fightingsioux4life

I like Fargo's current mayor (much more than their previous mayor), but the upcoming fight for permanent flood protection for Fargo will test his leadership skills to the limit. People will whine and moan that they cannot have the dikes on the banks of the river itself. People will scream bloody murder at the cost of the project. People in small-town North Dakota (especially west of a Jamestown to Devils Lake line) will howl at the prospect of helping to pay for it. Fargo will run into a lot of the same obstacles as Grand Forks did in the 1999 ND Legislative Session, with one major difference. We have a living, breathing example that this type of comprehensive and permanent flood protection works and is worth every penny; the system that Grand Forks fought so hard for. That will make it hard for the "no" crowd to claim that it isn't a "feasible" use of taxpayer funds or that "there is no proof that it will ever work". I wish Fargo (and don't forget Moorhead) all the best in this fight.

UND is small (13,000 enrollment) in a city of 50,000 and we still sell out a 12,000 seat arena night after night after night. That is passion and dedication by our fan base and it is what makes College Hockey successful. And it will make Bemidji State successful, especially if you put them in a first-class league (WCHA). Recruiting will improve, as will strength of schedule. They've managed to succeed in a low-rent league (CHA) for years and have even made it to the Frozen Four as the 16th (and final) seed. They've earned their stripes. Now it's time we reward them for it. This is why losing a program is not acceptable for college hockey. D-I Basketball could lose a program and nobody would notice it was gone (there are over 330 D-I basketball programs). But take one college hockey program out of 58 and it does significant dammage to the sport as a whole. The fact that it isn't a national sport is why we have to protect our own, especially traditional hockey schools like BSU. I would rather lose Alabama-Huntsville then Bemidji State, just because the Beavers have a better chance of surviving in the long-term. And that is what this should be about, the long-term. Not short-term scheduling difficulties or the biases of Mr. McLeod. I am comfortable with it, but we cannot get too small. We don't want to lose what we have gained over the last 10 years or so (16 team tournament, more competitive teams, more talent, ect). If we can keep the number of teams at around 60, we'll be okay. I don't think saving one program is analogous to the over-expansion of the NHL, but I see your point. If we start admitting MIAC teams, then I'll start worrying. But I think this is a prudent and responsible action by the WCHA; IF our league has the guts to pull the trigger on it.

Sounds interesting, as long as the infernal shootout is not included.

In that case, the logical vote is yes. Because if we keep losing programs, we will go back to a 12 team NCAA tournament instead of the 16 team field we fought so long to get. Fewer playoff spots mean less $$$ for programs that would otherwise have gotten in. Another point to consider: If schools start thinking entirely in terms of what's in it for them and nothing else, college hockey as a whole is in big trouble. There is strength in numbers, especially in sports. Letting programs die an untimely death will weaken college hockey as a whole and cause a whole laundry list of problems in the future. If Bruce McLeod wants to maintain "good business sense" in making decisions as commissioner, he should consider these points.

If established hockey power Michigan had taken this attitude towards us in the 1940's, we would not have a program to worry about. All "established successful programs" started out like Bemidji State, including us. They became "established succecssful programs" because other "established successful programs" were willing to schedule them and, at some point, allow them to join an established conference. This is how college hockey has survived and thrived and developed a rabid, passionate fan base that sustains it through tough times and an overall lack of media coverage by the ESPN's of the world. With all due respect, your viewpoint on this issue is very shallow, short-sighted and totally unbecoming a Sioux hockey fan considering our own history of overcoming big-school snobbery and lack of resources (until recent times) to build one of the best (if not the best) Division I hockey programs of all time. If we lose the Bemidji State program, I will blame Bruce McLeod first and foremost for shamelessly lobbying against their admission into the league. But I will also blame fans like yourself who have forgotten the very roots from which programs like North Dakota sprung so many years ago. If all we focus on are scheduling difficulties and the annual share of the playoff pie, we risk losing much more than the 16 team tournament that we fought so long to obtain. We risk losing the heart and soul of College Hockey itself, which is what makes it so special to those of us that follow it each and every winter. Programs like Bemidji State embody that spirit and they are the programs that will sustain us through tough times (economic or otherwise) and maintain a quality product for years to come. End Rant.

Today I received a postcard from Midcontinent informing all Sports and Variety Tier Subscribers that the NFL may terminate Midco's right to carry NFL Network as of April 30th. I say get rid of NFL Network and replace it with ESPNU.

If it were McLeod's decision, I would agree with you. But it's not his decision, it's the decision of each of the 10 member schools. McLeod works for them, not the other way around. I say in with Bemidji State and out with McLeod and Greg Sheppard.

The bottom line in this is that Bruce McLeod is against admitting Bemidji State into the league and he has latched onto this "we just cannot have an 11 team league because of scheduling problems" rationale to try to convince enough member schools to vote no. You need 8 of 10 schools to vote yes, which means the anti-expansion crowd only needs 3 no votes to kill it. I am convinced that McLeod is getting some heavy pressure from two schools in the league (I honestly don't know which ones; we can speculate all we want on that) to campaign against this proposal so that one more school votes no and therefore kills expansion (and the BSU hockey program). I don't want the league to get bigger (I think 10 is too big as it is), but letting the Bemidji State hockey program die is simply not an option. Period. It doesn't make "good business sense" or any other kind of sense. We should admit the Beavers right now and keep looking for #12. It will happen, just not right away. College hockey must maintain the health and vitality of programs like this to remain strong in the present and future.

Agreed. There probably is some political BS going on behind the scenes. It takes 8 out of the 10 member schools to add a school to the league. I wonder if a certain Big Ten school in a state just to our east is lobbying McLeod and a couple of other schools in the league to prevent the Beavers from getting in? I certainly hope that isn't the case.

And I suppose going back to a 12-team NCAA field is a smart "business decision" too, right? If we keep losing programs left and right, that is what's going to happen. We have to keep the number of D-I programs as close to 64 as possible or we'll be back to having two 6-team regionals again. Our esteemed commissioner is clearly against the Beavers joining the league, citing the need to focus on "good business sense" when voting on this issue. I guess he thinks losing a solid, healthy program at a traditional hockey school is better than dealing with some scheduling headaches. I think the next thing WCHA member schools should do after admitting Bemidji State is to get another commissioner. And as far as Bemidji having "too small facilities", our facilities weren't all that great for most of our history as a program. The "Old Barn" was unheated, for goodness sakes! What Bemidji State is going to have is 10x better than the old UND Winter Sports Building. Bottom line: If the WCHA votes to sentence Bemidji State's program to death, the league (and the rest of College Hockey) will regret it for a long, long time.

Good April Fool's joke; something that would get people on here all worked up before they realized the date was 04-01-09. I almost fell for it myself. I personally think shootouts are an abomination to the sport and should be banned altogether (no joke). I know Hak thinks we should use it because hockey fans in Montreal like it, but I am a traditionalist on the question of ties and shootouts. I think if we went to 4 x 4 overtimes like the NHL does and doubled the overtime period to 10 minutes, we would cut down on the number of ties without tarishing the integrity of the game itself. Shootouts have no place in a team game like hockey. What's next, free-throw shooting contests in basketball or field-goal kicking contests in football? Or how about home-run hitting contests in baseball instead of extra innings? Shootouts are just as inappropriate.

I remember when Buning jacked the prices for hockey tickets up to the point where some people I know dropped their tickets and I almost dropped them myself. I am thankful for the fact that the prices are not going up again this year.

Now I have a reason to watch the Frozen Four! Go Beavers!

Yeah, and that wouldn't have been possible even five years ago. The fact that BSU can compete with anyone in the country (and I believe that includes the vaunted Terriers this year) is good for the sport and for those of us that are fortunate enough to get to watch it every winter.

That tells you how competitive college hockey has gotten over the past five years or so. The number of kids playing hockey has gone up and the areas of the country producing kids has increased, but the number of teams has either stayed the same or gone down. That means fewer really bad teams and a more exciting post-season. Getting a #1 seed isn't the gravy train it once was.

Congratuations Bemidji State! This should bolster their application into the WCHA.

Empty netter for the Beavers. 4-1.

7:55 left. 3-1 Beavers.

3-1 Bemidji State!!!! YES!!!

Whatever they work out, just letting the Beaver program die is not an option. I don't want to go back to a 12 team NCAA field with two regionals of six teams each. That was a cheesy set-up and I never liked it.

It looks like they borrowed kids off of the Cornell wrestling team!

Beavers tie it. 1-1 5:34 left in the 2nd Period.

1-0 Cornell. Come on Beavers!

There was and it also had Lacrosse on it, so that wouldn't have helped in that situation.

Thank God for technology!