jk Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Miscellaneous thoughts from Thursday: Strongest feeling from the day: The X is a dump. REA is truly the finest hockey arena in the world. I had not been to the X since last year; in the interim, I attended five Sioux games at REA. Now that I've returned to the X, knowing that it is considered in the top handful of NHL rinks, my feelings about REA are even warmer than before. I saw Blais in the concourse just before the Gopher game, but he was visiting with someone, so I didn't stop to say hello. He appeared to be in good spirits. Even though Maine poured it on in the third, I can't say I was impressed with either HE team. The Sioux that we saw go toe-to-toe with MN at the end of the year could have handled either team. The Rodents' puck possession game was very good; they look tough to beat. Still, Michigan did get their chances, and Hauser made some big stops (at least in the first 54 minutes). Leopold and Pohl both showed up and played great in this big game. I also thought Koalska looked very good and will be a real factor in the future. Sorry I missed meeting up with you Sioux fans. Maybe next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 What's with Michigan not showing up in National Semifinal games against teams wearing white jerseys with maroon and gold trim? Last year versus BC in Albany and now this year in St. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I'd have to echo jk's assessment of the HE teams. I wasn't very impressed by either one. Minnesota played really well and was just as physical as Michigan. Unless Minnesota completely melts down, I think they'll be able to handle Maine. The X is well ... the X. The NC$$ media campaign during stoppages of play was just over-the-top and annoying ... can they turn the sound up any louder? It was great meeting fans from a number of programs, even those whose teams weren't in the FF. I sat in front of a a mix of Minnesota and Michigan fans who were rationally discussing the game and tactics. Nice even keeled crowd, even though it as Minnesota's back yard. Although I would love for the Sioux to be here, this is a FF that I can actually enjoy as a fan and not get too involved in it. Greyeagle: It was nice meeting you and your father at McGovern's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaneA Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 It pains me to say this but Lucia this year has put the best Minnesota team I've ever seen on the ice--taking into account that I've been a college hockey fan for less than 10 seasons. They have a great deal of talent and are real opportunists, capitalizing on the other teams' miscues. For all of you Sioux fans who think that a national championship win by the Gophers will bring glory to any entity other than the Gophers themselves, I'm going to have to disagree. Should they win, I will tire very quickly of their smack. Lately, it's been only WCHA fans and teams that have had to endure Gopher arrogance; a national championship turns them loose on everybody else. It'll get ugly. That's one of the reasons I'm backing Maine. The other is, I met their late coach Shawn Walsh in April 2000 on the street in Providence after the Sioux beat Maine in the semifinal. He was very gracious and friendly. I think the Black Bears will play with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion and I hope that carries them past the very talented Gophers. The Gophs may be skating for Gopher Pride but the Black Bears will be skating for Walsh. I hope Maine prevails; it makes for a much better story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 One thing I noticed about the X last night was how difficult it is to egress the facility. Man, no exits.... We were on club level. They actually stop running the escalator from club level while the escalate people from the 200 level seats because the doors in the NW corner of the arena can't handle the exodus. When you finally do get down there you can't move to exit. Bad. As for the good, Cary Eades came over to talk with me and my 3 Sioux fans before the MN game last night. We were all in Sioux jerseys. He was sitting close by and he came over to ask who we were going to route for. When we recognized who he was we had a fun and quick chat about old time Sioux hockey. Of course, after he walked away we think of all the fun stuff we should have asked him about but couldn't think of. For me, it made my day to get to meet one of the Sioux legends. Nice guy, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Dagies, Here's the first question that would come to mind for a player from that era. What, exactly, happened that caused the NCAA committee to "not" select the Sioux for the 1983 post season? Rumours were an unpopular ND AD, as well as the very possible problem of sending the Sioux east to take the best eastern teams, at the time, out of the tourney. Can guarantee that if the Sioux had been selected and sent east, either Harvard or Providence would not have made the trip to the FF in Grand Forks that year. Wisco and UND were "way" above everyone else in college hockey that year. If you sense some bitterness over not seeing the Sioux in my one trip to a FF, you're correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Murph - Great to meet you. My dad kept asking how long I had known you - about 5 minutes in person dad - really? He had a great time talking with you and Nathan and it reaffirmed my belief about Sioux fans. They know hockey and like beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Really enjoyed all the gopher fans telling us Sioux jersey wearing fans that the Sioux weren't playing yesterday. Also enjoyed the quiet when we reminded them of the numerous appearances we HAVE made in the last 5 years and, funny, didn't remember seeing them once. As the game wore on and the score went up for the Gophers last night, the gopher fans around us became even more bold. O well, just keeps the passion on the rivalry. I saw fans wearing paraphernalia from: Gophers Sioux UNH Maine Michigan CC AA UNO Air Force Ohio State St. Larry Badgers Bowling Green St. Cloud BC BU MI State Who have I forgotten. I was very proud of all the Sioux fans there. I think we were definitely in the top 5 as far as numbers, maybe even in the top 3-4. Way to go SIOUX! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I also saw: RPI RIT - DIII BSU DU Hahvad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted April 5, 2002 Author Share Posted April 5, 2002 Providence also. I thought UNH was supposed to be there, but I must have been mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I forgot about Bemidji. I was very impressed with the gopher fans in attendance last night. At certain points of the game they just stood and gave their team a standing O. These must have been different fans than have the season tickets at Mariucci. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I saw Clarkson, Army and Quinnipiac gear there too. I think I saw a Mercyworst sweater at the Radisson last night, but by that time I was seeing alot of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I only saw Quiniwhatever at McGovern's so I didn't think that counted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 For me, it made my day to get to meet one of the Sioux legends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 I lived in the same dorm (Walsh) where most of the scholarship hockey players lived at the time. Course it was the 70's, the Rube Bjorkman bad hockey era, and only a few of them cracked the NHL. The Sioux teams had little success, but I was at all the games anyway. Alan Hangsleban was probably the most notable player of that time. Not sure I'd have wanted to share the same hallways in the dorm with Archie in the early 80's. Always seemed like a bomb waiting to go off. All of us kind of thought of Frenchy's as our second home. Shocked to see on a recent trip to GF that the building is not even standing any more, although all the white former rental vehicles still fill the lot. Lots of hockey players and friend's "mugs" went down with those walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 Miscellaneous thoughts from Thursday: Strongest feeling from the day: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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