Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday has come and gone without a post (too busy sleeping, carving pumpkins, and watching the Red Soxxxxx win the World Series), but I'm still awake.

Guess what UMDDogz has promised me for my birthday? BULLDOG HOCKEY!
Right now it looks like RWD will be covering the Wisconsin series at the Kohl Center, and the Denver series at the DECC. We'll see what happens. Possible interviews to follow. I've already written Kerry Rodd (c/o KDAL) to see if I can become a "fan in the stands." I'm sure we'll have to attend the 4th period show, too.

This weekend (against Vermont, zzzzzzzzzzzz) UMDDogz will be covering Friday's game, and I might be, too, but Saturday's game we're both working, so you're S.O.L.

Important news:

WCHA Player of the Week: MARCO PELUSO!
Marco beat out jerk-off Ryan Potulny (#1 on the Hater Report) and poor unfortunate soul Colby Genoway (I don't know why he'd even be nominated, considering the Saturday game.)

WCHA Action:
Though already covered by UMDDogz, I have a few comments of my own. I can't believe no one from the Sioux could step up and say "Not in our house!" I mean, that little weasel Potulny got three friggin points! Of course, according to Wally, every goal was a "beauty" and they only called penalties on the Gophers, but no one listens to him anyway. Also, I'm sad that the UAA unbeaten streak has ended, although they are unbeaten in the WCHA (due to no conference games.) Three WCHA teams (UND, UAA, and Tech) were blanked last weekend. That's tough!

Penalty Leaders:
Jay Rosehill: 10 penalties for 28 minutes
Mike Curry: 8 penalties for 19 minutes
Steve Czech: 8 penalties for 16 minutes
Neil Petruic: 7 penalties for 14 minutes

Steve leaps onto the list after taking a zillion penalties, back to back to back to back to back (ok, maybe not like that), and Marco Peluso evidently abandoned the Penalty Leaders for the Point Leaders. But that's okay. You should see Mike Vanelli: 3 penalties for 17 minutes! He got a 10 min misconduct on Saturday.

The Hater Report:
1. Ryan Potulny
Games: 5
Goals: 7
Assists: 2
Points: 9
Penalties: 2
Penalty Minutes: 4
Ok, so you had 3 points in one game... but no hat trick? Marco Peluso got a hat trick, and I bet you think you're better than him. Just like you think you're better than Grant. And Gretzky.

2. Robbie Earl
Games: 4
Goals: 2
Assists: 5
Points: 7
Penalties: 3
Penalty Minutes: 6
After Friday's game, I said "Robbie is a cheap player, so he must he hitting far enough behind the play that the refs aren't noticing. Oh yeah, but they were playing at the Kohl Center tonight, so that probably means he committed about 43498076498 real penalties, but only 2 were so blatant that the zebras would have been actually in trouble for not calling them." Ditto. Only one point on Saturday? What a hack!

Polls
USA Today
1. University of Minnesota-Duluth (26 first place votes!)
3. University of North Dakota (Only 2 first place votes!)
5. University of Wisconsin (I can't believe it, but they got 1 first place vote!)
6. University of Minnesota
8. Colorado College
11. University of Denver

USCHO
1. Minnesota-Duluth (31 first place votes!)
4. North Dakota (3 first place votes)
5. Wisconsin (1 vote, bleah)
6. Minnesota
8. Colorado College
10/11. Denver (tied with Miami)
UAA received votes. Yeah!

INCH
1.Minnesota-Duluth
3. Wisconsin
4. North Dakota
6. Colorado College
8. Minnesota
11. Denver
UAA is still on the bubble. Yeah Underwolves!

I have to be at work in 8 hours, so I'd better go. Here's to another unbeaten weekend!

The Land of the Free and The Home of the Bulldogs

Well folks, it was the season home opener for the 'Dogs tonight, and the whole team here at Runnin' With The Dogs was warming the bench. Yours truly, along with UMDDogz, the fluffy white BullKitty (known in some other spheres as Kittylove), and the Alleged Webmaster, who is supposed to eventually make this site look like something of which I can be proud. Three generations of 'Dogs fans (four if you count the BullKitty) were basking in the glow of their computer screeens, in a chat room discussing hockey, the *#$&! internet feed (two generations still have dial-up internet, I wasn't even sure that existed anymore!), and... colonoscopies. Don't ask.

I wasn't even going to post tonight, since I didn't expect collegehockeystats.com to be so up on things that I could get my official tallies. Things were a little confusing tonight. Many goals were scored in a small amount of time. Assists were changed. Penalties were served by people who still remain anonymous to me. Kerry Rodd referred to our goalie as Tim Reichmuth. So you can see why my head was spinning, and I decided to go watch Roseanne instead of creating a meaningful, thought-provoking essay on the game of hockey.

I'll be listening tomorrow night too, which is an unprecedented occurrence.

Anyway, the 'Dogs came out and just killed tonight. MSU took an early 1-0 lead, but never regained it, although after the 'Dogs went up 2-1, MSU came back to tie it. The final was 8-3, which is, you know, almost respectable for a team like MSU. Except for the fact that Marco Peluso scored as many goals as their whole team could muster. Well, they did try to get a 4th goal on the board, with a kick-in. I guess someone needs to tell the defensemen (Dubel, looking in your direction) that you have to use your stick. Kerry Rodd mentioned that "Pele would be happy."

The 'Dogs got "about 20 goals on the power play," according to Kerry, although he admitted "I sometimes embellish a little bit. 4 for 8 on the PP isn't too shabby. Oh yeah, and we went 2 for 4 (or so) on their PP.

Don't worry, I'm already on the phone with a hit man, Ryan Geris. You will be avenged. Rankin hit him on the head, and he just suffered a freaking concussion. Rankin got a 10 minute misconduct and left the game, but I just have to make sure it won't happen again. *Cracks whip*

The game recap isn't really my specialty. Wild claims that I can't back up and violent threats are my department. I'll leave you with my own "numbers crunch" and UMDDogz can fill you in on the rest.

Penalty Leaders:
Jay Rosehill: 9 penalties, 26 minutes (yut!)
Mike Curry: 7 penalties, 17 minutes
Neil Petruic: 6 penalties, 12 minutes
Marco Peluso: 5 penalties, 10 minutes
*someone needs to tell collegehockeystats that they need a new font, as the 5 and 6 are almost exactly the same*

WCHA ACTION:
Wisconsin 7, Tech 3. Tech had an early lead in this game, but couldn't hang on. Not that I was surprised, but I wanted them to. Wisconsin must die!

North Dakota 4, Minnesota 2. If there's one thing that divides the beat writers here at Runnin' With The 'Dogs, it's who we root for in a Gophers-Sioux matchup. I tend to root for the Gophers (I know I'm not supposed to, it's a big rivalry, blah blah) whereas my counterpart was pulling for the Sioux. It's just like last year during the Final Five Championship game, except I no longer drive a yellow truck and we weren't drinking Coors Lite at the Holiday Inn across from the Excel with some moron (Scotty) who put the box on his head and sang Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box" to anyone he encountered.

Colorado College 4, Air Force 1. Sorry, Elaine, but you knew your team would go down. I think CC will have a good year.

Denver 5, SCSU 2. Hey St. Cloud, weren't they saying your goalies had, um, improved their GAA?

UAA vs. UAF: evidently no one cared enough to see what the score is. It's 12:30, the game started 2 and half hours ago, the USAToday page I have open keeps popping into the foreground each time it refreshes, and they can't bother to update the Seawolves' score? BAH! (Collegehockeystats now has the game at UAA 5, UAF 2. YEAH SEAWOLVES!)

OTHER HOCKEY ACTION:
I don't usually report on games without at least one WCHA team involved (because they are boring and those other teams are weak), but I have some mocking to do.
MAINE lost to ST. LAWRENCE 1-0. We couldn't even figure out what CONFERENCE St. Lawrence was in (because we didn't care or try very hard.) Folks on the power rankings, look out below! Here comes Maine!
BOSTON COLLEGE lost to NOTRE DAME 3-2!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!! Yeah, there'd better be a new #1 at the top of the INCH list!

The Hater Report:

1. Ryan Potulny
Games: 4
Goals: 5
Assists: 1
Points: 6
Penalties: 2
Penalty Minutes: 4
Oh Ryan, I bet you were so excited when you scored that goal tonight...and then your team LOST at HOME to North Dakota. You think you're going to win at Ralph Engelstad? Hell no you aren't!

2. Robbie Earl
Games: 3
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Penalties: 3
Penalty Minutes: 6
Robbie is a cheap player, so he must he hitting far enough behind the play that the refs aren't noticing. Oh yeah, but they were playing at the Kohl Center tonight, so that probably means he committed about 43498076498 real penalties, but only 2 were so blatant that the zebras would have been actually in trouble for not calling them.

You can take that poll and stick it right where....

I forgot there were other polls.

The USCHO poll is worthless. Why is it worthless? Because UND is above UMD, and they got 15 1st place votes to our 3. B.C. is #1 on the charts for them, followed by the Sioux and the 'Dogs. Minnesota and Wisconsin are tied for 7/8, CC is 11th, and Denver is 13th. Shows how much they know.

Oh yeah, and the USA today poll is pretty sucky, too. Same top 3, with BC receiving 18 first place votes, UND receiving 14, the 'Dogs receiving 2, and Michigan receiving.. what?????? THREE????????? ARE THEY ON CRACK???????
Anyway, Wisconsin is 6, Minnesota 7, CC is 11, and Denver is 13. How unoriginal.

Anyway, they certainly will shut the puck up once the 'Dogs start kicking some major WCHA butt.

The People I Hate Report

There are players I hate, and I like to see them do poorly. Therefore, I'll be keeping running tallies on their failures as players. Without Troy Riddle, the focus of most of my hockey hatred, and Zach Parise, who thinks he's so f-ing great, I only have two players on the list right now.

1. Ryan Potulny
Games: 3
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Points: 5
+/-: +2
Penalties: 1
Penalty Minutes: 2
The penalty minutes is a real indicator of what a big baby Ryan is. What is he afraid of?

2. Robbie Earl
Games: 2
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
Points: 3
+/-: not available
Penalties: 1
Penalty Minutes: 2
Wimp! The Maple Leafs aren't going to be happy to see they've got a kid who's afraid of the big bad defensemen.

I might have to start hating Tom Pohl, as he is brother of Johnny Pohl, who I hated when he played for Red Wing. I'm sure there'll be more people added as the season continues.

Start Spreadin' the News

Did you hear? Minnesota lost to Alaska-Anchorage! HAHAAHAHHAHAH

First, I have to introduce the other rabid Bulldog fan on the bench for Runnin With The Dogs. My brother, Stew, aka UMDDogz, has been a 'Dogs fan for a mere year and five months more than I have, by virtue of birth order alone. However, he knows more about hockey, especially the technical aspects, than I, having played hockey himself for several years. More bench players might be added later.

Power Rankings Report
UMD sits in the #2 spot, remaining unbeaten. Boston College, with a 1-0-0 record, sits atop the rankings. It's my opinion that they should not have been at the top when they sat on their dainty little behinds while the 'Dogs were out there kicking some Fighting Irish ass, but for some reason, INCH likes to kiss up to Hockey East.
Other WCHA teams in the top 20:
North Dakota breathes down our neck at #3, but I think that's totally ridiculous. They tied Mankato State! Remember, I already laughed at them once. I'll do it again: HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Wisconsin's directly below them at #4. The top 6 spots have remained unchanged.
Speaking of the top 6, #6 is Colorado College, with good ol' Marty Sertich leading the pack. It helps to be a Sertich when you're playing hockey.
Minnesota drops one to the ten-spot, and if you think about it, they're lucky to have only dropped one! They lost to the Seawolves, for crying out loud!
Denver stays put at #15, as a loss to Boston College isn't real too shameful. A 1-2-0 record is a bit more shameful.
SCSU jumps on the board at #20. INCH is impressed with the numbers their goalies have put up this season, but I think it's a little premature to get excited.
2 wins this weekend puts UAA on the bubble. Yeah! Go Underwolves!

In other exciting news, Evan "Seven Points" Schwabe is the WCHA player of the week! Stew predicted it, and it came true. The other players of the week are both from the Seawolves. Way to go, guys! Their goalie shut down the Gophers (except the power play) and the rookie of the week was named Most Outstanding Player of the Nye Frontier Classic Tourney (Take THAT, Ryan Potulny!) I would like to see the Seawolves do well. Not as well as UMD, but maybe 2nd in the WCHA?

Get ready for a lot of WCHA-on-WCHA action this weekend!!! Home opener!!!!!

3-0-1

I didn't listen to tonight's game, nor did I listen to last night's game. This totally sucks. Baseball is sucking. Work is sucking. Hockey is rocking, but I can't listen to any of the games! This must be corrected. I don't even know what the lines are, or what the new announcers are like, or if there are any new exciting commercials!

Anyway, remember how last week I told Evan to get his goal on? FOUR GOALS! TWO ASSISTS! SO HOT!!! (That picture is just way cute. I heart him.) Two come-from-behind wins in two nights is great, but should we really ever be losing to Michigan Tech? They are Not Good. Chris Conner is good, but really, you can't build a team around one player.

Five unanswered goals in the third period. Bring on Minnesota State. (Look out, Brad Thompson! p.s. you were better looking in high school.)

Penalty Count:
Neil Petruic: 5 penalties, 12 minutes
Mike Curry: 4 penalties, 11 minutes
Marco Peluso: 4 penalties, 8 minutes
Justin Williams: 4 penalties, 8 minutes

Neil takes the lead! Marco did not get any penalties this series (he was too busy getting assists) but Mike C. and Neil P. are racking them up. Way to go!

WCHA Recap:
Friday:
Boston College 6, Denver 2
St. Cloud 2, Northern Michigan 1
Wisconsin 3, Mercyhurst 2
Minnesota 1, Massachusetts 0
North Dakota 2, Mankato State 2*
Alaska-Anchorage 3, Canisus 3 (ot)**

Saturday:
Denver 4, Northeastern 2
Wisconsin 8, Mercyhurst 0
Northern Michigan 4, St. Cloud 2
Colorado College 4, Union 2
North Dakota 2, Mankato State 1***
Minnesota and Alaska-Anchorage were still playing at press time.

*HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA THEY TIED MSU!!!!! THAT'S HILARIOUS!!!!!
** "Donna, how does a tournament game end in a tie?" Well, folks, Alaska-Anchorage won the shootout 2-1. Way to go, boys! Minnesota is going to slaughter you, but I'm proud that you won against a team I've never heard of!
***INCH has each team scoring -1 points in the second period. I didn't know this was possible. Also, 1 + -1 = 1 according to their "math." Check it out here.

(By the way, I watched Slap Shot 2 yesterday night. It starts one of the Baldwins, but on the bright side, the original "Hanson Brothers" are in it. It's not as good as the original, not that you should be surprised, but there are some funny parts.)

Pow-Pow-Power Rankings

How do you move up 2 slots to the number one rank when you haven't played a game?
Because Boston College did. Boston College? Twenty years ago, nobody cared about Boston College. My parents used to sit by some old guy who yelled "How's Boston College?" when they announced the scores of other games. Nobody cared then. Evidently this man was a visionary.

Anyway, UMD sits at #2 in the power rankings for the second week in a row.
Other WCHA teams:
North Dakota's sweep of Maine brings them up 4 to #3. I hate North Dakota, but if you sweep Maine (last year's runner up) then you've got something going on.
Wisconsin was off and didn't move. They're still at #4. I think they're ranked ridiculously high. I guess INCH really thinks their goaltender is somebody. Suter's gone, what are they gonna do?
Colorado College was off and stayed at #6, but I don't think they'll be there for long. A win against Union won't do anything for them.
The Gophers are up 1 to #9. "Who needs Potulny? We've got Potulny!" I'd like to right now declare myself President and Founding Member of the I Hate Ryan Potulny Club. I didn't mind Grant, but the only Gopher I've hated more is Troy Riddle, and that hatred goes back to HIGH SCHOOL and his arrogant locker room graffiti. "T.R. in state, '98," he wrote on the locker room walls at SLP. Except it was the '99 season.
Denver went down 1 to #15. Without Berkhoel... well, we all know that he saved their asses more than once. Let's see... 5 on 3 in the final minutes of the championship game? You think maybe his teammates could have avoided at least ONE of those penalties? Anyway, Denver's going to lose to B.C. later this week.
Evidently the Huskies are on the bubble. What do they think this is, March Madness? There is no bubble.

And where's Alaska-Anchorage?????
heheh.

Liar!

Ok, sorry. I lied. I won't be listening to EITHER game this weekend! I'm WORKING UNTIL 11! That's what happens when you work retail.

Anyway, a few details:
*I know the comments are annoying, but just post anonymously. I'm going to fix it soon.
*New commentators coming soon!
*GO DOGS!

I'm lazy. It's my day off and I got up at 9:30. BLEAH!

FOOTBALL??????????

To the roar of a seemingly pre-recorded crowd, mixed in with a few golf claps, the Bulldogs and the Fighting Irish took the ice on Thursday. Yes, on Thursday. Evidently, the games were scheduled so as not to interfere with football, and even with the odd scheduling, no one could really be bothered to attend. Evidently the whole little microcosm of Notre Dame revolves solely around football.

Football? Come on!! You know how I feel about football!!!

Oh right, you don't. Please excuse me.
I don't hate football. I hate futbol, and also basketball. I just can't get behind football. I'm a fair weather fan. I admit it. I'M A FAIR WEATHER FAN! I find it difficult to get excited about football, since it only happens once a week. It doesn't have continuous, exciting action the way hockey does, and it doesn't have the suspense and tension of baseball. A long drive can get exciting, but I just can't get excited about it. And if Notre Dame can't see that hockey is far superior to football, well, they just don't deserve to be on the same ice as the big Dogs.

Anyway, it's nice to see that the refs are getting practice blowing those whistles and making those silly arm movements to signal what penalties they're going to call. They haven't used those muscles in awhile so they've got to test them out, to get back in the swing of things. We don't want them to be rusty!

A tie in the first game wasn't really what I was hoping for. I was hoping for a blow out, a scoring explosion. I was hoping that, when Schwabe meets puck, particles would undergo fission, giving off extra neutrons, which would start a supercritical chain reaction of scoring. This did not happen. Evidently, this happens when Mike Curry meets puck. Isn't he just so cute!??!?!!? I should visit Alaska more often! But Evan, baby, you really need to start scoring. I know you've got an assist, but you're cute too, you should be scoring some points. You don't have Junior to set up anymore. You've got to break out from behind his shadow, just like Ashlee Simpson. She didn't let Jessica's success stop her, she went out and went platinum!! You, too, could be a Hobey Baker. (INCH thinks you could be in the top 10!)

It's nice to see Stapleton on the board with two points as well. I'm going to go ahead and predict he'll have a banner year. He was third on the team in point totals last year. This year I see him having a similar point total (41) but making more goals than assists. Miskovich was really a surprise, too. Didn't he have, like, one goal last year? I'm hoping this wasn't just a fluke. Misky and Hammond are two people I'd like to see make a significant improvement in their offensive numbers over the season. Tim Hambly, too. He had a fair number of points last year, but most of them came from assists. It's great to have assists, guys, but I'd like to see some GOALS, too!

Marco Peluso is absolutely my favorite. He already has four penalties for eight minutes! Smitty has two penalties for four minutes, which is disappointing. I expect more from him! I saw him escorted from the ice during the last regular season game! (I was sitting in the Wisconsin student section, screaming for the 'Dogs, to the chagrin of my friend/ticket procurer.) Justin Williams has three penalties for six minutes. Mike Curry has two penalties, but he got a whopping SEVEN MINUTES!!!! I'm so proud of him.

WCHA SCOREBOARD:
No conference games were played this weekend, but wins are wins.

Thursday:
UMD 2, Notre Dame 2

Friday:
UMD 4, Notre Dame 1
North Dakota 4, Maine 3

Saturday:
St. Cloud State 1, St. Lawrence 1
North Dakota 3, Maine 1
Minnesota 5, Denver 2

Look out for North Dakota, beating Maine twice! The Denver loss is unsurprising, because without Adam Berkhoel, well... I don't want to say they're nothing, but he was absolutely unstoppable in the NCAA Championship game. These other fellas seem more like chain-link fences than walls.

Next weekend, it's all about hockey, I promise!

I'm Sorry

This weekend's posting has been pre-empted for the Twins playoffs. I know, I should be ashamed of myself. I have been so excited for the start of the Bulldogs' season that I should have been on top of things, but that's the problem with the two sports with which I live and die overlapping in their seasons.

Alas, the overlapping has ended. I follow the BoSox, of course, but not with the zeal with which I follow the Twins.

Thus ends my babbling about baseball.

@$$%%!!!!

Bah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Windows Media Player!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No hockey!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ain't Too Proud To Beg

Could we please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top, take just ONE from North Dakota?????

Can You Feel It?

Today's Wednesday. I'll be at the Bulldog (coincidence??) in Uptown watching the Twins beat the Yankees in a few hours. I couldn't sleep last night, I was thinking about baseball.

But tomorrow is Thursday. There's no baseball (well, no Twins baseball), but it's an important day for all of us. Look, down at the bottom of the page. Do you see that countdown? Do you know that when I started that coundown, there were nearly two months to go??? It's a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you.

It hasn't been this exciting since the start of the season after that game we'd rather forget. (That game, however, is a game I do not remember, since I was still learning to form coherent sentences and could not form lasting memories. I do remember the 'Dogs kicking the everliving snot out of Bowling Green last January, so we'll just pretend that other game never happened. It's best for all of us.)

The team is ready. The fans are rabid. Keyport Liquor is stocked.

Sure, we don't have Junior Lessard. He's off in the NHL. We can't tarnish his memory, despite his defection to the forces of evil (Dallas). Living in Canada for so many years, and not even the part of Canada where they speak Semi-English, he might not be aware the Minnesota North Stars had deserted us so many years ago. I imagine Lucien, Jr. showing up to tour the Dallas Stars' arena, and saying something like "Mon Dieu! What are you talking aboot? Zees ees not Minnesota, eh?"

But tomorrow night ("Hockey on a Thursday? Well, I guess Must-See TV tanked, so we've got to put something on.") the 'Dogs are going to come out scoring. Notre Dame will not know what hit them. They will wish Rudy had played hockey, not football. They will wish they were French, instead of Indianan.

Are you ready?