fightingsioux4life

The problem with Sioux Football isn't the coach (Dale Lennon is one of the best around). It isn't a lack of tradition (We have a long, proud history of football). It isn't a lack of success on the field (We've been a playoff contender for a long time now). No, the problem is hockey. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Fighting Sioux Hockey. I've been going to games since I was six or seven years old. I rarely missed a home game when I was a college student. I go to the Final Five every single year. But there is this unfortunate mentality in Grand Forks and among UND fans in general that if it isn't Men's Ice Hockey, it doesn't matter. At all. And as a season ticket holder in both sports, that pains me. Earth to Fighting Sioux fans: YOU CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE MAJOR SPORT!!! Having football as another major sport to complement hockey would help the athletic department in particular and the school in general. Football starts in late August or early September. Hockey starts in October. They do overlap some, but as long as home football and hockey games are at different times, it shouldn't be a big problem. The attendance at home football games is inexcusable. There isn't enough promotion of football at this school. The Alerus Center is already a great atmosphere for football with an average attendance of a little over 9,500. Imagine how awesome it would be with 10,000 + for home games? And please get off of this whole "The Fargodome is bigger, so we'll never have as good of a program" nonsense. I've been hearing that crap ever since the Grain Bin opened in 1993 and we've done pretty well against the Bison in football since then. The Alerus seats fewer people, but with a low ceiling and fans right on top of the field, it's a great environment for our team to perform in. The old REA seated 6,067, the new REA seats 11,500. And the atmosphere has gone down the toilet. Bigger doesn't always mean better. All the tools are there to make football in Grand Forks a solid #2 sport. It would be a big boost to the Grand Forks area and to our athletic department. All we need is a strong commitment to make it happen. The move to Division I might make this possible.

I was a third-year undergraduate in 1996. The year before the big flood. The year before our program regained it's status as a national power. As a student, I was able to watch the resurrection of a fallen College Hockey dynasty. In the OLD Ralph Engelstad Arena. Great memories.

I see your point. College programs should be run with class, within the rules and they should make the athletes better people. They should also graduate their athletes. Whether or not they lose their jobs for not winning sometimes depends on what sport is important at what school. Hockey, Football and Women's Basketball are the championship sports at UND. Men's Basketball has not been a championship-contending sport for a long time. It flies under the radar, which is why Glas was able to survive for so long while running an average program. Roebuck, Lennon and Hakstol would not be able to get away with that. Volleyball has been average at best for years, but again the public interest in that sport is limited, so the outrage isn't there. Wrestling was dropped with little public outrage because the interest wasn't there to begin with. However at some point, if the program struggles for a long time and it isn't getting better, a change has to be made. This change is often good for both coach and school (example: Glas and UND Men's Basketball). Hockey switched from Gino Gasparini to Dean Blais. There was outrage at the time, but history has been kind to Terry Wanless for making the tough, but necessary decision. But the decision should be based on not only winning, but graduation rates, quality of kids in the program, any rules violations, ect. Winning matters, but it should not be the only thing. This isn't the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB. Winning is great and I want all our programs to win, but I also want to win the right way. That's what Hakstol, Lennon and Roebuck do on an annual basis and that is what all coaches should strive for.

With all of this talk about what our biggest problems are as a team, I'd like to simplify things a little. Just as football is composed of three major components (Offense, Defense, Special Teams), hockey is also composed of three major components: Offense, Defense and Goaltending. There are also two subcomponents that supplement the main three components: Powerplay and Penalty-Kill, sometimes collectively known as Special Teams. I believe that if you can be solid in two of the three main components, you will have a chance to win any game. If you are solid in all three areas, you probably should win a championship, but this is pretty rare. Let's look at some real-life examples: 1) North Dakota 1996-97, NCAA Champions: Did not have great defensemen, but blueliners played well enough to slow down other teams. Goaltending was solid. Offense is what drove this team (Blake, Hoogsteens, Panzer, Calder, Ulmer, Kallay, you get the picture). Don't remember Special Teams, but I don't think they were a big liability. Two out of three (offense and goaltending). 2) North Dakota 1999-2000, NCAA Champions: Had one of the greatest goaltenders in College Hockey history (Karl Goehring, I don't care what the critics think), solid defensemen like Travis Roche and Mike Commodore, and a productive, but not explosive offense with players like Lee Goren and Jeff Panzer leading the way. Not as good of an offensive team as 1997, but better on defense and in goal. Special teams not a liability. Two out of three (defense and goaltending). 3) Minnesota 2001-02, NCAA Champions: Average in goal (Adam Hauser), solid on both offense and defense. Special teams an asset. Two out of three (offense and defense). 4) Wisconsin 2005-06, NCAA Champions: Great goaltending (Brian Elliott), solid defense in front of him and just enough offense to get the job done. Special teams an asset. Two out of three (defense and goaltending). See the pattern? Two out of three gives you a chance, along with special teams that either don't hurt you or make you even better. After that it's up to solid coaching of the talent you have, staying healthy and having good team chemistry, the latter two of which are impossible to quantify and/or predict. Three out of three (North Dakota, 1986-87; Maine 1992-93) are rare and tough to pull off, which is why those teams are special and remembered so vividly for so long. Right now, North Dakota isn't solid in any of the three major areas I discussed above. They are clicking on the Powerplay, which is usually an area this team struggles in. Penalty-Kill is a trouble spot, so special teams are a wash right now. Based on this, we should feel fortunate that this team has only one more loss than win. The Powerplay has probably helped prevent a worse record. We are probably doing as well as can be expected based on our play so far. Whether we can fix what is wrong before it's too late is another matter.

I like sarcasm, but you should have put a roll-eyes icon at the end so people don't misunderstand. I haven't totally given up hope, but if we don't start pulling it together soon we will fall too far behind in the WCHA standings and the Pairwise Rankings to catch up. We'll have to depend on other teams losing for us to get in and that is always an unsure thing. I think what burns people's behinds is that we are 0-2 in our last 2 national title games and 2-3 in our last 5 Frozen Four games. We haven't won a national title since 2000, and people are starting to get antsy about it. While it is unrealistic to win it all every single time you make the Frozen Four, it just seems like we used to win the big games on the big stage when we had the horses to do it (1980's and 90's). We had teams that could have won national titles in the 1960's, but they came up short as well. It's happening in this decade too and I think it's starting to get on people's nerves. Nonetheless, I will always support this team (and all of our other teams) and I will always bleed green and white 4 life (hence my username).

JBB as a moderator?!?! Isn't that like giving an inmate control of the asylum? Will he use his real name (JBB) or the name he posts under here (Holdem)? I just might have to check this out for myself.

Congratulations to the Lakers for getting to the National Title game again this year. It will be a good matchup with NWMSU. Now that I've paid my respects to GVSU, I have to be honest: I am having trouble getting motivated to cheer for the Lakers next week. We are rivals (not with the same venom involved with the Bison and Omaha, but rivals nonetheless) and I have a hard time swallowing the fact that we are playing second fiddle to someone else in D-2 football after years of building our own program up and years of playing second fiddle to the Bison (and others like Northern Colorado). The last 5 years (even with the 2004 win at the Alerus Center) have been a bitter pill to swallow. Is it more palatable that it's you guys and not Omaha or NDSU? Definitely. Does it still suck? Definitely. If I sound overly bitter and angry, I apologize, but it gets to the point where you just can't stand it anymore. You get sick and tired of tipping your hat to someone else all the time. I am probably as big of a fan of Sioux Football as I am of Sioux Hockey, and I always have believed that our football program was capable of being as much of a national power as our hockey program has been. But it hasn't happened. And that is very frustrating to this season-ticket holder. Having said all that, I hope you guys move up to Division I-AA at some point in the future (or whatever the heck they are calling it now) so we can continue this thing for years to come. In closing, congratulations and I hope we butt heads again next season (before we move up).

I said Alaska-Fairbanks of the Crappy Collegiate Hockey Association, not the surprise team in the WCHA this season (UAA). Fairbanks (or just plain old "Alaska", as they are calling themselves now) has always been a nickel (thanks for the spelling reminder! ) and dime program. Anchorage looks to be building a winner after years of mediocre teams. Michigan Tech is improved, but I'm not totally convinced yet. They've had other seasons that looked promising but didn't pan out. They still have to fight off 30+ years of losing. My point is that North Dakota's program sets a higher standard of excellence, a standard not shared by all schools who happen to have Division I Hockey. And we are not living up to that standard right now. And that is why people are ticked off.

I was born in Tucson, AZ. My parents moved to Grand Forks when I was 3 and I am still here. I went to Grand Forks Central and UND. I now work at UND (within sight of REA!) and have season tickets to both football and hockey. I didn't think I would still be here, but I am.

And the massive amount of "duckies and bunnies" talk we are getting from some posters is making me sick. I think most of the people on this board are die-hard, green and white blooded fans who want us to be #1; not 2nd, 3rd, 4th or anything else. We have high expectations, but I would rather have high standards and sometimes fall short instead of having lower standards that are easier to reach (example: winning seasons, home ice, occasional trip to the Final Five, ect). Great players come to North Dakota because of those high standards, they want to win. We get carried away sometimes, but that is better than having low standards and not caring if we win or lose. Just my 2 cents.

HockeyMom, I appreciate your positive outlook on most everything, but I have to disagree with you on this topic. You can be a real fan and still point out obvious problems with your team. This team has numerous problems right now and I don't blame people for being upset. I could go into greater detail, but after this weekend's games I am not in the mood. I will say this: Our standards for success are different than Michigan Tech or Alaska-Fairbanks or any number of nickle and dime programs in D-I hockey. Being decent and competitive are not good enough here. People have seen greatness over the years and know the difference between that and the kind of crap we are seeing right now. I will continue to support this program (and all of our other programs), but the facts are that this team is really bad right now and I don't think I should have to apologize for saying it.

Okay, this is going to be very negative, so get the kids away from the computer screen! It is time to face facts: This team is not that good. They can't hold third period leads, they take stupid penalties (Jones, this means YOU), and their starting goaltender (Lammy) has not played up to his potential this year and has not been consistent enough for my taste. In the good old days of the 1980's and 90's, North Dakota losing at home once on a weekend was big news around the league and country, losing twice at home on a weekend was almost unheard of. Now both happen on a regular freaking basis. In the good old days of the 1980's and 90's, North Dakota was almost unbeatable when holding a lead in the third period. Now all bets are freaking off when we lead in the third period. It would not surprise me if Michigan Tech came in here next weekend and pulled off at least one win. Emphasis on at least. I am pretty sure that the Brad Schlossman Rule will get a workout in Sunday's Heraldo (look at my signature at the bottom if you don't know what I mean), but that is no excuse for what has happened this season. Some of our players have said as much. Every team worth its salt in this league and in the country for that matter has good goaltending or else they wouldn't be good teams. If we are going to invoke the Brad Schlossman Rule everytime we lose a game, we won't win anything. I had better not hear this once from anybody in the media this week (and that includes TH and Pat Sweeney). Based on what I have seen so far this season, we can kiss home ice goodbye, we can kiss the Final Five goodbye and we can forget about going to St. Louis in April. This team is going to lose a crap load of games this season and we had just better get used to it. That meltdown in the Frozen Four last year in the semifinals is feeling more painful with every game we lose. This is going to be a long, cold, dark winter for those of us who bleed green and white. And if the Rodents win their 6th NCAA title in April, it will be an even longer offseason. Especially those of us who live in Rodentia (Minnesota and some adjacent areas). I apologize for the extreme negativity, but after what happened to the football team last Saturday and this weekend, I just can't take much more of this garbage. End rant. I return you to regularly scheduled programming.

With the apparent upcoming death of the NCC , here is how I think things will work themselves out over the next couple of years. And please keep in mind, my pronostication skills leave much to be desired. 1. Neb-Omaha will join the MIAA. This is a good fit for both UNO and the MIAA, geographically and otherwise. 2. The four remaining NCC schools (UM-Duluth, St. Cloud, MSU-Mankato and Augustana) will merge with the NSIC to form a 14 team league. The league will then split into two divisions (7 teams each), something like this: NSIC East Bemidji State University Concordia-St. Paul Upper Iowa University Winona State University St. Cloud State UM-Duluth MSU-Mankato NSIC West University of Mary UM-Crookston MSU-Moorhead Northern State University Southwest Minnesota State University Wayne State College Augustana College It is possible that a separate league could form based on a combination of the ex-NCC schools and several of the NSIC schools if this league proves too big to function properly, but of course this is all pure speculation. 3. UND and USD will work together to find a conference home in DI and help fill their schedules during the transition, which will be difficult. Forget all of this "go-it-alone" stuff, working together will make it easier to survive the transition period without any major collateral dammage. I could be wrong on all of this, but those are my thoughts on this at the moment.

I don't think Tech will be able to sustain their current ranking; they will be better this year, but not that much better. I think St. Cloud is for real and will have an excellent chance of making the NCAA Tournament (and winning a game this time). Minnesota and New Hampshire are the most legitimate of the four teams, but again it's only November and a lot of things can happen before March rolls around. If our team can put together a string of performances like last Saturday, we'll get in as usual. Whether we can win #8 in St. Louis is a question we cannot answer at this time, but I have to lean to the negative on that right now. End negativity.

I am getting ready to leave home for The Ralph. We are losing precious ground in the WCHA race and need a win tonight. Home ice might be hard to come by if we keep losing like this. GO SIOUX!!!

Technically, yes. But these teams are so evenly matched that I don't think it was an upset. If I was a betting man (and I am not), I would classify this game as a pick'em game, no real advantage either way.

And the Omaha Playoff Curse continues! Once again, Omaha folds like a cheap piece of lawn furniture when the chips are down and the game is on the line in the postseason. Different year, different team.....same result.

Okay, everybody together now: And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever...... Nothing's gonna stop us now! And if the world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other...... Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now!!!! On to Allendale.....GO SIOUX!!! And this had better be on television!

Objects in your mirror are closer than they appear!!! Hey, it's the "Common Man Progrum" on Siouxsports.com!

No mistakes boys! UNO timeout with 0:36 left.

INCOMPLETE! INCOMPLETE! SIOUX TAKE OVER ON DOWNS! Time to take a few knees and get out of here with a win!

Miller incomplete on 3rd down. 4th down coming up. Here's the ballgame right here.

1:52 left. UNO timeout. 3rd and 18 coming up. We have been putrid on third down defense today. Have to change that....NOW.

2nd and 16. Adam Wolff sniffs out the screen pass. Loss of two. 3rd and long coming up.

Miller getting too much time....thanks to holding by Omaha. March it back 10 yards, refs.