>Hazing
>
No,“We’ve been thrown to the wolves a little bit here and the thing is, it never gets any easier,” Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore said. “After Minnesota-Duluth, we have St. Cloud State. Then after Anchorage it’s Denver. It’s a mental and physical challenge. You have to stay out of the box and play good on special teams.”
Wins until we reach last season’s total: 13! (Ugly wins count the same!)
Points until we reach last season’s total: 27! (Sweet!)
My Guys
Jack Connolly: 11!!
JT Brown: 11!! (Look out, Jacky!)
Brady Lamb: 4
Mike Seidel: 2
Drew Olson: 0
Freshmen
JT Brown: 11!!!
Justin Faulk: 4!!!
others: zeros
Connollys
Mikey: 12!!!
Jacky: 11!!
Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 6!!! (Assisted on the GWG!)
Drew: 0
Dan/Drew
Olson: 8
DeLisle: 2
On Notice
Wade Bergman
David Grun
Jake Hendrickson
Brady Lamb
Mike Montgomery
Max Tardy
Goals Only
Jack Connolly (WHAT??? JACKY, GET IT TOGETHER!!!)
Justin Faulk
Keegan Flaherty
Dylan Olsen
Mike Seidel
>Highway 2 Robbery
>
1. Today is my birthday. (Well, it’s almost over.) I am 28. I have one foot in the grave already.
2. Friday is my “birthday game.” Saturday is my backup “birthday game.” And Wade Bergman needs to get me a goal.
3. Travis Oleksuk was named offensive player of the week. Last week, JT Brown was rookie of the week. This week, Aaron Crandall or Kenny Reiter will be defensive player of the week.
4. UMD is ranked #3 in the polls right now. Pretty much guarantees we’ll be swept by Suckmidji this weekend.
And now…
Anyone know how much the tickets are for this weekend?
The cheapest are $25 and they go all the way up to $35. Kids’ tickets are $20. No wonder there are still tickets available for the second series in their brand new arena…
>Shiver Me Timbers!
>
Driving back from Houghton with MEg monstrously hungover on an hour of sleep
Driving up to Duluth with FHG and Kleiner and hitting unexpected swirling snow and annoying traffic
Driving home from Duluth with MEg in a whiteout
Anyway, I picked my seats today. I waited for probably 20 minutes for my turn in this little lobby right by the Champions Club thingy. It was kind of lonely because everyone else there seemed super grouchy. One guy was really mad about how low he was on the priority list. Sir, perhaps this was something that could have been remedied months ago when you got your selection date, when it wasn’t necessary to invent a time machine in order for you to be made whole. I bet your head would have exploded if I had mentioned this was my second year as a season ticket holder and we were picking at the same time! Great Scott!!! 1.21 Jigowatts!!!
I had my first and only foray into the Champions Club to get a hard hat, and then a person named Butch was assigned as my personal guide. He asked if there was anywhere specific I wanted to go, like the ends or the sides. I said “Between the ends and the sides?” Because I am an idiot. I showed him more specifically where I wanted and away we went. I got seats pretty much where I wanted (Section 216, Row 8, Seats 20 and 21) and I hope Biddco can pick right next to me on Thursday. Sorry to everyone who is in my vicinity.
Here is a view from my seats:
You can totally imagine this as a game. Look, that large blue crane thing is Dan DeLisle. And then those two things right on the point are like Montgomery and Olsen, and then the cones are the opponents.
Ciskie roped me into coming down to some sort of radio promotion thing, and then ambushed me by trying to force me to discuss the Vikings AND did not allow me to use my alias, Penelope von Streuselbottom. I refused, so then he got me to talk about the new arena and I said I took the last two good seats, which was not what I was supposed to say. I am sorry, I did not get the script in advance. If you were listening, I am also sorry. I hope you were not, because it is 45 seconds of your life that I have ruined, in addition to any time you spent on RWD.
Lots of stuff coming this week!! So, more time to waste on here!
>Six of One
>
Tickets to the game? Er, I don’t remember what it breaks down to per game.
Gas? I think about $30.
Junk food at the convenience store? $10 or so.
Mini hockey road trip with my best friend? Priceless.
What a glorious game. Other than MEg wearing a Seawolves jersey for most of the game. And also I almost killed us (well, not Bethlyn, I think I would have taken the brunt of the crash) turning onto Harbor Drive, but we lived. Obviously.
Travis Oleksuk scored in the first minute of the game. I was ecstatic. Partially because it was an excellent goal, partially because we scored first in a game, which we never seem to do. That was the only goal of the first period but there were numerous chances.
In the second period Fonz got a PPG that I didn’t really see as it was at the other end, and then Dan DeLisle had a beauty of a goal for his first as a Bulldog. The last time tUMD faced the Seawolves at tDECC was the last regular season game two years ago and they sucked; Dan DeLisle was at that game. I was sitting with Bruce and pointed him out (I’m not that creepy, it was easy to deduce the 7’6″ guy in the Totino-Grace jacket was DeLisle) and we were both blown away by his gigantism. And both horrified that a recruit had to see that crappiness. Thank you, Dan, for seeing how you could rectify the situation.
In the third period, an excellent goal by Kyle Schmidt opened the scoring in the period, and then Mike Seidel took one of those new mandatory-major penalties. I feel like in a few years a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty is going to be a mandatory forfeit. I was nervous, mostly because of the shutout. Travis Oleksuk was like “No, RWD, I got this,” and after about 2 minutes of killing (which went by quickly! Usually I feel like even 10 seconds takes FOREVER) he had a nifty breakaway for a shorthanded goal. It looked originally like Kamal had made the save but then the puck trickled through his legs and into the net.
Jacky and Curtis Leinweber, in the ultimate “Pick on someone your own size” battle, got matching minors for cross checking and were awarded for their efforts with a 2-minute coffee break. They seemed to be having a scintillating conversation, probably about the new DECC, because at one point Jack gestured to the scoreboard. He must have been saying “In AMSoil arena, we’ll have instant replay.” Curtis seemed opposed.
Dan DeLisle scored with 4 seconds left, strangely. He just sort of stuffed the puck into the net. Half the arena was already gone and did not witness what can only be the start of a massive scoring streak for Mr. DeLisle.
Tuesday: Seat Selection
Friday: Devastate Bemidji
Saturday: Devastate Bemidji again while I am in attendance!
Numbers
Wins until we reach last season’s total: 14!
Points until we reach last season’s total: 29!
My Guys
Jack Connolly: 10!! (Too busy mixing it up to get too many points!)
JT Brown: 9!! (But some goals would have been nice for Team Cougar, dear)
Brady Lamb: 4
Mike Seidel: 2!
Drew Olson: 0 (Playing forward!)
Freshmen
JT Brown: 9!!!
Justin Faulk: 3
others: zeros
Connollys
Mikey: 11!!
Jacky: 10!!
Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 4
Drew: 0
Dan/Drew
Olson: 8
DeLisle: 2
On Notice
David Grun
Jake Hendrickson
Mike Montgomery
Max Tardy
Goals Only
Justin Faulk
Keegan Flaherty
Brady Lamb
Dylan Olsen
Mike Seidel
>Rookie Cards
>
Hello. What a game that was. Definitely not your typical UAA/UMD game. You know, one of those games where whoever’s failure is less epic wins. Instead it was, from what I am led to believe by Ciskie and Pates, a game with exciting saves and plays and blocked shots. The last 7 or 8 minutes were just INSANE. The last two minutes of regulation nearly killed me.
And then overtime redeemed me. Oh JT Brown, you are amazing.
Too soon? Well,
Better?
(Thanks to comrade Dave H. for the inspiration.)
Numbers
Wins until we reach last season’s total: 15!
Points until we reach last season’s total: 31!
My Guys
Jack Connolly: 9!! (Probably will be 12 or 13 tomorrow!)
JT Brown: 7!!!!!!!!! (OTGWG!!!!!!!)
Brady Lamb: 4
Mike Seidel: 1
Drew Olson: 0
Freshmen
JT Brown: 7!!!!!!!!!!
Justin Faulk: 3
others: zeros
Connollys
Mikey: 10!!!!! (2 goals!!!)
Jacky: 9!
Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 4
Drew: 0
Dan/Drew
Olson: 8
DeLisle: 0
On Notice
Dan DeLisle
Keegan Flaherty
Jake Hendrickson
Mike Seidel
Max Tardy
Goals Only
David Grun
Mike Montgomery
>The Gauntlet: NewsRadio Edition
>
In honor of that, I give you this.
Excellent. Now, commencez!
RWD: So, how did you get hooked up with Donald?
JJ: I got hooked up with Donald when he asked for help on the blog. I’ve been wanting to write for a while and contribute so I decided to help.
RWD: Did you know Donald previously?
JJ: Yeah, Anchorage is a somewhat small place; most of the USCHO posters from Anchorage know each other and hang out.
RWD: You… hang out with Donald? [That, my friends, is the whole Interwebs gasping in shock.]
JJ: At games and such, not at other places, I made that mistake once. [!!!]
RWD: Oh? [ORLY] Do tell.
JJ: I don’t remember much, alcohol was involved, and I got dragged to a place I would rather not have gone. [A Seawolves game?]
RWD: Aha! I think I know where! What directives did he give about your contributions to the site?
JJ: Find my own niche. Figure out what I’d want to write about and go with it.
RWD: Does he stand over you with a whip and beat you every time you make a typo?
JJ: No but then again I use spell check like lazy college kid, mostly because I was one. [Lazy college kids, spell check doesn’t catch everything! That’s why it takes so long to edit these Gauntlets.]
RWD: How did you become a UAA fan?
JJ: My parents and grandparents have been fans since the beginning of the program. My grandfather was a booster club president. So I’ve been going to games literally since I was born. I’ve seen way too many games [not possible] and some really good players.
RWD: Yeah I suppose the visiting teams had some stars.
JJ: yeah, Reinprecht and Heatley are the most vivid memories. [So if I had to list 2 exceptional players I had seen in the WCHA, these two are not the first two to come to mind. Odd.]
RWD: Those are the best players you’ve seen?
JJ: No, not by a mile.
RWD: I see. [Then… why say them?]
JJ: Heatley maybe in the top 10.
RWD: Was he playing hockey when you saw him, or crashing into a brick wall?
JJ: both lol [Simultaneously or separately?]
RWD: Is your child a UAA fan?
JJ: Yes, very much so. She loves watching them.
RWD: Isn’t that child abuse?
JJ: No. [Yes.]
RWD: Torturing the poor girl with season after season of losses?
JJ: You get used to it a little bit; there’s always hope though.
RWD: There is? Even this season?
JJ: Yes. [No.]
RWD: Locate this hope. Say, latitude and longitude.
JJ: 61° 10′ N, 150° 1′ W. [These are Anchorage’s coordinates. I don’t think there’s any hope there.]
RWD: I see. So who are some of your favorite UAA players, past and present?
JJ: Past would be Peluso, Clark, Glencross, Cygan, and Krake. Present would be Grant, Wiles and Gunderson. Gunderson was hilarious.
RWD: In what way? [In his goaltending attempts?]
JJ: Funny to talk with. [Funny like a clown? Did he amuse you?]
RWD: What about your second favorite WCHA team? What team is that?
JJ: Tech. Nice people I’ve met from there. A little nerdy but so am I. [It’s like talking to Yoda. What the hell?]
RWD: What about Twitch Boy? Now that he’s in Alaska, have you seen him? Or at least his hotdog hat?
JJ: Yes I have but I haven’t seen the hotdog hat. I was disappointed.
RWD: Have you turned him into a UAA fan yet?
JJ: Not yet, I’ll work at it, I mean it’s not like he’s a fan of a winning team either.
RWD: This year! [Tech is undefeated!]
JJ: 5 games in… UAA’s been unbeaten through 5 games in before.
RWD: Probably when playing UMD. [Sigh] How do you like the new jerseys?
JJ: I like them, a very classic look to them. We’ve got a unique logo [it’s no realistic bear] and nice colors [yuck!] so there’s no need to be outlandish.
RWD: Ugh, green and gold, no thank you. What about the new WCHA, do you like it?
JJ: Omaha yes, Bemidji no. [Indeed!] I also don’t like how Bemidji got gifted with the Minnesota-only schedule.
RWD: Minnesota-only?
JJ: No travel to Alaska or Colorado, basically the 3 tough road trips. [Tech is brutal in the winter though.]
RWD: I see. Well, no extra games for them then.
JJ: True.
RWD: You don’t have to pay for them to come and play you.
JJ: Eh whatever. [How Zen. Donald would be steaming.]
RWD: Donald feels very strongly about that, but you do not?
JJ: It’s part of the deal, I don’t like it much either but it’s not going away. I’d love to get rid of it but it’s not the highest priority.
RWD: Despite Donald’s letters. [Next step: mail bombs.]
JJ: Despite.
RWD: Speaking of Donald, if the Seawolves and the Aces played an exhibition… would anyone care?
JJ: I dunno, it’s hard to say. I think people would care but I don’t think the result would change people’s minds. The Aces are good one thing: marketing, that’s why they do better. [I don’t understand why schools don’t have every marketing student at the school working on marketing for the teams FOR FREE.]
RWD: If I were watching on TV, no one would be visible in the stands. But that’s because, just beyond the camera, true fans are packed into the “better” seats, right?
JJ: Correct, the Sullivan has high glass that makes the game unwatchable from iceside [what?] seats. There is truth to that.
RWD: What about the rest of the statement?
JJ: Also true because the only ones to show up would be the hardcore sit in those seats. [My head just exploded.]
RWD: Would you like to rephrase that into a sentence that makes sense?
JJ: no lol, ok the better seats that aren’t visible would be full because that’s where the people who actually want to watch the game sit.
RWD: So beyond our viewpoint, the arena is standing room only. I see.
JJ: Somewhat.
RWD: And then you get behind the scenes after the games. How does that work? Do you dress up as a janitor? Hide in the laundry cart with the dirty jockstraps?
JJ: I have a press pass, the university likes us somewhat.
RWD: You and Donald have press passes, free ticket giveaways… does anyone PAY to see UAA?
JJ: Yes, thousands. [No wonder no one pays, the tickets are so expensive! Thousands?]
RWD: I see.
JJ: Well apparently not. [Touché]
RWD: I haven’t been able to tell from your videos, who is the hottest Seawolf?
JJ: Secure in my masculinity, I would say Grant.
RWD: What? He looks like Jar Jar Binks.
JJ: Eyes girl, the eyes. [He’s been hypnotized or something.]
RWD: …are googly.
JJ: Ok.
RWD: Hm, I see he has longish hair. What about you, still mohawkin’ it?
JJ: Yes ma’am.
RWD: Superb.
JJ: Damn right.
RWD: Let’s talk about this weekend.
JJ: Ok shoot.
RWD: How can the Seawolves win this weekend? [Trick question! They cannot!]
JJ: Playing tough defence, keeping the goal scoring, great goaltending.
RWD: Keeping the goal scoring? [The goal does not score itself. Silly Seawolves are confused!]
JJ: 3 goals at least in every game, that’s not bad, that can win you games. [Not if we get 9.]
RWD: And how can they lose this weekend?
JJ: Playing bad defence like last weekend, goal scoring going away.
RWD: Is Shyiak a good coach?
JJ: Yes, I had doubts, especially last season, but you can see with this group that they are responding well to his coaching. I was harsh on him and I was wrong.
RWD: PEOPLE! A MAN JUST ADMITTED WRONGNESS. FIRST TIME EVER. Do you miss John Hill?
JJ: No, [fornicate] him.
RWD: I… would prefer not. [Horrific.]
JJ: Good for you lol.
RWD: Do you think he gets more bloated every year?
JJ: Possibly, maybe he sees himself getting the job at Minny with every crap year Lucia has. [Maybe he sees Leprechauns that tell him to burn down the rink.]
RWD: Do you read Justin Bourne’s articles on Puck Daddy?
JJ: Yes, I read his blog as well.
RWD: I have no follow up questions. I just enjoy reading his perspectives as a former pro player.
JJ: They are interesting, it’s something you really get to see written about.
RWD: Do you mean rarely?
JJ: Yes sorry rarely. NO DONALD!!! [One can only assume beatings commenced.]
RWD: Terrifying. What about a weekend prediction to wrap things up?
JJ: Split, Bulldogs win Friday [yes] and UAA wins on Saturday [no].
RWD: Scores?
JJ: 4-3 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday.
>Predilections
>
Huh.
As for my esteemed colleagues:
Dirty – 77% male
DG – 91% male
Goon – 81% male
MEg – 61% male
60min – 88% male
Ciskie – 96% male
Donald – 96% male
USAFA Bulldog – 83% male
Hockey Joe – 68% male
Jeremy (Husky Hockey Time) – 82% male
Kevin Pates – 93% male
Geist – 77% male
Schlossman – 76% male
Stromgren – 63% male
Dilks – 94% male
Red Cloud – 83% male
Roy – 80% male
Hm.
>Loony Tunes
>
>Awesome News
>
The great news is Chris came up this weekend for the games! He was able to watch both games and spend some time with the team. Since his immune system has been low due to his bone marrow transplant (and since we all know hockey arenas are amusement parks for germs), it’s fantastic news to know he was able to see the team and watch the games.
The jersey and memorabilia auction starts on Oct 24th! Don’t forget to bid!
>Notes on a Weekend
>
tUMD 7, Monks 1 Mes amis, how could I have abandoned you like this? No posts, no tweets, nothing since Thursday? I know, I know. Sometimes life interferes, and sometimes, life is just too important to spend it snarking about hockey. What a perfect weekend it was for all of us, wasn’t it? I just finished watching a Vikings win and it was just the icing on the cake. The cherry on the sundae. The empty net goal by Mike Connolly with three seconds left in the game. Got it. Friday I did actually go to the game, along with 6 members of my family, and we started off the season the right way: with dinner at Sammy’s. As we got to the game (right on time… 30 seconds into the period…) we ran right into elusive Gopher fan/RWD reader The Beard, with an extra special sighting of Mrs. The Beard (who is not bearded), which is always a blast. Apparently The Beard coached a person on Providence. He must have done an ok job as said person managed to get an assist this weekend. It must have been nice for him to see some real hockey instead of the crap going on at Mariucci. Friday’s game was maybe not the best game tUMD could have played. It took the guys awhile to get going. My uncle, not knowing this, felt that every puck that went somewhere in the offensive zone was going to go in the net and yelled “THERE IT IS!” UMD dumped the puck in the zone and I asked why he didn’t say anything. Good times! Then Providence got the first goal with under two minutes to go in the first period, and a collective “here we go again” arose from all of us. But, these aren’t your grandfather’s Bulldogs! Or, more specifically, these aren’t my grandfather’s Bulldogs. Justin Fontaine scored a little over a minute later on the power play to even it up going into the break! It’s like a brand-new hockey game when the team can come out tied after the break instead of down a goal. I’m so pleased I was there to see JT Brown’s first goal as a Bulldog! He’s of course already one of My Guys, but MEg decided we also needed him on our fantasy team. OF COURSE. He is just a sick player. We have 2 legit lines and are working on a third. Sucks to be all those people who thought tUMD lacked “depth.” Providence tied it up on the PP, which was annoying, but Mike Connolly, with an absolute blast that caused me to do a double take because I thought it was another player, put tUMD on top again, and then Travis Oleksuk, on a clean shorthanded breakaway, drew a penalty shot… and actually scored on it!!! Awesome! Miraculous, even! It would have been nice, in the third period, to continue to pour it on, but no more scoring occurred until Providence pulled their goalie and scored to come within one. That was unfortunate. Then Mike Connolly got an empty net goal to seal the game for us and we drove home happy! I have no specific game commentary for Saturday’s game, as I wasn’t listening or watching. I was, however, unable to stay off my BlackBerry during the wedding dinner, which is horribly rude of me, but I WAS VERY STRESSED when I heard Crandall let in the first shot he faced. Not even a minute into the game! But I should have more faith, because Kyle Schmidt got us back into the game and from the second half of the first period onward, tUMD poured it on. They had 41 SOG, but oddly only one PPG. Not to worry. If we score 6 non-PPGs every game, I don’t care if we have ANY power play goals! And Crandall stopped the next 17 shots he faced, which was great! Next weekend I should be fully engaged in the hockey game, listening Friday and attending Saturday. Numbers
Wins until we reach last season’s total: 16 (Ready for next week!)
Points until we reach last season’s total: 33 (Also ready for next week!) My Guys
Jack Connolly: 8!!!!!!!! (OUTSTANDING!)
JT Brown: 6!!!!!!!!! (INSANE!)
Brady Lamb: 4!!!!!!!!!!! (YAY!)
Mike Seidel: 1
Drew Olson: 0 Freshmen
JT Brown: 6!!!!!!!!!!
Justin Faulk: 3!!!!!!!
others: zeros Connollys
Mikey: 8!
Jacky: 8! Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 4!
Drew: 0 Dan/Drew
Olson: 8
DeLisle: 0 On Notice
Jake Hendrickson Goals Only
Dan Delisle
David Grun
Mike Montgomery
Runnin' With the Dogs 