NorthDakotaHockey

4-0. Black Bears are big in the news these days. Only right that they turn the thing around for Walsh about eighteen months too late. Where you watching the BC game?

Gophers are getting their clocks cleaned by Maine. 3-0, five minutes left in the second. If Johnson were not standing on his head, the score would be about 5-0. Gophies look pretty lackluster. Building is still largely empty, as home crowd is just getting off work to watch their beloved UNO squad take the ice against Bucky Badger in game 2. At least the Gopher fans will likely be shut up for the first week of the season. Maybe it is those "Shop at Minnesota Mortgage" patches that Lucia has the boys wearing that has them a bit discombobulated.

Just got back to the Twin Cities after the road trip north. It was a great game and win. Here are my three cents, for what they are worth . . . . 1. The size of the crowd, only 10,300, surprised me. I expected a better turnout for the opener. The weather certainly didn't keep anyone away. Maybe there were a few thousand still celebrating the footballer's improbable rally and win over St. Cloud State. 2. The throwback jerseys were real cool. I suspect that they were worn only for this game. It is the style of jersey worn by the Hall of Fame inductee, Mike "Lefty" Curran, a Sioux goalie from the mid-60's. 3. Curran and his son dropped the puck. He deserved a much more rousing ovation. Sadly, many in the building probably had little or no clue of his career. Nonetheless, he is a fine representative of Sioux tradition. 4. Notice the "polar bear" mascot skating around in the throwback jersey, and in the crowd. This really concerns me. Perhaps a subtle way to introduce the new mascot, and name?? 5. Sioux look pretty strong to me. Goals from three lines. They were all particularly impressive in cycling the puck back down toward, and behind, the net in even strength situations. They often looked like they could have been on the powerplay. 6. Duluth has a pretty damned good team, and a heck of a goaltender, helped by the pipe. The score could have easily been 5, or 6, to 2. 7. The fight was a classic. Had a good view. Paluso got his arse kicked. Next time, he should not be so quick to take his mask and helmet off, drop his gloves, and invite some guy to clean his clock. 8. Jordan Parise was admittedly a shade shakey out of the chute, but settled down well. It would be real cool if he solidified into the No. 1 slot, and give Jake some more time to concentrate on his community service. 9. My eleven-year old daughter remains a huge Brandon Bochenski fan. 10. Will the Sioux regular jerseys have the "23" tribute to Ralph again this year? Later. The BC series should be a great one. The season should be a memorable one.

Grand Forks Herald Don't know if I have linked this correctly for all of you fine folk, but the morning Herald reports that the boys elected Andy as Captain yesterday. Check it out. Good article on tonight's game. I think, for what little it is worth, that Andy is a good choice. An older vet. Always a good sign when your captain is a defenseman, eh?

Hey PCM . . . . Now that is funny. Irreverent, yet respectful to Herbie's legacy. Very funny. Alot of thin skins over at the U of M wouldn't think so, mostly because they are still crying over Herbie pushing Zach in the direction of all of the Tradition. Woog is a good guy. Saw him at the Sioux practice for the West Regional. The guy, like me, is not afraid to ask a stupid question.

Can't wait. Here is a stupid question. This game count in the overall record, or is it simply an exhibition game? Obviously, it is not a League standings game, but will it factor overall? We are on the road in the am and will be in our seats in time to yell at some new putz WCHA referee to "DROP THE PUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!" You gotta admit, the WCHA refs make the best game in the world even all the more entertaining.

I've the perfect new name and logo. Had it for years. We will, over our dead bodies, become the "Fighting Sue." The logo will be a big lumberjack-type woman, from Minnesota no doubt, smoking a cigarette and swinging a frying pan.

A ticket to any WCHA game, bar none, is still, in my opinion, the best value for a sport fan's dollar, anywhere, at any level. So, if anyone has any trouble with paying the freight at the Ralph, or at Mariucci, or anywhere else for that matter, you are crying in the wrong forum. Don't wanna pay the Ralph freight? Then load up the car, and hit the road to Duluth, Houghton, Mankato, or Saint Cloud. Tickets in these venues run anywhere from $10 to $22, even less for youngsters. I am sure that the team would love you to take the road trip. There is nothing better than cheering for the visitor in a WCHA arena. With a bit of patience, planning, and perserverance, fans of any team can find their way into any WCHA arena, at a fair and reasonable price. Let's drop the puck, because we are far astray crying about, and responding to those crying about, those things over which we have no control.

Farce. farce, Farce: You wanna go to games in Grand Forks at face value. My posse and I may not be needing all of our tickets for all of our games this year. Get me your e-mail or phone number with an off-line post and I'll keep you in mind. Face value. Of course, no cream-of-the-crop pickings. But you'd be in, and in good seats. One stip. Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood.

I just got some SRO's, in addition to my center ice suite seats, on the Ticketmaster site not more than a day or two ago. Any Gopher fans want to swap a Ralph suite for one of those rodent perches at Mariucci?

Best of luck to Travis Weber in whatever he decides to do. Good for him for making decisions that there are things more important in life than being a member of the Gopher hockey team. Truth be told, he really was just an average to mediocre goaltender who got hot at the right time. I do not recall him really being tested down the stretch. Had mostly comfortable leads. Let in a couple of soft goals that really didn't matter. Didn't do much in the way of spectacular game-saving stops. The Gophers didn't lose a thing when he decided to pull the plug. Their fans know this, but you can be sure they will be crying that things would be different if he were with them after Christmas hits and they are but a middle-of-the-pack player in the conference standings.

So, too, are the LSSU Lakers. Sioux Fan, I cannot wager as I am in rehab for having a bad habit of wagering in my younger days . . . . Unless, of course, you can offer up that queen in your avatar. I'll offer a dumpy fat chick from Minnesota, you offer an Arizona Sun Goddess not over, say, sixty, and we have a deal.

I was at many a UND game in the late 70's and into the early 80's. The Farce were very funny. Very original. Very in the other team's face in a respectful way. Their bicycle Zamboni, a picture of which is on the wall at the Ralph, was classic. Don't know if it was members of The Farce or not, but two of the best things I ever saw out of the students -presumably (remember that there are many young die-hard fans who are not students and who never will be students) - were the volumes of dead gophers hurled on the ice during Gophie games, and the game against, as I recall, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin goalie let in a couple of early goals and all of the sudden, lo and behold, appears a live chicken walking around near the goalie crease. I do not know who was more afraid that night, the chicken who was out of its element, or the Wisconsin goalie who was out of his. The Farce. Original. In your face. Clever. No profanity. No sexism or racism. All the hallmarks of a quality game heckler. Many could take lessons today. The Farce should have made a training video.

Another brave pick of the field.

Can't argue with Lucia's success, now that he has weened the Gopher fans off of their "Minnesota kids" hockey arrogance and recruited North Dakotans and foreigners to carry them to the top. I will argue with Lucia appearing on local TV to shill Minnesota Mortgage Company, with maroon and gold business colors, and claim that Minnesota Mortgage is Number 1 while he stands near the two NCAA Championship trophies. Absolutely without class. I cannot believe that the University, or the NCAA, would even allow him to line his own pocket with the trinkets of amatuer success. Lucia is focused on his own agenda. If Minnesota Mortgage can buy him, he can't be very focused. If he's not focused, his players are not either. The Gophers' ride ends this year. Of that there is no doubt. Of course, these are just my opinions, and we all know what opinions are like, seeing how everyone has one.

Yet another example, and argument, in favor of conceal and carry laws.

Ned Harkness as Number 5!!! Remember when that snake oil salesman was about to come to North Dakota in the late 70's, after Rube Bjorkman "stepped down" after a less than stellar career? Harkness was everyone's fair-haired boy, and then the Administration promoted Gino to the post. Virg Foss, as I recall, went nuts. Well, thank God someone saw through Ned's bs, and put us on the road to glory with Gino and his great teams from the late 70's and throughout the 80's. Harkness? Doug Woog was a better coach. No?

Has anyone ever made the trek to Michigan Tech? I spoke with their ticket office yesterday, and they still have scads of tickets for the Sioux-Huskie series on January 16-17. I am thinking about loading the car with my kids and going. Anyone been there? Anyone know if that weekend is Tech's legendary Winter Carnival weekend? By the way, there are still good seats in Saint Cloud for the Huskie series on January 2-3. What the heck. It's never bad being on the road rooting for the Sioux. We are going to make the trek to Michigan Tech. See you there.

You a Gopher fan Murphy? If so, I am looking for some Mariucci tickets for the Sioux-Gophers. I'd consider a game for game swap on four. I.e., I give you four for the Friday game in North Dakota, you give me four for the Friday game in Nippleapolis.

Not to change topics once, but I am haunted. Anyone know who that woman on the Jimmy Kimmel Show Friday night is? The one to whom Mike Tyson sang serenades and got on bended knee during an earlier show. Please advise. Let's Go Sioux!!

Tickets for Sioux-St. Cloud State at the Concrete Center, aka National Sports Center, are now on sale through Ticketmaster. January 2-3 series. Always a good time pulling for the Sioux in that building. Badger games in the Kohl Center go on sale around October 3. UMD puts theirs up on October 1. No word on the Mighty Mavericks from MSU-Mankato. The defending National Chumps, er, Champs, hold their info close to the vest. Finally there are Gopher hockey fans again. Gotta love those fairweathers. Last year's West Regionals, in their own building, couldn't even fill the building to send their boys off to Buffalo. Of course, I am somewhat bitter, holding a handful of tickets that I had cornered for Sioux fans, expecting a Sioux-Gopher clash for the right to go to the Frozen Four. But then there was Ferris . . . . I ate more than a handful, but still had a good time listening to 9,000 sphincters slamming shut everytime Ferris pulled to within two goals. Hilarious.

Hey Sioux Fan in Phoenix . . . . That you in the red bikini? I always said that women Sioux fans are some of the finest looking women in the world, but you may take the bar to new heights. Sioux fan since '72. Cool. Member Rick Zapernick?

Ranfranz, Ranfranz, he's our man. At least until his goals allowed average goes over six, and his save percentage dips under .680. It will be a season of rotating goaltenders. Achilles heal, perhaps, again. Of course, if we can put the puck in the net more than 2 or 3 times a game, the goaltending woes will not seem so glaring.

Thanks Dagies. Got it. Just as my prediction warranted. Of course, a prediction ain't really a prediction when you know the answer too.

I mean, disposition. Sentence? Fine? Restitution? Pleading guilty, without more information, tells us little more than what we already know. His hand was in the cookie jar. How did the court treat him from there?