tnt

The WCHA could hold theirs at a smaller arena like Mariucci, or Ridder could probably suffice for the number of fans they would probably get.

I said that tongue in cheek, but failed to add the wink wink.

Heard the same thing about Erik Johnson. Hopefully he comes here and is the real deal when it comes to those comparisons.

So how much do you think "the timeout" netted him in his new contract. Although the timeout demonstrated how the players respond when the coach isn't in panic mode, it is what Sioux fans have come to expect and something I am sure that has not gone unnoticed by Faison. The "we can do this" type attitude kind of encapsulates the whole season with all the injuries and such.

Just the number of recruits that they will have at the Spring Game is amazing. Hope it pays off in landing a few blue chippers.

Dave Gust with the Force having another good night with a couple goals and 6 shots. Have heard good things about him, and have a feeling unless he is holding out for a specific offer, he could have a scholarship soon. Anybody know if he has had any offers yet? Could use a few more of the smallish players like Jack Connolly who are more likely to stick around a few more years.

If this team comes about, high school hockey in Grand Forks will fall off even worse, and interest in it as well. Would Fugelberg, Jennewein or Lizotte have been playing for Red River last year if this program were around? Unless most of the makeup from the team comes from outside of the state, I think high school hockey will suffer greatly and not be as exciting a product to watch for the average fan.

Agree, when we get to that point, it will be what it will be regardless anyway. All 3 of the '96 recruits so far all have interest from Major Juniors, so hopefully Hakstol ends up looking good rather that the alternative if the worst case should happen. Suffice it to say, that UND will probably have a little more notice in all of those circumstances than they did with Miller.

Don't know if you are saying stuff like that probably wouldn't happen like big-time programs, or the NCAA wouldn't care. Either way, I don't agree. If you listen to some of the casual fans that call up the coaches show and ask about recruits that aren't signed, and it makes you wonder how many other things they do that goes unnoticed. I also have no doubt that the NCAA would act in any circumstance, especially if it were called to their attention by some rivals' fans. So it is best for fans to be fans and leave selling UND to the coaches. Because when all is said and done, do we really believe that a sign or something is going to trigger a recruit to attend UND with an inner voice saying "they like me, they really really like me"?

Wow, Zucker, Shore and Bennett, that is quite a hit. You would think that Bennett would want to stay another year after an injury-plagued season, but who knows what his thinking is behind the decision.

In fact I think the Force writer was torn between the two because of how much Wilcox did for a less than stellar team. Also agree that Minnesota as it stands now should improve on defense with the addition of Skjei and Reilly, two big-time recruits. Hopefully, we can one-up them with Jones and Schmaltz, but in the end all of them will have to prove it on the ice, which is the same for the goalies, because we know the big names are often hit and miss at the goaltending position.

I can hear the football recruiting pitch now, "If you want to go to Alabama, that's fine, but how are you going to get to the NFL without a healthy environment?"

Don't doubt that could happen, but Lucia would need to learn to see beyond his maroon and gold glasses and realize how to assess Minnesota realistically. With North Dakota in a new conference, no doubt Michigan will take over as the bad guys in his eyes and if you're in their position do you want somebody judging suspensions and such with that slant? Then again, he couldn't possibly be as inept as the current WCHA leadership.

Yeah, Gaudreau was kind of a lucky pickup for BC what with Northeastern losing their coach. 21 goals pretty good for someone you never anticipated having in your lineup. Hopefully the Sioux can ride lucking into Saunders into similar success. I always wondered after the Sioux lost both Bruneteau and Cichy if they gave Gaudreau a call after he opened up his recruitment again. Could use a few more of the smaller players who aren't as likely to leave as early. I think Dave Gust for the Force should get a good look in that regard.

http://www.gazette.com/sports/air-136414-attendance-force.html The WCHA with 8 of the top 10 rinks in attendance this year. UND first in attendance in a year which started out looking like an off year. Thanks again Ralph.

Beau Bennett indeed, but perhaps bigger was David Makowski with Denver hurting for defensemen down the stretch.

Since Scott Arniel got fired in Columbus and Todd Richards took over, is Brad Berry on firm ground as an assistant there, or once Richards either becomes full-time coach or they pull in somebody new is he most likely to be looking for a new job?

Define success! If they could make it to the National tourney this year with all of the circumstances, I see no reason they can't expand on that next year. By the way, Duluth has lost Jack Connolly, J.T. Brown, Travis Oleksuk, Brady Lamb and Denver Jason Zucker, Drew Shore and John Lee, among others.

People want to win National Championships, but the question is what do you propose when we are not, firing Hakstol? I think that if you keep putting yourself in the position, you will sooner or later break through, much like Jerry York did with BC. If BC didn't remain patient with York, they would not be on the run they are on. Remember, if BC wins it this year, they will have followed up winning the Worcester regional into winning the NC for their last four titles. Having those regionals in your backyard all the time gives you that many more opportunities at getting to the Frozen Four, and they have taken full advantage when they get there. Michigan has had the same advantage many times with close regionals, but they haven't taken advantage for quite some time. Do we propose that Michigan fire Berenson? I guess most of us want to have UND win the NC as much as anyone, but constant complaining doesn't do any good, and if you propose firing a coach that has done a good job but just hasn't gotten over the hump, you never know, you might be missing out on a Jerry York type run as well, or possibly get a coach who will revert the program back by taking away the traditions that have kept players supporting this program long after they have left.

I don't know if the outcome of the game is quite that bad if Minnesota slips one in early. In the NCAA tourney, that first goal can be a big boost of confidence, especially for a young underdog team. BC just seems like they have not had goalie breakdowns at the wrong time, and certainly Milner kept them in the game in the first period when Minnesota had a 10 to 3 advantage on scoring chances. Hopefully Milner picks the wrong time to have a bad game on Saturday.

Really Minnesota benefits quite nicely by the regional system, as does BC. But the host situation prevented Minnesota from being in Duluth's shoes and having to play BC in a hostile environment instead of neutral ice. It definitely is time to reward higher seeds by going to campus sites for the regionals.

Really the difference in the series was very early in the year when Minnesota pulled the comeback out of the second game when the Sioux were still trying to adjust to a short lineup with numerous freshmen and walkons trying to find their roles.

Yeah, can you imagine if a Sioux player did what Mattson and Condon did? It amazes me that they think they are absolute saints, when they are just as prone to frustrations as any other player.

Actually, I worry that since it has been a while since UND has won a National Championship, that UND students will try to be cool like the "Big Schools" like Kentucky and Minnesota and pull that kind of crap. They have proven they can be dumb at Springfest, I wouldn't put it past them to mimic the kind of behavior we have seen lately after winning it all. I would hope that when we get to another National Championship game, that the UND administration would be proactive in telling students that kind of behavior will result in severe sanctions.

I guess what I am hearing from a few posters here is that Seth Jones should go the Major Junior route because if they don't think he has put on enough weight and added enough strength or that he is not ready to go, they will bag on him for leaving. Let these kids and their advisors make their own decisions because they are the ones that are inevitably going to have to live with their decision.