Big A HG

Awesome! I hope he's a lifer at UND. He really "gets it" as head coach. Though he doesn't have his title yet, he will get one, and once he does, he'll get a bunch.

I think UND has been fortunate to have a number of great captains. It's hard to say Mario was the best. Almost all of them were great captains in one way or another.

I agree...Rowney, Parks, and MacMillan did have some good chemistry. However, if you mix and match the lines, it may benefit the team more and the new lines have the potential to create new chemistry that is as good or better than what we previously had.

That's why you bring in another offensive weapon to replace him. Kane brings little heart to the game. A guy like Parise can bring just as much O-skill as Kane, and bring heart and a defensive game with him. Trade Kane for defense or goaltending and sign Parise in place of Kane's contract.

Kane is not irreplaceable.

Brian Lee was treated unfairly, no question. You have to remember he was only a freshman and sophomore while at UND. He put up 27 and 26 points respectively. I think he did very well considering we used him like he was a junior or senior his two seasons at school.

2012 BC team: 9 draft picks 2010 BC team: 10 draft picks 2008 BC team: 11 draft picks Though not as many draft picks as recent Sioux teams, they still have their fair share of guys who are on NHL team's radar. The only way in which having some real good players that are drafted is they may leave early. I think Hak & Co. have been able to get his guys to commit to the system he implements. Over the long-haul, Hak's system will bring us National Championships. There is a bit of luck involved with winning a title. If you are good enough to win as many MacNaughton Cups, Broadmoor Trophies, Regional Championships, and never miss the playoffs, you are playing good hockey to win a National Championship? Look at last year. How do you not win a game when you outshoot your opponent 40-20 and your goalie gives up only one goal? The Sioux did what they needed to do to win but the game got stolen from them. How about in 2007, when a couple absurd penalty calls resulted in a PP goals in a game where you had a great chance of winning? I think the pressure of winning a title when you are supposed to, especially when you have a fan base as impatient as UND's, it makes the challenge that much more difficult. Look at BC prior to 2008. They were failing to meet the challenge of winning a title once they got there. Once they got that first one, they've come in bunches. I think once UND gets their next title, they will get a few in a short time span too because that monkey will be off the back for a bit.

I think BC's speed has less to do with their game than how smart they play the game. It just seems like they make very, very few mistakes. There speed works as a result of them knowing how to handle each and every situation they see. They rarely panic with the puck and they always seem to know how and when to get the puck to the proper place. Their passing is excellent because they almost never hesitate with what they are about to do. Their patience with the puck is great. When the Sioux are playing great, they are decisive with the puck and they are crisp with their passes. This allows them (or a team like BC) to use their speed in the proper manner. We've had fast guys on our team too, but you don't see them do the things BC does because sometimes there may be hesitation with puck on someone elses part, or bad passes, etc. Their speed kills, but only because of the other factors that allow them to use their speed, if that makes sense.

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.