fightingsioux4life

I think you have to go back to the 2001 NCAA title game loss in OT to find something that hurts this bad. A close second was the 2011 debacle in St. Paul.

I'm not a Mets fan (better them than the Yankees, though), but I am with you on all the others. But that goes with the territory being a die-hard fan of any team of any sport at any level.

Everyone needs to get on the Union bandwagon now. The offseason will be unbearable if the Dutchmen don't win on Saturday. Especially for those of us that live in MSP.

I think we should save the postmortem stuff until next week. Let people have their space. Is that too much to ask?

We'll never hear the end of this from those Gerbil Trolls.

I like how you think!

Yeah, Zach can't say "Sioux" anymore. Sorry, the NCAA doesn't have control over what happens in an NHL locker room!

I think I was wearing my Fighting Sioux Home White Authentic. Thanks for asking.

I had a dream a few days ago that we were in the title game and we were beating Union 5-2 in the 3rd period. I was so disappointed when I woke up and realized that it was only a dream.

I am very impressed and surprised that KFGO has TWO of their main personalities (Joel Heitkamp and Mike McFeely) broadcasting live from the Frozen Four. I honestly thought they would ignore it and focus on the implications of Saul Phillips leaving NDSU for the Ohio Bobcats.

3-1 Sioux with an ENG.

Now MafiaMan, let's not go down the slippery-slope of politics. This was a gross overreaction by an administration that felt The Beer Lady would cause students to drink themselves to death. This is pure CYA BS from a President that is as good at it as anyone that has ever held that job.

And a few more years after that and so on. This franchise is reverting to its 1990's version: Bad, Ugly and Worse. Once they got their stadium, the Pohlad boys decided to go back to being as cheap as possible. I imagine the St. Paul Saints and F-M Redhawks are more entertaining than the Twins right now.

That will mark the beginning of my boycott of all athletic events until the ban is lifted. I honestly don't think that will happen, though.

This is something I have brought up before as well. I honestly don't understand why some people think playing in a lousy, two-bit bowl game on a weeknight in December on ESPN2 with half the seats in the stadium empty gives a program such a huge shot in the arm. Calling it FBS doesn't make it great.

Well said, my friend. Well said.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 RIP Serge. Your legacy will live on.

From the media guide: http://issuu.com/undathletics/docs/2013-14_mhky_mg_low_res/1?e=1294848/5258848 December 18th, 1988 vs. Moscow Dynamo L (5-7) This game immediately followed a two-game home series vs. Colorado College on December 16th and 17th, which the Sioux swept 3-2 and 5-1. I don't think I went to this game, but I remember seeing commercials on WDAZ Channel 8 promoting it.

Now the media will have to find someone else's butt to kiss. Especially Mike McFeely of KFGO; the man crush he had on Phillips was annoying to say the least.

I am not saying other teams don't use dump and chase and don't cycle the puck; you make in-game adjustments when needed. But this idea that Jerry York uses the exact same systems as Dave Hakstol just doesn't hold water. Especially since we have direct, head-to-head match-ups between the two programs in the Frozen Four that show one team (Boston College) having much more success than the other team (North Dakota) and clearly playing more of a skill and speed game vs. the more "structured" game of North Dakota. And those North Dakota teams had way more NHL-caliber talent than this team, so that made those losses even harder to swallow and explain. If this team wins it all next week, that will validate what the Hakstol Fan Club is saying. But until Hakstol's methods bring home the bacon on the biggest stage in college hockey, I remain a skeptic (not a hater, a skeptic). In one week, we'll know one way or the other. Until then.....GO SIOUX, BEAT THOSE DIRTY GOPHERS!!!

I am no hockey expert, but I remember being told that when Hakstol took over the average working stiff in the stands wouldn't notice much of a change in style of play. And that hasn't been the case. As for NHL coaches being a fan of Hakstol, I guess that doesn't score many points with me. I honestly don't care what NHL coaches and scouts think (and that includes Starman). The NHL game and the college game are different; what is good for the NHL is not necessarily good for the college game. Boston College uses a similar style to what we used to use and has won 4 NCAA titles in 13 years. North Dakota now uses a very NHL-esque system and has a 1-5 record in the Frozen Four (including some very lopsided losses to Boston College). And it is impossible not to make the obvious comparison between the two programs and how they build their teams when they have faced off so many times on the biggest stage in college hockey. I guess I always wonder what might have happened if Hakstol had loosened up just a little bit when we had blue chippers like Toews, Oshie and Duncan without being sloppy on the defensive end. It could have made a difference, but we'll never know. I do think Hakstol should get another 4-5 years to bring home an NCAA title, but if it doesn't happen, this topic will come back with a vengeance.

When Hakstol took over back in 2004, we were all told that the average fan (not an expert) wouldn't notice a difference in style of play between a Blais coached team and a Hakstol coached team. That turned out to be false. Hakstol's dump and chase, cycle-cycle-cycle system hasn't worked in the NCAA tournament. The 1-5 record in the Frozen Four proves that. But nice try clouding the issue. And please don't hurt yourself over this; it's just a game!

That's a false choice question.

This is part of the problem I have with Hakstol. He inherited a program from Dean Blais that was built on "smaller, quicker forwards" and he turned it into an NHL-style dump and chase trapping team. In short, he inherited a Porsche and drove it like a Pinto. When I point this out in our various discussions on this forum, I get snarky comments about how "College Hockey today is about goaltending and defense, take it or leave it". Well, I don't think Jerry York got that memo because he builds his teams the way WE used to. We won two NCAA titles and a boatload of WCHA titles with that style. And I honestly think if Blais hadn't gotten the itch to coach in the NHL and had stuck around, we would have at least two more NCAA title banners hanging in the rafters of REA. You can call that "living in the past" if you want, but I truly believe that. The brutal truth of the matter is this: Boston College collects NCAA title trophies, while we collect bridesmaid dresses. Some people are okay with that, I am not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.