Runnin' With the Dogs

>The Odd Couple

12 October 2008

tUMD 5, Mildcats zip-a-di-doo-dah

It’s been a few hours since the game and the ecstasy has not worn off. How glorious we were in victory tonight! Our offense was sublime, our power play got 2 goals, our penalty kill was perfection, the defence was divine, and the goaltending was simply SPECTACULAR.

Today has been a long day for me. I watched the sunrise in Duluth… over the internet, that is. Every time I’m in Duluth I mean to get up early enough to watch the sunrise because it’s really lovely. I have a vague memory from when I was very young and I was visiting my great-grandmother for the weekend, and I saw the sunrise from her house. Or maybe that was a dream.

Anyway, totally off the point here. I was on my own today after getting home from school. As the song goes, what good it sitting alone in a room? Life is a hockey game, old chum, life is a hockey game.

Wow, again, totally strayed from the subject. I am really tired. That is not the point. THE POINT IS THE GAME. AND ITS AMAZINGNESS. And how I decided to go over to MeanEgirl’s to watch the game with her. Although I shouldn’t say I watched my game with her. What actually occurred is that we both whipped out our laptops, plugged in our earphones, turned the muted TV to college football/the Wild game, and zoned in. Two minutes and seventeen seconds into the Bulldogs’s game, I started screaming and shrieking and stomping as My Guy MacGregor Sharp went top shelf on Brian “The Flopper” Stewart. And yet, I was nervous. Then Tech scored a goal and MEg started her own scream/shriek/stomp routine and knocked her laptop over. That’s really the only way we knew what was going on in each other’s games. That and the USCHO game threads. I was hyperventilating during the 5×3 chances that NMU had. MEg was tearing up when she found out Geoff Kinrade had been injured. By the end of the game, she was sitting on the floor and I was on my hands and knees practically pounding the carpet. I imagine an eviction notice will be on the door by tomorrow. Folks, have you ever heard of two women with more dedication and zeal for their respective sports teams?

When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Tech had prevailed over Lake State 3-2, and tUMD had shut out Northern. We avenged each other’s loss/tie from the night before.

I’m so happy tonight. I’m happy our upperclassmen are leading and I’m happy our freshmen are making their collective presence known. I am beyond ecstatic that they were unsatisfied with their performance last night and made the adjustments. Those are some motivated guys. We’ve got more guys who want to play than there are spots available, and they know that if they give 99%, they’ll make Sandelin’s decisions that much easier. Like Herb Brooks said, ya know. I know that there have been some comments made about how our senior class could have looked, but I have no doubt that, though they started a few years ago with a few more guys, the ones remaining are tough, smart, scrappy, dedicated guys, who are going to step up and lead this team out of the darkness of the past few seasons.

Saddle up, folks. It’s gonna be a wild ride; just try to hang on.

The Numbers
Wins until we equal last season’s total: 9 (still non-conference)
Points until we equal last season’s total: 23 (still ditto)

My Guys
MacGregor Sharp: 3! (And many chances for a hatty!)
Rob Bordson: 0 (Only a matter of time!)
Jack Connolly: 0 (Keeps getting sooo close! It’s gonna happen!)
Michael Gergen: 0 (Back at it!)

Freshmen
Mike Connolly: 3!
Jack Connolly: 0
Scott Kishel: 0
Brady Lamb: 0
Travis Oleksuk: 0
David Grun: ###

On Notice:

NOBODY!!!

>Perspectives

11 October 2008

tUMD 2, Weird Bird Mascots 2

The funny thing about ties is, I’m THRILLED with a tie if we were losing, and PISSED if we were winning. Tonight is a bit of an anomaly, as we had a charitable donation from the umpires in overtime. A FIVE ON THREE IN OVERTIME is like HALLEY’S COMET. We wasted it, and I will be dead in 75 years when it comes around next. Well, maybe not. That would be amazing. I would be the oldest tUMD fan in the DECC. I’m sure I’d have awesome seats (since who else would have seniority on me?) and I’d have a crocheted blanket over my knees and crazy horn-rimmed glasses and a megaphone to make sure those blankety-blank referees can still hear me. Except you can better believe that at 100 years old, I will not be saying blankety-blank. It will be the real deal. Who’s going to stop me? I will cut them.

The 5×3 in question was the second 5×3 of the game, and as Josh Meyers and Evan Oberg teamed up to put the puck in the net a few minutes into the 3rd period, it was too much to ask that we score TWICE on a 5×3 in one game. I mean, it was miraculous that we even scored ONCE on a 5×3. In fact, considering the beginning of the game, it was miraculous that we SCORED a GOAL. We seemed a bit… discombobulated. Twiterpated. Bamboozled. I was stressed. And also not wearing pants.

I know that Donald probably died a thousand deaths at the idea that we had a shootout tonight. I’m fine with it, as it didn’t decide the game, although it would have been awesome if it had, since Justin Fontaine and Alex Stalock combined to rock the shoot-out. Such as it was. But we would have won! It was a moral victory, I suppose.

I’m sure Northern Michigan is going to be all tired out by their excessive scoring in their game against Tech (sorry MEg) and we will be wiping the ice with them. I have 2 exams tomorrow so we need to win or I’ll probably explode.

Also, weirdly, my mathematical post was quite prophetic. Except we both scored exactly 2 goals.

The Numbers (for reals now!)
Wins until we equal last season’s total: 9 (non-conference)
Points until we equal last season’s total: 23 (ditto)

My Guys

MacGregor Sharp: 1! (Got us on the board! On the PP!)

Rob Bordson: 0 (Not even in the shootout.)
Jack Connolly: 0
Michael Gergen: 0 (Sadly injured and not playing; would most certainly have scored had he been in the game!)

Freshmen

Mike Connolly: 1!
Jack Connolly: 0

Brady Lamb: 0

David Grun: DNP
Scott Kishel: DNP

Travis Oleksuk: DNP

>Logic

10 October 2008

My friends, are you ready? Because the season is here. The real games that count, I mean. These games are going to set the tone for the season. Which means, for those of you who have maybe had a few too many concussions, WIN. Do I make myself clear?

I expect us to score no less than 2 goals per game. I’m trying to be a little bit lenient here since we can’t really judge our offensive firepower by one game against some geezers from Canada playing their 3rd game in as many days. I also expect our Crappy Chokers Hockey Association to score no more than 2 goals per game. And, as Dick Bremer says, by my Minnesota high school math (or my University of Illinois College of Engineering math):

If: OurGoals > 2 & TheirGoals < 2 Then: OurGoals > TheirGoals, which == WE WIN.

>Off and Running

6 October 2008

tUMD 6, Thundercats 0

Wowza. Do I ever wish that I was at this game. Bruce and Rik were saying that most of it was “boring,” but really, it’s been too long. 204 days without my Bulldogs. That’s too long. Boys, I missed you. I’m sure you didn’t miss me, but I’ve come to terms with that.

I liked what I heard tonight. I mean, once they finally flipped the switch to turn the internet feed on. I was concerned it wasn’t going to work and was pacing around my apartment in a panic. Then I said forget about it and went to take a quick shower and of course then it turned on. We scored 6 goals, which is more than we scored in any games last year, as pointed out to me by closeted tUMD fan FireHelmetGuy. I listened to Coach Sandelin’s comments during the first intermission and I liked what I heard. He pointed out that each night, good players are going to be sitting, which is going to keep a fire going under some guys’s breezers.

Al played 40 minutes and Brady played 20 and they combined for the shutout. Brady probably faced more challenges than Al and he rose to the occasion. In a league with increasingly more talented goaltenders, it’s wonderful to see that we’re keeping pace. Most of the other WCHA teams that played overage Canadians struggled, and we had by far the biggest win of all.

Only 50% of our Connollys were playing (according to Sandy, MConnolly had some sort of injury) but from what I heard, it was like having an entire team of Connollys out there, as JC played like… well, I heard either Bruce or Rik compare him to Mark Pavelich, which will make my mom happy. As you see from this SAT question: Mike Curry : Me :: Mark Pavelich : my mom.

Speaking of SAT questions, here’s another one:

Mike Curry : my obsession from 2004-2008 :: ____________ : my obsession for 2008-2012

A. Jack Connolly

B. Jack Connolly

C. Jack Connolly

D. JACK CONNOLLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The answer is D. And I know I already announced My Guys for the year, and I don’t generally pick My Guys without getting to “know” them for a year, but just like Evan Schwabe and Mike Curry before him, I just couldn’t help myself. And 3 My Guys didn’t seem like enough.

Anyway, I’m SO EXCITED for next weekend and EVEN MORE EXCITED for the weekend after that, as my midterms will be over and I WILL BE IN DULUTH, GLORY HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However, right now the Oversized Textbook of Death and Destruction is calling my name.

As an aside, congrats to the only Wisconsin blogger I ever read, BadgerBacker, on his performance in the Twin Cities Marathon today!

The Numbers (practice)

Wins until we equal last season’s total: 9

Points until we equal last season’s total: 23

My Guys

Jack Connolly: 2! (By all rights, probably should have been 5 or 6!)

Michael Gergen: 2! (A goal and an assist! Now I can dream about it!)

Rob Bordson: 1! (First goal of the game! And on the power play!)

MacGregor Sharp: 0 (Come on, Sharpy, you’re the only one of My Guys who didn’t score!)

Freshmen

Jack Connolly: 2!

Scott Kishel: 1!

Brady Lamb: 1!

Travis Oleksuk: 0

Mike Connolly: DNP

David Grun: DNP

>Better Days*

5 October 2008

>And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find
Better days

Cause I don’t need lots of shiny things
Like Broadmoor Cups and championship rings
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find
Better days

So take the ice
And dig deep down
Play to win
Cause you’re a Bulldog now

Cause tonight’s the night the world begins again

I need someone strong to lead this team
And play full games with lots of steam
And to pass and score and play from end to end

And the one poor goalie who plays each night
Could stop every shot and start some fights
If you all stood up and played some good defence

So take the ice
And dig deep down
Play to win
Cause you’re a Bulldog now

Cause tonight’s the night the world begins again

I wish everyone could score tonight
And burn out the bulb on the goal light
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

So take the ice
And dig deep down
Play to win
Cause you’re a Bulldog now

Cause tonight’s the night the world begins again.

*stealing from the GooGoo Dolls now, in case you hadn’t heard the song. Which is great. And also sort of a Christmas song, but that’s not important.

>Nightmare on Nathan Lane

3 October 2008

I really, really must be hockey-deprived. This is probably a reaction to not winning the drawing for Wild tickets at my work the other night. The person who won the tickets left early! And he didn’t know who anyone on the ice was! I mean, really! I feel there should have been a test. Possibly a written test, or maybe feats of strength. I would have won either way. You know that freakish strength that causes ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the right circumstances? For example, mothers lifting cars off of children, sawing off your own arm to save your life, etc. Well, a word of warning. Don’t get between me and hockey tickets. I will cut you.

Anyway, I had a dream last night about hockey. No, not that kind of dream, you freaks. It was about the Minnesota Hockey Showcase, or whatever it’s called. I’m not interested in paying TicketBastard fees if I don’t have to, so I mailed in an order form to the UMD ticket office. (This is not part of the dream, this is real. I’ll tell you when we’re at the dream part.) My lower bowl tickets have been paid for, I’m certain of that, but I have no confirmation I am actually going to get them. I’ve been a little concerned about this lately, and I guess my dreams are now reflecting this fear.

In the dream, I was at the games at the Xcel, but it wasn’t the Xcel in its normal form. It had two rinks, which is weird. One was lower than the other, and in between, there was a section of seating that had an ok view of the lower rink and a crappy view of the upper rink, as the seats were facing a wall with the rinks to either side. I know, it doesn’t make sense, and it’s hard to picture, but whatever. I was confused that those were the best seats I could get, but I figured, well, they had to give the season ticket holders first priority (which is true in real life), I guess this is the best I can get. And DHG and Stacy were in my section so I figured ok, I’m still with the Bulldogs fans. Well, FALSE. Because who shows up to sit next to me? The three most annoying fans in St. Cloud, which is a true accomplishment, as everyone from St. Cloud except for the hottie I work with who is Robby Nolan’s doppelganger and hot RJ are totally obnoxious. I think we all know who I’m talking about. Donald certainly does. Do you all understand what a true nightmare it was for those people to show up in my dream? God. I digress. I’m thinking WTF, why are these people here? And then I realize I can’t really see unless I peek over the side. And we were losing, too, which was distressing enough, without having to sit next to the stupid people. The score was 2-0, and really, the only thing I remember seeing of the game was some shot that one of our guys took that missed, but the rebound came out to the faceoff circles in the zone and Michael Gergen came flying in and I was really excited but then he missed. (Sorry, honey, but it’s really been a long time since I remember you actually scoring a goal. So please, get right on that and don’t ever let me forget again.) Somehow we did end up tying and we won 4-3 in OT, but I didn’t get to see any of the game. And I was crying. I mean, sobbing. I was so angry that I had gotten crappy tickets, and I was trying to find an usher to complain to (which makes no sense, because what are they going to do) and no one seemed to care. And then some things I’m vague on happened, and I appeared to be whining at Wrigley Field, and then I woke up. At 6 a.m. On my day off.

(I did call the Xcel box office today and was reassured. Tickets are being mailed next week.)

>Myths and Legends

2 October 2008

Gather round, me hearties, as I tell ye a bone-chilling tale of the Great White North, home to some of the most dangerous creatures known to man. The trampling caribou, the abominable snowman, the ice road trucker, and the ancient beast the natives call loup de tonnerre, or the thunder wolf. The canis tonitrus lives on the icy northern shores of Gitcheegumee and feasts on the carcasses of small rodents, such as the gopher.

Our mighty Bulldogs have met these creatures in battle before, and well met, indeed. The blood of our enemies was mixed into the paint of the visitors’s locker room in the DECC, and their bodies piled onto a ship, lit afire, and shoved off into the sea. Ahem, lake.

Okay. All crazy hermit tales aside, Dirty wrote about the Sioux and the Bisons and their tendency to have overage goons, but for reals, the Thunderwolves have a player who is THIRTY YEARS OLD. I mean, someone who probably drank his first beer before Scott Kishel was even BORN. I do hear that UND is looking at recruiting him for the Class of 2010.

The Superior Showdown starts early this year, boys. Let’s do this.

>Quick and Dirty

1 October 2008

>My friends, I know it’s been a really really really really really really really really really really really really really really long time since I had ANY sort of communication. And this isn’t going to be much better. But SOON, VERY SOON, THIS WEEKEND SOON, we have ACTUAL HOCKEY.

(Oh, maybe it’s only been 2 weeks. But that’s really a long time when there’s impending hockey.)

I can’t go because I have an underwater basketweaving class I can’t possibly miss, but I find it very distressing. I want the opportunity to see some of the freshmen that I won’t be seeing all that often on OCTOBER 17TH AND 18TH when I am IN DULUTH for the REAL GAME HOME OPENER. W0000000000000000000t!!!!

Anyway, I do have to take this moment to announce My Guys for this year. I don’t think anyone will die of shock at who I picked/renewed:
Rob Bordson
Michael Gergen
MacGregor Sharp

5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, can you believe the seniors?? God, it seems like they were freshmen just a few years ago!

>Going Postal

17 September 2008

I’m not going to lie to you people. I never do, unless it’s obvious, like when I’m saying the entire team doesn’t have a restraining order against me, or I’m pleased with our performance last season.

Anyway, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m not exactly sober. My softball team won the fall league and went UNDEFEATED and we beat this team that brought in a RINGER who pitched too fast and hit 2 homeruns that accounted for 6 of their 9 runs and WE WON 10-9 IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH. HOORAY. And I tagged a girl (well, mature woman) out at home and made a surprising catch in right field. So, beers were needed. On a school night. But, I’m a grown up.

Chris from WCH recently pretended that he had fan mail, and so I would like to ~~rip off his post~~ call attention to my legions of fans that email me at RWD.

I know that the sun never sets on the RWD empire, which is why I’m always getting email from Anglo-Saxons like “Justin Morris Douglas” and Middle Easterners like “Jubril Hassan” and “Abubarkar Uswan.” Hello, folks. So glad you felt the need to drop me a line, and I certainly will respond to your “PLEASE URGENT REPLY” as soon as possible. And all these CONFIDENTIAL emails keep popping up in my box, which I’m assuming contain scouting reports on the new freshmen and phone numbers and addresses for all the players. I’m assuming some of you are secretaries for the interested parties, as you are often sending me email “from the desk of Ibrahim Alpha” or “from Dr. Mustafa Bello.” Dr. Bello, are you reporting an injury to one of My Guys? Distressing. Also, Dr. Abraham Kwesi, about that “Transfer of Funds” you’re requesting, I’ll have to look up my exact bank account number and get back to you. I think what’s most exciting is how many prizes I’ve racked up. The UK Claims Requirements department, I assume part of the British government, has declared me the 2008 Winner!!! which seems a little premature, as what if someone else outperforms me in the coming months? We’re only 2/3 of the way through the year! I also won some online promo, PLUS the Irish National Lottery AND the Lotteria Naccional Lottery, the origin of which remains uncertain at this time. I can quit my job!!! Take THAT, Mr. Spacely!

Anyway, I know your sides are aching from laughter at this point, but trust me, once I start writing about the team, you’ll be begging for mercy. Because of the hysterics you’ll be in.

>A Midsummer Night’s Post

31 August 2008

Oh comrades, I know it’s been awhile since I said anything, but I don’t think anyone’s really sad about that. And if you are, well, I suggest medication.

The season is still a little over a month away, but I’m started to really get excited. Something about the Twins playing infuriatingly inconsistent baseball makes me think of my wonderful Bulldogs. Hmm…

Really the only purpose of this post is to relay a very odd and obscure incident that happened to me last week. I was at work at Spacely’s Space Sprockets* in a training and anyone who works at a job anywhere that has trainings knows that the first order of business is for everyone to introduce themselves in a cheesy way. You know, like “Two Truths and a Lie” or “Adjective That Starts With the First Letter of Your Name.” In this case it was “Something Interesting About Yourself,” which seems vague and indeed, some people had a lot of trouble with it, as they often do (Space Sprocketeers aren’t exactly known for their creativity), and said dumb stuff like “I’m from South Dakota” or “I’m pregnant” (those are actually boring facts). I usually say something about hockey (My “lie” on two truths and a lie is usually “I’m a die-hard Gophers fan”) and the facillitator said “Oh wow, well my family is into hockey etc etc etc, and my brother in law is a college hockey ref.”

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooookay.

I looked at her name tag again and realized the last name made sense, and yes, he is indeed a WCHA assistant referee. Because I can recall the names of many of the ARs, and that makes me a sad individual.

What makes me an even sadder person is that I went online to College Hockey Stats during my break and looked through some games to see if he had reffed any tUMD games recently, and I found some. What makes it such a big deal is that he happened to be an AR in a series in which two mistakes, one a too many men on the ice call and one an offsides call, the only calls ARs are supposed to be making, cost tDogs 2 games. And I relayed this to the trainer and she laughed and said “Donna, you’re talking about games that happened almost a year ago, you need to get over it,” and I said “No, the games happened two years ago,” and everyone laughed a little uncomfortably like they realized they were in a room with the hockey equivalent of David Helfgott (the guy from the movie Shine, also known as Shiney McShine). Then we all watched a YouTube video of one of the other guys in the room motorcycle racing in Brainerd and everyone forgot about the weird hockey savant.

The next post will be more interesting. I’m just waiting for them to post the new roster pics so we can all drool over them. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm….

*I don’t actually work for Spacely’s Space Sprockets. However, MEg does.