farce poobah

Alice good one. Its 1980 (a strange year for the hockey gods) 3rd period of a close game between archrivals Minnesota and North Dakota. Minnesota is about to go on a 5 on 3 powerplay after a couple dumb Sioux penalties. Which is where home crowd advantage kicks in Someone (I do not know who, but s/he deserves some kind of hall of fame Sioux Award), who may have been sitting with a live chicken for a couple hours, unnoticed (!) in the student section, tosses a live chicken on the ice. The teams are cracking up, there's a decent delay while the ice rink crew chases down and herds the chicken off the ice. I'm not sure whether it was the extra crowd energy, or the distraction wilted the Gophers concentration, but the Sioux killed off the 2 minutes of 5x3. Ah, the good old days.

I can verify the badger sighting, a couple geese and ducks (in season of course). I can also recall a live chicken. Rumors about small beef cattle being tossed are, however, to the best of my recollection, exaggerations.

We, collectively, as fans of Sioux hockey, owe a great measure of tribute to those who got UND Sioux hockey to where it is today. Safe to say there'd be no hockey board on siouxsports.com if not for Cal. (I hope there's a suitable commemoration at the next hockey game at the Ralph - the season opener - on October 22.) Condolences to the entire Marvin family on the passing of a man who truly made a difference.

Eades is an excellent leader, motivator, and has the intensity to make it work. I think if he wants the job, its his.

At Kansas, its Allen Fieldhouse, but the court is named after James Naismith. I think UND hockey should do the same, and name the RINK after Dean Blais. After all, I don't think it would have been built without his contributions. Thanks Coach. Good luck with the 'Jackets. PS. Stop by and see us at the Frozen Four.

Well, you could drive around Grand Forks and dodge potholes, or your could drive around Gopherland and dodge ***holes. Take your pick. OK back to topic ... Not sure its all bad that Sandy has some other work to do in December. [wishful thinking on] Maybe he'll get a little distracted and take his eye off the big Sioux-Dogs series on December 10-11. [/wishful thinking off]

I believe this is the first time that TWO first round picks were UND hockey players. (My memory only goes back to 1977 or so.) Plus all the returning talent, drafted and some not drafted. As a fan, I am still a bit stunned by the rapid rise in the level of talent coming into the program. Facilities have a big role in that (The Ralph) ... including the rehab facilities to deal with injuries quickly and effectively, and the weight room. Only 104 days until the puck drops in Orono.

Oh gosh, where to start. There's so many targets here. First, the author is REALLY frustrated that his beloved Islanders haven't won in a long time. He was a fan when they were winning but now that they are losing, he's not. Second, as a maximum hypocrite, he criticizes the "bandwagon" fans, while describing his personal behavior as exactly the same, while conveniently forgetting to label himself as a hypocrite too. Third, his sole criteria for deciding that hockey is "no longer a major sport" is that the free-TV broadcast rights package went down in value. What a stupid yardstick. And I got news for him - when baseball and NFL and yes college hoops get renegotiated the next time, those numbers are going to decline too. If attendance were going down, then it would be time to conclude NHL popularity was falling. But back to the argument about what's a major sport ... if I were to make an offhand guess, without facts like TV ratings, attendance, and so on, I would say that the NHL is about where it has been (except on Long Island) for some time. They set a long term goal of expanding into the southern USA, and are making some progress... but it will take decades to see if the bet works or not. Last, a prediction - when the Yankees don't win a world title for the next 5 years, we'll see him write in 2008 about how baseball is falling in popularity. Sheesh.

Toronto. They have the world's best goaltender. Belfour gets 3rd shutout of Ottawa

Congrats to Sandelin. Just don't make it a habit, OK? Nice article on Dean and Wendy on INCH, for those who don't get over there often... Link

Post-game press-conference: TEAM USA Coach Dean Blais: "Those Fighting Sioux are one of the most well-coached teams I've ever played against. I would have told my Team USA guys about the Sioux weak spots, but there aren't any."

One final tip of the cap to Zach: After what I'm sure was a disappointing Hobey Baker Award ceremony, and after several media interviews, he signs autographs for several kids, taking time to exchange a few words with each, and even poses for a picture with my two young girls. All the while, Zach is pleasant and an occasional brilliant smile crosses his face. Point being, from his demeanor, you couldn't tell whether he had just won the Hobey or not. Classy guy. Go Zach.

Nice commentary last night by TSN about the Johnsons from Thunder Bay, driving between St Louis to watch their son Ryan and Nashville to watch Greg.

AAnd some of them happen during the NCAA regionals.

Agree, it would have been permanent he## if the Bison had left us in 1993 ....

I think he's better defensively than offensively. I would be surprised if he leads the league in scoring but I would not be surprised to see him be named the league's best defensive forward (Selke) down the line. In today's NHL, stopping the opponent's top line is imperative, and I think Zach can step in quickly and do that.

[primal scream] getting the #1 seed is overrated

NCAA all-time best goals against average, tournament (min 2 games, 100 min): Ken Dryden, Cornell 0.50 Gerry Powers, Denver 0.50 Tim Regan, Boston U 0.50 and Jordan Parise, North Dakota 0.50 Still in progress: Isaac Reichmuth, UMD 0.50 Jordan is in some pretty elite company. Source: ncaasports.com men's ice hockey record book

Yeah, only 29 weeks until we get to see the Sioux-Gophers at the Ralph.

Congratulations UMD! GO! bring home the bacon.

I'll be fine once the numbness wears off ... which may take 2-3 days. I've seen North Dakota Hockey win some great games, and I've seen us lose some tough games. Fortunately, there's an awful lot more on the plus side of the ledger for the last 25 years. As a fan, this one is not nearly as disappointing as Madison '99. Because the effort was there tonight. We skated circles around DU, played near flawless hockey, and did everything well except get it past Berkhoel. We played hard, we played clean, and as a fan I can't ask anything else of my team. ============================================ In retrospect, the season had a lot of memorable moments. I got the joy of seeing dozens of spectacular plays this year, 30 victories (not all in person, I still need the day job), and a team that is prepared and puts terrific effort most every night. Tonight's bitter-tasting final night will over time be replaced by all the other memories of the season, starting with 3rd period rallies against UMD and BC in October, to home sweeps of the Gophers and Dogs, the great road weekend in Duluth, and even last weekend's WCHA Final Five title game vs. the Gophers. This season had a lot of what makes college hockey the greatest sport I know. The constants, through it all, are the poise of these young men, their dedication, and their leaders. As a fan, one other thing that I will long remember about this season are the efforts of some dedicated fans and posters on this board to increase the Fun Quotient in the Ralph with signs. You were terrific. I guess the bottom line for me is I'd rather be a fan of North Dakota Hockey than any other team, and I wouldn't trade my experiences for all the gold in China. Dear Dean and Dear Team - Thanks for a great season.

8 minutes in, we have great legs tonight so far. Bochenko hits the post on a powerplay Sioux going on a second PP

BOTH.

Brady Murray's play reminds me of Doug Smail's rookie year. Fast, good hands, hustle all the time, but not the strength just yet. Smail came back with 5-10 pounds of extra bulk after that first summer, and I expect Brady to get stronger.