tnt

I was going to say that what I meant by elite player was someone that was a no-brainer even to the rubes that they are coming in right away. The problem with that thinking is that the example I gave in Oshie was one that some thought should go play a year of juniors. With that in mind, we probably have a good mix with players that have a good chance to make an immediate impact next year in Cichy, Kristo and possibly Danny Mattson, and for the following year with Forbort and Mattson. Perhaps it just seems out of whack because all the players that verballed recently are most likely to be role players, at least starting out, perhaps growing into other roles.

It would be interesting to know how many of the elite prospects the Sioux have been after that we have missed out on lately. It's hard to know who is going to be great, regardless of the hype, but the odds of a high-end recruit flopping I would guess would be a lot less. Hopefully this guy will turn out to be a diamond in the rough, as I don't remember his name being circulated around here, nor the guy from Winnipeg. I guess we just need to have faith that the coaches know talent and who will be willing to sacrifice for the team better than we do, but it certainly was nice to have a guy like Oshie with high skills and the dedication to the concepts of the team.

The Sioux play them in a week, so we will find out just how "terrible" they are. Remember how many people were saying how terrible Michigan State and Michigan Tech were? That's all the Sioux need now is to start believing that stuff and taking a step back. First things first though, the Sioux have to have a good weekend at Denver to keep the ball rolling.

I would think that Bennett Brien would be able to sell stuff with his artwork on it as long as it didn't have ties to the University.

That would seem odd, as you would think the away team wouldn't hold back on travel and stay at the nicest places. Why didn't the Sioux fly to Tech and make them pay for the trip? If this was the case, then why did they make such a big deal of Alaska paying for teams to go up there? Anyone know for sure?

He takes a lot of his information from Glen Sonmor, possibly the least objective of any announcer I have ever heard. Glen Sonmor has no credibility whatsoever. When Nanne was talking about the shoving around the net as silly, he is implicating the gophers the most. I have never seen a team that shoves players from the other team as a way to prove they are tough. I rewatched Fridays game and that happened on many occasions. There were several times when the Sioux guy slowed up and skated away from a scrum, only to be pushed away anyway. Nanne's credibility is hurt because he is taking stuff Sonmor tells him as gospel.

Well, I wouldn't call a ref who calls a player a "psychopath" because he drops his gloves objective.

... and the fact that he and Derek Sheppard have no objectivity. Minnesota was slashing at Sioux players all night with both watching and they expect the Sioux to do nothing?

I thought Hill left Anchorage of his own accord, or was that damage control?

To me, hockey is a sport that lends itself to frustrations and that leads to bad behavior by the team that is getting handled. I think Stoa is a great player that lost his cool a bit, which certainly happens to the Sioux as well. My problem isn't with Stoa or Lucia, but with the announcers that think the gopher player's crap doesn't stink, namely Woog and Mazzocco. If they can't see that their players are just as susceptible to bad behavior as the Sioux or any other team, then they are living in their own little world. It would be nice if they, and any gopher fans that believe the same would have a seed of reality planted in their brains.

Michelletti and Miller may be the only objective gophers there are. On "Beyond the Pond" on Saturday they said they were embarrassed by the gophers' actions and said if the Sioux did the same things they were doing when they were behind late in the game, they would be saying how dirty the Sioux were. Maybe Woog and Mazzocco should take a few lessons from a few ex-players. Of course Woog is the same person to send someone out to goon Greg Johnson, then played dumb (maybe he didn't need to play) and said they wouldn't even know Greg Johnson from anyone else! You know, if that is the case, then I guess we know why Doug got fired, he couldn't point out the Sioux's all-time leading scorer.

Congratulations, you have one more thing in common with Charles Manson!

That is the exact problem, people only ate there during sporting events. They do need something with a wider appeal, and something with wireless internet like Panera would be a good fit if the building were of size. It is probably a little big for a Panera or Chipotle, but both would be good fits for the campus area. Regardless, they need something that students would attend even when there aren't sporting events.

I am sure the Sioux will want to hit the gopher defensemen early and often because as a core they are not too big and can move the puck well. The question is going to be if Sheppard or whoever they send here is going to let legal hits go, because he has a tendency to call penalties on clean hits. If he does, the Sioux may be in trouble, if not it could cause some nice offensive opportunities.

I'm not against a second chance for anyone, but some of the stuff he did wasn't about immaturity, it was downright scary.

I doubt anyone would say that playing Minnesota would be an easy win, so we should respect the fact that MSU tied Minnesota, or should I say vice versa since Minnesota had to make a comeback. Hopefully the Sioux realize they can't afford to lose anymore nonconference games for the NCAA picture, and I'm sure Hakstol will let them know that every chance he gets.

While Eidsness appears to be the man now for the majority of the games, it doesn't mean we still won't see Walski from time to time. If Eidsness has a slump or needs a break, I am sure Walski will be ready to step in and pick up the slack. If there is one thing we have learned about him is that he is a team player and tackles his situation professionally, which will be great for him when he enters the job market, as everyone can use an asset like that.

I guess I just want to know if you were speaking up for Nate Ziegelmann a few years back? He didn't get playing time and transfered to Duluth, and didn't get a whole lot there either. Were both programs in the wrong there? I think Walski would have gotten more starts if the Sioux weren't in such a precarious situation right now. Bottom line is when you do get your chance you better shine, and while you can't blame everything on Walski in the games he played, did he do enough to outshine Eidsness?

You must have hated the movie "Rudy". Walski has already got to play more than him. This isn't mite hockey, it is big time college hockey. Do you know how many players sit on the bench every year or even have their scholarship pulled in major college sports? So was Dean unfair to Ryan Sofie then?

The difference between the two teams is the Lamoureux sisters and Marvin. Because of the previous coach the Sioux weren't in position to get them and until they get a top-end prospect, they will struggle to beat top-end teams. During the Olympic year I think the Sioux will contend, then hopefully get access to blue-chip talent.

You would think that they would be over-recruiting more at defense than forward. With the high draft choices they have at defense, they must realize that many could be gone well before their four years are up.

Which might also lead Kangas to be an early flight risk should he keep putting up good numbers.

I'm not saying this team doesn't have its issues, as it gets frustrating for most Sioux fans and coaches with early season struggles. I am simply trying to express that it's never nearly as bad as people would have you believe after losses, and not as great as others would have you believe after wins. It's probably somewhere in between. So yes, constructiveness is probably needed. Sorry if you came off as being the sole example. I don't remember other things said, so maybe everyone's frustrations get pushed to a point where they lash out, like mine evidently did as well.

You also said this is a team without talent. Do you stick by that, or does it change from week to week as well?

So what is it, is this team "flat out terrible" or not? I guess if they lose this weekend they revert back to that.