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Of additional interest is whether Hextall or Lamoureaux will crack the lineup more consistently and which bench they will spend more time on, the Sioux bench or the penalty box bench. My bet is Hextall will crack the lineup, but then again, I've never seen him play, so that is pure speculation from information and stats from websites and such.

Where are Emerson Etem and Guan Wang playing this year? I know Etem garnered a lot of interest in the past.

The way it sounds, the Sioux probably would have been the better team for quite a while now, so if anyone should be embarrassed it should be us for letting them come so close. I am saying that somewhat tongue in cheek, but for a team like Idaho State to sound like they should be so superior is laughable. Either they don't know any football outside their own circle, or they are delusional.

Something fishy going on. 28 percentage point swing in an hour and a half. I wish they had the actual amount of votes listed so we could see how credible that swing could be.

I would disagree that the product is worth $20. It is worth much more than pro hockey, especially the atmosphere of the Sioux/gopher series, which is why everyone wants to go. If anyone should be upset, it is the people that have been going for years and now don't have access to get tickets. I went to the series in Minneapolis every year, until it became a matter of what FSC club you were in. If you sincerely believe that the product is only worth $20, then you shouldn't be that upset that you can't get tickets. I think you could sell 15,000 tickets to people who would dish out $40 and I hardly think most of them would be considered wealthy.

Maybe the coaches figure that having success this year will lead to better recruiting out of the gate and offset the loss of most of a year for one or two players. I am very interested to see how the Sioux do against Idaho. I must admit to some trepidation about where they stand without the game-breakers we've had in the past and with a new coach.

Or better yet, go to the more affordable games. The problem is that people all want to go to only the great games, then complain at the demand-driven prices. My answer for cheaper ticket prices is buy a season ticket or go to the cheaper games.

Perhaps they are thinking that many people aren't buying season tickets because they can get single game tickets reasonably and can buy the less popular series on the cheap out front or online. They might be jacking them up to try get people to buy season tickets rather than pick and choose cheap ticket series. Like someone said, they will sell anyway, so it is a matter of supply and demand. With the move to D1 in other sports, they will be looking for every opportunity to pick up some extra money.

I was thinking the same thing about Ismael Bamba. He hasn't seen much time, and apparently he could be an impact player in the future. Wouldn't it have been nice to trade Dressler's first year for another kick at the can this season. Whatever they end up doing, I hope they are loaded for their first season of playoff eligibility like the Bison.

Why does the name Zamberlin sound so familiar? Did he coach at Central Washington a few years back? If so, he should know the Sioux quite well.

Remember Kevin Rappana and Jace Reed? That was a while ago. Anyone after that?

I think everyone would like more speed, but I think a good mixture is still needed. Remember, after losing to BC at the Wisconsin regional in the late 90's, Blais decided that we needed to get bigger to counter the gorillas BC had at defense back then. True, the game has changed, and you might want to tweak the mixture, but balance is still not a bad thing. Let's remember we beat the heck out of BC in the regional out in Boston with our big defenseman.

One can only guess, but maybe it is more of a life decision for him rather than a hockey decision. He would have to sit out a year should he change his mind, wouldn't he?

Agreed on the tackling. I am hoping the overpursuing is from the excitement from the first game and not a trend. The overpursuit led to their touchdown off the big yardage flee-flicker. I don't remember how many times they had that quarterback set in their sights only to have him duck and the defender go flying by. A few kinks here and there, but other than that, not a bad first game, especially the second half.

It's sounds like if he chose to verbal to UND, we wouldn't have turned him down, so it's hard to get too upset with Wisconsin. True, it could come back to bite them, but Garrett Clarke didn't pan out for us either. Bottom line is the NCAA needs to do something about it if they think it is becoming a problem, because it is hard to say no to very talented individuals who want to be a part of your program.

The administration of the University might actually think about it differently, because what Hak has done is put butts in the seats on a consistent basis. Down the road the Athletic Department will actually profit by more than exposure for being in the final four now that the University will be D1 in other sports. How much money have they missed out on the last four years, having not been D1?

Maybe they are holding out until Eddie Belfour quits playing. I think they have a goaltending consultant, but that is different than having someone work with the goaltenders day in and day out. That said, you can't argue with the success of the goalies we've had recently.

Yeah, like the idiot in the Fargo bar that was so proud to have his picture taken with O.J. Simpson. People's fascination with everything celebrity is beyond me, especially when that celebrity is as infamous as O.J.

Too lazy to check, but wasn't he one of the players that helped Wisconsin set the new record for most players in the top of the draft. If so, it would mean the Sioux would still hold that designation.

I think you either have selective memory or were oblivious to the jerks. There always have been jerks, and there always will be with every fan base. There were selective fans that maybe people looked at as arrogant pricks, but I don't know that was the case near to the extent as it is with another fan base.

If that is indeed the case, then the Wild will lose a lot of money, because they didn't sell out one game, how could they support more, especially if there isn't a Drew Stafford to watch.

Regardless whether this idea has merit or not, it does point out the need that whether in Grand Forks or Fargo, both stadiums would now be woefully shy of seats needed for the game, especially because of the absence of the rivalry. I don't know how many people would like to go to this game, but the Bison sell out now for some less than attractive opponents, so how many people would attend the resumption of the series is a legitimate question.

Are Cichy and Bruneteau staying in the USHL for another year then?

If memory serves me correctly, it was your coach that devalued anything but the NCAA title!

The last time I heard someone say "mark my words" we ended up paying more taxes!