MafiaMan

FIX IT!

I have yet to meet a Gopher fan who thinks leaving the WCHA is a good thing...or one who thinks ditching the Fighting Sioux nickname is the right thing to do...I still won't cheer for them. Maybe if St Cloud does win the title, we can re-visit the SCSU thread from a while back where fans were outraged over a loss to a second-rate hockey school...

It's a good time. I will be passing out Ohio State Buckeye helmet stickers as door prizes next year LOL!

Sacred Heart is an inside joke (see Hoggsbreath thread)... I'm familiar with hockeydb too...just didn't get the Siembida reference by Wilbur...

I predict a good turn-out next March at the inaugural NCHC Final Four Hoggsbreath Brunch!

Forgive me...what's the joke here? And didn't Josh play at Sacred Heart after he left UND?

...and Minnesota was in the WCHA with 'us' in 2002 too...I didn't cheer for them then either. Having been at at several games in St Cloud with nickname protesters in my face, I can give you lots of reasons why I hate St Cloud State.

Really? Because I can already hear the 'fire Hak' crowd... 'IT TOOK MOTZKO LESS THAN FIVE YEARS TO WIN A NATTY AT ST EFFIN' CLOUD!!!!!'

I heard Hakstol had red wine with fish last night for dinner...seriously, this is getting ridiculous! He needs to be canned STAT!

Did I type in SUITsports.com by accident?

Nebraska deserves everything it gets for the way it used to run up the score on oppenents in the 1990's not to mention the fact that Michigan is the only team EVER to be ranked #1 in the coaches poll prior to its bowl game to FALL in the poll after a bowl WIN. Here's your Lifetime Achievement Award, Coach Osborne! Great article...fan expectations are beyond insane these days.

We've discussed this one before...I'm actually stunned that a move hasn't been made there yet.

I wasn't saying it was MY opinion. I have a buddy of mine who grew up in Marquette who CAN'T WAIT to go to Grand Forks next year. I'm just saying it's an option to eliminate one non-conference weekend.

I think the auto-bid for the conference playoff champion needs to stay. If it goes away, there's no need for a conference tournament, right? Michigan and Boston U had everyone on the edge of their hockey seat right up until Sunday before the 16-team announcement was made this year - great drama.

So you're saying the #1 team in the country, with less than 10 losses on the season, with 2 losses in the post-season to the 10th place team in the conference, suddenly falls to #13? An upset, yes, but Jamie Ram led that Tech team to TWO MORE WCHA Final Five wins before losing to Minnesota in the championship. An upset, yes, but no question the Tigers were still among the 12 best teams in the country.

"Not what I was expecting for a good non-conference schedule..." "Boring opponent..." "Who are they?" "Couldn't we find anyone better?" First comment was similar to ones posted here on siouxsports...the others are fans I talked to at the Final Five...

Ditch one weekend of non-conference games during the regular season. Problem solved. There are plenty of complaints about Northern Michigan at North Dakota next year anyways. With any luck at all, folks would be trading that series in for a home playoff series where the winner will go to the Frozen Four -- and that sounds INFINITELY more exciting, doesn't it?

I agree with you on that. A Thursday-Sunday trip works well for most fans. Having a Monday or Tuesday thru Sunday would make a trip rather difficult for most. Good suggestions though...almost ANYTHING would be better than what fans and players are forced to currently endure.

1993-1994, CC wins MacNaughton Cup with a 18-9-5 WCHA record and sports a 23-9-5 overall record. Two WCHA playoff losses to Michigan Tech later, one of the top teams in the country poll-wise doesn't make a list of the top 12 who qualify for the NCAA playoffs? Screw-job big-time! I believe in a different thread earlier this season I pointed out the 1994-1995 season as the one where CC missed the playoffs. That was incorrect. MafiaMan regrets the error.

Location more than the weekend itself was to blame. The Bradley Center in 1997 did quite well attendance-wise despite it also being Easter weekend.

He's still with the Islanders, right? That should explain things...

Poorly stated by me, I apologize. Yea, let's go 20, why not? What I envisioned was the top four seeds getting a bye, seeds 5-12, 6-11, 7-10, and 8-9 facing off at the higher seed's venue. The top four from there would then move on to play the top four seeds (on the road obviously) and the winners from there would advance to the Frozen Four.

The one concern I have with the conference tournament champion auto-bid process is that we're right back to where we were in 1994 or 1995 with regular-season champion Colorado College staying at home for the NCAA's thanks to a first-round conference tournament playoff loss at home to Michigan Tech. St Cloud was a Michigan or Boston U away from sitting at home for the tournament...and that wouldn't have been right.

Go back to 12 with a first-round bye? Next 8 teams compete at highest seeded team's barn and the winners from there go on to play the 1-4 seeds?

It was Easter weekend, folks!