fightingsioux4life

Naw, he's way faster than I am!

.....or I would have fallen on my butt!

Man, that one was way too easy! I could have scored on that play; the net was 3/4ths open!

I think Blais will retire when his current contract with Omaha is finished. He has said he wants to spend more time with the grandchildren and it's hard to do that as the CEO of a D-I hockey program.

Does the bolded part ring a bell? That is what I was responding to. I also was at the U.S. International game and it was easily the worst game that team played all year.

Nothing beats last year's anemic crowds for lack of support and enthusiasm, especially the last game vs. N. Colorado. The transition years were also pretty weak. I can feel the difference this year already; people feel confident about the direction of the program. We still have a long way to go to get back to what we once had.

I know it was a whole lot better than the last 5 years have been. And our fans were always into it, from start to finish. We are just starting to get that energy back.

Then please explain how Boston College can win 4 titles in the last 14 years, while we have ZERO in the same period? And both Minnesota and Denver went back-to-back in 2002-03 and 2004-05 respectively. If it is next to impossible to hang an NCAA banner anymore, those things should never have happened. Hakstol is becoming our version of Doug Woog: Lots of regular season success, a boatload of Frozen Four appearances and ZERO NCAA titles to show for it. Our fan base used to mock and ridicule other programs (St. Cloud for example) for hanging participation banners instead of title banners. Now we are almost embracing it as proof of a successful program. I simply do not agree with that line of thinking. Flame away (I am used to it).

Don't you mean "sweep"? Either your smartphone isn't all that smart or.......I'll leave that one alone.

I agree with you, but some people choose to forget the 2001-05 time period when we were a top 5 D-II program every year. We need to get back to that and I think Bubba will get it done.

Please tell me you didn't just compare the Hrkac Circus to this year's squad. Total apples and oranges.

Yes, but a lot of people gloss that over and talk like attendance has always sucked. It hasn't.

I don't know, a lot of their own fans don't like him.

I liked it better in the old days of the 1990's. The old discussion forum was more intimate and was really a community of fans.

Hak definitely has mellowed some since he took over in 2004.

Popcorn time! I like Jiffy air popped!

During my 11+ years working on campus in various capacities, I have always adopted the attitude that we are here to help students in their journey from high school graduate to college graduate and help them launch their careers and lives. If what we are doing doesn't help or hinders students, then we should make some changes. I think that the Alerus Center, REA and even the athletic department to a certain extent could do better in how students are treated. Don't believe all the media focus on underage drinking, loud parties and immature behavior that happen on all college campuses to a certain extent. I enjoy working on campus mainly because of the students (I certainly don't stick around for the office politics!) and 95% of them are a joy to work with and be around. If we adopt that attitude and stop looking at the student body as an inherent "suspect class", then a lot of these problems will lessen (if not disappear completely).

I agree with you 100%, but get ready for all the "you are living in the past" accusations. Sometimes things need to be called out for what they are, whether it's popular to do so or not. Well done, Irish.

You mean "improper student behavior" like yelling at opposing players in the penalty box too loud? Or being too loud so that all the corporate schmoozing is interrupted? Or.....I better get off this topic before I get worked up about it again. FWIW, I agree with your comments.

I graduated in August 2000 (but still managed to sneak into the student section during the final season in the Old REA ) and the passion and commitment to the team from the student body is nowhere near what it once was. I think the fact that more students work while they go to school is part of it. There also are more distractions for students than there was in the 1990's and 2000's. Social media sucks up a lot of young people's time; too much if you ask me. I don't know how collegiate sports can compete with all that.

I don't have a problem with this action by REA. It is just unfortunate that students are going to fewer games than they used to. The die-hard fans from my day (the 1990's) would need to be hospitalized to miss a game. I even went to a game with food poisoning once!

And how many Big Sky programs have Lax and Skiing?

This doesn't take much.