Siouxtimestwo

Preferably lower bowl. Looking to take my kids to see UND hockey up close. Thanks

I'm amused by the people who are unwilling to risk a $135 Champions Club membership, all while ridiculing the athletic department for refusing to gamble with hundreds of thousands of dollars when universities across the state are facing budget cuts and potential hiring freezes. If you're willing to spend thousands of dollars for a Vegas trip, why didn't you budget an extra $135? And the university is supposed to take financial advice from you?!?!?!

If UND plays hockey, they win. If they worry about which injured Quinnipiac player is on the ice, they're gonna be skating a man down too often.

I know the first part of your post is tongue in cheek, but the difference is that in all the examples you gave, I would be an active participant. My actions would determine the outcomes, be they positive, negative, or neutral. When it comes to Sioux hockey, I have no effect on the outcome of the games. If I donate $100 million to the university, go to every game, buy thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, and yell as loudly as I can, it doesn't matter. The outcome is still in the hands of 20 year old kids, coaches whom I only know through their public personas, and part-time referees. Honestly, I wish I could forget about the ways in which UND has been bounced from the tourney since I went to UND. I wish that the fond memories outweighed the bitter defeats, but I've just never been wired that way, going back to the sports I participated in. I made the decision to cheer for the Sioux in this manner after last year's loss to the Gophers. Not out of spite for the program, but rather for my own sanity. The Sioux can play such an enjoyable brand of hockey, they continually kept sucking me into thinking this was they year they would finally win again, only to bring everything crashing down in the tourney. Without the regular season, I don't get the raised expectations. I don't sit in disbelief come tourney time wondering how a team that could play so masterfully just a few weeks ago can look so lost. It was liberating this season. We'll see how long I can keep it up.

For the first time since I enrolled at UND in the fall of 2000, I came away from a hockey season feeling it was worth my time invested. I only watched 2 games all year: Niagara and Yale. Didn't spend any money attending games, buying concessions or merchandise, or sitting in front of a grainy computer screen. Didn't read any scouting reports or scour box scores on 15 year old boys. Thought UND did an excellent job bearing down in the 3rd period against Niagara. Reminded me of the teams I watched growing up. Conversely, thought that despite the multiple pipes UND hit against Yale, Yale actually outplayed UND for most of the game. Reminded me of the past decade of recent Sioux teams. Whether that is coaching, immature players, overrated players, bad luck, superior opponents, or some combination is in the eye of the beholder. The fact of the matter is that regular seasons in nearly all sports are irrelevant these days. I'll focus on college hockey since that's what we're talking about. What is it, 8 straight years a 4 seed has beaten a 1? Rooting for a team in the NCAA tourney is no different than buying a Powerball ticket. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope. I look foward to next season. If UND misses the tournament, I will have missed nothing. If UND wins the title, I will have tuned in just in time. If UND loses in the tournament, at least I will not be surprised anymore.

If I was a hockey coach I would ice the puck every chance I got because based on my viewing history, the team that spends the least amount of time in the offensive zone wins every time. If I was a GM, I would use 95% of my salary cap on goalies and sign guys off the street to skate because it's basically a goaltending exhibitiion anyway. Hats off to Mike Smith, who was utterly dominant. The Hawks missed Hossa, but he wouldn't have made any difference against Smith. No one would have.

I would like to see them rotate at first in order to let the rivalries develop organically, rather than forcing them. I see no possible chance.of this scenario unfolding, however. DU/CC and Miami/WMU are already established rivals, leaving the Minnesota schools and UNO/UND. That's what we'll get, as others have stated.

I believe the 2012-13 Sioux will have a physical, fundamentally sound, hard-working lineup. They'll start out slow as everyone adjust to new linemates, get hot after Christmas, go into the NCAA tourney peaking at the right time, then eventually lose. Underclassmen will leave early for the pros and we'll be looking back in 2016 wondering how in the hell we never won a title with the talent we had. We've got like 8 years of Groundhog Day seasons to go on. At least this year they didn't get destroyed, upset, or give up a goal with less than a second left. So there's that.

Thanks for the heads up. I will also be in Vegas this weekend.

They should've and I'm guessing they were, which is why they were dominating us for most of the game. They took the foot off the gas too early and UND found that magical switch they seem to possess. I'm guessing Minnesota won't be taking any lead for granted if UND plays them again. If UND jumps to a lead, I doubt the Gophers will quit. They have recent, firsthand evidence that no lead is safe until the final horn sounds.

That's a +1. Speaking of prolonged lengths of time, it's been so long since I've posted here that my previous post was accompanied by a Karl Goehring avatar. I guess I should drop in more often.

BC, Minnesota, Miami, and Denver. Minnesota is gonna be more motivated than ever and no team rides late season momentum straight into the ground like the Sioux. Hope I'm wrong, but I've been hoping ever since I enrolled 12 years ago. At least they won't have to worry about not being in the Frozen Four program.

As an alumni, I fully support the Fighting Sioux as they begin their difficult transition to NAIA.

Guys and gals, as much as it pains me to do this, I think I have to in order to ensure the Sioux any chance of winning. I will not be watching a single Sioux hockey game next year, not cause I'm embarrassed of the team or anything like that, but rather because I am submarining the team's chances by my continued fandom. Let me explain. I enrolled at UND in the fall of 2000, only months after the Sioux put the finishing touches on their most recent championship season. Since I set foot on campus, UND has endured heartbraking loss after heartbraking loss come tourney time. Several years after graduation, I moved away, I loved out of state and wasn't able to follow the team as closely. Whenever I did see them play, they inevitably lost. I finally got to see them play in person again at the 2007 final five, only to see them lose on Blake Wheeler's diving goal. The next time I saw them in person was the Great Lakes Invitational debacle a few years ago. I watched on tv as our teams stocked with NHL stars either got embarrassed or fell victim to puck luck/hot goaltenders like last night. I simply don't see how one ten can be blessed with so much talent, coaching, work ethic, and character and continue to lose. It has to be my bad luck dragging them down. Now a lot of team would kill to only have an 11 year title drought, but it's the way we've lost that leads me believe the Sioux are cursed and it is my doing. So I'm going to try a little experiment and be a Sioux fan from afar next year, for the benefit of the team and my blood pressure. When they win the title next year, you'll know why. Go Sioux!

Kristo