farce poobah

Okay then .... The story starts with growing up in a household of NDSU alumni and fans. Now, I'm not one with the outright hate of everything Bison, but like a lot of teenagers, I wanted to be a bit "contrarian". So I became a Sioux fan. When I got old enough to think about what I wanted to do, I decided UND was the better fit than NDSU (own the farm rather than work on it...), and anything out of state was beyond the family budget in the difficult economy of 1977. On my first campus visit, I stayed with a classmate, who got us tickets to hockey. I had heard a lot about it. As luck would have it, it was the night of the Sioux-Badgets pregame brawl ... not that I could really fathom why it was all happening (what led up to THAT), but i could sure see what was going on and it was madness. It was mayhem. (It was a lot like "Slap Shot" the movie, only real and right in front of 3000 rabid students.) Upon arrival on campus, I happened to get in with a great bunch of guys, some of whom knew hockey and a few like me that wondered why they were mowing the ice between periods. So starting as a Sioux fan, I've grown to be a fan of the game itself. I learned to skate at UND ... even though it was a good thing I took it pass-fail because I'm not sure what grade Rick Wilson or Gino would have given me (maybe a D+). I was fortunate to use a lot of icebags, have a skilled medical person drain my knee a couple times, and learn to play the game (a little) on the English Coulee, the outdoor rinks in University Park (the little kids went home after 10 pm), and the occasional late-night indoor ice somewhere in town. I learned just how damn difficult the game is to play well. The combination of core strength, gross motor, and fine motor is unmatched in other team sports (the decathlon is perhaps the closest in demanding "all of the above"). But the hardest part of playing hockey is mental. Its frustrating, its infuriating, its maddeningly simple to know what needs to be done but not be able to execute it ... Hockey is a humbling game (ever seen a basketball player wipe out on accident?), and hockey requires the strongest character traits I can think of ... at least among team sports. So I came to admire the culture of hockey, but even more so, the culture of University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey. Even 37 years ago, Gino talked about the same kinds of character and culture that Blais and Hakstol have talked about ever since. I liked that UND hockey blended the best aspects of American and Canadian hockey, the best parts of urban and rural hockey. I liked how many of the players were the first one in their family to go to college, and the obligation they felt to really "get an education" in addition to following their dream of playing professionally. If you ever wanted to get out of Dawson Creek, BC - hockey was one good way out. Even back then, the players knew the tradition, and carried with them as a matter of pride. Talking to someone like Mickey Krampotich in 1984, he knew who had worn the jersey number 8 before him, and took pride in adding to the tradition. I came to appreciate the story of Fido Purpur, who got a chance to play with the Blackhawks when Americans were not hired by most of the Original Six in the NHL. (Thank you Frederic McLaughlin, may you rest in peace. You're why I have been a Chicago Blackhawks fan since the 1970's.) I admired and appreciated how the Founding Fathers of UND hockey started from nothing and built something rather amazing. Since a couple of my great-grandparents lived in a sod cave upon settling in the late 1800's, this aspect of UND hockey hit close to home. i came to appreciate the men in stripes. Back in the day, the glass was low enough to have a good conversation between whistles. And it was also fairly easy to find the refs at local watering holes. They don't do it for the money, or for the glamour, or to get booed every night. These were purists who loved the game, and put that in motion. Guys with families, understanding bosses, regular jobs or business owners. As I was starting to learn the game, I came to realize that home ice advantage wasn't just the 200x85 rink. It was the 6000 fans in the stands, seeking to impose their outcome on the game. Again, I was part of a great bunch of guys (and a few females) who were determined to make the most of each weekend's opportunity. And, yeah it was more fun than should have otherwise been legal. (Save Farce stories for another time.) I believe that UND created generations of good will by how they seated students (the good seats SHOULD go to students ... at all colleges ... but only a few actually create their home ice advantage that way). That loyalty, built over generations, is why there's a steady steam of cars each Friday heading into Grand Forks. I bet some come from even farther than the 300 mile trip I make. Bottom line, like most people I've mellowed a bit with age. But I am still bloody passionate about my hockey team. And when they pick a new nickname, I'll go along with it, and over time maybe even come to like it. But I will always be a fan of the UND Fighting Sioux.

Oops. My bad. To the original question ... I can't think of one specific reason (but about a hundred). Back to your regularly scheduled thread...

16. You're part of the reason Don Lucia wanted a cooling off period. 17. You still applaud Dean Blais, even though he hasn't coached your team for a decade. 18. You still applaud Gino Gasparini, even though its been 2 decades. 19. You're on a first name basis with WCHA/NCHC refereeing crew, and buy them a round when you see them at your favorite watering hole. 20. You watch Mankato vs Bemidji when your favorite team gets a weekend off.

You might be a Sioux fan if .... 1. Your family members freeze the gophers they kill while hunting. 2. Your family members ask if you want the badger frozen. 3. You met your future spouse at a UND hockey game. 4. You teach the little ones to sieve maroon and gold wherever they see it. (BC, Minnesota, Arizona State, USC ...) 5. You sing the Beer Song at bedtime to your little children. 6. Your season tickets are 300+ miles away. 7. Fridays and Saturday's are "RESERVED" for 28 weekends between October 1 and April 12. 8. You know Western Canada place names and can find them on a map - Castlegar, Dawson Creek, Moose Jaw, High River, Burnaby, Carman... 9. You know which players came from which towns. 10. You see Gwozdecky and want to start singing "Dancing Queen".

I could never say how I feel as well as the Psalmist. 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Excellent pizza. My daughters went to Grimaldi's on Friday night - during the game - "for good luck". I guess it worked.

From experience, make sure all the females know there's gophers on ice in the cooler. Just to avoid surprises or screaming ...

Oh, and if anyone actually does this, I'll contribute to reimbursing them for any legal fees incurred.

Getting it on the ice is easy. The hard part is getting it onto an airplane. Maybe put it in a kennel and dress it up like a kitty.

Somewhere, the rest of the NCAA is saying "dang it, why did we put Minnesota and North Dakota in different regions?"

Well, we certainly got outplayed tonight. Only a week after some of the worst puck luck ever (vs Miami), we catch a break. Which brings me to my point: I cannot remember ever winning an NCAA tournament game in which we were decidedly outplayed yet won. We've certainly outplayed other teams and lost (most notable recent game Michigan 2011) a lot of times. Can anyone else think of an occurrence?

Ferris is really really hard to play against. They make their opponents look slow and mess up passing lanes. Really well coached. We need short shifts and use our speed advantage.

Good. Now ferris has to come out of their shell.

Gary Thorne is excellent.

I love Buccigross. Hope he calls more games: "Another MOSH PIT in front of the goaltender..."

:) Iron is the goaltender's only friend.

With the win tonight, we also move up in the Pairwise.

With the win tonight, Hakstol improves to 13 wins and just 4 losses in NCAA Regional play. That's .765 ... which deserves a WOW.

Hakstol: A real determined effort. We got good minutes from Stecher and Thompson, and helped us turn around the game. St Clair's line gave us a big handful of big energy shifts, some vs WI top line. Our team thrives on everybody contributing and everybody getting minutes. Berry one step ahead of predicting who's coming on from the other bench. We were back on our heels early in the second, but Rocco's goal got us back on our front foot. We were too slow on our first powerplays. But we were better later ... and built some momentum. Zengerle is very hard to contain. Creates time and space, and thought McMillan did a good job against him. Wisconsin is a really good hockey team. But I did feel like we would play well. We came in loose and focused, and we will play another good hockey game tomorrow.

Weak weak weak Gothberg has to step up

We look fabulous in center ice counterattack mode

Nice prediction

Darn right Rumple looks like teh suk tonight ... Everything on net boys

The Zengerle lime is the real deal. But stop them. .... And we win.

In the NCAA's, the lineup needs as much speed as possible. Interference might actually get called by non-NCHC refs, at least historically. Not to mention hooking and slashing, which are rarely penalties out west.