Old Barn Guy at Home

After watching a lot of the Sioux hockey games this year, the glaring lack of "finishers" is always evident. For those fans who are continually bemoaning the lack of offense, I'm afraid it's not going to get much better this season. You must remember that this team lost it's two top offensive producers (Zach and Bo), plus Lundbohm. Now they are also playing without a very skilled and speedy Brady Murray. This weekend also sees the Sioux without a fairly strong two-way player (McMahon). The Sioux don't have depth in the goal-scoring department. They really don't have a lot of offensive firepower (finishers at the D-1 college level). The past month, they look like they are working hard, trying their best. Maybe we just have to "cut them all some slack." Get used to it. They aren't going to fill the net, even when they do create some excellent opportunities. Now, can they win and go on into the playoffs? Yes, I think they can. Don't expect it to be easy or pretty, but they could pull off a "2004 Denver" and surprise the heck out of a lot of hockey "experts." To do this, they WILL need some luck. Heaven knows that we haven't used up much of it so far in the regular season. Keep the faith. As long as the guys are working hard and playing together, you can't really expect some of the "role player" guys to magically turn into consistent big time goal scorers. It just isn't going to happen at the level at which they play. But some just may get the opportunity to produce and get the job done when it is needed the most. And to Hak........hang in there fella. First years are never easy and you have been challanged by many difficult circumstances beyond your control. You have a good staff to help you and you will do just fine. You are just "paying your dues" as a first year coach of a program that is always expected to win (not considering that most of the offense producers are no longer in the line up or even the program). You guys will find more recruits that will come in a bring the needed skills/traits to the team. I have faith in you guys and the program, and a lot of other hockey people do too.

I'll second that, Bubz!

Tarek coaches the Grand Forks Central Knights (that's in North Dakota, by the way). Chad Johnson coaches the Bismarck Bobcats (junior hockey team), and is assisted by former Sioux D-man Dane Litke.

Hak will do a fine job, as will Berry. These guys could have been head coaches last year (not that they were looking to leave), but there are college hockey programs that would have loved to have had them for their coach. I have worked in a hockey capacity with both of these gentlemen, and either of them would be a great head coach and fine representative of UND and the hockey program. They have excellent hockey minds and are well respected in the hockey world, and both are excellent recruiters, as the Sioux roster will verify. They will be successful in their new postitions, whatever they may be. It does look like Hak will be the new head coach, but just remember that it was the GF Herald (more specifically, Virg Foss) that had Ned Harkness in a moving van headed to the old Engelstad arena when Rube was let go. I remember petitions that were being circulated for signatures against the hiring of Gino. Boy did that look like a stupid move after Gino's first year at the UND helm. Sandy is another example of a fine young hockey mind being given the chance to run a program, and taking that opportunity and doing a great job. Remember, Duluth didn't win a lot of games in his first couple of seasons. I remember a conversation I had with him after a playoff game at UND in his first year at Duluth. He was most concerned about recruiting players that were willing to pay the price to win, and to do it his way. If Hak is the head coach, the players and the coaching staff will be miles ahead of the situation that Sandy was in. And if the team should lose a series or just a couple of games that the public thinks they should have won, just step back and think of the times the team has stumbled in the past, even during championship years. If it is to be Hak, great! If someone else is hired for the head job, that person has been blessed with the best supporting staff in college hockey. Let's support the team, the coaches, and enjoy the season to come.

I'm sure as he// happy that none of you quitters are connected to the UND program in any way except as keyboard "experts." You are pathetic the way you are ready to give up. Hang in there and see what the boys are really made of. If they don't come back to win tonight, sure, it's not good. But it's not the end of the season. I guess you guys need some sort of release for your pent up athletic short comings. Get off the coach's back and sit back and be a spectator.

Hindsight is so much greater than foresight! Sure, coaches can make mistakes, and all of the players do too. Whether Blais should have made personnel changes is more than likely a question he was asking himself after the game. He'll get the guys to rally, if nothing else because they are mad at him. There have been comments about whom to lay the blame on. Hey, move on. The Sioux lost, to a pretty good team on the road. Jake made some good plays, but couldn't bail out his teammates when they screwed up a couple of times. One statement I have to disagree with is that it is "bad news" that the Sioux have to play another game at the Kohl Center tonight. If any of you have ever been in athletic competition, you should know that this is the best thing that could happen (getting a rematch the very next evening). It would be much worse if this would have happened on the Saturday night game, with no immediate chance for redemption. If the Sioux don't come out flying, hitting, scoring, and playing their "A" game tonight, then maybe the team doesn't deserve to be ranked #1 anymore for now. I'd put my money on the Sioux, and coach Blais (and his staff) will take care of business in his own way. His record is pretty good and I would side with his decisions much faster than any from fans any day. Remember, this was not a playoff game. The way players have performed under pressure situations will determine how their roles for the team are affected down the stretch.

I read on an earlier post somewhere on these boards that the game will be carried over the Wisconsin hockey net, so you can watch it online with your computer. http://www.uwbadgers.com/game_day/mhky/index.aspx I hope they are correct, otherwise you won't be seeing the game. Hope that helps, and again, hope it works!!

This is for Marty: Whether you know it or not, the UND-NDSU (formerly NDAC) rivalry has been around longer than any college football series in the country (unless the Harvard-Yale series is longer). Now, you may say that doesn't make it the most exciting rivalry, and if that's the way you feel, ok. I personally don't get so excited for the Ohio St-Michigan rivalry, unless they both have strong teams going against each other. You may be too young to really grasp the history of the Sioux-Bison rivalry and maybe you aren't such a strong fan(antic) of the two schools' competiton against each other. All I know is that when fall comes around and there is no game between the two of them to anticipate, a heck of a lot of people in the state and around the country will be very disappointed and feel a sense of great loss. It has been going on for a long time and now it is over. Sicatoka: You hit it right on the head. I've cut my ties with NDSU and will keep it that way until the Sioux and Bison are competing against each other (on even ground, not with SU having a lot more scholarships than UND). There is an old Native American saying that goes something like this: "It is not necessary for crows to be eagles." This probably applies to SU in this case.

As an NDSU alum, and former athlete, let me suggest to the people on the Bison's board to worry about who they will get to play home games against next football season (now that they have chosen to destroy the most exciting sports rivalry in college athletics). Thanks for the great memories to all former UND and NDSU athletes, and that's all we'll have from now on, just memories. Go Sioux! I can hardly wait until a possible rematch between the rodents and the Sioux hockey teams. Maybe they can find some outside ice to play on, since it seems to be such a problem finding a decent indoor sheet on the U of M campus.