farce poobah

28 seconds in and the Gophers lead the Irish. Game on NBCSN.

I’m imagining the brackets if hockey used smoke filled rooms. West: UND, DU, UMD, Minnesota State Midwest: Penn State, Michigan State, AIC, Robert Morris. Northeast: BC, UMass , Providence, Harvard. East: Cornell, Clarkson, Quinnipiac, BU. I count my Pairwise blessings every day this time of year.

Windchill minus 40? Just means all the little kids are at home and the outdoor rinks have more room for big kid games.

Basically we are selling away our home ice advantage- and frustrating the fan base - for a few advertising dollars. Compromise proposal: stop commercial interruptions during Period 3.

And it continued with Paul "Whiplash" Butters. (Yeah we brought him a neck brace to the Saturday game after he gave up a bunch on Friday.)

Well, they do like to replay games they won.

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/stats/ Leading the nation in goals, but only 17th in shots means a clear #1 in shooting percentage of 13.5%. I'm still perplexed - thrilled but perplexed - about why the incredible rebound from last year's 7.8% (#50 or so in the nation).

When the score hit 8-0 last night, I started having a flashback to another blowout vs CC, from the 79-80 season. A friend of mine had been goose hunting earlier in the day (month?), and it was unsuitable for consumption. So it became a candidate for a post-goal celebration. He smuggled it into the game, wearing bib overalls, and strapped it to his back, under a down jacket. Of course he was frisked, as we regularly were, but somehow he and the goose passed in. Early in the first period, the Sioux scored. He decided to wait. Then another goal, and he waited again. And again and again. At 6-0 he said he was waiting for 10. True to form, the Sioux got the 10th goal, and the goose floated out. Gracefully with wings extended. It slid to a stop a couple of feet in front of the beleaguered CC goalie. He was probably happy not to have to make a save on it. The Old Ralph was perfect for hockey, back in the day.

With the win, Gophers are now one point out of first place in the Big Ten.

Upset alert: Wade Allison has scored but Western trails Omaha 2-1 after two.

As of this moment, we've all played 15 games. (Be careful not to double count shootouts.)

Western Michigan looking like an NCAA Tournament team tonight. All over Omaha. 3-0 after two.

Upset watch: Quinnipiac 3, Cornell 0. early 2nd period.

If there's still time to take Kierstad out of your fantasy team, it seems like a good idea. Bummer, though: https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/hockey/4888738-UND-may-be-without-back-to-back-NCHC-defenseman-of-the-week-against-Colorado-College

Who stands to benefit from framing a UND hockey player? Colorado College. Who knows UND well enough to do the framing? I suspect Chris Wilkie. * * with no evidence whatsoever.

Speaking of hockey down south, is there any possibility of UND / NCHC hosting a Frozen Four in Nashville? Hmmmm.

Well, Athens, Georgia is a few hundred miles west of Allentown, PA.

I wish Michaud was wearing a mike this weekend.

If there was ever a weekend to stay out of the box, this one is it. UMD PP cruising along at 27%. As long as it is 5x5 hockey I like our odds of winning.

Makes me appreciate even more the excellence of the CBS Sports Pair of Holden and Starman.

"Gray business suits?"

As a tie-breaker for conference championship and playoff seeding, I like shootouts better than what we used to use (and which are still backup tiebreakers). Goal difference, total goals in head to head games, etc.

Meanwhile, that Wisconsin team with all the first rounders gets crushed by Michigan State 0-4 .

The NCHC meat grinder tonight - all three of our Pairwise top ten teams failed to win against teams In the bottom half of the league. Omaha 1 Denver 1 SCSu 2-1 over UMD and UND -Miami. it’s never easy.

Credit to Bergeron for not whining about a call that didn’t go his way.