tnt

Idalski talked about another possible European recruit that could come to fruition by November sometime. Anybody have a clue about who that would be? I would think if you are going to go through all the NCAA clearing headaches, that it must be a high-end type of talent.

Could also have thrown Cichy in there somewhere. I think we could use his offensive upside this year.

Maybe that is the reason that NDSU has such a problem with athletes shoplifting. Maybe the new case from last week was just an athlete trying to help pay for their own scholarship to help the Athletic Department. Do you really believe the ends justifies the means?

I get worried when I hear players use the "revenge" factor about playing Maine this weekend. There are so many times that the Sioux have "owed" somebody only to come up short. Remember when they owed Denver for the hit to Bina? Denver beat us in the National Championship game after that again. Hopefully they just go about their business at practice and can use the pairwise as motivation, because in reality, that is what is really at stake here. The Sioux definitely can't afford to be swept, and sweeping will help take a bit of the sting out of the BC loss, at least in the pairwise.

Did we just get lucky with Bellmore being as good as he is? You would think that it would be harder to recruit good talent and depth at the beginning of the transition, compared with the end. I realize that experience plays a big role in the schemes and such, but you would think that there should be some talent with a lot of potential to fill that gap, even if it is kind of raw.

I think you can find a lot of examples of teams that have other teams number. Would any of you suggest Dean Blais can't figure things out. His Omaha team couldn't beat an inferior Bemidji State team in 6 games last year with 4 of them in Omaha. You would think it would be easier to make adjustment to playing a team within the same year and with the same players than it would be to make adjustments to different personnel, even though the system is the same. Would anybody say Lucia is a lot better coach than Red Berenson, simply because more times than not, Minnesota has had their number. I think you can look at how much difficulty the Sioux used to have with Mankato under Blais as an example of certain teams just matching up better, or worse in our case. Not saying that gives Hakstol a complete pass, but at least Boston College has been the top program in the country over the past decade. I know the Sioux want to be considered that, but in one-game shots, you can't have one off night from the goalie on out.

Knight-riders. Oh yeah, we don't have to change our nickname yet.

Thank goodness. I was worried about the state of North Dakota having to put up with Rocky Hager again!

I guess we disagree on what constitutes crumbling! So is it your opinion we need a new coach or new players? Was Matt Frattin a choker, or Jason Gregoire? Because both of them had unbelievable point streaks going into the Michigan game. Exactly who do you put the blame on?

Embarrasing for who? You? You're right I'm sure BC fans just laugh when we're on the schedule. That's not overreacting? UND had some lapses that hurt them during a four minute span, that is something that can be corrected, especially when they were coming from players that played integral roles in getting the Sioux to the Frozen Four. Ben Blood led the nation in plus/minus last year, and he made some mistakes. Aaron Dell didn't make a big save when we needed it like he did so often last year. Add to that some bad penalties and freshmen mistakes, and you have a recipe to lose to a very good BC team. I happen to think that all of the things that went wrong in this game can be turned around, but I don't expect it to be overnight. Either you believe in the building process that Hakstol espouses or you don't I happen to believe it, because I have seen it every year.

Wow, people overreacting to an early season loss. Who would have thought. Probably the same ones that freaked out when we got throttled by Maine early last year, then thought there was no possible way the Sioux would lose to Michigan. Doesn't surprise me in the least, because these will be the same ones that are smack talking fans of other teams when things are going well.

I agree, I don't think our fanbase has enough respect for other programs, nor the adjustment necessary to this level of play. I expect to see a rollercoaster first half of the season, which has been the norm under Hakstol, even with teams with more experience. I also expect there will be those insane fire Hakstol threads popping up here and there. Before the game, I would have thought that it was very possible the Sioux could get beat by Air Force. I like our first line, I think the all freshman line will be spotty, but should contribute more consistently by the second half of the game, and when you add Grimaldi to the mix, they may be consistent sooner. Also have lines that are going to succeed by hard work. Lamoureux line is in that category and they really got us going last night. It may get frustrating, but I am going to try and just "enjoy the season", because I think by February sometime, they could become a pretty good team.

As per Brad's blog, add Geoff Crisfield to the defensive recruits. Sounds like he is a true Fighting Sioux character guy. http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/vernonmorningstar/sports/vipers/news/119019689.html

They're no Montana Tech!! Must have a little offensive upside to hammer that vaunted Montana Tech team 55-16.

Have two seats, 4 tickets for all games of the Ice Breaker. $30 per ticket, $120 total. These are great seats in the corner where the Sioux shoot twice, in the 2nd row.

I think the Black Jerseys are the most popular amongst fans. When they had the fire sale, they were the first to go.

Maybe we could use a little luck and get a "Jenny Crouse" on the men's side because of the aviation major. How about finding some large men that are interested in the UAS program? One can hope, can't they?

I went online and I couldn't believe how many tickets were still available. I know that there will be a walk-up crowd, but I hope people get out and support this tournament. I wonder if a really good attendance would help us to get this event again in the future.

Bemidji State beat Regina 7-0 tonight. Can't take a lot out of this game other than that the freshmen didn't look timid and at least have their feet wet as what to expect on game day at the Ralph. The speed will be up a notch or two next weekend, so hopefully they play without fear and can start the adjustment period to this level.

Exactly!

True, it's not like your big guys use their size anyways. I love the one where Mark Alt thinks he has Frattin lined up and ends up flying through the air with the greatest of ease

I get concerned when I hear Mussman on the news say "we need to keep things in front of us". I hope that doesn't mean playing off the receivers and guard against the long ball. I guess we will see tomorrow what that means. I would hope that we would be able to compete with another FCS team in athletes and be able to pick our spots to be aggressive.

I guess I am not making the connection with Buning and declining talent in the football program. I think we had some talent, but circumstances with Chappell, Murray, Bamba and Stroup doesn't help. You can't consistently lose your go-to players and not have it hurt the program. I think early on in the transition we were doing o.k., but not having a quarterback to even match what we had at the Division 2 level, certainly must fall on the coaching staff. Hopefully Mollberg will be in the fold and pans out to move us forward in that regard. That would add a level of excitement for the fans and make it easier to get some high-end recruits moving into the Big Sky.

Luke Voltin with 2 goals 1 assist tonight and named 1st star of the game for the USA Under 17 team. Also Luke Johnson with an assist with one period left.

I would say that if the defense isn't aggressive, they could be picked apart and another 400 yards passing could be put up. If they are at least aggressive against that attack, they should be able to come up with a few picks to help offset the passing numbers. If they get it handed to them without any turnovers, it could be a long day. Hopefully the Sioux will get on the board early and can keep the SUU offense off the field.