ScottM

Without getting into the "Home Ice" debate, which I think is pretty frivolous, good teams win wherever they play. Be it REA, Mariucci, Xcel, Yost or whatever, a good team should be able to win in hostile and friendly places. Accordingly, Minnesota played well enough last season to get into the FF and eventually win the Title. A new season is around the corner, and then we can cease with the off-season nonsense, finally. Drop the puck!

Hey, at least we welcome riff-raff on our board. I like PMart's play, except he plays the Sioux. He has good hands, can move well and plays a solid defensive game. If he was a bit bigger, say around 200 or so, I'd bet he would get a nice offer from the Big Club. I also think he's a better all around player than Ballard, but Martin has more years under his belt too.

Nice article. I'd guess Roche may bounce between the NHL club and Houston this year. The Wild have a pretty decent defensive corps, so it will be tough for him to earn a starting spot at this stage of his career. It's great that Travis spends so much effort in his community. The Sioux really do raise some classy players.

I'd suggest that Fournier's problems go much further than coming into camp as the Pillsbury Doughboy. Lincoln or not, I don't see Blais ever allowing him near the roster again.

I recall some scuttlebutt about Fabian having signed an LOI a while ago, but with the intent that he would spend 2 years in the USHL and join the team next season.

Nice job on the marathon. I was out cheering you guys on along that long stretch of Douglas, as you turn off Hennepin and go further up the hill.

They just reinvest in their sheep and swine operations so everybody has a date in the winter.

1. Denver 2. Minnesota 3. SCCC 4. UND 5. CC 6. Duluth 7. Wisconsin 8. AA 9. Mankato 10. Tech I've been picking the Sioux for a top-5 finish all off-season. I think we have some serious questions that need to be answered: Who's going to TAKE the goalie job? Will the upperclassmen provide the production and leadership they should at this stage of their careers? Will special teams step it up, since they were generally MIA last season. I think the team has a strong core of returning players. However, players like Spiewak, the Hale brothers, and Notermann will have to lead the way for the sophs and the frosh, on and off the ice. I think they will, as I doubt last season left a good taste in anybody's mouth. They've been working hard and getting rid of deadwood, now's the time to really get into it and focus on winning one game at a time, as the standings will take care of themselves. Just win, baby!

I'd be a little worried about the comments regarding the goaltending. While it is nice to have four guys going for the job, somebody really needs to breakout and take it. However, if the rest of the team does their job and keeps the puck out of our own zone and in the other end, it may be less critical. MAY, being the operative term. I wouldn't worry too much about Genoway. Blais has had him on the shelf for a year, and I doubt he'd waste that on somebody who didn't have the potential to step in and contribute as he got used to the pace of the game. Nice to hear that Greene is already delivering the goods on the physical side. It should help if "The Matts", David Hale and Schneider step up their protection of our zone, and our shooters.

If you can afford beer, eating becomes secondary. Priorities, people. Priorities.

No, but utter stupidity seems to be the norm.

If Nike is indeed doing the Sioux jerseys, can we also expect to see a proliferation of Bauer/Nike equipment on the team too? I'd guess if Nike is the "official" provider to the team, they probably dropped some decent $$$ on them. However, I'd rather the team get its equipment/uniforms from Gemini, Christian Bros, CCM, etc. due to their histories with the team and the fact I detest Nike invading hockey.

If Hill wants to kow-tow to a playing time prima donna, let him. I'm sure the UAA faithful will consider this some sort of great coup. Then again, what's Fournier going to do if the UAA captains get on him? Unless Hill promised him the C and his own jet too.

Actually, FB was the least profitable of the three as well. There are still rumors swirling around MSP of program cuts next year, unless the alums step up and effectively "endow" certain programs and take them off the school's budget. As well, all teams' travel budgets are being reviewed, again. "Hello, Motel 6!"

Parise is big enough and skilled enough to handle himself in traffic and in tight spots, he also has some PIM ability too. (Think Paul, not Steve, Kariya). I'd be more concerned about somebody cheapshotting him than how he handles himself in the normal flow of the game. Hence, the need for "Presence" in a few big, aggressive forwards and d-men.

So, this "scandal-phobia" doesn't preclude us from playing Minnesota, Wisconsin, BC, Michigan, Maine, etc. in hockey?

Relax Jethro, both of you. You come to a Sioux board and don't expect to get your chops busted? Please. What fun would that be? Have a nice swig of Prestone and a good weekend.

Surprised that your "major" at SU didn't involve something with farm animals, or did it? The Crays were donated in the late 80s-early 90s to the aerospace dept. The same time the SU boosters were learning about Champagne Music. Don't know much about networks, except pencil necks manage them and they tend to be dateless wonders on the weekends. The law school's fine, never stopped me from getting some juicy jobs in Mpls. or moving onto my MBA down here either. Fortunately, the Dean resigned after politisizing the Sioux name. The Med school? Wouldn't know. Then again, Minnesota isn't losing population and MDs by the score. Engineering? I have no idea what IEEE is, except for some geek organization run by pencil necks. Most engineering majors from UND I knew had no problems getting jobs, most of which were out of NoDak. The only thing I know is that SU is an Ag school without a medical school, law school, aviation program or accredited graduate business program. Then again, since SU graduates braintrusts like you, well ... that speaks for itself. BTW: It was "Andersen" not "Anderson", not that it makes a bit of difference in the land of EideBailey. Considering how SU counts "students" perhaps you should reconsider your own insipid comments. "Der Furher Ralph"? Oh, that's a good one. Did your Stream Yellow buddies come up with that one after drinking a few gallons of Prestone outside the NDSU Swine barn?

Uh huh. The way the gophers play football, you might actually win. Toledo was supposed to be a cakewalk ... Hey. there's a conference you might be able to join. Speaking of Minnesota, if they can't pay their bills from having an all D1 program, what makes you think SU can? Has Andersen been doing your books? The NIT? Most HS teams could make the NIT. Run down to Nebraska a few times, bring back six figures and 60 pt losses, you'll feel better. Oh yeah, that's a formidible roster of potential giants. Delaware State, Northern Iowa, etc. Why not just whore yourselves out to Nebraska and get your heads handed to you on national TV? I know I'd enjoy watching that. If you want to bring in revenues by being used like the prom queen, go for it. Can't imagine it'll help recruiting though. SU's football strategy sounds like "Make money for our fragile egos, results be damned. We're D1. Make sure you raise tuition again this semester. BTW: Does UND play Michigan again this season?" Yeah, the Fargo Dome would be a good regional site, for girls HS bouncyball. Provided it hasn't flooded, again.

Disgruntled? Hardly. Typical bison fan, though. "Oh we're in Fargo, so we must be better. Pass the Milwaukee's Best ... I have to be to work at the Mini Mart by 6." When UND was receiving its first super computers, SU was proudly taking possession of a Lawerence Welk record collection. I suppose that fits both schools' personalities though. Having lived in Fargo much of my life, I get back there once a year or so, so I can appreciate not living there anymore. Hockey reaching a glass ceiling? Typical. Probably explains that wonderful support F-M always had for SU's resting-in-peace hockey club, as well as two dead USHL programs. SU will bring on a men's and women's hockey program when the sun rises in the west. You can play ORU in that sport too, since the WCHA has told SU they're not wanted here either. In case you're interested, only the men's BB tourney makes more money for the NC$$ than the hockey tourney. Tying the NHL's overexpansion to college hockey is not only a Linnean leap, but a perfect demonstration of SU's ignorance of college hockey. Then again, we'd rather SU not taint our sport with its presence. Ivy league? Yep, they're on our agenda for this hockey season. How about yours? Big Sky? The chance to join that conference would have been when the Montana schools left D2. Now, they've basically said "no thanks, we've got enough travel issues." SU took a gamble leaving the NCC on its own. It probably would have made the most sense for the bigger schools to leave at one time for rivalry and costs sake. But hey, let your $$$ pay for your egos. Let SU swing in the wind. If we do go D1 in the future, it will because we walk again over SU's bankrupt and rotting corpse, long after the current Stream Yellow administration has been fired or resigned in disgrace, and we might even bring some of our D1 hockey pals with us.

UND keeping up with the Jones'? How much does it grate the Stream Yellow crowd that UND has the only D1 program in the state? While we routinely play national schools like Michigan, Boston College, Wisconsin, etc., you'll have the pleasure of perhaps seeing Idaho State, Creighton or Oral Roberts University play. Wow. Half full before the '00 Title? Please. Shows how much the farm crowd knows about UND hockey. SU's future is so well laid out and bright on paper. It's easy manipulating numbers to suit your own agenda. Another issue is making those numbers work when the bills show up. Have fun attending those BB games in Illinois with no-name U.

I'd hope that whomever makes the decision, which is probably inevitable, for UND to go D1 is prepared to use a better excuse than "watered down competition" or SU is a natural rival. In addition, they'd better have a real nice plan to finance it too, beyond sticking it to the students in the form of tuition increases and/or program cuts. Alumni, get your wallets out because we will be hit up for donations, increased ticket prices and all of the other trappings of D1 sports, so it's time to warmup the pen. Envious of SU? What are you smoking? Not sure how it is in the hinterlands, but in MSP UND has a much better reputation than SU. Much of that is from academics, but a good measure is from its hockey program and the rivalry with Minnesota. Having a DIII athletic program sure hasn't hurt St. Thomas which is roughly comparable to UND and SU in size and course offerings, especially when it just raised $100 million in its last fundraising campaign.

So, really what Blais was faced with was a fat, playing time prima donna who thought he was entitled to ice time? Not to mention that he waited, as was pointed out, until the start of camp/school leaving us tied into his scholarship? In spite of his potential, I'm glad he's gone if he's going about it that way. The last we need on the team is another Jason Blake or Landon Wilson ... then again those guys actually performed on the ice, so it wouldn't be too bad.

Best of luck to Dan and his family.