NorthDakotaHockey

What's with this "if" stiff, MafiaMan. After the Sioux handle BC on Thursday, we will see you in St. Louie.

Thanks. Score some goals for the winning team tomorrow night and see you Saturday. We have the cruiser gassed and pointed in a southeasterly direction. Tower has cleared us for a 1 a.m. departure. Safe travels to everyone else as well. NorthDakotaSt.Louie

Here it is. Courtesy of the fine folks over at UND Athletics . . . . Print it off, and bring it in the car, on the plane, or in the bus for some solid trivia and final arbiter of all arguments. UND Frozen Four Press Guide

A more deserving college coach there has never been . . . . Go Sioux. Go Ryan. Go Dave. Here comes the Trifecta. This is gonna be special. Hakstol Announcement

Damned straight Poobah. Great post, and great reminder of history.

Don't forget to pack the portable defibrillator Source . . . .

C'mon Triouxper. Get your balls out of the jar up on your gal's cupboard, or on your boss's desk, and screw them back on for a few days. You been telling people to be walking the walk, and not just talking the talk, all season on. Git on that saddle and ride. The Source, of course, has a Suburban horse for you in which to ride. Cowboy up. I'll cover your game ticket on Thursday, but no promises for Saturday. Heck, if it will be a clincher, I'd even track down and throw in one of those odd East St. Louis queenies for you, but I am pretty sure that all of the monied up Boston College boys have already put those guys under hire.

I love reading these summaries. Lucia's cheap and not-so-clever jab at Fabian is more proof that apples do not fall far from their trees. Hopefully Daddy got Tony a job riding some corn planter in southwestern Minnesota over the Easter Break.

Way too cool and well well deserved. Duncan is the epitome of what college hockey is all about. On October 7, 2005, my kids and I had the pleasure and good fortune to be in the Mariott in Dayton, Ohio for the Lefty McFadden Invitational. Sioux. Miami. Wayne State. Michigan State. All four teams stayed there. We rode the elevator, by happenstance, with Duncan and three Michigan State players. He got off on his floor, and the cowardly State players started chuckling, wondering "whose younger brother is that kid?" knowing that he was a Sioux player by the team gear that he was wearing. We calmly remarked that they would probably have a hard time carrying that "kid's" lunch pail, and that we would find out soon enough. They looked at us and smirked. Michigan State beat the Sioux that weekend, 3-0, after the Sioux had beaten Miami by an identical score the night before. Along with all of about 900 fans, total, we had the pleasure of watching Duncan, Toews, Chorney, Jones, Finley, and Oshie play their first NCAA games. They were young, and they were green, but it was readily apparent to us, and to everyone in the building, including those Spartan boneheads, that these guys can skate, that these guys can play hockey, and that these guys are special. Congrats to Duncan, who is always the first to deflect all of the accolades toward his teammates. A better Hobey candidate, and a more deserving candidate, there has never been.

A real knowledgeable and devoted fan base. Not. Frontrunners only. Seems to me that a couple of years back, the Sioux went out to BC's home town, or nearly so, and took games from BC and BU to go to Columbus. Despite both BC and BU being in the tournament, the little arena was not nearly full. BC fans, at least many of them, won't even drive across town to support their team. Your buddies are like alot of fans. Talking the talk, but rarely, if ever, walking the walk.

Have four tix in Section 331, Row N. Paid $620. Will sell for $575, and pay shipping. E-mail me at fortparker911@msn.com if interested.

Wow. Real cool. They'll have a spot on the charter for you. Just tell 'em from where you are coming.

The Skills tickets can be bought on Ticketmaster. I would wait and by them at the door the night of the event. Save the TM charges. There will be some cheap ones on the street as well. Plenty of open seats. Alot of folks skip the Hobey and Skills. We went last year, and it was fun. Good fare with youngsters in tow. No idea on the bus. Good to hear that you are a Ford man. At least you will not run the risk of breaking down on the side of the road as will those driving BMWs and Chevrolets.

They are. And they are. If the Sioux jump on their game early, the Sioux are going to pound the Gophers back to the stone ages. I am sick of the backhanded junior high attempts at reverse psychology by LaPanta, Woog, Hill, and Chia. Let's drop the puck.

The Can will be rocking today. Everyone who will be in the building sure is lucky. The Ex last Saturday was a blast, but the stakes were, frankly, low. A Sioux win may well have realigned the regionals, but that is water under the bridge. I look for the Sioux to come out hard, and to go hard until the final whistle. This game will be won on coaching, conditioning, and commitment. Here is saying that the Sioux have a leg up on the Goophs on all three fronts.

The Saturday morning sports radio shows in the Cities were reporting that Goligoski apparently injured a finger in the practice skate on Friday. There was some question as to how it would respond for him. It did look just fine during the AF game but I suppose only a player and staff really know how much it might be bothering him or affecting his game. Sagard Not.

Bring on those stinking Gophers. Finally, a Sioux-Gophers West Regional final. I love it. Sioux will be ready, and the place will be rocking. I'm gonna go start the car and point it toward the west. Who's ready?

So much for the Hobey Hensick. Hobey did not run his mouth at the Man when the going got tough. Let's go Sioux. A fun, great game. Let's hope that it stays that way.

Not to mention your endorsement of killing and eating animals. Can't be having that in some circles. Enjoy your day Triouxp.

Brooklyn's. A bar/restaurant right near The Can, aka Pepsi Center, is going to be filled with fans of all threads. You can be certain that there will be many Sioux fans there pre-game.

FightingSioux.com, the official UND athletics site, has a link to West Regional press conference with Coach, Duncan, and Taylor. If nothing else, it is a good time killer. Press Conference - West

Just finished my pre-game breakfast. Now I am going to a meeting. Mangaged to avoid sex last night, which was not hard to do, so I can keep my legs under me tonight. After the meeting, I'll walk out some kinks, give some thought as to how I want to follow the game, and then take a nap. I am ready. Ready as I will ever be.

Wow. That's some top shelf webcast. Any chance the same will be available during real time for the Sioux-Wolverines game?

These regionals with the quarter full arenas are weird. I can see where it might be hard for St. Clown, a neophyte in the NCAAs, to play before a largely disinterested crowd. All year long, whether at home or away, they became accustomed to electric crowds and near full houses. Now, it seems like a scrimmage. They are toast.

Huskie power play coming up. Here we go. 5-4 Huskies. Double OT. You read it here first.