Wilbur

So Jackson throws a punch, and a slash and puts Forbort in a headlock and gets two minutes.....jeez....drop the gloves if you'll only get two.

Unreal....just unreal....

I think someone already posted what I was going to post....don't take the foot off the pedal. No time to sit back and watch Denver try and make plays. Get the puck deep, and create off the cycle like they've been doing all night.

I thought DU would go with Brittain too, but I assume they're just holding him out for the NCAA's. Coming off a five period game on a surgically repaired knee, I'm guessing that they are just trying to limit his minutes. The Freshman they've got going instead of Brittain ain't a bad tender. Juho played very well against the Sioux earlier this year.

LaPanta was spot on when he said that Minnesota could have been up 6-0. 3-0 midway through the game was a helluva lot closer score than the game was at that time. The gophs found themselves some quicksand, and found it fast.

Mario's best game in a Sioux uniform? Uhh....well....best half game? Were the gophers that good the first half of the game and the Sioux that bad? And likewise, were the gophers that bad when the Sioux were turning it on in the third period?

Great third period for the team in Green. Once again....you can never doubt a Hakstol coached team.....ever. PS: The first time the gophers and sioux met this year Stephane Pattyn was running all over the place, unpoised, screaming and hollering, and trying to get into a fight. Tonight for the last half of the game he was a playmaker who played consistently good hockey. Ohh what a difference a year can make. I think I'll like having him around for four years.

Observations: ~Sloppy hockey ~Dell was huge for the Sioux ~Mike Lee just can't seem to beat UND. He's a tremendous goaltender, but just can't pull the trick against the Sioux. ~I think the Sioux tried to be a bit too fancy at times in the SCSU zone.....just get the puck to the net fellas....no reason to make an extra pass a lot of those times. Pressure is all on Minnesota tomorrow. Got to survive the first period, I feel as if a bunch of blondes are going to be flying around up and down the ice to start the game. UND needs to handle the early push and make the gophers settle into a pace more fitting of the Sioux.

Hardcore......I have no idea how the AR didn't see it or call it....by garsh.....

Yikes.....playing on their heals leads to a pp chance for SCSU.

Not a great start to the period. Can't believe how many defensive zone turnovers the boys have had....yikes... Shift to shift fellas!

I'll throw in my Mario opinion. What he lacks in the talent category he makes up for in hard work. Not a goal scorer, not a fancy hockey player, not a me first, shoot first guy. He's a lunch pail guy, plays hurt, does whatever the team needs him to do. I can't remember who they were playing this year, but he could barely hold his stick, yet he was in the lineup playing every third shift. I think this past weekend summed up his career pretty well. Plays gritty, misses a wide open empty net, and blocks a shot with his head. I wish they had him for four more years.

I can't see SCSU or Tech winning the final five. Heck, it'd take a monumental task for UND to win it with their shorthanded lineup. If SCSU beats UND I'd like to see them beat Minnesota too, but it wouldn't be the worst thing if Goldy won that game.

Hmmmm.....play up in Canada......test the waters of the NHL free agency pool.....play another year in Grand Forks.... You have to think playing in Montreal would be an unreal place to play professional hockey, but if he decides to become a free agent he won't have to worry about finding possible suitors. I think he'll sign with les habitants, and possibly make his NHL debut sometime next season.

First time in almost 10 years I won't be at the final five......such a tremendous time to be had by all. The new set up of the final five with every game basically being an elimination game makes the hockey and atmosphere that much better (the third place game sucked....always). I'd give anything to be at a Friday night Sioux-Gophers semifinal game.....yowser.....Then again, SCSU and Minnesota have had a classic or two. The big question is....will the Tech band be there?

Not sure if its been posted, but Air Force got a win tonight, which is good for the Sioux. Anything can happen in OT, hopefully no fluke bounces decide it (unless its for the badgers...)

Yes, but they didn't play on Friday afternoon. They both played Friday night, making the task a bit easier IMHO.

Luckily the Sioux didn't have to play the afternoon game on Friday against Denver, they played on Friday night. Same thing with Duluth the year before when they won all three.

A while back UND was the #1 seed with the Parise-Bochenski-Murray line in top form and Anchorage had to play the next day at 2PM after beating CC. Anchorage was playing exceptional hockey, but there was no way they could recover to beat a rested UND team. I felt bad for them, as the Sioux and Anchorage should have been playing at 7pm that day. I think it was the year before that Duluth beat the Sioux in the play in game and then got to play #1 seeded CC the next afternoon. They put up a fight, but lost in OT. In the history of the final five, I don't believe a team has won a game on Thursday night and won on Friday afternoon. Some teams have come close, but its just a monumental task.

Not the start that Bucky wanted for the period. I can see Denver scoring with under ten minutes left and holding on to win the game.

The number one seed normally does if the gophers aren't at the final five.

A sconnie win could knock Denver out of the NCAA tournament.....come on badgers....

This is exactly why I didn't want any red sweaters in the Ralph this weekend......pesky fricken badgers....... Denver will get at least one 5-3 powerplay to attempt to tie the game, hopefully Bucky is up to the task.

Here is the breakdown, brought to you by the Minnesota rule. Denver wins......Sioux vs. SCSU 7PM Thursday night (winner gets Goldy) Bucky wins......Sioux vs. Bucky 2PM Thursday afternoon (winner gets drunk hockey guy)

Makes it easy to see why the Wild have missed the postseason the past (insert playoff year drought here) years. Cuma is a great player, don't get me wrong....but the numbers speak for themself. Maybe Genoway will be a free agent in the near future and get on with a team that will actually give him a chance in the NHL.