.357

It seems like SCSU is double-shifting Brodzinski..I hear his name called quite a bit..

Cags scores 1-1

1-0 SCSU

SCSU is looking to latch onto a winner.

ND has been brutal on faceoffs so far..

I'll go to the ASU games (20 min. away) not to watch any hockey, but to watch their cheerleaders. If they are even as remotely hot as those jr. MILFS on Mill Ave., I am so there. It's like these hotties are a dime a dozen on the ASU main campus..

My argument flatlines when the question of how many NCs has the Ralph brought us. It hasn't & it's frustrating. I think the Ralph has helped draw great recruits for Coach Hakstol over the last 12 years; & subsequently field dominant teams during the regular season. But for some reason they can't succeed in the one-&-done playoff scenario. I'm not on the inside of the program so I haven't a clue as to why they're always short in April. It makes for lively conversation during Happy Hour, but I don't think there's one tangible reason they don't win it all aside from horrendously bad luck.

I agree that jk makes some very good points. Well thought-out points. I've been a Sioux hockey fan since 1972 so I have a lot of emotional investment in this team. I don't wish or hope anything for this team, those are verbs better left for less-established teams & their fans. I'll always be bragging this team up because I'm a homer to the core, just like true fans of other schools who've been following their teams for decades also. But how does stating that the REA is the end-all, be-all of college hockey arenas being arrogant? They do have the best rink, no questions asked, right?

You sound like you're arguing just for the sake of arguing, plus throwing in references that people who think a facility makes a big difference are cultish. Do I have to put on a flame-retardant suit every time I discuss an issue with you? Of course having a first-rate facility makes a big difference. I didn't infer that a program couldn't start-up a D1 program without forking out $100 million +; I said that it makes a big difference in attracting big-time recruits. Go Sioux..

I use bold so I can see what's on the monitor better without having to squint.

I drew the Ralph as a comparison to a star recruit who would be choosing between NDSU & UND; to further illustrate how difficult they would have it in bringing in 5-start recruits over UND. It sounds to me like you're minimalizing the effects the REA has on where recruits sign. I've read more than one Sioux player who signed with us because the facilities were first-rate. So it does play a role, & I guess it just depends on what these blue-chippers consider important. I consider the last 14 years an anomaly why the Sioux haven't won a nc. What else would explain this drought?

Any D1 can beat another D1 team on a given night. That's obvious. But over the long haul, tradition, stature & facilities would bring in way more talent for UND than NDSU on a consistent basis. That shouldn't even be debatable. You said "with the right investments...", does NDSU have an Englestad-type benefactor who can build another hockey palace in Fargo to rival REA? We're talking $100 million plus type of donor here. And if such is ever built, will the hockey culture in Fargo ever rival that of GF to fill 10,000+ seats every game? And if given the choice, would a star recruit wanted by both UND & NDSU prefer to play for a team with the best rink, bar none, with 7 (or more) national championship banners hanging in the rafters & with a proven track record of sending the most players to the NHL? Or would he prefer to play for the Thundering Herd? Most, if not all star recruits, who grew up outside F/M would choose UND; most who hadn't been hit in the head by too many pucks anyway....St. Cloud St. has had it it tough for decades & has never won a national championship, even though it's fielded some pretty respectable teams. How much harder would it be for NDSU? Agree to disagee, I guess.

The USC/Alabama reference wasn't insinuating if UND could beat them should UND go fbs, but who would have a more high-level winning tradition & stature should UND ever get to that level. Naturally, Bama & USC would because they've been more prominent for much longer. Just like NDSU would never be as prominent & big in stature as UND in hockey simply due to time. And that prominence & stature goes a long way in bringing in blue-chip recruits. So it is very relevant. Sure, NDSU may field a good team once in awhile, but like the Heavenly Beer guy said, who's going to be a more consistent winner over the long haul? Not only would NDSU be in UND's constant shadow, they would have to go into recruiting wars with 5 other MN D1 hockey programs. They would be a perennial bottom-feeder for the most part. And I think we're discussing a moot point because NDSU has no intention of going D1 in hockey anyway.

What I was referring to earlier was the stature of the UND hockey program, which has been around since 1929 & which NDSU hockey could of course never rival. Just like we could never be as legendary as USC or Alabama if we ever went to that level in D1 football. And to address your point above, NDSU would be a start-up hockey program; UND has had hockey since Herbert Hoover was in office. We don't need to be smack dab in the middle of MN due to our stature & tradition.

Oh please, Boston College is in a hockey hotbed like St. Cloud. NDSU is not.

So if we started playing USC & Alabama in football, would UND ever be regarded as having the same level of tradition as them? Every school that has a varsity athletic program longer than one day has a tradition, technically speaking. I'm referring to a comparable tradition that involves two schools competing in a given sport for roughly the same amount of time & having consistently winning programs.

They'll reach UND's stature once they have a $104 million dollar facility, reel off about 4 or 5 natties & find a time machine that can retro-establish their program to 1929 to equal UND's long history & tradition.

St. Cloud is in the heart of MN & has a ton of h.s. talent surrounding it, NDSU does not.

I agree. it's pure fantasy to even think that NDSU could match UND in hockey on a consistent basis. From the superior facilities to the superior fanbase to the superior tradition to the superior everything, UND would consistently crush them. And it would be fun. If they did start up a D1 program, they might beat UND in hockey in about 30 years; in a contest that they were outshot 83-2 & had the support of a messiah guiding them to victory just because He pitied them having only moral victories. Their alums would be ultra delusional to divert funds from their winning football program in hopes that they could compete with UND in hockey someday. They might have success in D3 though, & they could always snatch up a player of ours that we cut who was never was quite good enough to play at the D1 level.

I respect Notre Dame's rich history in football. If this topic were about being in the same football conference as them & we were at that level, I would be all for it. But when it comes to hockey, I'm totally ambivalent. Could not care less. Regardless if the NCHC courted them or not. My opinion may not make a lot of financial sense, but Notre Dame is a non-factor for me when it comes to hockey.

Why is that?

I see Stecher hasn't been drafted yet. I suppose he's been noticed by a lot of scouts by now & will have his name called at the next draft. I've only seen highlights of him so far, but he seems to have ACME rockets attached to his skates & plays with a real intensity that scouts just love to see. An energy guy with talent. Were any other schools after him or did he go mostly unheralded?

I don't hear people talk about J. Simonson very much. Has he played in every game so far & how has he been developing? Has he been a pleasant surprise so far?

I live in the Valley also. If attendance at ASU games would be similar to those at Coyotes games, then it wouldn't be a good idea. But then again, if the arena is centrally located, who knows. I'm all for expansion, as long as there will be local support & not expansion just for the sake of expansion. Also, will there be enough D1 level recruits to accompany this overall nationwide expansion or will we start to see the current high talent level in college hockey start to diminish? Basically, do we need to start up other D1 programs because there are all these grade A talents who are going to Canada because there aren't any scholarships left at American colleges? Just think the process through before committing to a (possible) failed experiment. Regardless of the sport, you can't expand beyond any given sport's talent pool without seeing a diminished level of play at some point.

UND won't get better by playing teams like the Badgers every weekend, so thanks to MU for helping the guys get further along that learning curve. ...The NCHC is shaping up to be a power conference this year, like the SEC West in football. Roll Tide and roll Sioux.. Thanks for your insights, folks..