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Exactly. Murray & Stafford were fantastic freshmen, and should be ready to step into bigger roles, now. As I have discussed in another thread, the "experience factor" will be huge. Even if Bo is gone and only one of Massen/Canady crack the lineup, the ratio on a 1.0 - 4.0 scale will be at least 2.5. That compares to 2.3 last season and 1.9 in 2000-01. Those of you who would discount this coming season because of one player do not give nearly enough credit to the players we have returning. They are going to win a whole bunch of games this season, especially with the great freshmen we have coming. Of course, I could be wrong. But I doubt it. Experience is the biggest factor in college hockey.

The Sioux have one of the most experienced teams they have EVER had this year. They WILL dominate the WCHA, with or without Bo. Not that I'm ripping on your post, but the talent and depth of this team is great. As for the rumor of Bo being unwelcome, no one has indicated anything like that, except in this thread. I kind of doubt it.

I've looked on several websites, but I don't see any indication of UND webcast packages, yet. Anyone got the scoop on what packages will be offered this season and how much they will cost?

A good recruiter AND a guy who has (perhaps) a more aggressive offense in mind. Eades will be running the offensive drills. That can't be bad.

I don't know him personally, but my feeling was that Bo was never a "bleed green" kind of guy. It's got to be hard to turn down the money of a pro contract, especially if you don't absolutely love the school where you are playing. The AHL wouldn't sound too bad to me, if I could pull in a great salary and get a signing bonus. I guess it all comes down to whether a player wants to avoid the minors or not.

I wish all the best to Bo (if he really goes), but I think he could have used another year of development. Honestly, of all the players that bolted early in recent years, the only ones I thought were truly ready were Hale & Parise. The team will be fine. This just means that the lines get reshuffled and perhaps Canady breaks into playing regularly. Massen may now figure in above the 4th line, too. The Sioux still have an experienced and talented team. They should still be contenders for another NC.

I certainly hope that is true. It is great to see Nodak boys on the team and contributing.

Not to knock Moreland or Sando, because I haven't seen them play, but Sando had 12 goals in 55 games last year in the USHL. That doesn't seem to portend him being an NHL type shooter. Moreland is a bit of a mystery because he's only got a few USHL games under his belt. As for Murray playing center, I think he would do an excellent job. This is going to be another great season.

Unless I'm mistaken, Spirko was a two-time World Jr. participant. I think he will play 40+ games this season. That said: Murray - Spirko - Bochenski Zajac - Stafford - Porter Prpich - McMahon - Fylling Kaip - Genoway - Massen Why not throw Spirko into the top line and really distribute the offense? Just an idea. This fourth line would be the best in the nation, IMO.

PCM: Please don't let this thread discourage you from all the great Sioux coverage you have been doing.

Jordan had very good numbers last season. He is my preseason pick for top goalie, although Brandt also performed well. Lammy is an unknown as far as how well he could do right away. He had fantastic numbers last year in the USHL, but that doesn't always translate to the WCHA. Ziggy will probably also be better this season in terms of physical conditioning (Blais comment), so who knows??

Zach is a great player, but there were some guys in the past who played with unforgettable style, and accomplished more than him while here. Not a knock on Zach...it's just that, for me, it's a toss up between players like: Mark Taylor - He and Smail used to make defensemen (& goalies) look silly. I must have seen them skate in 2-on-zero half a dozen times in a single season, with their signature pass-pass-pass-score move. Jeff Panzer - Fast and tenacious. Hometown hero. Gopher killer. Cary Eades - You have to be insane to jump into the Wisconsin bench in their arena. That fight will never be forgotten by anyone who saw it. Very possibly the best hockey fight of all time. The fans were involved. Chaos. Oh, and he scored a whole lot of points that year, too.

Congrats on getting the new gig, Dean. Thanks for many great years of Sioux hockey. I guess it's time to change my message, below?

I don't have a grid of the 20 guys expected to play for other teams, so I cannot offer you the experience ratio. However, I believe 2.2 or 2.3 is around the norm. You can make your own chart of the expected players and assign 1.0 to first year guys and 4.0 to seniors, etc.

Another fact I wanted to mention, but forgot: This coming season, UND will likely have a roster with SIX GRAND FORKS KIDS and 8 ND kids. Schneider Bina Fuher Lammy Ziggy Massen Fylling Moreland? Fantastic.

No way. Like I mentioned above, even if Greene & Stafford are assumed gone to the NHL, there will still be "only" 6 or 7 freshmen playing in '05-06. That is a much smaller number than in '01-02, where 9 to 11 freshmen were dressed for a given game. Again, the experience ratios: '01-02 = 1.9 (very low) '05-06 = 2.2 (conservative projection. Could be higher) I consider an increase of 0.2 or more to be significant. For instance, the '02-03 team only rated a 2.1, but they had a pretty good season. Of course, the closer you get to 2.5 the better, as that indicates a balanced team. The fact that UND will rate a 2.8 this coming season is exciting. It will leave them lower the next year, but not to the extent some are fearing. In any case, next season is going to be great. Go Sioux!

I've still got them pegged to have a 2.2 or so the following year, even if Greene AND Stafford leave. It certainly won't be as bad as '01-02 again.

It is that time of year again, where this hockey fan postulates endlessly about how good the next version of the Fighting Sioux will be. Using a proprietary, arbitrary, non-scientific method, we can draw on some history to see the indications: 2001-2002 6 Upperclassmen & 11 Freshmen in the normal roster Average Experience rating = 1.9 Returned 6 players with 20+ points Lost 2 early departures to the pros from the previous season (Lundbohm, Roche) Result: 16-19-2 season (No NCAA games) Comments: This team never stood a chance. Too much youth. 2002-2003 5 Upperclassmen & 4 Freshmen in the normal roster Average Experience rating = 2.1 Returned 3 players with 20+ points Lost 1 early departure to the pros from the previous season (Bayda) Result: 26-12-5 season (1 NCAA game) Comments: A very entertaining season, cut short by the inexperience of a still-young team. I consider an experience rating of 2.3 or so to be integral to the playoffs. This team played hard, but lost their scoring touch at the end. 2003-2004 11 Upperclassmen & 6 Freshmen in the normal roster Average Experience rating = 2.3 Returned 8 players with 20+ points Lost 1 early departure to the pros from the previous season (Hale) Result: 30-8-3 season (2 NCAA games) Comments: Fantastic season. Top seed in the NCAA tournament, but couldn't get anything past a hot Denver goalie that eventually did the same thing in the National Championship game. Some vindication there, but the Sioux were the best team in the nation to miss the Frozen Four, IMO. 2004-2005 11 Upperclassmen & 4 Freshmen in the (anticipated) normal roster Average Experience rating = 2.8 Returning 9 players with 20+ points Lost 1 early departure to the pros from the previous season (Parise) Personnel: The Sioux have a talented core of offense lead by Bochenski & Murray, with a 1st Round Draft choice (Zajac) coming in, as well as a two-time Slovakian World Jr Tournament player (Spirko). On defense, UND's "stay-at-home" core returns 90 points of scoring lead by Jones & Fuher. Three of the 8 or 9 seniors that will likely play are blueliners. They will be aided by Radke, who was the AJHL MVD award winner this year. Indications: This looks to be the most exciting season UND has had since 2000. The experience factor is huge. Has a 2.8 rating happened before? Certainly not in recent memory. Anything short of the Frozen Four will be a shame, given the talent and (we hope) determination this team should have. Prediction: National Championship #8

My friend, John, was "the artist". It was his call, but the "geo" logo is still used at UND and was the logo in place at our last NC, so it was okay, IMO. Regardless, it sure was fun using a plasma torch to cut the plate and then grinding away on it with a standing belt sander. Sparks flying. One-on-one street hockey afterward. Great stuff.

If you haven't seen the auction items online, remember that you don't have to buy a ticket to the event to place a proxy bid. I mention it here because there is quite a bit of hockey stuff listed. My friend & I created the hockey shield (steel wall hanging), so I went to check on how it looked in the photo. Hope somebody likes it.

I heard most of the game, up until about 8 minutes to play. TH seemed pretty happy towards the end that the Sioux had a "comfortable lead", but otherwise, they were bagging on the team's effort throughout the game. Especially lines 2-4. In a game like this, I would have expected the Lundbohm line to shine. In general, the "other guys" are going to have to play a little harder than tonight if UND wants a shot at the title. Go Sioux.

For anyone who is interested, feel free to join me and a few friends at Ricky's in San Leandro Saturday at 6 PM Pacific for the game. See you there!

And why not? Jordan has played extremely well of late.

Very poor on the PP tonight. Sioux are not going far this year if they don't tighten up their game.

I agree that this thread is kind of silly. Stop making excuses for the Sioux loss at the X, people. It makes us Sioux fans look bad. And give credit where due. The goofs played a great game Saturday. That, coupled with some defensive mistakes, made the score what it was. I'd love to see a rematch at the Frozen Four. How fun!