P-J

I'm sure you wouldn't! Starting the spin already? There is still another game to be played. Lopsided officiating against Maine? The Gophers caught a break with Hauser not getting called for a penalty in OT. That's about all this level-headed Gopher fan will grant you on that one. Saying the officiating was lopsided just is not accurate, IMO. Yes, the Gophers were fortunate to play the 2002 Frozen Four in their back yard. No rational Minnesota fan would say otherwise. I'm sure there was also a bit more added pressure to win their first title in 23 years in front of a home crowd, and in dealing with the local media frenzy leading up to the Frozen Four. How long had it been since a team won it all in front of a "home" crowd before the Gophers did it last year? I don't recall the exact figure, but I believe it was at least 20 years. But, in the end, playing in St. Paul was a greater positive than the added hype/distraction was a negative. As far as this year's regional, I don't think it would have mattered where the games were played. The Gophers were, by far, the best team in the regional. I would not mind if a level-headed Sioux fan came here and agreed with me on this. More than anything else the past two years, the Gophers have been "fortunate" to play their best when it matters most. Sure, things have fallen into place nicely, but credit them for not pi$$ing anything away. They had to go about things this year much differently than last. They lost key members of their title team and, quite remarkably, are in a position to do something that hasn't been done in over thirty years. That is a lot less luck than it is recruiting, coaching, hard work, leadership, focus, determination, etc. In the end, I guess I basically agree with the gist of your post, just not a couple of the particulars. I just hope it's not a set up for discrediting an amazing feat, if accomplished (and from what I've read of you're posts jk, I don't think that's your intent-but I wouldn't be surprised to see others do so).

OK, I don't know why I'm going to try to console you people, but here goes . If the Sioux play at a level of which they are capable, you will be watching this team in the WCHA Final Five and the NCAA tournament. Goaltending does seem to be an issue for your club, but it seems to have been that way the entire year. The Sioux can be a dominant defensive team when on their game, and thus make the goaltending situation almost a moot point. Hauser definitely stepped up for the Gophers last year, but it was their team defense that allowed them to win it all (along with some very offensively skilled players). While there may not currently be a Sioux goaltender on par with the Hauser of last season, they have the capability to knock off anyone in the country. Right now, your team is within spitting distance of a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Things would have to go horribly wrong for them to not make it in the 16 team format. IMO, there are several teams that could win it all if they are playing their best come March, and the Sioux are one of them. You have to remember that this is the toughest league in college hockey. Nobody will win all the games they are supposed to win. Bad games happen and provide an excellent opportunity for the coaching staff to right the ship. With Deano at the helm, I'm sure the Sioux will "recover" from this loss. If they can improve because of this, it will be a blessing in disguise. I look back to the WCHA playoff championship loss to Denver last season as a HUGE piece to the Gophers winning the NC a couple weeks later. They realized that they had to work hard for every victory, even when playing in front of 19,000 partisan fans on their side. The Sioux's season is nowhere near over. After last season, you should enjoy the fact that you have one of the best teams in the country. There are plenty of Gopher fans that have been crying "doom and gloom" at various points this season. But if you asked most of them how they feel right now (after the Saturday victory at CC), they would have a smile on their face. It's a long season and we are getting close to crunch time. Get hot and anything can happen for our two respective programs. OK, this therapy session has gone on far too long. Besides, I'm starting to feel dirty talking up the Sioux so much. Sorry for the dissertation.

I think some of you are overreacting a bit as well. There have been numerous posters (especially so-called Sioux fans, of late) that come to POI solely to flame. As far as I know, most (all?) were allowed to continue posting the same crap for quite some time. Whether they eventually got banned or just left, I do not know. As far as U2's banning, if it were me, I wouldn't have banned him. I looked back at many of his posts and didn't see anything worthy of getting banned. As for the Roberg comment, I would guess that, with the tables reversed, many on this board would have come to the same conclusion as some of my fellow Gopher fans. There was no context, it was the first reply to the thread, and there was no clarification made by U2 after people started commenting on his post. I may not agree with U2's banning in particular, but I feel that the guys running POI do an incredible job in providing another forum for Gopher/college hockey fans. You have a nice site here. It seems like a good place to come to talk college hockey without all the crap that goes on at USCHO. The problems come when a good thing gets too popular and the unwanted yahoos start to surface. I think that is what has happened over at POI recently (Gopher fan yahoos and non-Gopher fan yahoos alike). It used to be a place to go for good hockey content. It still is, but, increasingly, you have to dig to find the good stuff. I think this is what Sal and Co. are trying to address. I don't want to speak for those guys, but I am certain they like the fact that fans from other teams visit the board (as long as those fans lone motivation is not flaming). As long as there is good discussion, what does it matter? Anyway, that's all. Sorry for the long post on "your" board. Just trying to add a little perspective to the topic.

You guys sure spend a lot of time talking about the Gophers on this board . Mankato has had an impressive run of late, no doubt. I saw some of the Saturday game and thought they got outplayed by Denver much of the night. They were very opportunistic and somehow only gave up two goals. I am hoping the return of Potulny will spark this team, as I believe if they come to play they can beat any team out there on a given night. If the Gophers are flat, I would expect a loss against Mankato. They are a hard-working team with a scary first line. Should be a fun series. I think this is the most I've ever looked forward to watching a series against Mankato. To me, it's an indication of how this program is climbing the WCHA ladder.