tnt

I wonder if we are just talking about a player that adds depth, like Alexander and Walski from last year, or a recruit with a scholarship offer.

Maybe he can't. Maybe #1 Hak Fan is Hakstol himself, and would therefore be breaking recruiting rules.

I was just thinking, if I were a coach of one of these traditionally weak teams, I would fill my line-up with older players from each league that have shown scoring ability, but haven't been given a scholarship, ala Les Reaney from last year. With so many players bolting to the pros in college hockey, and the youth of the traditionally top teams, you should at least be able to compete with 24 year old seniors on your team. College basketball has teams like Northern Iowa that are able to compete with the big boys every once in a while because they keep their players all four years while the big schools lose players to the NBA. The Sioux did well when Blais first came here with older USHL players that weren't high draft picks. I just think the way college hockey has gone lately, that teams like Tech and Alaska should at least have a cyclical competitiveness being that other teams are constantly without big senior classes. What would the rest of you do if you were coach of a lower-tier team?

He won't be captain because he won't be on the ice every night. He will split time with Lamoureaux the first half at least. Yes, he will be on the bench, but generally you have a person that interacts with the officials from the ice. He might be an alternate though.

Did you or did you not imply that people expressing the belief against entitlement are racist? I doubt you appreciate being called a racist because you don't think the logo is offensive. How is that any different from the anti-logo people who make that leap? The racist card is played much too liberally in society today simply because that is an easy reaction to someone who disagrees on minority issues. One could say that the person making accusations of racism without actually knowing the person is a form of racism in itself. And no, I'm not calling you a racist.

Seems to me you are doing exactly what the NCAA is doing, making yourself judge and jury as to a person being racist just like the NCAA is doing so considering the University hostile and abusive. You can have the opinion that the past is just that, the past, and we are living in this country as Americans--period. Entitlements only keep us divided. I tend to believe in the phrase "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." I don't recall in that Inaugural speech, "Unless you are a group that has been wronged in the past." Hope this doesn't make me racist.

Maybe if we get a white guy that will dress as a Native American and don war make-up and if we all can do the tomahawk chop in unison, the NCAA will look more favorably upon us. It's worth a try.

Thanks Jim, the phrase "unless the requirements have changed" was a qualifier I was going to add but it slipped my mind by the time I got through with the post.

Move to Division I in all sports and the Sioux won't have to worry about being in the post season for years anyway, and the policy would only affect hockey for the short term. The Sioux would continue to get press on the big stage even if they can't wear the uniforms they want.

Not too sure about the other names, but I would think the Sioux have a great shot at landing Colin Wilson, son of Carey, former Calgary Flame star.

I would hope if they play UNI, that it would be because they are seriously considering making the move to DI and want to start making ties. Otherwise, the line of hurting our chances for the DII playoffs was just that -- a line. I believe that should have been the only reason not to play the Bison, because it would hurt playoff opportunities. If that was not the reason for discontinuing the Bison game, I would be very disappointed.

You can argue about the direction the program should go as many have, but you can't argue with the way Rich represented the University -- a class act all the way around. When you see the egos at the coaching level permeating college athletics, it is nice to have the representatives we have at UND. Remember Rocky Hager? I would like to thank Rich and his wife for their service to the University and community. Hopefully the person that takes Rich's place will represent the University the same way, and fit in with the rest of the classy individuals UND has in leadership roles. Hope to see Rich on TV when March Madness rolls around in the future.

Yes, they were deeper, but when I watched them play the Sioux that year, that was the only line that dominated the Sioux. The other lines were either even, or the Sioux had an advantage. But it kind of goes to show that once all the top talent from various teams went to play for the Olympics, the other teams were very competitive. Minnesota lost to some teams they hadn't lost to with those players and Wisconsin came out from the shadows of Duluth and Minnesota, which to me tells me that a few high-end players along with solid depth can put you on a path towards being a challenger. As women's college hockey grows, that won't always be the case, so you better become a University where people want to play hockey now. As Division II women's college basketball has grown, you see some of the bottom end teams like Mankato a bit more competitive than they were in the past, but the thing that keeps UND near the top is that their top talent can take it to the next level when the games are competitive. Let's hope the women's hockey team can achieve the same level of success and always be in the mix for the top players. Right now they don't appear to be.

What irritates me a bit is that the coach is saying they are basically at square one. You don't necessarily expect great things from a fledgling program, but what you expect is for it to grow year after year. To be back at square one is very disturbing especially with the facilities, the school and the men's tradition that can be used to help lure top-end talent. I can tell you what would happen to a professional expansion team coach that had to start back at square one after so many years. Maybe what bothers me more is the defeatist attitude of being back at square one, which basically means one thing -- very little possibility of getting the Lamoureaux sisters and being an instant contender. If they at least had a surrounding cast that could make them competitive in the league, the Lamoureaux sisters could put you over the top, because Minnesota showed the way with having Wendell, Darwitz and Stephens. Beyond them, Minnesota wasn't much better than the rest of the leauge. Better get some top-end talent in here soon, because last place just isn't going to cut it at UND, no matter what the sport, especially since it is an expensive proposition.

Say what you want about Don Cherry's antics, but he is a major supporter of the USA and the need for Canada as a country to support their neighbors, not only in the sporting venue, but also in the policy realm. He took the Canadian fans to task for cheering for Russia against the U.S. in the World Junior tournament, and has always said that Canada should be supporting their neighbor with troops if necessary in foreign policy. He always points out what the U.S. has done and would do for Canada. Yes, he goes too far on HNIC, but he is paid to be a bit controversial. As far as fighting goes, there are many points that I agree with him, it sure cleans up the stickwork, and you don't see near the checking from behind hits that you see in college.

The gophers have depended on Irmen and Potultny the past two years, almost to a fault. I don't recall many games the second half of the season where I didn't see one of their names heavily on the score sheet. It doesn't come as a big surprise that the gophers were eliminated in the playoffs the last two years when they don't score. That said, maybe they depended too heavily on those two and now that they are gone it will force the others to step it up or be a second tier team. I don't agree with those who think the Sioux will be able to handle the gophers easily next year. It is always a battle no matter who the teams have lost. It really all depends on who is lost the rest of the summer and the mindset of the players coming back. Duluth was picked to win the league a year ago and look where they ended up. I think if there is one thing that we learn on a year to year basis is that talent alone won't get you anywhere (see Jordan Parise's quote to confirm that). Minnesota could do very well, but they need many players to step up and fill the gap from the loss of Potulny and Irmen. Heck, Potulnys second half may be the best second half ever for Minnesota according to Woog, and you just can't pick out one or two names to fill that scoring.

I know I would come a little bit early to a men's hockey game to catch at least the 2nd or 3rd period of the women's game, and I know others would as well. Can you imagine how much better the atmosphere would be for the women if they had even a 1/4 full arena to support them. The dollars lost on admission to the women's game would be made up for in part by more concession dollars. If I'm going to be at an arena for 3-1/2 hours I'm much more likely to buy an extra pop or hot dog. Just a thought!

I'm saying there are other women's sports that should be looked at that aren't as money intensive. People all liked the idea of women's hockey, including myself, but let's be honest, if you bought a house and couldn't pay the mortgage, something would have to give in your personal budget. Why should it be different for UND? Where do you think they are going to make up for the shortfall -- the fans. You are right in that steps need to be taken to try get the fan support, but I would contend that it isn't a matter of people not liking women's hockey, it is a matter of oversaturation -- too many sports, too little time and only so many household dollars to go around. I go to women's hockey here and there, but not on a consistent basis because of money and time, what with high school hockey, men's and women's basketball etc. I think it would be smart in the short term to handle women's hockey like women's basketball used to be. They should play right before the men's game, then at least you would get some people watching the 3rd period and generate some interest. Obviously not many are going to sit through 5 hours of hockey, but after interest is generated maybe you could get more people to watch them in a different time setting.

It would be nice to know if UND is moving to Division 1 in all sports? If they are, then something needs to be done with the women's hockey program -- either make it more viable and better able to support itself, or jettison it and fill the title 9 requirements with a less money intensive sport. I would love to see it succeed, but the drain it has become on the budget needs to be addressed.

And Oshie wasn't ready for college. Remember that!

Your knowledge of hockey, or lack thereof is laughable. Eddie Belfour was undrafted as well, and he seems to be #2 on all-time NHL wins. So Parise certainly has a chance at the next level.

I believe Blais was the coach when we lost to Denver in the West Regionals.

I just hope they don't have some of those speakers talking about how they can make another run next year if everyone sticks around and then make it uncomfortable for guys like Stafford, Smaby and Zajac, among others, by singling them out. They all know that, and we all know that, and they need to make the decision that's best for them without feeling pressure from people who should be supporting them and their careers. This get-together should be a celebration of the past year and I hope that the organizers stick to that.

Yes, hopefully the 7's will be good to us and we can get past national championship #7. We won it in 1987, 1997, why not 2007? If the Sioux only lose two of the number of players mentioned that could go pro, I think they are very well situated to make another run at # 8.

Do you have an inside source regarding the coaches displeasure with Marto's progress? I recall many people wanted the Sioux to get Jon Ammerman or Kyle Hardwick rather than Marto. Marto has 1 goal, 21 assists and is +5, while Ammerman is 3 goals, 3 assists with -12, and Hardwick is 4 goals and 5 assists with a +2 rating. What does it mean -- nothing! Progress is judged on many levels. If Marto has bulked up and started to gain confidence, maybe that is what the coaches are looking for. He may go back to Omaha and he might not, but he has progressed, especially considering that the forementioned defensemen had a lot more hockey experience heading into this season than Marto. I have confidence that the coaches will bring him along whether it be in Omaha, or here.