CRIPPLED GOPHERS (vs) MIGHTY SIOUX!

[cavedurtis]

Those two will have a sunburn from the red lights going on by saturday evening. I just beg some goofer fan to come on here talking about how grea Briggs is and that we are going to get crushed this weekend.

happy, skippy, slappy. Anyone? Let me just be on record that the Goofers don't scare me one bit. Sure, I will give kudos to Phil Kessel but he is one player and UND has must as many skilled playes as they do.

Besides I like our defense better than theirs.

I won't say Briggs is great, but I do think he is a competent goalie who got hung out to dry by his defense Friday night. Two 2-on 1's and two breakaway's. While I don't think UND will get crushed, this weekends games will be highly competitive. Probably a split and great to watch. Didn't UND get swept at home against Bucky earlier this year? I believe with a combined score of 8-3. Hmmm....sounds familiar.

Edited December 5, 2005 by jimdahl

[BleedGrn]

I won't say Briggs is great, but I do think he is a competent goalie who got hung out to dry by his defense Friday night. Two 2-on 1's and two breakaway's. While I don't think UND will get crushed, this weekends games will be highly competitive. Probably a split and great to watch. Didn't UND get swept at home against Bucky earlier this year? I believe with a combined score of 8-3. Hmmm....sounds familiar.

Bucky IS scary this year! I hate to say it, but it is much easier to say than "oh my, those gophers have a good team this year."

[Sioux Hockey Fanatic]

Hey did someone mention wanting to get together with SIOUX fans this weekend. I am hosting the UND alumni and friends party at Joe Sensor's in Roseville. Door prizes and party favors. To RSVP send me a PM.

[rochsioux]

If I did the math right...

Night W-L-T Shots_for Shots_Against Goals_for Goals_Against SavePct

Friday 6-2-0 239 206 30 14 93.2

Saturday 4-3-1 228 297 26 26 91.2

Slight drop in offensive production from Friday to Saturday (3.75 Goals Fri, 3.25 Sat)

Big defensive change on Sat. Give up 11-12 more shots per game and 1.5 more goals (1.75 Goals Fri, 3.25 Sat)

On Fridays (or 1st game of series) they only have given up 30 or more shots once - the first game of the year. On Saturdays they have allowed 30 or more shots in six of the eight games, five games with 43 or more shots...very uncharacteristic of recent Sioux teams (their record is 3-1-1 in those games though).

If they want to make the frozen four this year they need to be more consistent on Saturday nights. An almost 50% increase in shots allowed from Friday to Saturday says they are not working as hard or they are not adapting to changes the other team is making. Or they are just getting very conservative trying to protect leads. I don't know, but it makes me a bit nervous to be giving up that many shots consistently on Sat. nights. Will be hard to put together a winning steak in the playoffs if that were to continue. I fully expect the coaches to improve this, hopefully starting with this w/e.

[Tommiejo]

I don't know about everyone else but i'm ready for this one come hell or high water. Let's go gopher hunting this weekend. GO SIOUX & STICK IT TO THOSE DISCUSSING GOPHERS.

SIOUX FAN SINCE 1973.

[Sioux_Hab-it]

I won't say Briggs is great, but I do think he is a competent goalie who got hung out to dry by his defense Friday night. Two 2-on 1's and two breakaway's. While I don't think UND will get crushed, this weekends games will be highly competitive. Probably a split and great to watch. Didn't UND get swept at home against Bucky earlier this year? I believe with a combined score of 8-3. Hmmm....sounds familiar.

You say tomato I say sieve.

[Goon]

Didn't UND get swept at home against Bucky earlier this year? I believe with a combined score of 8-3. Hmmm....sounds familiar.

I guess you could say that UofMN got out worked harder than the Sioux, in my hmo.

[Smoggy]

We need the link to the video clip!

http://web.nccray.com/tkessler/spirko.wmv

Give it a try! I Love the search engine!

Sieve! Sieve! Sieve!

[01grad]

it never gets old

http://web.nccray.com/tkessler/undumn.htm

That thing is so sweet! I want to get the decals, that would be hillarious for all of my gopher fans around here.

[cavedurtis]

I guess you could say that UofMN got out worked harder than the Sioux, in my hmo.

Eh, could you explain that part that you said about the things again?

[hockey1]

Following up on the mention of Mazacco: I couldn't believe how he and Woog made the comments about how they thought the checking from behind call (on the Badger in the Friday night game) was the wrong call and that he didn't deserve to be booted from the game, etc. I couldn't believe it because that is how I felt about the call, also! Then I realize that Sagissor (the Wisconsin "booth rep") was sitting right next to them and they couldn't go into their usual "homer" whinning about "they have to make that call" and all of the other baloney they usually say (like FM's favorite.........."the gopher player is knocked to the ice,....no call, play goes on," insinuating that the ref missed an obvious penalty against the poor gophers. The phoney attempt by the two gopher announcers brought to mind the "he protestith too much" comment, that I think was a quote from some Shakespearian character whose suspicions were arroused concerning the truthfulness of some perpetrator of evil.

I have a suggestion to FSN: How about always having a rep from the opponent's broadcast crew in the booth with Wooger and FM? It would certainly give a more balanced and less biased commentary of the action than that with which we are usually fed from this pair of gopher cheerleaders.

FSN is the broadcast station for Gopher Hockey, why should they ALWAYS have a rep from the opponents crew if it is their station? The only reason Sagissor is with them for the Wisconsin series is because FSN is also Wisconsin's broadcast station. Their is two FNS channels (one for Minnesota, one for Wisconsin). Does UND have a member of the Opponents broadcast crew when their games are on FSNN? I'm pretty sure they don't. Just like when Denver, CC, Duluth, etc. games are on TV their broadcast crew is from their station. You think Woog and Mazacco(sp) are biased? What a shock. Of course Woog and Mazzacco(sp) are biased, they are no different than any other HOME announcer on tv, radio or arena. Do you ever notice when UND or any other school scores a goal the home announcer has a little extra volume in his voice compared to when an opponent scores. You can called it Biased, Homerism, or whatever you want but that's what you get from a home announcer in a arena or TV.

[CVCL]

Glad to see the king of sanity, rationalizations and justifications is back. The siouxfan's ethics committee needs a new chair, would you like to head it? Oh, and with what UND has been going through in the last four-five months you're in good company.

You seem to be more interested in policing and talking about fan participation than anything about hockey so why the Hockey1 moniker?

Go back to your gopherhole and dispense your garble there. We all know our own announcers are homers, it didn't look like that was OBG's stance. Having a third party for commentating would be a great addition to any games NCAA wide. Skip & Woody aren't popular for their hairdos.

[dagies]

OBG seems to want FSN to insert a 3rd party to balance Woog and Mazocco. That's his opinion, but I don't think it is necessary. Woog is a homer, but he does call a spade a spade and he rips gopher players when they play bad and he corrects Mazocco (a lot) when Frank wants to complain about the refs. OBG's suggestion is akin to Tim Hennessey being required to have Glen Sonmor on his broadcast to balance him out. Why is that important?

[sagard]

I guess you could say that UofMN got out worked harder than the Sioux, in my hmo.

Well at least you got that goin' for ya, which is nice.

[mksioux]

UND's media relations release:

http://www.fightingsioux.com/files/830.pdf

[CVCL]

OBG seems to want FSN to insert a 3rd party to balance Woog and Mazocco. That's his opinion, but I don't think it is necessary. Woog is a homer, but he does call a spade a spade and he rips gopher players when they play bad and he corrects Mazocco (a lot) when Frank wants to complain about the refs. OBG's suggestion is akin to Tim Hennessey being required to have Glen Sonmor on his broadcast to balance him out. Why is that important?

I'm not sure if balancing Doug/Frank is the goal or balancing Frank out. Let Doug moderate.

Other than play by play action, wouldn't it seem worthy to have discussion from either side of a game as to who is playing better? Justification for good/bad play? Rationalization of stats? Part of the inherent quality of a debate is to help the audience gravitate towards an idea.

If homerism is played out to a hockey audience from both sides of the coin, both sides will win in the end. Fans will sort for themselves the most blatant form of rubes and cast them away. The home audience will gravitate towards the inevitable, but have a more enlightened perspective of their own team. The opposite opinion may also bring the sides more of a healthy disdain for each other. I personally have no allegiance to a dislike for any team although if there is anything there, it's against the gophers. Do I dislike the gophers, dam-straight! Do I also know that uMN has a good program, sure. Knowing more of the facts is why any of us come onto these boards and sound-off or just listen. It validates the experience to KNOW something about hockey, the players, and the league vs. just FEELING that you love one team and hate the other.

I would enjoy something other than the comic/straightman act most arenas put together, including Greg/Pat. Woog does a great job of calling the game and corrects Frank in his homerisms when called for. The same can be said of Pat/Greg. A third party to counter Frank and Pat would be great for an informed opinion from the other side, whether right on the money or off-base. Pang, Melrose, and others are always challenged on their differences with the NHL, why not the same thing with college? There is always talk about how poorly the NCAA represents hockey with the commentators during the playoffs. They know little or nothing about other (or any) players, clubs, or conferences.

If I'm wrong about what OBG's position or intent was, ok. This is the take I got.

[tnt]

Anyone know who the ref will be this weekend? My bet is on Derek Sheppard, and daddy will follow him to town. Hoping that isn't the case, but I'm bracing myself for it.

[TC_transplant]

I guess you could say that UofMN got out worked harder than the Sioux, in my hmo.

So the Sioux worked harder against Bucky than Minnesota did and still got swept by the same margin? That's a good thing?

[FIRE HELMET GUY #26]

Anyone know who the ref will be this weekend? My bet is on Derek Sheppard, and daddy will follow him to town. Hoping that isn't the case, but I'm bracing myself for it.

I'm guessing either him or Campion. But with our luck (I'm saying both Gophers and Sioux) it will probably be Don "I just call this shiznit as I go" Adam!

[sagard]

I'm guessing either him or Campion. But with our luck (I'm saying both Gophers and Sioux) it will probably be Don "I just call this shiznit as I go" Adam!

The Pioneer Press says that Shepherd will be trying out a new face shield in Grand Forks this weekend while doing the Sioux/Gophs games.

"Zelkin, who needed three stitches for his cut, is expected to wear a shield in the future, and Derek Shepherd also will try one when he works the Minnesota-North Dakota series this weekend at Engelstad Arena." -PP Bruce Brothers

[dagies]

I'm not sure if balancing Doug/Frank is the goal or balancing Frank out. Let Doug moderate.

Other than play by play action, wouldn't it seem worthy to have discussion from either side of a game as to who is playing better? Justification for good/bad play? Rationalization of stats? Part of the inherent quality of a debate is to help the audience gravitate towards an idea.

If homerism is played out to a hockey audience from both sides of the coin, both sides will win in the end. Fans will sort for themselves the most blatant form of rubes and cast them away. The home audience will gravitate towards the inevitable, but have a more enlightened perspective of their own team. The opposite opinion may also bring the sides more of a healthy disdain for each other. I personally have no allegiance to a dislike for any team although if there is anything there, it's against the gophers. Do I dislike the gophers, dam-straight! Do I also know that uMN has a good program, sure. Knowing more of the facts is why any of us come onto these boards and sound-off or just listen. It validates the experience to KNOW something about hockey, the players, and the league vs. just FEELING that you love one team and hate the other.

I would enjoy something other than the comic/straightman act most arenas put together, including Greg/Pat. Woog does a great job of calling the game and corrects Frank in his homerisms when called for. The same can be said of Pat/Greg. A third party to counter Frank and Pat would be great for an informed opinion from the other side, whether right on the money or off-base. Pang, Melrose, and others are always challenged on their differences with the NHL, why not the same thing with college? There is always talk about how poorly the NCAA represents hockey with the commentators during the playoffs. They know little or nothing about other (or any) players, clubs, or conferences.

If I'm wrong about what OBG's position or intent was, ok. This is the take I got.

I look at Woog/Mazacco, Blyleven/Bremer, Paul Allen/Senser, etc etc all pretty much the same. The broadcasting team put together by the sports team putting forth the broadcast pretty much always has the homer bent to it. Pang/Melrose et al are paid by their network to call/comment on a particular game. The network isn't broadcasting for the Detroit Redwings, but for the NHL, so they are more balanced in general. At least that is my impression. That's why I don't have a big problem with Mazacco. I don't agree with him, and I think he's a dork, but he does a relatively decent job of calling the action (his opinions on the other hand.... ).

[Old Barn Guy]

I agree that Woog does help to "reel in Mazacco" when he is doing his usual "homer" act. I know all announcers have their hearts with their home teams, and that's to be expected. It's just that I feel FM is the most blatant of any, in any sport I have ever watched. Woog's usually ok in my book and will "call the play as he sees it," no matter what.

Also, I know why Sagissor was in the booth, and that the two FSN sets of commentators cover their teams throughout the season. I lived in Mpls for 5 years and thought I could pull for the gophers (when they didn't play the Sioux), but the way FM shows his "colors" made me even more anti-gopher. I know Hennessy is a Sioux fan, but feel he is much more objective in his comments, and I have listened to him since back in the late 70's.

I was not actually expecting FSN to say, "Wow, what a great idea!" and scoop up additional people for the booth at each game. But if you didn't notice the difference in the way FM behaved towards that particular call I mentioned before, then I don't feel you are very observant. If FM has to put on a phoney "concerned about fairness" routine for the Wisconsin rep in the booth, but wouldn't act concerned if it was just Woog and himself in the booth, what does that tell you about him?

FM has a great announcing voice, no doubt about it. I just wish he was announcing at some race track someplace far away so I wouldn't have to listen to his drivel.

By the way, I think it would be great to have Glen Sonmor in the booth with Tim Hennessy. I'll bet it would be a hoot, and that even Tim would think so too.

Edited December 6, 2005 by Old Barn Guy

[cfm567b27]

So the Sioux worked harder against Bucky than Minnesota did and still got swept by the same margin? That's a good thing?

Hey skippy is back....

[hockey1]

Glad to see the king of sanity, rationalizations and justifications is back. The siouxfan's ethics committee needs a new chair, would you like to head it? Oh, and with what UND has been going through in the last four-five months you're in good company.

You seem to be more interested in policing and talking about fan participation than anything about hockey so why the Hockey1 moniker?

Go back to your gopherhole and dispense your garble there. We all know our own announcers are homers, it didn't look like that was OBG's stance. Having a third party for commentating would be a great addition to any games NCAA wide. Skip & Woody aren't popular for their hairdos.

Just to clarify, would you have a problem with a third party person being on FSSN. All I'm saying is that Home announcer are for the most part Biased. As for the Hockey1 moniker its just a moniker, nothing intended by it. I'm just giving my opinion. If you don't agree with it so be it. After all it is a Message board.

[dagies]

I agree that Woog does help to "reel in Mazacco" when he is doing his usual "homer" act. I know all announcers have their hearts with their home teams, and that's to be expected. It's just that I feel FM is the most blatant of any, in any sport I have ever watched. Woog's usually ok in my book and will "call the play as he sees it," no matter what.

Also, I know why Sagissor was in the booth, and that the two FSN sets of commentators cover their teams throughout the season. I lived in Mpls for 5 years and thought I could pull for the gophers (when they didn't play the Sioux), but the way FM shows his "colors" made me even more anti-gopher. I know Hennessy is a Sioux fan, but feel he is much more objective in his comments, and I have listened to him since back in the late 70's.

I was not actually expecting FSN to say, "Wow, what a great idea!" and scoop up additional people for the booth at each game. But if you didn't notice the difference in the way FM behaved towards that particular call I mentioned before, then I don't feel you are very observant. If FM has to put on a phoney "concerned about fairness" routine for the Wisconsin rep in the booth, but wouldn't act concerned if it was just Woog and himself in the booth, what does that tell you about him?

FM has a great announcing voice, no doubt about it. I just wish he was announcing at some race track someplace far away so I wouldn't have to listen to his drivel.

By the way, I think it would be great to have Glen Sonmor in the booth with Tim Hennessy. I'll bet it would be a hoot, and that even Tim would think so too.

As an opponent, Mazacco can be annoying to listen to. As a gopher fan, I'm guessing it's not that bad. I did miss the call you mention, but I did notice that Frank was "not himself" this weekend. So you are right about that.

I agree with you that if Sonmor and Hennessey were doing the radio together this weekend I'd probably have to turn off Frank/Woog and turn up the internet broadcast. That could be radio magic.

Edited December 6, 2005 by dagies