NorthDakotaHockey

TJ Oshie. Hattie tomorrow to make doubly sure.

The only thing better than a Friday night in the WCHA is a Saturday night in the WCHA. Sioux looking right solid. Amazing job by the Mavs getting up off the carpet. How ya doing Sioux Hab-it? Hope all is swell in your corner of the world tonight.

Or North Dakota at The Ralph or the Gophers at The John or the Badgers at the Kohl . . . . All second round matchups will be barn burners. There will be plenty of Sioux fans at The World. CC fans aren't as rabid as one might think. Good fans, but none to fear. We should not play Georgie Porgie on our Drive to Denver. A weekend in the Colorado mountains will be good training for the boys who will play in The Mile High two weeks following. Put us anywhere, and we will succeed.

Bracketology - Week 2 Yes. This is what I am talking about . . . . Sioux return to The World in late March on their Drive to Denver. Knowing this to be true, we already have our seats there as they will be tough to come by with the Tigers in the tournament for sure this year, unlike the last time that they hosted. Those teams that are going to Denvermust beat the so-called best along the way. CC is in that realm, but is certainly no better than the Sioux. New year, different result, in the NCAAs at The World Arena.

Hey Bob In Wisconsin . . . . There are all kinds of postings on craigslist.com for the Twin Cities under the tickets thread. Most folks are pretty greedy with their view of the value of the game tickets, but you may find some folks there who are reasonable. Just another option if you have not already searched there. There are new postings there near every day or hour.

Check your post AZSIOUX. 2-1 Friday, not 4-1. You do a nice job with your recaps and your previews. The Seawolves will be hungry to show folks that they are better than their record suggests. As I have long said, there are no weak sisters in the WCHA. If the Sioux do not come to play both nights, they will be on the hind titty at least one of them. They will come to play. The Drive to Denver continues.

I suspect that there are alot of sleeping souls, some even hungover, on that Sioux fan bus right now heading back to GF. As I understand, it left Mankato at 8 a.m. The game was a blast. I have long said that following the Sioux on the road is one of the best things that life can offer. I have also said that my kids have probably learned more about pride, courage, decency, math, history, and good solid fun while wearing the "enemy colors" in hostile WCHA road arenas than they have learned sitting in school classrooms over the years. For those who have not yet taken themselves or their families on the road for WCHA action, I also recommend it highly. Mankato, St. Cloud, Duluth, The John, and even Houghton and Madison are not that far of a drive, at least from El Grande Forke. It is great fun and a good break from the doldrums of winter. I think that few would argue that the Sioux have the best contingent of travelling fans in all of college hockey. While the weekend games may have had a few warts on the ice from time-to-time, it was a road sweep and that is really all that matters. The Sioux did what it took to win and sweep and likely learned some more things about themselves and what it takes to win on a regular basis. While I have never played it myself, I am well convinced that hockey is the most difficult and demanding of all sports in terms of the need for conditioning, precision, quick thinking, toughness, and drive. Some missed passes, misplays of the puck, stepping back when perhaps they should be stepping up, and sometimes making the "wrong" decision are all part of the game. A game still played by kids, albeit highly skilled kids. A game that is the greatest on earth. We are all well privileged to follow the best program in the best sport with pasion and pride. The Fighting Sioux and college hockey. It was said by many at the outset of the season that this season is going to be special. There were, as there always will be, a few folks jumping off the wagon. Now, they are clamouring to climb back on. This train is headed to Denver. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. ps. Although probably said elsewhere, Oshie was #3 star, Mav's Berge #2 star, and Frattin the #1 star.

I don't care who you are or what you like, you just cain't beat a Saturday night in the WCHA . . . .

I will second the thought expressed above.

LaPoint is still a youngster and is getting a great deal of playing time. It is real tough for a freshman to step in a skate a regular shift at defense in the WCHA. From where I sit, he is doing it quite well. At the game last night, he was not shy to jump into the post whistle agitating that the Mavs were doing in defense of his teammates. One time, he had a Mav helmet twisted very nicely and he was well prepared to take it to another level had it been necessary. Lee was a fine fine defenseman who is now an AHL All-Star on his way someday to The Show. Comparisons of LaPoint to Lee are well observed, and are read as a testament to your being impressed with him moreso than not. As they might say in Canada, LaPoint is a fine player who will only get much better with each game, eh?

You are welcome Dagies. Great watching the game with you as well. Nice solid recap. Thanks for a couple of lessons on the intracacies of the game. The Kaip Fight, as it will someday be come to be known as the time when this collection of boys melded into a team on their way to a Championship, was great. Hope that there is some video out there of it. As Al Shaver may have once called it, "There's a right, a right, another right, and another right! Now a left. A left. A right. A roundhouse to the back of the head. Oh my nelly!! A right. A right. Bruess is getting beat like a drum. This one is ugly. . . . This one is over." For those who like fights in college hockey, this one was a doozie. After the game, some old lady was standing in the concourse next to me, on the phone. She gave me a snarl while I minded my own business. She talked both to me and into the phone real loud. "That Kaip is a cheater. He didn't want to fight Trevor. He was so afraid of Trevor that he pulled Trevor's jersey over his head so Trevor couldn't hit him." Priceless stuff. Tonight's game, like most every Saturday night in the WCHA, will be a war. Especially in Mankato. Especially with the venom and thuggery that Jutting will be preaching in the locker room. Mankato does come to hit. There were some crunching hits on both sides nearly all night long. Earlier this season, the Sioux might have let in a tying goal and watched a win slip to a tie or a loss. Not last night. It was impressive to see the Sioux bottle up Mankato in their own end the last minute of the game with a solid forecheck. By the time that the Mavs could pull Zacharias for an extra attacker, there were only about six seconds left on the clock. Big win. I think I'll go out and buy a broom today. P.S. By way of a short history lesson, Mankato is the site of the hanging of 38 Sioux warriors in December of 1862 following the Dakota Conflict. It remains the largest mass execution in American History. The lives of 265 more Sioux were spared only by Lincoln's intervention. For those with time in Mankato today, there is a great historical center site on the history of the conflict, and the Sioux way of life, on the outskirts of Mankato going north on Hwy 169. Actually, just north of Saint Peter. Get your kids there before the PC Police completely erase this part of history from their minds. The Mavericks were, of course, until not all that long ago, known as the Mankato State Indians.

I'll join Rednecksioux as one of the only survivors. KAIP scores the only goal in a 1-0 Sioux victory.

The Mavs are in dire need of points and will have steam coming from the nostrils on this cold WCHA weekend. Jutting, as much of an arse as he is, will have his boys stoked to go. Something always strange, and oftentimes fun, happens in Mankato. A few seasons back, as I recall, Fabian notched a hatty in a 10-0 Sioux win. The Sioux will need to be focused, smart, and hard hitting from the opening drop to the final whistle to come out of the weekend with four points. Let's avoid the injury bug, take a game DQ for fighting by someone only if necessary, and roar out of that dump of a river town with another sweep. Say, BTW, seeing how this is Minnesota, will they let folks outside of the arena between periods to stoke up a heater? Maybe a cigarette to boot?

I am all in on the Sioux laying down a whupping on the Maverick clowns. If the players take care of things on the ice, I'll pull Jutting over the glass and into the crowd and wipe that silly smirk off of his face for no extra charge of admission. BTW, what exactly is the WCHA rule on fighting? As I understand, one fight, miss one game, two fights, miss two games, three fights, done for your career. Is this true, and does one get a "clean slate" of fights each season, or do they carry over one season to the next.

I am all in for The Triouxper being reinstated, preferably asap. I did not follow the rumbe on this board that apparently led to his, and presumably others, suspension but frankly, I suspect that his conduct was not that egregious. After all, this is hockey and this is a hockey board. We are not discussing fine wine and crumpets for crying out loud. Some healthy disagreements and, dare I say, a little bit of name-calling has always been a part of the game, like it or not. To expect anything more civilized of its fans is probably a bit unreasonable and a shade well too PC for me. I have four basis rules of conduct at a hockey game. No profanity. No racism. No sexism. No pushing, shoving, or punching. These rules are, of course, for the fans, not the players. If I were the Administrator here, and sometimes I wish that I was given the income stream that it likely generates regardless of its so-called hassles and headaches, I would probably let things play out a bit more without pulling a Wally Karbo on boys and girls so quickly. Of course, I am not the Administrator so I respect the way in which they decide to mete out fines and suspensions. After all, this is a private board. This said, for those who know him, The Triouxper is as passionate about Sioux hockey as any fan I have met. He knows far more about the game that I do, and while that is not saying much, he knows far more about the intricacies of the game than some of those whom I consider to be solid hockey scientists. Like many, including me, he has a firm policy of never badmouthing members of the squad. My reasons, and his, for doing so are many and varied. Despite it being big time D-I hockey, these players, many of whom are still boys, are still amatuers, playing the game for passion, fun, and, most importantly, for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back of the jersey. While I agree that it is fair to note that someone may not have played a particularly solid game, remember that hockey, perhaps more than any other sport, is a team game, and that every skater on the ice is relying on others to be where they should be and to be doing what they should be doing. Singling out a single player for inept play to me makes little sense, and makes those doing so sound a bit inadequate, foolish, and lacking knowledge and passion for those things most important. I respect the right of folks to whine about individual players, because I can simply view them as disconnected, misaligned, and without heart. More importantly, I can choose not to read the thread, pass over any number of comments, or use the 'ignore" button that I have never looked for and would probably never use. I will trade a Triouxper reinstatement for a basket of fines and suspensions against The Source anyday, regardless of the fact that The Source, is, of course, a horse of passion and pride for Fighting Sioux hockey. Glad to see that some of the early season naysayers are again climbing aboard The Sioux Train. ps. As for PCM, he brings much to this board and I always enjoy his posts. This said, this board is much bigger than PCM and will survive the absence of most any member. I think that it is great that PCM has, for whatever reasons, decided to focus his life, time, and writings in directions other than wasting time here. Frankly, it is frightening to see how much time is wasted on this board with banal inanities. I hope that many of us are not at work while reading and posting because, if we are, we are probably stealing from our employers more than we should be.

A nice answer to all of the talent scouts on this board who have been unfairly riding Chorney for his play so far this year. It is well obvious, even to a largely clueless chap like me, that Chorney has been rock solid all year long and will be an integral part of this team's success from here through April. All aboard! The bus to Saint Paul, Colorado Springs, and Denver, Colorado is starting to fill up. Chorney is going to be driving the bus this year.

I recently bought a dart board, a real one, at a fundraiser and have been working hard at honing my skills. I am tossing some darts as well. Revenge will be mine, as will be the last laugh. Word has it that you are getting soft with all of the women that you've been courting MafiaMan.

Well, the only thing that I agree with there is that the Sioux will need to go through CC in the West to get to the Frozen Four. It will be the NCAA's way of looking to pimp us. That's why we already have our tickets to the West. Big return to The World to avenge the travesty that occurred there in in 2004.

Oops. I forgot about Ohio State. No wonder. Ohio State with an impressive hockey resume? C'mon MafiaMan. I am pretty sure that The Schott draws hockey crowds in the hundreds, rather than the thousands, for most games. Hockey is a lame sport at OSU. Always has been, always will be. Just becuase they have a big building built for basketballers does not mean that they will ever come close to filling it. Flagship programs?? Me thinks that you are given the rodents from the easterly reaches of the WCHA far too much credit. They would beg to return to the fold should they ever be so myopic to leave the fold.

And where, pray tell, would either of these two schools go? In the mildly threatened "Big Ten Conference" that would include, at best, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, and maybe Notre Dame?? I don't think so. These two schools are not going anywhere as the WCHA, whether or not it includes BSU, is the best thing to happen to them from many perspectives, not the least of which is quality of competition, natural rivalries, and ease of travel.

After having somewhat mixed feelings on BSU joining the WCHA, I am now all in and all for the idea for at least the following reasons, in no particular order: 1. A solid fit geographically. The potential for a big rivalry developing, even if years down the road, is well present. 2. Following the Sioux on the road is a blast for fans. A trip to Bemidji will be a relatively easy drive for GF-based fans. 3. Any more contraction in college hockey is not a good thing. The loss of Wayne State may spell the loss of other programs if they do not get the support that they need. The WCHA is well-positioned to lend BSU a helping hand. 4. BSU is no slouch. A fine program with a solid history. So what if it is a small town? So are Grand Forks, Saint Cloud, Mankato, and Houghton. 5. BSU remaining in D-I will continue to provide further D-I opportunities for high school talent from the region, including, most importantly, kids from North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Manitoba, and Ontario. Unlike some of the "little sister" programs elsewhere, Bemidji is located where it can, and will, compete for quality recruits. 6. Any program, or near any program, that can recruit talent, even if so-called second tier talent, has the potential, with good coaching, to meld a team capable of going far. This may be particularly true where such programs, although not capable of landing some blue-chippers, can get some decent talent and put together a team that will stay together for four years. The only reason that MSU-Mankato has not done so yet is because it has a relative bonehead for a coach. 7. There will be another team competing for The Dairy Queen Cup, the only piece of hardware that most, if not all, of the teams based in the so-called State of Hockey are capable of reasonably competing for these days. 8. It will get NDSU off of its duff and build a program. Something it should have done thirty years ago.

We are all set and no longer in need. Of tickets for tonight's game anyway.

Hi Everyone . . . We are driving up to The Ralph and need two more tonight. Call my Pa John at 701.772.3622 in GF or me on my cell at 612.201.3239 if you can help us out. We are wheels up at around 7:30 this morning as there is a BIG mites game in Crookston. We can work out an exchange. Like most, if not all, on this Board we are good solid stock who will be good for the dough if we need to coordinate an exchange of tickets for cash. Thanks. Tim.

Now I don't care what you say this right here is funny.

Oh, the protesters were out all right, in full force. Why not? It was a mild night. They were long gone by game end. They congregate outside the entrance that is on the bench side of the building in the end where the Sioux shoot twice. Entrance facing the parking lots. They were there with signs, including a swastika, videocameras, ignorance, and hate. Quite comical and sad really. We walked through them intentionally, and will do so again tonight. A good lessson for my high schoolers to see how riduculous and small minded people act when filled with wild-eyed emotions based on half-truths at best. They oughta be picketing the actions, conduct, and history of their own school's administration and policies. 'Nuf said. Go Sioux.