dakotadan

Way to go ladies!!! Even got the shutout. Finish it off tomorrow!

No one is denying that UND has a great hockey program. This is a discussion talking about all of our other DII sports.

I definately believe that when The Betty was built it was built with the idea that it would primarily be used for practice and basketball camps. I think that the REA thought that alot of the games would be played in the Ralph. I agree that the previous games in the Ralph didn't have great atmosphere, but I think that they could. As I said earlier, I think that if the court was placed on the north end of the ice so that the arena created a "U" around the court and place the portable seating only on the south end of the court that it would help create a more intimate feeling. They could sell tickets for sections 109-116. Sections 112 and 113 behind the basket could be the student sections. If you place the band on the portable seating facing the horseshoe it would help fill the place with more sound. Also, for larger games the north Club level could be used and would have great sitelines of the court. If a move to DI is made I think we will see alot more games in the REA. It could be a great drawing tool to help bring in larger schools. Imagine 6-8,000 people in this set-up, it could be a great atmosphere. It could also be a great recruiting tool for the teams.

I wonder if the Fargo Coliseum gets the proposed remodeling if it will have any effect on NDSU getting a hockey team. It could be a good place to begin a program and begin to grow. I wouldn't mind seeing USD get hockey also. The arena situation is their biggest problem. Although they could always play in Sioux Falls while working on funding for a new hockey/basketball arena. If USD, SDSU, and NDSU all joined the CHA it could really turn into a very respectable league. The 2 Montana schools and Northern Colorado are also intriguing.

Did I just miss it or does that poll also not show how many people have voted and the number of votes for each category? Stuff the ballots people, I can't stand PCSU.

When I mentioned that there was little discussion about our women's basketball team, I was referring to this website and Sioux fans in general. The ladies are having an amazing season yet you seldom hear too many people talking about it, especially on this site.

I have a feeling that the fundraising for the BSA remodeling will pick up ALOT after this win and all the national media attention that it has gotten.

NDSU definately has some talent on their men's team. There is no denying that. While I doubt that there was the usual build up for this game as there is for most Big 10 games, I don't think they over-looked NDSU either. The Bison deserve the credit. What is interesting to see is that our women's basketball team is now 22-0, and how much discussion is there about them? Not alot. More praise is being given to the NDSU men's team (which they deserve). Consider that next year, the NSIC is adding 2 more schools, meaning less non-conference games against NCC schools. So are we going to be seeing even more DAC schools on our schedules? Makes you think about the direction of the 2 athletic departments.

SKIPPY!!

+++ Great Idea!

That must have been a very good last 6 minutes to the half! A 16-4 run.

+++

I second that!!!

What bugs me most about this is that everything is about "what the students are doing wrong". Everyone keeps saying that the students need to meet in the middle, but nobody else seems willing to work. Where has the discussion about how to get the rest of the crowd more involved been? Just trying to strong arm the students by threatening to take seats away is ridiculous. I have said before the best way to solve this is to have students work with students. Instead of threatening the students, get the Sioux Crew, student government and the cheer teams to work together to create cheers and chants that don't involve swearing and teach them to the student section. Maybe at the meeting tonight instead of telling the students how terrable and disrespectful they are, it could have been lead by the Sioux Crew and ideas created on how to create an exciting, positive atmosphere. It is amazing how many students, alumni, and fans don't know the words to any of the various fight songs. How about we start handing out sheets that have the school songs and different cheers on it to fans as they enter the arena. It doesn't take a genious to figure out that this would be more productive than preaching to the students. Sometimes I wonder about this administration, they seem to want to do everything the most controversial way possible.

Don't forget to use UND letterhead!

So far the ladies hockey team has only won 1 conference game this season against BSU. This weekend they face SCSU who is right above UND and BSU in the standings. The ladies need a sweep just to tie BSU in the standings. This would definately be the weekend to get a few points. On a side note, I saw a commercial for the women's hockey program last friday night. It was for the series against Wisconsin. The funny thing is that the first time I saw the commercail was after the friday night game was already over. I think that the university could do alot better job of promoting this program. The women's hockey team has the potential to be our next program to compete for a National Championship. I just wish that the university would try to promote some of the larger series such as UM, UW, and Ohio State. And I don't mean just airing commercials. One year during the Final 5, the UM women's program had set up a large interactive area in the Mall of America to promote itself. You could practice slapshots, etc. Something like this could be done at Columbia Mall before bigger series. Even if it was just a few players there to sign autographs and sign up for ticket give aways. Anything out in the public to get more people to notice the program will help. Also, I would like to see the band and cheer team participate in more games to help with the atmosphere. At the same time, if the team began winning a few more games it would also help out the cause. Okay, I am done talking to myself now.

Hey, where is the option of "UND should go DI with I-A football"?

There is a thread over at D2basketball.com where people have been posting pix of their school's arenas. There are some pretty nice ones there as far as DII is concerned. There are a couple there that many DI schools would probably love to have. The Betty just doesn't seem to be laid out as nicely as many of them. D2Basketball.com Arena Thread

I don't follow high school hockey very closely and don't read this thread very often. Could somebody post the current standings or point me to a place that keeps the current standings? Thanks.

And we just gave them another! I should have went to the women's game tonight. I can't imagine that they would be doing alot worse.

And we give it right back!

It is really sad that minnesota just got more shots on goal than we did during our own power play.

So I expect that in the next few days we will see a letter in the Herald announcing that all non-student season ticket holders are to report the the lower bowl of the Ralph in the non-student season ticket holder section. This meeting will be to let non-student season ticket holders know how to properly act at games. i.e. quite talking about your d@mn investment portfolio and get involved with the game.

It is great that we have a facility like The Betty. It is just a little disappointing that we have a brand new facility and it seems that not as much planning went into the layout as other arenas now being built. Obviously alot of thought went into the planning of the Ralph. It is almost unheard of to not have a large open concourse in any new facility. It seems the Betty was built from a practice/flexability stand point as opposed to designed from the fans perspective. Also, I am curious if the scoreboards were put in with the idea that they were temporary and that down the road fundraising would be done for better boards. The current ones just don't seem like your typical boards found in other arenas. As far as playing games in the Ralph, it just feels too empty in there with the current setup. However, I think there are things that could be done to make it feel more like a b-ball arena. Instead of setting the floor in the middle of the rink, I would like to see the floor placed on the north end of the rink(opposite end from the zamboni entrance). Instead of portable bleachers on both ends of the floor, they would be placed on the south end of the floor only. I think the horseshoe around the floor would make it feel more like the arena was designed with basketball in mind. The north club level could also get more use during the games. And it would make more suites closer to the action. Or could curtains be put up to close off the upper level. This would help make the arena smaller for basketball. Even if just the upper level on the west side was curtained off and the east side left open to allow the use of the media level would help. Just some thoughts.

It would look nice hanging in the front lobby of Ralph Engelstad Arena or the Alerus Center. Maybe we could get Mr Brand to autograph it.