mikejm

I hope you are not implying that I have!!!!

It's over. Sell your game-worn sweaters. Get rid of your green face paint. Dump your season tickets while there's still a market: some idiot corporate-type will buy them. They don't realize they're watching a pathetically over-rated team of prima donnas and wasted draft picks. CC will kick azz this weekend. The Sioux will have a hard time beating the U-18s in two weeks. Lighten up everyone...it's early. I think they'll get things straightened out.

Wow, you must be at least as old as I am!!!!

yeah, and my video feed just switched to a snakey looking 70s dude and two chicks...Alaskan porn maybe. (No, I guess there'd be a moose in it too.)

Know anyone who wants to be set up with this hunk? <<<<

On what do you base this hunch?

NCAA allows 18 scholarships; how those are split among the players is up to the coach and the university.

Mason doesn't have the nerve to call a penalty shot.

Wow! Anyone hear the USHL guy talking about LaPoint! Major praise. Says he's going to step right in at UND and play well.

You know me...why you even gotta ask that question.

(Ducking) I don't disagree about the Ralph sometimes sounding like a morgue. But I think you can't have it both ways. This board is filled with derisive comments about the Mankato fans' "ole, ole" chant as well as the "M-I-N-N-E-..." (well you get it) cheer in those rinks. Yet it is precisely that kind of non-profane, non-abusive crowd noise that will most likely involve old people (like me) and the "corporate" pukes so many here like to harp on. I'm a grey-haired (shut up TRIOUXPER!) grandfather who thinks the "sieve" thing is a little nasty, and really only "involves" the crowd at (unfortunately) limited times during the game. I certainly am not going to take part in profane or personally hurtful cheers. There is something haunting and intimidating about the Gopher fans' M-I-N-N-etc. cheer. Anyone who attended the World Juniors at The Ralph knows the Canadians (at least) would break out in group cheers or songs at just about any moment during a game. I get the sense that many Fighting Sioux fans have relegated these cheers to the "beneath us" or too corny category, and the atmosphere at The Ralph suffers for that arrogance. Flame away.

I think Katie would whup Joe's a$$! Or if things got tense she'd just call in her hubby and bro-in-law to do her light work.

Just now? Diggler, you're slipping man.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...now everything is better. Thanks PCM.

Missing my coach's show recap.

As much as I'd love to see Cichy in a Fighting Sioux sweater, I just don't see it. This kid has been pegged for major junior for as long as I've known of him. I'll believe it when I see him buying books at Barnes & Noble. (To show you how old I am, I almost wrote "the Union". )

Pretty nice performance by a roller hockey player from Georgia.

Miller for Hobey!

never mind...

Not to take anything away from TheTriouxper, but I believe Al Gore invented the concept.

I'm in agreement with thetriouxper here. Although until JT makes it back to the lineup (and until Hak asks for our input on his lines ) all this talk is just that...talk.

Strangely, mullets were not as prevalent as I'd expected. Lots and lots of black t-shirts and buzz cuts, though. And a surprising number of couples comprised of skinny men and obese women.

I hate to admit that I was at the above-mentioned concert Saturday. And from a cursory glance around the dome, there weren't too many students in attendance; neither current nor former students; of any institute of higher learning.

That was as ugly a game as any Fighting Sioux fan has had to endure for a long, long time. Even after "winning" the first period it was pretty obvious this was going to be an ugly night for the home team. I've never seen worse passing or more standing around by a hockey team. Lammy was left out to dry several times by very sloppy play in front of him; neither the defense nor forwards were finding their men and tying them up. As bad as the score was, it could've been much, much worse. Five of the Maine's goals were in the second, so at the other end of the ice from me, but the Black Bears had chance after chance after chance from 15 feet and in. The Sioux simply weren't tying anyone up. Several times I counted three Maine men all alone from the dots in. I don't think anyone knew who or where their man was. Maine came out hitting hard, and I think it took the Sioux out of their game. They plugged neutral ice, cutting off all passing lanes, so the Sioux couldn't get their "running" game going at all. I looked like a trap, but it was an aggressive strategy, not a Wisconsin-style collapse. There was a lot of clutching and grabbing, however, which further exasperated the Sioux. Two of Toews' penalties were a direct result of being held or hacked; I think Jon simply got frustrated and lost his cool. When he didn't show for the third I at first thought Hak had benched him. But I saw Jon try to come back up the tunnel twice before he was finally sent to the showers. An insider I talked to said he didn't think Jon's injury is "major", but he might not be back Saturday. There were some highpoints for the Sioux however: Duncan's goal was a thing of beauty from all angles. Lee made a long cross-ice pass to TJ deep, perhaps at the left dot, who then rifled a pass to Duncan all the way back across the ice on the right dot. Bishop is a huge goalie who covers a lot of space, but his size worked against him as he was sashaying back and forth reacting to the passes and simply couldn't get that big from of his back to the post to block Duncan's shot. Fabian, Genoway and Kaip turned in a pretty good effort; workman-like, but high tempo. Watkins, Kozek and Porter, when they were skating together, showed good energy and both Kozek and Watkins showed amazing speed. But by the third, when the lines were scrambled due to Toews' injury, and when the game was clearly out of hand, no one looked good. I didn't see anything special from the defense tonight. I don't believe there were any major passing mistakes (ala Saturday in Madison) but there were dozens of missed assignments and open Black Bears as a result. Two things strike me (neither of which I am happy to relate): I'm not so sure that this team is going to score goals to the extent many of us here expect. I was reminded tonight of how frustrated Parise and Bochenski became toward the end of Zach's last year here. They were banged up, held up, slashed and generally beaten to a pulp, and effectively neutralized as goal scorers. Maine's performance tonight could be an omen of what's to come as opponents try to shut down the Sioux speed and finesse. The other thing that stood out in my mind was how quickly the Sioux were taken out of their game by Maine's hitting. There were two or three thunderous checks into the boards behind Lammy early in the first, and it seemed like the Sioux were a bit hesitant to go into the corners after that. That lack of aggression kept the Sioux from breaking out of the zone quickly, and effectively eliminated any chance of odd-man rushes because Maine had all kinds of time getting their skaters back into position. Saturday's performance will be an interesting testament to what this team is made of. I know it is very early in the season, but this is gut-check time. The Sioux were out-skated, out-shot, out-muscled and out-passed for almost the entire game tonight. Hak needs to find some way to help these kids recover to get a split. The good thing is that this game is so early in the season. And this remains an extremely talented albeit young team. I don't recall seeing this group of skaters being on the receiving end of such physical play; they need to come out Saturday with the mindset of reclaiming their speed and finesse game. If they can get into a running game with Maine, the Sioux will win.

Nice picture MM; thanks for reminding us all what a classy program we support.