PCM

Waste

I wondered what others thought of this claim. I've been to quite a few Sioux football games since I moved to Grand Forks in 1992 and I've never seen anything like this.

From The Minnesota Daily: [url=http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/10/14/65637]North Dakota

I wasn't there to discuss the state of WCHA officiating with him. My job was to ask questions about the game and record his comments. I believe it was in the third period in the Sioux zone. From the press box, Stafford was facing the boards along the right side and had gotten rid of the puck. I don't think was was expecting the hit. I vividly remember it because he went face-first into the glass just above the dasher. He appeared to have a horrified look on his face. It wasn't a viscious hit from behind, but it had the potential to be bad.

As someone who is no fan of WCHA officiating, I have to agree. If obstruction had been called as closely as it was last weekend in Dayton, the Sioux would have been on one continuous power play. Cronin complained about the checking from behind penalty call on Carter Lee. He said he didn't see it, but one of his assistants did and it was "bogus." He said a UND player should have been called for it on Friday night. I didn't see the play where Lee was called for checking from behind, nor did I remember the Friday night Sioux check to which Cronin referred. I do remember seeing Drew Stafford checked from behind on a very dangerous play Saturday night. There was no call on that. While I have no doubt that Cronin was truly upset with the officiating, I find myself wondering if his rant wasn't part of a calculated plan to create greater team unity between the players and coaches -- sort of an "it's us against the world" approach.

Here's the USCHO recap. Greg Cronin obviously isn't a big Bill Mason fan.

All right! The Forum gave the Sioux an extra goal. How can anyone possibly claim that The Forum isn't UND friendly?

I'm usually up late, too.

Virg is the now-retired Sioux hockey reporter. I don't remember him ever taking cheap shots at the Bison. The Gophers, hell yes, but not the Bison.

I want to know if redwing77 is related to Greg Cronin, Northeastern's coach. After my USCHO recap is posted, you'll see why.

Hakstol said after that game that Spirko would be out "several weeks." I talked to Spirko briefly after the game. He wasn't on crutches, but was wearing a knee immobilizer and hobbling around. He didn't want to say much about his injury, other than that it was caused by a two-handed slash. He seemed pretty down about it.

From The News-Gazette: (Champaign-Urbana, Ill.) Win or lose, UI wants off NCAA list

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Here's the USCHO recap of tonight's game. Sioux me.

From the Babson Free Press (Babson College, Mass.): NCAA Against Native American College Mascots Ah, yes, an NCAA tax on American Indian nicknames. Why am I not surprised that such an idea would come out of Massachusetts? But that would require the NCAA to actually acknowledge and understand that some of its members are doing far more than others to help American Indians.

I think this tells us why the NCAA needed the "hostile and abusive" language it chose to use.

The only thing I see in UI's appeal that doesn't apply to UND is the lack of a namesake tribe. Other than that, practically every point UI makes in its appeal could also be used by UND. The point I was trying make with my Navin Johnson reference is that with every new appeal the NCAA grants, it has to give a reason for granting it. And every time the NCAA does that, it finds reasons to give exemptions that just happen NOT to apply to UND. Illinois' exemption (and I have little doubt UI will get it) will have to be different from other previously granted exemptions. At some point, it will become obvious that the NCAA is finding reasons to exempt almost everyone except UND, a university that can also make a very strong case that it's not hostile or abusive. A judge or jury might want to ask the NCAA how it is that it can exempt so many universities for different reasons, but narrow its focus so finely that UND remains ensared by a policy that almost everyone else escapes?

Yes. The UND Hostile Abusers are playing the Northeastern Oppressed Slave Dogs. It should be quite a series!

And that would be fine by me. Heck, if Illinois received its exemption on Monday, that would be even better. The more exemptions the NCAA grants, the more discriminatory the policy appears toward UND. Just think of the NCAA as Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) in The Jerk and UND as the box of Chiclets.

From the News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, Ill.): UI appeals NCAA policy

From the Rockford Register Star: UI appeals NCAA ruling that Chief Illiniwek `hostile and abusive' Now it should get interesting.

This week's Perky Sparko "Vaht?" Award goes to Jim Lipovetz, sports columnist for the Duluth Budgeteer News. Lip is getting excited for the idea of UND having to change its name. Lip needs more information. Lip should ask UMD head hockey coach Scott

Congratulations are in order to Erinn and Dave Hakstol on the birth of their first child, Avery Grace. She was born at 10:04 p.m. Thursday.

Be sure to e-mail a photo to David Hyde at Northeastern.