Saturday, November 15, 2014

UND Hockey: Drake Caggiula Scores and Does His Best Phil Kessel Impression



Check out this dirty Goal from UND forward Drake Caggiula.


North Dakota vs. Miami - Game Two

UND Forward Lines
16 Mark MacMillan (A)–9 Drake Caggiula–15 Michael Parks (A)
28 Stephane Pattyn (C)–27 Luke Johnson–7 Wade Murphy
21 Brendan O’Donnell–13 Connor Gaarder (A)–17 Colten St. Clair
29 Bryn Chyzyk–10 Johnny Simonson–11 Trevor Olson
UND Defense Pairings
20 Gage Ausmus–2 Troy Stecher
5 Nick Mattson–6 Paul LaDue
4 Keaton Thompson–24 Jordan Schmaltz

UND Goalies
31 Zane McIntyre
33 Cam Johnson
30 Matt Hrynkiw

Miami RedHawk Forward Lines
22 Kevin Morris–26 Justin Greenberg–33 Andrew Schmit
14 Cody Murphy–25 Blake Coleman–42 Conor Lemirande
95 Anthony Louis–9 Sean Kuraly–12 Alex Gacek
10 Alex Wideman–7 Austin Czarnik–11 Riley Barber
Miami Defense Pairings
58 Louie Belpedio–8 Matthew Caito
5 Chris Joyaux–28 Ben Paulides
27 Scott Dornbrock–2 Taylor Richart

Miami Goalies
35 Ryan McKay
1 Jay Williams

Blast from the Past: Mike Zoller (Miami) Ice hockey on brink of dynasty

Since this is Miami versus UND week, I thought I would dust this little nugget off. I think we need to light things up a bit here. This was written by Mike Zoller back in October of 2007.
At the same time, however, the term dynasty is thrown around too loosely and even pre-maturely. While some called the University of Southern California’s football team a dynasty, I say they were overrated. The University of Florida Gators, much to the delight of the Ohio State University fans, are not anywhere close to becoming a dynasty as their run of NCAA titles ended last season.

But now there is a new team that I believe is fighting for dynasty status. And while this team has a little work to do before they can be considered a dynasty, the Miami University RedHawk’s ice hockey team is well on their way.

But why should a hockey team from the small town of Oxford, Ohio even be considered a dynasty?

First you have to look at what makes a dynasty. To me there are four main criteria that decide if a team truly is a dynasty.

First off, a team needs to have a head coach committed to the team for a long time. Right now Enrico Blasi isn’t going anywhere until at least the 2016-17 season. This long-term contract solidifies his place in Miami hockey, he knows that this is his team; his team to mold and shape into a championship team.

The second thing a team needs to become a dynasty is a home arena they are truly proud of. While the Cowboys had Dallas Stadium, the ‘Hawks have the new Goggin Ice Center. In just its second year, Goggin is the home for the future of Miami hockey. Making Goggin a feared place to play for visitors will be critical for the opponents of the Red and White. (Read the whole article here)
Michigan Daily writer Matt Slovin wrote this article: Miami hockey not a dynasty, but still a force to be reckoned with

Five NCHC Teams in The TopTen of Pairwise Rankings


First I know it’s early, but five of the eight NCHC teams are in the top-10 of the Pairwise Rankings.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Drake Caggiula's Shorthanded Goals Against Miami, Ties Game



\ UND leads the nation in Shorthanded goals with 7 in 10 games. Drake Caggiula scores his fourth goal of the year while UND is on the PK.

North Dakota vs. Miami Lines - Game One

UND Forward Lines
28 Stephane Pattyn–27 Luke Johnson–11 Trevor Olson
16 Mark MacMillan–9 Drake Caggiula–15 Michael Parks
21 Brendan O’Donnell–13 Connor Gaarder–14 Austin Poganski
29 Bryn Chyzyk–10 Johnny Simonson–17 Colten St. Clair
UND Defense Pairings
6 Paul LaDue–24 Jordan Schmaltz
20 Gage Ausmus–2 Troy Stecher
4 Keaton Thompson–3 Tucker Poolman

UND Goalies
31 Zane McIntyre
33 Cam Johnson
30 Matt Hrynkiw

Miami RedHawk Forward lines
22 Kevin Morris–26 Justin Greenberg–33 Andrew Schmit
14 Cody Murphy–25 Blake Coleman–42 Conor Lemirande
95 Anthony Louis–9 Sean Kuraly–12 Alex Gacek
10 Alex Wideman–7 Austin Czarnik–11 Riley Barber
Miami RedHawk Defense Pairings
58 Louie Belpedio–8 Matthew Caito
5 Chris Joyaux–28 Ben Paulides
27 Scott Dornbrock–2 Taylor Richart

Miami RedHawk Goalies

1 Jay Williams
35 Ryan McKay

Grand Forks Herald Letters: Frank Burggraf: A proud name that meets every requirement: Sioux

Former UND hockey Players Frank Burggraff has a letter to the ediotr in today's Grand Forks Herald. It's worth a read. Thoughts on the article?

FARGO — I have to ask: Why the urgency to so quickly pave over 80 years of tradition at UND by drafting a new nickname?

Coming on the heels of the national midterm elections where Americans loudly and overwhelmingly rejected the overreach of the government and its policies, I have to question the rush.

I attended the public meeting for a new name. What I heard surprised me: “We need a nickname that is cool, competitive, attractive, proud, honorable, respectful, one that resonates with all and one that people will want to wear, even infants.”

Really? We already have such a name, just like the Seminoles, Utes and Warroad Warriors (among others) do.

So, why did we have to abandon the gift from the Sioux elders in the first place? I thought this issue really was about mascots done in poor taste.

Has there been any hostility or abuse, accusations from other schools, sanctions from athletic conferences or teams refusing to play UND now because UND doesn’t have a nickname?

It would be prudent for us all to stop and consider just what is going on at UND.

Silence does not constitute consent. I can assure Herald readers that the majority of Sioux still are hurting and angered over the deceit perpetuated on them during their fight to save the name and image.

The university’s administration should show some respect and give them time to heal before trying rebrand UND.

Do people really think Ralph Engelstad donated a facility — which carries the flags of two Sioux nations — so that after his passing, the university could take the Fighting Sioux name and dump it for a “better” one?

Engelstad’s donations to UND were loud and clear statements assuring a home for the Fighting Sioux — for all UND athletics and students in staunch support of the continued tradition of Sioux Pride at UND — forever.

I would be embarrassed to walk into his buildings, if I thought that my fingerprints were on the stripping of 80 years of Sioux Pride from the floors, seats, walls and hearts of generations of Sioux alumni while dishonoring the sacred Pipe Ceremony of 1969.

Ben Brien, a UND alumnus and American Indian artist, created a priceless symbol that people of all backgrounds and skin colors could and did embrace. It captured strong qualities that we try instill in our young people: pride, honor, respect and a fighting competitive spirit — the very essence of what those on the nickname committees seek.

Why is this symbol so priceless? Because of what is in it:

“A gaze is that of focus and determination, necessary in life and in the search for knowledge and wisdom.

“The feathers stand for brave and honorable things achieved in one’s life. Red stands for the life-blood given us by our Creator and that of our ancestors, who sacrificed that we may be here and have our moment in time.

“Green symbolizes growth and the gift of the Earth. Yellow, the sun’s warmth and light, necessary for us as we continue our life’s journey. White, purity of mind, respect for life and respect for all peoples.”

Only a fool would try to replace a priceless image that has inspired us and intertwined with our hearts while keeping the Sioux name on people’s lips.

(Read the rest of the Letter)

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Darryl Sutter, 'We never really had the lead'



I love listening to Darryl Sutter's post-game press conferences. Personally, I love these old school hockey coaches. Sutter kind of reminds me of another head coach. Here's a sample. s/t L.A. Kings Insider.

On how he’d describe the 6-5 shootout loss to Anaheim:
How’d I describe it? Lost in a shootout.

On how “intense” the game was:
It was very little, quite honest. It was just kind of a pond hockey game. It looked like one of our preseason games. [Reporter: Seriously?] Very seriously. You want me to say ‘not seriously?’ [Reporter: Are you talking about just from your team’s end, that you weren’t happy with letting this thing get away, or no?] No, I don’t think we let it ‘get away.’ We never really had the lead. [Reporter: A couple of two-goal leads?] I know you define it by goals having a lead, but we really never had the lead. If it wasn’t for Jonathan, it wasn’t even close. They’re a much better team that we are. They proved it last year and they did again tonight. [Reporter: So what was lacking, do you think tonight? For the most part?] I don’t think we had much energy, much focus, much execution. We used a short bench. Too bad actually we lost the shootout, because then Jonathan feels tough, right? He stood on his head to get us a point

UND vs. Miami, You Have Options


This weekend, UND vs. Miami can be seen on NCHC.tv. The Saturday's game is also on FCS. Here's the rest of UND's National Television Schedule.

Date Opponent Network 
Nov. 15 Miami FOX College Sports
Nov. 21 SCSU FOX College Sports
Nov. 29 Omaha FOX College Sports
Dec. 12 Denver Root Sports
Jan. 10 at Minnesota Duluth CBS Sports Network
Jan. 23 Colorado College CBS Sports Network
Jan. 24 Colorado College FOX College Sports
Jan. 30 at Omaha CBS Sports Network
Jan. 31 at Omaha FOX College Sports
Feb. 14 Denver FOX College Sports
Feb. 20 at Western Michigan CBS Sports Network
Feb. 27 St. Cloud State CBS Sports Network
Feb. 28 St. Cloud State FOX College Sports
March 6 at Miami CBS Sports Network
March 7 at Miami FOX College Sports

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Phil Kessel's Goal Shouldn't Have Counted



This is one of the reasons that the NHL needs a coaches challenge, this should be a tie game, still. Check out this video, Phil Kessel's goal shouldn't have counted. The puck hits a player on the bench and comes back into play. It will be interesting to see if the NHL GM's finally decide to have a coaches challenge. That was only the fourth goal Kessel has scored against the Bruins in 28 games. Make that five in 28. Thoughts?

Redwing77 Unsolicited Opinion on the Nickname Debate

I thought about posting this as a comment to the SayAnythingBlog post on this site, but I think it would be better if all the "hate" that might come from my opinion be posted in the comment section below rather than in Goon's article.

My opinion is this:  The "no nickname" cabal will fail.  I don't know how soundly it would fail, but it will fail.

Why?

Because, as offensive and insensitive as it sounds, those who opposed the nickname for years were marginalized and now they've tasted power.  Now, their opinion matters and to put it bluntly, those who spent their time as activists in this crusade no longer have it as a crusade.  In other words, they got their way.  What is an activist who gets their way?  Not sure, but they're no longer an activist.  If they're not an activist, then they'll sooner or later be ignored once again as they've got what they wanted and they should just "shut up and move on" themselves.  This. cannot. be.

So, the activists find a new banner to wave.  And here it is, ladies and gentlemen:

No new nickname means the inference of the old one.

In other words, we're not replacing Fighting Sioux with a new nickname, so people can still fill in the blank.  It sounds ridiculous (because it is), but I truly feel that's what they'll argue.  We've already seen it with the call of those same activists to ban all Fighting Sioux memorabilia and gear from Campus and Campus events (including home hockey games).

Since the PC crowd now has societal control, the only viable option to keep UND out of the PR nightmare that has owners being forced to sell teams because of one stupid epithet (even if it is illegally obtained and reprehensible in nature), financial outpourings due to some imagined or wrongly interpreted transgression is to create a new altogether different nickname.  One that preferrably refers to an inanimate object (like a Sabre) or fictional being (like a Dragon) or some sort of action word (like Crushers) or force (like Lightning or Thunder).

So, the good news is that we may not be the Flickertails, but we will be "something."  And what it is will be the least of all evils via politically motivated nonsense.  In otherwords, the option no one really likes but doesn't overly object to it enough for UND to lose that much money.

Sure, I'd support wholeheartedly the no nickname cabal, but I do so knowing that, in all likelihood, it will not succeed.

Sayanythingblog: 'No Name Is Best Way To Move On'

Former FSSN logo used from 2003-2005
Hum, I and many have been saying this for a very long time. Nice to see SayAnythingBlog.com get on board. Actually, it doesn't hurt that North Dakota's most popular political blog is behind this. Say Anything gets hundreds of thousands of hits every month.

Let me be clear, I understand the Fighting Sioux nickname isn't coming back. That's obvious to most of us. But that being said, nothing the nickname committee comes up with -- as far as  a nickname goes -- is going to be acceptable to many UND fans. Me included.

I am also not that thrilled with some of the possible replacement names that have been thrown out there. First, I am going to snap if UND's sports teams are called the Sun Dogs, what a stupid name.
Legit Slater, Sayanythingblog.com --- That solution is simple– stay North Dakota. No new nickname needed.

This is not a new idea. Indeed it has been one floated by people who are both for and against the Fighting Sioux name before. But it is starting to crecendo more and more as this taskforce does their work, and UND’s self-imposed deadline of end of December looms.

Why is that? Well, perhaps because it just makes sense. What has been missing from this debate since inception has been a sincere attempt to find a win-win for all. In order to “move on” — to truly heal, that win-win has to be realized.

What is important to some is the Fighting Sioux name is not used by UND, and this would be achieved with no replacement. What is important to others is the proud name “Fighting Sioux”, and the 80 plus years of heritage that went with it, is not erased. This solution does that.

A few (including our lawmakers on the Appropriations Committees no doubt) are concerned with the expense UND will incur with changing their branding to a new name and logo. No new name completely addresses that concern.

Some want to make sure UND still has a name to be proud of. If we all (regardless of our feeling on the Fighting Sioux name) can’t be proud of the name of our own state, then no other name exists which we can be proud of.

More Bad News for UND: Nick Schmaltz Is out Indefinitely

UND's task just got a little taller this weekend.UND will be without three of their top players when they take against NCHC foe Miami on Friday night.

Last season, UND suffered a rash of injuries in October and November.

UND's injury list now includes, Mark MacMillan (5g-2a—7pts), Nick Schmaltz (1g-7a—8pts), Paul LaDue (3g-5a—8pts). MacMillan and Schmaltz are out indefinitely.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Jonathan Toews Salutes the Troops in Warm Ups



I want one of these sweet jerseys. Former Fighting Sioux forward Jonathan Toews with the Camo jersey.

(Video) Connor McDavid breaks hand in fight vs. Bryson Cianfrone



First I want to be clear, I think fighting has a place in hockey. That being said, there's no reason for your star players to be fighting, in any level of hockey. Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid is probably going to be the first player taken in 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and he leave the ice fighting Bryson Cianfrone. To date, McDavid has some sick numbers scoring (18g-35a—51) pts in 18 games.

Eight UND games on FOX College Sports TV schedule

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced today that 11 NCHC games have been added to the league’s national television schedule on FOX College Sports (FCS) in 2014-15, including seven involving the University of North Dakota.

The five home games, produced in high-definition by Midco Sports Network (MidcoSN), include games against Miami (Nov. 15), Omaha (Nov. 29), Colorado College (Jan. 24), Denver (Feb. 14) and St. Cloud State (Feb. 28).

Dan Hammer is his third season as the play-by-play voice for UND Athletics while former UND forward Scott Koberinski returns as color analyst. Veteran broadcaster Katie Hale also returns as the ice-level intermission reporter.

UND will also have two road games air nationally on FCS: the Jan. 31 game at Omaha, produced by PBS affiliate Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET1), and the March 7 game at Miami, produced by Time Warner Cable Sports Channel in Ohio.

Today’s announcement increased the number of regular-season UND men’s hockey national broadcasts in 2014-15 to 13, up from seven in 2013-14. This year’s national broadcast schedule also includes six previously-announced games on CBS Sports Network (CBSSN): vs. Minnesota Duluth (Jan. 10), vs. Colorado College (Jan. 23), at Omaha (Jan. 30), at Western Michigan (Feb. 20), vs. St. Cloud State (Feb. 27) and at Miami (March 6).

UND Men’s Hockey National TV Schedule

Date Opponent Network
Nov. 15 Miami FOX College Sports
Nov. 21 SCSU FOX College Sports
Nov. 29 Omaha FOX College Sports
Jan. 10 at Minnesota Duluth CBS Sports Network
Jan. 23 Colorado College CBS Sports Network
Jan. 24 Colorado College FOX College Sports
Jan. 30 at Omaha CBS Sports Network
Jan. 31 at Omaha FOX College Sports
Feb. 14 Denver FOX College Sports
Feb. 20 at Western Michigan CBS Sports Network
Feb. 27 St. Cloud State CBS Sports Network
Feb. 28 St. Cloud State FOX College Sports
March 6 at Miami CBS Sports Network
March 7 at Miami FOX College Sports

Arctic Ice on Tucker Poolman

This is what happens when you don't watch the games and then report on the prospects. Anyone that has watched UND for more than a minute this season knows that Tucker Poolman has been a major cog in UND's defense corps. You have a senior defenseman sitting in the stands and a freshman d-man playing over him.
2013 5th Round (2011 eligible): RD Tucker Poolman; 8 GP, 3G, 0A, 3 PTS, +3, 2 PIM, 15 SOG

Month GP G A PTS PIM
October 5 2 0 2 2

Poolman struggled at first to earn ice time as a freshman, but -with the help of a 20% shooting percentage and some strong play- the young defenceman is starting to earn his keep and gain more responsibilities as time goes on. His performance has been strong, although it must be reminded that this is his Draft+4 season technically. (read the rest of the article here)

Monday, November 10, 2014

(Video) Brad Marchand Embellishment Penalty



I realize that Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has earned himself a reputation of being a player that embellishes, but this is a horrible call. To quote Andy Brickley, "It's Marchand. That's the problem"

NJD Damon Severson Interference - 2 min against Brad Marchand 16:39
BOS Brad Marchand Embellishment - 2 min against Damon Severson 16:39

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

1. Minnesota
2. North Dakota
3. Boston University
4. UMass-Lowell
5. Michigan Tech
6. Colgate
7. Miami
8. Boston College
9. Minnesota State
10. Vermont
11. Denver
12. Union
13. Minnesota-Duluth
14. Nebraska-Omaha
15. St. Cloud State
16. Providence
17. Robert Morris
18. Northern Michigan
19. Bowling Green
20. Quinnipiac

Sunday, November 09, 2014

(Video) Dallas Star Punk Antoine Roussel Runs Alex Stalock, Sucker Punches Justin Braun



s/t to Kuklas Korner. I don't know about you, but I am growing tired of Dallas Stars punk Antoine Roussel and  his antics. First I understand going hard to the net, but this is bush league. The goalie has an expectation to not be run over. This is unacceptable. Then the spineless punk sucker punches an unsuspecting player that's not ready to engage him. Roussel has an hearing tomorrow for the sucker punch, I am thinking a five-game suspension for this clown. Feel free to chime in.