I'm guessing no one has higher expectations of this year's Sioux than the players and coaches on the team. The rest of us are just geeks on a message board, myself included. Hopefully the team doesn't read your comments and feel like they let you down.
Secondly, if they come out and play their game and lose, you'll just tip your cap to the other team and move on? So why don't you give some kudos to Michigan Tech's goalie who stood on his head in the first game of the series in Houghton? I love it when people say things like that because it seems like the cap is NEVER tipped to the other team, there's always some excuse: Poor officiating, bad call late in the game, crummy ice conditions, injury, blah blah blah.
Are you sure you want to play Air Force or Niagara? It took a third period miracle by Goldy Goopher to win last year's opener against AF and Niagara beat UNH in the first round several years ago in what was then probably the biggest upset in college hockey tournament play. Mercyhurst almost beat Michigan AT YOST a while back as well.
Michigan State came out of nowhere to win the title last season. A #1 seed is nice, but not necessary, to win the national title.
I also agree 100% with Yttrium about fan support. Still in my top five games of all-time is a 1990-1992 home game with Northern Michigan. When NMU scored with about 12:00 left to make it 5-0, old REA started emptying. The student section rose up as one and started chanting "LET'S GO SIOUX!". By the time it ended, fans were pouring BACK INTO the arena and the Sioux scored in the final seconds to tie the game up and send it to overtime. Both teams survived a breakaway attempt in OT and the final was 5-5. The Wildcats looked like they'd lost the national title game while the Sioux celebrated. The team stayed on the ice after handshakes, turned towards the student section, and gave a stick salute. When the team is down, that's when they need YOU and every fan in the building to rise up and encourage them.