fightingsioux4life

This has become a tired refrain with this team during the Hakstol era. If we finish more of our chances, the game never goes to overtime in the first place.

I wouldn't write off the boys yet, still plenty of hockey left to be played. But yeah, tonight stinks big-time.

Well, when you are so focused on "being hard to play against", these things can happen. Flame away if you wish, but it's happened before and it happened again tonight. Tomorrow night is a must-win if we want to win the NCHC regular season title.

Shhhh, don't talk common sense on here. It bothers some people!

At some point, this team needs to start winning close games. Especially at home. This is a very mediocre team and the results of games are getting way too predictable.

Starman basically said UNO's biggest asset this weekend was Blais and the work ethic he instills in his teams.

Well, considering the weather pattern is different this year, I don't think it's going to be a problem this time around.

IALTO

The former cable monopoly in Fargo. For years, they were the only choice in Fargo for cable. Now Midcontinent is moving in and Cable One will soon learn what competition is.

I would rather it happen now and not in the East Region or State Tournaments. Both Central and Red River will be in the mix at the end (much to the chagrin of the Imperial Cass County teams and freaking GPR).

Hey, it was CMSioux that came on here and basically said (not in so many words) that Mussman did the best he could considering the circumstances. That simply is not true based on the evidence. Mussman was an outstanding offensive coordinator for us for many years; I don't think anybody would argue with that. But his tenure as HC was nothing short of a disaster. Having said that, I am happy with what Bubba is doing and I am looking forward to 2015.

Then how do you explain the NBA starting the NBDL?

.....and NDSU has never, ever lost a recruit to UND. Ever.

Based on the schedules these athletes are subjected to day after day, week after week, I don't think "free" is a good description for it. And the idea that all these athletes are somehow "replaceable parts" is simply not true. Most of these athletes were recruited by multiple schools and are considered the cream of the crop in their particular sport. The team wouldn't be generating jack squat without these elite players. The team is made up of the players, so yes, the players are the ones generating the revenue. Maybe it's time for the NFL to start their own developmental league and stop using colleges to develop their future stars. That would definitely change things.

I think college athletics has gotten more complex and time consuming over the years. TV contracts are also much larger than they used to be. So as the appetite for more and more money gets bigger, so do the demands on the athletes who are responsible for generating it in the first place. In the so-called "real world", this would be called indentured servitude or even sharecropping. So why is it acceptable in college athletics? SMH

And when was this? Any time recently? I have a hard time believing that what you said happens at big-time FBS schools, but I suppose it's possible at the FCS level and lower. College sports has become year-round not for the benefit of the athletes, but of the people that make money off of them (TV networks, athletic departments, the NCAA). It's time to start reigning some of this stuff in. And if that ticks off the NFL, too bad. They can use some of their billions to start their own developmental league like the NBA did.

You totally ignored the important point in my post: "there are more than a few coaches that will pressure their players to not get jobs during the summer so they can focus entirely on lifting weights, ect. With the thinly veiled implication that starting jobs may be at stake depending upon their decision." And please don't try and tell me that "They wouldn't do that" because they definitely would, especially if they were on the hot seat and needed a big season to keep their job. Coaches are kings of their particular castles and they can and will determine roster spots however they want. No athlete is going to risk his roster spot and/or starting spot to make a little extra spending money. Welcome to life as a student-athlete.

And there are more than a few coaches that will pressure their players to not get jobs during the summer so they can focus entirely on lifting weights, ect. With the thinly veiled implication that starting jobs may be at stake depending upon their decision. Being a college athlete is a 12 month endeavor today. And that is not necessarily a good thing.

I thought we wanted all these kids to be lifting weights every single day during the summer? We can't have it both ways.

The stipends are a result of the mad money being made at the highest levels of FBS and D-I Men's Basketball. The problem is that smaller schools (FCS and mid-major MBB) will be budget crunched by this. Perhaps this will trigger that long-awaited realignment for NCAA football?

Until he's fired for losing too much. That job is a black widow for coaches.

What I am worried about is having one or two good programs (MH and WBB for example) and be mediocre at best in everything else. I am hoping that we will weather the storm easier than schools like USD.

You are right, positive things are happening with our programs. But we are still playing catch-up in some areas thanks to our mediocre transition period. Now this whole athletic stipend deal threatens to upset the whole apple cart. These are interesting times we are living in. As for Jones and MBB, I still think there is a chance that he will get the program to where we all want it. He is playing for his next contract, that is for sure.

And for the record, I would gladly support across the board ticket price increases if that is what it takes to get this done. I think an increase in Champions Club donation levels is also very possible.

Denver would be a fabulous choice (and not just becacuse a lot of UND alums live there! ).