Big A HG

Added a new blog post that re-touches my thoughts on the new NoDak jersey: http://sioux-jersey.com/#/blog/4552031202/News-Notes-and-New-Jerseys-(again)/1619150

That's because college football/basketball jerseys get numbered right at the factory in mass production. Sioux jerseys are a relatively small market in comparison and all name/number work gets outsourced. They could do it, but it would only add cost to the jerseys, at which point you might as well just leave it up to the customer so they can pick their own number (and potentially name). I'd rather get a blank jersey so I can choose the name/number I want opposed to a random number anyways.

Just to play devil's advocate....we've scored 1 total goal in our last two Frozen Four appearances combined, with much better teams.

If BC wins the whole thing this year, then the answer is no, I don't remember when we used to be BC. BC is on a run right now in college hockey unlike any stretch the Sioux have ever head whether you are talking Gasparini, Blais, or Hakstol eras.

I'm not one to rub this (soon-to-be) loss in Minnesota's face as we haven't been able to do anything better recently. However, I hope their fan base realizes what it's like to play BC in the Frozen Four now.

He plays hard when he wants to, which isn't often enough. He's a guy that can help you, but I don't think he's the difference in the Hawks winning another title or not. They need defense and goaltending. He's one of those guys that plays the game like he's entitled to be a star. I'm not a fan of his cockiness. He isn't dirty because he isn't big enough to back it up. He isn't the scoring machine he was supposed to be as the #1 pick. He's a great offensive guy, but he's not irreplaceable. His defense is lacking severely more-often-than-not.

Watch out for Ferris State.

I'm a bit worried about the new jerseys being sold come fall. Replicas are replicas, but authentics are supposed to be the same as what the players wear. However... Starting this past fall for the 2011-12 NHL season, NHL Reebok Authentics are NOT the same as on-ice jerseys. I'll try to keep this short, but I'm going to post the story from the start. Back when Reebok introduced the Edge jerseys in fall of 2007, they were new material that was moisture-resistant and stretchy, and had a really tight and ergonomic design. Well as the season went on, more and more players hated it because the jersey wicked moisture too good and sweat would run into players gloves and skates, moreso than they liked. So, during the course of that first season in the Edge jerseys and especially into the second year of them, most players had switched to a modified Edge jersey....the 2.0 (or 7287 for those who are avid jersey people). Basically, the cut of the jersey was loosened up a bit and that techy material was replaced by a heavy-duty airknit like on the previous Reebok jerseys prior to the Edge (which is currently what UND's jerseys are...the air knit). However, after this change, the authentic jerseys sold in stores weren't changed like the on-ice jerseys...they were all still the same as the original 1.0 with that stretchy, moisture-wicking fabric. Fine...the jerseys were at least like what the players had been wearing and the retail authentics were still made in Canada and were good quality. However, for 2011-12, Reebok changed that. For the start of the 2011-12 season, Reebok made a few branding tweaks to the jerseys. They replaced the vector logo on back with the Reebok wordmark, among a few other tiny variances. Well, Reebok had to start making new jerseys for the stores. But, this time they stopped making them in Canada (unlike the on-ice jerseys which ARE made in Canada). They are now produced in Indonesia and the product is FAR from what the actual on-ice jerseys are. The material isn't much different from your average replica jersey and the quality of the stitching, embroidery, and patches has suffered a lot. Despite these huge differences, the price has remained the same...which is expensive for what you are getting. Because of these "Indo-Edge" jerseys (which are bordering on the edge of false advertisement), it has me worried that the new North Dakota jerseys that will be sold at retail will be these cheap quality "authentic" jerseys from Indonesia as well. If that's the case, I hope the jersey collectors around town will stand up against it. It's one thing to pay $250 for a good product that is the same as on-ice, but to pay the same amount for a poor representation is a bit wrong, in my opinion. Just thought I'd throw this out there for the die-hards.

The dead giveaway that it was a prank was he didn't add "Discuss. " at the end of the post.

I don't mind having SCSU for one reason...recruiting. What makes it so easy for Twin Cities kids to leave the Twin Cities is knowing that their families can still watch them when they play road games within proximitiy to central/eastern Minnesota. Duluth helps, but that's a bit of a hike. Having the closest foothold to the Twin Cities (other than an unattainable option in UMTC), may still persaude some kids to go to schools outside of Minnesota.

Here is the vintage style jersey in photographic form. I've never tried a uni swap like this on a photo, but it turned out pretty decent for the most part. It's not something I would probably do again as it's pretty extensive. Anyways, how do your opinions change now that you can see it "in use"?

I had already heard about what Hunwick had done, but that was a great read that puts it all into perspective. It makes me hate Michigan just a little bit less, even if it's microscopically less.

I think Guentzel should be COY.

Sign Parise to take Kane's spot, trade Kane for defense or goaltending. There were rumors not that long ago that Buffalo was shopping Ryan Miller. I love the Hawks but hate Kane. Duncan Keith is on my s*** list now too after his elbow...despite my despise for the Sedin sisters. The only guy who would deserve an elbow like that in the league would have been Ulf Samuelsson.

This is going to come across as harsher than I intend, but if you have to ask if you should start an account, then I'm not sure you really believe you have the content to generate a lot of followers. Everyone joins Twitter for different reasons. What's your goal when starting one? Are you just being your daily self posting random musings? Is it going to be more professionally geared towards UND related items? Do you feel you need a certain number of followers to make it worth it? With that said, go for it. It's free, easy, and often-times useful. Whether you have 1 or 1 million followers, I would get an account just to follow the people or things that interest me. Content doesn't matter on your own account if you don't care who follows you. I just don't think starting a thread on here is going to help you solve any of your questions.

We are 7 of 19 Frozen Fours. Gophers are 5 of 19 with the 20th appearance pending. Still better, but not as significantly.

We are very fortunate to have the history we do. Hak hasn't gotten us there yet, but here are two numbers to look at: ---Since Hak took over, every year there is a 1/16 chance of winning the title (if you are lucky enough to make the tournament...which Hak has done EVERY season so far, second longest streak in the country). Everyone is on equal terms and has equal opportunity if you are in the tournament. We've been darn close a number of times, but it's not like we are behind the 8 ball. Heck. Going back into the Dean Blais era, we've played 12 seasons since our last title. That's still less than the 1/16 number, and the last time we won the tournament, it was a 12 team format. ---We've been in 19 Frozen Fours and won 7 times. There is a 1/4 chance of winning it all once you make the Frozen Four. We'd have to lose 9 straight more Frozen Four opportunities to get down to that 1/4 mark. I'd say we are pretty fortunate. The NCAA Tourney is a one-and-done format. I don't think that is a very good gauge to decide whether a coach is worthy of staying. If you look at all the success the team has had under Hakstol, you'll see what kind of coach he is. There is a reason why so many non-Sioux fans of college hockey adore guys like Hakstol...they know he is a great, young coach, and winning [or not winning] a title can be as flukey as anything. I'd say the pressure the fans put on the team to win the tournament is more detrimental than anything, especially the coach.

I'm expecting a similar season to this one, with a little less turbulence. I think this year's team really rode the wave they got on and played a bit beyond their means for quite a stretch. I still see us as a 3-4 placed team in the WCHA. A lot can change before then as well, though, so it's a bit early on my part to start predicting anything.

Hak has had one of the finest season's of coaching I've seen this year. Period. This was the least talented team UND has had for some time, and then depleted even worse by injuries, clearinghouse issues, and a decommitment. Also, looking back at least year's Frozen Four...We outshot Michigan 40-20 and our goalie only gave up one goal, and we lost. Is it Hak's fault that Hunwick stole a game from us? If you take away goaltending, UND's only bad Frozen Four appearance was in 2008 when we got slaughtered by BC. In 2005, we just got beat by a better team. In 2006, we had the talent to do it, but our goaltending wasn't championship worthy...same thing in 2007. Part of that is a few defensive breakdowns, but you'll have that when you play BC, you just have to hope the puck doesn't go in. We'll get one. It's a different game now. Going back only 10-15 years, there were usually only 4-6 teams that had a legitimate chance of winning the tournament with 2-3 that were even better yet. Now you have a whole field of teams, which has increased from 12-16, who can beat you any given night. The fact that we've done as well as we have in this era of NCAA hockey is pretty amazing despite the lack of titles. We'll get there again.

Other than them being UA jerseys, they look pretty sharp. I hate the look of the way UA jerseys fit.

Collegehockeynews.com has the live scores going.

In the last 14 opening round games for #1 vs #4 seeds (so since 2009), the games have split 7-7. If that trend continues, only one of BC and UND will move on, and I don't like our chances as much as BC. Air Force is always a tough out though too.

Michigan game is a huge penalty fest...PP's favoring Michigan quite a bit.

Your best bet is to go to the individual team's websites and find a radio link there.

Should be a great day of ESPN3.com at work and ESPNU when I get home!