ScottM

Considering the relative youth of the gophers squad, and the lack of performance from a number of upperclassmen, except Riddle, Lucia had better hope all his sophs and frosh "carry the mail" since he can't rely on just one.

These are games that we should win soundly. It's always good to hit the road and play new teams in different arenas. Granted these Ivies aren't the best teams in the ECAC, but we should not take them for granted. Hopefully, the team will start to gel even more and the goalie situation becomes much less fluid. We've got a pretty stiff WCHA schedule coming up, and this weekend should be used as a tune up to see who's really ready to move forward.

Because the best athletes at SDSU tend to compete in cow tipping.

After reading the little rant from the erstwhile SDSUFan and some of the blubbering from certain 'SU fans, I have one question: Does it seem like it just gets dumber as one travels south on I-29?

I agree Pat. I think it's pretty easy for a goalie to lose his focus if he's not busy for long periods of time. While it is nice that we've been able to keep our SOG under 20 so far, that probably won't be the case when we move into the WCHA schedule. Then our netminders had better be sharp and focused.

There was a blurb in the Buffalo paper quoting Blais as saying the boos were coming from "a few of our loyal fans". But it doesn't sound like it really bothered him. Anyway, a nice win/sweep for the boys. Good performances overall from most of what I heard, but goaltending really needs to tighten up. Fortunately, the rest of the team has been keeping the puck otherwise it may have been pretty ugly. That said, it's still a long season and somebody has got to take that job and own it.

Nice article on the team, and this weekend's matchup. I hope the Sioux play the "Purps" as tough as they would Minnesota or Michigan. No slack, boys!!! Hey, Virg, you forgot about Chris Porter who's coming on board from SSM, via the USHL.

Whoever thinks Blais mistreats his players or doesn't care about academics knows nothing about him. (And their utter ignorance manifests itself in other ways as well.) It seems quite simple really: He expects 100% efforts from his players on and off the ice. Those who don't meet that standard can expect to be benched, or sometimes be sent packing. Blais is training his players for the harsh realities of life, whether in some company or in an NHL system. You either pull your weight or you're out. Unfortunately, some coaches and "fans" don't really see the virtues of making younger adults responsible for their own lot in life.

Dork Star? Is he still around? I thought he was dead ... no, wait that was his career. Anyway, it is nice that Dork is so concerned about NA names for sports teams. I wonder if he shares that same level of concern for other problems like alcoholism, addiction, poverty, gangs, health problems, etc. on the reservations and the inner city. Then again, those issues don't resonate with the "activists" like Bellecourt and Means either.

Hammy's around? Sheesh. Time to move the board. Anyway, I agree with dagies. I have no problems with other teams' fans being here. Well, except for Jethro from SU ...

I love it when FSU's football field with its Seminole logos shows up in NC$$ promos. Same with UND's older logo when we won the 2000 hockey Title. Yep, no hypocrisy in Indie or Overland Park.

I wonder if UND has an agreement to host the tourneys. If so, UND might be able to sue (no pun intended ) the NC$$ for breach of contract. I tend to agree with Jim's assessment of the NC$$ rules though. More window dressing than anything. If the NC$$ forced UND, FSU, etc. to change their names they'd probably be on the hook for big $$$ on lost royalties, logo changes, e.g., the logos in REA, not to mention most schools have bigger fish to fry than worrying about PC BS.

Depending on how busy I get towards the end of this year and into early next, I'd be willing to join other UND fans at some watering hole to watch the games, and have a brew or two.

I hate to whiz in anybody's Wheaties, but Minnesota is still a very deep, talented team. OSU isn't really a hockey team, except in name only. However, Lucia still has a tough squad who will face a real test at UNH, but should do okay out there. Right now, if we faced Minnesota, we'd have our hands full and then some. In January, I'd say our odds of a split will be decent provided our goaltending firms up and the rest of the team contributes more on offense. There's no way in hell I'd bet a case of beer on a sweep, unless it was cheap crap I wanted to get rid of anyway.

It's more than a little early to guess how long Parise is going to be around after a mere 120 minutes of hockey, against Canisus and a moderately depleted Michigan team. The kid is good, very good and will develop even more over time. How long he stays around depends on a lot of things, including who drafts him and where, as well as how he continues to develop in college. If he plateaus or slumps, it will affect him, especially since the 2003 draft class is projected to the one best in a decade or two, so there will be alot talent to compete against and he could easily fall to the late first-early second round. Most importantly, only Parise knows when he'll be ready to go to the next level. If Parise were coming in at 20 or so, after some time in the USHL or a Canadian league, I'd say the odds would be greater that he might leave within 2 years. However, he's still just out of HS and has plenty of seasoning ahead of him. And I think he knows it too. Minnesota fans should also come to grips with the fact that as Lucia recruits more stars with fewer ties to the school and state, they'll be seeing more guys leaving early too.

I agree that this game definitely reminds me of those games where the Sioux owned the third period and would come back in a fury. (Unlike last season ...) Even though Parise was definitely the "star" this tourney, it's nice that a lot of the other players are taking shots and scoring too. This weekend should be a good confidence builder for the whole team and allow Blais to tinker a bit more. Nice wins, boys!

I'd rather beat SU once a season and lose every other game, than lose to those yahoos any time. Good win, no matter how it was done.

Here's an interesting article regarding the demise of the UND-SU rivalry with SU's move to D1. Strib Link You still can't spell "SUCKS" without "SU"!!

Dubay's not bright enough to bring down a website, let alone figure out his new, Velcro shoes. Before Lucia brought Minnesota's program around again, he and the rest of the local "media" barely mentioned gopher puck in positive terms.

Hey!!! We just spend our time at Notre Dame, looking for new jobs.

Depending on how the verdict was apportioned, most damages for intentional conduct are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Therefore, once a judgment is entered it's good for least 10 years and can be renewed for another 10. He may not collect a dime, but she's pretty much screwed too. BTW: What in the world is "knowledgeable hair-cutting for ethnic minorities"?

You can't spell "SUCKS" without "SU".

Paranoid? Who us? Nah ... Oh, that's right. You're one of "them". So, when do I announce that Lucia will be my assistant at Notre Dame?

I agree with jk. It's one thing to summarize somebody's comments, it's another to rollout the "bulletin board material" on a public forum, even if it was broadcast in another way. So some discretion is in order IMO. That said, if there's really good, but inflammatory, dish, a number of us often email each other to keep certain things under wraps, e.g., recruits, injuries, scouting, etc. We can always use the IM function here too for the juicy stuff.

Nice pics, Pat. Aside from the assist, does anybody have any other insight into how Roche played? My gut tells me he may be spending some more time with Houston this season, with some callups to St. Paul every now and then.