RedFrog

Yet Dale Murphy can't get in ...

On second thought ... I'd like at least one day of summer before wishing for the fall.

Is it October yet?

I sure do miss the bat signal ... or the anticipation that it generated.

How likely is it that there may be a recruiting cycle where a team recruits a player but they go to an AHA, ECAC, CCHA team for a year or two to get their playing time and earn their stripes before then transferring in? I know that this would be a hard way to setup a recruiting schedule/cycle as there would be nothing guaranteeing that you get that transfer or that you would want that player, but I have to imagine that some of these portal transfers are playing out that way anyway, if not in a formal or intended fashion.

This is me.

Rickwood

Wanted to share a quick story from the regional. I have not had much luck watching the Sioux play when we have traveled to watch them in the NCAA tournament. Went to the 2006 Regional at the Ralph ... that one went well. Went to the 2007 Frozen Four in St. Louis (lost to BC - at least got to see Duncan's Hobey in person) Went to the 2008 Frozen Four in Denver (lost to BC) Went to the 2011 Frozen Four in St. Paul (lost to Mich) Went to the 2017 Regional in Fargo (lost to BU in double OT) Went to the 2021 Regional in Fargo (lost to UMD in 5 OT) I have been hesitant to travel to watch as it is depressing when they aren't successful, but I talked my wife into making the trek to Sioux Falls this year. Was just happy to get the win on Thursday and still be vested going into Saturday. My wife is a big fan, but doesn't get into the games much ... typically on her phone or visiting. All day Saturday leading up to the game she complained how nervous and anxious she was, to the point where her stomach was upset. Really unusual for her to get that vested. After we scored the third goal in the 1st period, I asked her if she was feeling better ... she said no and that she would feel better once it was 5-0. After the fifth goal was scored, she looked at me and said she was better and that she knew we were going to win. Glad to have gotten that monkey off our backs.

What did your evaluation reveal that brought you to this conclusion? Genuinely curious. I believe we got a good draw with Wisconsin taking out Michigan State ... I thought the Spartans were the team to beat, however, I think this the Wisconsin matchup is very similar to our Quinnipiac game in the regional final ... we are theoretically the better team and need to bring it out the gate and not let up. That other side scares me, regardless if it is Denver or Michigan. Denver has won 11 in a row and hasn't lost in their last 15. Michigan seems to have momentum and is creating a lot of puck luck. Their offensive prowess is obviously elite, the question is if their defensive play is as good as it needs to be. I think Denver is a nightmare matchup for them.

Reading a lot about the quality of the TV broadcasts … not much better production in the arena. Music playing over loud speaker during play, most ref announcements weren’t heard in the arena. Lucky to get a replay and then it was once from one angle. Enjoyed the bands during the UND game. It was also like sitting in the old Bill Jerome temperature wise … probably exacerbated by the fact we constantly had cold air blowing down directly on us.

Any updates on Strinden? Didn’t see him on the ice after he was down. He was for sure not on the ice for handshakes as we were looking for him. Any other potential injury concerns?

For the love of Parise, why can't sites get correct times for the games? Three different sources, three different times for the first game in Sioux Falls: https://www.uscho.com/ https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/ncaa-sioux-falls-regional-at-a-glance 4 PM is the start time I believe it to be.

I agree with this ... will be interesting to see how much homework he does though. Likely knows the highly touted draft picks, but not so good on the depth. Fortunately, I'll be in attendance, so I won't get to hear his commentary.

The question is what is the best answer for the 2 v 3 bands, specifically as it pertains to Dartmouth in the 2 band and the Queue and Cornell in the 3 band. Do you make three moves to fix it by putting UMD in Sioux Falls, Providence to Worcester, and Dartmouth to Albany? Or, do you simplify it by making 2 moves of UMD to Worcester and Dartmouth to Albany?

My shot at predicting the bracket: Albany 1 Michigan (1) v 4 Bentley (16) 2 Dartmouth (6) v 3 Penn State (9) Sioux Falls 1 UND (2) v 4 Merrimack (15) 2 Providence (7) v 3 Quinnipiac (10) Worcester 1 Michigan St (3) v 4 UConn (14) 2 UMD (8) v 3 Cornell (11) Loveland 1 Western Mich (4) v 4 Mankato (13) 2 Denver (5) v 3 Wisconsin (12) I'm swapping Dartmouth and UMD instead of Penn State and Cornell ... I'll admit, however, that I don't know the locations of some of these schools out east in contrast to Albany and Worcester. I know it's odd to move the higher seed to avoid an interconference matchup, but that is what I did. Otherwise, you go rock chalk jayhawk. If you want to protect certain teams, you go away from the current regional hosting system as it is. That ECAC issue with Dartmouth at 6, the Queue at 10 and Cornell at 11 is what makes this interesting.