Emphasis

[The Sicatoka]

The [url=http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/presarch/20042005/in092704.pdf]NCAA men

[Let'sGoHawks!]

I couldn't agree more. People will say "UND fans complaining about the refs again", but how many times did Toews, Duncan, etc have a UAA guy on their back hooking and holding? Hak nearly blew up on the postgame radio show when asked about the refs...could we have another coach vs. ref postgame near brawl tonight? We shall see.

[siouxpermex]

We all know that the WCHA officiating stinks, but what I saw last night was not so much the officiating as a few of the Sioux players

that just don't bleed the green and white of the past. I did not see Jonathan Toews put out for the Sioux what he did for the Canadian

Juniors in fact quoting Jonathan himself it must not have been a life or death situation. I know these players are young but boys and I

will refer to you as boys, until you can show that you are men, if I was an NHL scout I would be looking elsewhere. Finley, Lee and

Genoway I hope you will quit doing your impression of a bobblehead and start going to the corners for the pucks and quit worrying

about whether your going to get checked or not, YOU ARE! , this is hockey. You big guys need to do some self-evaluating when the

smallest player on the team gets the HIT OF THE GAME. I am sure I am not the only Sioux Fan feeling this frustration. Whew, I feel

better. I hope the game I see tonight is I will not give up on you guys, don't you GO SIOUX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[redwing77]

We all know that the WCHA officiating stinks, but what I saw last night was not so much the officiating as a few of the Sioux players

that just don't bleed the green and white of the past. I did not see Jonathan Toews put out for the Sioux what he did for the Canadian

Juniors in fact quoting Jonathan himself it must not have been a life or death situation. I know these players are young but boys and I

will refer to you as boys, until you can show that you are men, if I was an NHL scout I would be looking elsewhere. Finley, Lee and

Genoway I hope you will quit doing your impression of a bobblehead and start going to the corners for the pucks and quit worrying

about whether your going to get checked or not, YOU ARE! , this is hockey. You big guys need to do some self-evaluating when the

smallest player on the team gets the HIT OF THE GAME. I am sure I am not the only Sioux Fan feeling this frustration. Whew, I feel

better. I hope the game I see tonight is I will not give up on you guys, don't you GO SIOUX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finley laid a bunch of people out last night around the boards. Lee cleared the front of the net physically. Genoway I didn't notice that much.

Toews was playing as hard as I've seen him. He just never tried to shoot the puck as much as he needed to. He made some fantastic plays just keeping control of the puck and then passing the puck to a wide open Oshie who, instead of finishing it, simply drove a deep puck indentation into Lawson's right leg pad.

Sure, the gist of what you say is correct. We need to be more physical around our own net, especiall if Freisma (or whatever his name is) isn't going to call blatent penalties). I really think our latent mistrust of our PK units is affecting our physicality.

I remember in previous years that players hit with wild abandon because we knew that if we got called, we were pretty sure we could kill it off. Now, we've never had the best PK in the nation or even the WCHA, but we had one that was good enough to get the job done more often than not. I don't think this team feels the same way at all.

[sioux rube]

Finley laid a bunch of people out last night around the boards. Lee cleared the front of the net physically. Genoway I didn't notice that much.

Toews was playing as hard as I've seen him. He just never tried to shoot the puck as much as he needed to. He made some fantastic plays just keeping control of the puck and then passing the puck to a wide open Oshie who, instead of finishing it, simply drove a deep puck indentation into Lawson's right leg pad.

Sure, the gist of what you say is correct. We need to be more physical around our own net, especiall if Freisma (or whatever his name is) isn't going to call blatent penalties). I really think our latent mistrust of our PK units is affecting our physicality.

I remember in previous years that players hit with wild abandon because we knew that if we got called, we were pretty sure we could kill it off. Now, we've never had the best PK in the nation or even the WCHA, but we had one that was good enough to get the job done more often than not. I don't think this team feels the same way at all.

Well said and I couldn't agree more.In fact past SIOUX teams were a threat to score shorthanded.

[PCM]

Back to the future:

At 8:58, UAA defenseman Mark Smith hooked Sioux center Zach Parise high, hauled him down and was called for holding.

"He was bleeding. On a holding penalty," Blais said. "The guy held him quite effectively."

Parise received treatment on the bench for a cut in the neck area. Jersey bloodied, he returned to the game, but was held without a point for the night.

"How does Zach Parise go over (to Finland) and be the MVP of the world championship and come back here and be totally nullified?" asked Blais, who was clearly frustrated with the officiating.

[PCM]

Maybe it's time to bring this back up again, too.

[PCM]

Speaking of emphasis, after watching goalie Nathan Lawson's helmet come off at least three times Friday night, whatever happened to the NCAA point of emphasis that came from this incident?

Last spring Exter was playing in a college game for Merrimack against Boston College. He left his net to chase a loose puck, and Patrick Eaves' knee collided with Exter's head. His helmet came off, and he struck the ice with enough force to fracture his skull. Doctors had to scramble to save Exter's life on the ice. He ended up in a coma for 10 days, and when he woke up, he was furious that one doctor told him he wouldn't play again.

As I recall, as a direct result of what happened to Merrimack goalie Joe Exter, the referee was given the responsibility of checking the goalie's helmet strap before the game to make certain it was secure and tight enough to keep the helmet on. And how many times is a goalie allowed to lose his helmet before a delay of game penalty is called?

[The Whistler]

I'm pretty sure the AA goalie threw that helmet off everytime. Certainly the time that Porter ran into the boards RIGHT NEXT TO THE GOALIE. The other time was when TJ Oshie's upper arm bumped into him (there was *some* contact that led to the bump.)

But both time the goalie snapped his head back in order to draw a penalty (which wasn't called either time).

The one thing you can say about Freisema is that he called it both ways. That gives AA an advantage but at least it puts Freisema above Don Adam.

[AZSIOUX]

I'm pretty sure the AA goalie threw that helmet off everytime. Certainly the time that Porter ran into the boards RIGHT NEXT TO THE GOALIE. The other time was when TJ Oshie's upper arm bumped into him (there was *some* contact that led to the bump.)

But both time the goalie snapped his head back in order to draw a penalty (which wasn't called either time).

The one thing you can say about Freisema is that he called it both ways. That gives AA an advantage but at least it puts Freisema above Don Adam.

that helmet thing got very old last night. he flung it off once i know for sure. he deserved to get run for that crap. i say kaip throws down tonight or radke as i believe it will be a very physical game even more than last night. MISSION= 2 POINTS, and lets punish them as well

[Diggler]

I couldn't give a crap less if their is a fight if UND doesn't win tonight. Joe Finley could singlehandedly beat the snot out of the entire Seawolf team and coaching staff, proceed to the XCel and beat up Derek Boogard, if UND doesn't win I'll be pissed.

[AZSIOUX]

I couldn't give a crap less if their is a fight if UND doesn't win tonight. Joe Finley could singlehandedly beat the snot out of the entire Seawolf team and coaching staff, proceed to the XCel and beat up Derek Boogard, if UND doesn't win I'll be pissed.

winning is the most important thing tonight obviously, just saying the way things ended last night, i wouldnt be suprised if there was a scrap.

by the way diggler, you got plenty of air time last night on the webcast, did you threaten the camera man again to further your career so you could get some face time at least you were cheering and not picking your nose

[redwing77]

I couldn't give a crap less if their is a fight if UND doesn't win tonight. Joe Finley could singlehandedly beat the snot out of the entire Seawolf team and coaching staff, proceed to the XCel and beat up Derek Boogard, if UND doesn't win I'll be pissed.

I disagree.

Derek Boogaard's only strength is fighting. Finley is, yes I'll say it, better than Boogaard in that he can do something OTHER than fighting that contribues to the team. Like being the thorn in Matt Zaba's side

Boogaard somehow managed to get to the NHL with his fighting ability alone so I doubt Finley would beat Boogaard in a fight.

[schmidtdoggydog]

i say kaip throws down tonight

nice call!

[PCM]

I agree completely with this column written for USCHO by Hockey East Executive Direcotr Joe Bertagna.

As has been observed by many, "LTP" (Let Them Play) usually means let a defender play. Rarely, does it apply to an offensive player, except, perhaps, when an offensive player tries to "pick" a defender in a set play off a face-off. And so the "LTP" phenomenon, when taken to the extreme, comes at a cost to the offense more than the defense.

What those of us in support of this year's directive are trying to do, in effect, is change the culture. If you watch all levels of play from youth hockey through our college game, you are exposed time and again to players getting called for obvious violations of the book who routinely throw their arms up in shock that they are being penalized.

If you could interview these poor souls, you would discover that in many instances, they won't argue that what they did was not a violation of the rules. They just can't believe the ref called it. They expect things to be let go as part of the game.

[Sioux-cia]

I agree completely with this column written for USCHO by Hockey East Executive Direcotr Joe Bertagna.

If this is the future (or always has been), there needs to be consistency in the calling. Then those 'poor souls' won't be surprised when the penalty is called.

[PCM]

If this is the future (or always has been), there needs to be consistency in the calling. Then those 'poor souls' won't be surprised when the penalty is called.

You're right. It won't work unless the rules are applied equally and consistently, which means that changing the culture of situational officiating that predominates in the WCHA must also change.

[farce poobah]

Agree entirely with what's said above.

One OTHER thing that should be addressed is the "fall down" phenomenon, whereby good checks become penalties if the other guy falls down, where a hook is only a hook if the other guy falls down, where its only interference if the other guy falls down, etc ad nauseum.

By calling bogus penalties on good hard body checks, we lose another important aspect of real hockey.

[Goon]

You're right. It won't work unless the rules are applied equally and consistently, which means that changing the culture of situational officiating that predominates in the WCHA must also change.

I think Redwing77 hit on the way to get the culture of situational officating to change; that would be firing the whole lot and finding a bunch of new officials to refs the games.

[redwing77]

I think Redwing77 hit on the way to get the culture of situational officating to change; that would be firing the whole lot and finding a bunch of new officials to refs the games.

To be fair, that was Sioux-cia's idea.

I said, though something that drastic might seem justified, it isn't practical. I then made a list of who I'd keep and who I'd axe.

Of course, Greg Shepherd would be the first to go.

[PCM]

Of course, Greg Shepherd would be the first to go.

That will make no difference as long as Bruce "Parity is Everything" McLeod remains the commisioner.

[Goon]

That will make no difference as long as Bruce "Parity is Everything" McLeod remains the commisioner.

The problem is that isn't the job of the league to make sure there is parity, that is why coaches recruit and you play the games.

However, its evident from the on ice officials that is what McLeods mind set is.

[redwing77]

That will make no difference as long as Bruce "Parity is Everything" McLeod remains the commisioner.

Hmmm... True.

I guess fire the entire front office then.

I agree with Goon, even though I am a BIG TIME parity supporter. It's not the league's business to ensure parity. If McLeod wants parity in the league then he really should ensure that the quality of officiating, quality of facilities, and the adherence to WCHA regulations is top notch. The rest has to be done by the schools.