siouxforcefans

Could well be - I took this pick when they had to break them out. Side note; At that moment, had you said one of the guys with his back to me would win a cup, I'd have picked the wrong one.

I can almost guarantee this (bolded) is the case! I'm no NHL scout, but I've seen Senden play approx 30 games, and never once wondered if he was good enough to play at UND. Would I like to see him score more? Of course, I cheer for the Force and all goals are good goals but there's more to the game than that. For instance, he just won the Tom Clifford Leadership and Dedication Award for last season.

Mark Senden and the Fargo Force won the Clark Cup over the weekend! Second Cup in 4 years for Eades as a coach and GM - http://www.kvrr.com/2018/05/20/clark-cup-champion-fargo-force-welcomed-home-fans/

Maybe his green glove was a half an inch longer? The red stuff hasn't been as good for him. That goal was right in front of me, and he was visibly defeated when it went in. I found it interesting that he didn't play Friday night (Fargo route, don't let the 2 meaningless goals in the last couple minutes fool you into thinking that game was close), but he went in for the elimination game. Obviously they believed in him.

SiouxVolley gives an explanation that makes more sense than what we've heard around here - in Fargo, we've been hearing for years that they have to put in a sprinkler system over 3 stories. Not sure if that's true, or an interpretation of the truth, but would be an added cost as most buildings around here don't have sprinklers. I'm guessing sprinklers are a lot cheaper than those deep footings, though!

Just a note to Vegas and SJ; I have to be at work by 7:30 AM, central time zone. If you could just start winning games in regulation so I can get a little sleep, I'd appreciate it. Now, where's that second pot of coffee...

He's already enrolled for summer classes. While not a guarantee, that's a pretty good indicator.

So, just to confirm, you're not planning to vacation in Philly?

I honestly feel bad for him. Hopefully he can go back home and catch on in AZ.

And another goal Wednesday night, as the Force finish the first round sweep with a 3-0 shutout.

Word in town is that he's de-committed from Omaha, and will be at MN. Rumor came out over the weekend. Side note: Tri-City at Fargo in the first round of the playoffs tonight & Wednesday (Thursday if necessary), if anyone wants to make a visit to Fargo for some good hockey.

Getting to be a lot of make-up games to wedge into the season. Rest? Who needs rest days?

Only replying to the bolded point; For a lot of these kids, they go to juniors to try to get into a "better" school. Cruising through HS in rural Michigan might get you a look from Lake Superior State, but how can you show that you've got the talent to get a look from UND or BC (or whoever you want to pick as the big names), if you don't get on the ice and show it against better competition? If you're trying to get into college before turning 20, you might need to play that senior season in juniors to get the offer you want from the school you want. Following the Fargo Force closely for the last decade, I can't tell you how many players have de-committed from a school when they were able to secure an offer from a bigger name. Until they sign their letter, they have options.

This ^^^ I was laughing out loud and had to read several of the punch lines to my wife. We were targeted because we care more than most (probably all) and we show up better than all. My favorite was about having all the regionals in Fargo. They referenced that UND fans would travel anywhere, but the real message was to the rest of the country that if they're not going to show up, we'll have everyone play in an arena that's going to be full. Both of those points acknowledge our fan base for what it is.

We'll be there.

Randklev will definitely benefit from a full year in the USHL. I think he'll stay as a 2019, and both he and UND will be better for it. Even Boeser played a full year in the USHL to get ready...

4. Michigan - I will not forget the last visit 3, 2, 1 - doesn't matter. I can't think of a reason to root for any of these 3 that isn't offset by a reason to root against them. I'm honestly not looking forward to all the "B1G is great!" BS that I'm sure to hear next week. I won't keep me from attending Frozens, of course, but I just wish there was better representation from other conferences. Of the teams in the tourney that I wanted to get there, Mankato, Air Force, and Northeastern probably topped my list. Mankato for the location and WCHA appreciation, Air Force because I love a Cinderella, and Northeastern because I wanted to see in person how good Gaudette and the others were.

I'd definitely still go to the Fargo one, as I'd have virtually no additional costs. It today's games were here, I'd already have made lunch plans for the pre-game.

That does beg some questions, but it's hard to draw too many conclusions. I'll illustrate by using my situation: I was one of the 26 (as I write this) who have tickets, but aren't attending. The reason is purely economics. The associated costs of attending (hotels, travel, meals, etc) that I'll save by not going, are why I'm not going. We're hockey fans. We were at the NCHC last weekend. We'll be at the Frozen Four in 2 weeks (had tickets since October). In between, we'll be attending 2-3 Fargo Force games. We'll still be at hockey, but a weekend like Sioux Falls would cost me roughly $600 + the tickets. Having just done the NCHC, I know this number to be true for us (you may spend more, or less, as we all do these events a little differently). If UND was there, I'd spend that money. Without them there, that money puts new tires on my daughter's car. Finally, let's never have a UND-less regional in Fargo. I don't even want to think about it...

Made my picks, but I sure don't like them!

This ^^. One thing that seems to get overlooked a lot, is what the NHL team's pipeline looks like. Wolanin is going straight to the NHL and will get part of that entry level contract over right away, because he is going to a team that's not making the playoffs and it's easy to insert him. For Shane to go to DC, he'd be headed to a playoff contender who already has established players in his spot. They are much less likely to put him in day 1 and mess with the chemistry, unless they see him as an obvious upgrade over the player already in the lineup. Signing now potentially just gets him to the AHL. Just look at what has happened to Zane in Boston. Rask is the #1 and Khudobin is #2. Meanwhile, Zane toils in the A, and has to watch Subban do fairly well in Vegas after getting out of the Bruins' chain, and a guy like Charlie Lindgren is getting a bunch of starts for the Habs.

I, too, purchased tickets for the end the visitors shoot at twice. Logic being, we were the lowest seed, so would be "visitors" in both games. Friday, it was the wrong end. Saturday, it was the right one. I don't put that on the X - there was something else in play to decide ends, I just don't know what.

That was the one time I enjoyed being at Target Center. There were some fans in a suite behind us taunting us when Wisco was losing, so when they came back I kept standing up, turning around, and yelling the score to them. They got kinda quiet as the game wore on... *for the record, the attendance was very sparse for that championship game. A lot of UND fans had headed home, or were just out trying to forget the weekend, and no one else's fans showed up much to begin with. My yelling at that suite wasn't nearly as obnoxious as it could be construed to have been

Friday: Poganski Saturday: Jones

When this first came up about guaranteeing the full 3 years, I remember reading that by doing that, MN is able to front-load the salary cap implications. That would mean the size of the cap hits decreases each year, so when they go to resign Barr, Cousins would actually cost less than he will this year when they don't have as big (important?) of contracts to dole out. I guess we'll see what happens when it's finally done, but that could be a smart move if the Vikings can pull it off.