OETKB

Sioux are outshooting CC bigtime. However, they have not scored. BTW, I was serious about hunting down anyone who says "We got beat by a hot goaltender." Don't anyone dare!

GO MAV'S GO! GO MAV'S GO! GO MAV'S GO! GO MAV'S GO! GO MAV'S GO!

Yes. Sioux karma needs a quantum shift.

CC announcers are sure he went into the crease on his own. They say the ref is right.

Shots 21-12 Sioux??

I'm just warning everybody. I'll hunt you down....

If I hear "We got beat by a hot goaltender," I'm going to kill the one who says it!

CC announcers: Spirko was supposed to come to CC, but Dean Blais "Applied the pressure" and he came to UND. Funny, I thought Spirko said he visited CC, but then visited UND and said it felt like the best fit for him.

Great PK by UND!

CC announcers saying Schneider closed his hand on the puck, then threw it over the glass. Geez!

ala Mr. Notermann: LET'S GO SIOUX. LET'S GO SIOUX. LET'S GO SIOUX. LET'S GO SIOUX.

0-0 after one is a HUGE improvement from last night. Can we hope for the Sioux to steal one tonight?

CC radio announcers: "Sioux cycle the puck, but noone crashes the net" That's exactly what I've been saying!

CC's coach: "They're pretty big and old..." about UND. Also, "We were heavy legged and the ice was slow." talking about last night's game.

I can tell you that Dataflix has been working well lately. The road games don't have nearly the same camera coverage as the home games, but at least you get to see the action.

Mr. Dahl was kind enough to post some photos in the galleries: http://siouxsports.com/hockey/redirects/sh...llery.php?id=52 I think the photos are uniquely North Dakota in nature.

Some things I noticed about the Saturday game: CRASH THE NET! Too many times this year I've seen all the Sioux forwards blow past the net and get caught way behind the play going back toward the UND net, all because no one hit the brakes to pursue a rebound. Watch some tape of Ryan Bayda if you need to see how it should be done. OUR FORECHECK DOESN'T WORK. Again, I've seen our forwards go three deep behind the net and work the puck back and forth two or three times, only to have it stolen without ever attempting to put the puck in front for a shot. This happens every game. The focus of the forecheck needs to change somehow so the puck comes off the wall and in front of the net.

Sioux need someone who is willing to muck in front of the net! Sioux just had a 3-on-1, a shot bounced off the goaltender, but all 3 UND players overskated behind the net. Somebody in that situation needs to put on the brakes and get that rebound!

It's done. I'm home. But what a week! We flew in together, my wife and I. We stayed in the "guest room" of my folks' big house. The one with all the guns racked on the walls, and covered with Christmas garlands for decoration. Hockey started the next day - Christmas. We ripped through presents in order to get to the arena on time. What a great game it was, too. USA beats Russia, and optimism rules the day. The next few days were not as good for the US team, but still great for this fan. I met Dave Hakstol. He seems like a really solid guy. Willing to give a fan from out of town a minute to get acquainted, at least. We saw Ice sculptures Downtown. We saw the painted forks at the Columbia Mall, including the ones my own mother did (2 of 'em). My oldest friend in this world joined me for a crazy trek out to an old 1880's church just outside of town for a sunset photo shoot. It was bitterly cold and we froze while taking the shots. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. That same thought occured to me as I took a shot of my wife, draped in a USA jersey, semi-lit from behind as she looked out over that awesome arena, full of fans. Bliss. The "Great One" had a seat in a suite just over my shoulder towards the end of the week. I got a shot of him in stealthly manner, without a flash and without even turning to face him. As the crazy Canadian fans chanted "Wayne...Wayne" in an attempt to get him to look their way, I glanced and saw him smirk, trying his best to ignore the onslaught. We played foozeball within sight of the Stanley Cup. We heard that grand Mortier Ogan in the Club bar crank out a rendition of "Stand Up and Cheer". As I left Grand Forks, solemnly wondering why every journey such as this has to end so quickly, I met the whole lot of referees who called the games. The same personable and intelligent men - one of whom I "Booo..ed" so loudly a few days before - who were now chatting cheerfully with me at the airport. I thought to myself, "What a small world. We're all in this thing together."

Well, the majority of WCHA games are already played by the Sioux. I'd like to know what others are thinking about UND's chances this year. IMO, this is a team that is improving, but has had a disappointing first half. The sweep of Maine to start the year was huge. Since then, they have been just acceptable...Nothing more. Having said that, I still believe this team has lots of potential. In fact, I think this team is fully capable of being the Denver of '05. The similarities are real. Great goaltending in Lammy & Parise. Solid defensive corps. Low goal scoring, but constant pressure and dangerous depth. This Sioux team is not what we have been spoiled with recently. The raw talent level just hasn't developed within the senior class. But the young talent is excellent, and the seniors are, at very least, dependable and hard-working. Can this team continue to improve? I sure hope so, because it is a shame that no player on the current team has seen the Frozen Four. Let us remedy that, shall we?

UMD fans: You are more than welcome on this website, according to most of the Sioux fans who have responded. However, in order to please everyone, would it be that much harder to have two windows open and post your team's updates in a separate thread? Go Sioux.