fightingsioux4life

I made this point with regards to preparing players for the Frozen Four experience and I will make it with regards to leaving early: These are 18-23 year olds we are talking about. They are very young and impressionable, particularly when agents are whispering sweet nothings into their ears. They tell these kids what they want to hear, get them to sign and then stash them in the AHL. And once they realize they aren't ready for the next level and wish they hadn't left early, it's too late to change their minds. I would hope these kids really listen to those that have gone before them and think really hard about the consequences of leaving early before you are 100% sure you are ready.

Please don't bring politics into this. That is the one element that is guarranteed to ruin a discussion.

Agree with you 100%. I am not in the "Fire Hakstol" camp, that is foolish and impulsive thinking. But it is totally fair to look at the performance of the team in the Frozen Four under Hakstol (especially in the 2006-2008 time frame) and be somewhat critical of how this team performed on the biggest stage in the sport. It's easy to forget that we are dealing with 18-22 year olds being thrust into a harsh spotlight, with all the media and pressure to perform. And I believe that one of the things that the coaching staff is responsible for is doing what it takes to prepare the team for this environment so that they can perform up to their skill levels. That was absent from 2006-2008. And it is totally fair to point that out as a reoccurring problem. NCAA titles are not everything, but they are important to putting a program on the map. Let's face it, nobody remembers or cares about who finishes second. And people care even less about programs that are happy "just being there". Hakstol did a great job with this year's team and all the problems that sprung up, but he'll never reach the iconic status that Gino and Blaiser did until he adds some NCAA hardware to the trophy case. Fair or not, that is the standard at North Dakota. And I think Hak, deep down, understands that.

And after they sign and spend a year riding buses to craphole arenas with 1,000 people in the stands, they realize how good they had it on campus and wish they had waited. I think anyone that is thinking of leaving early should talk to someone that did and ask them about just how green the grass is on the other side. Unless you have a good chance to pay in the NHL your first year (Parise), you should think twice about leaving early. Like some others have said on this forum, work will be there when college is over, but once your college years are over, they are over and you can't go back.

This weekend wasn't the Frozen Four, it was the WEST REGIONAL. I really think Bison fans should stick with their Scummit League Basketball Programs and quit trying to analyze NCAA Hockey attendance figures. And speaking of "moving on", isn't that what NDSU did about 8 years ago. And yet, you are still here. It all makes you go hmmmmmmm.

The truth hurts, doesn't it? Enjoy life in a hodge-podge conference full of schools with no better place to go and we'll enjoy life in a top-notch conference with schools that (with a few exceptions) are the big attraction in their respective towns. And enjoy our problems with the nickname while you can; that will be resolved during the next year or so. After that, we'll gladly whip your butt in football, basketball and whatever else you sponsor.

In performance scoring I am at 113....with a bullet!!! Maybe I'll crack the top 100.

I've just never been a big fan of Schlossman. I just think he's an average sportswriter; it's nothing personal. I do think his online coverage of our program and the sport in general (the Blog, Twitter) is second to none and I don't think those things would have happened if Virg Foss was still at the helm at the Heraldo. For the record, I am not the same guy that wrote that comment. As for Union, I would watch them simply because they are one of those teams people know little or nothing about, but all they've done all year is win. Granted, the EZAC is not a great conference, but it's not Atlantic Hockey either. These are the teams that sneak up on you, not conference rivals or well-established programs that are there year after year. You know what you are dealing with when you go up against BC or Michigan but Union is a bit of an unknown right now, just like Gonzaga was in basketball back in the late 1990's. College Hockey is just so competitive and you can't count anybody out.

You are right seeds are meaningless in hockey, even the 16th overall seed can be dangerous.

Thank you Johnny Five, I appreciate it. Your comments are welcomed after the taunting I had to deal with at Saturday's Minn-BU semifinal by a tool sitting in front of me. It's nice to know you aren't all like that. See you next season, the final season of the WCHA as we know it.

People can laugh all they want at Union, but they are for real. Ferris State.....not so much. Here are my predictions: BC 5, Rodents 1. The Eagles didn't give up a single goal in the regional. Rodent fans will blame the PA announcer and the lack of atmosphere in the arena for the loss. Union 3, Ferris State 1. Union will once again surprise a more established team and prove their critics wrong. Union 3, BC 2. The Brad Schlossman Rule is invoked here as Union is badly outshot but still wins their first NCAA title in just their second trip to the tournament ever.

Brock Nelson would be foolish to think he can jump to the next level. He has emerged as a tough, physical player with skill and speed, but he has to have a lot more seasoning if he wants to make it in the NHL or even the AHL. Same with Forbort. Kristo could leave and be competitive in the AHL, but it could take him a couple of years before he gets a call-up. I think these guys should talk to some of our previous players that left early (most of whom wished they hadn't left early) before they make their decisions.

Ignore him Slap Shot, he's just trying to get a reaction.

Thank you Greybeard.

But we just couldn't solve Kent Patterson! Honestly, if Schlossman goes there in tomorrow's paper, I will quit reading his stuff from now on. Not that I read much of it anyway. Anyway, I am tired and crabby and I think it's bedtime. GO SIOUX IN 2012-13!!!

We had a total of two shots on goal in the 2nd period. Two. One was Kristo's goal and one was just before the horn sounded. Shots on goal were 2 to 1 against us after the 2nd period. We were a step slower all game. All those odd-man rushes and breakaways wouldn't happen if we had a full and rested line-up. We fought hard from start to finish, but you can't win games like this on fumes. We struggled to finish off Western Michigan and I knew it would be hard today. But we didn't give up and didn't quit and I am proud of the team. As for our friends in Rodentia, we'll see how good the Goofs are when they have to go up against a fully-loaded team in Tampa. This weekend, they beat a slow Boston University and an injury-depleted and tired North Dakota team. I would say good luck to them, but I won't because they would never do it for us.

I know you like stirring the pot, but please, enough already. This team went as far as they could with what they had to work with. I will look forward to watching the Rodents choke in Tampa.

And maybe you shouldn't put yourself in Pot-Kettle-Black situations. You come on here making declarative statements that you just cannot back up. And nice not showing any concern for Bison fans that don't live in The Center of the Known Universe (a.k.a. Fargo). The world is getting to be a smaller place, but for fans of our sport, it's becoming bigger and harder to navigate every year. As for lacrosse getting bigger, you are right and I wish UND would drop baseball and softball (which don't work in this climate) and start lacrosse teams for both men and women and use the Alerus Center for home field. Some traditionalists would cry and complain, but it's just the right thing to do for the program. Anyway, I had better get off here. I am in Sioux-Gopher playoff mode and I am getting a little ornery!

Weren't you guys screwed out of watching a couple of your FCS playoff games on TV last year? And wasn't it the same type of deal? Yep, thought so. So I don't ever want to hear you complain about that every again, because (as you stated) lacrosse is king. The last straw will be when an NCAA game goes into overtime and it's between two teams with rabid fan bases and they leave the action to go to lacrosse at it's "regularly scheduled time". And you better show me some numbers that say lacrosse is more popular than college hockey or else I am calling BS on that statement.

Our biggest problem is lack of depth. But that hasn't stopped these guys from getting to this point, so I wouldn't count them out just yet.

I believe the day is coming when you will have to have ESPN3 to watch the Frozen Four. Just give it about five years.

This is likely the last season we will have the Fighting Sioux name and logo and I think this team is the perfect team to end the era with. They are a great example of the Fighting Sioux heart and spirit. They have exceeded all expectations and, win or lose today, have earned and deserve our everlasting admiration and respect.

If the ND Supreme Court doesn't do its job, those are the schools we'll be stuck playing.

I say this every year and I will continue to say it every year: Come up with a PPV option so that people can buy all the games they want and those that don't care don't have to buy them. A lot of people living in non-hockey areas that want to watch the games will gladly put the cash down so they don't have to put up with this stupid ESPN 3 crap. I also think the tournament rights should go to another national cable network that doesn't have anything better to put on this time of year. That way, the product would get treated with some semblance of respect. It's ridiculous when it is easier to find and watch a lacrosse game than a hockey game.

I am 1-3, only team I got right was Union.