Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

[goofy gopher]

Was Rau the guy that knocked LaBate all woozy?

Yes. Clean check though. Labate's head was down. He was not prepared to be hit square in the chest. He played the rest of the game so I am assuming he was ok. Is he good to go for this weekend?

[JDUBBS1280]

Was Rau the guy that knocked LaBate all woozy?

Yes.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

Yes. Clean check though. Labate's head was down. He was not prepared to be hit square in the chest. He played the rest of the game so I am assuming he was ok. Is he good to go for this weekend?

It was a good clean hit.

I don't really have a problem with Eaves looking for a call there. You see the big hit, and his guy is so shaken he can't even skate off the ice. He's paid to do everything he can to make his team win. Bending the ear of an official to try and get a call once in a while is one of those things. He took a swing, missed.

I'm sure after looking at the replay he would agree it's a good hit.

[Badgers1]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

http://host.madison.com/sports/blog/...9bb2963f4.html

Good news that it appears Lee will be back in the lineup however news doesn't sound good at all for Clark with his past injury issues.

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

That sounds like career in jeopardy kind of news for Clark. Hopefully I'm reading too much into that.

I liked Chuck's Blog post on future scheduling with DU. Any time Big 10 HC stuff came up, I was excited at the possibilities of the non-conference schedule. If we manage to land one of DU and North Dakota on our schedule every year as it seems likely now, and get more Michigan, MSU, & even Ohio St (w/ what I expect Oz to do there), we could have a better overall schedule then we were trending toward. Add in a marquee East coast series (or two a year), and I'll be happy. Once the WCHA expanded and UNO and Bemidji were forced into the scheduling, the product was diluted too far in my opinoin. Having to play Bemidji, UNO (they may prove to be a solid program w/ Blais....but there is zero history there and not much of a buzz), Tech, Mankato, Alaska on a pretty regular basis is not inspiring. Replacing them with OSU, MSU, & Michigan (and I suspect with the resources that PSU will be respectible fast), keeping Minnesota rivalry, and maintaining a regular dose of DU and North Dakota is an upgrade depending on what else we do OOC. I suspect we'll still have some revenue generating filler of teams that can not command a return home game...but we've already had that with RIT, Northern Michigan, & Mercyhurst this season no different then Alabama Hunstville & U Mass the year before. Done right, the Big 10 HC may be a better overall schedule with much greater variety. Once the WCHA expanded...it's luster was gone.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

That sounds like career in jeopardy kind of news for Clark. Hopefully I'm reading too much into that.

I liked Chuck's Blog post on future scheduling with DU. Any time Big 10 HC stuff came up, I was excited at the possibilities of the non-conference schedule. If we manage to land one of DU and North Dakota on our schedule every year as it seems likely now, and get more Michigan, MSU, & even Ohio St (w/ what I expect Oz to do there), we could have a better overall schedule then we were trending toward. Add in a marquee East coast series (or two a year), and I'll be happy. Once the WCHA expanded and UNO and Bemidji were forced into the scheduling, the product was diluted too far in my opinoin. Having to play Bemidji, UNO (they may prove to be a solid program w/ Blais....but there is zero history there and not much of a buzz), Tech, Mankato, Alaska on a pretty regular basis is not inspiring. Replacing them with OSU, MSU, & Michigan (and I suspect with the resources that PSU will be respectible fast), keeping Minnesota rivalry, and maintaining a regular dose of DU and North Dakota is an upgrade depending on what else we do OOC. I suspect we'll still have some revenue generating filler of teams that can not command a return home game...but we've already had that with RIT, Northern Michigan, & Mercyhurst this season no different then Alabama Hunstville & U Mass the year before. Done right, the Big 10 HC may be a better overall schedule with much greater variety. Once the WCHA expanded...it's luster was gone.

I agree 100%.

Not sure if that helps your cause or not...


The WCHA is not what it once was and the unbalanced scheduling where we might not have North Dakota or Denver in Madison every year was a downer.

As stated by another, I want to see DU, UMD & UND. The rest of the WCHA has the same appeal to me as RIT does.

I also believe that in a 6 team conference, EVERY game will have added weight coz if you're playing Minnesota this week, you better take it seriously coz you don't get BSU & Tech in the following few weeks where you can make up ground. You're gonna have Michigan the week after that and then maybe MSU.

The rivalries should heat up exponentially.

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

As stated by another, I want to see DU, UMD & UND. The rest of the WCHA has the same appeal to me as RIT does.

I'll also didn't mind CC and SCSU rolling into Madison. I think there is something about potentially less familiarity in Minnesota that worries me a touch with recruiting. The WCHA footprint in Minnesota was extremely deep which exposed UW to kids in that state. Yes Minnesota will still give UW a bright spotlight and platform to reach potential recruits, but there will certainly be a little less quantity. Hopefully the added national exposure that comes with Big10 Network offsets that and if as I suspect OZ builds OSU into a solid program and PSU takes advantage of it's resources to become decent quickly...the BTHC will be the premier conference the WCHA was.

[JDUBBS1280]

I'll also didn't mind CC and SCSU rolling into Madison. I think there is something about potentially less familiarity in Minnesota that worries me a touch with recruiting. The WCHA footprint in Minnesota was extremely deep which exposed UW to kids in that state. Yes Minnesota will still give UW a bright spotlight and platform to reach potential recruits, but there will certainly be a little less quantity. Hopefully the added national exposure that comes with Big10 Network offsets that and if as I suspect OZ builds OSU into a solid program and PSU takes advantage of it's resources to become decent quickly...the BTHC will be the premier conference the WCHA was.

I believe most people in this thread have made it clear they don't care about Minnesota or recruiting Minnesota.

[cross cheque]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

I believe most people in this thread have made it clear they don't care about Minnesota or recruiting Minnesota.

So everyone can agree you were lying when you wrote this:

Do what you please. Won't bother me

[JDUBBS1280]

So everyone can agree you were lying when you wrote this:

That didn't really make sense.

[burd]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

The WCHA is not what it once was and the unbalanced scheduling where we might not have North Dakota or Denver in Madison every year was a downer.

As stated by another, I want to see DU, UMD & UND. The rest of the WCHA has the same appeal to me as RIT does.

Gurt, we will come, Gurt. We will come for reasons we can't even fathom, other than to kick Badger arse. We will bring our wagons down I94 not knowing for sure why we are doing it. We will pass over admission money without even thinking about it, as it is oil money we have and rivalries we lack. The memories will be so thick, we will have to brush them away from our faces, like water from a bottle. The one constant through the years, Gurt, has been Badger/Sioux hockey. Conferences may come and go, but this rivalry has marked the time. The ice, the game, it's part of our past. We will still come, Gurt, we will most definitely still come. And we will win.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

Gurt, we will come, Gurt. We will come for reasons we can't even fathom, other than to kick Badger arse. We will bring our wagons down I94 not knowing for sure why we are doing it. We will pass over admission money without even thinking about it, as it is oil money we have and rivalries we lack. The memories will be so thick, we will have to brush them away from our faces, like water from a bottle. The one constant through the years, Gurt, has been Badger/Sioux hockey. Conferences may come and go, but this rivalry has marked the time. The ice, the game, it's part of our past. We will still come, Gurt, we will most definitely still come. And we will win.

As long as you don't get waylaid by hostiles or snowed in at the pass near Fergus Falls.

[cross cheque]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

I agree 100%.

Not sure if that helps your cause or not...


The WCHA is not what it once was and the unbalanced scheduling where we might not have North Dakota or Denver in Madison every year was a downer.

As stated by another, I want to see DU, UMD & UND. The rest of the WCHA has the same appeal to me as RIT does.

I also believe that in a 6 team conference, EVERY game will have added weight coz if you're playing Minnesota this week, you better take it seriously coz you don't get BSU & Tech in the following few weeks where you can make up ground. You're gonna have Michigan the week after that and then maybe MSU.

The rivalries should heat up exponentially.

It's going to be interesting to see which league (BTHC or NCHC) has a higher following. My immediate thought is with the big ten network NCHC won't have a chance but if NBC get's games like DU/UND, DU/CC, UND/UNO outdoor game and has the same great coverage of the games they had this year the two leagues might come out even.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

It's going to be interesting to see which league (BTHC or NCHC) has a higher following. My immediate thought is with the big ten network NCHC won't have a chance but if NBC get's games like DU/UND, DU/CC, UND/UNO outdoor game and has the same great coverage of the games they had this year the two leagues might come out even.

I think that the upper-echelon of your league will do fine.

I think a game between SCSU and UNO will be a tough sell as most outside of a college hockey audience has ever heard of those two schools. Compare that to DU and UND whom I'm guessing would be somewhat familiar to NHL fans due to their success and the players that they've turned out.

The thing is that even the BTHC potential "bottom dwellers" Penn State and Ohio State (not saying that they will be) are VERY high profile as institutions throughout this country. Every casual sports fan has heard of them and even if they don't know hockey, they know PSU and OSU.

I just can't see the NCHC competing top to bottom on the national (limited college hockey) media stage even though you and Denver should remain high profile. Hope I'm wrong as I want your games on TV and want them to remain there beyond a trial (and failure) period after which they decide that Cribbage or Motocross is a better thing to air.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XXI - For every dark night, there's a brighter day

It's going to be interesting to see which league (BTHC or NCHC) has a higher following. My immediate thought is with the big ten network NCHC won't have a chance but if NBC get's games like DU/UND, DU/CC, UND/UNO outdoor game and has the same great coverage of the games they had this year the two leagues might come out even.

There will be zero NCHC games on NBC. NCHC has an exclusive agreement with CBSSN.