NorthDakotaHockey

The verdict please?? My radio feed is cutting out.

Dogs goal. Waived off. Replay. College hockey. It's the greatest.

NINETY SECONDS. DOGS PULL GOALIE.

The Dogs and their fans have to be feeling about the way the Sioux and all of us were feeling some days back in the third period . . . .

Two goals in thirty-four seconds. What's that sound coming down from I-35E?

Did Denver just score?? Actually twice. THIS GAME IS TIED!

Hey WPoS . . . . I thought you'd be in Boston. Too painful?

Well, they did beat us . . . .

I'm kicking myself for wearing my loafers to the game last Saturday night instead of my tennis shoes, as I typically wore to games throughout the season. I forgot to throw some salt over my shoulder before I left the house as well. Those Dogs announcers are pretty hopped up. Their time in the spotlight. Good for them. Their win over the Gophers in Grand Rapids will resonnate for years to come. Gophers are no longer the only real show in the state, and once that new Duluth arena is built, the balance of state talent will swing wildly to the north. No?

Dogs are gonna be National Champs, and they deserve to be for their resilience and play all season long. Going 6-0 against them on the season would have been quite an accomplishment. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have Merry Christmases.

Thanks for the listening link and update PCM. 2-0 Dogs. Bittersweet. Cripes. This could have been the Sioux-Dogs, or Sioux-Gophers. C'est la vie. Getting some work done here anyway.

Here is something that is quite a bit more credible, perhaps . . . . Greene Staying Put

ADVANCE APOLOGIES FOR THE LENGTH. FEEL FREE TO PASS OVER. THERE IS LITTLE SUBSTANCE OR INFO HERE, JUST A WHOLE LOT OF PASSION AND PRIDE Here it is, Friday night, near 7:00 p.m. The arena should be filled with fans in full revelie, but it is not. The players should be on the ice, warming up, or in their locker room, preparing for another WCHA battle. But they are not. I should be on the road with my children, whether to The Ralph, in Mankato, at the DECC, at the National Concrete Center, or in the deep snows of Houghton, Michigan or the clear blue skies of the Colorado Rockies. We should be in Mariucci, decked out in full Sioux regalia and barking from our standing room slots down at the Gopher student section as the Sioux take command of a close game. Or at the Ex, striding with pride through the sea of brown and yellow, after perhaps the best game in all of college hockey. For this year anyway. I should be here, at my computer, dialing up the DataFlix, or better yet, Tim Hennessy on the radio, while I correspond with hundreds of fine Sioux fans from around the country as the puck drops on another weekend of Fighting Sioux hockey. Instead, there is nothing. It is April, and the season is over. A bit prematurely as well. Maybe that is what stings the most. Probably not. It is the loss of the Sioux Nation. The Sioux History. The Sioux Pride. At least on the ice, and in the arenas, and with the fans, for another year. The hats and t-shirts can, and will, be paraded year round. The jerseys are hung for another season. This past Monday morning, my kids and I drove to Denver at the crack of dawn and got on a plane back to our so-called lives. This, after throwing our hearts and lungs into a memorable season of Sioux hockey that took us to REA many times, beginning with the Hall of Fame Game nearly six months ago, and ending in a sad realization as the Pioneers of Denver celebrated their absolute stealing of a game for a prized trip to the Frozen Four. All told, we made 26 games, in eight different venues. We saw the Sioux win early, and we saw them win often. We saw a team that carried itself with absolute poise and class on the road, taking a lesson, no doubt, from its coaches. We saw a five-game season sweep of the likely National Champions, UMD. We saw five games in the greatest rivalry in all of sport, Sioux-Gopher hockey. We met great fans, and sometimes not so great fans, wearing both the enemy colors and the green and white. We tossed hats, or wigs, on the ice in Mankato to celebrate Fabian's hat trick. We jousted with Coach Blais in the lobby of road hotels, and he was always gracious enough to joust back. We watched Robbie Bina get his ass kicked in video games by Jordan Parise, and that was the only time, and place, that we saw Bina get his ass kicked all year. We saw Ryan Hale stand up for what was right to John Scott, and watched a referee tie his hands while Scott took to the sucker punching. We saw the team become a team, as they racked their sticks in unison against the boards to the strangely odd "Overrated" chant of Tech fans who had just seen their team drilled twice, at home. We met fine folk from this board. We proudly wore the "Bo Knows Goals" Hobey Hat so adroitly made by YaneA. I dipped my hand into a tray of Jake Brandt's jalapenos and chips, while giving him tips to improve his game. And improve his game he did. We caught Zach Parise in a quiet concourse of the Excel and thanked him for all of our good fun, and told him to thank his teammates for us as well, and that the best part of the game is the fun in the game. We laughed with him as some boorish Gopher fan, a friend of mine, tried to get in his face in a clever way without having a clue of what he was doing, or with whom he was talking. I watched my daughter stoically stand off the DECC ice and, with a raft of other young children, high-five the team as they stepped to the locker room after a sweep of Duluth to prevent the parading of the McNaugton Cup. I watched her as she cautiously approached, and got, damned near every player on the team to sign her jersey after the Holy Cross game. And sign her jersey with graciousness and class. These guys, top to bottom, are class acts. As luck would have it, we only listened to the Internet radio on the night that the Sioux clinched the McNaughton Cup and celebrated on the ice. We so hoped that that celebration would have been delayed to Saturday, when we could make the trip, and were in the building. C'est la vie. This team was just too good to put the clinching of that storied trophy on hold, even for a night. We proudly put up Patrick Miller's fine photo of the team with the Cup as our wallpaper. Thanks PCM, for that, and your many fine and level reports, both here and on USCHO. We anxiously rung our hands during the NCAA Selection Show. We had purchased West Regional tickets back in October, in large part confident that the Sioux would be there. In small part because we had family there upon whom we could impose. After watching Duluth take apart the Gophers for the Frozen Four last Sunday, we checked this board to make sure that everyone had put away the razor blades. Confident that we all had, we then decided to go skating at Hennen Arena, the Colorado College campus arena. Sammy, my daughter, said "We should wear our Sioux jerseys." We did. It was a great idea. It was a near perfect end to a near perfect season. We held heads high, and let everyone know that we were, and are, and always will be, Sioux fans. Through and through. As we got on the plane early Monday morning, there sat some middle-aged guy in a gravy-stained Golden Gophers sweatshirt, slathering down a Cinnabon roll. Looking to joust with someone close to his own intellect, he proclaimed to my twelve year-old daughter, wearing a Sioux sweatshirt of her own as she walked past, "Your Sioux didn't do so well, did they?" He either chortled, or choked on a piece of roll, I am not sure which. Of course, she just brushed past him, practicing the lesson that I had ingrained in her that she should never talk to strangers, especially boorish ones. Having overheard him, and not willing to let his remark go unnoticed, I stopped and said rather loudly, "Our Sioux not do so well?? Well, I suppose only if in your jellyroll world a 30-win season, a McNaughton Cup, two Hobey Baker finalists, an NCAA berth, another WCHA Championship Banner, and legions of devoted fans following them all over the country, win, lose, or draw, is not 'doing so well!'" My kids looked back at me, and we started laughing, and gave each other high fives, and shouted "Let's Go Sioux!" right there on that plane, at 6:30 in the morning, before a legion of weary travellers, most of whom likely had no clue of what was happening. What happened, then and there on that plane, is what makes Sioux hockey great. Another generation of Sioux fans has been ingrained. Those of us still walking will long remember these days, as will those fans both older and younger than us. Last year, shortly after the sting of the Ferris State loss, I went on this board and observed the following . . . . In the final analysis, seasons come, and seasons go. Some are better than others. Some yield banners, some do not. The best thing about the Fighting Sioux is their history, and the ability to bring folks together to forget, if only for a while, the price of wheat, the whine of liberals, the ravages of high water, and the cost of love. Players come. Players go. Same with coaches. Same with logos, and jersey styles. The only constant is the pride. The tradition. The excellence. The name. Fighting Sioux. Everything else is dust. Always has been. Always will be. Thanks to each and all of you, and especially a big thanks to each and all of the players, the staff, the coaches, and everyone on down the food chain (starting just below President Kupchella, who does indeed need a few lessons in both fervor and faith) associated with Fighting Sioux hockey. It was a great run. There will be many many more to come.

My picks, for what they are worth, which is not much. North Dakota Minnesota-Duluth Wisconsin Boston College. Sioux beat Wisconsin in the Final. The taste of revenge will be sweet. Gophers will be on the shelf again for another quarter century, until another governor comes out of the Deep South to be President of the United States. History does have a way of repeating itself.

Kids and I took a drive to the top of Pike's Peak this morning, 14,000+ feet. Beat up the rented the jalopy in the process. Ah, the pleasures of car rental. Anyway, we're there, near the top of the world, and whom do we meet? Sioux Fans!! We are everywhere. Too bad I threw my green hockey mullet wig on the ice in Mankato to celebrate Fabian's hat. Now, I am without one just when I need it most. Less than five hours until the puck drops on the post season. Here is trusting that it will be one heck of a fun run.

We were disappointed too. Last year, the NCAA opened up Mariucci on the Thursday practice sessions for all teams. While sparsely attended, it was of great fun, and interest, for the fans who took in the event. We travel 1,000 miles to arrive for the same treat, and have some Johnny Bar the Door Boy at the World say that he was under strict orders from the NCAA. No admission for the masses. The NCAA. Always hungry for a dollar, but they fail to set up a fan zone, fail to let fans into a practice skate, and they fail to sell advertising on the boards. Oh well, we had a fine time talking to some Miami Ohio Redhawks players in the Subway. They will give Denver all it can handle, and probably more. Funny. The local paper is advertising a DU "get together" at a local establishment for 6:30 tomorrow night before the game. What, they don't realize that there is a game in advance of theirs that they would do well watching? Great day in the Springs. Garden of the Gods. Historic Manitou Springs. The World Arena. We even saw Roger Thomas, who was more than gracious with his time in talking about many facets of Sioux athletic history. Even got to see his 2000 Championship ring. Real cool. Probably time to screen Slapshot, Mystery, Alaska, or go see Miracle tonight. This town will be swimming in the green and white tomorrow night.

Last year, the NCAA opened up Mariucci to the public on Thursday to watch each of the four teams practice. We went. It was pretty cool watching The Dean drill da boys. Very loose. Very interesting to the eyes of a neophyte. Anyway, we found out about that session in the Star & Sickle. Anyone know, or heard, if there will be a practice schedule open to the public at the World Arena this year? If so, have you any details to share? This is the best time of the year, for many reasons. The one at, or near, the top, is North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey.

CM . . . . No mini-van here. Ford. You and WPoS oughta trade in those kraut kans you drive for Fords! Thanks for the kind words, but we have found driving around the league that there are many many fine and loyal fans, a number of whom we seem to see over and over again. This time, we are flying. Leaving today in fact, God willing. Not sure the Ford could make it, although it is really a fairly easy drive, except for maybe a Ford. Although it is a near brand new Ford, last time we were in Colorado Springs, the thing broke down. $1500 repairs. Had to fly us all back, and return for the lousy car later. I thank the Good Lord every morning that at least I do not drive a Chevy, or a Dodge. Or a Cheep.

We're coming from Saint Paul. Me and two kids. Our 24th and 25th games of the year. All over the league. That's what a guy is rewarded with when his woman of near 20 years decides to pull the plug. Who made me the lucky guy? Not a bad gig if you can get it. Nothing, absolutely nothing, prepares youngsters to hold their heads high and proud as does strutting through opposing arenas wearing the colors. These will likely be our last tilts of the year as we've no tickets for Boston, and the money pit is running dry. We bought our tickets for the West Regional back in late October. We knew then what we all know now. Sioux are going to Boston, through Colorado Springs. It's always a great time to be a Sioux fan. It's times like these that simpy reaffirm what we all have long known.

Go to the WorldArena.com website. That is the site of the games. You can order tickets there through TicketsWest. You can also likely do so over the phone. Or, call the UND Sports Dept, or the Ralph, today to find out how they are selling their allocation of tickets. Good luck.

I could be wrong, but if there is a lower seed coming out of the East, there would be a chance that the Sioux and Gophers would meet in the Final? I thought that they would reseed at the Frozen Four?? If so, it would be the first time since 1979. Detroit. Wouldn't that be fun? In fairness to the Dogs, I just hope that they get their wounded reasonably healthy for the tourney. It would be like us having Zach or Bo, Brady, and Matt out of the lineup. That would send any fan base into the doldrums.

Good then. For a handful of reasons, we bought our West Regional tickets back in October, and will go there to watch college hockey regardless of seeds. A big Sioux booster who claims to be in the know was whispering in my ear at the game last night that Sioux brass are already confirming that the Springs is a lock and that the NCAA has already told us so. I suppose that this is possible. However, the same guy swore up and down, against my early protestations that he did not know what he was talking about, that we will play Bemidji State. I told him that BSU is not in the tourney, but that Niagra is. He argued, and made sense, that these small fry conference automatic seeds ought to go to the regular season champ to make their entire conference season more meaningful. He says BSU. I say Niagra. I also think that Niagra will be our first round opponent. A worthy opponent for the Number One Sioux. Go Sioux. Let's Spring to Boston.

Try telling this to the UMD faithful . . . . Lessard is now questionable. Don't know where Stapleton and Brosz stand either. Here is hoping that the Dogs will be as well-healed as they possibly can be by the time that Friday rolls around. Injuries. Man, can they ever sting this time of the year.

Sorry I missed you WPoS. Did see you at the play-in, and sniffed around your section during breaks a few other times. You wearing that cave man jersey, er, I mean "throw back" jersey each game? I had kids in tow for all five of the games, and there is always a concern about overexposing them to well-healed and articulate Gopher fans, lest they someday might want to go there. You fall into that category, although you will do well to stop supporting the Germans and their automobile industry so much. Buy a Ford for crying out loud. Great game last night. Great game. Too much fun, especially walking out of the arena with our heads held high. See you around. Hopefully not in the Springs. ps. Tell Sal that I miswrote my last post. It was not stated clearly enough. I did in fact sell those UM/UMD tickets to that Gopher fan, with the date, and for less than face. He was willing to offer more. I did not take his extra cash. And Herb is a legend, who was also legendary for throwing trash cans. And Gopher fans always act like they have the big units . . . .