NorthDakotaHockey

Great news for these chaps. Particularly for TJ, as he triumphantly returns to near the playgrounds of his youth to skate in front of many friends and family for the USA in a world tournament. Congratulations to all of the boys on the roster. Book your airfare now.

Skippy isn't going to have too much to crow about this week after the absolutely pathetic and uninspired performance their boys put in against Wisconsin. Rumor has it that Kesshole is looking into the possibility of a transfer to Madison after realizing the very huge mistake he made at his press conference. At the post game handshake, one could clearly see Earl, and others, giving Phil a couple of well-deserved digs about how lousy the Gophers were over the weekend, and that it would be too bad that he would not be with them in Milwaukee.

I think that they will in fact be 26-0-2.

Great weekend for the Sioux. And the Badgers. And a handful of other teams from around the country. I had the pleasure of being in The John last night. Moved into some seats just off the blue line well within shouting distance of Lucy and his boys. I suspect that they have been skating lines for about two hours right about now. With a few more hours to come. Wisconsin is damned solid. If they have the heads and the hearts, they are near sure fire to be in Milwaukee. Look for and buy your Frozen Four tickets now. I wore my prized Sioux jacket to the The John. Was very neutral and respectful to both teams most of the night. I sure wasn't going to cheer for either team so I did a little riding of both. Got to ride Kessel, Lucia, Harrington, Irmen, Zelkin, and yet another Shepherd in a civilly harsh and reasoned way. Earl as well. Got to give Kessel flak for making the "wrong decision." I also got to try and lead the Minnesota fans in their beloved Rouser at the end of the second period when their boys were down 4-0. Jeez. It was mighty quiet in that building. I could hardly get any of them to join me in spelling out their name. I have never had so much fun with the Rouser. Super Pout City in The John. The Gophers will be locked and loaded for The Ralph. It's gonna be a great series. Of course, people were saying that about the Badgers-Gophers and that one turned out to be a yawner near all weekend long.

Watch for the line of State Troopers trumpeting my arrival coming up I-29 at around 6 pm Friday evening. I am planning to attend the activities on Saturday. See you then, the Good Lord willing.

That's a big 10-4. As good as this team is, with a great chance of becoming much better, there is a real chance that the Sioux could be on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs against a solid squad. These four points could, at the end of the season, be the difference between Sioux folks packing their bags and going on the road, or dining at da Moon, or da Pepper come mid-March.

Sheesh. Nobody ever said anything about there being lieyers, er, I mean, lawyers, hovering around these pages.

Harvard. Isn't that where Oliver Calaveri played in the early 70's while he was courting that hag from south of town? Best movie ever, maybe. Harvard. They also took the Gophers out of the old St. Paul Civic Center in a NC not too many years ago. They will potentially give the Sioux a mild to reasonably solid run early, then they will realize that they are on the campus of a North Dakota institution of higher learning. Sioux sweep for what may then be their ninth win in a row. It's no Subway Classic, but it'll be a damned good and entertaining series.

Damn Straight there WiseOne. Karma is a strange and sometimes wonderful thing. The Badgers will have a great regular season, and then take an early exit in the post season. Who was the CC player?

The Goophie-Woofie game tonight is the CSTV Friday Night Game of the Week. Available, I believe, largely, if not only, on CSTV. No FSN coverage tonight.

Now this is funny . . . .

There are, perhaps, only a few things better in this world than a road trip to Michigan Tech University for a WCHA series with the Sioux. If there is no fan bus, make the drive. You will not regret it. Hopefully someday again soon the Sioux will be on the schedule for Winter Carnival Weekend.

Dam Strait we are excited. Only wish that we could be in the arena tonight. The Ralph oughta be Rocking. The UMD-Goofie tilt ought to be a ton of fun as well. The only thing that comes close to beating a Friday night in the WCHA is a Saturday night in the WCHA, with a tie or a one-goal game with ten minutes to go.

Based on early season performance to date, perhaps you are putting the cart before the horse here Sagard. Maybe after some better efforts by the boys in the brown and yellow than those that have been displayed so far you can begin fantasizing about seeing the Gophers at The Ralph come end of March. There have been huge flops by teams in sport ever since the dawn of sport. Unless Lucia starts having the boys working on some passing drills, and grinding in the corners, it could be a long long season and a really short post season for your boys. Of course, it is way too early to speculate about most anything. Of course the majority of a Ralph crowd will cheer mightily against the Gophers. In my opinion, there is really little to nothing to like about them, their attitudes, or their program.

The Source is a force of course because he is a horse that carries the tradition of Sioux hockey on his sleeve, on his walls, and in his heart. The Source is a force, of course, except when he is too full up with that clear firewater he is prone to consume from time to time. Thanks Source. I'll be looking for the next one.

You live in GF, or elsewhere, RedDog? I mean, RedFrog. I might have some show up. No promises, but you will be on the top of the list. In the meantime, keep searching obviously.

YYtrium . . . . Er, I mean Tittyium . . . . It'll be on at Sensor's. Both places. It'll be on at my place too. If you are without a car, or with no one else in town, let me know and I will pick you up. You can either be my guest on a solid screen, or we will go to Sensor's for the drop. Least I can do after your good will on Saturday. Any youth hockey coach has got my support. Me? A Cub Scout Leader. Born and bred.

A split against the b2b defending champs playing with a freshman-laden team early in the season? At home? Playing with some mistakes that will be corrected with time, over time? I'll take it. Some are lamenting the lopsided loss and the behavior of some of our boys in the last minutes of the Saturday game. Here are my ten cents . . . . 1. Some losses are good losses. Great lesson providers. As I said after the McFadden, this team will present the staff with many "coachable moments." The old adage of going hard, every shift, both nights, to claim a sweep in the WCHA is a lesson well learned. 2. It was Denver, not North Dakota, who conducted themselves poorly. Really mouthy. Mannino could be seen telling Stafford during the post game handshake "Man, you guys really suck." Is that really a time to get up on someone, after the game is over? Gwozdicky saw the exchange and did not say a word to Mannino, at least not then. I'd bet good money not ever. Class comes from the coach on down. I am not sure that Gwoz has much class, especially judging from his taste in dress. 3. Paukovich was mighty friendly to the referees after the post game handshake. For some reason, he did not want to try to navigate his way through Sioux players on his way to the lockerroom. He hung around jawing with Freeman and Shepard. Priceless. Then, we he gets his chance to hit the gate, he spends his last moments on the ice jawing over to the Sioux bench. A classic case of a cowardly bully hiding behind his momma's skirt. Or should I say Shepard's skirt, no slam intended to the many fine women on this board. 4. Good thing the Sioux footballers lost. Better Saturday than down the road. Let them get a taste of that ugliness called defeat. Same holds true with our youngsters on the ice. 5. Marvin and Prpich are studs. Whoever thinks that they should have not stood up to the Denver BS, on our home ice, in front of kids learning about pride, honor, and tradition both on and off the ice, should rethink their thinking. Prpich and Marvin were not instigators. They were defenders. Lucky for the Pioneers, the refs got in the way. This only after Shepard took the late period telephone call from his daddy. 6. Lammy had a tough game. Needs to maybe stay up a bit more on his feet. That said, the game was alot closer than the final score indicates. 7. That new AD, Tom Buning, appears to be a right good fan. 8. The fans are starting to get it, a bit more and more. Maybe the game is no longer the social event that it once was, and the more knowledgeable and rabid fans are finally getting more seats in the building. 9. The new PA guy is solid, and will only get better. 10. Virg Foss should have received a standing ovation, rather than a smattering of applause.

Someone in the know was telling me over the weekend about some High School Tournament TV video. I think from this past season. A TV camera in the locker room caught TJ bouncing and balancing a ball on the blade of his stick, then running it up and down the shaft of the stick as if the ball was on a track. He tossed the ball into the air, circled the blade of his stick around the ball four or five times, and then caught the ball on the blade. All of this while teammates were playfully throwing things at him to distract him. No distracto. He then flipped the ball into the air, took a slapshot at it, and knocked the ball right out of the arena, clear over the river, and into the path of jets landing at the HHH International. Some say the ball made a blip on the radar screen. I kid you not. Perhaps some of you saw it. Oshie is a pleasure to watch. He will soon become, if he is not already, a kid who will lead by example rather than by his mouth. Based on early returns, I would not trade him, or a large handful of other Sioux freshmen, for any of the other so-called "prize" recruits in the league. TJ is far more than a blip on the radar. He is the real deal.

S*%KS!! Weighing in at 370 pounds, from Roseville, Minnesota, the former heavyweight champion of the world . . . .

I guess that I was wrong. Or at least mistaken. The Source, of course, now reports that it will be Finley, not Prpich, who will be the Pauk Clock Cleaner. Friday night. Not down by the river, but at an arena near you. Prpich will be in the on-deck circle just in case. I think that we shall be in our seats for warm-ups, just in case, and for every minute of action.

See The Proverb of the Early Bird and the Worm. The tickets will go to good use, and Uncle Rico may get a chance to quench a thirst in the process. We got lucky. Now, I hope to get lucky too. Thanks again Rico.

Hey Uncle Rico. We are making the drive. If my son does not come along, I know a 23-year old former student in GF who is rabid about Sioux hockey and would love to go to the games. He simply cannot afford tickets very often. He might not sit in the seat, as he would probably look to get down near the ice with the students. He was a minor legend near the penalty box a few years back. I could court huge favor with his momma. If not him, I've a brother-in-law in Fargo who always loves to go. An Italian guy working on learning the game. I am not sure, but I do not think that any of the other posters have bitten. If not, we'll take 'em. Early bird gets the worm, eh? You are a fine, kind, and generous man. Not to mention pretty good looking from the likes of that avatar. Have I seen you living in a van down by the river?

Probably not very hard. Yet. Go on Ticketmaster.com or call them. They will tee you up with what is available, for a large fee of course.

Too funny. Somehow, I knew that a mild dig in the direction of his belittled rodents would flush TC transplant out from the cool dirt in which he lays underneath his plywood board somewhere in the fantasy world of Goofieville. TC transplant is way too predictable in his way. A 39-18 advantage in shots, yes. Quality chances, hardly. The Gophers, being unwilling to crash hard to the nets, were getting most of their shots off from circle or above, with easy glove saves by the Big Red goalie. They were lucky to escape with that win. Of course, I am glad that they did, because then we all had a chance to watch their complete dismantling in Columbus two weeks later.