jk

I just watched the highlights, and watched all of Friday night's game, and I think WMU is a good, solid team that played well enough to earn points this weekend. In the future, if people ask when a Sioux goalie has ever stolen a game, the road trips to WMU the last two years are a good answer.

I agree, but it's also important to realize some guys are being brought in to fill specific roles, not necessarily to score. Pattyn and Gaarder will be terribly missed next year, and I hope some of the new guys bring some heart and soul with them, even if they don't score a ton. In addition, while I don't want to go back to the bruiser days, a little beef doesn't seem like a terrible idea after watching WMU push the Sioux around a bit this weekend.

jjensen, Thanks for everything. It's a lot of work.

I think UNO's captain didn't make the trip (mono?), which might be a killer for a super-young team.

Signing at your peak makes sense when you are stepping into big money -- that is, into NHL money, not AHL money. While AHL money is good money to most of us, it so pales to NHL pay as to not even be worth considering in the decision. The goal should be to choose the path most likely to result in an NHL career. Given his age and size, Caggiula's a few years from the NHL, so the question is: where are those years best spend in trying to get to the NHL? If it's the AHL, so be it. But that's a tough league full of grown men chasing the same dream. A year of getting stronger might not be a bad idea. I've been on record this year thinking both he and Stecher have a shot at being two of the rare small guys who might actually make it in the NHL. I hope they do, after getting draped in some green and white glory.

I'd hate to play them in the playoffs because the injury risk would be through the roof.

How are you all able to climb back on the bandwagon after breaking ankles jumping off? Quite a feat.

I think WMU is built to win a playoff series. Wear them down the first few games, then take over down the stretch. I felt Hak built his teams that way for a while. It would have worked like a charm, too, if they actually played seven-game series. In fact, the Spartans owe Hak at least a little for that title game win over BC, as the Sioux softened BC up (and got sent to the box for it), and MSU continued the tight checking game (but managed to avoid the box).

We appear to be in a small group on this one, and I hope we're wrong.

MacWilliam was a great heart and soul leader at UND. Hope he gets a chance to shine.

Surprised Stecher isn't making more appearances. There are bigger guys, faster guys, older guys, but if we're choosing teams I know which defenseman I'm picking first. Size is a huge NHL issue, I understand, but he seems to have "it", the hockey sense that has him in the right place ahead of time.

Nice list. I might move Thompson up (still young and a great skater) and I think Ausmus is even higher than that (best NHL body on the team).

Any guesses on who the ten Sioux players on the list are, and in what order? I pretty sure Caggiula is there, at #10 on the UND list. Zane and the first rounders for sure.

I think there'll be less room this weekend than most, with goals more likely to result from point shots through traffic and rebounds.

Maybe the immediate post-mono Olsen is not the same as the one we grew accustomed to.

Phantom calls and missed slashes happen every game and are not really worth mentioning. #4, a replay review where the puck is without question well over the line and play has not been stopped ... well, that's as bad as I've seen. It is no sin they didn't see it live. The guy was in perfect position but his view was obscured. Video review gives them the chance to correct an honest error, and I can't see the point of even having a review if this is the outcome.

I can't pile on Zane so quickly. He also stopped a lot of shots (35?) during the game. I'm sure he wants that last one back, but things happen and you hope the team picks him up.

Funny thing is ... it's entirely possible, especially with a goalie capable of getting hot.

I don't necessarily mean in Fargo. Could be Boston, if both survived regional tests.

Looks like the Sioux and Gophers might be back on that NCAA Tournament collision course.

It's great news. Regarding blue chippers and the makeup of teams, I recall the last two games last season, when all of UND's goals were scored by Pattyn and Gaarder (2), guys not heavily tracked by the legion of internet scouts. You just never know what a team is eventually going to look like. With that noted, high end talent is a welcome part of a well-rounded team.

To which school?

I don't think he/she just made it up. When I first heard of the NCHC, it had BC and Notre Dame in it, but not Western Michigan and SCSU. It was called "National" because they wanted a true national footprint. I agree that it didn't/doesn't make sense for BC, but then again, I think regional footprints like the old WCHA and CCHA make more sense than what we have now.

I've said it before, but the hurdle for becoming competitive is very low. The USHL and other junior leagues are stuffed full of good players, many of whom are seemingly interchangeable. The speed of Penn State's ascent speaks to this, as does, in a way, the recent titles by former mediocrities Yale and Union. Get a good coach with a good eye for talent and chemistry, mix a bunch of older smart grinders with a few late blooming gems and a blue chipper, and there you go. Besides the sun and pretty girls with golden tans, ASU also has the geographical advantage of being the only program anywhere near the bubbling talent factory in California and the Southwest. My main question with ASU is its decision to not get a real Division 1 coach. Gadowsky was a perfect hire by Penn State. Been around enough to know how it all works, but young enough to still be up and coming.

One man's lack of urgency is another's poise. Maybe he just looks like he's going through the motions but he's actually making the plays. Although it's just another routine hockey play, he did get the puck to the net on the 6-on-4, resulting in the tying goal. It seems routine, but those do get blocked from time to time (here having the meaning of "a lot").