Canuck

Precisely my point.

While I realize it was only two games, hopefully that series will forever quell the "We shoulda hired Sandelin instead" posts.

Funny how two wins and 14 goals and change the outlook of the fans, but back on February 9th the chicken littles of the world were proclaiming everything from "Hakstol will never be anything more than a .500 coach" to "our seniors have no character." Here's what I posted that day: "I would prefer Sioux fans reserve judgment on this team until we have our full lineup intact for a lengthy stretch of time. With Murray and McMahon back in the lineup, suddenly other (role) players aren't so miscast. Suddenly your top six forwards (top two lines) include Stafford, Murray, Spirko, Genoway, Porter and Zajac. That's as much talent as any Top Six in the nation. You have excellent shut-down forwards like McMahon and Prpich. And you have experienced role players like Fylling and Massen. Suddenly that lineup doesn't look to shabby, does it?..." Now, does the UMD series mean we'll now run the table on the way to an 8th title? No. But it does show how tough it can be to analyze a team's season with any amount of perspective while said season is still in progress. One month ago we were stuck in neutral - not a bad team, but not a great one. Now I don't think there are too many teams that would want to play us at this particular point. To quote PCM who quotes Jason Notermann, Hockey is a funny game.

Haven't checked recently, but not too long ago the Sioux Shop was selling a brand new model with Sioux and UM uniforms and the logo at center ice. Seem to remember it being in about the $2,000 range.

It's my understanding that Darwitz and Wendell - and Caroline Ouellette of UMD for that matter - are done after this year due to international committments. Next year is an Olympic year and all three players are expected to forgo their senior year to spend the year with their respective national teams. Certainly would further level a slowly balancing playing field.

Glad to see nobody's overreacting.

Well, then...that would be a step back, now, wouldn't it? Lack of relevance aside, how about we worry about that if/when it happens if/when it happens? For now I would like to commed UND's newest program for the progress it has made. We now return you to your regularly scheduled pessimism.

Because your post completely lacks big-picture perspective. People aren't proud of the 'loss.' People are proud of the effort - which I witnessed first-hand - and the progress the program has made, as indicated by the result. Just like your Mankato example, a game like that represents progress, hope and pride. When you're a new program that will admittedly take many lumps in the early years, that is what you focus on. Not Ws and Ls. A game like yesterday's means those Ws are just around the corner. When we lost 13-0 to UMD just two short years ago, moments like that seemed an eternity away. It was a team of primarily walk-ons against a team of Olympians and future Olympians, and UND - again, in their first-ever playoff game - came within inches of knocking them off. At this point in the program's evolution, another singular W or a singular L means nothing in the big picture. You know what, even if we won its doubtful we would've gone much further. But the progress represented by yesterday's game is far more meaningful than a 10th win would've been.

Agreed. And let's not forget that it was until this year - the third year of the progam's existence - that we climbed to half the number of scholarships that every other team has to work with. Yesterday's game was a classic New England Patriot-like example of a coaching staff devising a game plan against a team with clearly more talent, and each and every player believing in that game plan and leaving it all on the ice. But I guess, sadly, people like Cratter need more.

Millions of dollars, eh? Way to get your facts straight before coming off like a complete jerk. The fact of the matter is, talk to any observer of women's college hockey and they will tell you that yesterday's performance against UMD was nothing short of inspiring. UND was one shot away from completing the biggest upset of the college hockey season, in the playoffs no less. The first playoff game in program history. I've observed UND athletics for nearly 10 years now. That means I've been a witness to six national titles and countless conference titles. I was at yesterday's game. And I've never been more proud of a Fighting Sioux team.

Wow. God forbid your kid ever spills his milk or - GASP - brings home a 'B' on the report card.

Loud? Only if the "Noise meter" or Axl Rose told them to be. Even then, that's stretching it.

Yes. Shocked? No. Disappointed? Yes.

Umm, yes.

Let me try and start over. I don't disagree with the idea that every program has bandwagon fans. I don't disagree with the idea that every program has down periods. I don't disagree with why said bandwagon fans may have chosen to stay home on Sunday. What I was trying to reiterate, was that relative to the crowds we have seen the first three years, Sunday's crowd (size and energy level) was a huge disappointment (in my opinion), considering the magnitude of the game (and opponent). I understand different people have different reasons for attending/not attending; give me a little credit. However, to paraphrase Siouxmenow - excuses, excuses, excuses. The roads were slippery. Student season ticket holders hog all the student tickets. The state tournament was on that weekend. It was a Sunday afternoon. Were .500 in the conference. We're not (yet) a national contender. We don't have Hobey candidates. We don't score five goals a game. Dean Blais isn't the coach. AD NAUSEUM! Whatever. Bottom line is, when magnitude of the game and the opponent and the time of the season are all taken into consideration, Sunday's crowd was a huge disappointment. Regardless of the reasons.

PCM, I'm one of the first to brag about UND's fantastic attendance numbers "per capita." In fact, I called out Jess Myers for that very reason two years ago when he gave UND fans a "bench minor" in his column for not packing the joint against BC (I believe there was a major concert at the Alerus that night). But nobody was pointing out market size as a deterrant when we were completely filling the building for the first three years. I agree that offensive hockey is more marketable hockey. I agree that marquee players add more lustre. My point is, a true fan is a true fan whether Tony Hrkac or Colby Genoway is the first-line center. Whether Scott Brower or Karl Goehring is the goalie. And whether Dean Blais or Dave Hakstol is the coach. It was the biggest game of the year and the "actual" attendance had to be considered a disappointment. If any team with fans worth their face paint was hovering around .500 yet were still involved in a late-season game with playoff implications, you can bet the crowd would be a) near or above average in size and b) near or above average in noise/enthusiasm.

I fully agree. It's the others who frustrate me to no end. The ones for whom its "first place or bust." These people need to remember that our last NCAA title came in a year in which we DID NOT win the league. And our previous NCAA title came in a year in which we were picked to finish in the lower half of the standings, including one last-place vote.

Just to add one more point, PCM, I would completely agree with your post IF our .500-ish record was the result of being blown out on several occasions or losing to completely inferior teams. But the fact remains that we have remained, for the most part, a competitve team that has a chance to win just about every time we step onto the ice. In this most competitive, balanced league in the nation. Is it down year? Well, for a program like ours, yes. Let's remember that for most programs, a down year is single-digit WCHA point totals. Here we are bemoaning our season, yet we will still likely open the playoffs at home and will still have a good shot at landing in the NCAA playoffs. Once that happens, the slate is wiped clean. And this after losing the best coach in the country, the best two players in the country and playing most of the year without last year's best rookie in the country. Ok, so I added more than just one point...

Which has exactly been my point all season; for all the chest-thumping we hear from Sioux fans about how loyal they are, the minute the team slides toward the middle of the pack, there's a mass exodus from the ol' bandwagon. It only reiterates how absolutely spoiled Sioux fans are. The fact of the matter is, despite the reasons listed above, this still remained an absolutely critical game for the Sioux against a storied opponent. No Hobey candidate? Cripes, we've only won one Hobey period. Where does that fit into the equation? Lighting up the scoreboard? Ask Baltimore Ravens fans if they want to give back their Super Bowl because they averaged less than 20 points per game. I guess the broad point I'm trying to make is that (many) Sioux fans are often more deserving of the "fairweather" label than the "diehard" label. We're in fifth place in the toughest conference in the nation!!! We just won a McNaughton last year!!! We still have a strong shot to land in the NCAAs and maybe, just maybe, pull a Denver and run the table. Then you can bet your Ralph Bucks the bandwagon will be jam-packed once again.

UND's policy, as is the case with many universities and pro teams, is to announced "paid" attendance, rather than "actual" attendance.

And how do poor road conditions and the state tournament come into play when it comes to the student section? Pretty sure slippery roads don't affect the walk from Walsh Hall and I'm pretty sure they didn't tire themselves at the state tourney? Considering the fuss that has been made in recent memory about how few seats the students get at UND hockey games, the amount of empty seats in those sections were most apalling.

I realize I'll be completely ripped to shreads for voicing my opinion on a matter like this but... Doesn't seem like being on a Sunday afternoon, after a state tournament and slippery roads should be much of a deterrant for the Sioux hockey fans that are constantly trumpeting their loyalty. From a different perspective, it was: a) The biggest game of the year to this point b) Home ice for the playoffs on the line c) The hated (and highly-ranked) Badgers in town d) Possibly the final home game of the year e) Senior Day (although by reading this board sometimes, you'd think this senior class contributed to four straight, non-NCAA playoff teams) Considering those factors, I think its rather inexcusable the building was not sold out.

Yes, that's it. He decided to break his collarbone.

Anybody who questions Jake Brandt's ability to play big in a big game obviously missed the Final Five against Duluth two years ago. Or the regional game against Ferris State the same year, when he was the only reason that game didn't become an absolute blowout. Or the regular season game at Mariucci last year, in which he was our best player. Or the regular season series at Duluth last season, when he was easily UND's best player in a series the Sioux had to have in order to have any hopes winning a league title.

I'm almost certain it is a WCHA mandate that "controversial" replays not be shown