dagies

Sioux playing very well so far from what I can tell.

Unless Hakstol is sitting some defensemen, which I doubt, I bet Radke is playing forward.

You know, considering how worked up many of the moron and gold get when Sioux fans wear their Holy Cross jerseys, maybe we should all get Maine or Islanders jerseys with "Snow" on the back.

You may be right. I think they've got a great goalie in Kangas, and that can help out immensely. I guess we'll see how it plays out.

I don't think anyone criticized The Great One when he said he was going to let Wheeler develop at MN because he thought it was a good place to leave him instead of signing him to a pro contract. I think a lot of gopher fans beat their chest about that one. You can't have it both ways. I, too, think this is going to unite the gophers team in a way nothing else could have. I think they will have a strong 2nd half, unfortunately.

Exactly. Lucia laid this at the Islanders feet, but when you read the PP story on Okposo last week it's not a big leap to believe Okposo wanted out now. I think the Islanders likely just said "you can come if you want to". yzerman19, I can see what you say but you can't commit to playing the year with your teammates and then bail half-way through. You just can't do that to your comrades.

Per your request, that story is here. Did Lucia's biggest fan help convince Okposo to move along? I really doubt the Isles put much pressure on him to sign.

Kaip is a pretty good puck possession guy, and plays physical. He may help that line control the puck in the offensive zone. I would guess that's what the coaches are looking at. We'll see if the experiment hits the light of day (UNH) or not.

I don't blame the Native Americans for this action considering the atrocious treatment they received from the hands of the US government after signing the treaties. That said, I think it should have happened a long time ago. I fail to see the benefit at this time. Maybe in the end, however this situation is resolved, it will be better for the Native Americans. That much I hope.

Okposo did play very very well against the Sioux, but I think Carman will fill a chunk of the talent drain and his attitude and teamwork will make up for the rest. I think the Gophers will play with a chip on their shoulder the rest of the way, if for no reason than to show up the O'Briens and Okposos et al.

There's a reason the NCAA makes a player sit out a year if they transfer schools within their division, or go up a division (i.e. go from D2 to D1). That's to keep the best players from disrupting their teams for their own selfish reasons. If you aren't a great player, however, you can go from D1 to D2 without sitting out a year. Why? Because you weren't that important to your team. When a Greico or Bishop leaves because they aren't getting ice time, they may hurt depth but it's way different from one of the more important players on a team bolting for a payday, leaving the rest of the team high and dry mid-season.

After you blow town in the middle of a tough season see how welcome you are when you come back to pick up your couch. Sure, they'll have you in for a beer, but they won't tell you about the bars of soap in the towels (cue Full Metal Jacket here)...

Lou Nanne was on KFAN tonite and said he's quite certain that Bettman is talking to all of the GM's and telling them that signing players during the season will be frowned upon. For what good that does. It will be interesting to see where Okposo goes. There's a lot of assumption that he'll go to the big club to fill in for the suspended player. But Okposo isn't available for probably close to 2 weeks? So they will fill in somehow. If they weren't sure Okposo was ready last summer, they can't be sure he's ready now. Despite what Lucia said, I'm guessing Okposo was the main driver in this deal.

I agree. In a way I'd rather have taken a beating at the hands of a better MN roster than to beat them with an even more depleted roster. I want to know we can beat the best, and it doesn't allow you to hide your own weaknesses. True, it very well could come back to UND or another program. Hopefully not for a long time, though. I think it's been many years since a college player did this. Hopefully many more. That said, I'm guessing the Islanders didn't twist his arm all the hard after reading the story in the PP last week. Okposo didn't seem to be enjoying his college experience all that much and it was widely rumored he really wanted to go last summer.

Leaving mid-season is a terrible way to treat your team and your teammates, no matter who you play for. But if it had to happen to a program..........

He speaks it just fine. It's the typing that gives him fits.

In a one-and-done tournament, there isn't a single team that cannot be beaten, or cannot beat another team. See Holy Cross See Michigan in '97

Not too hip on Pioneers due to Denver. I kind of like "Skinners". It fits well should we be back to playing NDSU in rivalry games again.

Who's wearing the halos now?

You know, I love how the gopher fans were whining about what a bunch of hacks the Sioux players are, and how dirty the program is that Hakstol runs, and then there's Bickel sitting on the bench flicking off guys on the ice, and Bickel in this video butt-ending Miller in the back of the head. Watch it again if you don't believe me. Bickel likes to use that butt-end. I think he put it into Watkins back in the Friday game too.

Just watched the replay myself. Interesting how some MN fans were lauding Bickel for wanting to go over the boards to help out in the brouhaha, but instead Lucia was actually getting on him because he was giving Finley the finger. Oooooo, that's gotta hurt big Joe.

Maybe, but my recollection is a lot of screaming about all the penalties, and no flow to the game, etc. The way I remember it the fans weren't willing to be patient enough for the coaches and players to finally adapt.

The rules in lacrosse allow for monsterous equipment. I always think those goalies must be obese to be that big.

I suggest that we, as a fanbase, did not encourage them in the right direction.

Wow, Cary talks a bit more than Hak, eh? Thanks PCM! Cary was quite complimentary to the Gopher's effort this past weekend. I'm sure he's still a classless hack to the Gopher fans, though. Based on Cary's comment, I predict Forney plays against UNH.