burd

You can tell Badgers have some speed. We haven't dealt with much of that this year.

Back "in the day" a buddy of mine would find a dead badger (road kill), freeze it in a cross position. He would then duct tape it to his back under his coat and smuggle them in. He got caught once. The students were down low up against the glass in the old Ralph and getting it out and in the air when the students were all standing for cover was a little easier. The dead gophers were actually more fun because they would slide further on the ice, and of course they would usually throw them after a goal and try to get them to slide up to the goalie.

I hope we can keep Bucky off the board for at least a period. Despite their recent woes, this is Wisconsin, and this game will have a higher tension level than they have had so far this year. Rather not see H get rattled early. Once he settles into the game, I think he'll be solid.

I think most of us agree this was an unjustified suspension. And most of us probably also agree that it is too bad some of the clean, heavy hitting in the game is being outlawed. And that is interesting discussion for winter meetings and whatever seasonal meetings the heads of officials have. But the real issue on the ground for our guys is how you play smart so those officiating decisions do not increase the chance that they will lose. As fast as this game is played, and with the current enforcement goals of protecting players, that hit will get you the box every single time. Wrong call upon slow motion review? Probably. But the penalty will be called and everybody knows it. And nobody can act surprised that Cags got the dressing room for it either, right or wrong. What counts is not whether the call was justified but how the players adjust to an environment they all know exists. This team is good. They have speed and skill up and down the lineup, great defense, and some snipers. They need to play physical but smart, and that hit, while legit, was not particularly smart IMO.

Doesn't hurt that he played in the NCAA Championship game in which the Sioux beat his team.

The point is if you hit someone like that, you stand a very good chance of getting the result he got. It's a fast moving game, but players (and us fans) just have to keep that in mind.

Brock and Travis score 2 of 3 goals scored in Devs/Islanders game. Second and third stars

Wilbur?

Is there a college or pro rink this side of the pond that sells lefse? No doubt the moms in a town rink like Melita or Deloraine probably do from time to time.

What goes around comes around..

Dam, that's interesting. Good bloodlines. Watched that game in a nearly empty bar in Onalaska, WI. The water bottle incident was still pretty fresh in Wiscovites' minds then, but it was surprising how many had enough respect for the Sioux to root for them.

I don't recall them ever starting the season with this weak a schedule, either. They have basically been playing cellar-dwellers, and it will continue this weekend. But you did point that out. But as they say, any team can win on any given night, and they have been taking care of business. But we won't really know what we have until we start playing some top teams.

Well now, dagies, that explains a few things.

No kidding--I would never touch the stuff, and I'm all norsky. But hey, the name Ludvig Hoff sounds like at least one german jumped the fence and swam to Norway at some point.

My god, sprig, you misspelled lutefisk. Uff-da. I hope this doesn't mean you're a swede

Here's a thought. I recall Herb Brooks saying in Miracle that did not pick Craig because he was the most consistent goalie; he picked him because he had the top end potential to be the lights-out goalie they needed to beat the Soviets. That may have been nothing more than Hollywood screenwriting, but that's what I recall. Zane was much more solid in his positioning than either H or Cam, and he was one of the best UND has ever had, but he did have a tendency to get beat for a goal or two. Maybe H, with some game-speed experience and development, can use his quickness and his glove to offer something like Craig. We know he has toughness and a strong will. A girl can dream anyway . . .

I'm as pumped up as anybody about these guys, but I hope people don't start voicing frustration if they are less successful against better opponents. The teams they've faced so far have been plain bad.

Not only do we have some snipers in this bunch, we have at least one more possession guy in Boeser (in addition to NS). Time and space will get shorter for them real quick after UW, but these guys can really maintain possession in the O zone.

A valid point, but every coach loves it when the players are pushing each other with their play, not the coaches. This ultra soft schedule may have been just what this team needed with all the young players and the goalie injuries. Things will get real pretty fast, and with what happened to other NCHC teams this weekend out east, we can't become self-satisfied even if we keep winning in conference.

Jboy, I give you credit because you admitted early on that you know little about college hockey. The candor was appreciated. And being new to the game is just fine--a person certainly doesn't have to be an expert to enjoy the game. But you might get more out of this if you try a little less hard to be a smartazz about hockey. It's your choice of course, but you will probably enjoy it more if you're in it for the hockey. .

He controlled rebounds well last night and showed some quickness. With some game-speed development, we might have ourselves another legit goalie. The real test is ahead, but for me, knowing now what kind of kid this is and seeing how he came back so strong from such a shaky start, I'm really pulling for him.

I don't know if you would say he passed anyone, but as long as he's earning his spot by winning you leave him in.

It's tough to see this at CC. Very proud program with a very small enrollment. They've had some high power offenses in the past. Must be hard times for CC fans.

Pretty hard to do anything but compliment H for what he has done in net. You really do have to give him a pass on the first several shots he faced in his career. After that, he has delivered.

This from a guy who admits he knows nothing about hockey.