nodakvindy

PCM, that's a pretty intriguing statement, care to elaborate at all.

Things I miss - the scoreboard scrolling current league standings - recognition of the first retired number at UND and our 1980 Olympic Hero - the friendship broom (bonus points if you even know you competes for it) - player buttons - the Siouxper shot at intermission - a single zamboni - the old dasher boards (pucks would circle the whole way on the rail) - going to the john on the season ticket side and being able to hear Dean or Gino make the paint on the walls blister during an intermission - having the opposing team have to make its way through a mob of Sioux fans - the old school banners for the WCHA schools

A loss to Canisius would be as shocking as the loss to US International over the holidays during the 86-87 season. Although if it resulted in the season ending the same way I would gladly take it.

Those numbers are interesting. First, becuase a large portion of NDSU's revenues and expenses were lumped in the vague "unallocated by gender" pot. This seems like it could be some accounting trick to make things appear better than they are. I think the opposite is happening at UND, with Betty construction costs being absorbed by the athletic department. More importantly NDSU is no where near complying with Title IX, with men receiving 66% of scholarship funds and making up 70% of all athletes despite making up only 55% of the student body. Those scholarship numbers will be further skewed this year with an additional 20 football scholarships. But hey, good luck with that.

With the Big Sky looking as a truly viable option for UND athletics I thought I'd pull out my crystal ball and see what the future has in store should we move ahead on that path. I'll also offer some thought on our neighbors to the south. Sport offerings - Both UND and NDSU have nearly all the required Big Sky offerings, UND would need to add tennis for men, while NDSU would need to add it for men and women. Of course, this requirement could be lifted. Several teams would also be left without a conference. For UND, baseball, softball and men's and women's swimming. For NDSU, baseball, softball and wrestling. Title IX - This has seemingly been glossed over in the NDSU move. They have added a ton of scholarships for football, but no mention has been made of scholarship additions for women. UND is in a much better position in that they offer more women's sports, which can help counteract the extra scholarships of football. Both school seem poised to move up and in short amount of time, be competitive at least on the conference level. Travel budgets would certainly increase, as it nearby opponents are few and far between. However that is increasingly becoming the case in DII. This could also be made up with a few "guarantee" games in basketball and football. The biggest challenge is for the teams with conference affiliations, for swimming this isn't a big deal as the team already travels extensively and this year is competing against a lot of Division I schools. Softball and baseball would be far more difficult. In fact, I believe baseball would be cut if there is a move to DI. Kraft Field is substandard and it is virtually impossible for northern schools to be competitive in baseball. Softball would also be a logical cut, but would likely survive due to Title IX. NDSU would have a more difficult choice as I think they would also need to cut a sport, with Wrestling and Baseball the only options. Wrestling is a highly successful program, but the sport is dying at the collegiate level. The baseball team has a fantastic facility, but again it's nearly impossible to succeed in DI. One other likely outcome of the DI move is the loss of local kids making up a large portion of teams. I don't think you can underestimate the importance of having local athletes in terms of media attention and attendance. If future Sioux teams are populated by athletes from Milwaukee, Chicago, California and Texas then it could be difficult to keep fan interest if the losses start piling up. Finally, while I think it is prudent to stay aware of the fiscal challenges of the move in the short term, a long term view is also needed. The gradual downward spiral of DII makes it almost certain that UND will need to move to DI. While it might be hard now, it will likely be just as difficult later and the likelihood of a good conference match is slim. For that reason I think the time is now for a DI move.

The road playoff demons are exorcised. On to Houghton!

It's heart attack time again

UGH! terrible play calling. 5 wides on 3rd and 2. How can you not at least make them think about the run.

I'll go out on a limb and say that if those are indeed the regional pairings, get ready for Sioux-Lakers III at the Alerus on Nov. 27

UND had some solid clubs during that time, especially the mid to late 60s. 1970-78 and 1990-95 can fairly be described as lean periods in Sioux hockey history. Both ended with the arrival of news coaches, John "Gino" Gasparini in 1979 and Dean Blais in 1994. The recent arrival of coach Hakstol is the first time a new coach has taken over the program in good shape since a spate of coaching changes in the 1960s. I know in a previous message you mentioned the Sioux playing Army or Princeton. It doesn't look like they will play at either any time soon, but if you haven't done so, you should take the opportunity to go to a game at Princeton. Their home, Hobey Baker Rink (also the namesake for hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy) is college hockey's equivalent of Wrigley Field. Every fan should see at least one game there. The place just oozes history, and the hot chocolate is good and very cheap. Roads trips are one of the real joys of college hockey and if you get a chance to see the Sioux on the road, you will see how rabid and passionate Sioux fans are in following their team. Welcome aboard!

I've watched both dataflix and last night's Maine broadcast. When dataflix is on, like it was at the end of last season, they are quite comparable. I think dataflix is fine, they just need to make sure all the equipment is up to par. The Maine product certainly wasn't worth twice as much.

Yeah, just stopped and restarted it, now working fine. Damn, missed two goals though.

Anyone's stream working now. I've got the audio, but video just a series of still images.

For all those so worried about track, perhaps UND is waiting for a joint announcment of the move to DI and a contact to train pilots and air traffic controllers for Air Kenya. I wouldn't mind seeing UND focus some money on getting so internationals who could potentially make their nation's Olympic teams. This could get us some media attention. Women's hockey, track and swimming all seem like possible targets.

The number of sports doesn't matter, it's both the number of opportunities (ie athletes) and the number of scholarships. I'd wager that Big Sky schools that are compliant are maxed out on scholarships for womens' teams and offer the minimum for mens' teams if they only offer the mandated sports. Soccer, Volleyball and Golf don't balance out football, so the balance has to come from the other sports, tennis and track.

I think, with some successful seasons, the women's hockey program has the potential to join women's hoop as revenue positive, or at least self supporting. There is also the potential to produce Olympians, which can have a large benefit in terms of promotion. That's why I think you will continue to see a more international flavor on UND's swim teams. Men's hockey is an abso-freaking-lute cash cow, helping build the Betty and supporting the entire athletic program. No reason to believe that won't continue, and once the U gets control of the Ralph the real money can start to pour in. On the other side of the coin, NDSU added 18.5 scholarships for football this year, where did the money go on the women's side. I've heard nothing about adding a women's sport, which they almost certainly must do. UND is ahead of the game there having already added women's hockey and with it eventually 18 schollies. That's 2/3 of the offset for moving to DI-AA football. Another important consideration is that UND is hosting the crown jewel of DII sports this year, the Elite Eight. I think UND is just waiting until that is over to announce their move. They don't want to distract from that event or diminish the impressive accomplishments UND has achieved in DII. There isn't the need to constantly bad mouth DII like NDSU and SDSU have done.

Bravo, DADDAWG!

The 60 scholarship average is only a requirement if the I-A team needs to count the game to become bowl eligible. NDSU could have played USC or LSU this year, even UND could have. The win just wouldn't have counted toward making them bowl eligible. Schools can only count a I-AA win toward bowl eligibility once every four years I believe. Last year Kansas St. played a couple of I-AAs. They know they will be bowl eligible, so for them it's about home games and a sold out stadium. The new BCS formula may promote more I-A vs. I-AA games, as the polls weight so heavily that the schedule strength element isn't as much of a deterrent. Sorry, somebison beat me to the punch on this.

Franchising sounds interesting, although in most of the rest of the world, a place called the 23 Sports Grille doesn't conjure up the image of Ralph Engelstad.

I was just checking out the CSTV web site and saw that some early season games are listed. Two Sioux games are listed so far, the Oct. 8 game against Maine and the Oct. 29 game against Boston College. Nice to see the national exposure for some big games out east.

Tennessee and Wyoming had a traditional home and home agreement. The first game was in Knoxville. The second was supposed to be in Laramie, but the Nashville Athletic Commission offered the University of Wyoming $2 million (give or take) to play the game at Adelphia Coliseum, affectively buying them out. They accepted and were still the "home" team for the game. Nice money for the school, but a pretty shoddy thing to do to your fanbase at home. It would have been a real treat for them to see Tennessee in person. But that's life in big time college football.

I think a TV show is a decent possibility, as it would also mean a little extra cash for coach Hak. Of the assistant candidates in the Herald, I think Kallay is the most exciting choice. Being at Tech, he is familiar with WCHA recruiting grounds, at might be able to help us retap the once fertile grounds of Thunder Bay. He is also the most likely to actually want the position. Marks is too well established in the pro game and I doubt he'd want to be an assistant. Steve Johnson and Cary Eads haven't jumped at the other assistant opening here, so I'm not sure why they would now. And I think Davidson would be a top candidate for the Duluth job if Sandelin leaves to the NHL should Dean Blais get the Wild job a couple years down the road.

An outside search seemed to work out OK ten years ago. As for recruiting, we've got a ton of guys already locked up for several years out. If I'm a recruit I'd want to know that you will go to every length to find the perfect next coach. That may well be Dave Hakstol or Brad Berry. But to not even look anywhere else seems ridiculous to me. There are also many coaches with UND connections not currently in the program, Steve Johnson and John Marks to name two. Marks is on record as saying he would love the job.

I've been in arenas with both, I much preferred the black. The white reflects much more light and is quite distracting. The black absorbs the light and after a while, your barely notice it. It almost disappears.