Godsmack

They just said that it was Tyler Broze and TJ Keig who were the two healthy scratch seniors for the Dogs. Anyone know why?

Unfortunately Minny won 7-2. Irmen scored with 10 seconds left in the game. Go Sioux!

If you want to listen to the game on the Internet, you can get it through a local Duluth station. Go to, www.kdal.am I would prefer to listen to the Sioux announcers but at least this is better than nothing. Oh, by the way- goofers 5, landcows 2......thirteen minutes to play in the 3rd.

Can someone point me in the right direction of finding information about UND's recruiting classes? Specifically, I'm interested in finding out where we rank compared to other schools with regards to our incoming recruits. Thanks!

However the league standings shake out at the end of the season, I sure would hate to face Tech in the opening round. Tech has been better during the second half of the season than almost everyone else except perhaps DU (which Tech split with on the road!). I think that Tech finding success is fantastic and it is absolutely critical to both their program as well as the overall strength of the league. I hope their success carries over to next season and beyond. Check out this nice article on USCHO.com about Colin Murphy... http://www.uscho.com/news/2005/02/15_009960.php

I think that for some, the biggest frustration with Hakstol isn't whether or not he's qualified to be the coach-it's the appearance of nepotism in his hiring. His father-in-law happens to be the president of the alumni association. From the get go, there appeared to be an insider-deal as the job opening wasn't posted nationally. Having personally spoken to John Marks, who was interested in applying as well as what he told me in his conversations with Steve Johnson, a lot of people were miffed over the fact that the job wasn't opened up to the outside. According to Marks, had the University opened the job to the public and still hired Hakstol, there wouldn't have been nearly as much of an appearance of nepotism. Personally speaking, I don't think that being the son-in-law of the Pres. of the alumni association disqualifies Hakstol. However, I cannot dissagree with those who during these times when the Sioux are struggling are raising the concern that there might have been some internal politics involved. Hakstol to me would have earned much more credibility in his hiring had the head coaching position been opened up to the public (even if the University still had no intentions of hiring anyone but Hakstol). I suppose the comeback from Hakstol's supporters will talk about the rush to get a coach in due to the timing of Blais' resignation, getting recruits signed, etc. And perhapst this is a valid arguement too. Someone mentioned nepotism with regards to Sheppard and his kid. Well, it sure seems like that was the case with regards to the hiring of Hakstol.

I am one of those NoDak's who aggressively pursued a job/career in North Dakota after I graduated from college. Finding a decent job comensurate with my education was difficult if not impossible. I ended up taking a job out in Denver, CO simply to "get the experience" in hopes of having some professional work history and then take a stab at NoDak a few years down the road. Well, I recently pursued a position with a financial institution in Fargo and I am waiting to hear whether or not I get the job. The problem is, they made it clear that they cannot pay me what I am making right now in Denver. I am willing to take a pay cut in order to have the kind of lifestyle that only North Dakota (specifically, Grand Forks) has to offer, however, I also have a mortgage, car, etc. and I need to make sure that I don't "sell out". I realize the cost of living is lower in Fargo/GF than in Denver but I have done the research and I know exactly how much I will need to make in NoDak in order to break even. Some observations of Fargo when I was there a month ago for my interview: Out by West Acres, it is looking a lot like Denver-lot's of chain restaurants, strip malls, and car lots. I also couldn't help noticing the rows of apartments and "spec" houses lined along I-29. These observations are similar (but on a smaller scale obviously) to Denver. While "big" is sometimes better in terms of opportunities, culture, progress, etc. along with it comes sprawl, crime, traffic congestion, etc. So, I'm struggling here-I want to obviously be paid a fair salary for my knowledge, experience, education but I also want the benefits of smaller town living. It's a catch 22. All I can say is to those of you who currently live in GF or Fargo and have satisfying careers and good lifestyles, I am very envious of you and I hope to join you very soon. Despite my observations of Fargo, overall it is a very nice city and the people there are just as nice as they are back in my hometown of Grand Forks.

Imagine that-a college kid drinking! I'm not defending Greene but, speaking from experience, how many out there can honestly say they've never been questionable when driving home after being out to the bars? Unfortunately, I think most people "play the odds" and typically drive when they shouldn't. I know I have and it's really stupid. A question I pose and I in no way have a conclusion one way or another is, if Greene is found "guilty" could stripping him of his Captain status possibly hurt the team more? Would that cause more friction/contraversy among the team than if, say, Greene publicly apologized to the team and/or was suspended for some games?

I was very glad to hear Berry and the team say they weren't frustrated but incouraged (still don't know if I buy it 100% but...). Having attended both of the CC/UND games, my observation was that the Sioux played as hard as they possibly could have. I was quite pleased with the effort as I was fearful that it was going to be a penalty-filled weekend for the Sioux. Perhaps the Sioux could've crashed the net more and it would've been nice to see the Sioux get more quality shots on net but you have to give credit to CC's D-Men as well as Zaba between the pipes(CuMac played Friday). Now the question I have is, how in the world did the Zaba of the Saturday Sioux game not show up a few nights ago against Duluth? He was very shaky against Duluth.

Wasn't Lucia recently quoted as making a snide remark about fighting and the Sioux being involved, implying that it's ALWAYS the Sioux who seem to be involved in any fights? Lucia's recent hair weave must be affecting his brain cells. Time to lighten up on the hair tonic, pretty boy!

I didn't care for the undertones pertaining to the nickname/logo. They grossly overscore the negative sentiment while failing to present opinions of others (including Native Americans) who happen to understand and like the name/logo.

It reminded me of a game my men's league team played in last year in a tournament up in Steamboat, CO. We went out and got drunk Saturday night and then played just awful Sunday afternoon. It felt like we had lead in our skates. There was no will to pick up our man, chase down lose pucks, or hustle. Watching the Sioux on Saturday reminded me of that. You could see the lack of fundamentals from the onset when you watch that opening faceoff down in the Sioux zone when they were scored on. Lot's of eyes watching the puck but no feet were moving.

In my opinion, the lack of offense, defense, and all-around sound play were the result of one thing: Lack of effort. I suspect that the boys went out on Friday night after their big victory, got drunk, and maybe got laid too. On Saturday they appeared tired, slow, and a step behind the Gophers from the very beginning of the game. Credit Minnesota for playing an all-around solid game too but the Sioux simply didn't have the energy, the legs, or the will to win on Saturday. By the way, I didn't see Prpich out there during the 3rd period. Does anyone know what happened to him? Did the coach purposely not play him for fear that he'd mix it up in the 3rd period?

Badger fans are probably the nicest fans as they are very knowledgable of the game. DU and CC fans are ignorant and therefore only know one cheer-and that's to say the goalie's name and then "sucks!". I still remember sitting in Bonzers Bar downtown GF in 1983 when the Badgers played Harvard for the Natl' Championship. I was a little kid but I still remember how fun those fans in their red striped overalls were. As big as the Badgers/Sioux rivalry is, there does not seem to be the kind of animosity among the fans that exists between the Gophers and Sioux fans. What's the feeling among Badger fans with regards to the Badgers/Gophers rivaly and the Gopher fans in general?

Hey, the Sioux hockey team probably ticked off the folks who are opposed to the Sioux nickname when the team went to their "gangsta colorz" a few years ago...hopefully the Black uni's have gained us an even better bad boy image! Incidentally, if you ever read the WCHA hockey yearbooks and/or the WCHA.com yearly summaries where players of opposing teams have to rate other teams logo's, uniforms, favorite arenas to play, best fans, etc. North Dakota is typically among the leaders. In fact, when I attended CC, the CC hockey players would tell me that they didn't understand all the hub bub about the logo-they thought UND's jerseys and nickname were cool.

Unfortunately I agree with you, Jockey. Since the Ralph opened, there has been a very "corporate" atmosphere just like you find in the NHL rinks....it's all about money. As beautiful as the new arena is, the first thing I noticed about it 3 years ago was the lack of leg room compared to the old Ralph. I realize that adding a few extra inches of space multiplied by the total number of rows would have been quite costly, however, I get sick and tired of having to stand up everytime someone wants to come or go from their seats.

I recall the same banter when Lucia left CC. While Scott Owens hasn't been able to get the Tigers back to the Frozen 4, he has consistently had competitive, NCAA-bound teams.... While the new coaching staff has a lot to say about the quality of the future recruiting classes, I think that UND's reputation (created in part by Blais) will help the program continue to recruit strong players. Being no expert, I still feel that Hakstol has a lot working in his favor-strong supporting cast in Berry and Eades, the arena (which apparently sells itself), and all of those championships (see the banners hanging from the rafters).

If the Wild win a Stanley Cup, just watch what will happen to ticket prices....I know because the Av's won the cup their first year in Denver and after that, prices went up considerably.

Here's a typical experience of attending a Colorado Avalanche game: A nosebleed seat is $35. An average seat in the lower bowl of the Pepsi Center is $75-$100. Parking is $10-$15, depending on how close you want to park. A draft beer is $6.50. Hotdog is $4.50. I usually have two beers and a dog and a bag of popcorn. So now I've spent 75 on the ticket, 10 for parking and 20-25 bucks on food/drinks. Keep in mind this is for 1 person. A family who attends just one Avalanche game could easily spend two-three hundred bucks....about the cost of a season ticket for the CC Tigers. It is VERY hard to have any sympathy for the owners OR the players. They're all greedy and it all falls on the shoulders of the fan. Heck, most of the "fans" at Av's games don't even know the game or care about it. It's the "beautiful people" who go just to be seen. They typically talk all game long, except when there's a goal or a fight. The best cheer they have is, "Ref, you suck!" or, "Red Wings suck!" Very original........NOT! The players AND the league for that matter have no one to blame but themselves.

How about: The Dakota Grundelwarts The Dakota Stingrings

It appears that Fighting Sioux hockey has become very "corporate" since they opened the new Ralph. I feel at times like I'm at an NHL game and that's really sad....there's a certain charm to college hockey that appears to be slowly going away...this goes for other teams as well.....DU charges 10 bucks for parking-outragious! CC used to charge 2.50 then they raised it to 5.00 last year. I suppose they'll bump it up again. DU's greed is also demonstrated in the pricing of their tickets. They raise the general admission price for CC/DU games to $22 compared to the $15 bucks they charge for all other games. To CC's credit, they do not alter the price of their general admission tickets based on who they're playing-it's the same all around. DU should be mindful that they have a LOT of trouble selling tickets and filling seats (with the exception of the CC games). I have a feeling that in light of winning the NCAA as well as there being no Avalanche games this year, DU will be gauge the spectator even more. I caution them against this as they (DU) could very well go back to their normal days of mediocrity as well as the return of the Av's and the NHL.

As a former GF resident, I can tell you that I ALWAYS hit the Red Pepper for a Grinder (with taco meat) when I come back to visit. Hanging out at the Blue Moose (great walleye!) and/or Whitey's on Saturday afternoon to shoot pool and watch college football is also fun. Regardless of what folks are speculating regarding the quality of Minnesota's team this year as well as the Sioux squad for next year (both are predicted to have young teams), the series is always intense and fun!

I think the rush to require netting was a bit hasty on the part of the NHL. Let's consider the fact of how many games have been played (NHL, college, highschool, etc.) over the past 60 or 70 years in rinks with no netting and number of deaths that resulted. I think that statistically speaking the chances of getting killed by a flying puck are very slim. More people have died being struck by lightening than by pucks. I could be wrong but, I think this was the first death as a result of a puck leaving the playing area. Can anyone verify that? My condolences to the family of the little girl who was killed at the Bluejackets game but I think that the powers-that-be ought to have looked into all aspects of the issue before rushing out and putting up those nets in the NHL rinks. I've paid good money for Avalanche tickets and I don't like the netting-it's distracting. I bet that the rest of the WCHA will follow suit as they don't want the liability. In today's high tech age, you'd think that a less obstructive netting could be invented which would have less impact on the spectators' view of the play.

Hey UMDDogz, you wouldn't be disappointed seeing the Wisco or Minny series with the Sioux up at the Ralph. If there's one thing Dogs and Sioux fans usually agree on, its our dislike of the Gophers! If/when I move back to NoDak, my goal is to take a trip to Duluth for a Dogz/Gophs series. From what I've seen on the Gohpers, err, I mean the Fox Sports Net, The DECC really rocks when Minny comes to town.

Does anybody know when any pre-season NCAA hockey polls come out? Also, how about the GF Herald WCHA predictions from Verge Foss?