Wilbur

Dangit.....Cichy and Bruno.....should have had those two.....I guess we didn't see those two numbers on the ice a lot last year....so thats my excuse....

Here we go!!!!!!!!!!! 5-Genoway 8-Martens? 13-Marvin?? 15-Davidson 16-Duncan 17-Gregoire 19-Trupp 21-Frattin 22-Malone 28-Bina?? I'm guessing I got a 80 percent.

Its funny that the NCAA hadn't mentioned that at all.... Hmmm.....a hockey tournament in a football stadium......who came up with that idea?

The ranking is kind of like when the Ralph opened back in 2001, and that team with all sorts of Freshman coming in was given a high ranking (might have been a top five ranking right away), and Dean Blais was baffled as to why his young team was ranked so highly.

Nice to see the Sioux pick up a North Dakota kid who will only get better with three years with the US Developmental program. A kid that I hope is on their radar is the Nelson kid from Williston. I've heard that he has been approached by Bemidji and Mankato, but hopefully the Sioux give him a serious look. He has two years of junior hockey eligibility left so he could play two years in Fargo and then head North. UND is all about four year guys, and I think Nelson would fit that quota.

I didn't think so. I didn't think they had played in the Everglades Classic that happens around the holiday season etc. I agree with what someone said earlier, I think the crowds have the possibility to be atrocious......If Denver and CC fans don't travel to St. Paul to watch their teams I'm guessing they won't travel to Florida. This would be the year too that a Fairbanks or Anchorage makes the frozen four too.....talk about playing a long ways from home..... If Fairbanks makes the frozen four they will be playing 4,743 miles from home....thank you mapquest!

Hmmm....question....Have the Sioux ever played a hockey game in the state of Florida?

This is quite possibly the post of the year. And at the same time its so true it hurts.......

You can't replace a guy like Genoway.......gosh I'm going to miss Chay......If its any of those guys my guess would be Dillon Simpson. He got a little bit of time on the power play last season, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him thrown into the fire.

+1 Completely agree. Guys like Malone, Trupp, Genoway, LaPoint, Frattin, Marto....you get my point. As Freshman they take their lumps a little bit, but by the time they are seniors you've got yourself a group of experienced hockey players who have been there done that.

The Sioux have been pretty blessed the past couple of years with defensemen that have been able to play forward (Marto, Gleason, Simpson) and Forwards that have been able to drop back and help out defensively (Davidson). I'm sure it will be no different this year. I could see Gleason getting his fair share of looks at forward this next season if he doesn't make the top six defensemen. I don't think we'll see Simpson play any Forward next season, as he'll likely be a top 4 guy on the blue line.

Quick question for the roster buffs out there. UND is bring ten players in next season (7 Forwards, 3 Defensemen). With the loss of the senior class, Cichy, Bruno, Hill, Gregs, and Hextall, what does the Roster look like for next season as far as numbers go? Thanks. EDIT* Asking this because I know I've forgotten someone who is leaving or forgot to add a player that might be coming in.

You always know how to make me feel better.....thanks....

I think someone said it best earlier. I'd rather have the kid not come to UND at all, than play one season and sign right after the season ends and skip town. Its tough to lose a high profile recruit like this, but you just wonder the type of impact he would have had this year. With Freshman its hit or miss. I don't think he was going to tear up the WCHA by any means, or set any type of Freshman records for the team. He's one helluva hockey player, but with or without him I still think the Sioux will be a good hockey team next year. It also means that Rocco Grimaldi will be a shoe in for league rookie of the year.

Can't blame the kid. Gets drafted higher than expected, is on cloud 9, why go to school when you can get that big signing bonus with the Rangers right away and not worry about getting up for classes and just basically play hockey. I would give the old, "got to have the education in case hockey doesn't work out", but there is insurance that will take care of any injuries he has. And he is a good enough player that he will make the NHL if he stays healthy enough too. I wonder if the Sioux plan on bringing in another player, or if they'll roll with what they've got.

I think there is a bit of a love fest because some of the North Dakota/Minnesota connections that they have. They are coached by Frank Serratore (Bemidji), and just off the top of my head some local players on their teams include the likes of Jacque Lamoureax (Grand Forks), Paul Weisgarber (Fargo), Chad Demers (Grafton) will be joining them next season, Matt Becker (Moorhead), and Jason Fabian (Roseau, obviously everyone knows his brother). I disagree with them being like a Michigan Tech in a normal conference. They are well coached and have had success against some highly ranked teams in the past couple of years, like beating Yale last year before losing in OT in the NCAAs. Two years ago they beat #1 seed Michigan in the NCAA's and were an OT goal away from beating Vermont and having a chance to play in the Frozen Four. Also, if you look at comparisons with top end WCHA teams, they always play CC and Denver tough year in and year out in their non-conference schedule. I look forward to them being in Grand Forks for the ice breaker tournament. I think they will represent themselves very well.

I agree they would take their lumps.....I think they'd also be able to get some more high caliber recruits with the type of schedule and exposure that they could get playing in the league. If you would have told me two years ago Western Michigan would be a possibility for a super league with Denver, UND, CC, Miami of Ohio, I might have called you nuts, or a GOON!!!

Copyrighted from Goon's post: "The motivation to create the National Collegiate Hockey Conference follow recent conference realignments that affected several of our founding teams," said Brian Faison, director of athletics at North Dakota. "Our new conference was developed under the auspice of institutions that have displayed a high level of competitiveness on the ice, an institutional commitment to compete at the highest level within Division I, provide a national platform for exposure, and have wonderful history and tradition within their institution and hockey programs. The conference will be comprised of not only highly competitive, committed and winning hockey programs, but will also showcase many of the best student-athletes on and off the ice in coming years." High level of competitiveness on the ice....thats Notre Dame, Western Michigan, Bemidji State, Northern Michigan has been in the tournament a time or two...i think Air Force fits with this as well. Tradition.....Air Force academically.....Bemidji State has some, mostly down a division....Notre Dame.....Northern has at least one NCAA championship that I can think of..... Exposure....Obviously Notre Dame.....Bemidji made the frozen four two years ago, and has a beautiful new facility......... Student athletes......Notre Dame.....Air Force..... So in the end....Notre Dame would be a perfect fit.......

Any guesses as to the other schools besides Notre Dame and Western Michigan? My guesses would be: ~Bemidji State (brand new rink, college hockey becoming huge) ~Air Force (already two Colorado teams, why not another) ~Northern Michigan (just a guess....nothing other than that)

Wow....Sicatoka......I hope you have an insider somewhere......or you could just be the guy that knows all...

I'll go with the Western Collegiate Hockey Cooperative..... How about Central States Hockey League....

Agreed about Dragon Football. Not saying that Laqua or whatever his name is is a bad coach, but how many times does a high school head coach go right to being a college head coach? It would make sense for them to end their football program. I didn't know there was Dragon wrestling.....shows how much publicity that they have.

How about...."The Super Eight Conference". Brought to you of course by the Super Eight hotel chain.... I had a discussion the other day with one of my friends about the end of the final five for the Sioux. What started as a group of four college roommates attending the Final Five turned into a group of about 20 heading to St. Paul every year. Ever since we have started attending the Sioux have made it every year, won the tournament three times, finished second twice, third twice, and fourth one time. I have my doubts about the tournament being locked into St. Paul year in and out. St. Paul makes it easy for all of us to attend with our families, and a quick trip from wherever we are scattered in the Minnesota-North Dakota area. I know many Sioux fans will still follow them wherever the tournament ends up, but myself personally with a new baby boy (named him Carter by the way!) and a wife that isn't a huge sports fan to begin with means in two years we may be done seeing the Sioux play in their conference tournament live. Unless I could somehow convince her to make a trip to Detroit or something like that in March.....not going to happen.....

UND vs. Denver on Versus.....I can bye into that......