flatspin7

I don't attack REA on this business becuase I know they do not have much in the way of say on how seats are allocated in the arena, but they did little to take care of the problem. The Senate is fighting for what the students want. I applaud the senate. The students want what they already have. We are not asking for any more. The lastest compromise that the senate sent to the ADs office should take care of the problem. It only the top 6 rows stand it shoulnt block anyones view of the game. I dont think that any one actually thinks that just moving the students to 111 is a fair move but the second plan with the assigned seating student section at the front of 110 is down right stupid. I understand that students do misbehave but it is not most of them. The vast majority of students have "gotten with the program" if it takes those students who havent getting kicked out of the arena so be it. I really dont care. Me personally as well as most of the students who go to the games sit for most of it maybe with the exception of powerplays and other critical times during the game, and most of that time they are making some kind of added noise. If they wanted to move the students to the corner they should move the students to the OTHER side of the ice, and give the students the big corner section and the one next to it at the end. While I dont know the exact numbers I think that they probably would be close. That section has a big cut out for the zamboni door. People should also not look beyond that fact that the Athletic office and the Fighting Sioux Club can make a lot of money by adding 100 lower bowl seats to the fray. It is apparent to me and a lot of other student leaders on campus that there is a financial aspect to this decision. I have spoke to and met with Roger Thomas a few times in the past 2 years and he has blatently lied to me on at least on occasion dealing with the Siouxcrew and the reservation of first 2 rows of the student section. They did if for about 3 or 4 weeks during the season, the day before the first game that they did this he claimed that they were not allowed to do it. Never the less they did. I am speaking truth from my personal experiances with Roger Thomas. I am not against season ticket holders or anything, I just want the fellow students to either keep what they have or to be treated fairly. Those that do what they are supposed to are being punished because no one in a position of authority wants to do anything about it.

Let them draft him now and wait 3 years before throwing a ton of cash at him.

I don't buy the idea that the Season ticket holder should be able to do what ever they want just becuase they make donations. Its a two way street PCM. There are compromises to be made, but unfortunatly some people dont want to do that. There are some students that will refuse to abide by any compromise, but those individuals might need to be dealt with, and expecting the students to police their own is unrealistic, they have been told and asked by the students to sit and they refused. What should be do? Take them out back and beat them senseless? I understand that donations permit the program to operate, but the students provide the other half of the equation, I graduate from UND in 2 weeks so I dont even know why I fight so hard for my fellow students even thought I am about to join the elite ranks of alumni, but I still have friends here and they dont deserve this treatment.

Its an odd thought but the Wild have been getting better during these play-offs. I think part of it is that they are getting more comfortable. I almost wonder if the other half has to do with the fact that they have nothing to loose. Of course every team wants to win it all, but at the begining of the season most people did not even have the Wild in the playoffs. So now that they are in a game seven in round 2 the weight of the moment is entirely on Vancouver. The Wild have seemed to found a nice degree of scoring touch (12 goals in 2 games) while not sacrificing their defensive style. Just as with the Avs if the Wild lose it can still be considered a degree of victory just to get to that point. If the Wild lose tonight, everybody can sit back and remember that it was a great run and there is a great future for this team. If they Win its another upset. The two last times Vancouver has had a chance to close out the series they have collapsed. At least the Avs made the Wild go to overtime to get to game 7. Any game 7 is a complete crap shoot, but right now its looking like the Wild are having fun out there and that makes a very dangerous team. I think they are just about as peaked as they can get but I think they are good enough to beat Vancouver tonight. (note- I am not making a prediction,just saying that I think they are good enough- so dont yell at me tommorow if things dont go well) But the possibility of a Ducks / Wild conference final can get filed deeply in the Who'd a thunk it file.

I like the idea of keeping "local" talent around. It would be a good choice to take Zach if he is still available. Parise and Gaborik could be a verrrrry scary combo. To bad he wont be around to get picked up by the Devs.

Assigned seats are a bad idea. I dont always go to the game with the same number of people and it would suck to say a friend could not sit with us becuase the schmuck next to us never uses his season ticket. Season tickets equals empty seats, I always tried to get pass off my ticket if there was a game that I was not going to be able to make, but people dont do that always. Assigned seats will only worsen the problem. At least now is some people dont show up no seats down low are left empty. If the guy who has some choice seats never shows up those seats are empty... booooo If the Ralph wants to avoid problem people all they have to do is get a hold of their ID and invalidate it effectively banning that person from the arena. The ticket checkers there are pretty through it is seems to be difficult to get in with someone elses ID even though Im sure its been done.

The play-offs this year have been great. There have been some classic match-ups. Philly / Toronto first round was a great physical series (war?), not to mention Avs/ Wild. There have been many the shockers as well. The Anaheim sweeping the Wings out of the first round was certainly that and then they take down the Stars in 6 just to prove they are serious. They maybe a fluke team on a roll with a goalie that has been playing out of him mind but hey... who can argue. If the Wild had gotten swept out of the first round by the Avs no one would have been surprised or even all that pissed. The fact that the Wild got into the play-offs was great for a 3rd year team. Well then they not only take the AVs to 7 games but they win in OT... Very nice. Now they are in Game 6 with the Canucks (I think they should bring back the old jerseys! ) no matter what happends from this point on this play-off has been great for the Wild. The fans now have some great memories, and the team has some rivalries. I know the the Wild and the Canucks did not like each other all that much before the series but now there is a rivalry brewing that will last for a long long time. This is great for Minnesota hockey... Win or lose! On another note... Nothing gives me more pleasure that to see the Rangers suck mightly despite having the largest payroll in the league. As a born and raised Devils fan I only trully dislike 3 teams, Philly, the Avs and the Rangers. I really enjoyed seeing the Avs go down when it was obvious they thought the series was a given to them.

This is really awkward to say, but Minnesota has a great womens program, but UMD is the pre-eminent program in the country. If I am correct havent they comlpeted the 3-peat. I know womens hockey is womens hockey but that is really impressive. Well be contending in the better part of a decade. 7 years should be enought to get a good program to start rolling with a good recruiting base and maybe some big wins. Time will tell. Its a UND team... How can they be bad for long.

95-96 NHL Playoffs It looks like Florida did beat 1 and 2 in rounds 2 and 3. I guess what the ESPN folks were talking about how no one had ever done it in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs. Its amazing what teams were good back in the Day and are less than good now. Pittsburg was a 2 seed, Chicago was a 3 seed. How times have not been nice to these teams.

Great game by the Wild last night... That was an old fashion beat down... who'd a thunk that the Wild would put up a 5 goal period and a 7 goal game against Vancouver. Very nice.. I like it And also in the "Who'd a thunk it" file the freggin Ducks have become the first team to knock of both the number 1 and 2 seeds in their conference. Think about it... If the Wild comeback against the Canucks the conference final would a 6 v 7 series with the Wild having home ice... Geez I love the playoffs.

If you recall. I do sit for most of the game. I just dont appreciate the students getting moved because of a small group of a$$holes. A boycott would be a stupid idea. They would just open more seats for REA to sell at those games and it really wouldnt get any point across, but telling the powers that be whats on my mind... theres nothing wrong with that.

Who's your daddy? 6-2 at the end of 2... not bad. Keep it up.

Minneapolis has a great number of Hockey fans who were deprived of hockey for a few years. Your right no students are included there. And maybe you are right that students are not necessary to create noise and atmosphere in an arena, but when 1/2 of the season ticket holders are a bunch of status seekers who have never been a fighting Sioux ticket holder before (old ralph) they dont know what it was like. Maybe if the rest of the crowd would considder making some noise and what not at times other than TV time outs and between face offs maybe the atmosphere would improve. To be honest the atmosphere sucked even during the 1/2 of the season when we were killing everybody in sight. I can only think of one or two times when that building got really cranking and that noise ended the minute the puck was dropped... PATHETIC. Ok maybe the students do say and do things that can be construed as vulgar and inconsiderate but if it wasnt for that the Ralph would be so quiet you can hear Don Lucia fart on the opposing bench (sorry for the cheap shot at the gophers but I couldnt resist) So I am saying that maybe if the rest of the fans and I am not outing everyone here because I know there are some great fans out there who know what Fighting Sioux hockey is supposed to be like, but I turn the mirror on the rest of the fans, I am sick and tired of being villianized as a student who gets the the games at 4 o'clock to stand outside in Sub-zero weather just to get my seat behind the penalty box. I stand during power plays, I stand during the last minute of the game and when people tell me to sit my ass down during those times I turn to them and ask them "Why are you sitting?" During other parts of the game I respectfully sit and cheer and heckel the unfortunate soul in the penalty box ( I loved having the Wookie there... that was fun ) I make noise and encourage others to do so, if that involves using the F-bomb or other words I guess its all part of the deal. If you are a parent and bought general admit seats in the student section you should be prepared to hear that. There are some students that take things to far and cross the line, and frankly they dont care what the other students around them say. So stop this "students should police themselves" BullS**t. In the little perfect world where every respects everybody else this would work but this is the real world not Mr. Rogers (RIP) neihborhood. There are A$$holes out there and maybe they deserve to get booted out of the arena, I dont sit around them so they dont effect my ability to see the game. The few students that post on this board (that I know) probably agree with everything I have said here. Its a two way street PCM and Lawkota you must remember that those athletes that you are watching down there are STUDENTS. It sickens me to see fans in the expensive seats leaving the game with 3 minutes left in a one goal game. The students are the voice of UND. With out the Students there would be no UND and there for no Fighting Sioux hockey... Then what would you do for fun in this town. I apologize for the rant but I am fed up with the crappy ass light all the students are portrayed in and how the actions of a few individuals reflects students as a whole. The Old Ralph was feared by opponents you want to know why? That place was 50% students and it was always loud. Every game no matter what that arena cranked! I am sure some of the others here remember that too.

Student goverment has a President (who brokered the deal) and a Senate for the same reason this country does. I was not at the meeting, I do have some friends that were, so I can find out some info later, but student government is not a club where evereybody agrees with stuff. Most of the senators I know and the student body president are intelligent (most of them) with their own opinions and are certainly not afraid of the Ralph, the Althletic office or Roger Thomas. I'm sure there are good reasons that the proposal got voted down. The lottery for assigned student seats was probably one of them. The idea that the 110 seast would have been assigned (meaning that the students in that section would have assigned seats) based on a lottery was a definate sign of contention, (and probably a bad idea), but more info to come... Have a nice night.

What apperently most people dont realize is that the ralph does not control the seating at the arena. The Althelic Dept does. They always have. I still think the Ralph has its issues but It is the Althletic Dept that is doing this, not the ralph. Roger Thomas has spoken openly about trying to compromise with the the students but it is him and his office that is screwing the students. I have seen some real scummy things come out of that office and I was really dismayed to learn that the Athletic office and the AD were behind the seat move, not the Ralph.

Maybe Ralph did more for the students than we thought he did?

The Women do play at the Ralph... Occasionally they do play on the Olympic Ice sheet if there is some sort of conflict with the main rink. I Think they had 4 games on the big sheet last year and that still seats a couple thousand people on bleachers and what not. The rest of the games are general admit to to main bowl.

Great to hear for the womens team. Give them a few years and they may start to compete. For and "expansion" team they had a decent year and in a few (5?) they will build a strong program recruiting based on the reputation of the Mens team and the facility. But there is no way that UND women can compete with the likes of U of M or UMD right now.

I just talked to some people "in the know" I prefer not to divulge my sources,, but students may be required to sign contracts when they sit in the front seats of 110 that they will sit when the rest of the arena is sitting and vice versa. 111 will be free reign. These reliable sources were not very happy with Roger Thomas or the rest of the Athletic Dept. REA has nothing to do with the seating change. It lies within the ADs office. ARGH

Well that all depends on what you want out of the game. If you are the kind of guy that like to see plays develop the top is great... no doubt. But if you want to slam to see people hit the glass and really heckel the other team the best spot is right behind the opponents penalty box. Its all an issue of personal preference. The Corner also has its advantages too, but c'mon cant we have the corner that the Sioux shoot twice? (Im whining if you can't tell)

It does seem like a problem waiting to happen. Putting students directly infront of the section that bitched the most about it last year. Not a good Idea. I see they want to get more ammo to move all students upstairs next year. Not a good idea unless you are going to put seat belts on those seats that only un-latch during intermission.

I dont think we want / need him but he would have to sit out a year to transfer.

USCHO and the Fargo Forum reports that USD may be looking at starting up a DI hockey program. The team would compete (errrr play) in the CHA. Could be interesting. Distinct possibility or Long Shot? Discuss

Two quick things...( I would have responded earlier to this comment but I didn't see it) 1- Bite me 2-I never once said a word about Pohl, all I did was congratulate Panzer on the award. I don't know about how either of them has looked on the IceCats this past year. I reallly dont have a lot of time to spend watching the AHL. Do you? Maybe if Pohl didnt get hurt he would have had better numbers I really don't know, but that doesnt change the fact of what really went down. No one on this board got on here and said a word good or bad about Pohl. Whats with all this Sioux Hating.... If I recall this board was very congradulatory and gracious toward the Gophers on the win. Maybe you should consider going back to POI if they'll have you.

Students want so Sit together because that is the nature of the student section. I would much rather sit with other students. Would you want to sit with students, I asume not! But the students are not going to police or own, if REA wanted to keep the students were they were at they would have booted those guys out of the games. THe bottom line is that they wanted the money and set the students up to fail. When they never met us half way. We were promised arena efforts to get the crowd into the game. What ever they have done didnt work. How come REA and the Athletic Dept is OK moving 500(approx) students but cant seem to remove 10-20? Its fishy to say the least.