InHeavenThereIsNoBeer

Huh... I have yet to see any of that after attending 25+ games home or away last season. Not saying it's not true just few and far between I think. In Duluth, there were some fans(heavily intoxicated) flapping their arms and making "Kaw" sounds. I thought it was hilarious.

Because there will be fistfights in the stands between the Hawks and Sioux fans... just wait

Nope, never watched it So your point is no game is a guaranteed win and sometimes the best team doesn't? I believe everyone knows that but you can't blame people for being excited about having the road to Chicago go through Fargo. Two years ago I remember having the players say the fans really put the team over the top and gave them a huge advantage in Fargo. I was there and it was about as hostile a place you could possibly play for an opposing team. Obviously anything can happen but I can't blame people for getting excited about the variables working in our favor for a title repeat.

I know this is counting my oxes before they're hatched(or something like that) but my motto for next season is just to make the tourney. A regional in Fargo in front of a home crowd and a Frozen Four in Chicago which is very drive-able for Grand Forks and Mpls fans gives us a great setup next year. And if Schmaltz comes back... might as well start printing the championship t-shirts

Didn't the majority of people think UND would come out in black jerseys since Quinnipiac was in their yellow?

That guy is my hero, I'm going to have doing that to celebrate goals.

It would be hilarious if they grabbed Minnesota State after a lot of their fans bagged on UND for leaving the WCHA.

I think we'll be better than .500 next year

Pretty sure I said the same thing

We do have some new hardware and banners to add as well so we got the most out of the players leaving. It's much tougher to say goodbye to players when you feel like they left something on the table.

Looks like I'll just have to agree to disagree with posters about exchanging NCHC rivalries for Big10 rivalries. It probably won't ever be an issue we have to actually consider anyways but makes for interesting discussion in the 6 months between hockey seasons.

True, but I think a big part of those rivalries developing is the fact that UND fans can drive to the majority of those schools for an away road game. Driving to UMD, SCSU, and UNO is very doable for a weekend. Also, the teams generally have hockey as their #1 or #2 sport thus pumping out competitive teams year after year which helps build a rivalry between fanbases. I don't see that with MSU or OSU... PSU will obviously get better so they have potential but it's an expensive flight for either fanbase.

I would love to be in the same conference as UMN to reconnect the best rivalry in college hockey but not if it means going to the BIG10. I feel like we'd be giving up 5 good/developing rivalries with UMD, DU, Miami, SCSU, and UNO to gain 1 great rivalry in UMN. It's the same issue UMN is currently facing in the BIG, our fans would not be very excited about playing MSU, PSU, and OSU four times each year.

Right, and that is not a good enough reason for me. Although, I know that higher ups in the university may change conferences for $$$, it didn't work out so well for the state of UMN and WI hockey. They are now relegated to a conference where the fans don't care about rivalries and are seeing 2nd rate college hockey. As a fan, that sounds awful. The majority of Gopher fans I talk to classify the move to the Big10 as a money grab and has diminished the quality of hockey and their interest in it.

Does Notre Dame have a message board?

As a result of your comments, you're an awful person. There's me judging you(totally kidding btw)

We weren't in the Big10 conference in the 10 years that preceded it... we were in the former WCHA which was also a strong conference.

Judging you? That's heavy...No I'm just trying to see it from another perspective, easy there. I just guessed that you were inferring that I wasn't considering all sides. Is this going to turn into a hockey only crowd type debate? If it is, I'm out. I support the football and bball teams too... whatever that means.

I'm saying that's a large part of our success, not all of it obviously. We do field pretty decent teams every year but the style of play the NCHC lends itself well to preparing for the national tournament. High skill, fast-paced games, not clutch and grab hockey or playing a trap hoping to squeak out a 2-1 win.

I'm looking at this strictly from a competitive hockey perspective. Judging by your avatar picture, I'm guessing you hope UND gets added to Big10 football? If that was even remotely possible, I'd definitely consider... but it's not.

I'm not sure why that matters as it completely negates my assumption that UND has been competitive in the postseason as a result of NCHC conference opponents. In other words, the NCHC makes us battle tested and also bring our best game every single night. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Big10 has not fared well in the NCAAs(save UMN's run in 2014).

That's my point, I don't see any situation where it would benefit our program. Despite revenue and when the games are played, I don't foresee any situation where this would be beneficial.

Despite any variables involved in a potential move to the Big10, I really believe our hockey team would be sold short. We go from a conference that prepares us extremely well for the NCAAs every year to one where we play OSU, MSU, PSU, & WI(unless they get better) on a regular basis. I truly believe a big reason for our newly found postseason success is playing UMD, UNO, SCSU, DU, & Miami on a regular basis. The NCHC has sent an average of 4.33 teams to the NCAAs every year. That's over 1/2 the conference! Also, we have sent 5 teams(out of a possible 12 chances) to the Frozen Four(UND 3 times), and have our 1st national championship since 2000. I don't think it's a coincidence that we have made the FF every year we have been part of our new conference. So to recap, since the NCHC has been formed we've had 27% of NCAA participants, 42% of Frozen Four teams, and 33% of the national champions. This, despite our conference making up 13% of all college hockey teams. Why change things?

Everything except the history of success