Now, Sioux! Now is your time!

I'm a bit of a military history buff. The battle I've probably studied more than any other is Waterloo. It occurred in Belgium in 1815 when a British-allied force led by the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian force led by Blucher teamed up to defeat a French army led by Napoleon.

The painting here depicts a defining moment of the battle. The French Imperial Guard, which to that moment had never known defeat, believes it has broken Wellington's defensive line and is marching to victory. But the British commander has cleverly concealed some of his best troops behind a ridge. They are lying down in corn fields. At the right moment, Wellington waves his hat and shouts an order to his brigade commander: "Now, Maitland! Now is your time!"

With that command, lines of red-coated British troops rose up and fired the devastating volleys of musketry for which they'd become famous. After mowing down France's finest infantry in waves, the British infantry followed up with a bayonet charge that sent what remained of the Imperial Guard fleeing back down the slope. Seeing the Guard running for their lives sent a shockwave through the French army, which crumbled under the pressure from the advancing Prussians. The French went down to defeat at Waterloo and Napoleon was vanquished for good.

Wellington went into the campaign not knowing how much he could trust the Prussians or the allied units of his army. But he knew that the British infantry, which provided the backbone of his force during the Napoleonic war in Portugal and Spain, were absolutely reliable and dependable in critical situations.

What does this have to do with Fighting Sioux hockey? To me, the British infantry of North Dakota's team heading to the NCAA Frozen Four in Denver this week are the seniors and juniors. If UND brings home its eighth national championship, it will be because the older, more experienced players on the roster stepped up and provided leadership when it was most needed and made the key plays at the critical points in two games.

Against Princeton in the NCAA Midwest Regional at Madison, it was senior goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux who prevented the Tigers from taking advantage of UND's slow start. It was junior forward Andrew Kozek who got the first goal. And it was Ryan Duncan, a junior and last year's Hobey Baker winner, who took the team on his back by scoring three straight goals to put the game out of reach.

In the game that sent the Sioux to the Frozen Four, Lamoureux once again came through with stellar goaltending that kept Wisconsin from running away with the contest after two periods of dominance. As assistant coach Dane Jackson noted on last week's Fighting Sioux Coaches Show, it was senior captain Rylan Kaip who scored the first UND goal against the Badgers and sent the message to his teammates: "Follow me!"

Forty-seven seconds later, Duncan tied the game after being set up beautifully by junior T.J. Oshie, who was playing in pain after blocking a shot during a Wisconsin power play. In overtime, it was Oshie's faceoff win in the Badgers' zone and senior defenseman Robbie Bina's shot from the point that resulted in the rebound that Kozek pounced on and stuffed in to end the game with a UND victory.

Much has been written about the pact that brought juniors Oshie, Duncan, Taylor Chorney and Joe Finley back to Grand Forks for another season of Sioux hockey rather than signing NHL contracts when they had the opportunity. But championships at UND aren't won by individuals. They're won by teams with players who lead by example and inspire everyone around them to be their best.

That's why I look back at the Battle of Waterloo and put my own spin on Wellington's famous line: Now, Bina, Kaip, Lamoureux, Radke, Chorney, Duncan, Finley, Jones, Kozek, Martens, Miller, Oshie, Walski and Watkins.

Now is your time!

Fighting Sioux Coaches Show: Special Frozen Four Edition

Here’s a summary of UND assistant hockey coach Dane Jackson’s comments on tonight’s special Frozen Four edition Fighting Sioux Coaches’ Show with Tim Hennessy and Scott Swygman on KFAN (1440 AM).

On being in the Frozen Four his first two years as assistant coach:
It’s an exciting time and we’re excited to get it done again this year. Dave Hakstol’s going to watch a couple of our kids for next year to make sure we have the right ones coming in. Getting to the Frozen Four helps a lot with recruiting. Players know what they’re getting when they come here. They know they’re getting into a big-time program. Our players do such a good job of recruiting. We always have the recruits talk to our players and tell them what it’s like to play here.

On the team being in four straight Frozen Fours:
It says a lot about Hakstol and the guys we have here now. It’s been a standard of excellence and we all feel accountable to the guys who came before us who started it. It was a standard Gino Gasparini set when he became head coach at UND in 1979. It’s not just a sign on the wall. It’s something we talk about. We have former players come in and talk about what it was like to play at UND and what a neat thing it is a part of. Sometimes it takes the younger guys a while to understand what it takes to play here. You find out that the guys who really want to be Fighting Sioux are the most successful in our program.

On starting slow and finishing strong:
It’s a matter of amalgamating the new guys into the process. They need to learn how hard they have to practice and play. Hakstol does a good job of letting the guys run their own team. He wants them to figure some things out and learn how to lead. It’s important that we have character guys and big-time leaders. It’s the guys beside you like Rylan Kaip who say, “I’m going to get the first one. Follow me.”

What impresses him about Hakstol:
It’s his calm under fire. When we’re down a couple, he’s always so stern on the bench. A lot of NHL coaches are like that. They’re planning the next move because they know what needs to be done. They’re the coaches who hold themselves accountable and they’re not freaking out. Hakstol’s under control at all times.

What he likes about coaching at UND:
I love the access we have to our rink. I like running the penalty kill. My role on the team is to be a go-between. The guys like to play for Hakstol, but sometimes I’m a little more approachable. I might talk with them a little bit more about school and other problems. It’s important to have a go-between to get a little more information to the head guy. Hak’s not aloof to our players. They know that he’s hard, but he cares about them. Some of the younger guys are a little more intimidated about talking to him than the older guys. Rick Wilson, the former Sioux player who coaches with the Dallas Stars, takes care of his defensemen. He sticks up for his D-corps if he thinks the coach is messing with them too much. They have their own little tight group. I feel like we have that with our penalty kill guys.

On T.J. Oshie, Ryan Duncan, Taylor Chorney and Joe Finley coming back for another season:
They all had firm offers. We had a meeting in St. Louis a couple hours after our Frozen Four game where there were agents and general managers talking to guys about leaving. We didn’t include Jonathan Toews because we thought he was ready. We thought Oshie could use one more year. It’s a dream the guys have been working at and chasing all their lives. It says a lot about the character of the guys and how much they care about UND when they decided to come back. You don’t want guys to come back and have a “big wheel” attitude when they think they have to be treated special. We don’t have that. It’s more than just putting a bunch of great talent together. We thought Michigan had the most talent last year. You have to have talent, will and team attitude.

On practicing at Gambucci Arena instead of Engelstad Arena:
They treat us great over there. It’s been great. We had a good skate over there. The ice is nice and cold and hard. It makes for good practices.

On preparation for Boston College:
The emphasis is on their speed. They play so fast and have so many quick skill guys. We have to attack, attack and go to the net. We’ll have to play better than we’ve played our last two years at the Frozen Four. They’re a quality team that plays well in big games. Against Princeton we had some nerves because people think they’re a team that you’re supposed to beat. That doesn’t happen any more. They were actually a good team. With Wisconsin, the crowd got them going and got them pumped up. When we battled through that and got a goal, they didn’t seem so much like Supermen. Our guys showed their champion’s heart. We settled down and took over the game after we took a few punches.

On the difference between NHL and NCAA playoffs:
In the NHL, I played in some seven-game playoff series. You struggle to get your mind around the finality of the NCAA tournament. In the NHL, you play to get to game seven and then you realize that this is it, you have to elevate your level of play to its highest. We will have to raise our level of play a lot for Boston College.

On Jean-Philippe Lamoureux not being in the Hobey Hat Trick:
We felt that the numbers Phil had were remarkable. He’s had an incredible year. Look at the weekend he just had. I talked to Oshie and Phil after practice to let them know that they weren’t finalists and they were totally fine with it. They’re team guys.

On how well Duncan plays for his size:
Robbie Bina can eat apples off the top of his head. Those little guys, I give them a lot of credit. Duncan might not give a lot of hits, but he goes into hard areas where he takes a lot of elbows to the jaw and crosschecks to the back. Boy, did he come up big for us last weekend. He’s such a focused kid. He’s one who has maturity beyond his years. We’re fortunate to have a lot of our guys who can be professional, no matter what.

Is there extra motivation knowing that BC ended UND’s season last two years?
There’s definitely going to be a readiness in knowing that we have to play very well to win. They’ve been successful and you better be ready when the puck drops. They can score a couple goals in a hurry.

Senior goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux
The win over the Badgers at the Kohl Center was one of the most exciting, unbelievable wins I’ve been part of. I couldn’t be prouder. I saw the picture of me at InsideCollegeHockey.com. My Mom printed it off. It was embarrassing. I tried to jump on the pile and I fell off. I hit the ice face first. I thought I chipped my tooth. We were watching it on YouTube last night. I’m getting made fun of on a national scale now, but I’d rather be the one jumping in the air than the one hanging his head.

On playing at UND with four Frozen Four teams:
I’m equally proud of each team I’ve been on. We’ve got a veteran crew here and hopefully we can figure out what we need to do to beat Boston College.

On playing his best in the biggest games of the season:
I like to think I’ve been turning it on at the right time. My preparation is always the same, both physically and mentally. I felt pretty loose going into this weekend. Now that we’re going into the one-game shots, I wanted to make sure that I left it out all on the ice. I’m going to do the same thing against BC and leave it all out on the ice. I try to do everything that I can to make timely saves for the team. Whether I’m facing a lot of shots or a few, I’m comfortable in either situation. I’m focused and ready for whatever situation I’m in.

Is he ever critical of a teammate’s mistakes?
I just know what my job is. I have 100 percent confidence in our coaching staff and the guys in front of me. The guys always answer the bell when it matters the most. That’s all you can ask of your players. They play their hearts out for me I and I try to do the same for them. I feel like if I’m going to ridicule a teammate, then it’s going to come around to me.

On whether he’s a leader in the locker room:
I’m not really a big talker. I just try to lead by example through my work ethic and preparation. If there’s a spur-of-the-moment thing where I feel I need to say something, I will. But our captains do a really good job with that. The nature of the position is that you’re playing more of an individual position in a team sport. In practice, the coaches and players give me my space to prepare and do my thing. I just do what I can to play on the weekend.

On how much goalies need to know:
I need to know the offensive zone systems of other teams. I’m always in our penalty kill meetings. I need to know which opposing players have a lot of goals and assists and who shoots with which hand. I haven’t had a chance to look at any tape of BC. You have to have your eye on Nate Gerbe, Dan Bertram and Ryan Whitney. He’s a guy who’s been scoring timely goals for them.

Is he disappointed about the Hobey?
I haven’t thought about it. I don’t really care. Playing for UND isn’t about individual stats or rewards. My focus has always been on extending our season. If anything, it’s nice because it’s not going to be a distraction. It might be something to help motivate my game.

Junior defenseman Joe Finley

On the Sioux peaking at the right time:
It’s a marathon not a sprint. This week, we have to take time to let bumps and bruises heal up to be at 100 percent going into the game with BC.

On wanting to pay back Boston College:
At first glance, that’s what it seems like. This BC team is different from their past teams and the makeup of our team is different, too. This year, they might have a little more depth up front. I’d compare them to Colorado College with their team speed. Gerbe and Whitney really get things going for them offensively. Getting back on the NHL ice is going help us do what we do well, which is making them take shots from the outside.

Comparing this season to last season at the same time:
Maybe we were a little burnt out or self satisfied last year after beating Michigan and Minnesota. The most important thing at this time of year is to put yourself in the position to win the game.

On the Eagles being a quick, small team:
Getting back on NHL ice sheet will be good for our defenseman. It makes it easier to get into the shooting lanes because you know exactly where the net is. Getting back on an ice sheet that we’re more accustomed to gets us back into our comfort zone and what we’ve done well all season long.

On improving his game each season:
Looking at my game and some of the things I do, I try to simplify my game. It’s learning the decision-making and knowing what the right play is. Once you get that down, you get to the comfort level where you can advance the puck out of your zone.

On playing in his third Frozen Four:
We’re accustomed to playing in big games. All we’re looking to do is advance. All the stuff that goes with it, that’s other stuff we have to put out of sight, out of mind. We’re familiar with Denver since we played at the regional there last year. It was like playing in the Kohl Center last weekend. It wasn’t something new to us. This time of year, it’s all about making that smart play about getting the puck past the defensive blue line and letting our forwards take care of things.

Fighting Sioux Coaches Show summary

Here’s a summary of UND hockey coach Dave Hakstol’s comments on tonight’s Fighting Sioux Coaches’ Show with Tim Hennessy and Scott Swygman on KFAN (1440 AM). Denver Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky joined the show later by phone.

On UND being placed in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Wisconsin:
It’s probably the one place nobody really predicted us to go. I’m not surprised because every prediction over the last two or three years hasn’t been close. Wherever you’re going, you’re excited to be there.

On UND being sent east to play Boston College and Boston University in 2005:
We felt like the sacrificial lamb being sent out there. We messed up the plan. It’s an exciting time of year. It’s what the guys in the locker room work for all year. You have to be playing well going into the tournament and then play well when you get there.

On the Sioux players being loose before last Saturday’s game against Colorado College:
Our guys were not tight before the game. Pat Swanson pointed out Saturday that our locker room was loose. That’s when we play best, when we’re loose and focused. That’s the way the team was today and we had a great practice. When you play at a high tempo and practice that way, it’s fun.

On failing to capitalize on the power play against Denver on Friday:
In the 5-on-3 power plays alone, we had eight great scoring opportunities. A couple missed the net. Mannino made a couple of great saves. A few others we just didn’t bury. We were sharp on the power plays, we just didn’t finish. For whatever reason, we were on our heels for the second period against Denver. We had a good 5-on-5 period in the first period and a good third period that we carried over to Saturday against the Tigers.

On bouncing back after the Friday loss to Denver:
At that point in time, that was our biggest game of the year. We wanted to be playing Saturday night for the Broadmoor Trophy. We were disappointed, but the guys kept it together and played for a full 60 minutes against Colorado College. At times during that game, we were outstanding. But they key was that we were solid for the whole 60 minutes.

On depth being a strength of this year’s UND team:
An area that’s been a strength has been our depth. On Saturday, everyone contributed. On Friday, there was one guy on each line who wasn’t contributing. The strength of this team is through 25 guys. If we’re going to be successful this Saturday against Princeton, it’s going to be because the 20 guys in the lineup do their jobs and contribute.

On the Princeton Tigers and their coach Guy Gadowsky:
They’ve only given up one goal in last three games and they’re the ECAC champions. They’re playing well. I’ve known Guy for a long time. I knew him growing up in Alberta. He played at Colorado College. Dixon Ward and I went on a recruiting visit and Guy Gadowsky was our player representative. Princeton has been very, very good since Christmas. Style-wise, they go. They have very good team speed throughout the depth of their roster. They’re very aggressive and play on their toes. They have good size and good puck-moving ability. Their goaltender has been outstanding for them. They’re a good hockey team. They’re not a trapping, defense-oriented team. It’ll be an entertaining game. We have to concentrate on what we’re going to do, not on what they do. We’ll learn a little bit about their tendencies, but the key for us is to play our game.

On the possibility of playing Denver or Wisconsin:
If we get there, we’ll be happy to play either one. You have to beat two good teams to keep playing. One team is on a heck of a roll and has been playing very well. One’s at home and has a lot of rest.

On playing a number-four seed:
Take the seeding and throw it out the window. There are 16 teams in the tournament and they all have the same goal. We don’t want to match their intensity. We have to match the intensity level that we expect. When we do that, we play our best.

On injuries:
The biggest question mark is Derrick LaPoint. The hit from behind that he took gave him post-concussion syndrome. That was from a two-minute penalty. The signs of the concussion didn’t show up until after the game. There’s no real answer as far as timeframe when LaPoint can play again. It’s probably not an injury where he’ll wake up Thursday and be 100 percent. Evan Trupp isn’t available for Saturday, but he is making great progress.

On the officials for games this weekend:
We won’t have any officials from either the WCHA or ECAC. We’ll probably have Hockey East or CCHA officials. There’s a pre-game meeting between the referee and the captains from each team. You need to pay attention and listen to the referee’s expectations and the things he’s going to key on. Hopefully, we’ll discover the level that the game’s going to be called in the first 10 minutes. He’ll say what his points of emphasis are. He’ll give the guys an idea of what to expect.

On which of the four NCAA regionals is the toughest:
Every regional is tough. I thought they did a good job this year of being fair. They had some curve balls thrown at them with Wisconsin getting in as the sixth WCHA team. There are always arguments you can make against every region. There are four pretty good regionals. They protected the No. 1 seed versus the No. 16, which they had to do.

On which regional is the toughest one to pick:
It’s probably Colorado College against Michigan State. Richard Bachman is good in goal for the Tigers and Jeff Lerg is good for the Spartans. MSU is a team that’s been through the battle of winning a national championship. CC is a team that’s been great at home and just won the MacNaughton Cup.

On predicting other regional outcomes:
Last year, two four seeds were playing the next day and two one seeds were on their way home. There are a lot of very, very good teams. If you’re in this tournament, you’re playing well and you’re a good team. The team that plays the best is going to win nine times out of ten.

On whether the NCAA selection process should factor in how a team is playing near the end of the season:
How do you add reason into the computer if two teams are so close? You could add an element of how you’re playing in the last ten or fifteen games. If you want to have the best tournament, you should find a way to include the teams that are playing the best. Wisconsin was playing well before they lost to SCSU in the playoffs, so I don’t know how I’d pick between them and Minnesota State.

George Gwozdecky, head coach of the Denver Pioneers joined the show via phone. DU will play Wisconsin in the Saturday game at the Midwest regional. Gwozdecky’s first words were: “Gopher pride, baby!”

On winning the Broadmoor Trophy at the WCHA Final Five last weekend:
We played well. It’s become such an event that every player on every team has a desire to get there. The Final Five is the highlight to cap the regular season. Everyone was very concerned when the event was first taken to the Xcel Energy Center. Everyone just assumes that if the Gophers are playing, they’ll have an advantage. That Minnesota doesn’t win every year is a testament to the parity of the league. League parity also shows in how many teams the WCHA placed in the NCAA tournament. Next to the Frozen Four, the WCHA Final Five is the best college hockey event in the country.

On whether Wisconsin should have been included:
They met the criteria and they’re in. They’re a quality team. We had our issues at some parts of the season and were struggling. It will be a terrific regional. Three of the teams playing in Madison have a lot of experience in the national tournament.

On the importance of goaltending in the playoffs:
This tournament is all about goaltending. If your goaltending is suspect, you’re not going to win all four games. Last season, Michigan State came out of nowhere because Lerg was phenomenal. Peter Mannino is playing well for us right now and he has experience playing in the NCAA tournament.

On how the Pioneers got through the adversity they faced this season:
We had some challenges, such as when Brock Trotter, our leading scorer, left the team and when Tyler Ruegsegger went down with an injury. We were challenged to figure a better way to play to give us a chance. We had to because we weren’t a team that scored a lot. We had to tweak the playing philosophy a little bit. Certain guys were able to get back into the roles they were good at. We’ve been able to score enough games and Peter’s played well enough to keep us in games. We’re playing well, but we’re not the kind of offensive team we were the first two-thirds of the season.

On the WCHA’s declining trend in goal scoring:
The problem is that the league's top goal scorers are playing in the NHL. If guys like Jonathan Toews and Paul Stastny were playing in the league, scoring wouldn’t be down as much. We’d still have Ryan Dingle and Geoff Paukovitch. The top-end players have left way early. Our team has to rely on freshmen to score. I think that’s part of the reason scoring is down. Wouldn’t you like to see Toews and Brian Lee playing for UND? There’s a ton of firepower in the NHL that could be playing in the WCHA right now.

On whether WCHA officiating is part of the problem with lack of scoring:
I think the officiating is a lot tighter in the NHL. I think the officiating in our league is similar to the way it is in other leagues across the country. It would be different if the NHL let college players get to their senior years. It used to happen in the old days when we were scoring a lot of goals. It’s a sophomore league now.

No Fighting Sioux Coaches' Show summary

There is no Fighting Sioux Coaches' Show summary tonight because UND coach Dave Hakstol and the hockey team are on the road to the WCHA Final Five tournament in St. Paul. Hakstol was expected to call in to visit with Tim Hennessy and Scott Swygman on KFAN (1440 AM), but apparently was unable to do so. We'll try again next week.

Dear SiouxSports.com members

On SiouxSports.com, one of my favorite Web sites, there's been ongoing speculation as to why I'm no longer posting in the forums there. Following standard Internet operating procedure, some pretend to know "the truth" about why I'm no longer active on the board. Suffice it to say that their knowledge of events and their ability to read my mind is pathetically inadequate.

First, I don't owe the public an explanation for my decision. I didn't announce my reason to start posting and there's no need to announce the reason behind my decision to stop. There are a few people who know the specifics as to why I stopped posting at SiouxSports.com. They are the only people who need to know. There are a few more who know some of the story, but not all of it. That's the way it's going to stay.

Second, I didn't abandon SiouxSports.com in favor of the U.S. College Hockey Online forums. The fact is that I was an active poster at USCHO for two years before SiouxSports.com even existed. I've never stopped posting on USCHO.

In addition, given the fact that I've written for USCHO for nearly seven years, nobody should be surprised that I participate on its forums. Some have theorized that my USCHO participation has something to do with money. They are 100 percent wrong.

Third, I don't choose to participate at USCHO because I consider it more civil, more polite or vastly superior to SiouxSports.com. Both sites have more than their fair share of trolls, flamers and idiots. There are also knowledgeable, thoughtful and reasonable posters on both sites.

I began posting in Internet newsgroups 15 years ago, which means that I've been around long enough to understand the nature of the Internet. I'm well acquainted with the "bravery" of people hiding behind the cloak of anonymity and what passes for "the truth" in the online world. That isn't going to change, no matter how much I detest it.

Fourth, my decision to stop posting on SiouxSports.com wasn't made on an impulsive whim or in a juvenile pique. It was literally at least two years in the making. I spent several months thinking about what to do before I actually stopped participating. There was no single incident that caused me to stop. It was a culmination of events over a number of years.

Finally, I have met some great Fighting Sioux fans as a result of my time on SiouxSports.com. I hope that I can continue to have contact with them. I invite people to e-mail me here. The most difficult part of my decision was knowing that I'd be closing off future opportunities to meet wonderful fans of UND athletics. So it wasn't an easy decision and I didn't treat it lightly. But for a variety of reasons, it was the best decision for me at this time.

Now, I'd appreciate it if everyone would please stop talking about this subject. Life will go on.

Those who wish to continue reading my opinions and recaps of the Fighting Sioux Coaches' Show can do so on this blog. And because I enjoy interacting with college hockey compatriots, I will continue to do that in the Men's Division I Hockey Forum at USCHO, the place where I originally began posting my thoughts on and observations about Fighting Sioux hockey.

WCHA: Control what's yours to control

So we have yet another officiating incident in the WCHA. This time, it’s referee Jon Campion being reprimanded by Commissioner Bruce McLeod for grabbing Minnesota-Duluth goalie Alex Stalock from behind. It happened during an altercation last weekend in a game between the Bulldogs and the Gophers. For the second time this season, a league referee has been reprimanded for inappropriately grabbing a UMD player during a game.

A trend I find disconcerting in the WCHA is officials losing control of games and, as a result, players and coaches losing respect for the officials. Perhaps I’m suffering from selective memory, but it seems that there are more and more incidents in which officials literally fight to maintain control of players while the players mostly ignore the officials’ efforts to restrain them.

Interestingly enough, the WCHA didn’t issue any public reprimands following UND’s Feb. 2 game at Minnesota. In that game, an official ripped the helmet off Sioux player Brad Malone and caused him to fall while being pushed into the penalty box. At the time I didn’t feel too badly for Malone because he wasn’t doing what the official told him to do. But having his helmet violently ripped off his head probably didn’t do much to improve Malone’s mood at the time.

At the end of the same game, another fight erupted between the Gophers and Sioux. When an official broke up a fight between UND’s T.J. Oshie and Minnesota’s Ryan Flynn, Flynn continued to struggle and resist the official as he pulled him away, nearly punching the assistant referee in the face. Oshie and Flynn each received double minors for roughing and 10-minute game misconducts, but Flynn received no penalty for resisting the official.

This need not continue. The NCAA ice hockey rule book is chock full of regulations designed to allow the on-ice officials to control all aspects of the game, including who is allowed to come on the ice at certain times for specific purposes. There’s an entire two-and-a-half-page section on abuse of officials that spells out the penalties that can be applied when players and coaches get out of hand. Unfortunately, these rules are not always enforced.

Some are aghast when a fight breaks out during a college hockey game because student-athletes aren’t supposed to engage in such activity. These incidents could be minimized if the officials would simply enforce the fighting rule as it’s written which is: “A player shall not fight an opponent or participate in a fight, on or off the playing surface (punching or attempting to punch is considered fighting).”

Note that nowhere in the rule does it mention the dropping of gloves. If a player attempts to punch another player for any reason – even if the other player throws no punches in return – a fighting major and game disqualification should be assessed to the puncher. Just imagine how many players would be tossed out of games if this rule was enforced as written. It wouldn’t take long for fights to become rare occurrences.

It would also help if officials broke up fights the moment they had the opportunity to do so and worked harder to protect players when they're attacked and in defenseless positions. But we've seen fights happen that could easily have been prevented. And we've seen players exacerbate volatile situations by coming to the aid of their teammates as officials looked on with seeming indifference to player safety.

There are other more mundane details that would help avoid conflict and tension. For example, the scrum that broke after the second period ended during the Feb. 16 game at Engelstad Arena between UND and Denver University was a direct result of the Pioneers coming off the bench and on to the ice. This caused the few Sioux players left on the ice to traverse the large gathering of Denver players. A bump led to a punch which led to a melee and a fight.

While allowing players to come on to the ice at the start of an intermission isn’t against the rules per se, under the section on protocol, the NCAA rule book states: “Game management officials should avoid having teams cross when entering or exiting the ice surface. Conferences and institutions are encouraged to establish a written policy for visiting teams.”

In other words, it’s recognized that allowing players to mix during the course of a game invites the potential for trouble, as was demonstrated during the UND-Denver game. However, two weeks later when UND played conference opponent St. Cloud State the Huskies engaged in the same practice of pouring on to the ice at the end of a period. Why?

Didn’t the WCHA learn from experience? Players should not be allowed to come on to the ice between periods when it’s totally unnecessary and has been demonstrated to cause problems.

As UND coach Dave Hakstol is fond of saying, “Control what’s yours to control.” The WCHA has the authority to control the games it schedules. The NCAA rulebook gives on-ice officials the tools they need to maintain control of the games in most situations.

However, if the participants are allowed to flout the rules and the league doesn’t use common sense to minimize volatile situations, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when the officials find themselves having to use greater amounts of force to establish or regain control of a game. Such actions wouldn’t be necessary if players and coaches respected the authority and the ability of on-ice officials to do their jobs properly. But based on what I’ve seen this season, that’s not the case.

Fighting Sioux Coaches' Show summary

Here’s a summary of UND hockey coach Dave Hakstol’s comments on tonight’s Fighting Sioux Coaches’ Show with Tim Hennessy and Scott Swygman on KFAN (1440 AM).

Wisconsin was very happy up until the point when Ryan Lasch scored the overtime goal for St. Cloud Saturday night. It was right down to the wire for everybody in the league. When you spread it out over 120 minutes in the weekend and it ends up a tie, it has a lot of significance. On Friday night, we had ample opportunities to score and just didn’t. It would have been a different game if we had scored a goal or two in the first or second periods.

Our goal for either night wasn’t to tie. On Friday, we wanted to be in position to have a shot at the McNaughton Cup. We wanted to win that game. Other than finishing our opportunities, we did a pretty good job. We just didn’t finish. We needed to be a little bit hungrier. It’s important to finish this time of year because you don’t have a second chance once you hit the playoffs.

In Saturday’s game, I thought we stumbled a little bit in portions of the first and second periods. We knew where we were health-wise. We just didn’t have a ton of energy. We were ready to play. I felt like we got ourselves in great position in the third period. Rylan Kaip nearly scored a minute before the penalty call, and that probably would have been the game. SCSU took advantage of a bounce on the power play and scored to tie it.

Lasch is a good goal scorer. That’s his position on the power play. He puts himself in good position to get rebounds. Phil Lamoureux was probably trying to put the rebound in a different spot, but it just didn’t happen. His awareness is usually good enough that it doesn’t happen.

There is always something to play for this time of year. You put the jersey on and you have something to play for. You want to keep momentum going this time of year. We put out best foot forward and just didn’t quite get it there. The last 10 minutes of the third period on Saturday, we were playing very solid hockey. We were still creating chances and opportunities. One of the lessons is that you have to be ready to deal with the hooking and slashing penalties because they can cost you.

Regarding the injuries to T.J. Oshie and Chay Genoway, I don’t know if they will be ready. It’s up to the two players and our medical staff. We want them in the lineup, but it’s still too early to say if they will be. We’re only half way through the week. The track record of Mark Poolman, our athletic trainer, is outstanding. Once you get past a certain point, it becomes a decision of the staff and the player. It depends on whether the player can contribute anything on the ice.

Hakstol doesn’t think coaches should go after players who have made verbal commitments to other teams. Our gentleman’s rule in college hockey, which is different than Division I basketball and football, is that we’ve always honored verbal commitments. I hope that doesn’t change. That’s been the way it’s been in NCAA Division I hockey and among the small group of coaches. At some point in time, maybe that will change, but I hope it doesn’t. I like the way we’re doing business now.

I hope the discussion is larger than honoring verbal commitments. I hope we’re thinking about what’s right for the development of a young man. I hope we’re talking about other things than our jobs. It’s a competitive job and we understand what our jobs are and where our loyalties are. Right now, there’s a good level of professional respect between all programs. We don’t all love each other, but there is mutual respect.

Hakstol isn’t concerned that beating Michigan Tech twice might hurt UND’s standing in the PairWise Rankings. At this time of year, I take the PairWise, RPI and throw it out the window. I want our team to play as well as we possibly can. This is the time of year you want to play well. There are a lot of things we can’t control, but we can control how well we’re playing and the momentum. For the NCAA tournament, it doesn’t matter what seed you are, you’re going to have to play two good teams to get out of the regional.

Regarding the upcoming series with Michigan Tech, Hakstol said: We’re going to expect what we always see from them. They’re extremely competitive. Michael Lee Teslak is as good a goalie as you’ll see in the league. They’re dangerous on the counterattack and they’re based on a sound defensive system. We’re going to have to go through some hard areas in the offensive zone. We’re going to have to win some battles down low and use our defenseman to get some pucks through to the net. You can’t get too fancy. These games will be battles.

Hakstol wouldn’t make any predictions for the upcoming WCHA series. He thinks Scott Sandelin and the UMD Bulldogs have a real opportunity in Denver. He thinks Colorado College has the upper hand because of how well the Tigers have played in their building. The others series, UND’s included, will be very close and hard-fought series. Some will go to three games.

Hakstol said the Fighting Sioux just want to be one of the teams that get to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul. They’ll be happy to see any other four teams there.