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Yes, I think they can. The road to Buffalo will not be easy, though. I see that USCHO predicts a first round matchup for the Sioux with Boston College in the East Regional, with Cornell (and their hot goalie) a possible opponent in the quarterfinal. Both would be tough opponents. But I always say, "To be The Man, you have to beat The Man." So, bring it on.

Who says I never get invited anywhere? See below and feel free to show up, too Join Sioux fans for a University of North Dakota Post-Game Party on Thursday, March 20, at Great Waters Brewing Co., located in the Historic Hamm Building, 426 Saint Peter St., after the Sioux take on Minnesota, Duluth. The cost is $5 per person and includes light snacks. A cash bar will also be available. If the Sioux win on Thursday, join us again on Friday after the 2:05 p.m. game at Great Waters Brewing Co. The cost is $12 per person and includes a sandwich bar. A cash bar will be available. Your payment will be taken at the door-no RSVP necessary. We look forward to seeing you there! Go Sioux!! This event is sponsored by Sioux Boosters and the Alumni Association.

We heard "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni" during the resurfacing of the ice after the third period both Saturday and Sunday night. What strikes me as odd is that students will sing "In Heaven There Is No Beer" at the top of their lungs and even do the ridiculous Chicken Dance yet are too cool to learn the words to "Fight On Sioux" or "Stand Up and Cheer." For my money, I think "Fight On Sioux" is a great fight song, one that's uniquely own own. Pity more people don't get into it.

I went with the Sioux to place first and bring home the Broadmoor. Why? The Revenge Served Cold Factor. The teams that stand in our way of winning the tourney are now ripe for some green and white payback. The Fighting Sioux Revenge Tour: Coming soon to a city near Minneapolis.

Well, I guess everyone's entitled to an opinion even when it doesn't hold water. Although I despise Minnesota, I do recognize that they are usually a contender and have put some very talented teams out on the ice, Canadians or no Canadians. But hockey will be played in hell before the Gophers beat the Sioux to a 10th NCAA title.

U2Bad1 may be right. I've been trying to figure out why, with less than a sell-out, the Ralph experience was qualitatively different from a fan perspective than at any other point in the last two years. Maybe it was nothing more than the right people being in the right place at the right time. Everyone I've talked to, even other old fogeys like myself, remarked upon how great the atmosphere was. I thought maybe it was because the fans knew this was the end of the line for Sioux hockey at the Ralph this season and we wanted to wring every last drop of pleasure from the experience. The games were important, too; they meant continuation of the post-season for a team that had a great ride to the top followed by a disappointing slide to the middle. But we're on the upswing again. Who says a season has to have only ONE peak?

GDM: That would be a great crowd response to the opposing lineup! Students, are you so committed to "who's he? he sucks sh*t" that you wouldn't drop the chant for something better?

BostonSiouxfan--you have now opened the proverbial can of baked beans. The topic of student profanity has been debated here and elsewhere time and time again. I don't approve of the chants you mentioned not because my virgin ears are offended or even because there are young kids in the stands. I think they're weak because they haven't got any real punch or pizzazz to them. I wanted to acknowledge some creative, humorous things I observed the student section do this weekend and encourage them to do more in hopes that they'd rely less on the knee-jerk "sucks sh*t" line of abuse. If I were a student, after each opposing player was introduced, I'd yell, "Who's he? a fine fellow I'm sure," just to be different. And after our team was introduced, I'd yell, in the same cadence as that diamond commerical: "I....love...this....team. I love 'em, I love 'em, I love 'em!"

Greyeagle: Non-Sioux fans may audit my lecture at no charge.

Two teams--Michigan Tech (1996) and Northern Michigan (1993)-- played-in and made the championship game where both lost to the Gophers. It's all uphill. To win it all, the Sioux would have to win: the play-in Thursday night at 7:08 [why 7:08??], the semi-final against CC at 2:08 [ why 2:08?] the next afternoon, then the championship game the next night. The tournament schedule is definitely stacked against the lower seeds. Don't even get me started on the money-driven decision that puts the Gophers in the night-time game year after year! But, hey, don't count the Sioux out yet; they are a well-conditioned team. If anybody can win it with jelly in their legs, the Sioux can. Stay positive. And don't make me lecture you again!

Maybe PCM recorded the posters for posterity. If not, the ones I saw said something like, "News Update: DU Hockey to lead Broncos' tackling practice" and "DU: This is hockey, not rodeo." They were great.

I wanted to start a thread in praise of this weekend's crowds at the Ralph. Although not a sell-out, I was so impressed with the fans Saturday and Sunday night. First time I've ever seen the crowd so into the game all game long. Got to give the "Seventh Man Award" to the student section. Even with a lot of students off on spring break, the student section was alive and kickin'. Loved the posters in the crowd eluding to Denver's Bronco-style tackling and rodeo-flavored ropin' & rasslin'. And those newspaper cutouts of Shepherd's sheep posted on the penalty box glass were priceless! I think the seniors will have great memories of their last home games at the Ralph. Now, let's go neuter them Dogs!

After Saturday's game, I re-watched the video "Nancy Burggraf: Power & Stride" which featured a very heartfelt interview with Jake Brandt. Jake recalled how the 1999 (I think that's the right year) Roseau Rams dedicated their Minnesota High School Hockey championship run to their ailing powerskating instructor, Nancy Burggraf, who was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease. Brandt "willed" the shutout he threw in the championship game, telling himself that nothing was going in, and he and all the Roseau boys "won it for Nancy." I got the feeling watching that tape that Brandt did in fact know how to focus and how to win and that he had some spiritual depth that he was going to bring to bear in the final game of the playoff with Denver. And, so he did. Great job, Jake! We're so proud of you and all the Boys Named Sioux. Can't wait 'til Thursday.

The slide is over. The bounces are going our way. Parise is scoring again. My lucky frog will be at the games. Unquestionably, the Sioux in two. CC over Anchorage, in two. Gophers over Tech, in two. Here's the upsets: Wisconsin over Mankato, in 3 and St. Cloud over Duluth, in two.

Fedorov: Call Al directly and ask him where the seats are for the bus. His number appears earlier in the thread. If he can help you out, I'm sure he will.

We're still going but I don't know what the numbers are. We're staying at the Rodestar Inn, not the Rodeway, and should check in about noon tomorrow. Are you still looking to trade up seats? I don't know where ours are in the Kohl Center; Al didn't say.

Yes, that's right. His extreme cruelty provided me with grounds for the divorce.

I love reading all these comments about what the team needs to do to start winning again because I think they are pretty insightful suggestions from people who I believe know a lot about the game. But the truth is, we're only fans and fans can take none of these courses of action--that's up to the players and the coaches. Fans really have only two courses open to them when their team is at the end of the regular season and has won only 1 game in the last ten. The first is to continue to support their team, and to expect the best to happen. The second is to badmouth the team and expect the worst. Some of you are starting to sound like my ex-husband, the epitome of the fair weather Sioux fan. I remember him telling me during the 1996-97 season after every Sioux loss that "this team will never win again" and "ain't going anywhere." Did I mention he's my EX-husband and that the Sioux won the national championship that year? The team needs to sweep at Madison, secure home ice and steamroll into the post-season. I'm going to be there cheering them on as they do it. Ya gotta believe.

Just checked the WJ ticket site. According to the diagram, the entire lower bowl is sold out. Seats still available in the upper bowl: sections 302, 302A, 303, 306, 307, 310, 310A, 311, 314, 314A and 315. Gotta wonder what's gonna be left for the general public who can't buy until Friday. The FSC, which is supposed to complete its buying frenzy today, and Corporate Sponsors, who can buy starting tomorrow still have a crack at the seats before it opens to the public.

I sit with the non-students (and some players' parents) in sec. 114. I am loud. I stand and scream every time "Welcome to the Jungle" starts to blast--that's suppose to be the rallying song for noise-making but most people in the arena haven't a clue. I yell the entire game: "Get a stick on it!" "Stand him up!" "Wheel, Spee!" etc., etc. I clap and sing along to "Stand Up & Cheer" & "Fight on Sioux." I can't understand paying good money to watch a hockey game then finding nothing to get vocal about except the scoring of a goal. The silent majority at Engelstad are missing out on the complete experience of being a Sioux hockey fan. Maybe our leather seats are just too comfortable to get up off of more than a couple of times per game.

As I mentioned in another thread, Al Pearson's bus trip to Madison is still on for the weekend. At last count, there were 25 people going. We're staying at the Rodeway Inn and I'm pretty confident that most people on the bus will find a place to tipple, though we seem to do most of it after the game, rather than before. Drowning our sorrows over the last 10 games, unfortunately. Here's hoping our luck's about to change.

We're staying at the Rodeway Inn--it's $62 a night, I think. No, sorry, I don't know where our seats are. Usually, we're in the visitors' section unless Al has worked a deal with the venue box office for a different section of the arena. It won't hurt to call Al to see if he can upgrade your seats. He's a very accommodating guy and will try to help out a fellow Sioux fan. Good luck.

C'mon, guys. Had the games gone the way of the Sioux, nothing the Bulldogs fans did or said would have bothered any of us, unless they'd thrown a second puck onto the ice a la the Mankato bunch. For the last two months, our team has been down so you know we're going to get kicked and taunted by fans of the other teams. Just suck it up for now. Our turn to do the kicking and the taunting will come again.

Al is a semi-retired businessman. He's been a member of Sioux Boosters and the Fighting Sioux Club since God was in Mites. He's been running the trips for more than twenty years. Everyone knows Al--he's readily identified by the grayish-white cowboy hat with Sioux logo that he wears to all the games. I just spoke to his wife. She says the Madison trip is still on but that Al is out of town until Wednesday evening. Call him then or Thursday. We're leaving at 11:59 p.m. Thursday night for Madtown.

I'm a season ticket holder. I don't know anything about a waiting list for the public offering on Friday.