fightingsioux4life

I believe that is my prediction as well.

NASCAR already has prime time coverage on the FOX broadcast network and on several established cable channels. Baseball also has prime time coverage on FOX and on many regional cable outlets. If this new network tries to copy-cat ESPN, it will fail. A start-up like this has to find unique programming that no one else has or hasn't given enough attention to. Otherwise, it will have a tough time getting viewers and cable companies to pick it up.

Boston College is the team we were in the late 1990's and early 2000's. They cash in when they have the goods and I think this year's team definitely has the goods. I am predicting a Boston College-Union final.

The Eagles didn't give up a single goal in their regional. Nadda. Nothing. ZERO. And they haven't lost a game in a long time. I know that doesn't guarrantee a win next week, but they will be tough to beat. I know I would be worried if UND had won last weekend and was "rewarded" with a match-up with Boston College.

Will we go with just one defensive coordinator now or stick with that stupid "Co-Coordinator" system? I have never liked that arrangement and I still don't.

Well, everyone on here that is happy with "just being there" shouldn't complain about it. This is what happens when you don't win it all.

College Basketball and Football are pretty well taken by other networks. This new network will have to find sports that are not widely available now and develop the potential those markets have. College Hockey is one of those underdeveloped markets.

Gregoire has always been a bit injury-prone. That might make it harder for him to get to the NHL, which is a shame. He has a lot of God-given talent.

I am open to making changes in the PWR system for determining teams and seeds in the NCAAs, but under the current system UND earned the higher seed. I think the teams were bunched up in the rankings and any one win or loss would move a team up several spots or down several spots. I think UND winning the Final Five is what vaulted them up to where they ended up and Minnesota's loss to UND in the Final Five Semifinal cost them a #1 seed. Most years, the rankings aren't that unstable and unpredictable. Besides, everyone has to prove themselves once they get in, regardless of seed or game site.

So we should have a freaking "wire to wire rule" that gives certain teams the inherent "right" to host something or not have to travel someplace else? Sorry, nice try, but we were ranked higher in the PWR, which is what is used to determine seedings. UND had the #4 overall seed in the national tournament. Minnesota was the #8 overall seed in the tournament. "Wire to wire" regular season championships are not the determining factor in any of this.

The settlement does NOT require that ALL the logos be removed. For example, the marble floors are cost-prohibitive to remove, so that can stay. The championship banners have historical value and therefore can stay. And some logos will be removed during normal maintenance during the course of the life of the building. I would hope REA management would do what it takes so we can have home ice advantage again.

This looks like a solid schedule to me. Good way to end the WCHA era.

How DARE you talk to the "Prime Minister" of North Dakota that way!!! Seriously, I am with you 100%. Ignore the law and tell "Clueless Al" and his minions to "Just Bring It". I hope the ND Supreme Court does its job so we don't have to worry about it anymore.

My prediction is the name is going away sometime during the next year and we'll be able to host a Regional again. Considering that REA sold out all three games when it hosted the 2006 West Regional, I think the NCAA would jump at the chance to have it here again. The current "neutral site" policy will not last unless attendance improves from what it is right now.

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.