burd

I know these kids are in it for the hockey, and UND is a great school I'm proud to be an alum of. But UW Madison is a university with near elite academic credentials and an amazing campus and town. That will sell some young kids. Their hockey sucks right now, but the tradition is certainly there--plus a more recent banner than we have. I'd pick North Dakota, but you never know about the next guy.

Be patient. With global warming, UND will soon have the best of both worlds.

I think they should put their address and cell phone number on their sweaters. A little accountability

And it really doesn't matter in the end, does it. You have to beat the best to win. And at some point, you need a bounce or two.

Things are better now at the new Ralph. I don't get carded as often as I did 40 years ago.

Zane may have been a little off, but that save as time expired made up for it. You don't expect to need that after a faceoff in their zone with 6.9 seconds left, or whatever it was. This series lived up to its billing. With UMinn and Wisconsin off the calendar (for the most part), we need some rivalries like this to become intense.

You give him more than 3 skaters, Hak will win that OT coaching battle every time.

Well put, MafiaMan!

Wasn't in OT, but didn't Wisconsin have to play 5 x 3 in the final minutes of a one-goal game in the national championship against Maine? 6x3 actually, with the goalie pulled.

You can't (or shouldn't) put an emoticon on everything, scpa. I'm a huge Deano fan--just having some fun.

I wondered if someone would dare bring up the fact that Blais didn't have his team prepared for a lead. You hate to criticize the guy, as much of a disappointment as he has been in Omaha. I'm sure he's trying hard though.

The coliseum was a great venue, much like the old barn and the old ralph. I moved to Wisconsin in 1984 after having spent many years living in warm weather, hockey-deprived states. No internet to follow the games back then, just newspapers, many of which not cover college hockey. So when I got to Wisconsin and started to get reengaged in college hockey, I was struck by how passionate Wisconsin fans were about the Badger/Sioux rivalry. But it was a good passion, and nearly everyone spoke with appreciation and respect for the Sioux program, despite the fights and the intensity. They just loved playing UND. They despised the gophers, of course, and still do.

Blaiser has built failure by your terms. Worse than failure.

I think the reason some of us characterize this team's forwards as being working class rather than elite stems from two years ago when Hak put together a very good year with players nobody thought would even get a lot of ice time once some people healed and more talent came in. Well, those guys have proven to be very good hockey players. Much as I love this team's forwards, they would not be as successful as they are without an unusually offensively talented bunch of Dmen. This defensive crew is something.

It's real interesting to watch JS when he's challenged to either skate hard or muscle the puck along boards. We know how good his is with the puck at the blue line or in open ice, but I have been skeptical about his ability to perform at the next level when he has to beat people with speed or muscle. He seems too thin to win the muscle games in the NHL, but lately he has really shown his ability to battle on the wall and get the puck out, and not just with his stick work. It might be my imagination, but he is stepping up in that area. It would be nice if he decided he needs another year to develop (and build some body mass), but he's definitely developing now. I don't think I've ever seen a Sioux defensive corps with as much skill across the board as they have this year.

Do they dress the same number on the road as at home? Expecting Stecher to log a lot of minutes if he plays seems like a reach.

Michigan's young squad is hitting stride. They will be dangerous if they get in.

Boy there are is a lot of dropsy going on tonight.

Seriously?? Gothintyre? I feel better then.

Probably be called out as an idiot for this, but I think Hammer has come quite a ways since early last year. Big falloff on the oddball non sequiturs, which I miss.

I think it's great that the Mavs and Tech are having so much success this year.

Those thoughts are understandable, but I think we sometimes overlook the fact that this team has to succeed because of hard work and players accepting their roles. All kids playing D! hockey are talented, but this Sioux roster is not so full of elite talent that can just turn it on and beat teams with skill. The forwards are, by and large, good skaters with experience and work ethic. That's part of why I like this team so much.

Sandelin can't beat Bemidji in a big game, Blais has been a big bust at UNO since going there, and York might not even make the tourney. What ya gotta do to find a decent coach these days.

Guys like Nick need to figure out when they can dangle and when they just need to play basic hockey. Even Greg Johnson had to learn those lessons as a freshman. He could dangle and weave with the best of them, but he often came out of it without the puck. But he was a very smart guy and figured it out pretty quickly.

It also takes fewer Gopher fans than Sioux fans to fill a space, though, due to the size of their heads.