What's my problem?

[Marty]

What is my deal? Is anyone else feeling a little iffy on the upcoming season? I mean, with all of these changes to the program I'm afraid it won't be the same Sioux hockey I've been accustomed too. After last year's unbelievably dissappointing end to the season I have heard nothing to settle my stomach. The Trinity left our program God's sake! Parise, Blais, and Bochenski all bolt to the NHL. Do they know something I don't? Will someone give me some positive vibes to calm my stomach.

By no means am I going to give up on the program though. I bleed Sioux green during the season.

[State Of Hockey]

You should be worried. This is Blais' last recruiting class and Hakstol will not do as well as Blais did in this regard. The arena is a good tool to lure top recruits but Blais was the main reason for all of the talent. I see a slow and long road down the WCHA ladder for the Sioux as other teams that have been in a rut return to old glory days (Wisconsin, Duluth)

[skateshattrick]

What is my deal? Is anyone else feeling a little iffy on the upcoming season? I mean, with all of these changes to the program I'm afraid it won't be the same Sioux hockey I've been accustomed too. After last year's unbelievably dissappointing end to the season I have heard nothing to settle my stomach. The Trinity left our program God's sake! Parise, Blais, and Bochenski all bolt to the NHL. Do they know something I don't? Will someone give me some positive vibes to calm my stomach.

By no means am I going to give up on the program though. I bleed Sioux green during the season.

The Sioux should have the best defense in the WCHA, if not the country. The Sioux return seniors Matt Jones, Andy Schneider and Nick Fuher, junior Matt Greene (the Edmonton Oilers tried very hard to get him to sign a pro contract) and sophomore Matt Smaby. They also have the #2 ranked freshman defenseman coming in, Kyle Radke, who is known for his offensive skills. The Sioux also return both starting goalies, and have the No. 3 ranked freshman goalie, Phil Lamoreaux. They did lose scoring, but have some returning players that will be able to score, including Stafford, Brad Murray, Chris Porter, Genoway, McMahon, Fylling as well as the No. 1 ranked freshman forward, Travis Zajac. Even if the Sioux have trouble scoring, how are they going to get by the defense?

The Sioux will be tough. There are, however, 5 other teams in the WCHA that will also be pretty good---Wisconsin, UMD, Denver, CC and Minnesota. Minnesota lost even more than the Sioux with the loss of several key seniors and the early departure of Ballard and Vanek. I'm looking forward to this season.

[jloos]

The Sioux should have the best defense in the WCHA, if not the country. The Sioux return seniors Matt Jones, Andy Schneider and Nick Fuher, junior Matt Greene (the Edmonton Oilers tried very hard to get him to sign a pro contract) and sophomore Matt Smaby. They also have the #2 ranked freshman defenseman coming in, Kyle Radke, who is known for his offensive skills. The Sioux also return both starting goalies, and have the No. 3 ranked freshman goalie, Phil Lamoreaux. They did lose scoring, but have some returning players that will be able to score, including Stafford, Brad Murray, Chris Porter, Genoway, McMahon, Fylling as well as the No. 1 ranked freshman forward, Travis Zajac. Even if the Sioux have trouble scoring, how are they going to get by the defense?

The Sioux will be tough. There are, however, 5 other teams in the WCHA that will also be pretty good---Wisconsin, UMD, Denver, CC and Minnesota. Minnesota lost even more than the Sioux with the loss of several key seniors and the early departure of Ballard and Vanek. I'm looking forward to this season.

[schmidtdoggydog]

You should be worried. This is Blais' last recruiting class and Hakstol will not do as well as Blais did in this regard. The arena is a good tool to lure top recruits but Blais was the main reason for all of the talent. I see a slow and long road down the WCHA ladder for the Sioux as other teams that have been in a rut return to old glory days (Wisconsin, Duluth)

I think Gopher fans should be more concerned with how their team will fare this season rather than how UND will be in the year's ahead.

It seemed that DH did a pretty good job convincing past recruits before DB hooked them. I am not too concerned at this point!

[Let'sGoHawks!]

I think UND will be fine this year. The previous posts have shown how good the incoming class is. With Parise and Bochenski leaving, doors have opened for other players to step up. Blais will be missed, but Hakstol should be a solid replacement. It should be an exciting season, and yes, I am excited for it to begin.

[OETKB]

This year's team: Likely good enough to win the WCHA. This is a very experienced & deep roster, even without Parise & Bochenski. Look for Murray, Stafford & Zajac to battle for the scoring lead. The defense should be the best in the nation. Goaltending should not be a concern. All together, a great team.

Coaching changes: Not that much will change, as the two assistants from the past several seasons were promoted. It helps a team to keep the same core around, assuming they are competent, which they are.

Plus, we got Cary Eades back as an assistant. He's good enough to be the head coach, but he agreed to come back as an assistant. I was very surprised. Look for him to take over the offensive drills. Look for Sioux players to be just a little more aggressive as a result.

Recruiting: Hakstol did a large amount of the recruiting under Blais, didn't he? Also, Eades is a proven recruiter. I'll bet UND continues to land the best of the best. Now, if we can just keep them in Grand Forks for more than 2 years...

P.S. I'm going to enjoy watching the Sioux spank the Goofs this year!

[ScottM]

I'm not worried about this season. Even though the WCHA will still be the toughest league in the country, I still think the Sioux will finish in the top 2-3. Losing Parise and Money will hurt at first, but it will give guys like Murray, Porter and Stafford a chance to shine, as well guys like Zajac and Spirko a chance to prove their worth. I think our goalies and D-corps will be very strong. Losing Blais will hurt, and even as much as I bitched about the hiring process, I think Hakstol will do fine as head coach. It's going to an interesting year, and everybody will learn alot. However, barring major injuries or a bad string of games, I think we'll be in the NC$$ tourney again.

[sagard]

I don't think any Sioux fan should fret about this season. Offense is far easier to replace than experienced defense. There is no way the Sioux will finish lower than second in the WCHA this year. As for the playoffs, I'm sure the Sioux will be one of the top 4 seeds in the NCAAs as well.

You can probably expect a slight decline in scoring, but that just will make more entertaining weekends for you all maybe a couple more ties. There will not be a dramatic fall from last year.

[U2Bad1]

You should be worried. This is Blais' last recruiting class and Hakstol will not do as well as Blais did in this regard. The arena is a good tool to lure top recruits but Blais was the main reason for all of the talent. I see a slow and long road down the WCHA ladder for the Sioux as other teams that have been in a rut return to old glory days (Wisconsin, Duluth)

The history of UND's program was very mediocre before Blais came to UND.

[jeffj]

Don't sell Hak short on the recruiting. He is very compelling. Comes across with a no b/s type of demeanor. UND is in good hands.

[MafiaMan]

Marty...were you expecting a letter of apology from Dean and co. for letting you down last season? Gimme a break and look forward to the upcoming season. Funny how some people let their lives be ruled by how a bunch of college kids perform on skates.

UND has survived the loss of Thorndycraft, Casey, Murray, Belfour, Hrkac, Greg and Steve Johnson, Gino Gasparini, Panzer, and Goehring. It will survive without Bochenski, Parise, and Blais.

Now, unless you want to get rid of your season tickets so you can jump out of your 5th floor office building, I suggest you relax and enjoy what should be a very entertaining season.

[Godsmack]

I recall the same banter when Lucia left CC. While Scott Owens hasn't been able to get the Tigers back to the Frozen 4, he has consistently had competitive, NCAA-bound teams.... While the new coaching staff has a lot to say about the quality of the future recruiting classes, I think that UND's reputation (created in part by Blais) will help the program continue to recruit strong players. Being no expert, I still feel that Hakstol has a lot working in his favor-strong supporting cast in Berry and Eades, the arena (which apparently sells itself), and all of those championships (see the banners hanging from the rafters).

[redwing77]

How much of the recruiting was done by Hakstol? I know that for sure Blais didn't do all of the recruiting.

I'd be curious to know which current players are mainly Hakstol's recruiting and which are Blais'? I'm fairly certain Bo and ZPar were recruited by Blais, but what about Stafford? Zajac? Our Defense?

I think Hak's role in recruiting is a lot larger than most people believe.

[SiouxMeNow]

You should be worried. This is Blais' last recruiting class and Hakstol will not do as well as Blais did in this regard. The arena is a good tool to lure top recruits but Blais was the main reason for all of the talent. I see a slow and long road down the WCHA ladder for the Sioux as other teams that have been in a rut return to old glory days (Wisconsin, Duluth)

nice try!

[sprig]

This team reminds of on 1982 (which I thought had to be the best Sioux defensive team ever, but, was not, as last year's team was the best ever, and, as others have said, return their entire defense and goaltending).

Since there was no internet and message boards, goph fans couldn't go on about lost points, etc, etc (and many on the 80 ncaa championship team jumped ship after that victory). Apologies to sagard, who seems to have always placed returning defense first (as I think he predicted PMart would be the gophs biggest loss last year, before it happened).

The 82 team returned great leadership in Ludwig, Casey, Eades, Sykes, and Murray, and brought in possibly the best Sioux frosh class ever (Patrick, Zombo, Archibald, Sherven, Tippet, and Donnelly). If INCH had been around and not rated this class #1, they would have been wrong.

Forward to this year, with the entire record setting (in Sioux history) defense, with experienced goaltending, and leadership in Jones, Schneider, Greene, Fuher, Smaby, McMahon, Murray, Porter, Stafford, Prpich, the list goes on and on, along with another highly touted (and "small" in numbers) freshman class (Zajac, Spirko, Radke, Lamoreaux, Kaip), and it's safe to say expectations should be high in Sioux camp.

If you're going to worry, worry a year from now, when a large senior class is gone, along with inevitable early defections.

[AZSIOUX]

I am very excited about this season. The new era begins under DH. The sioux do not rebuild they reload and this will continue under DH. We have the top recruiting class coming in meaning every player has the chance to be a impact player sometime in the very near future. Not a huge class but a very quality class. MAFIAMAN is right, don't dwell on last year , look forward to this season. I was there in CC and could not believe it myself but oh well!!! after a couple of months of bumming its time to look at the deep 04/05 team and hope they can win the WCHA and proceed into the NCAA'S..................................

[schmidtdoggydog]

The 82 team returned great leadership in Ludwig, Casey, Eaves . . . .

Sprig,

Have you got the Badgers on your mind?

[sprig]

Sprig,

Have you got the Badgers on your mind?

Looks like it; that's not the first time I've done that

[The Sicatoka]

I hope they remember a 1-0 loss to DU on CC's ice.

I hope they remember it every time they look up at a scoreboard.

I hope they remember that they can't depend on someone else to get it done.

I hope they remember that night and I hope it hurts.

I hope they use that memory as motivation to not let it happen again.

There's unfinished business that a team, not a couple of marquee name guys, a team needs to deal with.

[MafiaMan]

I hope they forget all about it, Sicatoka. They lost to Denver, the team who went on a more improbable title run than the 1997 Sioux. Good for Denver...and good for the WCHA. It's a new season and we will all have new memories of it when all is said and done. Hopefully it results in a national championship, but I'm getting sick and tired of people writing off an entire season because the Sioux don't win the national title. It's happened 7 times in 50+ years, folks. The odds say that it won't happen.

I take sports as seriously as the next guy, but what do some of you want? Players to commit suicide over losing a 1-0 hockey game to the eventual national champs?

[The Sicatoka]

I don't think any MacNaughton season is a bad one. However, they did leave unfinished business.

I want them to use the end of last year as motivation to be the "1" and not the "0" on the next "1-0" scoreboard.

[MafiaMan]

I agree about the unfinished business, Sicatoka. And for that reason, I'm disappointed that both Bochenski and Parise decided to leave school. In a perfect world, they both would have come back and cemented their legacy in Sioux lore by winning an NCAA title. Alas, that won't happen, so it's time for this new group to carry the torch. Maybe someone on this year's squad is destined to be the next Matt Henderson. Maybe not. That's why we play the games.

[OETKB]

Unfinished business. Absolutely. Not a huge deal in MY life, but I'll bet Mr McMahon, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Jones, & Mr. Greene will agree with Sicatoka.

I watched the game via Satellite. The Sioux played a great game, but something has been missing the last few years offensively. Can't quite place what it is. Perhaps they are not crashing the net enough. Maybe they need a guy who can camp in front at certain times. They cycle the puck and skate hard and get off plenty of shots, but in the playoffs they've been unable to score.

Let's hope this season brings retribution with a trip to the Frozen Four. It's been long enough now that no one on this team has been to the dance. That just aint right!

[dagies]

How much of the recruiting was done by Hakstol? I know that for sure Blais didn't do all of the recruiting.

I'd be curious to know which current players are mainly Hakstol's recruiting and which are Blais'? I'm fairly certain Bo and ZPar were recruited by Blais, but what about Stafford? Zajac? Our Defense?

I think Hak's role in recruiting is a lot larger than most people believe.

I think the assistant bears the majority of the load of ID'ing recruiting candidates, and sealing deals but the Head Coach swoops in where necessary to seal the deal with the most desired targets.

With that in mind Hak's successful track record in recruiting should provide some security that he will continue to land top flight recruits.

The wild card would be, and I'm guessing here, that the Head Coach has input into who the recruiting targets will be, and by presence alone provides motivation for a recruit to commit. Blais absence indeed leaves a void which may or may not be an issue in the future.

I'm guessing Hakstol has enough experience and success here that we don't need to worry too much, and certainly don't need to lose sleep over the doom that a poster named "State of Hockey" might lay on our program.