Siouxman

It has been evident for several years now, and I am totally surprised the Gopher fans have not picked up on it. You watch the interviews of Sioux players over the past few years and then watch interviews of Gopher players of the past few years and the difference is telling. The Eric Johnson interviews were especially bad, never saying we, or our, it was always me or my. The type of leadership that instills that in the players has to come from the captains primarily. Coaches can help, but it is tough unless the coaches were a part of that culture (the entire UND coaching staff is from the culture). Once that culture is lost, it is extremely difficult to get it back because the captains have never experienced it. That is where the Sioux stand out, current and past players. Their love of the Fighting Sioux spirit, teamwork, nickname, emblem, culture, etc. is consistent across the decades. We, as fans, owe a great deal to the captains who have carried on the tradition over the years. That is what is missing from the Gophers.

Gopher fans are pretty upset about losing to UAA. Look at the pairwise, UM at 19 and UAA at 20. Maybe not that much of an upset, if at all.

Nelson

Friday - Knight Saturday - Nelson

We got great pleasure in sponsoring a SiouxSports team in the heart of Gopherland.

I believe that the Denver-Mankato matchup is huge for the Gophers. Mankato swept the Gophers. If DU sweeps Mankato they will likely drop from being a TUC which helps out the Gophers. However, if Mankato wins a game or beats Denver, they can remain a TUC and that hurts the Gophers cause. A key series. A somewhat related question: If the Sioux win the national championship, do Sioux fans get to trash Dinkytown like Gopher fans would?

Patterson needs to make first team this year. History has clearly shown that Gopher goalies become head cases after their first year of starting under their current administration. He won't get another chance.

Pony Trupper

218 Row 4 My priority level was to get in the door.

The Frozen Four is a sell out. The tickets are sold just about a year in advance. Typically, if you want Frozen Four tickets for 2012, you need to get in your application by April 30 of this year, including full payment. That being said, there are people that buy tickets every year in order to maintain their seniority in the ticket line. The longer you purchase Frozen Four tickets, the higher your priority. That means that there will be tickets available once teams are eliminated in the regionals. You will see tickets posted on any number of sites. The prices will depend upon who is going. There are people who go to the Frozen Four every year, whether their favorite team is there or not. If the Sioux are in the Frozen Four this year, prices will be high because Sioux fans will push up the demand. If neither the Sioux nor the Gophers are in it, demand will be lower. And if UNO, UMD, and WI aren't in it, demand will be really low. Those are my expectations. Face value for the ticket packages was $195 including the processing fee through the NCAA. If the Sioux are in it, you will need to find tickets immediately because they will be snapped up very quickly. And expect to pay more than face value. Now, immediately after the semi-final games people from the losing teams will be trying to unload their championship games tickets outside the arena. If all else fails, that is a time you can get tickets for the big game. You will be competing with the scalpers to buy those tickets, but if you are quick you might be successful. Of course, you have to be there in person to do that. Now, after all of that, I do have one ticket for sale at face value if you are a Sioux fan.

I think everyone has to take into consideration that not only was Rivard a bad coach, she put the UND women's program in a hole for years to come. During her tenure a poor team culture set in that had to be overcome. For those that don't remember, this involved dumping a few players that had been on the team under Rivard but did not make the cut under Idalski. Whoever the new coach was coming in they were in a hole. You just don't bring in players to fill a roster and then reject them or withdraw their scholarship later like a certain WI coach. So they were short until they could start rebuilding. Rivard put the women's program in a negative position to potential players. That momentum had to be overcome before forward progress could be made. I believe the twins have said as much. They wanted to come to UND but chose to go to MN until the coaching situation had settled down. It probably would have been easier starting from scratch than repairing the program.

A lot of people were on Idalski's butt before he even got to UND, and haven't been willing to admit he is turning the program around.

(pssst... Even a caveman can do it??)

It is usually a sell out from a tickets sold perspective, but there are typically some empty seats unless the hometown is involved or the Fighting Sioux.

Not even a warning shot across the bow! Direct Hit!

Fri-Frattin Sat-Gregoire Make that Sat - Frattin and Sunday-Gregoire

Thanks alot Dagies. I followed your lead and now I am one and done!

Considering it was a first game, I thought Dicken looked fine, better than I expected especially given the speed of the Sioux. He did not appear nervous or out of place. There are things to fix, but a pretty good first effort. Maybe he won't be as much of a project as some seem to think. Gleason was great at CC on Saturday night and deserves to play. I also agree that there are some injuries that aren't public. And I had visions of the game at UMD his freshman year when Trupp went down. I am still hoping that it isn't anything serious. He has really been bringing it every game. Now let us hope the Sioux bring it again tonight.

Now SCSU 7 UMD 2 in the second.

DU 1 UM 1 St. Lawrence 3 Yale 2 Final

Friday - Malone Saturday - Frattin

Why is there a topic here to fan the flames?

Be sure to leave Saturday morning open for the SiouxSports brunch at Hoggsbreath. Lots of great stories get told.

It wasn't me, but that is the last time I give you advice for Sioux Survivor.

Just got home from the "The Springs" after a marathon drive today. Last night's game was a thing of beauty. An entire team effort, but I would especially like to call out Joe Gleason. He slipped into the lineup for Genoway, and very effectively used his speed. He is very fast going down the ice, and he appropriately grabbed the opportunities when he should have. On the down side, I also felt the officials let a little more go than they should have (both directions). Blood took a few liberties that could easily have been called and will be called come playoff time. Those crosschecks and grabbing/holding need to be eliminated. The injury to Howe is also a bummer. He is key for CC and I would like him to be healthy to help CC slide a certain eastern MN team out of the top six. Howe was great on Friday night for CC and helped them withstand a barrage the second half of the first period. My hope is that Saturday night is the turning point for this team in realizing what it takes every game. It was a joy to watch. And the many many Sioux fans at the game let the CC crowd know we were there.