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Don't want to wait until the last minute to get rid of these, so I will let them go for $20 each if you buy all eight of them.

I definitely don't want to hear the Sioux players saying we didn't match their intensity, because both teams have reason to be desperate. Just the chance to put a team that was picked to finish with home ice deep in the hole would be enough to be focused on the task at hand. Put them as far behind you now, because when you play them again on the last weekend of the regular season, you don't want that series to be for home ice.

I won't belabor this anymore, but one can only ask if the scenario did come up where the Ralph hosted someone elses home game while playing the Sioux, what do you think the reaction of the rest of the league would be?

... and if the "X" was halfway between Mankato and Minnesota, then it would be different. You are not comparing apples to apples.

It hurts the integrity of the league when teams don't have to play under the same conditions. I know, I know its good for the league. Maybe every team should have to give up a home game and play at the X. I wonder what the commissioner would say if the Ralph talked Anchorage or Michigan Tech into giving up home games and take part of the proceeds from a weekend in the Ralph.

I am looking to sell both Friday and Saturday together, as it might be fairly difficult to get rid of tickets for just Friday.

Are you still interested?

Have 2 tickets for each night against Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 14 & 15 in Section 302A Row G, right above the entryway in the upper deck. Looking for $20 per ticket.

I think the people assume the worst because it is early in the season and the Sioux have had a tough time beating Wisconsin period, especially at the Ralph as of late, nevermind a desperate Wisconsin team. Hopefully, the Sioux do an about face from their traditional early season struggles under Hakstol and can win a couple this weekend. If they ended up being the team getting swept, the Sioux would suddenly become the desperate team and would have to come from the hole once again. I don't know if my heart can take another year where every game after Christmas was basically a playoff game.

Unable to go to Duluth this year, so I have 4 tickets for Friday in Section 12 Row 1, and 4 tickets for Saturday in Section 9 Row 1. Looking for what I paid, $30 each.

You seem to be tuning into this thread quite a bit. Haven't you figured out whether it appeals to you or not, or do you just like to pretend you are the moderator?

The charges certainly would make it difficult for him as a radio host to comment with any sort of credibility on athletes like Pacman Jones, etc. Perhaps now we know why he thinks of Grand Forks as a hell hole, it doesn't have the access to the kind of snow he wanted. Say what you want about small town/small state living, but temptations like that aren't as prevalent and accessible here. Hopefully he straightens himself out and can make some contribution to society from his experience and his public visibility.

I'm not so sure he's gone. I think after he does his punishment they will give him a second chance. I think P.A. will push for it, and I think they will capitulate.

That's true. So if the Sioux had a weekend or two that were subpar, we would probably look at it as an aberration rather than a indictment on how we expect them to play in the future. That is how I look at Wisconsin right now. However if the losing streak continues too much longer it could cause problems with team chemistry and attitude, but I would still hate to play them if they lost twice this weekend.

Depending on what happens this weekend with the Gophers and Badgers, I might tend to think just the opposite. I don't like to be playing desperate teams, especially if they have talent. Wisconsin has one of the best defensive groups in the country, so once they get back to playing the type of defense they usually do, they will be dangerous. Hopefully they take out their frustrations on Minnesota and not us.

Without knowing the whole story, it is hard to say what exactly happened. I would only suggest that Puffy himself seems to take joy in others downfall. If indeed it is as bad as it looks, I think this is totally different than the Tyler Hirsch problem because this is a choice he made. How bad of a choice obviously has yet to be determined. If he has never made fun of Robbie Bina, Oshie, Jake Brandt or others, I could cut him a bit more slack.

VandeVelde for Friday Kozek for Saurday.

I think we are back to the same argument that a lot of great defensemen that have come through here didn't look comfortable the first half of the year, much less the first game. We have talked about Commodore, Smaby, and Finley to name a few. In each case by the end of the year they had improved markedly and I expect no less of Blood and Fienage. I would hope by now that people would cut young defensemen a little slack and give them time to grow into the system.

Oops, looks like AZ Sioux already covered it.

Can you at least wait until Walski gives up a goal until you say we have goaltending issues. The issue so far is that they don't have experience, but that is the only issue we know up to this point.

Not saying Davidson will play a lot or not, but Tim Hennessey sure has been impressed with him during the Captain's practices and such and said he is much faster. Dane Jackson also said on the Coaches show he is impressed with how he came back and how hard he has worked. It certainly is a good thing to have people fighting for positions, and if someone stumbles or isn't giving the effort the coaches are looking for, I am sure the coaches will have no hesitation to put someone in who will go through the wall for them.

Do we know why he backed out? Was playing time going to be an issue, or was he just having second thoughts about playing at Wisconsin? Have heard a bit that he hasn't developed as nicely as projected when he first verballed at a young age, but that is all up for debate.

Don't know if someone already talked about this, but I saw on the WCHA blog that no matter where a penalty takes place, it will be brought into the attacking zone to give the powerplay team an advantage. It also said a new rule change is you can direct the puck in with your skate, but cannot kick it. What do you think of these changes?

I think goaltending is the big concern for everybody for the simple reason that goals are so hard to come by in the league now. If your goalie lets in a soft one, your chances of winning are diminished. If the Sioux could put up 4 goals a game consistently, that would take a lot of pressure off our goalies, however that is easier said then done. The Sioux seem to have trouble scoring goals the first half of the year, then turn it around the second half. We might need them to score a few more early this year, until our goalies are a bit more comfortable with what to expect from league play.

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.