MplsBison

It's pretty sad when your own so called fanbase is so bitter that they would rather see a team brought up from who knows where for a game that probably won't sell out when you could play a team from the same state that would guaranteed sell out.

Don't kid yourself. UND will take a one game offer in 2012. One less game to schedule and an easy game for fans to make.

No every year, but Taylor didn't say they would play every year right off the back.

Untrue and we will see this.

We gain nothing by playing UND except that they're the only non conference FCS team that will guarantee a sell out and is willing to come to the Fargodome. Yeah, just that small little detail.

A game is guaranteed in 2012. Taylor already backed himself into a corner on that one. Might not be an annual game, but a single game at least.

Probably the only time that I agree with DaveK. It's despicable to me that fighting remains a tradition in the sport of ice hockey.

Your argument seems like it would make sense. But I want you to consider the precendent: the CAA conference. That conference has 12 members and has gotten FIVE (that's 5) teams into the 16 team playoff field the last two years, the most of any. They also produced the national champions this season (Richmond). Now there is talk of the CAA expanding to 14 to accomidate ODU and Georgia State. So I want to ask you, if the CAA makes it work (and it works quite well for them), why wouldn't the MVFC consider something similar IF there were expansion candidates that could add strong football programs? I don't see why UND and USD wouldn't be considered in that case. And there's always the possibility that we could get some movement, either from the geographical outliers (Youngstown and Missiouri St) or by a program dropping out of the conference (Indiana State). You never know.

The one scenario that negates all of this is UND getting into the MVFC. I could see the MVFC expanding beyond the current 9 members even. But I also have the opinion that there will be some movement in the membership between now and 2012. So we'll see what happens. Obviously UND in the MVFC is the ideal scenario for all parties concerned, NDSU, UND and the state of North Dakota.

They just call him "the kid". Hear he shot 12 men last month!

People are never going to fill the ugly white box unless it's UND or maybe SDSU. A new arena I could see drawing 6k consistantly for good games.

Alabama has a hockey team? Is this some kind of joke? Well, whatever, I won't question it. In your scenario, I agree with you. In fact, it makes sense to have UAA and UAF in the same conference. I do firmly believe that NDSU would not consider adding a hockey team unless it could be in the WCHA. Maybe we'll get lucky and UAH will fold their program.

Your stance was that the WCHA should add BSU so that the program doesn't die and thus so that the NCAA tournament can stay at 16 teams. Adding NDSU does the same thing. In fact, even better as it would promote the growth of a new program. Likely NDSU would not consider a program outside the WCHA.

None of your other reasons made any sense at all considering that the WCHA is willing to add Bemidji, who is excited about the possibility of a new 4000 seat event center. And NDSU now has a business college. So there's no reason to all the way up to Grand Forks if you want to own a farm.

Your only feeble attempt to keep NDSU out of the WCHA is to say that they don't have the "hockey history" that somehow qualifies a team to be allowed into the WCHA. I completely debunked this with the USF into the Big East example. Now you're talking about USF playing in an NFL stadium? Non sequitor. I used the example for one specific point of debunking. It serves no other relevence.

All of those schools would play games in a new, on campus arena that seats ~6000, don't you think? If the UP was the only possible option, then I wouldn't care. But the new arena certainly could support ice events and it would be foolish not to take advantage of that if they were going to add the team.

Don't sound so confident. We'll just see about that.

My line of thinking is more like this: the Fargodome is going to build an arena addition for smaller events anyway. Why wouldn't they take the time and money now to make it capable of holding hockey events? Say they try to under bid the REA(or wherever it is) for the state hockey tournament 1 year out of 4, or something like that? Then, in a few years when NDSU basketbal is firmly rooted, NDSU can take a look at that time to see if WCHA hockey would be within the realm of possibility.

Again I point out that South Florida had no problem joining a BCS conference without a rich "history". That argument is nothing more than you desperately trying to pull something from your a$$ that would make it look like NDSU is on the outside looking in. Dream on.

I think they will keep UALR because it gives them an even number for bball (as well as a nice travel partner for Ark State) and an odd number for football. Ideally the Summit League should be trying to contract the footprint of the league, not expand it.

There may not ever be a team that calls the arena home. But to not make the arena ice hockey capable at all? In this part of the country?! That's downright foolish.

What's the difference? Both teams are at full scholarships. I say we should schedule them in 09 if we don't already have a deal in the works with another team. But IMO it's stupid to bring up a bottom rung OVC team when it's not guaranteed to be a sell out vs. bringing in UND for free and having a guaranteed sell out.

Every modern NBA arena supports a hockey configuration, and most of them have hockey teams (NHL or lower) playing in them. Not to mention that the Fargodome is going to do whatever maximizes revenue for them, not whatever pleases NDSU to most. There is little doubt in my mind that the arena addition will be able to support ice hockey events. The only question is whether a team will use it as a home arena, maybe juniors level? Or perhaps NDSU men's ice hockey.

But yet they feel compelled to add Bemidji as the WCHA just doesn't have the representation of the MnSU university system? Don't bullsh*t us.

My opinions are aligned with the controlling interests of the Summit League.