fightingsioux4life

Okay, good point. I just always automatically think of Fairbanks when I think of bad hockey.

I want to believe in this team as much as anybody, but every time they look like they are developing some consistency, they go back into mediocre mode again. Until they develop some consistency from one week to the next, I will remain a doubting Thomas.

I didn't get to listen to much of the game, but there is no excuse for losing to a craphole team like Michigan State. I don't want to hear "Well, they're a good team, you have to give them credit, blah, blah, blah" because they are not a good team. This is the cosmic equivalent of losing to Alaska-Fairbanks or one of those mediocre EZAC teams. And I really don't want to hear about Jeff Lerg, either. If we can't beat a lousy team who has a good goaltender, how are we going to beat a good team with a good goaltender? The answer is we won't. These games are absolutely critical for our NCAA tournament chances and we are squandering those chances with losses like this. It looks like we will have to win the Final Five to get an NCAA bid. Assuming we even get there. End rant.

Let's just hope that nobody gets hurt and that everyone gets some playing time, including all three goaltenders.

The individual you are talking about, Bob Gallagher (not the guy that smashes watermelons), is retiring. I remember Kendall Baker closing UND on numerous occasions.

It was also raining in Minneapolis/St. Paul with temps in the upper 30's. That is not a northern winter, that's more like an Oklahoma or Kansas winter. At least when we get snow, it sticks around until March or April.

Well, the Chester Fritz Library is closed today, but I can't make any predictions about tomorrow. I suppose some of the morning finals could be postponed if the blizzard conditions last long enough into the morning.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the latest Forecaster Discussion from the NWS in Grand Forks as of 3:14pm CST today: Here is a link to the full discussion Simply put, if you don't have to travel, don't. I for one am staying home watching the Vikings kick some Cardinal butt (14-0 Minnesota right now).

How do you even measure the snow with all this wind? Outside my apartment building, I have patches of bare ground with big drifts up against buildings. Good luck trying to measure that.

This is a little bit different. We have lost the last four Frozen Four semifinal games, not championship games. It's almost as bad, but not quite. NW Missouri is now the official "Buffalo Bills of Division II Football". They had a young team this year, so hopefully they'll get another chance to win one. There is not much worse in sports than to finish "Runner Up". I have heard NHL players say that it's better to miss the playoffs than to get to the Stanley Cup Finals and lose. I would have to say I understand that sentiment completely and I might feel the same way if I was in that situation.

It's over, UMD wins their first ever Division II title of any kind. FINAL UM-Duluth 21 NW Missouri State 14 It also marks the fourth consecutive title game loss for the Bearcats.

Idalski will get the top-end prospects, it's only a matter of time. This coaching staff has turned the program around in just two seasons and I think they will be able to sell the school and program to top-end talent even with the lack of a tradition and the disasterous Rivard regime still casting a shadow. This year's team has a chance to finish in the middle of the pack in the league. The next couple of years, with some recruiting success, they could do even better. One step at a time.

I understand what you are saying and I have been thinking about this since Saturday as well, but I have come to the conclusion that the Bulldogs got it done when given the opportunity and our boys just didn't play well enough and didn't deserve to win those games against the Lakers. We lost games in the regular season that put us on the road at Allendale instead of getting to play in the Alerus Center. And when we went to Lubbers Stadium, we got off to horrible starts and played like we were intimidated and didn't have any confidence in ourselves. I do think the 2007 team was really banged up and just didn't have the horses to pull it off, but the 2005 and 2006 teams (especially the 2005 team) were tremendous disappointments. This could have been the greatest era of Sioux football ever and for a variety of reasons it just didn't happen. The Bulldogs proved on Saturday that the Lakers are not unbeatable and that "Tradition doesn't graduate" is a bunch of hot air. Let's hope that when we get opportunities to win NCAA DI FCS titles, we don't squander them. My 2 Cents

My point is that arrogance usually comes back to bite you in the arse later on. What goes around comes around. Even if our men's hockey team is winning and winning big, I work to hold my ego in check because I know what it's like to be on the flip side of the coin and it's not fun to be on that side. Arrogance isn't right just because you can back it up. And I love it when arrogance is paid back with a big slice of humble pie. I like Canadians, I am always treated well when I travel to Winnipeg and they are good for our economy in Grand Forks. But I find it very hard to support any of their teams (even if they are playing Russia, whom I probably dislike even more than Canada).

Canada's arrogance and holier-than-thou attitude will be their undoing someday, just like it was for Team USA Basketball in the Olympics until this year. Other countries like Russia, Sweden and Finland will continue to work on building their hockey programs (I won't put the United States into that group until they stop being political about their personnel decisions). The day is coming when Canada will have to settle for silver more than they are prepared to accept. Last year for instance, Canada lost both the Men's and Women's U-18 IIHF tournament finals. I don't think that ever used to happen. Don Cherry can run his mouth all he wants that those losses don't matter, but they do in a country that doesn't have much else to hang their hat on (except for some good rock bands). In closing, GO TEAM U.S.A.!!!

Two words as to why they are wearing Maroon and Gold instead of Green and White: Shantel Rivard.

Well, I've never been shy about discussing what is wrong with our Ice Palace. But you are right, anyone that dares criticize the atmosphere at home is chastised and ridiculed. And the casual fans ARE part of the problem at home games. We didn't have them at the old Ralph and that is one of the reasons why that place was so awesome.

Wow, that is our second win all-time vs. Duluth. That will get people's attention.

What I find most irritating about Hakstol is the constant, mind-numbing coachspeak you get from him. Hak can talk all he wants about "Working extremely hard" and "Accountability up and down the line-up" and whatever else he comes up with, but until this team develops a level of game in and game out consistency, our goals and expectations will have to be dialed back not just for this season but for the foreseeable future as well. I don't expect Hakstol to be a Blais clone or anything like that, he has to be his own man. But there is no reason that we can't get better results than we have been getting with the facilities we have and the reputation of excellence we have built up over the years. If Hak can't get it done with those advantages, I don't know if he is head coaching material at this level.

I agree 100%, but I would hope those kids don't even bother to read that stuff. Athletes and coaches should stay off of message boards like this; you'll either hear yourself be elevated to deity status or get ripped to shreads. I hope those Bisonville posters can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning because I don't think I could.

Denver up on the Goofs 4-0 late in the third. We have to settle for a consolation prize tonight.

I miss the old Sioux teams that could put the puck in the net and forechecked the crap out of other teams. Now all we do is cycle, cycle, cycle, cycle......until we lose possession of the puck and lose the zone. And all the endless passing on the powerplays has to stop. There are more problems than this, but I really don't want to get into it tonight, it's too annoying.

Duluth is a well-coached team and plays tough in front of its own net. But with the exception of a couple of players, they have pedestrian talent and should not be this difficult for us to handle. If this is the best we have to offer, we are looking at a middle of the pack finish in the WCHA this year, if not lower. I don't know if they can pull the fat out of the fire again this season.

FSSN names Alex Stalock Player of the Game. Here we go with the "hot goaltender" BS again!

Shoot the dang puck already!!!