siouxforcefans

Not just the anti-nickname folks. Many of us have too much respect to walk on that part of the floor. My daughter even gets mad at the people who do walk on them, which, I have to admit, gives me a little shot of pride.

I know it's supposed to be out front - live music, beer garden, some food stands including Red Pepper. Sorry I don't have more details at my fingertips

I wonder how many of you I passed walking across the floor yesterday? Couple of takeaways from fanfest; 1) Two hours is too short. People got frustrated by the lines in the first hour and left without getting to see half the team. If there was more time, it wouldn't be so imperative to be there when the doors opened, and people could drift in and out. 2) They've got to stop using the PA system for the media stage! The seats being empty makes everything echo through the building, and you can't understand 90% of what is said. Smaller, stand-alone speakers would be more than adequate to reach everyone there. Otherwise, had fun as usual. It's great to talk to the guys, and, as I overheard a guy say in the autograph line with the women's team, "How often do you get to talk to an Olympian?"

Fixed.

Seriously - the RA called the cops because of alcohol in the room? Wow, times sure have changed... I'm not going to bag on these guys, or pretend they're doing anything different from the general population. If they are being targeted, they better realize it, and change their ways. Living in Fargo, the stuff that goes unreported by *cough* other school's athletes *cough* really makes me wonder why this even made the news. Guess there's just less to report in GF? Or the school is more forthcoming? Either way, Hak will hand out discipline, and hopefully everyone can move forward.

We arrived just before 11, and were about the 3rd turn (right in front of the first group of TRF hockey kids). I thought more people would arrive earlier, but I'm glad we got there when we did. By the time we got pictures taken and hit the Sioux Shop, the line was headed north out on the sidewalk. That was about 12:40.

Agreed! Yep - unless you don't know where to go to watch the Sioux in the West Regional next spring?

One of the replies was asking if Fargo was a real place...

They did - all 3 of them in attendance were out of their minds!

Got one at a charity auction signed by last year's team. They all signed around the open middle (where the number goes), so I'm trying to find the appropriate size Sioux logo to put in there I actually don't hate the jersey design, it's just that the logo is gone that hurts it.

My wife claimed yes. I wasn't in the tent when they went up for bid (had to pay for silent auction stuff), so I'm not sure. If they were, they'd been well cleaned, since they looked new from a distance (I never got close enough to see if they had and rips or anything).

Good price to get, I think. The 3 pack (Sioux, USA, Wild) at Cully's Kids went for $10k, and that was a live auction at a fundraiser where people always seem to be more generous.

Even the maroon are admitting we've got a Natty quality squad this season? Who would ever have thought that would happen? LOL

I really hope you didn't miss the joke I was making at the expense of the maroon supporters... Or, maybe you just missed using a smilie to let us all know you weren't to be taken seriously in the first sentence? My wife is throwing out a vote for UND Fighting Swedes

I like to irk Goofer fans by suggesting the nickname will be Vikings. For some reason, that really gets under their skin - maybe because if they're not wearing maroon, they're usually wearing purple?

I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you here, Bob. I see no issue wearing a jersey and supporting your team, so long as you don't wear it to another team's game - like a Chicago jersey to a KC v Denver football game. Besides, how freaking hot is it when a girl puts on one of your jerseys with nothing else?

Hoping to see him get more time with the big club this year Agreed - nice, unassuming, guy during my interactions with him That's awesome, LOL!

Anyone hearing anything about Chris VandeVelde? I know he's a free agent, but after that drink of water with the Flyers last year, I'd expect him to be getting some 2 way offers soon.

I still have my Leaf's t-shirt with his number on the back. Time to dig it out of the bottom of the drawer!

Malone to Carolina with a 2 year deal Frattin back in Toronto via trade

Good explanation. In this case, the Force traded an existing player and rights to a couple others for a tender held by the expansion team, so they didn't give up a draft pick. Since the tender is open, it's almost like trading for "a player to be named later".

From Fargoforce.com: The Fargo Force have acquired a tender and the first pick of the third round in Phase 1 of the 2014 USHL Draft via a trade with the new expansion team in the league, the Bloomington Thunder. In exchange, the Force has traded defenseman Butrus Ghafari along with affiliate players, forward Ethan Spaxman and defenseman Jacob Slaker. With the tender pickup from Bloomington, the Force has tendered forward Zach Yon from Roseau High School. Yon just completed his senior season where he led the team in scoring, posting 69 points in 25 games played with 33 goals and 36 assists. The 69 points put him 8th overall in scoring in the state of Minnesota. He also served as the Co-Captain his senior season and was named one of the top ten finalists for the 2014 Minnesota Minute Men Mr. Hockey Award. Zach is committed to the University of North Dakota. Any player who is tendered will be on their respective teams’ roster next season and play at least 55% of their teams’ regular season games. The 2014 USHL Draft begins May 5 at 5 PM. The Force hold the first pick in each round. Fans can watch the draft picks live on USHL.com or by following the Force on Twitter. A draft recap will be available on the official Fargo Force website, Facebook and Twitter following the completion of all rounds.

Honestly, I liked this year's format better than having a play-in game. Let's get those top 4 teams together, have 4 quality games, and crown a champion. I enjoyed the Final Five, but this is a new conference and trying to replicate that... well, I'd rather just move forward. There's also a financial aspect for the fans. That play-in game, which I might not care much about, means the ticket package price increases. Going to Msp a day earlier means an extra day of vacation used, an extra night in the hotel, extra meals/entertainment in Msp, etc. That play-in could easily cost my family an extra $300+ (if I eat and play like this year's tourney) and I can only imagine what it does for a larger group. Are there cheaper options? Individual tickets? Sure, but those options may also make attending less appealing.

Beer. Lots of beer. Then once sorrows have been sufficiently drowned, Stanley Cup playoffs, Twins baseball, and chase daughter's volleyball and soccer teams around the tri-state region.

What a game! How could any hockey fan not love this?!?