tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105793192024-03-14T02:04:39.678-05:00The Ciskie BlogSports fan discussing matters usually related to sports. Email thoughts, comments, suggestions, and salutations to bciskie@gmail.comBruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.comBlogger2322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-5797937619149844722017-05-24T08:32:00.002-05:002017-05-24T08:32:28.089-05:00BLOG MOVEDFuture posts here: http://kdal610.com/blogs/ciskie-blog/
Thanks for reading.Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-49066446703380543752017-04-18T10:49:00.002-05:002017-04-18T10:49:49.507-05:00Hunter Miska, Neal Pionk Leave UMD EarlyDisappointing, exciting, but not terribly surprised.
I think those terms all apply in their own way, amid news in the last 48 hours that two cornerstone players for UMD are leaving the program early for pro hockey.
It's disappointing in a sense when players leave early, from multiple selfish standpoints. Obviously, it stands to hurt the team going forward, and frankly I'm going to miss beingBruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-81305205500851921342017-04-12T11:06:00.001-05:002017-04-12T11:40:39.330-05:002016-17 Unquestioned Success for UMDFor UMD players, it's certainly fine to be sad over not being able to bring a national championship back from Chicago. Seven seniors saw their careers come to an end Saturday night, and they may have had the sads even if UMD had won the game. It's the end of a great era for all of them, a time of their lives they won't soon forget.
But with time comes perspective. Looking back, there can be no Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-83076639879711557992017-04-08T17:14:00.000-05:002017-04-08T18:07:24.805-05:00Game 42: UMD vs Denver (NCAA Championship)CHICAGO -- Here we go. One game left in the college hockey season, and it belongs to the NCHC. UMD and Denver collide at United Center for the national championship. The teams met Dec. 9-10 in Denver, with the Pioneers winning 4-3 before UMD took the rematch 3-1 in what was probably the best-played series of the regular season for the Bulldogs (in terms of their play and the quality of the Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-23664233826406594722017-04-08T14:12:00.000-05:002017-04-08T14:12:03.074-05:00Frozen Four: UMD, Denver Seniors Earn One More RideCHICAGO -- Both combatants in Saturday's NCAA title game at United Center boast seven-man senior classes.
While every one of those players took a different path to this game, those seniors are a large reason both the UMD Bulldogs and Denver Pioneers have found themselves playing for the ultimate prize in college hockey.
On the UMD side, while each senior has made a large impact on this team, Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-26067301480166884592017-04-07T20:21:00.001-05:002017-04-07T20:21:15.179-05:00Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Aim for Second National ChampionshipCHICAGO -- Before Thursday's national semifinal against Harvard at United Center, I asked UMD coach Scott Sandelin, working his third Frozen Four at UMD, how to balance a group of players in their first Frozen Four enjoying the moment with the do-or-die mentality it takes to win at this level.
"You don't get out of your routine," he said. "You can't take the excitement away. It's hard to get to Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-75358352391899056542017-04-07T08:02:00.002-05:002017-04-07T08:02:38.128-05:00Friday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Iafallo's Late Goal Pushes UMD to National Championship GameCHICAGO -- This is old hat for UMD.
Over this 20-game stretch that has seen the Bulldogs go 16-1-3, this team has won five times in overtime, four other games by one goal, and three of those four one-goal wins have come with the winning goal inside the last 1:21 of regulation.
That's nine hair-raising wins among the last 16, and while the announcer's heart rate is in the 175 range during these Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-56228162493080080322017-04-06T15:14:00.003-05:002017-04-06T15:14:47.971-05:00Game 41: Harvard vs UMD (NCAA Frozen Four Semifinal)CHICAGO -- For the fifth time in program history, the UMD men's hockey team is at the NCAA Frozen Four. This time, the Bulldogs are where the tournament bracket expected them to be, if inanimate objects could expect things.
UMD is the No. 2 overall seed in a tournament that saw the top three overall seeds get to Chicago. For an event full of parity for so many years, it's an interesting turn.
Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-13624068060535858272017-04-05T18:25:00.000-05:002017-04-05T18:25:31.548-05:00Frozen Four: Johnson, Donato Present Challenges for DefensesCHICAGO -- We already discussed some of the basic similarities that we'll see in the first national semifinal Friday night, when UMD battles Harvard.
As mentioned in that post, both teams have dynamic sophomore forwards, capable of scoring from almost literally anywhere.
For UMD, it's Hibbing native Adam Johnson. Senior Alex Iafallo has the team lead in goals with 19, but Johnson has scored Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-28894435883599181672017-04-05T16:20:00.000-05:002017-04-05T16:20:46.902-05:00Frozen Four: Bulldogs, Harvard Share SimilaritiesCHICAGO -- You don't always know what you're going to see when you face an unfamiliar foe on a stage like the NCAA Frozen Four.
Thursday, UMD will see an unfamiliar opponent, yes, in Crimson-hot Harvard (16 straight wins, 17-0-1 last 18 games). The teams haven't met since the 1995-96 season (a UMD non-conference sweep backstopped by current Bulldog volunteer assistant coach Brant Nicklin). They Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-58560060673428157822017-03-31T12:34:00.001-05:002017-03-31T12:34:32.335-05:00Frozen Four: Bulldogs Return to GloryIt doesn't always work out this way.
For every Justin Fontaine, who returned to UMD for a chance at a national championship that didn't elude him, there's a Jimmy Vesey, who returned to Harvard, won the Hobey Baker, but whose team couldn't get out of the first round last year.
For every Carson Soucy, who returned to UMD this year for a chance at redemption in the NCAA regionals after two Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-18179917145842514902017-03-25T23:44:00.000-05:002017-03-25T23:44:48.958-05:00Sunday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Turn Tables on Boston University, Advance to Frozen FourFARGO, N.D. -- There was no secret regarding the bitterness UMD felt in 2015, after an Evan Rodrigues goal with one second left in a power play off a very controversial call against Andy Welinski lifted Boston University to the Frozen Four.
A few days after that season ended, perhaps too soon, UMD coach Scott Sandelin was still fuming about the call against Welinski, who would captain the Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-70330687785303007402017-03-25T21:03:00.000-05:002017-03-25T21:03:44.148-05:00UMD Advances to Frozen FourFARGO, N.D. -- More to come, but Adam Johnson's power play goal at 1:57 of overtime propelled UMD to the NCAA Frozen Four, 3-2 over Boston University Saturday night.
Highlights available below. Thanks to everyone who tuned in.
Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-23984144327709404462017-03-25T15:14:00.004-05:002017-03-25T15:14:58.545-05:00Game 40: Boston University vs UMD (NCAA West Regional Final)FARGO, N.D. -- This is a chance at redemption for UMD. Sort of.
Two years ago, UMD lost a controversial Northeast Regional final to Boston University in Manchester, then had to watch the Terriers celebrate a Frozen Four berth with their fans. The Bulldogs' older players haven't forgotten that moment. Neither has the announcer. Might have been some cuss words on the ride back to the hotel. I knowBruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-2493304794019724832017-03-25T09:49:00.000-05:002017-03-25T09:49:04.076-05:00Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Survive With Miska, Advance With Raskob Overtime WinnerFARGO, N.D. -- Survive and advance.
That's the basic mantra this time of year. It isn't always going to be pretty, a team isn't always going to have its A-level stuff. But the team that is able to survive and advance won't care it didn't have its A-level stuff.
Such was the case Friday night in Fargo. On an incredible night at the NCAA West Regional, UMD took the best punch Ohio State could Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-67780351534005495742017-03-24T15:38:00.000-05:002017-03-24T15:38:29.109-05:00Game 39: Ohio State vs UMD (NCAA West Regional Semifinal)FARGO, N.D. -- You don't need me to tell you what's at stake.
One of the messages from the UMD coaching staff to its players this week was pretty simple. This weekend, you're not guaranteed a second game. You have to go earn it.
UMD hasn't lost a first round game in its last seven NCAA trips. There's some luck involved there, to be blunt, as the Bulldogs have survived some games where its Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-20165976928290358332017-03-23T17:26:00.000-05:002017-03-23T17:26:16.991-05:00Steve Rohlik Faces Old Assistant, TeamFARGO, N.D. -- One of the first things Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik mentioned when asked about his ties to Duluth this week was the fact his three kids were born there, while he worked for UMD as an assistant to head coach Scott Sandelin.
"It's a huge part of my life," Rohlik said this week. "I enjoyed my ten years there. I'll have it forever."
Unquestionably, it's a place Rohlik is still fondBruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-47292971564994148162017-03-23T16:20:00.000-05:002017-03-23T17:10:34.677-05:00UMD's Focus Strong as NCAA Tournament BeginsFARGO, N.D. -- Over the course of a 38-game journey to this point, UMD has not faced what it faces this weekend.
Even in the NCHC Tournament the last two weekends, the Bulldogs knew they would be playing two games on a weekend, no matter how the first one went.
Not the case now.
The only way you play again is if you win.
The Bulldogs' resiliency (© Dan Myers of the Wild) and veteran presence Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-179915973859454632017-03-20T10:30:00.000-05:002017-03-20T10:34:04.769-05:00Monday Musings: High-Intensity NCHC Title Game Goes UMD's Way; Bulldogs Book Trip to FargoYou've undoubtedly heard it.
"Hard to beat a team (insert a number) times in a row during a season."
It's true. Just look at Saturday night, where UMD tried to beat North Dakota for a fifth time in five meetings this season (sixth time overall). It was anything but easy.
In an intense, emotional, penalty-filled game, the Bulldogs used a late five-on-three goal from Joey Anderson to beat UND Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-11125595170210075782017-03-18T18:42:00.003-05:002017-03-18T18:42:46.948-05:00Game 38: North Dakota vs UMD (NCHC Championship)MINNEAPOLIS -- Here we go with the 2017 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship.
UMD will face longtime rival North Dakota for a fifth time this season, trying to extend its program-record five-game winning streak over UND.
On Beyond The Pond (KFAN/92.1 The Fan) Saturday, head coach Scott Sandelin acknowledged UND "probably has this one circled, we've had success against them."
And that's probably anBruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-75504013593597453582017-03-18T10:24:00.000-05:002017-03-18T10:24:18.539-05:00PairWise Notes and Thoughts: The Final Day is Upon UsMINNEAPOLIS -- Greetings from downtown Minneapolis, where the sirens are loud and the buildings are tall.
This is the final day of the season in college hockey. There are six conference championship games that will decide automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. Most of the teams involved don't need those automatic bids to get in, but there are still a few teams' seasons on the line.
Before we Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-39874641486626590362017-03-17T23:18:00.003-05:002017-03-17T23:18:39.941-05:00Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: UMD Rides Defensive Improvement, Opportunism to Second Straight NCHC Title GameMINNEAPOLIS -- Not going to lie. UMD giving Western Michigan a five-on-three at the 2:24 mark of the first period seemed like a bad omen. Instead, it was a bit of a tone-setter.
The UMD penalty kill was spot-on Friday, and a stellar third period effort helped carry UMD to a 5-2 win over Western Michigan in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals at Target Center. UMD will play North Dakota, a 1-0 Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-73114644716597618412017-03-17T14:22:00.001-05:002017-03-17T14:22:46.409-05:00Game 37: Western Michigan vs UMD (NCHC Frozen Faceoff Semifinal)MINNEAPOLIS -- Greetings from Target Center and their giant new "Eat Your Heart Out, Craig Leipold" scoreboard.
Gotta be quick on this post, as technical terrorism reigns supreme. Need to get the in-house internet working.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Anderson
Osterberg - Johnson - Mackay
Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman
Young - Thomas - Exell
Pionk - Kotyk
Raskob - Hilderman
Wolff -Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-3194033746124679132017-03-16T13:28:00.001-05:002017-03-16T13:31:05.611-05:00UMD Football, Men's Hockey Moving to Midwest Communications for 2017-18, Beyond
UMD has announced a three-year deal with Midwest Communications for radio rights to football and men's hockey. Press release is below. Very excited to get the word out on this, looking forward to what we'll be able to put together for the fall of 2017.
This changes nothing for the remainder of men's hockey season, with all games on 92.1 The Fan and streamed here. More to come on plans forBruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10579319.post-61384548897757198662017-03-16T11:27:00.000-05:002017-03-16T11:28:19.539-05:00Bulldogs Guaranteed Two-Game Weekend for Final Time This Season, Facing Western Michigan at NCHC Frozen FaceoffLast year, this weekend brought a lot of pressure for the UMD men's hockey team. The Bulldogs knew they had to win at least once at last year's NCHC Frozen Faceoff to be in good position for an NCAA bid.
This year, UMD could win the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and not help its place in the PairWise. The Bulldogs, as I wrote Wednesday, will finish first, second, or third in the final rankings, and will Bruce Ciskiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18047065575250548176noreply@blogger.com0