MafiaMan

I thought your trailer house was in Mounds View?

That's no guarantee of success. While drawing well over 100,000 fans for Ohio State football, the Buckeyes' first-round CCHA hockey games this season against Northern Michigan drew 779, 800, and 800 fans respectively. That's like saying Duke football should be good because of the built-in success of the basketball team there. It's not always that simple.

Nevermind the Canuck fans toughing out a long night at General Motors place, I give them kudos for watching their team play the past several years while wearing those ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE jerseys! UGH. Let's Go Red Wings!

That's a bummer. I had heard he was going to be on "Picking Out China Patterns With the Stars," a new reality TV show in the works for the summer.

How was the rest of the weekend, bus-goers? I hope you all still had plenty of fun even though Thursday didn't turn out the way we had hoped. I didn't see a lot of Sioux fans in the stands on Saturday night. Did most of them head home Friday?

Not trying to rip on you, PCM. My reply to yours on the earlier thread (I can't seem to find it) was something about how I didn't expect a blow-out and that everyone was saying the same thing this past football season when Ohio State played Florida in football. Anything can happen in a one-game scenario. Congratulations to Rick Comley. The man started the Northern Michigan program from scratch and it was a gut-wrenching decision for him to leave his 'baby' and replace his mentor at Michigan State. I was at the first game the Spartans played at NMU when he was the new coach and it was an emotional evening for the Wildcat fans, players, and obviously Rick, who was on the opposing bench. He's another guy who has gotten a bad rap for not winning 'the big one' and I'm glad he has gotten his second title (NMU '91). Congratulations Spartan fans, coaches, and players. That being said, for those fans whining that UND is "only" 7 out of 17 in Frozen Fours. BC's been there often enough in the past ten years and has exactly one title to show for it. Anything can happen...and it usually does.

Wasn't it you who earlier today said you expected BC to "throttle" the Spartans?

I loved the BC player skating by on the empty netter...did you see him shatter his stick by smaching it against the pipe? Nice.

I hate to say 'I told you, PCM,' but... I told you, PCM!

Back in AZ, AZSIOUX? I was all set to come down to St Louis had ND pulled it off. Nice to see the Sioux finally get a Hobey Baker award winner. It's been far too long...

Hobey Duncan! Way to go Ryan!

The dark cloud has been lifted over my day. Congrats, Ryan Duncan!

If BC lays an egg in the championship game, it says NOTHING about the Sioux. It means that they didn't play as well as Michigan State did in the championship game.

My dad can beat up your dad.

I'm going to rewind my DVR recording of the Florida/Ohio State football game from this past January. You know the one...where THE Ohio State University was supposed to "throttle" Florida and there was no way possible the Gators could win? I'm pulling for the Spartans and Rick Comley...and I hope they win.

I was going to stay out of the fray of this one, but here is a phone conversation I had this week with one of the parents (an avid Gopher hockey fan, from what he told me all season long while at the rink) from my son's mites hockey team: Paul: Scott, would you like my ticket to Thursday's Wild game? In a gesture of good faith, I'm going to give it to you free and hope you've gotten over the Sioux loss to the Gophers. Scott: Thanks for the offer, Paul, but I'm kinda busy Thursday night. Um...I'm over that loss. What do you mean? Paul: What are you doing? Scott: I'm going to Joe Senser's to watch the Frozen Four. Paul: Well, are you doing ok since the Sioux lost to the Gophers? Scott: Um, Paul, you do realize that the Sioux are playing in the semi-finals tonight and that they beat the Gophers in the regional two weeks ago, right? Paul: Huh? Scott: After the Final Five, the Sioux and the Gophers met in the western regional in Denver. North Dakota won 3-2 in overtime and eliminated Minnesota from the tournament. Paul: Oh. I didn't know they were still playing. I thought the Final Five was 'it.' Scott: (laughing hysterically at this point) Nope...there's still some hockey to be played. But not by the Gophers. And Gopher fans wonder why we poke fun at them. I guess we agree to disagree. The Gophers will raise a WCHA champion banner and a WCHA playoff champion banner next fall. Personally, I'd rather have the satisfaction of having made a Frozen Four and having had the shot to play for the national title. I guess we agree to disagree. I guess you'd have to ask the players though, what they would prefer. I'm certainly no expert in their thoughts.

Um...you mean THIS video? Sioux Jersey Pop Blake Wheeler home video? This is a Sioux fan popping off to Mike Carmen and Blake Wheeler after the Gophers were eliminated in the western regional. He's telling Mike and Blake to 'have fun golfing' since their season was over. What the heck were you thinking?

Didn't Steve DeBus turn 45 just before the last time the Gophers finished the season with a win?

Minnesota still hasn't won an NCAA title without some type of foreigner on the team.

Maine again deals with tragedy in its hockey program... Tim Whitehead's Mother-In-Law Dies En Route To Frozen Four

There's a difference between being another in a long line of great Sioux players and being a Tony Hrkac, an Ed Belfour, a Jason Blake, or even a Matt Henderson. It's called being a member of a national championship team. That's what will ultimately cement a player's legacy into the hearts of Sioux fans everywhere. For that reason alone, I think TJ Oshie will return next season. The goal has not been accomplished.

In this day and age of college sports, where athletes head to the next level often after only a year or two in college, I've come to appreciate more the players who stay for four years. It's always fun to watch them develop as players. Today, we'll deal with disappointment, and I'm sure tomorrow night will be more as players and fans think of what could-have-been, but the sun will rise again on Sioux hockey and next fall, we'll greet some of the same players and say 'hi' to some new faces as we look forward to the 2007-2008 season of Fighting Sioux hockey. Remember, until 2001, BC had been in the Frozen Four three years in a row and suffered crushing disappointments as well before finally winning it all: 1998: Loss to Michigan in NCAA championship game (I believe this was an OT loss too) 1999: Loss in NCAA semi-final game (can't remember opponent) 2000: Loss to North Dakota in NCAA championship game (4-2, after leading 2-1 heading into the 3rd period) To the seniors who won't return, good luck to all three of you. You've worn the green, white, and black with pride and represented your school with honor.

Was I the only one who noticed that not long before the Porter interference call, Duncan had dumped the puck in the zone only to be throttled from behind by a BC player? No call! Two minutes later...Porter...interference. UGH!

Go back to your Gopher hole.

Chris Porter had such a great post-season. I was disappointed in a couple of penalties that he took last night. I give a lot of credit to BC, though. At the end of the 2nd, I believe they had 34 shots on goal to 19 for the Sioux and some very good chances. If not for the play of Phil and some lucky bounces off the pipe, the score could have been 5-2 after two.