nodakvindy

Bingo!

Actually the BU win really helps Maine, as it will keep them a TUC and help Maine hold on to that comparsion against UND. There is a chance that the best thing that could happen to Maine would be to get swept by Merrimack. It will hurt their RPI, but not enough to likely lose any comparisons. They also wouldn't have to face any more TUCs that could beat them and hurt them in that category. UND will probably have to win the Final Five and have Maine lose to a TUC to win the head-to-head comparison. Otherwise, they will need to stay in a three way tie or have Maine lose a comparison against someone else to get the overall #1 seed.

#8 BU 3 #1 BC 2 Also, New Hampshire and UMass pick up game 1 wins. BC is slumping at the worst time. However, some great UND teams were pushed to 3 games in the opening round so the Eagles certainly aren't done for.

Good call Maine fan. I had figured BU or Northeastern would loose and drop out as TUCs, which would have kept the Maine-UND comparison on UND's side. The current TUC definition is a joke. Northeastern is a TUC and didn't even make the conference tournament. To me that is far worse than having AHA and CHA teams in with above .500 records. The current rule is a huge benefit to Hockey East since they have more non-conference games and can build up a better RPI. I think it should be revised so that a TUC must have an above .500 winning percentage AND and above .500 RPI. Also, the Yale games will count as losses.

A nice history of the cup can be found here - http://www.uscollegehockey.com/m/19981999/macnaughton.html

Maine 2 BC 0 End of 2

While UND has a solid #1 position in RPI and that has aided their position in the Pair Wise, it never hurts to solidify that even further. Much like the Notre Dame-Syracuse influenced the BCS title game, other NCAA games will impact the the Sioux RPI. Why is this important, since UND seems a lock for a #1 seed? Well, the overall #1 seed is the home team throughout, meaning they have last change in all games and that is a huge advantage, one coach Blais has been able to exploit during previous NCAAs. So, here's who to pull for this weekend UAA and MSU-Mankato - both are in non-conference action, so winning adds to our Opponents Winning Percentage for both schools and also Opponents Opponents Winning Percentage by helping all other league schools. Denver - Since we played them four times as opposed to twice for CC, a Denver win is twice as good for Opponents winning percentage. UM-D - Same thought as Denver, having played the Dogs five times. St. Cloud - Doesn't have much of an effect either way, but pulling for the Gophers is morally wrong. Yale - The ECAC playoffs open this weekend and Yale can add some wins, helping our Opponents Winning Percentage. They are at home this weekend, so have a good chance of winning. The farther they go, the better for us. Wayne St, Findlay - Same reason as Yale, although these CHA bottom feeders are less likely to win. Maine - This one is addition by subtraction. BC wins would benefit our RPI, but losses hurst theirs much more. BC is the only team close to us in RPI. And obviously we watch the Sioux take it to MTU in the most important series of all.

See you next week! Spring Break Plans UND - Final Five at the X MTU - Weekend in Flint On a more season long note Bulldogs... No Cup For You! (Would have been even better last week) Sioux tickets - $20 Sioux jersey - $75 Englestad Arena -$100 Million Claiming the Cup - Priceless

I am on board with the I-29 corridor. I think the state should shut Mayville state down and sell the campus to the feds for a Homeland Security training facility. There are a lot of tie-ins that could be used - the School of Aviation at UND, the nanotechnology programs at NDSU, etc. The proximity to the border is also an advantage. The National Fire Academy is on a former college campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland, a town similar in size to Mayville, so there is precadent.

Here's another side of the story. Ironic that it also ran today. http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/20...state/sta01.txt As for Grand Forks not matching Fargo and Bismarck in growth, the flood is the decisive factor. The fact that the community did not hemorrhage population is nothing short of amazing. Working in the disaster business, you see the emotional and mental scars on a community. Grand Forks is a textbook study on how to recover. Sure there are the occasional missteps and the typical local government quabbling, but the recovery of Grand Forks-East Grand Forks has been remarkable and the rebuilt infrastructure is a huge leg up for the future.

Dogs up 4-3

You are right NDSU = Fargo's college = modest local interest UND = North Dakota's university = considerable regional interest

ASU may have taunted Kerr, but it was Duke that "cheered" in a manner no better than the Mexican fans. During the Duke-Arizona game, the Cameron Crazies were chanting "PLO, PLO" at Kerr. That incident pretty much cemented my lifelong hatred of Duke.

This is the early frontrunner for line of the year! Go K-Dawg

Has Brandt?

Better in that you may be competitive with them. Face it, NDSU football - for all it's legend - is confined to 2 ten year periods or greatness. Other than that not much. It's much like UCLA basketball. Living on the glory of the past. The all time record against UND isn't even that close and even the Nickel Trophy Era is in favor of the Sioux. SDSU is making the move to DI for basketball, I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped football or went non-scholarship in a few years. They were only marginally competitive in the NCC, there is no reason to believe they will suddenly become a powerhouse in IAA. Enjoy your Land Grant School "rivalry".

That's simply not true. Michigan has tried very hard to cut this type of activity out. Even going so far as having Red Berenson get on the mic before the game and ask the students to cool it with the expletives. He had his grandson on the ice with him. They also sent letters to their student season ticket holders prior to the start of the season. Michigan State is also trying to end such behavior.

Um, no. That's a half filled hockey facility. One of the selling points of the Ralph when it was built was that it would be hockey only. Its sightlines are for hockey. The Betty is a basketball/volleyball facility and it is designed as such. We've had separate facilities in the past and that should continue. The multipurpose facilities at the pro level that were built in the 70s were an absymal failure and we should take note of that. And if we already have the Ralph, again what is the point of the Betty. Building a 4000 seat practice facility is simply idiotic. If there isn't some master plan, like getting a pro training camp here, I just don't understand this.

I would guess this will mean the closure of Columbia 4. Although it would be great if they could operate that as a second run theatre, something missing in this market since the closure of the Plaza Twin. Another option would be a cinema grille route with arthouse type films, something every college town should really have.

I bet the NCAA would love that "bend the rules" part.

Maybe it's a concession that the Betty was foolishly underbuilt with a seating capacity of only 4000. If they could have gone 5500-6000 it would have been perfect. Unless it's a game of Kansas-like magnitude, hoops in the Ralph just doesn't make sense. With complaints about atmosphere for hockey, it seems like the Ralph will be morgue-like for games against what will be left of the NCC.

With all NCC hoops at the Ralph, what exactly is the point of the Betty? This also makes it look like another road heavy late schedule for the hockey team and with all those basketball games I would expect poor ice conditions. I wish I understood the thought processes going into these new facilities.

Mankato's bad record hurt your RPI and Bemidji's good one helped Minnesota. Also, should Bemidji's RPI get above .500 so they become a TUC, or if they win the CHA tourney and they become one automatically, that will hurt you since you lost to them. Here's my prediction of the tourney pairings if the season ended today. West North Dakota vs. Bemidji State Minnesota-Duluth vs. Ohio State Midwest Minnesota vs. Massachusetts Michigan vs. St. Cloud State Northeast Boston College vs. Holy Cross New Hampshire vs. Denver East Maine vs. Brown Wisconsin vs. Miami