fightingsioux4life

Big, early season weekend for the boys. Let's hope the flu bug is squashed by the time Friday rolls around. I'll go with a win and a shootout loss.

Yeah, I have noticed the same thing and you are right, it is scary.

So you are saying context doesn't matter? Yeah, I am glad you didn't teach my English classes in high school.

It's nice that you guys are enjoying yourselves on here. It's funny, but if that floats your boat, who am I to judge? First, I have never said that Hak should be fired. I have however, criticized him when I felt it is warranted. For example, I don't think treating college-age hockey players like the paid professionals at the next level necessarily gets the most out of them. A high-tempo game emphasizing team speed and skill coupled with a team-wide dedication to playing stingy defense to support your netminder (sounds like a certain Hockey East team we have trouble with in the NCAA tournament, doesn't it?) would (IMHO) work better than this dump and chase, cycle-cycle-cycle game that Hakstol stubbornly sticks will no matter what. And if some people on here don't like to see that posted here, then so be it. Second, my criticism of Hakstol's "business-like" approach is based on the idea that if your team plays too tight and is not loose enough, they will be too afraid to commit errors on the ice and then won't use their creativity and skills to make things happen (i.e., we better not crash the net because we might *gasp* give up some shots on goal on the other end). That was evident on Saturday night in Omaha and it was evident last weekend at home vs. St. Cloud. And it's been pointed out by other posters on this forum over the years (the ones that don't mind being bashed for it, that is). How that translates into me wanting Hak fired is puzzling. Third of all, I am far from the only poster to be calling for Mussman to be fired and for Hakstol to make in-game strategic adjustments to improve our chances of winning. And yes, UND is my alma mater and I am proud of it. And, as an alumnus, a Champions Club member and a season ticketholder to football and hockey, I will continue to speak out when I believe it is necessary. And again, if that rubs some of you the wrong way, too bad.

I agree 100% with this, except that I put 100% of the blame on the coaching staff. They are the ones that recruited these kids, they are the ones that decide who plays and who sits, they are the ones that call the plays and decide what systems and schemes to use and they are the ones that have to set the tone for the entire program. Teams take on the personality and attitude of the head coach and, by extension, his subordinates. Just like in the military, if the operation goes bad, the blame lies with the officers that were in charge of it. This program lacks the leadership at the top and the right kind of players on the roster to be a success. The only way this gets fixed is with a top to bottom housecleaning. Give the new head coach whatever he needs to build the program the right way from top to bottom. He'll also have to weed out any players that are attitude problems. If that doesn't happen a week from today, I think Faison deserves whatever criticism he gets.

This is why a change must be made now; the program hasn't hit rock-bottom yet. A couple of more years of this crap and it will. And it will be that much harder to rebuild it. The sooner we make a change, the better.

Nice taking my comments out of context like that. Let me explain it to you more carefully this time: While collegiate athletics are not the same as professional athletics (these are student-athletes on scholarship, not multi-millionaires being paid by billionaires), winning and losing are more important in collegiate athletics than in high school athletics. Collegiate athletics are an important marketing tool for colleges and universities. The coaches are well-paid professionals and the student-athletes are going to school with very little coming out of their own (or Mom and Dad's) pockets. In high school athletics, the coaches usually double as teachers in the school system and the players are high school kids who play for fun; most of them aren't good enough to play college football. So yes, winning and losing is important in collegiate athletics, but not quite to the level of professional sports, where coaching changes happen far more often. And, FYI, the example you ripped off from the hockey forum was a critique of Hakstol's coaching style, which is fair game in an online discussion forum like this. Thanks for playing, our hostess has some nice parting gifts for you.

If they would just allow these girls to check like the boys, this might not happen. The Olympic hockey gurus started that crap and it has trickled down.

Based on your value system, we should join the Pioneer Football League, where no athletic scholarships are involved and it doesn't matter how bad they are because everyone else in the conference is just as bad. But we aren't in the PFL. We are in the Big Sky Conference and we didn't move up to be mediocre year after year after year. It took NDSU three years to reach the playoffs for the first time. They have had one losing season since moving up to Division I FCS (in 2009 they finished 3-8). This program has done nothing but deteriorate since Mussman took over in December 2007. It's been a slow decline, but now we are reaping the harvest of mediocrity. And it is a very bitter harvest for those of us that care about this institution and it's programs. This isn't high school, where all that matters is that the kids have fun. This is FCS football and having a perennially underachieving and irrelevant program year after year is simply not acceptable and must not be allowed to continue.

The all-purpose excuse in Grand Forks for bad attendance at sporting events.

The bleeding has been stopped. Now it's time to sew the wound shut.

College hockey should not be run like the NHL....or the AHL.......or even the ECHL. Most of these guys will never make it past the ECHL. They are here to get an education and play hockey while doing it. Keep the game and practices fun and expect good grades and good behavior in return. That would suit this team much better than the "structured, business-like" approach Hakstol has put in place.

Very funny Mr. Sunshine. I have never said people have to agree with what I post and I don't care if they do or not. And if calling them as I see them is considered in poor taste by some, then so be it. I am through pulling punches on issues that affect my alma mater (athletics and otherwise). And, for the record, I wasn't planning on mentioning my distain for Saturday-Sunday afternoon games again. I hope that puts you at ease.

I hate these Saturday-Sunday afternoon weekends. College hockey should be played on Friday and Saturday nights, in front of rabid, passionate fans, as God intended it.

He just cannot finish. I think he needs to stop being so hard on himself. Just go out there, play, have fun with your teammates and things will work out much better. Of course, being trapped in Hak's "business-like, structured system" doesn't help either.

Very good post. I'd +1 it more than once if I could.

My section (204) had lots of empty seats in it.

I don't know, but I was there and it was horrible. I honestly think the Cushman Classic had more people than today's game.

You are correct about that. The reason they ever committed to Minnesota in the first place is because Shantel Rivard was the head coach and the program was a train wreck. Then Idalski took over and they transferred. Coincidence? Nope, I don't think so either.

All he was doing is giving a perspective of why Ponder would do what he did and why it wasn't all that risky. I have seen dozens of players do it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Rarely does it roll into the end zone and out of bounds for a safety. I think you just took it wrong.

B-R-U-T-A-L

They are still not as bad as what Oregon uses for football.

Wow, was this really necessary? Bad hair day? Come on, it's TGIF.

Also, the pylon is considered part of the endzone and thus, if you are in bounds and touch the pylon with the ball, it is a touchdown. Ponder was really close to doing it last night. It didn't matter as Pederson scored on the next play, but Ponder getting hurt might matter next week. He was looking better than I had ever seen him and then he gets hurt. I hope it isn't too serious.

Just what we don't need right now.