SIOUXELEVENS Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 The stanchions on the glass were awful, someone should invest in seamless glass, St. Clouds second goal was a direct result of a bad bounce off one. The Sioux player was trying to dump it in and it took a target center bounce and it goes the other way for a two on one goal. Overall experience wasn't very good downtown St. Paul /xcel is in a class by itself. Target center had poor concessions, poor entrance policies on Friday anyway and downright lousy atmosphe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senor_sieve Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Are these eternal contracts? Were they written in blood? no, but there was a peace pipe ceremony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snova4 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 no, but there was a peace pipe ceremony Well in that case we'll be in the X next year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mksioux Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 It was a 5-year agreement, but I don't know if there are opt-out clauses. The Target Center is obviously not as good as the Xcel Energy Center, but I have a feeling that if UND didn't play so poorly there, our fans would feel a little better about the venue. Having said that, here's my two cents: The NCHC, not the Target Center, is responsible for the stupid policy of having two games per session, which requires some sort of wristband re-entry procedure. Perhaps they could implement a hand-stamp system rather than wristbands, which might speed up the process. But ultimately the NCHC is at fault for this problem with their stupid policy of having two-games per ticket. Yes, it allows the afternoon game to take place later, but I think it's more about a money-grab by the conference to force UND fans to pay for games they may not want to attend. I don't believe the WCHA ever did this for the Final 5 (at least I don't ever recall that in the years I attended, but I didn't attend the last couple years). I agree completely about not having the Gopher-fan foil in the fan contests. That marginalizes the conference and it's a cheap attempt to get some boos. However, it would be easier for the staff to fill out these contests if other conference teams' fans cared enough to come. The old-style plexi glass is bad for viewing. I moved up a few rows so I didn't have to look through that glass. Fortunately, there were many unused seats in my section. The other stuff mentioned on this thread didn't bother me much. The ice/boards/glass for competition seems like sour grapes to me. But yes, that needs to be improved if the Target Center wants to host this tournament for the long term. Other than combining with other conferences and going back to the X, there really are no better alternatives to the Target Center. Denver U. isn't going to support it at the Pepsi Center. Denver averaged something like 3500 fans at their home games. The Pepsi Center would still be dominated by Sioux fans, just fewer in number. Plus, the Pepsi Center is more isolated from downtown than the Target Center is. Omaha has a great set-up with the Century Link Center, but it would be terrible for attendance. Maybe they could just drop the pretext of neutrality and have the Ralph host it. It appears to me that only Sioux fans care about this tournament anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I personally like the downtown Minneapolis location better. I never went to the Final Five but I went to the Frozen Four at the X in 2009 and have now been the Frozen Faceoff both years. Obviously the venue is far superior in St. Paul, but you would think that NCHC and TC staff could get their poop in a group and make the logistics of this way better. I'm just a casual hockey guy so I don't notice things like plexiglass and ice conditions so much. But it was a joke getting both in and out on Friday. The PA announcer is terrible. Do want they did at the Final Five and bring an announcer from the teams, somebody that knows what is going on. The temperature difference between both days was ridiculous, as they were trying to correct the apparent ice problems. If the TC doesn't know how to maintain the ice, the conference, which is full of hockey schools, certainly must have somebody they could suggest to help the TC out with these aspects. I agree if we could win there we would probably find less to complain about. Just the perspective of a casual hockey fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farce poobah Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 The first years of the WCHA Frozen Four in St Paul were awful, worse than what's going on at Target Center. The old Civic Center had crappy ice that was way worse than this ... Gino was just glad nobody got injured. The restaurants all closed before 5pm so there was nowhere to grab a meal before the games. Sightlines were awful... The key here is the NCHC has to step in an offer some leadership (okay direction) to Target Center. If after that, there's no changes, then I'd be in favor of exploring changes of venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Were there even a hundred st clown fans there & maybe a dozen Denver & miami fans actually saw more goof fans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Oh & I miss my dog already Fetch's Valkyrie of the Northland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mksioux Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Were there even a hundred st clown fans there & maybe a dozen Denver & miami fans actually saw more goof fans To me, the lack of St. Cloud fans was a concern for the future of the tournament. Their team was there. They're only an hour away from Minneapolis. They have lots of alumni in the Twin Cities, Yet they barely showed up. Very poor performance by the St. Cloud fans. Will Duluth fans do better once their team finally makes it? I hope so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 One last comment on the Target Center experience.................... I buy a bottle of water at a concession stand. The guy grabs it, opens it and hands it to me. I say, "I'd like to keep the bottle cap". He replies, "I can't give you the cap". I ask "why is that"? He responds, "because people will throw the bottle caps on the ice". I look at him and say, "but what if I decide to throw the entire bottle on the ice"? He shrugs and throws my bottle cap in the trash. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGreyAnt41 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 One last comment on the Target Center experience.................... I buy a bottle of water at a concession stand. The guy grabs it, opens it and hands it to me. I say, "I'd like to keep the bottle cap". He replies, "I can't give you the cap". I ask "why is that"? He responds, "because people will throw the bottle caps on the ice". I look at him and say, "but what if I decide to throw the entire bottle on the ice"? He shrugs and throws my bottle cap in the trash. That's common practice in most arenas. Definitely not unique to Target Center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 That's common practice in most arenas. Definitely not unique to Target Center. OK. I don't get to many arenas other than REA. Just thought it was odd they were worried about me chucking a bottle cap, but not the bottle, cheese-curds, Mikes Lemonade can, popcorn, and everything else I had on my person. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfhockey Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Anyone ever go to a t wolves game when it's more packed ? The concourse is a cluster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 The first years of the WCHA Frozen Four in St Paul were awful, worse than what's going on at Target Center. The old Civic Center had crappy ice that was way worse than this ... Gino was just glad nobody got injured. The restaurants all closed before 5pm so there was nowhere to grab a meal before the games. Sightlines were awful... You are totally right on that! I went to some of those 1990's Civic Center tournaments as well. 1997 was the best one and St Paul was slam-packed for the Sioux-Gopher title game. I don't recall a single restaurant within short walking distance - closest food court was somewhere by the Children's Science Museum - and it closed at 5:00 pm. Without a pro hockey team in town, downtown St Paul would be a food-and-drink desert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND1983 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Anyone ever go to a t wolves game when it's more packed ? The concourse is a cluster Good one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 OK. I don't get to many arenas other than REA. Just thought it was odd they were worried about me chucking a bottle cap, but not the bottle, cheese-curds, Mikes Lemonade can, popcorn, and everything else I had on my person.Seen this many places. I thought the Ralph did it or at least use to do it. Maybe just for beer?But I figured (think) its so a person doesn't put the cap back on the bottle and throw it. Keeping the cap makes it a little harder to throw a bottle full of a liquid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Ice and boards sucked, but it's not a hockey facility so whatever. What I couldn't figure out is why less concession stands on Saturday. We went looking for popcorn and only 1 spot in he whole arena had any. Also for a pro arena I'm surprised at lack of concession items. I think what many forget about St. Paul was that it was impossible to get food or drink at most places because it was so busy. I personally like that there are so many more options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnt Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Just surprised at how unprofessional the Target Center was run this past weekend, and how some of the staff seemed rude to some patrons. This in my opinion is in direct contrast to how the Ralph is run. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringneck28 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 You are totally right on that! I went to some of those 1990's Civic Center tournaments as well. 1997 was the best one and St Paul was slam-packed for the Sioux-Gopher title game. I don't recall a single restaurant within short walking distance - closest food court was somewhere by the Children's Science Museum - and it closed at 5:00 pm. Without a pro hockey team in town, downtown St Paul would be a food-and-drink desert.If anyone has crowd pictures of this, I was sitting in the single seat I behind the net on the south side. I would love to see this pict if it was available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxkid12 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 One last comment on the Target Center experience.................... I buy a bottle of water at a concession stand. The guy grabs it, opens it and hands it to me. I say, "I'd like to keep the bottle cap". He replies, "I can't give you the cap". I ask "why is that"? He responds, "because people will throw the bottle caps on the ice". I look at him and say, "but what if I decide to throw the entire bottle on the ice"? He shrugs and throws my bottle cap in the trash. I was told that it is a hazard because if you leave it on the ground the bottle will squish....LAME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runaroundsioux Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 They didn't let you keep your caps at the X either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDPritch Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 In case you missed the memo, the only way to win playoff hockey is to get lucky. Even though we are the #1 team in America, we need to rely on "luck" to win it all.Do you ever hear football or basketball fans saying their team needs to get lucky to win in the playoffs? I haven't. Especially not the best team.I hear you but that's the sport of hockey (especially college) though when it comes down to play-offs and just one game. There really ain't a whole lot to pick between the top 10 or 12 ranked teams in NCAA hockey so bet blindly. NCAA football and hoops, big difference between the top 3 or 4 teams and those lower ranked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choyt3 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 If you need to measure the thickness if the ice and document it between periods, it's probably too late to do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDPritch Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 I don't think this suggestion has been aired: STOP featuring gopher fans in the down time contests and on the big screen. They aren't in our conference they have nothing to do with the tournament. it is obvious a lame attempt by the production crew to add some emotion to the lame atmosphere that they have created and perpetuate. Another possibility is that the production crew is all gopher fans and they think it's fun to get a reaction from UND fans. Would the Big 10 conference ever feature UND fans during the Big 10 tournament - well they probably could and the 100 fans in attendance wouldn't notice.Hah, I thought the very same thing--agree 100% with your post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrkac Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 The stanchions on the glass were awful, someone should invest in seamless glass, St. Clouds second goal was a direct result of a bad bounce off one. The Sioux player was trying to dump it in and it took a target center bounce and it goes the other way for a two on one goal. Overall experience wasn't very good downtown St. Paul /xcel is in a class by itself. Target center had poor concessions, poor entrance policies on Friday anyway and downright lousy atmosphe finally get my answer. from my viewpoint, Stetcher wound up and tried to crank it deep but the puck ended up hitting a stachion....boom 2 on 1 the other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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