Siouxman

Alaska is part of the "continental" USA. It is not part of the contiguous USA. So you would have been right in saying Alaska, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer. Anchorage is west of San Diego.

If nothing else, recent experience suggests that we need to have more than one goalie with game experience. We got lucky last year that Zane did not get hurt (although maybe Hrynkiw would have stepped up then). No matter how good he is playing, we need to get some more game experience on someone else, just in case.

The big difference between Friday and Saturday was with the #1 line. Gersich, Boeser, and Schmaltz replaced with Caggiula, Poganski, and Schmaltz. Gersich and Boeser are skaters while Caggula and Poganski are physical beasts. It only added about 21 lbs. to the #1 line on Saturday, but added a ton of physicality.

We frequently travel to away games, regionals, Frozen Fours, etc. and Gopher fans tend to only show up if it is the Frozen Four or if it is a regional at the Xcel Energy Center. I do not expect a large Gopher crowd in Las Vegas.

This will answer the infinite question as to which fan base travels better.

Demko is an experienced goalie. The record of the teams his shutouts have come against are 9-23-7, and two of those teams (4 shutouts) have yet to win a game. It is interesting to wonder how many shutouts Zane might have by now if he had stayed.

With no disrespect meant for the teams UND has already played, now the heart of the season begins. The boys will have to bring it every single game.

It is beginning to look like this weekend's series is going to be battle between freshman classes, UND's vs Wis'. At this point I like UND's chances. But, there is still that unknown of whose goalie is going to play better.

Bingo! I was going to point that out but you beat me to it. It is a team game and strategy.

It will be the first time that the Badger freshmen will be playing in front of a rabid hostile crowd. That could impact them on Friday night.

We will be doing an inaugural trip to Kalamazoo as well.

Boy, watch the ticket sales jump now.

I am really looking forward to seeing what this skating team can do on the big ice. With their skating skill and speed this could really be something fun to watch, and especially so if Janatuinen and Gersich are back in the lineup.

Friday - Chyzyk Saturday - Schmaltz

This makes me wonder why the heck he ever considered college in the first place. InHeavenThereIsNoBeer, you were correct with this kid. He never even should have started college.

Unfortunately there are some who just are not intellectually capable or sufficiently disciplined to step up their schooling. That is the sad part. I have seen too many college athletes interviewed and wondered how the heck they graduated from high school, let alone are in college. The other thought that occurred to me is that maybe the coaches gave him an ultimatum regarding attending class, grades, or off-ice activities and he decided to take the other road. Here is an associated article. http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/hockey-east/2015/10/28/9630448/jeremy-bracco-decision-wrong-boston-college-kitchener-rangers-ohl-toronto-maple-leafs-nhl

Good point. There could be other non-athlete and non-student factors involved here. At least it happened to one of the two teams that I hope bad luck upon.

I understand your position. It appears to me that possibly you are viewing this from a team perspective, and I am viewing more from a student perspective. The student perspective has to be on track in order for the athlete perspective to be on track. If the student aspect wasn't involved here, I would be 100% in agreement with you. It is possible that this may all be athlete driven, in which case you would be completely correct. But I believe that if this is driven by the student part of him, he might as well leave now. We may never know what is the driver behind this move.

I think that if I was a member of the team, I would prefer to have someone who really doesn't want to be there to get out. If he isn't giving it his all, that will show in practice and game situations and then he would be the extra player in the stands and not in the lineup. He might as well be gone if he isn't committed, and the earlier it happens the better. If he stays he is just a distraction. Besides, this way it should allow Jerry York time to bring in another commit for Spring semester and take that scholarship spot (assuming athletic scholarships go semester by semester). But yes, it does muck up the team continuity and team planning for the coaches. I would have a different opinion if he was there through 3/4 of the season and then jumped ship. If you think of him as a college student first, there are some students that come to college and do not last through the first semester. That might be his situation.

It is really tough to judge without knowing all of the facts. It may be that school was simply not a fit for him. Not everyone is suited for college. It is an extremely challenging journey through college while playing hockey, and if he has never had to manage his time for this many demands he may simply be in over his head. You can debate whether it is better to leave very early on or tough it out until the end of the semester. He may have seen the light and realized that his grades wouldn't be good enough at the end of his semester to be able to play next semester. From a team perspective I feel like it is better for him to leave now than to hang on if his heart isn't really in it. Maybe BC has a recruit that can come in for spring semester.

IF, Red River did not already have the name, then I would be fine with it. But there are simply too many issues with having a college and a high school in the same town with the same nickname. This is especially true if the high school had the name first, as in this situation. The term Nodak I am very familiar with because it is/was a common term in the US Air Force for someone from North Dakota, especially being stationed at Minot AFB. I am assuming Grand Forks AFB is the same way. My preference in all of this is: 1. Nokota - which for some unknown reason was eliminated early. This is a horse, not the tribe Nakota. 2. North Dakota - again, eliminated unnecessarily 3. Nodak 4. Fighting Hawks - This has issues due to all the other forms of hawks out there 5. Roughriders - Name already used by a local high school (see comments above) 6. Sundogs - Nice and a pretty aspect of Mother Nature, but not a nickname 7. North Stars - Please no, This is a Minnesota term. I am glad to see that you acknowledge my brownie points for attending the Icebreaker in Portland.

Just for the record, Roughriders barely beats out Sundogs for me.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/sports/college/vermont/2015/10/24/north-dakota-sweeps-vermont/74574112/

Boeser

Don't I get some brownie points for driving all the way to Maine to attend the Icebreaker? Besides, it is early in the season and I have to pace myself. I will say that all of the shenanigans by other schools may cut down on our road trips this year simply because we can't get tickets.