How To Win A National Championship

in ten easy steps

Hear ye! Hear ye! The UMD Bulldogs are officially out of the basement!

That's the Good News.

The Bad News: we need the Non-Evil Huskies to prevent the Gophers from winning the league, or else we'll be travelling to that big trailer park out west to face the Evil Huskies. And we don't want that, for a multitude of reasons.

We need to keep it together in the next few weeks, because March hockey is the most important hockey of all. (Yes, I realize April is when the Frozen Four is, but you can't have April hockey without March hockey.)

Here's the plan.

I. Kick Wisconsin while they're down. They were just swept by Tech, and they're vulnerable. Go for the jugular!

IIa. Draw St. Cloud in the play-offs. Roll in, silence Kronick, and knock them out of the Final Five. We're overdue for a win against them. I like our chances in a best-of-three.
IIb. Draw the Gophers in the play-offs. Swoop down on the John and continue the Gophers' playoff woes. We played them hard back in November, and they had to cheat to win. They don't have Crazy anymore, and if they were to end up in second, they would be a demoralized team.

III. Dominate whoever we face in the play-in game. Take no prisoners.

IV. Friday night, kill the #1 seed. We'll have already knocked off either St. Cloud or UMTC, so we'll just knock the other one off.

V. Become the first winner of the play-in game to win the Final Five.

VI. With out auto-bid, win the regional semi-final (preferrably with a shut-out, like we did in 2004.)

VII. Win regional final.

VIII. Hold 3-goal lead in Frozen Four semis this time around.

IX. Hoist our first National Championship banner.

X. Riot. (Optional.)

Next year: repeat steps IV-IX.

9 more wins, baby! (Though 11 would be nice...)

The S Word

Sadly, I was working tonight, just in case someone needed to run out and buy something completely needless, despite the relentless snow. So, I missed out on the awesomeness that was tonight.

RWD would like to extend a standing ovation to senior goaltender Josh Johnson for his shutout tonight, the second of his Bulldog career. Believe it or not, Josh has a winning record, in the conference as well as overall. I know he's struggled through some things during his career, and I am glad to see him man up to the task.

The other story of the night is Kemper the Wrecker, with two goals, one being an unassisted shorthanded goal to get the 'Dogs on the board. I'm sure those crazy ladies we met in Denver were screaming their lungs out for you, Nick.

Numbers
Points Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: DONE!
Wins Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: DONE!

My "Guys" Competition:
Matt Niskanen: 30! (Excellent! Off notice!)
Michael Gergen: 15
Mike Curry: 13
Matt McKnight: 8! (It's about time!)
Jason Garrison: 2 (Any time now, buddy!)

Freshmen Competition:
Akins: 10
Fulton: 9! (Listened to my direction!)
Stalock: 4
Gorsalitz: 2
Palm: 1
C. Ryan: 1

On Notice:
Mike Curry: GD 15
Drew Akins: GD 16 PD 5
Trent Palm: GD 23 PD 23
Ryan Geris: GD 33 PD 4
Travis Gawryletz: GD 34
Matt Greer: GD 11 PD 11
Jeff McFarland: GD 10 PD 10
Jay Cascalenda: GD 10 PD 10
Michael Gergen: GD 7
Jordan Fulton: GD 6
Josh Meyers: GD 4

Mr. McGregor's Garden

With pitchfork in hand, Bryan McGregor certainly kicked some butt tonight, getting 2 of the 3 Bulldog goals. Would I have loved it if McGregor had found his scoring touch, oh, say, two seasons ago? Or even last season? Yes. But it isn't too late for Mr. McGregor to lead the charge over the Peter Rabbits of this world. I'm ready for Bryan to pull a Buster Stapleton and lead us to a Final Five.

Time for the stick salute tomorrow night, boyos.

Numbers
Points Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: DONE!
Wins Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: DONE!

My "Guys" Competition:
Matt Niskanen: 29!
Michael Gergen: 15 (Missed a breakaway, booo!)
Mike Curry: 13 (Great chances!)
Matt McKnight: 7
Jason Garrison: 2

Freshmen Competition:
Akins: 10
Fulton: 8
Stalock: 4
Gorsalitz: 2 (Gives new meaning to the term "Crash the Net")
Palm: 1
C. Ryan: 1

(Dear freshmen, get your butts in gear and score.)

On Notice:
Nick Kemp: GD 11 PD 6
Mike Curry: GD 13
Drew Akins: GD 14 PD 4
Trent Palm: GD 21 PD 21
Ryan Geris: GD 31 PD 4
Travis Gawryletz: GD 32
Matt McKnight: GD 9 PD 4
Matt Greer: GD 9 PD 9
Jeff McFarland: GD 8 PD 8
Jay Cascalenda: GD 8 PD 8
Michael Gergen: GD 6
Matt Niskanen: GD 6
Jordan Fulton: GD 6 PD 6
Mason Raymond: GD 4
Josh Meyers: GD 4

New Blogger in Anchorage?

I was reading the Anchorage Daily News today (as its one of the dozens of newspapers I read cover to cover on a daily basis, so I can keep up on what's going on in the Narrow World of College Hockey), and I came across an ad for a new blogger for the Seawolves. I didn't know they were looking, as I thought Donald had it covered, but apparently not.

You see, apparently when I interviewed Donald for The Gauntlet back in November, I inadvertently made public a potentially damaging fact about him. You see, Donald was not born in the United States. He is, at his own admission, "100% Scottish blood." I guess he didn't realize that this admission would come back to haunt him.

Months later, Donald's blogging visa is expiring (he is currently working under an H1-Blog visa), and he needs to apply for a green card to keep on blogging. However, the Internet needs to prove that there aren't any United States citizens who are also qualified for and interested in the job. I think Donald probably assumed he was safe, since he has been doing such a great job covering the Seawolves.

However, UAA athletic director has to prove that Donald is uniquely qualified for the job, and prove why the other applicants are unable to meet the job's requirements.

Other applicants include:
Dirty (unqualified, Craig Dahl-like candidate)
Frank Bretti (revenge)
Troy Ward (more revenge)
Puck Swami (possible dark horse)
DGGoddard (also a foreigner)
Dude Love (totally unqualified, must have opposable thumbs and walk upright in order to apply)
Rabid Husky (ditto)
Walsky's mom (possibly going to bring down the blog from the inside?)
John Hill (revenge, the third)
RWD (as a joke)
Doyle Woody (Donald's archnemesis)

Since there are so many applicants, and they are spread far and wide, the interview process will most likely be a lengthy one. Donald had better come out with some good posts in the coming weeks, if he wants to keep his job.

I'll keep you posted, folks.

Milestone

I was going to title this post Beta Blockers because that's seriously what I need, but there's a more pressing issue here.

I don't know why no one bothered to tell me my Numbers were totally jacked up, but they were. (Actually, Ciskie told me, but not until later
LAST YEAR we were 11-25-4 overall, and 6-19-3 in the conference.
AS OF TONIGHT we are 10-17-4 overall, and 6-14-3 in the conference.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
It means we are ONE WIN away from matching our overall win total from last year, and we just TIED OUR CONFERENCE POINTS FROM LAST YEAR. SO TAKE THAT, RANDOM COMMENTER WHO SAID I SHOULD STOP BLOGGING BECAUSE THE 'DOGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE EVERY YEAR SINCE I STARTED BLOGGING. HA.

I'm sure that person doesn't read the site anymore. But oh well.

Also, recruiting genius Chris Heisenberg put another recruit on the board for UMD: Camrose's Mike Connolly (forward). Mike is a huge pickup for the Dogs, and we are definitely happy to have him coming here. Congratulations to the coaching staff on picking up such a quality recruit. Scott Kishel (defenseman) of Virginia-MIB also verbally committed to tDogs earlier this week. Sounds like a great, skilled defender who will be good on the PP.

Solid game tonight for tDogs, could have been a win for either team, but we did get a point on a Friday, now finish it off with 2 on Saturday!

Numbers
Points Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: DONE!
Wins Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: DONE!

My "Guys" Competition:
Matt Niskanen: 28 (Great hard hits!)
Michael Gergen: 15! (So hot!)
Mike Curry: 13! (Excellent falling down assist!)
Matt McKnight: 7
Jason Garrison: 2 (WELCOME BACK, BABY!!)

Freshmen Competition:
Akins: 10
Fulton: 8
Stalock: 4
Gorsalitz: 2
Palm: 1
C. Ryan: 1

On Notice:
Nick Kemp: GD 9 PD 4
Mike Curry: GD 11
Drew Akins: GD 12
Trent Palm: GD 19 PD 19
Ryan Geris: GD 29
Travis Gawryletz: GD 30 PD 11
Matt McKnight: GD 7
Matt Greer: GD 7 PD 7
Jeff McFarland: GD 6 PD 6
Jay Cascalenda: GD 6 PD 6
Michael Gergen: GD 4
Matt Niskanen: GD 4
Jordan Fulton: GD 4 PD 4

Okay 'Dogs, let's get that WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gooning It Up

In a RWD first, North Dakota's premier blogger Goon gives us his perspective on former UND player and coach Scott Sandelin. (BTW, he's our current head coach.) You can also read what I wrote on his blog, although it has nothing to do with Dave Hakstol.

Sioux Fans Still Have Fond Memories of Sandelin
I think it would be safe to say that Fighting Sioux fans have fond memories of current UMD coach Scott Sandelin. Scott Sandelin (the player) played for the Fighting Sioux from 1982 to 1986, playing in 149 games, scoring 16 goals and adding 77 assists for 93 points. Sandelin left UND after 4 years and went on to play professionally in the NHL, AHL, and IHL. During his professional career, Scott Sandelin had a cup of coffee in the NHL, where Sandelin played in 25 NHL games with the Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadians, scoring no goals and adding 4 assists for 4 points.

The Coach
Scott Sandelin was an assistant coach under Dean Blais the last time the Fighting Sioux won the national championship during the 1999-2000 season. In 2000 Sandelin left The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux after experiencing a national title to take over the reins of the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs hockey program from former coaching legend Mike Sertich. Since taking over the reins of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, Sandelin has a record of 106 (W) –139 (L) –29 (T). Bulldog fans are beginning to become restless: since Sandelin took the Bulldogs to a 2004 Frozen Four, the Bulldogs have had three losing season in a row.
This season there seems to be a current theme that is consistent all over the Internet among Bulldogs fans, seems they are fed up with the current state of their Bulldog team and they are beginning to call for Sandelin's head. This puzzles me; I believe firing Sandelin would be a mistake and there is no guarantee a new coach would be able to change the fortune of the Bulldog hockey team without the team getting an new arena. In my opinion the Bulldogs need a new arena to be successful in winning the recruiting battles with the bigger WCHA schools. For now, Sandelin appears to be safe as all indications are that the UMD athletic department will not fire Sandelin after the current season because Sandelin signed a new multi year contract in this past summer during the offseason. Also, word has it that the UMD’s athletic department is strapped for cash and doesn’t have enough money to buy out his contract.
Sandelin’s best season coaching in Duluth was during the 2003-2004 season, where Sandelin led the Bulldogs to the Frozen Four before bowing out to eventual national champion Denver University. Coming into this season, many WCHA fans thought UMD had turned the corner and would be a force this season in the WCHA season race. This optimism was brought on after the Bulldogs, who had about 12 freshmen playing in their line up, made the 2006 Final Five by bouncing defending national champion Denver out of the WCHA playoffs in three games, and ending the Pioneers's NCAA title hopes. All I can say is thank you very much. Nate Ziegelmann led the charge in the post season and led the team to St. Paul.
After Dean Blais left the University of North Dakota during the summer after the 2003-2004 season to coach for Columbus of the NHL, there was a buzz around Grand Forks about who should be the next coach of the Fighting Sioux. There were a fair number of fans that were calling for Sandelin to return to the Fighting Sioux. I have to admit that I was one of fans that was hoping Sandelin would make a return to the program. I was disappointed when the University of North Dakota appointed Hakstol coach without even having a national search for a head coach, to this day you will still hear grumbling around Grand Forks about this subject, but it was muted after Hakstol took the Sioux to two Frozen Fours. That talk resurfaced again this season after the Fighting Sioux got off to a rough start. I just believe that Sandelin is a good coach and is doing a great job in a very competitive league. From top to bottom the WCHA is best league in the NCAA hockey; the margin for error is very small as we can see from this year's standings.

Goon is a loyal reader of Runnin' with the Dogs blog and would like to thank RWD for the opportunity to contribute to an awesome blog.

Be Mine

Today, I opened up my paper bag decorated with hearts and Cupids, and found several Valentines from various Bulldog players. I thought I'd share them with you all, since they are so nice.




Dear RWD,
You were right about the hair.
Nisky

Dear RWD,

Thank you for making me one of your "guys." I will score a goal for you in my return to the ice this weekend. Thanks for remembering me.

Jason Garrison

Dear RWD,

I appreciated your words of encouragement during the Saturday game against Denver. I'm sorry I got kicked out, but it wasn't my fault. I didn't know Veideman was such a big baby. I was planning on scoring a goal for you, or at least getting in a fight with Paukovich, but I guess I'll have to do something awesome this weekend instead.

Big Mike

p.s. Bruce Ciskie is acting kind of creepy toward me lately. I think he likes me more than a friend.

Dear RWD,

My dad is crazy enough as it is. I wish you would stop encouraging him.

Gors

Dear RWD,

It felt really good to shove that guy in the face. I'm glad you noticed it and mentioned it on the Scott Sandelin show. I will definitely try to play more physical in the future.

Andrew Carroll

Dear RWD,

My mom's friends said you were really loud. However, so were they. Thanks for coming to Denver and supporting the team!

Kemper the Wrecker

Dear RWD,

Why do you like Mike Curry better than me? I am jealous. How do I get back to being your favorite guy? Please help.

Gergzilla

I thought it was really sweet of them to think of me on Valentine's Day! Thanks guys! Let's see a big sweep this weekend!

clip art is from http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/val/clip/

The Gauntlet: Filthy Edition

Not only is this Gauntlet rife with Authentic Frontier Gibberish, but it has more inside jokes than ever before. Here we go!

RWD: Okay let's do this. It's on like a beer bong (to quote Jonathon Toews).

Dirty: That was an imposter Toews in that picture.

RWD: I'm sure it was his stunt double.

Dirty: Exactly. Don't you wish UMD was good enough to have stunt doubles for their players? [No, because stunt doubles are for people who can’t do their own dirty work.] Junior Lessard really could've used one a couple years ago when he went swimming.

RWD: Oooh! [That one hurt!] This is not a normal Gauntlet, though, folks. Normally, I interview fans from the opposing team. But this week, Michigan Tech fan Dirty is in the hot seat. [Read all about it here.]

Dirty: Quite the miracle that Duluth was finally able to beat my Huskies this year at the DECC. You guys gonna hang a banner for that?

RWD: We are not St. Cloud. So, no.

Dirty: Touche. you'd have home ice if you were

RWD: I'm cool with that. Home ice isn't a necessity. UMD will not have home ice this weekend and will still provide a beat down on UND.

Dirty: That was last week with the women's team. Speaking of which, Sandy will be welcomed back with open arms to coach our womens team. He'll probably get a raise by coming back here.

RWD: Ah, so you're settling for Sandelin since you can't have Blais?

Dirty: UND can have Blais if they wanted [Yeah, I’m so sure that’s true], but we all feel bad for Sandy. We want to help raise his self-confidence again. Having to coach UMD really kills it.

RWD: I think the UND women's team record is actually worse than the UMD men's team, by a game or two. But the gals are in a rebuilding year, right?

Dirty: Have been for 5 years.

RWD: I could have sworn you were a Fighting Sioux fan, but the MTU-UMD series at tDECC shot down that rumor. Is it because you're like most UND fans, who are unsatisfied with anything less than an undefeated record and a national championship?

Dirty: Ooo? Does this mean I get to rip on all the moron Sioux fans? Awesome. I hate them with a passion. Hakstol should have been fired every year according to those idiots. They should all be beaten with a mukluk. [Mukluk. Noun. 1. A sealskin or reindeer-skin boot worn by Eskimos. 2. A boot often of duck with a soft leather sole and worn over several pairs of socks.]

RWD: I have the NCAA on speed dial, so watch what you say. How much money did you make selling "I'm not hostile and abusive" t-shirts, sweatshirts, thongs, etc?

Dirty: Much less money than I made on my Oshie shirts.

RWD: Oshie shirts?

Dirty: [Yeah right, like I’m really going to put a link in and let you make money off my site. But, they say “Got Oshie?”]

RWD: Well, next year they'll be 80% off. [UND won’t “Got Oshie?” after this season.] You are more scandalous than Lindsay Lohan, what with your recent USCHO suspension. Enlighten us on how that went down.

Dirty: MeanEgirl told me to die so I told her she's an embarassment to Tech (I should know). Obviously I'm the one who should have gotten suspended.

RWD: What was the "official reason?"

Dirty: I was trolling on the Bemidji State to the WCHA thread.

RWD: I guess in that manner, you are probably trolling about 90% of the time on USCHO. Do they pay you per post?

Dirty: Board hates me. I think they'd pay me not to post.

RWD: I mean, the only way you could get me to have 37,000 posts on a message board is for money. I wouldn't have the time otherwise.

Dirty: You bring up a good point. I should start charging. I give my brilliance [um, yeah, that’s the word] away for free. That's pretty silly of me.

RWD: You might be able to move out of Mom and Dad's basement that way, no?

Dirty: You obviously have poor sources if you think I live there. You should probably work on that.

RWD: It seems to be the general consensus on Teh Internet. But that's what The Gauntlet is about. Uncovering the Truth. [Like Fox 9 News, baby!] Why not parlay all that brilliance into The Dirty Blog? I'm surprised there isn't one.

Dirty: Where would I find the time? I've got 37,000 posts.

RWD: Well, right, instead of those posts... [Do I have to hold his freaking hand? Why doesn't he see the connection?] What do you think of the blogs around the WCHA?

Dirty: I don't read them much. I only read books recommended by Levar Burton on Reading Rainbow.

RWD: Is that because you had a bad experience with a certain blogger? The one who stole your USCHO girlfriend?

Dirty: Nope. She hated me for me. It had nothing to do with Maize. [Aka the writer behind Western College Hockey.]

RWD: Ouch. That's much worse. And now, Casey Borer has stolen [MeanEgirl].

Dirty: We both know Casey is just humoring MEg. I'm still golden.

RWD: Maybe USCHO is not the best place for meeting women... Unless you are Rabid Husky.

Dirty: Rabib's Woman with the bag over her head is HOT!

RWD: I would like to know why you are called Dirty. I mean, who voluntarily calls themselves Dirty? [Possibly someone who thinks Rabid’s Lady is hot?] Are you a Christina Aguilera fan?

Dirty: It's what the older kids called me in the neighborhood when I was younger.

RWD: Because you were... a neat freak?

Dirty: It went well with my name or something. I just went with it so I didn't get beat up.

RWD: When did you become a Fighting Sioux fan?

Dirty: When I went to my first game and watched the Hrkac Circus light up UMD. The students littered the ice with plastic cups.

RWD: I find it hard to believe that your first game was against UMD.

Dirty: It was.

RWD: Yeah right. You’re saying that for dramatic effect.

Dirty: My parents didn't have season tickets and we only went to like one game a year [with tickets] that they got from my mom's co-worker. I wanted to get a Hrkac button but they were sold out and I got stuck with Russ Romaniuk one.

RWD: Were you wearing the cape way back then?

Dirty: Nope. I stole the cape idea from a Canadian fan who was at the WJC [in 2004/2005].

RWD: Why not go all out and wear white underpants over green tights, too?

Dirty: I just might do that next year.

RWD: Which UND player would look the best in that get-up? (Meaning, who is the hottest hottie?)

Dirty: What kind of silly question is that? [T.J.] Oshie. DUH.

RWD: I knew it. Has TJ replaced Andy Schneider in your heart?

Dirty: He did that long ago. He can stop hurricanes simply by glaring at them. Schneider can't even compare. [Somewhere, Andy Schneider is crying. Or, sighing with relief.]

RWD: Mason Raymond is so fast, he can skate around the world and punch himself in the back of the head. Who are your favorite players, other than TJ and Andy? Current and all-time.

Dirty: Jeff Panzer, Mike Commodore and Mike Prpich. [So he only likes Oshie from the current squad?]

RWD: You tend to like guys with interesting hair.

Dirty: Of course. It makes them stand out.

RWD: I heard a rumor [from Meg]. I heard you work for the enemy. She said you work for NDSU.

Dirty: I work on the NDSUcks campus, but don't work for NDSU. It's a subtle but very important distinction.

RWD: Why exactly do the Bison suck?

Dirty: They are hostile and abusive towards Sioux.

RWD: Like Red Baron pizza?

Dirty: Exactly like that.

RWD: Well, how about a weekend prediction for us?

Dirty: Toews singlehandedly outscores UMD.

RWD: I guess it doesn't have to be an accurate prediction.

Get Well Soon

RWD would like to wish a speedy recovery to the father of Brad over at The Decc is Stacked. It seems he had a small stroke last week. Get well soon, Brad's Dad!

It's A Long Way From This Place To Denver

It's an off week. What were you expecting, a novel? I'm sorry, but there are icicles hanging from my keyboard. It's cold here. (I hope that makes Understatement of the Millennium.)

Somewhere in the world, there is a picture of my chubby drunk badonkadonk doing the chicken dance. I feel as though no good could ever come of that. It's just not as funny as DHG ripping his shirt off and yelling SHAVE MY BACK!

I hate off weeks. I hate that 2 out of 3 weekends we've been off. That's just gross and annoying. What in the narrow world of college hockey am I going to write about?

Granted, we have some very exciting things coming up. 3 more Gauntlets (probably 4, depending on where we travel for the WCHA first round playoffs: Stearns, Hennepin, or Denver county?), a campaign message, and of course, six more recaps of six more wins! Plus, the High Holidays are nearing. It's just over a month now until the Holiest of Holy Three-Day Weekends.

I realize this is [more] boring [than my other posts], but I didn't want you people to think I forgot about you! (Actually, it's almost a guarantee it's the other way around, but I like to pretend. My psychiatrist says this blog is a healthy outlet for my delusions of mediocrity.) Trust me, this next Gauntlet is going to be one worth waiting for. Clearly, DG's promise of traffic to the site if I interviewed Puck Swami fell short of expectations (mostly because he didn't even bother to link to the interview on his site. I hope a dingo eats his baby.) This next one is a big one, though. I'll give you a hint: What's the opposite of Clean?

Gotta go fix the HTML on the rest of the posts (silly Mozilla!) before I use up my month's allotment of parentheses and brackets, and have to start using braces or just not making snarky asides altogether. AND THEN, DEAR GOD, WHAT WOULD WE DO?????

***In the meantime, learn more about Mike Curry.

1.624 Mile High Club

All right, so I'm still on vacation, 8574 feet above sea level, and I just ate a giant hamburger from the Crooked Creek Saloon, so this post is going to be A.) short B.) lame or C.) some combination of the two.

Obviously, the big story from Saturday night (at least, RWD-style) was RWD favorite Mike Curry getting a major penalty and game misconduct for his slash on Adrian Veideman. I know that no one is going to take me seriously (no one ever does!), but I'm going to forge ahead and say WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND CALLS A 5 MINUTE SLASH 5 MINUTES AFTER THE FACT???? Here's how it went down: Curry slashed Veideman (it was a blatant slash, for sure, no one is arguing that), and I guess it stung a little. Veideman cried like a baby. Curry was escorted to the box. A two-minute penalty was posted on the board. Veideman cried harder. The corpulent ref decided to change the penalty he had originally meted out, giving Curry both a 5-minute major for slashing (whaaaaaaaat?) and a game misconduct. They showed Mike the door. I wept. Veideman was awarded Best Actor in a Dramatic Miniseries.

This is where I would like to take a moment to remind you all that Denver received a mere 2-minute boarding call when a player had a broken neck after being checked from behind into the boards while touching up a puck on a delayed penalty. So you can whine all you want about how Veideman was "injured" (but somehow was out after the penalty expired and managed to clutch and grab like never before), but an injury to a player does not necessarily warrant a major penalty, unless you can prove the player did it on purpose.

That incident was a big downer for me, because I was hoping to see Big Mike in a cagematch with Paukovich at the end of the game.

BUT WE WON! WE WON! WE FREAKING WON!

I know I begged, pleaded, and cajoled the Dogs to win their last 3 games and score 21 goals, but, as Meat Loaf says, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. I am so pleased with the way our special teams played (3 power play goals! 2 shorthanded goals!), and it was great to see that empty net goal slide over the goal line with 0.5 seconds left in the game. The Dogs were fired up Saturday night, and they played hard. They played way more physical than I've seen them play in a long time, which is what I generally get down on my knees and pray for each night before a game. Yes, there were a lot of penalties, but we've heard it time and time again: good teams find ways to win. The Dogs may not be a good team every night, but they were a good team Saturday. I'm proud of the way we play Denver. I wish we could play that way against every team (how about against North Dakota???), but hey, I'm fine with playing the spoiler. For now.

I really enjoyed my time in Denver (always do), and especially enjoyed meeting DG, Puck Swami, CO14ers (sort of), Dubbie 31, and the others I may be remiss in mentioning. If I forgot you, it's not my fault, it's just the Coors you sent me killing my brain cells. There are certain fan bases that could learn a lot from the Denver fans (well, not ALL the Denver fans... not the ones who ripped their shirts off for no reason, and then wanted to fight DHG after he showed them all up with his hairiness) as far as hospitality is concerned. If you can't act like a human being to opposing fans before and after the game, then you're an embarrassment to your program. I forgot to mention one thing about DG: I have never heard a Houston-Australian hybrid accent before. And Puck Swami spent the entire second period chatting hockey with me, which surprised me, considering I'd just put him through the Gauntlet mere days before. I've never interacted with a Gauntlet victim so soon after the attack, and didn't know what to expect.

Huh. I guess the answer to the quiz above was B.) lame rather than C.) some combination of the two. We'll be back in Minnesota tomorrow, and I've got some actual posting prepared.

Numbers
Points Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: 12
Wins Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: 5

My "Guys" Competition:
Matt Niskanen: 28! (Zowie!)
Michael Gergen: 14
Mike Curry: 12 (Most certainly would have gotten another point had he not been unjustly removed from the game! Several good chances!)
Matt McKnight: 7!
Jason Garrison: 2 (with him in the lineup, I'm sure we would have swept!)

Freshmen Competition:
Akins: 10
Fulton: 8
Stalock: 4
Gorsalitz: 2
Palm: 1
C. Ryan: 1

On Notice (2/10: Fully updated now!):
Nick Kemp: GD 9
Mike Curry: GD 11
Drew Akins: GD 12
Trent Palm: GD 19 PD 19
Ryan Geris: GD 29
Travis Gawryletz: GD 30 PD 11
Matt McKnight: GD 7
Matt Greer: GD 7 PD 7
Jeff McFarland: GD 6 PD 6
Jay Cascalenda: GD 6 PD 6
Michael Gergen: GD 4
Matt Niskanen: GD 4
MacGregor Sharp: GD 4

Plowed

Did you know that it sometimes snows in Denver? Because no one here is aware. Thus, they were completely unprepared for the snow that hit Thursday night just as we were rolling in from St. Louis. We saw 2 accidents before we had even picked up our rental car! Now, in Minnesota, the plows would have been out in full force, and we would have seen clear highways in a matter of hours. This is not the case in Denver. Not only did it take us two hours to drive the 24 miles from the airport to the Pepsi Center, but the roads were not even plowed when we left the game! Unacceptable. We also witnessed a plow driving WITH THE PLOW UP. What, was he on break? RWD Denver Correspondent suggested he may have been a union guy.

The Wild game was fabulous, although it seemed the Wild were desperate to give the game away to the Avs. It was back and forth for quite awhile, until the third when the Wild went ahead 4-3, and then capped it off with an empty-netter to seal the deal. Former WCHA players Paul Stastny and Jordan Leopold were both on the ice for the Avs. DHG and wife, Crazy Canuck and Momma Crazy Canuck, and Jones and wife were all in attendance, as well as Bruce Ciskie, P-Grass, and the Bulldogs themselves. Next time we are in Denver, I also hope to go to the all-you-can-eat Brazillian steakhouse and gorge myself on meat, meat, meat.

Friday was a different story. After inadvertently ditching Ciskie for lunch (and then ditching him again today, although that's not my fault, it's the booze taking control of my life), we showed up at famed DU hangout Spanky's at 4:00 sharp, the time we had agreed upon with the other PBers. They rolled in promptly at 5:00, so The Alleged Webmaster and I had to drink alone like losers for an hour. DU celebrities started showing up in droves, including Dubbie31 (decked out in Bears gear, ew), Veideman's parents, and of course, the man himself, DG. Let me tell you, the minute that man walked in the door, one of the employees yells "GODDARD!" Let's see if I remember those SAT analogies. DG : Spanky's :: Norm : Cheers? I think that's right. Trying to sabotage my blogging, the DU table sent over wave upon wave of this local microbrew. You may have heard of it: Coors? Anyway, there is a lovely picture of me with a Coors in one hand and a tall whiskey and coke in the other hand. But the feel-good story of the night goes to Momma Crazy Canuck, who drank the bar out of Southern Comfort. It may have been a Penalty Box first.

The game... well... I'm not so pleased with the game. VERY PLEASED with Mike Curry, of course, for helping Andrew Carroll get back off notice. Good things happen when you go hard to the net. Bad things happen when high school boys give me a scoreboard check. I informed the young man that he would never, ever, ever play for DU, so he doesn't really get any credit for the score. He also showed me his muscle for some reason I can't possibly fathom, because I never gestured to him to "come up and get some." I would never strike a child. The good thing is, we didn't get completely blown out. We were in the game, definitely had a chance to tie it up. The bad thing is, we didn't.

For ACTUAL REAL CONTENT, I would love to direct you to Elliot Olshansky's totally awesome Rink Rat blog. I can't decide if his job is my dream job or worst nightmare. However, he is fabulous, a nice guy, and a much snazzier dresser than Bruce Ciskie could ever hope to be. He also has a photoset, including a picture of me looking totally bloated with booze. Crazy Canuck is next to me, and in the foreground is Momma Crazy Canuck, who was so excited for a photo op that she was reaching for her own camera rather than posing for Elliot's photo.

Well, I have to go eat some pizza before there's none left. LET'S GO 'DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Numbers
Points Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: 14
Wins Until We Surpass Last Year's Total: 6

My "Guys" Competition:
Matt Niskanen: 25!
Michael Gergen: 14
Mike Curry: 12! (Excellent!)
Matt McKnight: 6
Jason Garrison: 2 (Back for the NoDak series!!!)

Freshmen Competition:
Akins: 10!
Fulton: 8
Stalock: 4
Gorsalitz: 2
Palm: 1
C. Ryan: 1

On Notice (Semi-updated: No new additions):
Nick Kemp: GD 8
Mike Curry: GD 10
Drew Akins: GD 11
Trent Palm: GD 18 PD 18
Ryan Geris: GD 28 PD 18
Travis Gawryletz: GD 29 PD 10
Matt McKnight: GD 6
Matt Greer: GD 5 PD 5
Jeff McFarland: GD 4 PD 4
Josh Meyers: GD 4
Jay Cascalenda: GD 4 PD 4