Godsmack

Good point Red Wing. What the Sioux did on their PP tonight was cycle down low with the forward then dishing the puck off to the Sioux defenseman who would be skating in down low along the boards. He would then carry the puck in from the side and skate around behind the Wisconsin net, looking for a forward to pass to in front of the net. During this time, presumably the forward would have dropped back to the point to cover the vacant point but once the Sioux defenseman had circled behind the net, the Sioux forward would leave the point and charge into the slot hoping for a pass from the D-man. From there, Wisconsin would either intercept the pass or break up the play and then go off to the races on an odd man rush. This happened on several occasions and the Sioux are lucky they only gave up 2 short-handed goals tonight.

I too went to the games this weekend. The Sioux certainly brought intensity tonight but they failed in execution, starting with the 5 minute power play. They just couldn't get it together with several off sides, an icing and just inability to make clean passes. The two shorties that Stephan got were due to odd man rushes that the Sioux gave up on the power play. Frankly, they were lucky they only gave up two short handed goals as Wisconsin had a couple of other good opportunities while killing penalties. I think Eidsness was back too far in his crease on the first short-handed goal as well as he gave up the far side, which is where Stephan put the first of his two goals. The second one, you certainly can't blame Eidsness as he made the first save off a tough shot but then Stephan buried the rebound while Eidsness was down. Oh well, perhaps like others have said in the post before, a loss-in a weird way-might benefit the team going into the playoffs and the NCAA's. Maybe it'll humble them a bit as well as give them a reminder of how much it sucks to lose as well as serve as a wake up that they gotta play their A game here on out, regardless of who their opponent is. Congrats on the team though for coming out with a split, on the road in a very tough building (those Badger fans are friggin brutal), and for winning the MacNaughton Cup. They clawed their way back after a slow first half of the season and should be commended for that.

So I flew into Madison this weekend from Denver for the Sioux/Badgers series. My buddy has season tickets right in the middle of the student section (his wife is a student). It was nice to see the Sioux not only beat the Badgers in their barn but to clinch the MacNaughton Cup was icing on the cake! Fair warning to any Sioux fans who think about wearing green and sitting (standing) in the student section-the students point at you and chant in unison, "asshole, asshole!" I kept a pretty low profile last night so fortunately, that didn't happen to me but it happened to this other guy a lot! I guess he got the last laugh at the end of the game though! Let's go out and get a sweep tonight; let's not settle for only last night's victory! A couple observations about the game last night: 1) If you hold onto the puck too long and/or have your head down, Wisconsin will make you pay. They are such a physical team. 2) North Dakota's power play did not look good the entire night (until when it counted at the end!). I don't know if I should be criticizing the Sioux or praising Wisconsin for their tenacious penalty kill. Perhaps a little bit of both. 3) Wisconsin students have some funny, creative cheers such as, "Sioux's a girl's name! Sioux's a girl's name!" 4) The Kohl Center, as nice as it is, can't touch the Ralph

My sincere apologies for mis-spelling Mike Commodore's name! I hope he doesn't come after me!!!

If anyone is interested in learning about the rules and unwritten rules behind fighting in hockey, I strongly recommend they read, 'The Code-The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL' by Ross Bernstein. I wrote a letter to the Herald mailbag about five years ago, arguing why the NCAA's strict rules against fighting actually make the game more dangerous. Fighting actually cleans up the game when you factor in guys who use their sticks as weapons knowing they are less likely to face going face to face with fists. I'd take a fist to the face any day over the working end of a stick. I enjoyed this book and it gave me a much better perspective on the rules of engagement and why fighting is necessary in an inherently violent game such as hockey. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with the Commodre/Greene fight. Greene was standing up for his team mate as well as sending a message to the other team that hey, "I'm the eyes and ears on this team, I will be watching so if you feel it necessary to take a run at one of my guys-fine. But know that there will be consequences, so think long and hard before you do." Commodre also should be commended for following the code-once Greene was down, Commodre let off and stopped punching once Greene was in a vulnerable position on his back. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. I gotta get packed to fly out to Wisconsin for the big hockey series between the Sioux and Badgers! GO SIOUX!!!

Does anyone know if/when the goals from today's game will be linked up? I'd love to post the OT winner on my facebook page for all of my DU fans to see!

I can appreciate what some Sioux fans have said about the team's play at times today and yesterday but give CC some credit, they are a fast skating, skilled team who knew that the stakes were huge for them in terms of their NCAA tournament chances. I think the fact that the Sioux went into a protective shell in today's 3rd period is a sign of respect towards CC's forwards who can beat you just like that. I don't think they wanted to give Rau, Sweatt, or Walski a chance to beat them on an odd man rush. That said, CC is now on the wrong side of the bubble. A win against DU next weekend would certainly help. That goal that Zajac got today, wasn't that similar to a game winning goal that the Sioux scored a few weeks ago? I recall Kozek or someone saying that a few weeks ago (Mankato I believe?)...that it's a design play-the winger throws a wrister on net, hoping that the goalie will kick it out and then the other winger comes in high and bangs in the rebound. Great play by Kozek, Malone, and Zajac.

I'm probably the only CC grad to be tickled pink right now! What a great character win for the Sioux today!

As some of you may know, I'm a CC alum but born and raised in North Dakota. I pull for CC everytime they step on the ice, EXCEPT when it's against our mighty Sioux! (I bleed green like you guys) With that, I will be attending Friday night's DU/St. Cloud game and pulling for Jan Brady all the way. Then, I will be listening to the Sioux on Saturday and Sunday and hoping for a big sweep of the Tigers! GO SIOUX!!!

Man, thank you for your comment, and I hope that your point regarding Michigan State in 2007 will also hold true for the Sioux this year.

I went to the Beanpot and I have to say that both Northeastern and Boston University are for real, particularly BU. Northeastern gave up 3 shorthanded goals which will bury any team but on the whole, they played a very competitive, spirited game. The BU and Northeastern student sections were awesome! They are very vocal and have some creative cheers. I wore my Sioux jersey and my buddy wore his CC Tigers jersey and the fans there were really cool to us. I also realized that Hockey East may have as terrible officials as the WCHA.

Scott Sandelin

How much time is left? I'm having problem picking up the audio feed.

Jason Blake's goal was pretty. He dished the puck to the D man who shot it and the rebound came right back to Blake who blasted a one-timer past the goalie. If the Leafs can hang on, it will stand as the game winning goal. About 5 1/2 mins left in the game. Side note: Blake is on fire, 9 goals his last 13 games. I wonder if all those Leafs fans who said some pretty nasty, personal things about him are feeling just a little bit bad now?

http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/2009/01...-of-sioux-fans/ A great example of a huge lack of journalistic integrity by the Denver sports media. I recall Mike Chambers of the Denver post writing virtually the EXACT SAME story last year about Colorado College fans.

Can someone fill me in on why Jones was so mad as well as why he lined up in the forward spot on the faceoff? I got the impression he wanted to fight that Gopher player....but why? Was it because of the hit on Trupp?

GOAL!!!

Boston U is beating Denver 2-0 in the 2nd period.

Can someone give me a score of the Sioux/Beavers game please?

I just got back from the Cotton Bowl. Can someone give me a score of the hockey game?

I'm sure Hak will say the same things he always says during the post-game, "the puck just didn't bounce our way" "I was pleased with certain elements of our game today" blah blah blah. For once, Coach Hakstol, give fans some candid, NON-STOCK answers to questions regarding the play of the team.

GOAL!!!! TRUPP!!!!

It's difficult to watch the Kazakhstan/Canada game, listening to those TSN announcers heap praise for team Canada. Last I checked, it was 7-0 Canada about 5 minutes into the 2nd period. USA plays Czech Republic tonight.

Huskies score. We F'ing Suck.

As much as I dislike the Bears, the way the Vikings are playing, they don't deserve to back their way into the playoffs. Let the Bears limp their way in only to lose on the road next week rather than the Vikings I say.