fightingsioux4life

The TV production looks and sounds like the PBN (Princeton Broadcasting Network). Oh well, we are used to that crap anyway. This team had better wake up and start moving their feet. If this was Denver or Wisconsin, the season would be over. If we hold on and get to play tomorrow and play like this, the season will be over.

Last Friday's Sioux team has shown up for the second period. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly. This could get real dicey in a hurry.

Princeton's goalie seems to give up a lot of big, juicy rebounds. We have to take advantage of that in the 2nd and 3rd periods and put this team away. If you let them hang around too long, it could get hairy in the third.

We dominated parts of that period, but there also were stretches that we got careless in the defensive zone and made some poor choices with the puck. The last minute of the period almost cost us. Thank goodness for JPL (take THAT Puffy!). I think we have more talent and depth and we can wear them down as the game goes on. But if we keep giving it away like that, Princeton will take advantage.

Added to your post! If the Saturday Final Five verison of our team shows up tomorrow, we'll be fine. If the Friday Final Five version of our team shows up, that is another story.

I understand the issues involved with this (I am a news junkie, after all). That doesn't mean I have to like it. And I won't shut up about it. Because at it's core, it IS about media consolidation. If you have more competitors in the marketplace, consumers would have more choices and these suits couldn't get away with this garbage. But with fewer choices, consumers have less power. As a result, it is always the consumer that gets the swift kick in the arse. So much for this being a consumer-driven economy. The cable companies will not cave in anytime soon. Time Warner, Comcast, Cable One and even Midcontinent have lots of leverage and will use it. They are not going to let anyone tell them what to do or how to run their companies. Once you open up that Pandora's box, you won't be able to close it ever again. That is why FSN-North refused to cave in on the Victory Sports issue. Carl "Tightwad" Pohlad hasn't tried anything since. I have always believed that to get anywhere in life or business or whatever, you have to bargain in good faith and reach a solution that both sides can live with and profit from. Apparently, ESPN and the NFL have forgotten about that. And it will cost them viewers eventually.

And a lot of us can't watch it because of the suits at the Elitist Sports Programming Network. Sorry, but I am seriously ticked off about the lack of TV coverage. Thanks to everyone for the updates.

Don't forget, we used to get regional games on cable in past years. I used to sit in the Memorial Union and at home on regional weekend and watch game after game (this was during the late 1990's). And I think you could make the argument that College Hockey has more exposure and media attention now than it did back then. This isn't about market size, it's about media consolidation and lack of competition. If it were all about market size, stuff like spelling bees and lawnmower racing wouldn't be on any channel except community access. And it isn't just College Hockey, the NFL is pulling the same crap with NFL Network (which only about 40% of people have access to). Mark my words, this is going to get worse and worse. In all sports.

Thanks for the insight into this. Personally, I don't care who is at fault, I am just sick of the consumer getting the short end of the stick on stuff like this. Putting the games on obscure networks that very few people can get is stupid and bad for both consumers and the networks' bottom lines. I think it's time that fans start calling and/or e-mailing the big shots who come up with this crap and tell them what they think (respectfully, but firmly). Or else the Frozen Four will be next.

I have Midcontinent Classic Cable (not digital) and you would think that the FSSN Channel (23 in Grand Forks) would have some games on like they have in past years. But no. All they have is that stupid TV Guide crap on over and over again! And this afternoon, instead of showing some regional games (like they have in the past), FSN North had the award-winning line-up of Twins pre-season insomnia-cure programming, Poker and some NASCAR stuff (I didn't bother to watch it long enough to figure out what it was called). I know they have the Wild on this evening and I don't expect them to preempt that with the Wild in the playoff chase, but this afternoon would have been a great time to put some NCAA playoff puck on. But no, that would make too much sense! I am sick and tired of the consumer getting a swift kick in the arse by the big media empires. This is what happens with media consolidation and lack of competition. It won't be long before the Frozen Four is available ONLY on ESPNU or ESPN360 or some other obscure cable outfit that is available to only 10% of the United States (CSTV perhaps). And it is only a matter of time before the Super Bowl is available ONLY on NFL Network. But that is another discussion for another time. End Rant.

I think that the biggest problem right now is the constant carping about the Michigan Wolverines. All I hear is that Michigan is the team to beat, Michigan this and Michigan that. Michigan, Michigan, Michigan! My question is: Who have they beat? The bottom eight teams in the CCHA are brutal. None of them would finish higher than seventh or eighth in the WCHA and probably even Hockey East. Add to that the playoff flops by other CCHA teams in recent years such as Miami (OH), Notre Dame and (yes) Michigan and you start to get the picture on how overrated the Crappy Collegiate Hockey Association really is. Yes, I am aware that Michigan State won the NCAA title last year. But other than that, the Frozen Four has been a WCHA-Hockey East showdown for most of this decade.

Good point.

He didn't use an Emoticon, so I wasn't 100% sure.

I hope you are kidding about that. The Crappy Collegiate Hockey Association has one really good team (Michigan), two good teams (Michigan State and Miami), one decent team (Notre Dame) and eight mediocre teams, any one of which would have trouble finishing in the top half of our league. League strength in order: 1) WCHA, 2) HEA, 3) CCHA, 4) ECAC, 5) AHA, 6) CHA. I think we will have up to half of our league (5 teams) in the NCAA tournament. I don't think we'll have an all-WCHA Frozen Four, but I think we'll have at least two teams in Denver on April 10th.

I didn't say he wasn't good, I said lets watch him a little longer before bestowing greatness on him. Goehring wasn't considered great right away and Kangas shouldn't be either. Sure I wish Frazee was still the starter, but he's not, so we'll just have to get the job done somehow. If Kangas is as good as people think, we'll just have to step up and find a way to beat him. That is what championship teams do. The next six to seven weeks will be fun.

Before we annoint Kangas the next Rob Stauber, let's keep some things in mind: 1) He is a freshman and freshman are going to have ups and downs. Yes, I know Karl Goehring was great right away, but that is rare. He is heads and shoulders above Frazee in terms of stopping the shots he is supposed to stop and not letting in soft goals, but let's watch him over the next several weeks to see if that continues. Let's see if Kangas can continue playing well down the stretch against teams that will be desperate for league points. I sure hope he plays well next weekend in Denver. 2) He made some solid saves on Saturday night, but there were also a lot of saves from long range and some rebounds that he didn't control that we were in no position to take advantage of. Most of our PP action was on the perimeter. I wonder how solid he would have looked if we had crashed the net more and gotten some screens set up. I was much more impressed with him on Friday, when we DID generate some sustained pressure from time to time. 3) As solid as Kangas looked this weekend, I think Lamoreaux looked just as good or even better. The Goofs had the better of the chances in the first period both nights and in the overtime on Saturday and couldn't beat JPL. I think the Goofs will have to worry about JPL in a potential playoff matchup as much as we will worry about Kangas. But that's playoff hockey. 4) I think the bad ice severely limited the scoring punch for each team. The playoff matchup will be in Grand Forks if it happens and I think the ice will be better. I think we'll have more up and down action and more offensive chances for both teams. Both goalies will get tested more than they were this weekend. Bottom line: No matter who we face in the playoffs, they will have solid goaltending. The good teams overcome that. Let's hope we are one of those good teams.

Wow, emotions are running high tonight! I don't think defending a Gopher fan (who isn't a jerk) means you ARE a Gopher fan. Calling someone out on a message board is not cool. I've said and written a lot of things on message boards in my time, but I have never called anyone out. Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Minnesota. I have been a passionate Gopher hater since the mid 1990's, and to a lesser extent before that. They have annoying media, annoying players and annoying fans (with a few exceptions). But I also work hard to maintain some shred of sportsmanship even during games like this, even if the other side doesn't want to. I did it after the Final Five title game last season (the Wheeler diving OT goal) as I was leaving the X. I suggest everyone on SS.com do the same. Our program has a reputation of class and character, from the coaches and players right down to the fans. Let's not screw that up. <<<getting down from soapbox>>>

Kangas certainly is more solid than Frazee; doesn't give up bad goals, has solid fundamentals, focuses on stopping the puck, keeps it simple. But as some posters have pointed out, Kangas did give up some rebounds tonight and we didn't have someone in position to take advantage of them. That is something we will have to work on for the stretch run to the playoffs. These 30 and 40 foot shots to the goalie's glove side are not going to get it done. We also put shots over the net and wide of the net way too often (I know some of that was the bad ice, but still). Bottom line 1: Three out of four in Marriucci is good. Bottom line 2: We will have to play better to get that many points against Denver in two weeks.

PP has stunk for the most part. A couple of great scoring opportunities, but not much else. JPL is on top of it again tonight. Neither team has looked very good tonight. With Mankato close to beating Denver again, this is a great chance for us to gain more of a solid foothold on second place before "hot shot" Mannino and the Pioneers come to town in two weeks. GO SIOUX!!!

I don't think a stick salute on an opposing team's ice would be smart. It would get real ugly real quick. You would have to call in some of Mankato's finest to break that fight up. If you were talking about the next home series (against UAA), then I am with you. I will be in Mankato next weekend. I went in 2004 and watched us sweep (with Fabian getting a hat trick on Saturday night). We need to sweep and Duluth and Minnesota need to split to keep the Rodents in their place and to keep Duluth out of our hair for third. GO SIOUX, LET'S KEEP IT ROLLING!!!

This must be a sweep for the home team and the first stick salute of the season (in January! ). Our goal from now on should be to secure a third place finish and then win the Final Five, which would give us some momentum going into the NCAA tournament. And that mission must start against MTU. Prediction: Friday: UND 2, MTU 0 (JPL with the shutout) Saturday: UND 4, MTU 2 (Empty Net Goal seals the sweep) Stick Salute here we come!!!

Solid win all around tonight that puts us in third place. And that should be our goal for the regular season. I don't want to hear about finishing in the top five or fighting for "the fifth and final home playoff spot". The goal of this team should be to finish third. It is doable. It is a reasonable expectation. 1st and 2nd are probably unreachable, but 3rd place is up for grabs. All we have to do is play more consistently game in and game out and I think we will secure it. Third place would give us a more favorable first round match-up and keep us out of the play-in game at the Final Five (no team has ever won the Final Five after playing on Thursday). Bring on Michigan Tech!

Agree 100%. When teams like Denver or Colorado College play against good defensive teams and good goaltenders (which is what St. Cloud has most years), they still find ways to put the puck into the net. When we run into those same teams, we "run into a hot goaltender". That little paragraph in my signature is going to stay there until the local media in this town (and that includes TH) stops using the same old excuses and rationalizations for why this team can't finish up strong in games and play solid hockey for 60 minutes (not 41 minutes or whatever it was tonight). We had a 2-0 lead in the third period and couldn't finish the job. Our teams in the 1990's would have finished the job and maybe added an empty netter. That is what championship teams do. Right now, we aren't doing it. And until this current version of the Fighting Sioux start doing it, we won't be hanging any banners anytime soon. Because Jeff Panzer, Lee Goren, David Hoogsteen, Jason Blake and Karl Goehring won't be walking through those doors to save us. The 11 NHL draft picks on this team will have to do it or it won't happen. Disagree if you want "duckies and bunnies", but that is how I see it. And I don't like it either.

What was worse is what happened after the tying goal. We just lost all momentum and poise and we gave up two more goals to ice another home split. Our banner-hanging teams from the 1990's would have won this game, either in regulation or in overtime. But I guess it isn't the 1990's anymore.

I think that Mussman is the right choice for this particular situation. He has been a coordinator for a long time now (first at Mankato). I don't think we would have won a national championship in 2001 if he hadn't taken over the offense that season. He knows the program, players, systems and philosophies as well as Lennon. He has patiently paid his dues, done his job well and deserves a chance at running his own show for a change. The sooner we hire him, the sooner he can get his staff set up how he wants it, reassure the incoming recruits that no drastic changes are going to happen and prepare for our first season as a DI FCS program.