MafiaMan

With all due respect to the larger programs, I think the "regionals" have taken something away from the regular season record. For example, a small school like UMD, UND, or Denver can win the WCHA regular season, then have to play the tournament in either Milwaukee or St Paul in front of large hostile crowds. What was the reward for the Sioux winning the MacNaughton Cup? A WCHA title game in front of 16,500 Gopher fans. It's no different in the CCHA...Northern Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha, Miami (Ohio) all get to play at Joe Louis Arena in front of huge pro-Michigan and pro-Michigan State crowds. Before you start screaming bloody murder at me, let me say that I'm 100% OK with the conference tournaments being played at these venues. BUT... ...let's then base the post-season on overall standings. I'll use as an example of two years ago, the 2002 Denver Pioneers, who won the WCHA regular season title and then won the Broadmoor Trophy in St Paul by defeating the Gophers, again, in front of 16,000-17,000 pro-Minnesota fans. Their reward? A death-sentence regional game in Ann Arbor against Michigan. Nice. Now, how about we go back to the home ice advantage format. Denver in 2002 deserved it on the basis of their performance in the conference regular season and playoffs. Let them host their first round NCAA opponent in their home rink. What difference does it make if Holy Cross flies to Minneapolis for a regional or to Denver for a one-game playoff? Make the regular season meaningful again! I'm not being anti-Gopher here, but it's absurd that the #5 team in the conference regular season was allowed to be a #1 seed for an NCAA tournament. By that same theory, the top four teams in the ACC should have all been #1's for the basketball tournament. It's ridiculous and puts all the weight on the shoulders of a computer ranking. Imagine this year if Colorado College would have made the tournament. They'd have had a home rink to play their regional games based on what? A near .500 record? Surely, you jest. I don't think there was anything wrong with the way the system used to be with the exception of the silly two-games total goals rule. Anyone concur?

Sheesh...8-2, 8-3...and I call myself a "financial manager." I'll write it off as being up too late on a Saturday night.

Did anyone hear Barry Melrose on NHL Tonite? He mentioned something to the effect of (and I'm paraphrasing) 'nice to see a western team win it now and then.' Take a look at the past ten years, Barry...sheesh: 2004 Denver, 2003 Minnesota, 2002 Minnesota 2001 Boston College 2000 North Dakota 1999 Maine 1998 Michigan, 1997 North Dakota, 1996 Michigan 1995 Boston University 1994 Lake Superior State By my count, I have 8 "western" schools and 2 eastern schools. And if you want to be REALLY picky and say that the WCHA consists of western schools and everyone else is eastern, it's still 5-5! Nice work, WCHA!

My biggest beef isn't anything related to the arena...it's that the focus is taken off of the team and has been placed on socializing, drinking beer, and "being seen." The arena is just not as intimidating as old REA. CFM...you and I need to log off the computers and get a life! What the hell am I doing here on a Saturday night?

What could have made REA more intimate? Maybe lower the roof and eliminate the gigantic lounge areas to keep the noise sealed in? I don't even know why I get into these arguments. The students and players will tell you...old REA was better.

Yea, that's it. I wanted new REA to be exactly like the old REA.

Some Sioux fans actually feel Junior Lessard deserved the award. I know I do. I've seen Junior play and he is solid. There's no question he made his teammates better players when he was on the ice. Unlike the 2001 Ryan Miller debacle, I concur with this decision. I also saw Ryan Miller play. He was the product of a stifling defense more than his stellar goaltending. I witnessed a game against UMass where he had a shutout going, gave up a goal with about 10:00 left in the game, and then was pulled to prevent another goal which would have raised his goals against. That award was fraudulent and Jeff Panzer was totally robbed. But there's no smoking gun on this case. Congrats Junior!

Yea, the atmosphere at the new place is twice as good as old REA. I've climbed up this tree before. Hockey is not about the hockey anymore...it's about the Fighting Sioux Club, drinking all-game long, fighting about what cheers can/can't be said, etc. REA is style over substance. Check out BU's new arena...there are comments about making sure the arena is intimate to accomodate the "noise" factor. This should have been a primary consideration of new REA instead of making sure the old-timers weren't rudely interrupted from their naps during game-time.

I made three trips to REA this season. Maybe wiser heads prevailed in this decision for this past season, but on my trips last year, I was charged $5 for a "lap ticket" for my 1-year old to watch the game. Either I slipped thru the cracks this year or else that policy was scrapped because I didn't pay it this time around, but trust me, I was FUMING about this last season. Paying $25 to see my 2-second picture on the jumbo-tron is one thing, paying an extra $5 so my 1 year old can sit on my lap for a sporting event that he'll have no recollection of when he gets older is a joke. I realize economics drive what happens as Sicatoka has pointed out on more than one occasion. But I think it's getting taken to the point where it is beyond absurd. No one demaned leather seats that could be ripped open by the shoes of people who jump all over them while scurrying around between periods and no one asked for marble floors. All of these extras could have been used to keep costs down for future generations. Instead, what's going to happen is an over-priced game in a gawdy in-your-face building. I can hear the crickets now when they're giving away tickets because the Sioux are in a down season like Mankato or Michigan Tech and you know what? REA won't be a money-maker then. I'm still confused as to why there is a mile-long waiting list for season tickets when every trip I've made to Grand Forks, I get to see 500-1500 empty seats.

You're preachin' to the choir, cfm! I was at that game at the Xcel...Adam Hauser takes a MONSTER slash at a Maine player skating by him, then gives him another whack as he turned around to come back up the ice. No call, but the ref promptly blows the whisle against Maine at center ice, leading up to that power play goal. That call was a bigger joke than the two no-calls ten seconds prior to that. I totally agree with you...Maine was hosed in 2002.

DU alum Keith Magnuson Dies Maine lost Shawn Walsh a few years ago...did you forget about more recent events involving a Denver alum? "Emotionally, I'm pulling for Maine"? I guess if emotions rule who you root for, it's going to be hard to cheer against either Maine or Denver.

Goon, I believe you "couldn't care less" about who wins the game. If you could care less, it means just that. It means you care and actually could care LESS than what you care for. That being said, watch the game. I bet you'll be surprised. Frankly, this run by Denver is quite a story. I hope they win it all.

DU*Pioneer, Glad to see your education at Denver University paying off. Those of us who took Spelling 101 know the word is "drought," not "draught." Can't spell "edukashen" without DU! MafiaMan p.s. Tongue-in-cheek humor if you haven't caught on. Congrats on a great season and beat Maine!

I can't say too much on the jersey issue, but I can say that a good friend of Dean Blais' hasn't been on speaking terms with him for quite some time. It's all about the $$$$.

I believe someone said this earlier and I'm in favor of it. Let's DUMP the playoff tournament and schedule an entire league schedule instead of what we have now. All the HE tournament and WCHA tournament did was make money for the conferences. Granted, it was nice to see Alaska-Anchorage and their little run, but while UND, Minnesota, UMD, Maine, UMass, etc. are duking it out in the conference playoffs to see if they get a #3 or #1 seed (does it matter?), BC and DU were at home licking their wounds and healing up. And how sick is it that according to the Pairwise rankings, UMD would have been better off LOSING their first round playoff series to Mankato as they would have retained a #1 seed. Playing Minnesota was a lose-lose situation for the Bulldogs. Win, and they keep that #1 seed. Lose, and Minnesota jumps over them in the Pairwise. The Pairwise rankings is the BCS of college hockey and everyone loves it. Someone please tell me WHY!

ABTG, Simmer down now! Venting? It sure sounded like sour grapes to me. Peace back at'cha, though. We're both Sioux fans.

We've been yapping all season long that the WCHA is the best conference in the country. Go Denver! Good luck against Maine or BC. May the force be with you...

What the hell was I thinking today? I overslept and went into work at 10:30 am. At that point, why not call it a day, tell my boss, "I'll see you tomorrow," and stay home to watch this game? Stupid is as stupid does...

I really can't judge how they're "outplaying" UMD on the basis of some posts on a message board. I did watch the UND/DU game and personally, I don't think UND "dominated" that game at all. But since we're going to comment about DU's play today, I believe an earlier poster stated that DU looked like they were happy just to get to the Frozen Four. It would appear now they are not.

Ask the owner of Gemini Sportswear what he thinks of the new Sioux. He'll tell you.

I've been trying to change my avatar for weeks now but keep getting an error message. Help?

How about that? Denver sucks, Denver shouldn't be there, North Dakota's better...sounds like they're giving UMD a tussle. By the way, I am pulling for UMD, but I wanted Denver to show me why they belonged in the Frozen Four. It would appear that they are.

A.B.T.G., I'm going to quote my Italian grandfather here when I tell you to "shut your canole hole!" and quit crying! UND lost a one-game playoff. It's as simple as that. Regular season, WCHA Final Five, blah blah blah. None of that matters in a one-game series. I believe Herb Brooks said it best when he told the 1980 USA kids that the Soviets might beat them 9 times out of 10...but you just never know about that 10th game. My hats off to Denver regardless of what happens today. My issue isn't with why or how they beat North Dakota, it's how UND suddenly has developed the choker reputation. Since 1997, UND is 2-4 in WCHA playoff championship games. 1998 NCAA playoffs: 0-1 1999 NCAA playoffs: 0-1 2003 NCAA playoffs: 0-1 2004 NCAA playoffs: 1-1 And maybe it's just me, but this year's loss to DU was eerily similar to the 1999 BC game. You could see the panic on the players' and Dean's face from the middle of the first period on to the end. I think Dean is more comfortable with the "unexpected" teams (like 1997 or 2000) than he is with coaching teams with expectations of nothing less than the national title. That's all I have for now.

Dagies, That 1997 Final Five game will forever be inked in my memory, too. I was there in person and after watching the Sioux struggle from 1992-1995 and show some promise in 1996, it was awesome to see them win the Final Five. That game was eclipsed a few weeks later when I watched UND overcome a 2-0 deficit to BU and win the national title. Talk about euphoria! "BEST TEAM WON!"

Maybe the best team didn't get there (Boston)? C'mon, Dean, now you sound like Michigan in 1998.