tnt

He must have signed his LOI, as he verballed a long time ago.

That must have been the one he was talking about on the coaches show the other week.

So you're saying we have a blueprint to forge his signature! I read ya!

We are equally embarrassed at the poster Golden Chkr that rants all the time on the Strib web site. Not much class there.

The point of the conversation is the irony, that it is because of the depth in the past that we lost these players. I was talking about our depth being hurt from having too much depth in the last few years. Can throw Fienhage into that equation as well.

I did say because of youth and injuries. Proof is in the pudding at this point in time regarding the 3rd and 4th lines--not a lot of production at this juncture. I think all of those players and O'Donnell will turn out to be very good players and some are producing now, but you need the 3rd and 4th line to chip in every once in a while too.

I hope that the coaches are looking at bringing in more forwards for next year besides the depth guys they added late this year. Certainly Pattyn, DiPuma, Senbeil, and Gaarder could develop into a Davidson or Martens-type player, but we are a little top heavy on grinders right now, at least the ones that don't seem to have a high-end offensive upside. Would like to be able to cover the scenarios we encountered last summer. How good would Cichy or David Toews be looking in a Sioux uniform right now. When 75% of games are won or lost on the powerplay, you better be able to put out two good units out there every time, and because of injuries and youth, not so sure we can say that yet.

Don't know if we offered or not, but I don't know if the coaches would have taken him right out of high school anyway. Ironically, with all the defections this summer, if they had recruited him, he might have had to come in anyways. Also don't know if the Sioux offered Rick Zombo's kid who also committed to Omaha.

One of the leading scorers in the country, and people are jumping all over him. He didn't score in a game against a rival this time, but he did last year. I think if you are expecting something like you saw from Frattin and Gregoire last year, you aren't going to see it -- and that probably goes for the rest of the league as well. Remember, the opposition has basically one line to shut down this year, so the fact that he can still be a top scorer while being the primary target of the opposition every night says something to me.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, just from listening to players comments after games, I don't know if they are just happy to be around .500 after last year. When you hear guys using words like content, and we weren't even expected to compete with them, it makes you wonder where they are getting that mindset. Then to hear Mussman say he doesn't care how or by how much, he just wants to come away with a win against Sioux Falls and guarantee a winning season, one wonders if they get that mindset from the staff. I know what he is saying, but I guess I like Ashley Hardee, the women's volleyball coaches way of approaching things by being up front and saying we should sweep this match. I just think that aspirations of those two coaches might be a little different.

I think Kristo needs to shoot a lot. It doesn't appear that a lot of other guys are prepared to pull the trigger but to just keep passing. I have always wondered why when things aren't going your way, you don't throw more shots on net and have people ready for the rebound. The reason that Brandon Bochenski scored so much is that he score from every conceivable angle.

What troubles with Tech are you talking about?

We could ask gopher fans the same type of questions. So footage of Cepis actually choking someone with his stick isn't cheap. Gopher fans make it seem the Sioux have a monopoly on being cheap, when in fact they are not saints, and often times instigate. I would bet that the gophers will come out tonight trying to prove that they won't be intimidated this time, and the Sioux will get blamed for instigating. Maybe gopher fans believe Lucia's rants that this only seems to happen when the Sioux are involved, but we can get television of gopher games here in Grand Forks more than you can see the Sioux play, so we know that to be false.

I don't think choking should play a part of any rivalry. Now what actually happened, I know Cepis using his stick to corral MacWilliam seemed a bit over the top. Did Malone have his forearm around Bjugstad pulling him back from the scrum? I don't know. Would be interesting to see if that is on tape as well. I did find it funny that Lucia and Helgeson "recalled fondly" Ballard pulling the jersey over the head of Lundbohm. In the category where nobody is completely innocent, that would seem to be the type of instigating behavior that gets things to escalate. Love the rivalry, but there are things that go above and beyond, and I would put actual choking in that category.

I think it is safe to say if the gophers sweep, it will be the opportunity for in your face that Minnesota has been wanting for a few years now, and then their expectations would rightfully be even higher. If the Sioux end up winning one or even two, you will probably see the cheap hack comments and/or comments about the state of North Dakota, as is customary when the hockey team loses to the Sioux.

Speaking of things that could be improved upon, does anybody know the coaches feelings since the overhaul of the ice surface at the Ralph? It seems to me that players still are trying to settle the puck down on flat passes. At first I thought it was the warm weather, but it wasn't that warm against St. Cloud. Maybe its better, but just wondering if anyone has inside info as to how the players or coaches feel about the ice surface now.

You might ask yourself this question. The "Official ND Mole" thread was started in September, and had 5 pages of "information" about the Sioux. They have since added a 6th page -- during the week of the series.

Checked it out on GPL. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't Sioux fans supposed to be the ones that are obsessed with Minnesota? The fact that the thread is the most popular in that category would suggest otherwise. Sounds like the crowd down there must know everything that goes on with every Sioux player, which sure sounds like a definition of obsession to me.

According to the Herald she had 22 points. Regardless, quite a nice debut either way.

Do you mean that he lost his job and regained it because of competition? I don't think there should be an entitlement for any of the players, and I don't know if I want a recruit that thinks the job is going to be handed to him. It's one thing if Goska was ripping it up last year and came in as a clear number one without a chance to pick up where he left off, but most fans saw the quarterback situation in need of an upgrade because the position didn't produce results last year, and obviously the coaches felt the same.

95% of Sioux fans? Surely you can come up with a better lie than that!

If anyone knows what jerks the NCAA are, it is Hakstol. He had to leave halfway through his senior season because he tried to get a head start on college class work.

If he indeed feels like that, why in the world would he make a verbal comittment at such a young age. I would think if he had any leaning to the OHL, he would wait a few years and see how he feels then. It's not like he was getting a ton of pressure from the Sioux.

I agree, that is why I don't see the fuss over a player who likes to celebrate his goals, especially since it isn't an in-your-face celebration to the opponent. Considering some of the examples of poor sportsmanship that have already been put forth, celebrating goals, or even a bit of over celebration pales in comparison.

I think everybody can agree that participants on both sides have shown poor sportsmanship on occasions. I think fans of both sides are guilty as well. But you are suggesting that something that creates some of that bitterness between the rivals is for school pride, when it is more of an instigating factor. There is a reason you don't see it much in pro or college hockey, and it isn't because teams don't take pride in their team, it is because you most likely would have to answer to it. Let's hope it doesn't make a comeback.