nodakvindy

The ISU radio broadcast is available here. http://isubengals.cstv.com/multimedia/stretch.html

$40 is a joke. That's got to be the highest price in college hockey. And yet, I'm sure they will sell the tickets no problem. But to put it in perspective, I just bought tickets for Game 1 of the NLCS for $45. At some point you wonder when people will say enough is enough. And I guess for me this is the year. I can still enjoy it on TV and will just try to hit some other games and make a few road trips.

I was at LAX for what was supposed to be a 6:00 am flight to Minneapolis. My sister had just had my nephew the night before and I was thinking that my fantasy football season was over as Ed McCaffrey had broken his leg during the Monday night opener just hours previous. As I got to the gate, I suddenly see that my flight is cancelled, then check the next gate over and see that one is as well. No one really knows what is going on. A group finally gathers around a single TV outside an unopen retaurant. With no sound initially it was difficult to figure what was going on. Eventually we came to understand what was happening. They sent our bags back out to the baggage claim. I got a ride back to the friends' house I was staying at and was trying to figure out how I would get home. It was eerie driving through a nearly empty LAX with a ton of satellite trucks in front of the American and United terminals. I ended up staying in LA Tuesday and got a rental car on Wednesday morning. Ended up driving through to Bismarck for work, stopping for about 6 hours in Salt Lake City. That drive was something to remember, all the flags flying and the yellow ribbons, in cities, small towns, on fence posts at ranches. Messages on signs like "We are united" and "God Bless America", a reminder that once in while we are still all on the same team. I had quite a few friends that worked down at Ground Zero in the aftermath, and heard a lot of stories. Definitely something that won't be forgotten

Tough half bracket for UND. After London, we would have to get by Montreal and then likely either Toronto or Detroit. That's three old school classics right there. Would have been cool if they had thrown in National teams as well. On that front, I'm a big fan of both Sweden and Finland.

The bigger story is that this wave of announcements seems to signal the end of home ice regionals. I wonder if the UP Center in Fargo would be large enough for UND to host there. Can't see any other viable location where we could host unless they put ice in the Alerus.

I think Moorhead actually makes more sense, since you then officially include Minnesota in the bid. That probably means something to USA hockey. I also think the UP center would probably be too large to be the secondary facility. You know they will load all the USA and Canada games into a ticket package for REA, so the smaller rink will have less attractive games. Attendance at REA TRF was pretty weak and that was with Russia (and Alex Ovechkin) playing there.

I'd love to see that UND-Montana game on statewide TV, maybe FOX. They are a relatively untapped local media resource and you only need to tap KVRR and West Dakota FOX for statewide coverage. Also, if it's a 8:00 local start they wouldn't have to pre-empt any network programming, which is always a challenge for affiliates.

I'm guessing UAA has some quirks to try to limit the number of trips they have to make. I know they regularly have back to back road trips where they don't go to Alaska. It would make sense not to split up there trips to Colorado and perhaps they do something similar with Duluth and Tech, or even pair those with other trips, like Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively.

Anything is possible. Just look at Josh Hamilton.

how about mite games during an intermission? That's a staple at most places. Also, this year the Bruins did something called Mini One on One which was essentially a shootout competition. They would show highlights of it during intermission. It's a great way to reach out to the community and get young kids hooked on Sioux hockey. And get more of the school song and Fight On Sioux. I think that's much more our tradition than the choreographed cheers of Cornell, Wisconsin and the liked.

The T is OK, there is a lot of long overdue renovation going on. If you're making a trip of more than just a day or two, other flight options are Manchester (MHT) and Providence (PVD). Fares can be much cheaper. That said, flying Northwest into Logan is very convenient. They are the only domestic airline in terminal E and if you know where to go, security lines aren't any longer than in GF. A few other hotel options that I haven't seen mentioned but have stayed at and had good experiences. - Marriott's Custom House (great location and great staff) - Holiday Inn Beacon Hill (near TD Bank Garden and the Red Hat, a UND friendly bar, also an easy walk to the North End) - Hampton Inn Cambridge (at end of the green line, not near a lot but FREE parking, nice new hotel at fair price) The Icebreaker will be during the peak of foliage season, so New England will be full of tourists and its about the most expensive time to get hotels. Hotel rates will be a lot lower in December and likely so will airfares. You certainly can get by without a car in Boston, but if you are staying for a couple of extra days there are a lot of easy day trips that make a car worth considering. During foliage season, a trip up into New Hampshire and Vermont is almost a must. Other close in historic sites and Salem, Lexington and Concord, the Kennedy Library, and Plymouth.

At the regionals and Frozen Four, they work for the NCAA. The rest of the year they work for Sheperd and McLeod. Nuff said.

The sad part is that BC has basically just taken the blueprint of the late 90s Sioux while we have reverted to the Gino-era style of play.

At this point all I can say is Go Notre Dame!

Gotta put the puck on net. That power play was awful. Quit with the cutesy passing.

This is reminiscent of the Kansas-North Carolina game. Just need to put pucks on net. Also maybe skate the puck in and not just dump it. Gerbe has made the plays, now we need to see that from our big guns.

Firstdibz.com is starting to get more expensive for round 1, but round 2 ticket futures are still pretty cheap for the upper bowl.

Norway Qualifies for U18 in USA This is a little bit of extra good news. Nice to have another team to cheer for.

Check out firstdibz.com They have futures for a possible game five pretty cheap, and second round options and beyond are very reasonable.

I was lucky and noticed on his website back in February that he was doing a WCHA print. I figured it would sell out, but not this quickly. He has done some great work. His classic Mariucci print of the Sioux and Gophers is now worth several thousand dollars.

Definitely take 85. Then hop on 90 over to Sundance Wyoming and head south. 85 through the Black Hills is slow and windy, scenic but a pain if you are in a hurry. Another option is to take 90 all the way to Gillette and then take Wyoming 59 south to Douglas where you hit I-25. Just make sure to get gas in Gillette, because there isn't anything until Douglas which is about 110 miles.

The Casey tribute was quite prominent at the old arena. I've never found it at the new one. Pretty inexplicable. That 12 should be hanging from the rafters.

If it's on ESPN360 it should be on channelsurfing.net The North Dakota Michigan game was on last year.

I disagree, the big ice is makes it easier to bog down the game. The 2004 regional is perfect evidence of that. About the only offense created is via special teams. Look at the teams that feast on the power play, St. Cloud, Minnesota and CC. That's no coincidence. You can spread things out more and really take advantage. That's why, with the inconsistency of the Sioux power play, I was really hoping to go east to avoid the Olympic rinks.

What a joke, UND-Princeton should have been in Worcester and Miami-Air Force should have been in Madison. What a terrible job by the committee! The pairings were looking good after two regions.