Stack

Mentioned once before but I'd like them to replace the black nets behind the goals with white nets. I've been to a number of rinks where the nets are white and it is so much easier to pick up the puck through the net rather than through the black netting. Sell Budweiser or something besides Miller at the average stand. Sell wine on the concourse. Just about every place I've been including the Fargodome sells wine along with beer in the concourse. I'm guessing this is because the liqour license is usually the same for wine/beer. I just know some people that can't drink or like beer so wine is a good option. Stop making the average fan that goes to one of the end bars feel like they are inferior. Gees they watch you like a hawk like you're going to sneak into the other "restricted" area. I mean come on. I promise I'll just go back to my seat once you give me a drink. I like coordianted cheers but please don't let us turn into the stepford fans from Wisconsin. They don't know much about hockey but man when their band starts playing do they know how to cheer. Let's do some coordianted cheers that all fans not just students can learn and do. Make it ok for me to stand and cheer the last few mintues of a game when I'm tryign to fire my team up. Rather than having people yell at me to "SIT DOWN", let them stand up too and encourage the boys. OH and did I already say I'd like WHITE nets!

Sorry! Stack didn't advance! That was me, Budwmn, putting in my pick...but my husband was obviously signed in on this computer and I didn't notice until I submitted.

So...is this over? If not, I'll take Oshie for Thursday's win against BC. :-)

This was the worst podcast all season. The CCHA sportswriter kept on with the " Why would I vote for Lamoureux for the Hobey. Heck the coaches in the WCHA didn't even think he was the best goalie in their conference." Then to hear them all tout Gerbe as the second coming and by far the most exciting player in college hockey. Gees have they seen Oshie play? I hope our players listen to the first 30 minutes of this podcast and get a little something stuck in their craw. (whatever the hell craw is). Based upon this podcast BC wins easy probably 5-1. You know they do have superior speed and have 4 lines that can score. And of course you know that Muse has played every game and is unbelievable for a freshman. This really made me mad last night to the point that I ended up dreaming about the game (I never do that), My dream was that Finley crushed one of their little guys early on a check. He got a penalty of course since the NCAA refs don't allow a bigger guy checking a little guy. But we ended up hitting the entire game. We had to kill off about 6 penalties but we ended up winning 4-2. Bob Norton had a fit and complained that the refs cost BC the game. Come on Sioux. Make my dream come true on Thursday. I'm sure I'll dream again after we beat BC. I'm not sure I'll be able to post here though since I'll be in Denver cheering on the Sioux. But If we win 4-2 I'll find some place to post my next dream. More to come!

Three of us flying out of Fargo via United at noon Wednesday meeting another Sioux fan flying in from Bismarck about an hour later at the Denver ariport. Should be at our hotel by 2:00. Beer in hand by 2:05

We'll be at the Adam's Mark too. Our 8th Frozen Four. We're flying in on Wednesday and will be at the hotel by 2:30PM. Beer in hand by 2:31. I'll be the guy in the green Sioux polo. Just call me Stack and I'll know you read the boards

Both Radke and Malone bring the physical play but they do not seem to know how to play under control. I don't want either guy playing in the Frozen Four. Last year the physical play by Porter (dumb penalty running a guy) and Finley (crushing check that was called an elbow) cost us two goals to BC. We can't afford stupid penalties. Be physical but not dumb! They will go with 4 lines early and then shorten the bench late, something that is easy to do with all of the TV timeouts. Even though I don't like it I think Radke plays. Martens has played very well with Trupp. One problem could be Trupp's physical condition and he could be a little skitish after having a broken leg. Lines: Oshie, Duncan, Kozek VandeVelde, Kaip, Watkins Martens, Trupp, Frattin Zajac, Miller, Radke

VandeVelde.

Gerbe now leads the nation in scoring. Porter is not a given after disappearing in the playoffs. Heck Gerbe had 15 shots on goal alone against New Hampshire. Of course I'm hoping for Jean Phillipe or the Osh.

Dang and I was just about to read The Great Gatsby. You blow the ending for me and now what? Next thing you'll tell me is that at the end of the movie The Rose she dies or something. That's on my list of movies to watch next

Andrew "Lumberjack" Kozek

I've said all along that Gleason comes in next year and Fienhage goes to the USHL for a year of seasoning.

Ryan "Major Duncs" Duncan

My Favorite Sioux Goalie: While in College: Bob Iwabuchi Since College: Karl Goering

Two things: 1. Besides Marto and LaPoint stepping up for Genoway we also need Frattin, Miller, Zajac, Kaip etc to step up their play and provide some scoring. 2. One thing that is nice once we get to the Final Five and NCAAs, TV timeouts. With all of the TV timeouts a team can shorten their bench and a team can get by with three lines as the game goes along and also with 4-5 defensemen. It's nice to play four lines early with 3 sets of defensemen but not totally necessary with all of the delays. Just a thought.

My picks are a little different: 1. CC 2. UND 3. Denver 4. Mankato 5. St Cloud 6 Wisconsin 7. Minnesota 8. Duluth 9. Tech 10. UAA CC over UAA in 2 UND over Tech in 2 Denver over Duluth in 2 Minnesota over Mankato in 3 ( I hate this one but Mankato sucks against Minnesota) St Cloud over Wisconsin in 3 Final Five: St Cloud over Minnesota in play in Semis: UND over Denver, CC over St Cloud Finals: I don't know! CC and UND are Number 1 seeds. Denver and St Cloud are Number 2 seeds. Minnesota sneaks in as a Number 4 seed unless Mankato can actually beat Minnesota if they do Mankato is in. Is this the year St Cloud wins a game in the NCAAs? Weird but I actually think they do unless they play another WCHA team

Thanks for managing the league Azsioux. It was fun. A lot more challenging this year when the defense meant so much. Thanks again.

It was great to get two wins in Duluth but the price was great. We lost Trupp for the year. I'm guessing Genoway sits for this weekend at least and if he has a broken wrist he sits until the regionals. That's a heavy price to pay for two wins. We all know what these two guys brought to the team and they will be missed. Now we need guys like Frattin, Marto, LaPoint, etc. to step up and play a bigger role. We need Frattin to show that goal scoring touch he has, LaPoint and Marto to play like seasoned defensemen, and guys like Zajac to show some scoring touch along with their normal defensive play. Get well Genoway and Trupp.

Andrew "Lumberjack" Kozek

Well I know the guys from INCH love them. In their most recent podcast they kept saying that Miami was the best team they have seen all year. Great in goal, sound defensively and offensively and were senior laden. If Miami passes us I just hope we are a seed where we get put in their region. The reality is we aren't going to know squat until after the first round of the playoffs. St Cloud State is the fastest moving team up the PWR and could even pass us if they can sweep both Wiscosin and us. To me they are a scary team with their firepower. Let's go to Duluth and win Saturday and then see where we sit. Win Sunday too and then come home for the next two weekends. I love this time of year. My biggest fear when we play the first round at home is getting beat and not getting to see the boys in St Paul for the Final Five. But I'm confident this year that we get to St Paul and win at least one game there.

Another thing to consider is that when Miami plays another TUC they will get the nod over us for the 4th Number 1 seed. Right now neither teams gets a point in the comparison because Miami has only played 9 TUCs. The next one they play win or lose gives them the comparison over us. So we need to continue to win to get a Number 1 seed. We need to win 3 of our last 4 regualr season games, sweep the first round of the playoffs, and win at least one game at the Final Five. If we do that and CC does that we'll both be Number 1 seeds.

Tickets are readily available after the regionals. If Denver or CC aren't there you should be able to buy tickets for less than face value on the street. Like Sioux-cia said if you go to USCHO right after the regionals you can get tickets. Just remember that all of us that got tickets in the lottery are in the upper deck so the seats aren't great but hey you will be there.

My two cents: Duncan leaves along with Oshie. St Louis really liked Duncan at their camp and I think he'll jump Kozek stays. Until this year He was a decent player but at times played on the 4th line. He's got a great shot and can play in the NHL but I think he'll stay through his senior year. VandeVelde stays. He has progressed the fastest of the sophomores. He's strong on the puck and has developed his passing. He now needs to start scoring more. One more year for sure. Forney? I really don't know the story but with all of his injuries and hype who knows? I felt he should have done what Quinn Fylling did after his freshman year and went to the USHL for a year. I'm guessing he's played 6-8 games over his first two years. Tough to develop when you don't play. I don't know if he is just not that good, always hurt, or what. With all of his hype I'd expect him to play regularly. I'll agree with AZsioux and say he's going someplace next year and not stay with the Sioux. I forgot about Bruneteau's concussion. He won't be here next year. From the talk in the cities Gleason is ready now. Fienhage is a little like Finley and needs some time to develop his skating. I'm expecting Gleason next year and Fienhage to play a year in the USHL. The guy I've heard very little about is MacWilliam. Anyone have any insight? Currently the players I think need to step up their play next year are Miller, Zajac, and Malone. Miller has been sitting recently. Zajac and Malone are playing but are not that noticeable which is bad for a forward. I'm also hoping that Martens continues to improve and gets better and better. He creates when he's onthe ice but needs to improve his defensive play. With Bina gone and Finley and Chorney probably gone we will be very young on the blue line. Very scary in the WCHA.

I started looking at the possiblities for next year's roster. I went with the likely possibility that Oshie, Duncan, Chorney, and Finley are leaving early. What I was left with was: Seniors: Kozek, Miller, Watkins, Martens, Jones, Walski Juniors: Genoway, Zajac, Forney, VandeVelde Sophomores: Trupp, Frattin, Marto, LaPoint, Davidson, Malone Freshmen: Eidsness, Gregoire, Blood, Hextall, Lamoureux, Toews, Cichy, Bruneteau, MacWilliam, Gleason (the talk is they will also add another goalie, I had Gleason coming in and Fienhage waiting a year) Goalies: Eidsness, Walski, and ? That would give us 7 defensemen with possible pairings of: Jones, LaPoint Blood, Genoway Gleason, Marto with MacWilliam trying to break the lineup Possible forward lines: Toews centering Kozek and Trupp VandeVelde centering Watkins and Frattin Cichy centering Gregoire and Hextall Martens or Bruneteau centering Malone and Zajac That leaves Miller, Davidson, Forney and either Bruneteau or Martens in the stands. Of course this could all change depending if any of the four players I mention comes back as well as how these other players have developed. Thoughts?

Andrew " Lumberjack" Kozek