Sioux/Denver Sat.

[redwing77]

YES! And I missed my flight........had to sit there for 4 hours.

Yeah. I'm not much for Denver's airport either. They had us check in and went through boarding procedures just so we could wait in a hallway next to a doorway for a LONG time (probably somewhere between 30-45 min). No chairs no nothing. Good grief.

[NDFAN]

As I predicted in another thread, the fracas didn't break out until the score got out of hand. Saturday was a disappointment, not only for the score, but also with the way the seniors behaved in the last 3 minutes of the game. DH should have just sent those players to the dressing room himself.

[redwing77]

As I predicted in another thread, the fracas didn't break out until the score got out of hand. Saturday was a disappointment, not only for the score, but also with the way the seniors behaved in the last 3 minutes of the game. DH should have just sent those players to the dressing room himself.

Oh, I highly doubt the seniors left the Ralph with their heads held high after Hak got through with them.

Hak always looks so calm and composed behind the bench. I bet when he starts yelling (if he yells at all), it hits the players like a ton of bricks. I've found that those who yell alot and show their anger in facial expressions quite often aren't the ones I'm scared to be yelled at. It's the ones that don't look like they are angry at all coming right up to the point where they start yelling that I'm scared of. You don't see it coming even though you know you did something wrong.

[The Sicatoka]

Why was DU so focused on Scott Foyt?

Or was it Foyt was out with Marvin and Lee was on a short fuse and it carried over?

[NDFAN]

Oh, I highly doubt the seniors left the Ralph with their heads held high after Hak got through with them.

Hak always looks so calm and composed behind the bench. I bet when he starts yelling (if he yells at all), it hits the players like a ton of bricks. I've found that those who yell alot and show their anger in facial expressions quite often aren't the ones I'm scared to be yelled at. It's the ones that don't look like they are angry at all coming right up to the point where they start yelling that I'm scared of. You don't see it coming even though you know you did something wrong.

I agree. I'm sure they had a hard time sitting down after DH got done with them. But I think DH should have spotted Marvin trying to line up on the DU side during that face off and just pointed him to the locker room.

[HockeyMom]

Yeah. I'm not much for Denver's airport either. They had us check in and went through boarding procedures just so we could wait in a hallway next to a doorway for a LONG time (probably somewhere between 30-45 min). No chairs no nothing. Good grief.

I hate the "basement". Especially when the moron checking my ticket told me to get into the Grand Junction line instead of the Grand Forks line.

Since then I make sure that I ask the person in front of me and behind me where they are going.

I guess it's better than being stuck in a terminal at Midway airport for seven hours.......

[NDFAN]

I hate the "basement". Especially when the moron checking my ticket told me to get into the Grand Junction line instead of the Grand Forks line.

Since then I make sure that I ask the person in front of me and behind me where they are going.

I guess it's better than being stuck in a terminal at Midway airport for seven hours.......

I've flown to Denver many times and really don't have any complaints - other than the airport is a half hour from the rest of the city. I lived in Denver from Nov 91 to July 92.

[fightonsioux]

We are a young team.

Spirko is injured.

We only have 2 seniors.

Only 9,997 more excuses to go. I'll have to watch the Gopher loss on Friday to find a few more.

[Smoggy]

Oh, I highly doubt the seniors left the Ralph with their heads held high after Hak got through with them.

Hak always looks so calm and composed behind the bench. I bet when he starts yelling (if he yells at all), it hits the players like a ton of bricks. I've found that those who yell alot and show their anger in facial expressions quite often aren't the ones I'm scared to be yelled at. It's the ones that don't look like they are angry at all coming right up to the point where they start yelling that I'm scared of. You don't see it coming even though you know you did something wrong.

Hak only talked to them for 40 seconds after the game according to Hennesey.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

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.

[choyt3]

10. Virg Foss should have received a standing ovation, rather than a smattering of applause.

Speaking of the Virg...

[kfah1]

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.

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.

I watched both games on Dataflix (about as good as I can get here, but it has been working well as of late) and at the tail end of the third period of Saturday's game, it was pretty obvious that the Denver players on the bench and on the ice were really jawing it up. One of them even said that the Sioux were "all talk."

Then to see Paukovich sucking ass with the officials afterwards ?!

As quoted in the Herald he says, "Both sides knew the game was over. We were trying to get out of here without anything happening. I guess someone has to take a run at me, which was pretty uncalled for, in my opinion. And then things escalated from there.

"There was no reason to jump Helgason at the end. That was absolutely uncalled for. If you want to come after me and settle a score with me, that's fine. But don't go after my teammate. That was the most uncalled for thing I've ever seen."

Who is he to talk about what was most uncalled for thing he ever had seen? How quickly we forget the Bina incident.

I know we would always like to see our Sioux conduct themselves in a professional fashion but after awhile; how much can they take?

Denver and Punkobitch have just sealed the fact they are some arrogant **@!%$!. I give them the fact that they are a good team and all, but for me, that gets thrown out the window with the bull$%!# they had exhibited Saturday. I wish Punkbitch had gotten a good drubbing. Would it have been the right thing to do? Maybe, maybe not. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Attribute it to a lopsided score, frustration of losing, dealing with a mouthy and arrogant Denver team, I don't know but it could've added up to have been much worse then the penalties and smack between the players.

We'll get them in the end. Win or lose, the Fighting Sioux will always rule.

[petey23]

Lets not forget the girls life and psyche that Pauckovich probably ruined for life. From what I saw, he was facing prpich and was aware that he was coming at him......not like he ran him from behind after the whistle?? then he skated directly towards the bench until the officials had prpich safely thru the gate of the UND bench, then he skated back towards the blueline and started chirping. did anyone else notice that after this little incident that DU had 9 guys on the ice against the 4 from the sioux cuz they were worried that something might go down? DU, great team, alot of talent, no class, gutless. I have to admit, I have more respect for the Gophers than I do for Gwozdecky and DU.(remember, Gwozdecky suspended the puke after the public outcry pretty much didn't give him any choice last year....but during the game that the puke cheapshotted Robbie, he held the puke out until DU was on a power play in a tight game(remember DU won in overtime on a power play when their was a clear interference call that was not called), then sent him in in hopes that he would get what he had coming to him, but would maybe give DU a 5 on 3. They are a gutless, no class progream period.

[Goon]

Lets not forget the girls life and psyche that Pauckovich probably ruined for life. From what I saw, he was facing prpich and was aware that he was coming at him......not like he ran him from behind after the whistle?? then he skated directly towards the bench until the officials had prpich safely thru the gate of the UND bench, then he skated back towards the blueline and started chirping. did anyone else notice that after this little incident that DU had 9 guys on the ice against the 4 from the sioux cuz they were worried that something might go down? DU, great team, alot of talent, no class, gutless. I have to admit, I have more respect for the Gophers than I do for Gwozdecky and DU.(remember, Gwozdecky suspended the puke after the public outcry pretty much didn't give him any choice last year....but during the game that the puke cheapshotted Robbie, he held the puke out until DU was on a power play in a tight game(remember DU won in overtime on a power play when their was a clear interference call that was not called), then sent him in in hopes that he would get what he had coming to him, but would maybe give DU a 5 on 3. They are a gutless, no class progream period.

I agree with what you have said I have no respectd for DU I believe they are a gutless team and they are very cheap, and they run their mouth a lot. You can't convince me that their coach doesn't condone this stuff, the players are a dirrect reflection of their coachs and don't just make this crap up. First example of this came from a player on his first shirft running the goalie. Come-on George we aren't dumb.

On to Paukovich, they kid is a worthless piece of S#!T. If I was a coach personnally I would never let a sex offender play on my team. I no time for them and they are the lowest forms of life. The kid is a punk and will get his due eventually. I just hope its sooner rather than later. Again Jeff is the biggest guy on the ice but would rather run someone small and check them with his elbow or stick. Again Jeff your not a victim your an idiot.

[puck swami]

First as a Denver fan, please read the following with as clear and open a mind as you can. What I'm about to write is another viewpoint on what seems to be a fairly one sided view of things in North Dakota. While I totally understand the anger and vitriol that keeps coming from many of you towards Denver, I think some of it is perhaps over the top. Try to seperate your emotions and look at what really happened, and try (hard as it may be) to think about things from both a UND and a DU perspective before you form your final judgements on the Denver program.

First of all, the Paukovich hit on Bina was illegal and wrong. We all know that. No one can defend Paukovich for the cheap and illegal hit he delivered. No one.

But there is certainly more to the aftermath and more to the venom against Paukovich than meets the eye....

Let's take a hypothtical here and say the roles were reversed. Say Matt Greene had made that same hit on a Denver player (this kind of play does happen in college hockey at least 20 or 30 times a year - the difference was this time, the damage done was severe), what would really have been any different?

Chances are, not much. The ref assessed a two minute penalty, and because of the damage done, the league would still suspend Paukovich (or Greene) for the WCHA title game, and Gwoz (or Hakstol) would match the league suspension of Paukovich (or Greene) for the next game. With the stakes involved (millions of dollars, time and effort to get to that point) would Hakstol and UND have given his offending player any more of a suspension than Gwoz (or the league) gave Paukovich? I doubt it. This was a split second, stupid judgement play in the context of game action, not a pre-meditated attack (a la Todd Bertuzzi). The criteria for punishment is not based on the result of the action, but on the action itself. Had Bina been not injured on the hit, Paukovich would have had a penalty and that's it. The only difference on this play was that Bina got hurt, hence the extra games tacked on. Now, some believe that an offending player should suspended for as long as the injured player takes to return, but that eye-for-an-eye logic is not how legal procedures work in this day and age. We don't chop off the hands of thieves anymore, nor do we punish hockey players calibrated to the return of injured players. You might believe that this logic is flawed, but the practice of league suspensions are what they are.

After that hit, the Denver coaches called UND's coaches multiple times to check up on Robbie. The DU team sent a card. Paukovich left phone messages and sent e-mails to Bina on multiple occassions to talk about the hit, and presumably to apologize, none of which were returned (that's totally Bina's choice to accept or reject). Then the Pioneers also put Bina's number on their helmets as a gesture of concern. Seems to me that Denver did about as much as they could under the circumstances. What else should they have done? What would UND have done differently if they had the offending player? My guess is that the responses would have been very similar indeed.

Perhaps Paukovich would have sounded better if he had apologized directly for the hit in the media- but in this litigious society we live in, I would imagine he (or Gowdecky) probably had little choice about what they could say in public. You simply can't expose yourself to potential legal action, no matter how you'd like to make things right...

As for Paukovich's persona, he's certainly no saint. But to paint him as some one-dimensional monster is proabably not a complete picture. He obviously does not yet understand the deep nature of how hated he is in some circles, nor does he lead the world in media savvy. He's 19 years old, and still learning about his actions and the perceptions of those actions. One thing is certain, though, he's not the player he was before the hit.

Also who term him as a 'sex offender' probably need to learn more about the case before rushing to judgment. The incident in question took place when he was a 16 year old juvenile as a junior hockey player in a small town in Nebraska, and his record has been officially expunged since then. Additionally, the facts of the case were (and still are) very very suspect and not as cut and dried as the verdict would indicate. These were two 16 year old high school kids fooling around in a parent's basement, and the charges from the girl came well after the alleged incident took place. Normally, these kinds of cases rarely make it to the courts because it's two juveniles in a he-said, she-said environment doesn't usually stand up in court, as it is very hard to determine the extent of what was consensual and what may not have been consensual. The evidence in the case was seen by many to be shaky, and the small town judge made a decison that in many expert's eyes, did not fit the evidence supplied. USA Hockey reviewed the case thoroughly, and determined that Paukovich was more than likely not treated fairly by the judicial system and allowed him to play in the USNDP. Denver also investigated the case thoroughly, with many female administrators looking into the case, to determine if he should be admitted, and they also found that the circumstances were such that Paukovich was probably not treated fairly in the case. In any event, I would encourage all of you to be thoughtful around juvenile cases, as there is a reason we have a have juvenile justice system. I am certainly not suggesting that Paukovich is blameless here, only suggesting that this case is much more complex and nuanced than some the allegations on this board would suggest.

As for the "mouthing off" from Denver players, I can assure you that every team does plenty of trash-taking on the ice, even North Dakota, It's part of the game, and the same players that are yapping at each other during games are also the ones meeting up afterwards for beers. I don't think anyone should judge a team's class by the extent of trash talking on the ice, as it is a pretty universal practice. Hockey is an emotional game, and we all say things in the heat of battle that we might not say in polite conversation.

My final point here is that thinking people need to evaluate situations based on more than the emotions you might feel. If you clear your head and look at things logically and without predjudice, you will often find that there is more than one side to a story, and that the image you might have of a team or a player may not be as accurate as the reality would suggest.

Now of course, you might think that a Denver fan would have a different view by the nature of his allegiance, and you may be correct. We all look at sitations from through the lens of the program we follow. That said, perhaps some of you will view Denver differently as a result of reading this, perhaps not. The choice is yours, but if you are a thinking person, I hope I've made a reasonable case that these situations are rarely as simple as we might like to make them in our minds.

North Dakota has a tremendous hockey tradition, as does Denver. Most Denver fans respect North Dakota, and I hope someday that some of you will respect Denver as we respect you. This is a great rivalry because of the history of these two great programs. Purpor and Armstrong, Hextall and Magnuson, Hrkac and Gaume, Parise and Berkhoel. The list goes on and on.

Good luck and we'll see you all in February.....

[Sioux-cia]

puck swami, you post a great thesis. The hit will never be forgotten nor forgiven by us who saw it. I have seen the tape over and over again and see no room for doubt. The hit was deliberate and meant to injure.

As a woman, I am offended by anyone attempting to defend a convicted sex offender. But that is not why, I dislike Paukovitch to the core. It was the illegal, deliberate check from behind made after the puck was called dead by someone who knew the play would stop as soon as a Sioux player touched the puck. Big hits, checks, injuries are part of the game. What happened to Robbie was not part of hockey.

The injury happened during the course of the game, I don't know if anyone could sue anyone. BUT, a public apology such as, "Robbie, I am deeply sorry that you were injured." was absolutely called for. I remember reading quotes from Gwoz that infuriated me at the time. Accountability is part of a CLASS act which was lacking from the Denver coach and player. If Denver was so worried about a law suit that they couldn't apologise then they had to know what he did was wrong. Innocent people don't worry about law suits.

I respect the talent the Denver team has on the ice. I don't respect the coach for his actions then and actions now. Given the situation, he should have told Paukovitch to keep his mouth shut and to keep his Saturday's cocky action's under control but instead chose to give him rein. Paukovitch's quotes clearly show he feels he is the victim in the situation; NO ACCOUNTABILITY. Making statements like his were very juvenile and meant to pi$$ people off. Where was the coach?

I believe that without good rivalries sports would be too dull to watch. We have a rivalry which at this point in time feels more like a meeting between a group of thugs (Pioneers) and a great hockey team (Fighting Sioux). That will change with time. But this is not that time. Thanks for being a fan to your team. I'm a fan of mine.

[redwing77]

Puck Swami- What you said certainly does strike some logic, but whether wrongfully convicted or not, expunged or not, he's a sex offender. There are cases that have been made that proves that. I'll give you one. A 24 year old male in Illinois (I think) had to swerve and brake hard to get out of the way of a 14 year old girl who stepped out into the roadway on which the man was driving on. He stopped his vehicle and confronted the girl trying to maneuver her back towards the side of the road and off of the road. He made a mistake. He touched the girl on the arms. Charges were brought up, he was convicted, and now he has to register as a sex offender. Was he rightly convicted? No. But he's still a sex offender.

As for the expunged part, it means nothing. Brandon Bochenski committed a money laundering charge which was expunged and they still call him a money launderer. Expunged means that it isn't on his legal rap sheet, but that's it. The reputation is still tainted and people will forever call Bo a money launderer and Pauko a sex offender.

What could Paukovich have done? Why, let me count the ways:

1. Outright refused to talk to the media.

2. If #1 wasn't possible, then talking to the media about DU specific stuff and refusing to reference the Bina hit or the aftermath whatsoever.

3. Saying benign platitudes like "We just have to focus hard and play our game." etc. etc. and when asked what to expect from UND an equally benign "It will be a hard fought game. They are a tough team." etc etc. Any reference to Bina or questions like "What do you expect UND to do to respond to Bina's injury on the ice tonight?" He would say "no comment."

4. If asked about Bina, referenced about Bina, or if Bina is even inferred in the upcoming or previous night's activities he would say "The hit is in the past and I've got to do my best to move on with my life. I wish Bina the best and I look forward to seeing him skate onto the ice next year." Or something like that.

[cheppi]

Saturday night's game was my first at the new Ralph. I had the pleasure of sitting next to some nice Denver fans/parents and some not so genuine. The slurs of goons, thugs, cheap team, etc flowed freely from some as the game wound down. Yes those terms can be tossed out there but the arrogant attitudes, chippy play , taunting, and trash talking was the worst I have ever seen. It was most apparent in the last 10 minutes following goal and stops in play. I am sure Prpich, etc had their mouths running but it was not as evident as those from the Denver players. Mutliple times after goals they could be seen skating past the ND bench more concerned with the verbal assault than the congratulation among teammates for said goal.

Should the ND players have taken their lumps, and held their composure? Absolutely, but if one is provoked long enough they are bound to boil over. Hopefully this is now behind them and they can have a good clean series in Denver.

Secondly If anyone has 3 tix for a sat game later this year I would love to hear from you. The parents wanted to see a good game at the new Ralph. Unfortunately, they weren't overly impressed with the result of the game so I promised I try and get tix again. thanks

[HockeyMom]

Saturday night's game was my first at the new Ralph.

Well then, your first experience at The Ralph was about as good as mine........Oct. 21, 2001.

[Runninwiththedogs]

I am sure Prpich, etc had their mouths running but it was not as evident as those from the Denver players. Mutliple times after goals they could be seen skating past the ND bench more concerned with the verbal assault than the congratulation among teammates for said goal.

Well, the Pioneers were winning, and the Sioux were losing, so that could be why the trash talking was a little more lop-sided. I mean, how much crap can you talk if you are losing by 5 goals. It might have gone VERY differently if the Sioux were winning by 5 goals.

[Goon]

Puck Swami- What you said certainly does strike some logic, but whether wrongfully convicted or not, expunged or not, he's a sex offender. There are cases that have been made that proves that. I'll give you one. A 24 year old male in Illinois (I think) had to swerve and brake hard to get out of the way of a 14 year old girl who stepped out into the roadway on which the man was driving on. He stopped his vehicle and confronted the girl trying to maneuver her back towards the side of the road and off of the road. He made a mistake. He touched the girl on the arms. Charges were brought up, he was convicted, and now he has to register as a sex offender. Was he rightly convicted? No. But he's still a sex offender.

As for the expunged part, it means nothing. Brandon Bochenski committed a money laundering charge which was expunged and they still call him a money launderer. Expunged means that it isn't on his legal rap sheet, but that's it. The reputation is still tainted and people will forever call Bo a money launderer and Pauko a sex offender.

What could Paukovich have done? Why, let me count the ways:

1. Outright refused to talk to the media.

2. If #1 wasn't possible, then talking to the media about DU specific stuff and refusing to reference the Bina hit or the aftermath whatsoever.

3. Saying benign platitudes like "We just have to focus hard and play our game." etc. etc. and when asked what to expect from UND an equally benign "It will be a hard fought game. They are a tough team." etc etc. Any reference to Bina or questions like "What do you expect UND to do to respond to Bina's injury on the ice tonight?" He would say "no comment."

4. If asked about Bina, referenced about Bina, or if Bina is even inferred in the upcoming or previous night's activities he would say "The hit is in the past and I've got to do my best to move on with my life. I wish Bina the best and I look forward to seeing him skate onto the ice next year." Or something like that.

Very well said, and to add to that Very nice Redwing_77 some of this also goes to Puck Swami (Your a fan that seems pretty level headed).

Frist off, Jeff Punkovich needs to shut his big cheap mouth, do your self a favor and do not spout off in the media after he has acted like a chicken S#!T and a gutless puke the whole game. Also, Jeff should not look for sympathy in our town he is a villian. In my opinion the man is a punk, empty suit and just needs to except that he will never be loved or even respected in Grand Forks, he is the lowest form. I will never respect him for his acts on the ice or off the ice. I hate sex offenders. I hold him in lower esteem that Todd Bertuzzi. Todd at least showed some remorse after his horrible act.

I really honestly as a Rabbid Sioux fan I have never liked DU nor have I had any respect for their program. They have always been cheap and cocky and their pretty boy coach just sits on the bench with his smirk as his thug players skate up and down the ice taking liberties against the oppostion.

Thats not to say that DU is not a good team they are, however, face it your team got lucky in 2003-2004 when you won it all, one bounce. In other words your team got all the bounces, and that is fine its part of sports, to take a word from Brendon Morrison the best team doesn't always win. Your team wasn't even the third best team.

The Title game you guys won against Maine was a disgrace, and lead to the rules changes we are all living with today. DU got lucky against Maine. That being said DU was the best team last season and your players let it get to their head. As I said earlier DU is the men in the Black hats, the evil empire (1980's it was the BADgers). Before you went 5-0 againt UND we owned DU. Things come around and change. After this Season DU could be down after lousing Gabe and Carle.

I also can't wait till UND whipes that smart @$$ smile off Maninno's face by getting a bunch of goals past him and someone from UND pounds Jeff into the ice once and for all whipping that stupid grin off Punkavich's face. So enjoy the 7-2 win but things change and UND will be the hammer again.

In conclusion this is a great rivarly and would rather see UND play DU than some brutal team like MSU-Mankato they are boring to watch. It fun to get your blood boiling in sports. Its great. I hope this stays hot and heated. Its fun to have a team to hate. Its like Boston and Montreal, I can't stand the Habs, I feel the same way about the Devils till they got Zach and Hale.

[redwing77]

Goon-

Thanks for your compliment. BTW, it's Geoff, not Jeff. (I know you don't care, but still).

As for the rest of your post, I.. well, I am going to disagree with you on the part of the DU program bit. I can't think a program is as classless throughout its history just because of the deplorable behavior of one of its players.

Puck Swami is indeed a level headed person and came on here (which in itself is no small matter. I mean, who would come onto this board and claim to be a DU fan after what happened? Pretty brave) and gave us a different perspective on a much reviled DU player. As you noticed by his post, he never claimed to justify Geoff's actions. Nor did he claim that Geoff should be forgiven by Sioux fans. He merely expressed what he has seen happening from his side of the issue. Whether or not Geoff felt remorse is something that we, as fans, feel we haven't seen. His actions on the ice last weekend (at least on Saturday) and his quotes in the paper do not tell me that it isn't much to divine what Geoff thinks of the Sioux and its players and how callous he acts in a delicate situation. Did Geoff do what Puck Swami claims? I don't know. He certainly didn't do much publically outside of the sticker. Did Gwoz and the DU program do anything? Yes, Gwoz has been quoted several times as showing concern for Robbie.

I think here on SS.com, things have been getting far out of hand with this whole situation to the point where we are starting to make accusations and veiled threats towards people who really weren't connected with this at all.

[Kermit]

First as a Denver fan, please read the following with as clear and open a mind as you can.

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I agree that much of the discussion here has been over the top, but emotions are obviously still very high. College hockey is a great sport and it is better because of fans like you.

Let's take a hypothtical here and say the roles were reversed. Say Matt Greene had made that same hit on a Denver player (this kind of play does happen in college hockey at least 20 or 30 times a year - the difference was this time, the damage done was severe), what would really have been any different?

..Perhaps Paukovich would have sounded better if he had apologized directly for the hit in the media- but in this litigious society we live in, I would imagine he (or Gowdecky) probably had little choice about what they could say in public. You simply can't expose yourself to potential legal action, no matter how you'd like to make things right...

Hmm..honestly, I don't think plays like the Paukovich hit on Bina happen 20-30 times per year. I do see very dangerous hits from behind on a regular basis--but not well after a whistle. Many of us truly believe that there was a deliberate attempt to injure. If the situation was reversed, I think things would have been different in at least one respect. I could be wrong, but I think that Matt Greene would have stood up like a man and publicly assumed accountability for his actions and expressed remorse. I think this on the basis of what we saw when Greene was arrested for DUI.

I understand the argument about our litigious society, but I don't buy it. My own profession involves potential legal risks. In our interactions with the public, lawyers sometimes advise us about what they think is "safe", but we have to interact with the public based on our own principles and integrity.

As for Paukovich's persona, he's certainly no saint. But to paint him as some one-dimensional monster is proabably not a complete picture..

Agreed. The kid hasn't done much to help himself here as he definitely needs some PR advice. Anyway, I don't believe in vengeance--I think it does nothing but stain ourselves in the end.

As for the "mouthing off" from Denver players, I can assure you that every team does plenty of trash-taking on the ice, even North Dakota, It's part of the game, and the same players that are yapping at each other during games are also the ones meeting up afterwards for beers. I don't think anyone should judge a team's class by the extent of trash talking on the ice, as it is a pretty universal practice. Hockey is an emotional game, and we all say things in the heat of battle that we might not say in polite conversation.

Agreed. Not that I was impressed by the behavior. Frankly, I was embarrassed by the way the some of the Sioux lost control at the end of the Saturday game. I think it simply shows a lack of discipline. Show the Sioux pride by doing what you need to do to win the d**n game.

North Dakota has a tremendous hockey tradition, as does Denver. Most Denver fans respect North Dakota, and I hope someday that some of you will respect Denver as we respect you. This is a great rivalry because of the history of these two great programs. Purpor and Armstrong, Hextall and Magnuson, Hrkac and Gaume, Parise and Berkhoel. The list goes on and on.

Good luck and we'll see you all in February.....

Well said and thanks. Good luck to you as well. We'll be looking forward to the rematch. And by the way, best wishes and a speedy recovery to Brock Trotter.

[Goon]

Goon-

Thanks for your compliment. BTW, it's Geoff, not Jeff. (I know you don't care, but still).

As for the rest of your post, I.. well, I am going to disagree with you on the part of the DU program bit. I can't think a program is as classless throughout its history just because of the deplorable behavior of one of its players.

I think we agree more that I once thought. In other words, Great post. Your right I could care less how I spelled that Punk's name. But I am over it for a little while, I am mentally preparing for deer opener and Robbie Earl and the Badgers coming town.