fightingsioux4life

I think he is talking about the classes we had in the mid to late 2000's with all those future NHL regulars. This year's team has one or two at most.

If this happened to us once in a while, I would agree with you. But this happens year after year after year. And it's the coaching staff's job to get the team ready for situations like this. That is why they make the big bucks. And it's a process that starts in October and continues thru March and April (if you make it that far). Now that we don't have the 1st round NHL draft picks on the team, we are seeing that Hakstol does not get the most out of what he has to work with, which is the litmus test that all coaches need to pass in order to be great, not just good. Hakstol is on the path of being another Doug Woog: lots of winning seasons, lots of trips to the NCAA tournament, lots of trips to the Frozen Four, but little or no hardware to show for it. Sioux fans (including myself) used to torment Goofer fans for this in the 1990's. I am simply being consistent in applying the same standard to our program. I don't think it's unfair and I don't plan on shutting up anytime soon about it.

I don't know if Brock Nelson would have made a difference today. Too many passengers on the bus, with Saunders driving it all by himself. It's a team game and you win and lose as a team.

Then lets start hanging NCAA participation banners if getting there is all that matters. And calling those of us "idiots" for pointing out the underachieving that happens year after year after year is very small and petty of you. With the exception of last year's team (which was a walking MASH unit by the end), this program under Hakstol has underachieved in the postseason. And it is totally fair to point that out. And if that ruffles the feathers of the "ducky and bunny, sunshine and smiles" crowd, well that is just too bad. I will always support this program, but I also refuse to bury my head in the sand when there are problems that need addressing and aren't being addressed.

I am going with 2 or 3 or a combination of both.

If saying all this seriously makes you feel better, than good for you. We all deal with this stuff differently. But I, for one, am sick and tired of all the alibis and excuses being made for this program under the Hakstol-Hale-O'Keefe Dynasty. Something has to eventually give.

The Hakstol-Hale-O'Keefe Dynasty is in charge. And unfortunately, that won't change unless we have back-to-back-to-back losing, non-playoff seasons. And with us moving into the deep and talented NCHC next year, that just might happen.

This is one of the worst losses in the Hakstol era. This team was dull as a butter knife from start to finish. Preparation starts at the top and you all know who is at the top of the food chain in this program (hint: It ain't Faison).

And here we go.

I agree 100%

In-game adjustments are blasphemy to this coaching staff. It's stick to the original game plan or bust. Too often in March and April, that means bust.

Yes, a win is a win. But thanks to Goldy choking yesterday, we got the best possible draw there was. In Pittsburgh, this kind of play will get us in trouble. The game will be over by the 1st intermission.

You don't play to protect a lead at 1-0. At 3-0, it might work, but we aren't there yet. And if we don't get our head out of our arse, we never will.

If we win this game in ugly fashion, it will not inspire much confidence going into Pittsburgh.

A persistent theme of the Hakstol era.

We are terrible at clearing the zone today. Come on boys, Saunders can't do it all.

Yale has cut the rink in half and is playing a hockey version of the "half-court offense". We need to turn this into a "full-court" game with lots of skating and more shots on goal.

Can't wait for all those "classic" match-ups on BTN next year!

I guess I don't care who wins what in other regions. We have to beat whomever we have to beat. If you can't win a title because you couldn't avoid Team X, then you probably don't deserve it. Let's take care of Yale tomorrow and punch our ticket to Pittsburgh!

I would rather someone like LeBlanc wins it than one of those east coast cake eaters or a goaltender that has a great defensive system in front of him. But with this award, anything is possible.

And you make it sound like the UND's and Denver's of the world will be extinct in the long-run. Not going to happen. UND has the nicest arena in North America, if not the world. Denver doesn't have football and is a private school that probably has some very wealthy benefactors keeping both academics and athletics going strong. It is a big mistake to look at hockey thru the prism of basketball and especially football. Hockey is its own little world and is a very tight-knit group of schools. Kids are not going to scratch UND and Denver off their lists because they aren't members of the almighty Big 10. What hockey recruits look at in a program is not necessarily the same as what football and basketball recruits look at. And as for the Big 10 "brand" being unbeatable and unstoppable, the "brand" is only as good as the quality of the teams that represent it. Big 10 basketball this year is a very good brand; in the past, it hasn't always been good. Big 10 football is not nearly what it once was in the 1960's, 70's and 80's for any number of reasons, not the least of which is the migration from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt and the integration of southern colleges and universities, which has contributed to the rise of the SEC as THE football power conference in FBS. I am not saying it's impossible for the BTHC to become successful, but it will require a change in attitude and commitment towards hockey from the member schools to make it happen.

You should have taken a couple of Gas X caplets. That is what I did and not much happened. The sausage sticks were great, btw.

Again, I will believe it when I see it.

This is a big if and I will believe it when I see it. Does anyone REALLY believe that schools like Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame are going to pump money into hockey over football and/or basketball? Not saying it's impossible (anything is possible), but hockey has been the Little Orphan Annie of their athletic departments for years and there is no sign of that changing. There is a better chance of Ohio State DROPPING hockey than becoming a national power. And comparing LSSU to schools like UND and Denver is apples and oranges. LSSU lacks the resources of UND, Denver and other schools where hockey is king and thus is struggling to keep up. This idea that having your own TV network makes you an automatic power in anything and everything is what is shortsighted, not people like myself that see this Pig 10 Hockey Conference for the fiasco that it is. You need institutional commitment, alumni commitment and a fan base that cares enough about the programs to spend money on season tickets and that will watch the teams on television and travel to road games on a regular basis. Whether any of the Pig 10 teams outside of Minnesota can and/or will do this is still a big if. And I will believe it when I see it. I for one hope that the Pig 10 does succeed as a hockey conference; it would be great for the sport and help prevent more schools from dropping hockey to save money. It might even encourage other Pig 10 schools to add hockey. But I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

And hockey is a priority at which of these schools? Minnesota.......and who else? That's what I thought. The NCHC is made up of schools that make hockey a priority and is a (if not the) cornerstone of their respective athletic departments. The same can be said of most of the Hockey East schools. The WCHA (a.k.a. the CCHA 2.0) will do everything on the cheap and will be a shell of its former self. Most of the Pig 10 schools have basketball and/or football at the top of their respective food chains, with hockey somewhere in the middle of the pack, if not closer to the bottom. That will negatively impact how far these programs can go in terms of national success. And depth is also important. If even one of the top Pig 10 programs has a bad year (or two), it will have a large negative impact on the rest of the teams when it comes to NCAA tournament time. Hockey East and the NCHC will have lots of depth year in and year out. That helps draw recruits and $$$$$. You had better hope some other Pig 10 schools add hockey or this is going to be a tough road to travel.