pretty easy. For example, did you know that: * Mark Johnson only made the Badgers because his dad was coach? * Neal Broten was only on the Gophers because Herbie wanted to recruit Aaron? * [insert player's name] shouldn't be upset because [insert players sisters name] did [an adult act] with me [give detailed date and place]. Key here was to have details that were real or at least plausible, get him thinking. * Curt Giles didn't need to shave because whiskers slide off his greasy face. * Bill Baker shouldn't be upset because we stole his blowcomb and were holding it for ransom. * Wisconsin's Suter was in the penalty box so much, the Post Office was going to forward his mail there. * If you bang on the glass just as a penalty is ending, and flash a couple flashbulbs in the guys face, sometimes he'll miss the ice when he steps out. * If a Sioux checked a guy into the boards, the Farce would check back. (Think about that one.) It also made advising the referees easy: * You look tired; I'll carry that whistle for you. * I only have five bucks, but I'm wondering how many penalties on [opponent] I can buy. * I know you can see the Sioux, because you just called 3 penalties on us, but can you see the other team? * Time to take the whistle back from your seeing eye dog. * You're missing a good game. Enough stories for now. I think the students today have the same energy and passion for the team, but the way tickets are distributed makes it really difficult to get a big group together.

Free video from ECAC ... including the Yale-Cornell game with real implications for UND's rankings. http://www.ecachockey.com/men/index

The only times its been impossible to get tickets is if its Sioux-Gophers on Saturday night. Any other time - even if its a sellout - getting a scalped ticket is not hard.

Making it perfect for Eaves to start fights with the other coaches after his team gets beat.

I can think of two possible reasons: 1) That's probably where their tickets are. or 2) They would rather not see the game so well.

Yawn - another weekend another backup goalie.

About 5 minutes, still 4-3

I'm thinking what ... 6, 8, maybe 10 Game DQ's ....

Speaking of what if, Minnesota can still win the Macnaughton if they run the table AND a lot of other plausible things happen (UND splits at UW, etc etc). Or, they could finish 8th. Personally, I'd be happy going into Madison in a scenario where the Badgers were eliminated. Getting a split in that building with the title on the line could be really difficult.

Most years, the conference champions in the big conferences are getting at-large bids and are "in" regardless of how they do at the conference tournaments. THIS year, the WCHA final five may get a lot more intense - especially if there's upsets - with a "win or season over" mentality. Given the likelihood that CCHA, Hockey East, and ECAC also may have upset winners, I think you have to be inside #10 to really be comfortable.

I've never seen you and your roommate so I don't know how well you control the puck. UM vs CC looks short on playmaking, I'd agree.

Bachman gives UM some life by taking a nap during a Lucia wrister from the blueline.

I was thinking of a UND game back in the Panzer days where they trailed UMD 2-1 with 30 seconds left, scored once, scored again with 2 seconds left and got the win in regulation. One of the great comeback wins. DU's tonight is one they'll be talking about for a long time too.

2005: Denver got the one bounce, we didn't. 2006: JPar had a bad night. We had the better team. 2007: Pretty even teams. flip a coin. 2008: They were a better team ... My $.02 anyway ...

Probably get flooded with UND fans and crash ...

Math. Why? I am not a hockey coach - but would appreciate the wisdom of those who do. To my layperson's eye, it looks like UND plays very complex, intricate systems in all 3 zones. When perfected, become very difficult to play against, and we see UND dismantle some dang good teams. These combine fast skating, hard hitting, short passes, and an interconnected response among the guys on the ice. But until perfected, until everyone gets on the page, become vulnerable to mistakes. Even Michigan, who also features big fast strong guys with a mean streak, cheered when they didn't have to play "effing North Dakota again" last year. This year, more than most, the four-line depth, with really no drop off from #1 to #4, also makes the team difficult to play against. Combine that with 8 seniors seeking one last legacy to add to the tradition, and a goaltender for whom the game is slowing down, make the likelihood of a good March a good bet.

Since the Gophers aren't going to make it, the 10000 UND fans at the West Regional can fit just fine in the John.

I'll raise you to first star, Jonathan Toews: G and 2A, +3 tonight: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=290214004 And, first star, Jason Blake, 2G: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=290214021

I thought we did a terrific job of adjusting to how the game was called. Mankato didn't. I mean really - we almost totally stopped hitting. About 100 times a Sioux player would normally make the hit, bumpt the guy, they skated by OR just hit the wall next to the Mav player. We backed off, knowing the implications. The few hits we did make were obviously conservative and even there, Sioux guys were holding back. Very impressive restraint and character.