Big A HG

Me too

I love the Sioux but it's just a hunch. I see way too many 5-6-7 goal predictions. WCHA hockey isn't that easy to do that for the 5th time in 7 games.

3-2 Huskies.

Why would Goon be mad. According to AZ they're playing the Buins. As far as I know, Goon is a Bruins fan....definitely not the same.

I had the wonderful oppurtunity to have a photo-interview opportunity with Dave Hakstol today....here's how it went. Big A: Coach, the Gwozdecky incident has been a controversy since it happened on Saturday night. What are your thoughts on it? Hak: The interview immiediately ended.

I don't know how many times it takes for people to get the hint. Maybe a more realistic question to answer is how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. Even then, the world may never know.

Looking at the DU series, your chart was pretty spot on. Assuming that 3 points puts us right between a sweep and a split, it's right on 14. So, there is a method to his madness.

Here's what I've been able to dig up about UNO attendance in my never ending quest for knowledge.... UNO is averaging approximately 8000 people for games against MichSt and Miami. Those are the only "big" draws they've had at home. The rest of the home games average out to be about 5500-6000. That is a considerable difference for a school isn't in much of a hockey market. However, I think they underestimate how much the fans will be drawn towards Denver and North Dakota. The CCHA has a bunch of crap teams with a few good ones. It's the same with the WCHA. Wisconsin and Minnesota are recognizable names outside of hockey, and I think Denver and CC will be more recognizable than they give credit for. Add in more visiting travel saved travel expenses, and I think in the long run it evens out, or they may gain revenue for the program. I bet their fans are smarter than given credit, so when a high ranked WCHA team that is less recognizable outside of hockey teams come to town, they'll get their crowds. If DU, or UND, CC, or Duluth come in with a high rank, people will come just to see if the Mavs get knocked off. I don't care if we get NMU or UNO, as long as it's one of them and not UAH.

This is from Brad's Blog (www.areavoices.com/undhockey) "In recent days, both Air Force and Nebraska-Omaha -- two of the frequently mentioned suspects -- have said they are not interested in the WCHA. But apparently, Omaha coach Mike Kemp said that Northern Michigan has been approached by the WCHA as a possible member, too." I couldn't find where I thought I read that NMU has said they were interested, but it may have been a word of mouth thing from inside sources. The fact that we have contacted them is somewhat of a step (we also did for UNO and AFA). Also, the fact they HAVEN'T said they weren't interested (like UNO and AF both stated) is also key. If they didn't want to join, I think we'd already know that. The fact that UNO doesn't want to join already befuddles your chances of getting UNO anyways. So, better to have NMU than UAH. WESTERN COLLEGE HOCKEY BLOG: "One of the big reasons why is that even though the WCHA may have more traditional hockey powers, Nebraska is football territory and names like Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State are going to resonate more with local fans than a school like Denver or North Dakota. Even MAC schools like Western Michigan, Miami, and Bowling Green carry more cachet than some of the D-II football schools in Minnesota. Kemp did mention the advantage of being able to bus to most games in the WCHA--and I'm sure avoiding the air looked especially tempting after the fiasco getting up to Fairbanks--but also said that the CCHA has been good to UNO, and they have no interest in moving. " The problem with that statement is, I don't think they're drawing much of a crowd even for those games against "big football schools." Also, the benefit of having more away fans coming to the games will at least keep the attendance similar, in my opinion. But, if they don't want to change, they don't want to change. I do think AFA would be a good choice, but their arena is about 1500 seats too small for the WCHA if I remember right....the same problem that BSU has had. I'll see if I can dig up where I found where I saw that NMU was interested in the WCHA.

#19 St. Cloud RPI .5248 #26 UMass-Lowell (HE) .5083 #27 Quinnipiac (ECAC) .5076 #28 UMass (HE) .5074 If St. Cloud were to drop .15 in one weekend, which is unlikely, they'd still be ahead of these teams. Lowell is at Maine this week for one game, so I don't see their RPI rising significantly even with a win...seeing as they only play once. Quinnipiac at Brown and at Yale. Yale is 16th in the RPI, but Brown is a bottom feeder. Quinnipac might sweep, but won't get the jump they need. UMass is playing Northeastern and at Maine, one game each. Northeastern is 3rd in terms of RPI right now, meaning they are definitely considered a good team based on the RPI, so a win could bump them up a lot. A see a split in those 2 games, so that won't do the trick. All that, not to mention, there are still 6 other teams between St. Cloud at UMass-Lowell, so chances are, at at least one other team is going to drop enough spots to save room for St. Cloud in the top 25. Minnesota State is #29, so if they get in, I don't know how their TUC's and COp would compare to ours. We'd win RPI over them and we'd split a point each for H2H. I'm guessing we'd win COp due to our conference standings, giving us another point. If their TUC percentage is higher than what I think it might be, they could be a problem. I don't see them getting a comparison point over us, but thought I'd point out that if they sweep us next time we play, they might have a chance to leap us. If we get swept then anyways, I don't think this point will matter anyways, so I basically just wasted a few minutes of my life worrying about it.

RPI is more helpful than TUC points right now. I'd like to think St. Cloud will continue it's hot streak after we sweep them and get back in the top 25. Here's hoping they don't drop beyond that point at this stage anyways. If we can raise our RPI by up to .02 by the rest of the season, we'll jump a lot of people ahead of us.

That's all fine and dandy, but we pick who we want and who we don't want. UNO has remained adament about staying in the CCHA while UNM has expressed interest in coming back to the WCHA.

Toews and Kane each have a goal, but Toews is +1 while Kane is -1.

Oh Goon, how can I resist you...

I know this isn't a requirement, but they're not very "Western"

Every Sioux down In Sioux-Ville Like Hockey a lot... But The Grinch, who lived far west of Sioux-ville, Did NOT! The Grinch hated Hockey! The Sioux Hockey season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason. It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small. But, whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes, he stood there on Hockey night, hating the Sioux. Staring down from his dasher with a sour, Grinchy frown, at the warm hearted players below on the ice. For he knew every Sioux down in Sioux-ville beneath was busy now, scoring goals and gritting their teeth. "And they're hanging their banners!" he snarled with a sneer. "Soon is the hockey tourney! It's practically here!" Then he growled, with his grinch fingers nervously drumming, "I MUST find a way to keep the Sioux from coming!" For, tomorrow, he knew... ...All the Sioux men would wake up bright and early. They'd rush for their sticks! And then! Oh, the penalties! Oh, the penalties! Penalties! Penalties! Penalties! That's one thing he hated! The PENALTIES! PENALTIES! PENALTIES! PENALTIES! Then the Sioux, young and old, would sit down to a box. And they'd sit! And they'd sit! And they'd SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! They would start with Sioux-pushing, and rare Sioux slew feets. Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least! And THEN They'd do something he liked least of all! Every Sioux down in Sioux-ville, the tall and the small, would stand close together, with Hockey horns ringing. They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Sioux would start cheering! They'd cheer! And they'd cheer! AND they'd CHEER! CHEER! CHEER! CHEER! And the more the Grinch thought of the Sioux-Hockey-Cheer, the more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this Sioux thing! "Why for twenty years I've put up with it now! I MUST stop the Hockey Tourney from coming! ...But HOW?" Then he got an idea! An awful idea! THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA! "I know just what to do!" The Grinch Laughed in his throat. And he made a quick Mr. Belding hat and a coat. And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick! "With this coat and this shoes, I'll look just like a prick!" "All I need is a ref..." The Grinch looked around. But since refs are scarce in the WCHA, there was none to be found. Did that stop the old Grinch...? No! The Grinch simply said, "If I can't find a ref, I'll walk out and find one instead!" So he called his captain Testwuide. Then he made his face red. And he put a big snarl in the middle of of his head. THEN he jumped on the dasher, at the beautiful REA, and he walked towards ol

Not to mention NMU has a history with the WCHA. I say let's do it. Bring in BSU and NMU and pray no Big 10 conference happens because of it.

Oh....so that's why Brett changed his name. I was gonna say, his name doesn't have an F in it now. Was it Bruneteauf before or what?

I agree that the atmosphere has been great, but I've seen it time and time again. When we don't have a big rival in town and we're not scoring more than a couple goals, the place is asleep. Even the Saturday DU game was fairly quiet during most of the game, minus the times when Gwoz freaked out.

DUDE, WE'RE GETTIN' A DELL!

We won 8-3 when he was behind the bench the whole game. We tied 2-2 when he was not behind the bench for half the game. Let him coach!

I watched the FSN telecast when I got home and they didn't show what I saw, and the whole opposite side of the arena saw. There was a different moment, if I remember correctly, where he actually was trying to hear something. But, what I saw, and what I think goon saw, was something completely different.

I wish so bad that a video of him cupping his ears with his goonish face towards the student section as they chanted "F you Denver!" came about. He looked like a class act when that happened.

DU is better than UMN from what I've seen in the recent month. UMN doesn't have the defense that DU does. BU is the team to beat right now IMO, and it's hard to argue with Notre Dame's streak right now, but I'm not sold quite yet...I have to see more.

It's Miseria Cantare by AFI.