nodakvindy

With the massive rains back east, just wondering how you are holding up. Having been through the 97 floods, I'm sure everyone in the Red River Valley is thinking about our friends in the Northeast. Gotta take care of the Sioux-Scarlet Knight alliance!

Any truth to the rumor that ESPN 8 "The Ocho" is also looking at adding some games. That Cotton McKnight is a hell of a broadcaster.

The Saturday New Hampshire game is on New Hampshire Public TV and they have a free webcast of good quality. www.nhptv.org They also archive the games, so if you miss it you can watch later.

Perhaps Conrad was referring to the total backpedaling of the Higher Ed Board. It was their edict that took the name change decision out the University's hands. In that case, I think Conrad's comments are warranted.

Interesting that Adam Wodon is the managing editor of this. Apparently he has left USCHO. He is well thought of in the hockey community, so I bet this site will become a good source for news. There are some other quality folks affiliated with this as well. And it does look like they are looking for sudo reporters as well. http://www.collegehockeynews.com/pub/jobs.php

The Oct. 28 Denver at UND game is scheduled for ESPNU.

I'm stoked. I get both OLN and CBC on basic cable. Hopefully OLN will get Canadian camera guys that actually know how to shoot a hockey game. I'm sure they will poach some guys from ESPN in much the way that most of the CBS guys went to FOX when CBS lost the NFC.

A white jersey with the following lettering in green. "The NCAA banned our logo and all I got was this lousy jersey!"

If a name change is necessary, I say we throw support behind the coolest of the Viking warriors - berserkers. It would be very distinctive and very marketable.

The Sioux have now had as many first rounders in the past three years (6) as in the prior 35 years combined. I think that is evidence of the quality of recent recruits as well as the cosmic shift in the willingness of NHL GMs to look outside the CHL for players.

Kozek goes to Atlanta at 53

As a Sens fan I love this pick. Also, Brian Lee is the third Sioux picked #9 overall, joining John Marks and James Patrick. The only Sioux drafted higher was Jason Herter, who went #8. Will be interesting to see how the rest of the draft unfolds. Wouldn't be surprised to see Finley go in the first round as well.

Ottawa just picked Brian Lee in the #9 position. Congrats!

I remember finally getting home and flipping on the TV to channel 3 and there being two simple words "We Won". Definitely a great day to be a Sioux fan. That day was the catalyst for an unprecedented decade of success by the UND athletic program.

North Dakota has received a federal disaster declaration for the 13th staight year. This will help counties in the Devils Lake region and other areas following the severe storms of last month. http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18108

Star2city, Some interesting thoughts on potential conference affiliations. I think that you romanticize the Big Sky somewhat and underestimate the potential of the Mid-Con. I'm not sure that the makeup of schools is that different in the two conferences. In the Big Sky, only Montana and Montana St. truly fill the role of state flagships. Also, in terms of rivals, I think it is really a stretch to call them that, since we have had minimal contact in the last 30 years. I also think the reorienting you speak of is unrealistic. The Big Sky schools are truly western, Mountain or Pacific time zones, located in the Rockies or west Coast. They have little in common with the eastern Dakotas, where UND, NDSU and SDSU are all located. Now to the Mid-Con. I think this league could have great potential with a few moves of existing teams and a couple of extra moves from DII. Centenary is leaving soon and Southern Utah will continue to look for a more geographically appropriate league (likely the Big Sky). The following set up could fare quite nicely West - UND, NDSU, SDSU, UNO, UMKC, Oral Roberts East - Chicago St., IUPUI, W. Illinois, Oakland, IUPU-Ft. Wayne (current independent) and possibly Northern Kentucky of Grand Valley St. Grand Valley would be a nice rival for Oakland, Northern Kentucky would bring the Cincinnati market. If you could get Grand Valley, you would even have six football schools and could have a Mid-Con football league. Such a grouping of schools would give the league stability it has never had and lead to a brighter future. You could even do like the Horizon league and change the name to rid the demons of the Mid-Con. Perhaps the Heartland Conference or Great America Conference. Finally the current Mid-Con has swimming, the one non-revenue sport where UND could possibly be competitive.

I posted the Kupchella letter in the original thread about Marshall, but having had more time to think and carefully reread the letter, I wonder if perhaps there isn't a different interpretation. Kupchella's words were "Most of what I will be able to accomplish here has been accomplished." I don't think he's saying that there isn't more he could or would like to accomplished, but that it simply isn't something that he can do. This may be a thinly veiled shot at the State Board of Higher Ed and also the "old Boys" network of people tied to UND like Earl Strinden and even Tom Clifford. The president's position certainly doesn't seem to wield the power that it did when Clifford was there, despite efforts to make decision-making more autonomous at the various campuses. The letter may also serve as a warning to other administrators that UND doesn't want a decision maker, but merely a puppet that answers to self-appointed influential alumni. The handling of the nickname issue and Engelstad Arena certainly do little to counter that opinion. I think someone needs to start answering these questions. Since Clifford's departure, two presidents have served and it appears both will leave with some clouds of uncertainty hanging over their heads. This despite the first being enormously popular among the student body and ably guiding the University through the devastating flood and the second leading the school to unprecedented research gains and increasing enrollment at a time when Grand Forks and the state as a whole have seen population drops. What's wrong with this picture?

This was pretty interesting. If the president believes his work here is done, then perhaps it is time to move on. New president, New AD. Would think a DI move might be imminent in that event. http://www.marshall.edu/presidentialsearch...hellaLetter.pdf

There used to be display for Casey at the Old Engelstad, along with one for Dave Christian, Tony Hrkac and the friendship broom. However all of these items seemed to have disappeared when the new arena was built. There should most definitely be a banner for Casey's #12 much like the 23 banner. Another interesting tidbit about Casey is that he came from the hockey hotbed of Great Falls, Montana.

To me the interesting thing about the story is that the WCHA is dropping the ball on the Lambeau Game. You have to put either Minnesota or North Dakota in that game. Putting Ohio State in now makes it a Big Ten event rather than a WCHA event. And to think the member schools gave McLeod another 3 years on his contract. Just baffling.

USIU actually beat the Sioux during the 86-87 season, and disbanded their program not much after that. They were in a short-lived conference with Northern Arizona and the Alaska schools.

Not a problem, should have pointed out that clarification in my initial post.

The countries listed can't use the service because they will have television coverage. It can be viewed in the USA.

But it is quintessentially North Dakotan. Quietly standing resolute, its stature a not so subtle symbol of the vitality of the state It's also cool on New Year's Eve. And of course on the inside it is beautiful and the view from the observation deck is quite spectacular. It's not like the dime a dozen capitals with domes and rotundas, and it's all the more impressive considering it was built during the peak of the Great Depression. I would have liked to see a walleye from Lake Sakakawea. Can't recall any state quarters with any fish.