Millsy

I live near Alexandria (Garfield), so PBTV is out.

I could probably surf a little and find this out, but I thought I would post and get an answer. Do the Sioux have an internet video feed of their games from the Ralph? I am unable to attend the games this weekend (work) and would like to watch the games instead of just listening to the Internet audio broadcasts. Thanks!

From what I have heard through other boards.... Reaney has been a healthy scratch for the "Purps" (what we like to call them in the CHA) several times this year. I guess Niagara's coaching staff had very strict rules as far as his weight went, and if he weighed in over, he didn't play. He also got a "family advisor" during the off-season and there were some serious talks over the summer with some teams. Edmonton came in and gave him the rookie max and he bolted for their AHL club. Yes he lead the BCHL in scoring the last year he was there, but he played at something like 265 lbs. Niagara was the only school to really go after him, and he got himself down into the 215-225 range. He was Co-CHA Rookie of the Year with teammate Ted Cook and he had an impressive sophomore year. This year, he just didn't amount to much, and when Niagara was in Bemidji, he gooned it up more than using his skill. When he did play, he was centering their fourth line, quite a change from being on the first line last year (with Cook and senior Bentivoglio, who signed with the Islanders and is with their AHL club).

St. Cloud State

It would kill all the travel budgets in the CHA.

One thing has been bothering me.... It is the comments that Mankato, Michigan Tech, UAA, whoever, would dominate the CHA if they were in the league. The problem I have with that is that I think it is based on the premise that they would continue to gain WCHA caliber recruits. A move by those teams to the CHA would also mean they would be bringing in recruits of CHA caliber, which some posters feel is "inferior" to the WCHA recruits. So a move by them to the CHA would "lower" them to the level of BSU, Niagara, UAH and Robert Morris. I don't think they would walk away with the league. It has also been stated that a move by BSU to the WCHA would water down the talent level. I don't think that is true either. BSU would be able to attract WCHA caliber talent because the best want to play in the WCHA. It would open up 20+ roster spots to players that go to the CCHA, HE or ECAC because all the other teams are full. Maybe I am way off base here, but it is Friday and I am at the end of an 11 day stretch at work!

Newest Article (January 16th) on the Bemidji Event Center from the Bemidji Pioneer: ---------------------------------- Legislators pledge support for events center funding Edited by moderator -- please link to and quote articles, no full reproductions. Thanks.

From Area Voices Blog Fee Throws: ------------------------------------ WCHA to help Beavers Bruce McLeod, Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner, told me Sunday night that the league and Bemidji State have an agreement in place that will help the Beavers with their future men's hockey scheduling. Bemidji State's request to the league at the NCAA Convention in Nashville on Sunday is because College Hockey America is shrinking. If nothing changes, it will have only four teams next season -- Bemidij State, Alabama-Huntsville, Niagara and Robert Morris. The WCHA was reportedly considering a four-year unbalanced schedule that would ensure Bemidji State had 12 games vs. WCHA teams each season, six home, six away. But a particular number of games might not be in the agreement. A source also said BSU was told it needs to get a new arena built if the alliance is going to work. "We do have an agreement, but we're just kind of working out the final details," McLeod said in a telephone interview Sunday night. The 10-team WCHA has had a moratorium on expansion since Minnesota State Mankato was admitted in 1996-97. Jon Quistgaard, BSU president, said a statement will be released Monday. "I think it was a positive meeting," Quistgaard said in a telephone interview. "We really appreciated the opportunity to be able to talk about our situation and what our goals are and our vision. ... I think we all came away from the meting better informed." ---------------------------------------

Big A HG, Bemidji State is serious about hockey, but travel costs are killing the BSU Hockey Budget and they can not continue to sustain the financial hit "for the good of college hockey". They need some help. They play five conference series on the road and then five at home. All of these games require flights, there are no bus trips for CHA games. They get on the bus, go to Grand Forks or Minneapolis and then fly out to Huntsville, AL (usually with a layover in Detroit or Memphis), Niagara, NY (Buffalo with a layover in Detroit), Pittsburgh, PA and Detroit, MI. This year, to maintain a 20 game conference schedule, they went to Huntsville twice while Wayne State will come to Bemidji twice. If you add some AHA teams (Eastern) to the CHA, those travel costs get that much greater. If BSU could get into the WCHA, the only flights needed would be Denver, Colorado College and UAA, everyone else would be a bus trip with Madison, WI, being the farthest at seven hours. Then, when you throw in non-conference series, the people of Bemidji want to see the teams that they see on TV, not Army, Merrimack, Canisius, etc. But outside of the home and home series with UMD and UND and the alternating year with Mankato, teams don't want to come to Bemidji and help them out. These three schools have been great to help Bemidji out, but it would also be nice to a few more home paydays to help the budget out. With the CHA going down to four teams, the league also loses the autobid (the NCAA granted a waiver for the five team league). With no NCAA tournament berth to play for, it already makes difficult recruiting that much harder. They will have a very hard time getting D-I quality players, and that is when you will see a watering down of college hockey, not if the Beavers get into the WCHA. Right now Bemidji can dangle the "we have a one in five chance at getting into the NCAAs" to a kid, plus they can show them they get to play against some WCHA teams in their career. They have been able to recruit solid D-I hockey players and if they got into the WCHA, they would probably be able to recruit up another notch. A new arena is definitely needed in Bemidji. That is the "must" in this whole equation. I know a lot of casual fans that will not come to a game at the Glas because of the seating (even if I gave them my spare tickets). They have told me that if Bemidji had an arena with individual seats, they would be there in an instant. But right now, they would rather watch it on KBSU TV from their couch than sit on bleachers. Okay, I am done rambling........

Both Games against Bemidji will be in Grand Forks this year. Too bad, otherwise BSU would have had 18 home games, not counting the exhibition game against Manitoba.

Okay the low down on the BREC (Bemidji Regional Events Center)..... The vote in November was to approve a city wide sales tax increase of 0.5%. It would go into effect after the sunset date on the 0.5% that is already in place for parks and trail in Bemidji, which would be around 2009. The vote passed by 45 votes only, so there is some "rift" over the whole situation. The State has promised to pick up 40% of the bill with the City picking up the other 60%. This is far from a done deal. This vote was only to approve the sales tax, not approve the Events Center. There is a committee in place that is doing the number crunching to see if it will be finacially feaseable for the City of Bemidji to do this. Almost all event centers do not make money on their own, they rely on the advertising and corporate sponsorship to make ends meet. This event center, worst case scenerio, could run a $450,000 deficit a year, or so the numbers say. Many businesses in Bemidji have stepped up and pledged money for the first five years to help off set this deficit. The problem is that the bonds needed to float the bill of the event center construction need to be guaranteed by the City, and property taxes are about the only way to do this. If the Center can not make the bond payments, the City would have to raise property taxes to make up the difference. The only way this gets done is that it has to be an Events Center for the whole community to use and just not an arena for the BSU hockey team. As for the arena itself, it would be around 3500 to 4000 seats in a steep, bowl setting. BSU would actually rent the ice from the city, numbers that have been thrown around are $10,000 a game. The Beavers would be the anchor tenant. There would also be a second sheet of ice with seating for around 700 and that area could also serve as extra convention floor space. We may only have 600 season tickets, but we also give 500 student tickets out for free, and most games, over 75% of those are used. So that is 1100 seats out of the 2399. I have talked with many people who will not go to BSU games because of the current seating. They say it is just too uncomfortable, espcially after being to places with individual seats. That is one of the reasons our season ticket base is so low. Also, being members of the CHA doesn't help a whole lot either. The way I look at it, if we don't get admitted into the WCHA, we don't get an arena or will not be able to make the arena profittable. If we don't get the arena, there is no way we get admitted into the WCHA. I still say on school size, city size, location, arena that we currently have and finances of the program, we are more like a CCHA school than a WCHA school. But we are in the heart of WCHA territory, so travel would be a whole lot better. Hope that helps! Have a safe trip to Bemidji and I know I can not wait for work to get over so I can make the trip to the games!!!!

They don't have one of those!!! Maybe they should get one so we can be like St. Cloud! I thought I had heard it was in the neighborhood of $40,000, but I am not too sure anymore as that was two or three years ago and they have added a little more to it each year.

Yes, they do shut the lights off, but leave them off during the whole show, believe it or not! A few of the WCHA teams that have made the trip to BSU have said it is pretty awesome considering the rest of the arena. I know they have quite a chunk of cash invested into it.

But we have a cool light show for an arena that size!!!!

Just to let everyone know, Slim's, Corner, Keg, 209, all get their ground beef for burgers from the same place, Downtown Meats, if I recall correctly. Any one of those four will do you well for a burger. If you are looking for pizza, Dave's is the place. Stay away from the chains, you can get them anywhere!

I was at the series and Friday night was not the Beaver team we are used to seeing the past two months. The hard work that we are used to was not there until the last 10 minutes of the game, but they were already down 3-0, scored on the power play and gave up an empty netter at the end. Saturday was a vast improvement and it got them up 2-0, but then the first 10 minutes of the third, they slumped some and gave up three goals. They pretty much controlled the last 10 minutes, but could not get one to the back of the net.

Boy, like I haven't heard that one before.......

Wow, a WCHA team saying that a series against the Beavers is huge for their team??? Maybe hell has really frozen over..... It is big for both teams. This season was turning out to be one that could validate the BSU program, going 5-1 against the WCHA before last weekend. But then laying the egg they did on Friday night and not holding a 2-0 lead going into the third on Saturday night, it took some of the luster off the season (and I had to be there to witness it). But if they can get one (or two with a small miracle) from the Sioux, it would get the Beavers back on track.

You may just want to keep those two tickets so you have a little extra room to sit or stand, whichever you prefer. I have two season tickets and it is nice to be able to sit with a little extra space.

Be careful how you use Pontiac. That could be deemed hostile towards that Native tribe by the NCAA also. As a Beaver fan, I am not pissed we missed the playoffs. We lost to UMD and to Mary. I am more pissed that we lost those games on a total of five plays. I don't think Tesch saw this NSIC title coming down the chute, so I would figure that Minot State was scheduled more to build up the program with a win than trying to make the playoffs. But I also think the NCAA should get rid of the byes, expand to 32 teams and give each conference winner an autobid and then fill in with at-large bids. Hell, they do it for every other sport, why don't they for football. And if the NSIC is so inferior to the NCC and GLIAC, playing a Winona or Bemidji would be like a bye anyway! Okay, so I just went and read the playoff criteria, and everything is based on D-II opponents and records. So, BSU's games against Minot State and Mary (they are a provisional D-II team and not playoff eligible, so therefore are not counted as D-II) should not count? Then BSU did get screwed over by the NCAA if head to head with Winona is supposed to be weighed heavily! Oh well, Mineral Water Bowl and a couple of weeks of extra practice can only mean good things for the future. Work with the underclassmen while still giving the seniors a nice swan song is a good thing!

Sedevie has been cleared to start practice again on Monday.

Good Points airmail. Bemidji is catering to the Regional population, but the problem is, the 1/2 cent sales tax extension has to pass the City voters, not those of us who visit the city quite often (I live 80 miles from BSU).

There is no way that the area around Bemidji would support 5000-6000 seats. I know a lot of people who don't go to the Beaver games right now because of the arena, but there is no where near 2500+ of them. If it was a 5000-6000 seat arena, BSU would rely on visiting fans to help fill the place, and now all of a sudden a home game turns into a road game. Plus it is better to have 3500 seats and people wanting to get in then a 6000 seat arena with it half full. Right now, I still believe that College Hockey needs the CHA to survive.

BSU is not at a full 18 scholies yet. I believe they are at 14 or 15 right now and should be at 18 either next year or the year after. Saw the plans for the new event center in Bemidji on Friday night in the Beaver Pride Room. A $35 million, 3500 seat arena is going to be a very tough sell to the non-hockey people in Bemidji. There are a lot of people in the Bemidji area that do not want to see money spent on anything. It was a tough sell to set a 1/2 cent sales tax to fix up the parks and trails in Bemidji, most of which were WPA projects and in disrepair. The non-hockey people see this as a hockey arena, not something that will benifit the area. And there still seems to be some friction betwenn the University and the Town, even though it is less than it was a few years ago. They need to realize that they each need each other in order to survive. Without the University, the town would be a lot like International Falls, and without the City, the University will have a very hard time getting anything that will benifit them.

That is the number of seats in the bleachers that they list in the Media Guide and on the seating chart. Now, they have had standing room in the walkway and they have brought in metal bleachers to set up behind the west goal. There has always been a lot of controversy as to the seating numbers. When BSU went D-I, someone finally sat down and counted the number of seats in the bleachers and that is what they came up with.