skateshattrick

What NAHL team did he try out for?

I agree. If they are on the road, Hak can lock them down for the weekend. At home, boys will be boys. It crossed my mind that might have happened after Friday night, especially after watching the 2nd period of Saturday night's game. Either that or they took UMD too lightly because they played with no sense of urgency until the 3rd period.

Did anyone else notice that the leading scorer in the USHL (tied for first) is Chris Connelly of Omaha with 20 points (9 goals and 11 assists) in 13 games? He played the last 2 years for the FM Jets and is a very smooth skater who sees the ice extremely well. When he lit it up for Omaha in the exhibition season, he landed a scholarship to Boston U. He was also recruited by Maine. He's a Duluth native, and wanted to go to UMD. UMD recruited his younger brother Jack who will be at UMD in 2009, but not Chris. Scott Sandelin might be regretting not going after Chris Connelly.

None of the freshmen have many points yet. Frattin has 4 (2 G and 2 A), but he had the benefit of playing on the 1st line with Oshie and Duncan for awhile. Trupp has 2 (2 A), and Lapoint and Malone have 1 point each. It is really hard to gauge their abilities after only 9 games, particularly if they are playing 3rd or 4th line and do not get much specialty team play.

Yeaah, okay. Eli Rosendahl graduated from high school 2 years ago and is either 20 or going to be 20 this year. Aside from the fact that he's not good enough for the USHL, let alone the NAHL, he's too old to play in the USHL. I doubt that he has even played since HS. Nice try though funny guy!

I agree. I hate to see him go because I think he has talent, but what is he supposed to think if he's not dressing and Eidsness is coming in next year? It's all about playing time. However, the poster that believes that Greico was not playing because he is not "local" really does not get it. Hakstol wants to win, and if that means recruiting kids from Canada or California or Canada, it makes little difference. Besides, since Hakstol, Eades and Jackson are all Canadians, I doubt that he has a bias in favor of local kids. Lamoureux has earned his right to be the No. 1 goalie based upon his performance and his experience.

There is no jealousy troll. You don't see Sioux fans inundating a Bison message board, to the extent one even exists. We just cannot believe how simple-minded, self-important and delusional Bison fans are. What you can't accept is that most Sioux fans really don't find your football team very relevant and neither does most of the rest of the country.

Very interesting. Iowa State is on the waiting list, which means Minnesota is regarded as worse than Iowa State. It is funny that no one is talking about the fact that Northern Iowa beat Iowa State this year 24-13, last year lost to Iowa Stae 28-27 on a last second score, and were beaten at home last year by the Sioux. I'm not taking anything away from NDSU, but doesn't Iowa State have at least equal bragging rights? They are a top D1AA team every year. This would suggest that UND will make a pretty good transition to D1AA or FSC.

On the first point, you need to take off the green and gold glasses because you are dreaming. On the second point, no one said it would be easy, but are you forgetting that UND beat UNI last year on the road (the current FCS No.1 and a perennial power that has beaten Iowa State in its recent past) and destroyed Southern Utah this year on the road? FCS or D1AA is the equivalent of D2 15 years ago and there is very little difference between the top 10 in D1AA and the top 10 in D2. There is also little difference between the weak D1 teams and the top teams in D1AA and D2. However, there is a huge difference between even the weakest teams in the Big 10 (Minnesota and Northwestern) and everyone else. That will become readily apparent when the Gophers play Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and even Illinois or Indiana.

I agree with your assessment. The Bison are a very good D1AA team [nka FSC], and have proven they can beat some of the lower to middle D1A teams. However, it is not realistic to suggest that they could compete in the Big 10. I am not trying to minimize this win because the Bison deserve credit, but this may be the worst Gophers football team since the Joe Salem days. I do believe that the Bison could transition to D1 and be competitive, but competing with the majority of the Big 10 would be very difficult. Yes, I know that Michigan was beaten by Appalachian State, and there will always be upsets, but this post is a fair assessment.

My apologies Rednek--your question regarding competing against a major junior team is legitimate. However, somewhere along the line, it denigrated into a thread about the Sioux playing the Minnesota Wild and actually competing. That is what I was referring to.

How about if was an entire team of mini-Ditkas and Ditka was driving the bus?

I agree 100%. I'm not picking on Redwing specifically, but this whole thread is pretty embarassing and borders on delusional. It reminds me of the old Saturday Night Live skits where "da Bears" fans talk about "Ditka" beating other teams. The Sioux have a great COLLEGE hockey team and I love the Sioux as much as anyone, but it is absolutely ridiculous to suggest that a college team could compete with a pro team. I thought NDSU fans lacked perspective in thinking that their football team could compete in the Big 10, but this takes lunacy to another level.

I believe so. Lynn graduated from RR in 1978, her brother Kevin graduated in 1975, and Beth in 1979. Her dad was a physician.

Chorney does get it from his dad, but just as much from his mom. His mom is Lynn Powers (Chorney) from Grand Forks.

Chris Connelly, a former FM Jet the past 2 years, who is now playing for the Omaha Lancers and is the 2nd leading scorer in the league, has given a verbal to Boston University. You may recall that there was some discussion about his brother Jack committing to UMD. This appears on Chris Dilks WCHA/CCHA blog. There is a link to it in Brad Schlossman's blog.

You are assuming that because you do not like hockey and would likely not go that there would not be support in Fargo. You could not be more wrong. Even though hockey does not get the support of the park district, it is huge in Fargo and even bigger in Moorhead. Moorhead has 4 sheets of indoor ice, 2 of which are privately owned and funded, and they are adding on. Fargo is building a 5 sheet indoor ice arena with private funds. If you ever go to a Moorhead Spuds game when they are playing a ranked team from Roseau, Warroad or Minneapolis, you would see 3000+ fans in standing room only crowds. If you ever drive on I-29 on Fridays or Saturdays, you would see how many Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo fans make that trek. If you saw how many FM area people were at the game, you would know what I'm talking about. If you saw how many families from Moorhead, Fargo and West Fargo have sons or daughters playing hockey or have played hockey, you would know what I'm talking about. This is a huge hockey community and there is no question in my mind that it would support NDSU hockey. Having said that, I am glad that there are people like you because as a Sioux fan, I hope Bison fans are never smart enough to figure out that they are missing out on a huge revenue producer that would make its other sports even stronger.

That is a valid point, but I question that it would make it a net loss unless it is a school where men's hockey is not drawing at least 5000 per game. Maybe some of the forensic accountants know, but I doubt that UND, Minnesota, and the other WCHA powers are losing money overall. NDSU would really not have a problem drawing that many fans. It is a much larger market than SCSU or MSUM, and NDSU tends to have success in most athletic endeavors. That was also once true of women's BB, but is no longer true. Hopefully, women's hockey will eventually be at least a break even sport.

Good post. Even as a Sioux fan, I don't disagree with most of what you said. However, as to No. 4, I'm not sure that you and other NDSU fans understand that D1 hockey and the strength of other sports such as basketball and football are not mutually exclusive. Hockey at UND operates in the black and funds many other sports. When UNO started D1 hockey about 10-15 years ago, its other sports were weak and poorly funded. Within 2 years, it was operating in the black to the tune of over $1M and helping to fund the other sports and made the FB and BB programs stronger. UND has not been hurt at all by hockey. In fact, it is the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg. If you don't like hockey, that is your prerogative and I respect that. I personally don't like basketball very well and I would not be caught dead at a wrestling match. However, hockey will not hurt your athletic program. That is the myth that some coaches like Bucky Maughan like to spread because they feel threatened by another sport that may make their sport obscure. Hockey likely will have the opposite effect and add to the overall athletic budget. Do the math--if you can average even 6000 per game for 20 home games, that is 120,000. For 5 or 6 home football games, you would need to average 20,000+. UND averages over 11,000 for hockey so the figure would be much higher. Even a small D2 school like UNO averages over 8000 for hockey. I personally don't want NDSU to get hockey because it would weaken UND's fan base. It is estimated that as much as 1/3 of the Sioux attendance is from outside Grand Forks, and that much of that is from Fargo-Moorhead. I personally don't mind making that trip because UND is one of the top programs in the country. However, I do believe that NDSU has and will continue to miss the boat on this issue. If water polo or equestrian brought revenue to UND's athletic budget, I would be in favor of it despite the fact that I don't care about those sports. I would even support wrestling if it ever made money.

Dagies, I have to respectfully disagree. He didn't score a ton the first 1/2 of the year, but he clearly was already one of the better players on the Sioux from the moment he took the ice. If you watch a lot of hockey, and I know you do, you could tell he was special and does everything well, from faceoffs, to battles along the boards, along with great hands and a great shot. I know I had a huge smile on my face the first game he played for the Sioux. I also knew that he would only be in a Sioux uniform for at most 2 years. The second 1/2 of his freshman year, he was also one of the Sioux's leading scorers and drew praise from coaches around the country. He was the best player in the regionals when the Sioux beat Michigan and Holy Cross, and again in the loss to BC. Despite his young age, I would rank him as one of the top 5 forwards to ever wear a Sioux uniform. He is absolutely a special player. How INCH or anyone else could not see that is absolutely beyond comprehension, especially considering how he lit it up at SSM.

I went back and reviewed the rankings from 2 years ago, and you are correct. Toews was ranked as the 9th best forward, Oshie 17th, and Duncan was unranked. This is not intended to rip INCH, but you really have to take its rankings with a grain of salt. When it gets right down to it, they know very little more than the fans. I can understand Oshie and Duncan flying under the radar, but Toews was a huge prospect and some (many?) thought that he had a higher upside than Kessel.

Good list! My line of most hated rivals: 1. Rodents 2. Boston College 3. Denver 4. Wisconsin 5. Michigan, MSUM Landcows 7. The rest of Hockey East except Maine 8. The entire EZCHA or whatever they are called ("weanie conference") 9. Whoever is playing the Sioux that weekend. The first 3 are the easiest, and there is a big gap between 3 and 4, and even bigger between 4 and 5. I don't mind SCSU, but some of SCSU's fans can be a little annoying.

Okay. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt and a way out, but you have demonstrated over and over that you know nothing about hockey. Happy is rational compared to you. Have a good day.

You bring up the analogy, the analogy is shown to be incorrect, and now it is beside the point?? Tell me Dave, where do you draw the line? When Dave Forbes speared Henry Boucha, is that "part of the game" according to your "philosophy"? How about when a player uses his stick as a weapon and hits another player over the head? If you say yes, you have lost whatever thin amount of credibility that you had. If you acknowledge that it is a "dirty" play, how can you differentiate that from a knee to knee contact?? Anyone with any common sense would say that you cannot, because both are intended to injure and frequently end careers. You are from Fargo, and there are plenty of current and former college and NHL players in the area. I challenge you to find one of them that agrees with your "philosophy" that knee-to-knee hits are part of the game and are not dirty plays. Whether I agree with your position on fighting, I respect your opinion and agree that it is a philosophy. Your position on Ulf and knee to knee contacts, however, is incredible and not rational. You can argue that it was not intentional, but that is like arguing that Forbe's action was unintentional. Anyone who knows the game knows that Ulf deliberately stuck out his knee on many occasions. The only issue is whether that is "dirty" or not, and you are dead wrong on that issue. That is not a "philosophical" difference.

That means a lot coming from you. I have forgotten more about hockey than you will ever know. But forget about me and everyone else on this message board--it is clear Dave that you know more than all of the players that played against him. You really need to let this go before you lose whatever credibility that you once had. Come back when you are lucid.