siouxfan512

Hard to believe we are already to the last game of the regular season. I seriously feel like I was just sitting at my desk, waiting to get home so I could watch the Stony Brook game. It has been a fun season, and great to know that we aren't done yet. Take care of business, and beat NAU. Losing Cookus definitely hurt them, but they aren't going to lie down. Gotta "Leave No Doubt"!!! This will likely be a close game, but if UND can hit on all cyclinders maybe we could turn this into a statement type win, with some fashion points. At least, this is what I'll be hoping for.

I'd just like to point out that UND is also on fire.

If that is the case, then I can't wait to do a little tailgating.

You beat me to it.

UND vs. San Diego (I would assume we would host this game) and we would see and Arnell vs Arnell match up. All about the story lines.

Maybe. Maybe not. Could be, because I believe he is from Washington, but I'd like to think if he was already willing to come all the way to ND for college, that may not affect his thinking. If he like the school, campus, facilities, coaches, players, etc. before, then he should still like those same attributes now. Not like UND would be moving to the pioneer leage, we all know the MVFC is a very respectable conference to play in. I guess it all depends on the kid.

That would be cool if he was going to come in for spring ball though. not sure how that works, but that kind of stuff is huge for getting these kids ready to play and compete at the next level. show commitment too.

I have to say, the more I think about this move, the more it appeals to me. Majority of Bison fans I know would really look forward to this as well. Obviously some won't, as evidenced by Bisonville, and some on AGS. Though there are definitely some out there that are for it. I guess it makes the most sense to just ignore the trolls. I do understand the few that are concerned about scheduling with an odd number of teams, but there are plenty who are just angry and bitter about bad history ... time to get over that stuff. What I don't understand the SDSU fans that are bitter against UND, but they're are some out there. Below is my post from AGS: I may as well throw my 2 cents out there, and hopefully it comes across as fairly reasonable, regardless of the team you support. I’m pretty impartial to whether or not UND is in the Big Sky or the MVFC. On the one hand, watching Big Sky football has been fun, and there is certainly some great talent in E. Wash, Montana, Montana St (usually), and several other teams that bounce up and down every season. On the other hand, being in a conference with the other Dakota schools makes sense. Proximity fuels rivalries, and certainly makes it more enjoyable for fans. More fans can travel to GF for games, and for UND fans can travel to away games. Probably the most important piece of the puzzle for UND is the obvious one. Travel costs in the Big Sky must be absolutely killing UND right. I hate the idea of cutting sports and limiting opportunities for kids, but in terms of operating a business, this is a necessary evil that UND has chosen to ignore. I will certainly acknowledge the opposition by many Bison fans, though I think you can break that group into sever smaller ones … at least this is my perception. 1. Fan’s who would like UND to join MVFC. Loved the old rivalry. Have family connections to both schools. Assuming UND can stay competitive, would add yet another strong opponent to an already strong conference. 2. NDSU fans who want nothing to do with a move that would help UND. There is still a lot of bad blood from when NDSU made the move to D1 and UND wouldn’t schedule them. I’d like to make it clear, that I do side with NDSU fans on this frustration. I wanted UND to keep scheduling NDSU during the move and I thought it was dumb not to do so. (In reality UND should have moved to D1 at the same time, and it would have been interesting to see how the landscape of NDSU/UND football would look). However, this was a different time. Different ADs, Different Coaches, and so on. It the same reason I don’t blame NDSU for scheduling UND up until last season. NDSU was already on top of the FCS world, and UND was in a rebuild position. NDSU didn’t need to schedule a weaker team, and if they wanted to, they could pick whomever they wanted (Incarnate Word, Mississippi St, Etc.) They certainly were not obliged to schedule UND. That being said, UND also agreed to two away games at NDSU, which I think is a pretty solid way of Bubba saying he wants to restart something, even if it comes at a price up front. IMO, UND started that mess, but I think it has also been long enough that we can move on from it. 3. NDSU fans who legitimately hate UND. The rivalry cannot be friendly for them. They want nothing to do with the school up North. They would prefer UND fold up their athletics program and their school. Unfortunately there are fans like this, and let’s be honest, every fan base has them (including UND). These are the kind of people that would prefer to pick a fight before, during, or after a game. I personally don’t understand this mentality from anybody. I have in-laws who are big time NDSU fans, and have been for a long time, Going tailgating with them is a blast. Almost all of the NDSU fans like to rib me a bit for whatever UND gear I’m wearing then they toss me a beer and we have a good time. I guess I’ve always thought that having that kind of a rivalry, where you can yell and give people a hard time, then have a beer together when it is all done, is much more enjoyable than legitimately hating someone you don’t know because they have a Bison, Sioux, Hawk, etc. on their hat or shirt. All in all, it looks like this move is pretty far along, and if it happens, I think everyone should just roll with it. Rivalries and personal feelings aside, it seems to be a smart move financially and logistically. So, for you MVFC/Bison/Coyote/USD/etc. fans, if this goes through, I look forward to making it to some away games and tailgating with you all. Hope we get to revive some old rivalries, and start some new ones.

Who cares? Stupid kid with a tasteless shirt. We have our share of people like that.

ITS THE GOPHER HOCKEY TEAM!!!!

Won't they all just look like Barry Melrose?

Yeah, you're right its the exact same thing ... SMH

Agreed. I wouldn't mind if they went back to the all grey this weekend, like they did against Poly though. Grey was a great addition.

Totally agree, the effort and the performance was there this weekend, it was just the results that were not. As a fan it is a little uncomfortable to see UND get 1 tie and 3 losses in 4 games. It's that same kind of uncomfortable feel you get when the Vikings start 5-0 (now that the Vikes have lost 3 straight, things are feeling much more normal). This is a team that will have to continue growing up fast, and could look like a Hakstol type, second half team. Once they have gelled and developed. BUT we definitely need to pick up some wins and not get too far behind. Overall, I was much happier with our play this weekend. The Duluth series was ugly hockey, and pretty boring to watch.

Can we stir the pot and talk about Grady coming back next fall? jk

What is the tv availability for the playoffs? ESPN3 for the first round or even second round? Or is everything on ESPN and ESPN2? ESPNU?

agreed, I think most people agree there is a line. It is more a matter of where does this offense fall.

Fair enough, I wasn't clear.

Leaving the bar with a beer is enough to get you in trouble with police, and in the newspaper, how does that not justify any sort of punishment? Jeez, getting a minor is enough to get you punished, how is public consumption any different? At least that is pretty minor. Heck I did it when I was in college. Walked out of joe black with a buddy and we both walked down the street with our beers. Of course, we call his buddy, who was an on duty cop, and he came and gave us a ride home (made us ditch our beer before we got in the cop car though). Like I said, I've done stupid things at that age too. But had a cop stopped me or questioned me, I wouldn't resist either.

Ok, after an extremely disappointing weekend, I can break my silence. It was a tough sports weekend overall, with UND football being my 1 shining star. A tie on Friday night, after playing with the lead several times. A Wild loss on Saturday. A Timberwolves loss on Saturday. A Sioux loss on Saturday night. And a Vikings loss on Sunday ... OUCH!!! Friday night, I though the team played ok. We got goals when we needed, but just couldn't play with a lead. It was a little bit of a flashback to some of the hakstol style of play. Almost felt like we would play to defend the lead, rather than play to score. Just my perception. Anyway, it was definitely fun to watch. Back and forth, a little feisty, altogether a good re-entry into the rivalry. Saturday night, I was at the game, and I actually didn't think we play too bad, despite the loss. We actually had some shots which was good to see, and the attempted shots stat line was ridiculous. I was impressed by how much the Gophers were laying down and diving in front of puck to block shots. Of course, if our boys would shoot a bit quicker, instead of trying to wait for that perfect shot, they could negate some of those block attempts. Cam did not look as good on Saturday, I though he let in the softer of his goal in this game; and I really though our D played much much better, despite Tucker being out. Schierhorn also played a hell of a game; have to give credit to him here. I was very disappointed in the officiating on Saturday. I though there were some very soft penalties call against UND, and I still don't get the delay of game call against Jost, which led to the first goal, but I was at the opposite end of the arena. I was surprised the officials called the penalty shot, but was more surprised at Boeser's attempt. Looked like he tried to go 5 hole, but didn't put anything on the shot. Boeser is obviously a solid choice to take the shot, but I would have liked to see Pogo, especially after he nailed it last season. *Side note, I don't have allergies, but if I did they would have been acting up with all the dust in the air at Mariucci. Those gopher fans must have dug way into the back of the closet to get there jerseys out for Saturday's game. The attendance definitely seemed better on Saturday, and they really were loud. Also, a great showing of sioux fans, but I really expected the arena to be close about 40% Sioux fans, which it was not. There haven't been many times in the last 10-12 years where I have though UND absolutely needs a sweep. Not just for points, but for morale. This weekend, a sweep would be highly beneficial, not just for the team, but for the fans. I would feel much better about our season taking full points from DU next weekend, and more importantly, playing a solid two games. Not time to panic by any means, but definitely a little uncomfortable after how the past two weekends have gone.

I agree, this is probably a pretty adequate response, especially if Josh handles everything like a man this week. Missing out on playoffs is probably really going to hurt for this kid. That is probably a pretty fair, yet firm, punishment.

So, without reading into this too much ... and assuming the conference switch happens. Would they already start playing a MVFC in the fall of '17? OR fall of '18?

Not going to disagree with that. I totally get the mean, aggressive edge. I was a wrestler, got have a little edge there as well, and I am sure the coaches will come up with an appropriate action. Hope they find a balance of being firm but fair. Ticks me off to see a kid resisting police (and I still don't condone the too young or too drunk excuse), but also need to look at the big picture; does he have an pattern of issues, are there other factors (as GeaxSioux has mentions, supplements/med reacting with alcohol, etc.), and how does he respond to the situation this week (If I were Seibel, I would be at the police station this morning to make a in person apology to the officers, probably one to the bouncers at Joe Blacks as well). If he is done for the year, and has to miss out on playoffs, I would think that would be a pretty impactful punishment on a kid. After digesting the new a bit, I think punishment needs to be firm, but you need to leave the door open for the kid to earn his way back. Frattin was a pretty good example ... kid got in trouble a few times, was dismissed, and rather than going pro, earned his way back onto the team. Hopefully something similar can happen here; not for the benefit of the team, but for the long term benefit of this kid.

This was my concern as well. Great to get rested and healthy, but sucks to be a little rusty heading into a playoff game.

Depends, how severe is the strike. Guy hits his gf, are you prepared to say, its ok, he still has too strikes? I agree on giving someone another chance for something really minor (minor in consumption). But resisting police is definitely beyond that. Heck we had kids dismissed from the team for a little weed. Like I said, I trust that Bubba will take care of this the right way. Whatever that is.