JMB

If by 5 you are counting the goalie, then you're right. They did have 5 skaters on the ice for the last face-off (with 0.6 seconds left). Frankly, it didn't matter - no one is scoring with 0.6 seconds left, even with no one on the ice and no goalie. As a Minnesota fan, I thought UND outplayed Minnesota for large stretches of the game. Wilcox and Gothberg were unbelievable. Someone said earlier an ugly goal was going to win it - guess they were right. UND should be proud of their team and their effort from tonight. They deserved better, but in a one and done tournament, anything can happen.

I agree that the UND/MN game was officiated quite well (and since my team lost, I have a unique perspective). As far as the Frozen Four, I just hope it is a CCHA official and not someone from the ECAC. If it's an ECAC official, EVERY call will be made. That's a tough adjustment for a WCHA team to make, given how much hooking/slashing/holding/interference our refs allow. It could be a long night for the Sioux (though, it could be a long night for BC as well).

I think the big reason for the difference in selection process is the number of potential players to consider. Canada clearly has more players to look at in the selection process, so they start with a camp two weeks prior to the WJC. Since Team USA has very few players to look at (and they have them in camp during August) they don't need to have another selection camp in December. Plus, I think the Team USA realizes that many of their players are going to be playing college hockey during the season, and they don't want to pull them away from their teams any longer than they need to. The last thing Team USA wants to do is sour the relationship they have with NCAA coaches.

Free webcast is available for the game (both nights) at UW Badgers.com. The game is also on FSN (DirecTV channel 642) both nights.

In the same vein, you can ask "Who has UND played so far?" Home Quinnipiac Maine St. Cloud State Colorado College Away Wisconsin Minnesota State Alaska Anchorage Quinnipiac and Maine for UND are slightly better than Wayne State and Maine for UMN (primarily because Quinnipiac is better than Wayne State and UND played Maine twice). Both have played Colorado College and St. Cloud State at home (UMN had a home and away). Both played Minnesota State on the road. Both played Wisconsin (UND on the road, UMN at home). UND played at Alaska Anchorage while UMN played at Duluth. UMN also played Michigan State and Michigan at home. According to the SiouxSports RPI, UMN opponents have a Winning % of .5387 and UND opponents are at .5691, which is a difference of about 3%. So, while UMN hasn't "played anybody" yet, UND opponents are about 3% better. And yes, they do have a nice record, and we will see how it will hold up for the rest of the year. Are they going to continue winning at an 85% clip? Not a chance. But with a similar schedule to UND, they've won 85% of their games, while UND has won 54% of their games. What does this all mean? NOTHING! It's still just December. I still think UND, UMN, SCSU and CC are the top teams in the conference this year. I think that the four of them will be fighting for the coveted "top three" spot in the WCHA towards the end of the season.

Come on, have you seen the Badger Hockey message board? And class? They take their lead from Mike "I'm complaining about every penalty call, and staring down the ref, even when I get a call in my favor" Eaves.

Then, let me say the one thing that UND and Minnesota fans can agree on right now... Go Maine!

Yes, that'd be great...cause what everyone is really hoping for is a bunch of NCAA violations. Seriously, next time think...then post.

I'm pretty sure that this "rule" was changed for this year. In fact, if you go to the official rules, it states on page 10 (HR-9) it states that . . . "As nearly as possible, the dimensions of the rink shall be 200 feet long and 85 feet wide." Ice Hockey - 2006 Rules and Interpretations

I hear if you can't afford the tickets, you can get Bochenski to print up some fake bills for you.

The biggest reason is money. The WCHA makes ALL of their money from the Final 5. Since they get the best deal from the Xcel Energy Center (ie, most money), it has been in St. Paul, and likely will be for the foreseeable future. In addition, while St. Paul is close to the Minnesota campus, the other sites you indicated are all home arenas for the various teams. I don't think that the league will have the conference tournament on the home ice of one of their members. Yes, Minnesota gets a built in advantage, but only because they are centrally located within the league. Additionally, look at how many teams in the league are near the Twin Cities. Minnesota, St. Cloud, Mankato, Duluth, Wisconsin, and North Dakota are all within 4-5 hours of the Twin Cities. You are practically guaranteed good attendance at games involving those teams. If you had the tournament in Milwaukee (not realistic to have it in Madison, see on campus arena), then the host team is 90 minutes away, and the next closest team is 6 hours away. From a location perspective, North Dakota is a possibility, but I highly doubt that the league would EVER have the tournament at the home ice of one of its members.

That's always going to be a "problem" for the top hockey programs. You have to balance seeing a great player for one or two years, versus a good player for four years. The teams that consistently win championships, are the teams that have the right blend of great players (1-2 years) and good players (4 years).

When someone says this . . . I wouldn't interpret that as the ON ICE performance of certain players. I'd guess that he was looking to the upcoming NHL draft to support his stated point of view. And his point of view was that Oshie would be drafted higher than Kessel (as would Toews). And I was simply pointing out that this was flat out wrong. Oshie has already been drafted, and obviously can't go higher than Kessel this year.

I guess that also means that Jack Skille (#7, 2005) > Brian Lee (#9, 2005) > TJ Oshie (#24, 2005). I guess it also means that Blake Wheeler (#5, 2004) > Drew Stafford (#13, 2005) > Travis Zajac (#20, 2005).

Not a chance. If UND wins out, they win the WCHA Playoff Championship (Final 5) and they get the autobid. Though, I'm guessing you meant just the regular season. Not sure about that, but I doubt that would be the case.