Smoggy

So now that Pizza Hut ponied up some adverstising money, will anybody order? I do on Mondays, because it's a 6 dollar large carryout.

FSSN needs to take over!

That score just looks like it was an ugly game.

It's amazing that I heard nothing about this on any of the 6 LA sports radio stations. But they spent enough time breaking down who should be placed on injured reserve for the Lakers.

I'm glad you posted something about your community. I'm here to learn something new every day !

We did that to buy uniforms about five years ago. We didn't get much and it was embarrassing. The phone-a-thons/radio-a-thons work, but a lot of people would call just to complain about us raising money. Let me say that I thank everyone that's ever supported the band and it's always been appreciated. It'd just be nice if the University supported it more.

I don't think it could be seperate, because there wouldn't be any numbers in the marching band. Facts are that the band practices a lot in the fall. They get one measley credit and give up almost every weekend. The only reward is going on a hockey trip. If hockey is seperate, why be in the marching band? What, to go to Alabama? Riding a bus for longer than you're in the state isn't rewarding. The worst weekends are when football and hockey occur. Practice late afternoon Friday and then off to the Ralph. Up to practice by 8 am on Saturday. Hopefully no parade. At the Alerus until 4 or 5. Go home eat and change and sprint to the Ralph. Two bands would be nice, but the numbers are just not there and it's going to take a lot of time. Won't happen. They can't even get practice time in the Alerus. The mics are run by the Ralph and were supposed to be hanging from the ceiling years ago. It's never happened. The band does hook up their own mics and have some control, but I believe some adjustments need to be done through the Ralph.

Good question. I believe the 25 tickets are covered by the WCHA/NCAA, but I could be wrong on that. My guess would be the band would leave on Friday morning and if the team wins, they'd stay until Sunday. So figure two nights. So you have bus travel/driver (for entire trip) which is pricey even though it should be a UND bus. My guess would be 8 or 10 hotel rooms. This could be different due to boys and girls being seperated. I believe there would be a small per diem, but maybe none at all. Those are the different factors involved, but it's got to be well over $2,000 without tickets. I'm just not sure on the bus/driver.

Thanks again, PCM! This stood out to me: The reason it stands out is that right now the band is NOT going to the Final Five. Money issues is the big reason. The band doesn't want to have to do the phone-a-thon crap anymore (though I'm sure they will for the Frozen Four), and supposedly they aren't getting any monetary support from elsewhere. My guess is alumni and athletic dept. I believe the band is also upset with the way the Ralph has been treating them. I'm sure I butchered some of this info, since it was second hand along with speculation. I included it, because it's going to be really sad at the Xcel having to listen to only the Gopher band. Keeping in mind that the Gopher band (assuming we both win) in past years has bought (they are supported at their university) extra tickets so that they could have over 50 people instead of the 25 allowed. I always have thought that the battle of the bands was great fun and added a lot to the atmosphere.

I think it is a big deal. College hockey fans look at INCH and USCHO. I'm sure the players look at INCH and USCHO. Since they are really the only group giving awards by position in DI hockey, it is a big deal. Hopefully the d men take this as the slight that it is and play even better. Plus it's a message board and this is something to fun to discuss and a good chance to look at some numbers. Thanks PCM! I can just see NCAA tourney time rolling around and the East teams thinking we have no defense and goaltending because of what INCH said/has said. Then again, that isn't such a bad thing afterall.

So if the Gopher defense isn't as good, doesn't that mean that Ballard and Harrington play a lot more minutes? I don't think it would be an extra 10 games, but there are times when Ballard doesn't get off the ice (especially on PP). ______________________________________________________________ What's a good stat for a defensemen? I was thinking +/-, but that depends on the forwards as much as the D. I was thinking about blocked shots. Too bad "times beat on rush" isn't a stat.

I can see the jawing, but this fight was rediculous. The dropped the gloves right away and then danced around the rink for thirty seconds before locking up and throwing some punches. A hockey fight should be spontaneous.

I was looking at all the trades on ESPN and I find it very interesting that the Wild have only been getting draft picks. Looks like 3 or 4 more for this summer alone. If the players get locked out will the drafts go on? I'm sure this years draft will happen since it's before the next season/lockout. But if this thing drags out 18 months like everyone is planning, what about the next draft?

Have you been to the new rink? I was hoping to get over there this spring, but it's looking less and less likely.

I'm not a big fan of fighting, but I'm not a big fan of players being cheap shot all the time. When Gretsky played in the 80s he had his protection. Guys who were there to make sure someone didn't take a run at The Great One. With fighting rules the way they are now, you're seeing a lot more dirty work. This is because the players aren't allowed to police themselves anymore with the fight instigator penalty. I heard/read somewhere that the GM's are looking at dropping this rule, because the refs aren't doing a good enough job enforcing them. I think the fighting needs to be there, but I don't like it when two guys have it planned. For instance, when I saw the Wild play LA the other night, two players fought as soon as the opening faceoff was over. Are you kidding me? How could they have been that mad at each other to know to drop the gloves right then?

Didn't UAA have to pay to rent the ice from the Gophers?

Fair enough. I just don't understand the logic in Section 8 playing at noon. They're the farthest away! They bring plenty of fans the way it is, but would bring more if they got to play even in the mid afternoon game.

I just told my students the story of the ref getting hit with the litre of cola the other day. The look on the poor guys face, and there was nothing he could do because it was during the anthem. For everyone else that wasn't there, it sounds terrible, but you get a chuckle out of it. It was just like the ref from Slap Shot.

I think I heard the warm up the bus, but not the other one. At that time our fans weren't allowed to do much, because of repeated incidents with Warroad.

Yeah, and you guys took it to us in the finals. I still remember some little Benilde punks running down the stairs to our side of the rink screaming and holding signs. Good thing we didn't treat them like the kid from Thief River Falls that did that to us...the cops pulled him out of the pile.

Hey Diggler, Did you go to the games in '98? Or any other year?

Who knows? Fergus loses to everybody.

The consistently losing thing does suck and I do hate to see a team get blown out. That's why I like the play in games that section 8A uses to seed the bottom teams. It gives those teams a chance to play a more evenly game and a chance to win and advance. Then they get their asses handed to them after the first game. I wouldn't say the Minnesota tournament is perfect. It never will be until those teams that recruit aren't allowed in or have to play their own tourney. The private schools should have their own. How can a public school compete with a $15,000 scholarship. Mainly they need to do away with open enrollment and the foreign exchange players.

You mean the only Sioux player other than Hrkac. ...and also first since Hrkac.

Has anyone else noticed that the last few years that Warroad makes it they get a night game, and yet everytime EGF did they had the first afternoon game? It's a long drive for both schools (though longer for Warroad) to bring fans, and yet EGF would have more fans than most of the other schools in class A and they had the farthest to travel. Thank goodness someone finally beat out Fergus Falls. Nothing like having a .500 team in year after year that would just be done right away.