PCM

Sorry, but I simply can't agree with this reasoning. I have been to several games at the REA at which student involvement was minimal because most of them were on vacation or spring break. Yet the atmoshphere was fantastic. The argument that if you don't allow profanity, there will be nothing to replace it is compeletely bogus. It's just another way to rationalize ignoring the problem.

I don't disagree that there are steps that could be taken to improve the atmosphere at REA. I totally support those efforts and have wondered why UND and REA don't do more to get people involved in the games. It appears that there's a lot more that could be done. And if there were promises made that weren't kept, that was wrong and those areas should be readdressed. BUT That's really a separate issue from the profanity and racist remarks. We need to stop pretending that it's either profanity or nothing because it's not true. Those arguments only serve as an excuse to avoid dealing with the real problem.

The Truth Police just received another 911 call.

Yes, that's exactly the point. Do you really want the "or else" to be administered by the NCAA, the US Department of Education or the Justice Department? I don't. There is nothing to fix. All that can be done is for those engaging in behavior detrimental to UND to end that behavior. If they don't, UND will suffer the consequences. You can debate and search for compromises and "fixes" all you want, but when the axe falls, it will be too late. And Thomas explained why that is when he wrote: How do you address the problem of profane cheers without communicating with those who are doing them? Which, if what Thomas says is true, means that students aren't being treated any differently from anyone else who fails to conform to the rules. It's not an either/or situation, as in "Either we get to be as profane as we want or we have dead silence." As beersong so eloquently noted earlier in this thread, it is entirely possible to have great atmosphere in an arena without excessive profanity and vulgarity. If Kupchella and Thomas were asking students and fans to do something unreasonable, people would have justification to complain. But asking adults to engage in socially acceptable public behavior is not unreasonable, especially when they agree to do so at the time they buy their tickets.

I believe they play music during warmups because the Sioux players like it.

Yes. How do you think about the wonderful full-page rubber chicken ad that ran in NDSU's student newspaper? Fortunately for Bison fans, I was able to correct the artwork so that it now conforms to the truth in advertising laws.

How can you say that? This is what Thomas said: (Emphasis added) (Emphasis added) This is part of the problem. Instead of working together as Sioux fans who have a common interest, the issue is constantly portrayed as an "everyone against the students" conspiracy. I have little hope that this issue will be resolved unless that attitude changes.

I said it earlier in this thread and I'll say it again: It does no good to point fingers and talk about who did what and said what in the past. The message in Roger's letter is very clear. If we don't do something to fix this situation ourselves, someone is going to fix it for us. And none of us are going to like those results. It's time for both sides to offer some constructive solutions and to start working together. Time is running out.

Very true. I also think that every time the mention of racist behavior at UND comes up, the opponents of American Indian-related nicknames are taking note and filing away the incidents for future reference. That's my greatest concern about all of this.

It's nice to see Bochesnki and Parise in the first and third positions respectively. I would add Brady Murray to the "Poised to change on the fly" category. Nationally, he's 7th in points per game, tied for second nationally in game-winning goals and leads all rookies in points per game scoring. He's tied for first in the WCHA for game-winning goals. Plus, he really can fly.

They are two separate and legitimate issues. Both need to be dealt with for different reasons.

WDAZ does its own news show from Grand Forks. Try again.

Wrong. Grand Forks has WDAZ-TV. Besides, about 80 percent of the two stories KVLY did were interviews with NDSU students and coaches about their reactions to the Sioux deciding not to play the Bison. Really? I'll have to remember that. If it's news, they'll cover it and no ploy is necessary. And no matter what UND decided, it would have been news in Grand Forks and Fargo.

Thanks for your comments, beersong. I've never understood why people think that swearng in unison is so intimidating. Do they think that opposing players and the officials have never heard those words before? Heck, most Sioux fans will say that there's nothing more annoying than hearing Gophers fans en masse doing the Minnesota rouser in unison. And I'm pretty sure that there are no swear words in that cheer.

I don't think that blaming anyone will solve anything. The fact is, the situation has gotten out of hand to the point where it could hurt UND both athletically and academically. People need to work together to start fixing the problem rather than pointing fingers.

Isn't it interesting that this "marketing ploy" was the lead news story on Fargo-based KVLY-TV tonight? I liked Charlie Johnson's comment about how "everybody's going in different directions." Uh, sorry Charlie, but UND didn't go anywhere. NDSU left.

If the Sioux play poorly against CC this weekend, then maybe I'll agree with you. Right now, I see more reasons to be positive than negative.

I know that Gopher fans find comfort in the idea that the Sioux are more vulnerable on "big ice," but I don't buy it. Remember, the Sioux routinely practice on an Olympic-sized rink, so playing on rinks that size is never a new experience for them. Two of UND's three "big ice" losses were against Wisconsin. As I understand it, the Kohl Center isn't a true "big ice" arena. It's in between Olympic and NHL size. I also don't think the losses to the Badgers had anything to do with the size of the ice sheet. Against SCSU, the Huskies got 2 points from the Sioux at the Ralph. In St. Cloud, the Sioux took 3 of 4 points from the Huskies on the big ice while missing three of their top forwards. Had Minnesota dominated the Sioux at Mariucci, I'd say the theory might have some validity. But a 4-2 Sioux win and a 2-1 Gopher win don't exactly bolster the argument that UND is vulnerable on "big ice." Besides that, all UND's "big ice" games are on the road. Therefore, I wouldn't expect the Sioux record to be as good.

Just remember:

All I'm hearing is Dan "I'm Boring As Hell" Cole.

6-3-3 since the start of the new year is a swoon? The Tigers are 6-6, which includes three wins over cupcakes. One bad game for each goalie is a cold streak? I guess that's about as small as a cold streak could get. When is Blais not juggling lines?

Blais said this morning that the goal judge attempted to turn on the light when the goal was scored, but could not because time had expired. The ref has the option of consulting with the goal judge, but is not required to do so.

I think 9 times out of 10, the refs will wave off the goal if it went in off a skate, no matter what the circumstances. The only goal off a Sioux skate that I've ever seen and remember being counted was when Bochenski got one against BC early in the year. And the only reason that counted was because the ref thought it went in off an Eagle skate, not a Sioux skate.

A goal can be scored off a skate as long as the puck is not intentionally or deliberately deflected in. I didn't see a replay of Parise's waved-off goal, so I can't comment on how the puck got into the net. However, in post-game comments, Blais said the goal judge told him it was a good goal. He also said that Schmidt never consulted with the goal judge before overturning his initial ruling.

I think that what some are concerned about is that the critics of this team we're right. They said the Sioux had questionable goaltending. They said the Sioux would be hurt by not having any offensive defensemen. They said the Sioux would collapse under the weight of their schedule in the second half of the season. In other words, the critics said that what happened to the Sioux last season would happen again this season for the exact same reasons. Getting swept by Wisconsin is the first time this season that it appears the critics could be right. However, please allow me to cloud the issue with some facts. In their first 12 games of 2003, the Sioux were 4-4-4 and had 12 of 24 possible points. In the first 12 games of 2004, the Sioux are 6-3-3 and have 15 of 24 possible points. In 2003, the Sioux were 2-4-2 in their last eight games of the regular season. Frankly, I don't see that happening this season. Also don't forget that UND's troubles in the second half of the season coincided with David Hale's illness that caused him to miss all but the very last game of the season. Until then, the Sioux had very effective leadership from the Hale brothers. Obviously, that isn't a factor this season. Another thing people forget is that during the first half of the 02-03 season, the Sioux lived on the edge a lot, especially against WCHA teams. At this point a year ago, UND had won seven one-goal games, six of those against WCHA opponents. This season, the Sioux have won three one-goal games, all against league opponents. UND continues to lead the nation with a scoring margin that averages 2.22 goals per game. Want more good news? UND's penalty kill is ranked third in the nation at 88.7%. Not bad for a team with "weak goaltending." Four of the top 11 scores in the WCHA play for the Sioux. Jordan Parise's goals against average is 2.08, tops in the WCHA. His save percentage is .913, which ties him for fourth in the league. Parise and Brandt are second and third in the WCHA respectively in winning percentage. The Sioux are second in WCHA scoring offense averaging 4.2 goals per game and first in scoring defense in giving up an average of 2.4 goals per game. And remember UND's horrid power play? It's the third best in the WCHA at 21%. The Sioux penalty kill is first in the WCHA at 89.1%. Remember how worried we were about special teams play early in the season? UND's combined special teams are second in the WCHA, right behind Minnesota. Yes, the weekend against Wisconsin was disappointing and certainly caused me to have flashbacks of last season's second-half collapse. But the Sioux are still in the driver's seat for the WCHA title and UND is a team all others should fear.