Irish

Actually, the fans expect to contend every year, but to win sometimes. Hak took over a program that won 5 titles in the preceding 25 years and had just moved into the best facility in the nation. To expect some national titles is not out of line.

It'd be classic if they wore black jerseys too

Agreed that Eids needs to get some work and be allowed to try to get back in the rotation (if not now, when?). However, I'm a little worried. In my opinion, even the last two games have looked like blowouts, the difference has been Dell. A lack of concentration or allowing a weak goal at certain times in either game could have made for some very different games. I feel for Eids, but Dell has shown unwavering concentration. Tough choice for Hak.

Dell really impresses me - we've had more acrobatic goalies, but his concentration and positioning is great - he makes saves look easy. If he continues to play like this, we'll be hard to beat.

Can we be the hot team - just once - please

However, early round upsets, while they cost some teams, help others. Take the Holy Cross game. The Sioux were looking at playing the number one seed Gophers in order to get to the Frozen Four, which if you remember looked to be a very difficult game in which we might have been the underdog, then found out that they had to beat Holy Cross to get in. Win your first game, beat the #16 seed, and you're good to go. Opening round upsets actually make it easier for teams who take care of business to advance by providing easier second round match-ups. Teams more than ever need focus for this tournament. It is not way more difficult as some would have you believe.

I know what you are saying about improvement, but say it out loud and see how it sounds "Gee, We did better against Mayville State this year".

So it's come down to measuring ourselves against Mayville State to see if we have made progress.

This idea that it is so much harder to win a championship now is a real non starter to me. There are roughly the same amount of teams and one wins it all regardless of format. The odds are about the same as they ever were. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Denver, Boston College and Boston U have all found ways to do it since we have (some 2 or 3 times). We were used to being the best team in college hockey year in year out and winning about once every 5 years. Winning championships is the standard we judge our coaches by. If we want to just count moral victories or pretty good years we might as well be St. Cloud.

Regardless of which offense we are running, the question remains - how long do we stay the course. I have not seen any significant improvement in this program since Jones took over. In order to get the students and fans back we need to start winning. I remember a time when there was significant energy and entheusiasm about men's basketball. Not any more. Now that we have a conference, Faison has some serious decisions to make. Can we make the move to full DI membership with a football team that draws 5-6000 with 30 students, a men's basketball program that only older hardcore Sioux fans care to watch and a women's team that is losing its competativeness? The Bison success only makes this more irritating. Is it time to insist on competativeness from all of our programs? How long should the grace period be. If he waits too long to pull the trigger in Football, it will end up like Basketball - a forgotten program. Time for some serious reassessment.

Nice sweep - these are the exact kind of games we need to win. Hopefully we can rest and heal up over the break and come back ready for #8. I'm so glad that this team is learning how to win early. I'd still like to see Eidsness - I think we'll need two goalies down the stretch

Unacceptable - Coach Jones needs to put a better team out or start work on his resume. How long is this supposed to go on before we make a move in a different direction?

What has Mussman shown that gives you the slightest indication he can lead us to the promised land? I saw a lot of things I didn't like this season, and not much I did.

Consensus seems to be that Muss gets another year and I tend to agree. However, my issues with his job so far run deep. At the center seems to be not playing to win. His gutless 4th down calls and his willingness to give up 10 yard passes at will (as long as we don't look bad and get beat deep) really irritate me. He seems content to play not to get beat real bad (not that it is working). Give me a young team that takes its lumps but gets after teams any day. Couple this with an unawareness from our staff that going with Landry, then nobody, is not a strategy that will lead to a good season. The failure to have a QB to speak of falls squarely on the coaches. We have seen a glimpse into a possible future in our last two home games. If we don't pick it up, try to win, and get up in someone's grill soon, our future is a 5000 crowd with 30 students and no atmosphere. One more year to turn the attitude around, then bye bye.

Agreed we need to significantly upgrade the Alerus experience and get a fired up crowd including students to the games. The product on the field must improve in many ways and not just won-lost. The coaches must show that they are playing to win (5 years ago, I couldn't imagine a Sioux fan saying that). The offensive and defensive schemes are frustrating even to the casual fan (give up 10 yards every pass, offense - what can you say?) In addition, the Alerus must take significant steps to foster a fun atmosphere. I sit on the student side and it looks like they take 5 - 10 security people and instruct them to do nothing but look at the student section and try catch any infraction, no matter how minor. They look like they are detention monitors. I don't believe that the Alerus management has a clue as to how to make events fun and exciting. The university people should clue them in. The dorms, fraternity, and sororities aren't going to come out if the staff views them as potential problems as they walk in. I don't think football excitement will come back until we are out of the Al. The atmosphere and attendence needs to be a top worry of the AD.

If this team learns to bring it every night, they'll be a serious contender for the National Championship. Tonight is where we start the process - we need to be ready, because Blais will have Omaha ready.

This is a Sioux Hockey forum, not some Tea Party chat room.

Let's face it - the patented Hak slow start is becoming less and less acceptable. Sometimes when breaking in many new players or trying something new, slow starts happen. But every year regardless of talent? Each year has many similarities - Defensive lapses regardless of how much talent we have, untimely goaltending, and a lack of offense characterized by making a succession of average goalies look like all americans. Add in lack of focus every other game and here we go again. With the talent we have coming back there is no way we should be playing like this. It's time we have a team who performs up to ability night in and night out all season. Hak needs to get it done this season. Blais's Omaha team shows a lot more with a lot less.

If you want the fans and students to show up, it would help if the team showed up.

Lennon's offensiver coordinator - the guy from Sioux Falls State = he schooled Mussman big time last year

Is it too much to ask that Hak's teams play up to potential the first half of the year? This mediocre play every season is getting old. Same old - we make every goalie look like an all-american and our defense makes critical errors. With our talent and experience, we should expect better. This is an every year thing and has happened too often to be a coincidence.

I know we have young talent and we're in transition, but a couple of things bother me about Mussman - First is the number of games he's coached where we just didn't show up. No excuse. Second is the lack of adjustments made both with in a game and between games. This is a pivotal time in Sioux Football. We need to get it together next year or have the lackluster home atmosphere of the last two games. It's important.

Nice win by the Sioux - they showed good energy throughout the game. I'm still waiting for goals to come in bunches. With our talent, it should happen.

Even though the Sioux won, I have a feeling that this game is the "Pottersville" of our football future - what might be if we don't get things rolling in this program. A so-so team playing in front of a small, uninspired crowd with a non-exhistant student section. The Big Sky will help give us opponents that are actually of interest, but we need some excitement about this program. I'm not trying to put down today's win, just thinking that next year needs to be better. Think it can't happen here - look at the once proud men's basketball program.