Sioux at Seawolves

[CoteauRinkRat]

The next Sioux hockey coach will be whoever ends up marrying Katie O'Keefe.

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If that isn't the truth.

[Goon]

If that isn't the truth.

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Apparently she is getting married this summer to a UND hockey player.

[tnt]

Splitting at Anchorage is no crime this year, however I am concerned at what I am hearing from the coach. He said if we would have come out better on Saturday they might have been able to get Anchorage down a bit. My question is this, when you have lost five WCHA games in a row, how can you not come out ready to play the next night, especially when you are on the NCAA tournament bubble and home ice bubble?" If this was an abberation, I could cut them some slack, but this has become a habit of this team-playing well, or hard one night then coming out soft the next. He also mentioned that Brady Murray probably won't be at full strength for a while yet, and that they hit two posts. Sound like he is enabling his players coming out soft by providing excuses when they lose. Again if this was a one-time thing I could cut some slack, but it is rehashed week after week. I thought only Frank Mazzocco kept track of the number of pipes Minnesota hit. From what Tim Hennessey said, Anchorage was shorthanded for Saturday, but they came out and played hard, despite having the built-in excuse. I hope I don't have to hear it the rest of the year (because it would mean the Sioux are winning), but I would like to hear the Dean Blais-type rant about his players needing to step it up after a loss rather than the number of near-misses, especially when it was initially admitted that the team didn't come out ready to play. It certainly doesn't reflect well on either the coach or the players. Now lets take care of business this weekend and not use Bruckler's great goaltending as an excuse. The Sioux need to clinch home ice and get the pairwise points that this weekend can bring.

[Wreckincrew]

...been total homers, or been Gopher fans

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Isn't that one in the same?!?

I agree with you RWTD, both yours & UMDDogz posts that I have read have never been flame-inducers (besides some good natured ribbing, which is to be expected and is what makes a rivalry fun).

FWIW I have (besides the too numerous to count UND clothing) one MSU-Mankato hockey hat (I live 40 minutes from 'Kato and get free tickets a couple times a year) and one UM-Duluth T-shirt (to show my support @ the Rodent/Bulldog Final 5 game last year). There was a time last year when A FEW Bulldog fans were behaving like JBSU fans circa 2001-2002 but this season

[brianvf]

The next Sioux hockey coach will be whoever ends up marrying Katie O'Keefe.

Meet Ryan Hale, the next Sioux hockey coach.

[BringDeanBack]

Meet Ryan Hale, the next Sioux hockey coach.

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That would be an upgrade. Heck, I would even take Alan Hale (the skipper from Gilligan's Island). With the talent that this team has, anyone that walks upright and has a pulse should be able to be .500 with this team.

[Runninwiththedogs]

Isn't that one in the same?!?

I agree with you RWTD, both yours & UMDDogz posts that I have read have never been flame-inducers (besides some good natured ribbing, which is to be expected and is what makes a rivalry fun).

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Aww now I'm getting warm fuzzies.

And of course it's one and the same, that's why I said it!

I'm not really all that mad, because it's not like people won't continue to act like we're the enemy. I'm more mad about the way some of the fans are talking about your team and each other.

[Sioux_Hab-it]

That would be an upgrade. Heck, I would even take Alan Hale (the skipper from Gilligan's Island). With the talent that this team has, anyone that walks upright and has a pulse should be able to be .500 with this team.

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You must be watching a different team than I am. What pulse have Massen, Canady and Fylling demonstrated. They are seniors for crying out loud and other than Fyllings recent empty netter tell me the last time that anyone of them contributed a goal to help the Sioux cause. They are deadwood that no Div I let alone WCHA team can afford to carry.

[SiouxperFan]

You must be watching a different team than I am. What pulse have Massen, Canady and Fylling demonstrated. They are seniors for crying out loud and other than Fyllings recent empty netter tell me the last time that anyone of them contributed a goal to help the Sioux cause. They are deadwood that no Div I let alone WCHA team can afford to carry.

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I thought we were talking about the new coach Ryan O'Keefe??!!

Looking back on some of your posts Sioux Hab it, you sure cut down Massen and Fylling...Did you use to play with or against them and now you are trying to get even. Did you get the axe?? Give the guys a break, shut your trap or LACE 'UM UP, BIG BOY.

Lets support the SIOUX not tear them down.

[BringDeanBack]

You must be watching a different team than I am. What pulse have Massen, Canady and Fylling demonstrated. They are seniors for crying out loud and other than Fyllings recent empty netter tell me the last time that anyone of them contributed a goal to help the Sioux cause. They are deadwood that no Div I let alone WCHA team can afford to carry.

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I agree that they are deadwood, however, with 4 very experienced d men, solid goaltending for the most part, and enough blue chippers like Murray, Stafford, and Zajac, I still think this team could sleepwalk to a .500 record, which is basically what they have done so far.

[redwing77]

I thought we were talking about the new coach Ryan O'Keefe??!!

Looking back on some of your posts Sioux Hab it, you sure cut down Massen and Fylling...Did you use to play with or against them and now you are trying to get even. Did you get the axe?? Give the guys a break, shut your trap or LACE 'UM UP, BIG BOY.

Lets support the SIOUX not tear them down.

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Some of these fans are having a tough time handling a down year with an overhyped senior class. When something like this happens, coupled with injuries and the realization that the WCHA is getting better and better yet they refuse to admit to it, they start doing the only thing they can: rationalize their position by pointing fingers.

I don't have much tolerance for that, but I guess that's tough on me. I post back as angry as ever and I realize that they have a right to point fingers at the team. It is a free country. They can even call it criticism if they wish even though it's hardly constructive. It's the world we live in.

Perhaps one of the reasons why I don't point fingers at players is because I can't play the game of hockey and to see them go out and do the best they can, even if they lose, is still privilege enough. They do what I cannot. A lot of them have great talent. Who knows what the future provides, but perhaps a NC isn't in the cards for these seniors. Maybe not for the juniors either. Who knows, but I'm along for the ride regardless. And I'm happy to ride along.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

Well said RedWing77.

Well said.

You da man. Or da woman. Not sure, but well said.

[HKNTSMN]

Sioux Hockey should reload...

Under 500 is not acceptable. Losing a critical game at Anchorage is unacceptable.

I think that the Sioux should suprise us all with a sweep of the Badgers.

It is time for the stars to shine..

Come on Massen light it up.. show me you can do it...

I know you can if you decide to.

Mike Prpch... get that contagious smile going and Rory just be Rory and let's kick some badger butt!!!!

[Goon]

Mike Prpch... get that contagious smile going and Rory just be Rory and let's kick some badger butt!!!!

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Just as long as its not another fighting DQ.

[MafiaMan]

Dam Strait,

Are you kidding me? Did you actually write "I just want what is best for MY (emphasis added) Sioux."? See page 14 of this thread if you need to re-read it. You have lost your mind. I just love it when some no-name fan who bucks up for couple of tickets to any sporting event decides that a particular team is "his" and refers to it as such.

"My Vikings lost today. Time to fire the coach and trade Moss." LOL. Yea, your team lost. And it's all your fault because you made a bad coaching decision or you dropped a for-sure touchdown. Oh, nevermind, you were the guy in the nosebleed seats watching the game with your binoculars. Is it your $200-$400 million invested in the team? Are you the GM? No, you're a fan, dumba**. Get over yourself.

"I just want what is best for my Sioux." Are you on the board of regents? UND Administration? State Legislature? Assistant coach? Janitor at the arena? What, oh what, qualifies the Sioux to be YOUR team any more than the team is mine, PCM's, or Dagies'? Unbelievable.

[dagies]

It is mine. I just couldn't afford Kessel.

[Supertrex]

"I just want what is best for my Sioux."

[redwing77]

[Fedorov]

I would like to see Hakstol pull a Joey Kocur and throw a chair on the ice the next time the ref is blowing the game.

[redwing77]

I would like to see Hakstol pull a Joey Kocur and throw a chair on the ice the next time the ref is blowing the game. 

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That would be interesting. With the cool demenor Hak gives off, it would be so out of character that everything would stop...except the cheering out of the student section

[MafiaMan]

I am still tired of the "this is unacceptable for our program" attitude. It's called a tough season, folks. I've been a fan for twenty years. For you newbies, I suggest you re-read some of your Sioux history and check out the "Dark Ages," also known as the time frame of about 1991-1995 when there were 3,000 fans at Engelstad and the team was limping thru the last years of Gino Gasparini. Everyone had forgotten about the 3 NCAA titles by the time his grand tenure wore down. Hell, Wisconsin has been down for a few years and only last year, climbed out of the hole. The Gophers went thru a tough spell in the late 1990's. You can't expect to lose players like Bochenski and Parise and not recover. Ask UMD how they feel about seeing Junior Lessard graduate. Oh, no problem, it's only one or two guys. Yea, but those guys are difference makers.

I think the one common thread we can all hang our hat on is that regardless of your opinion of the players or the coaches lately, we're all disappointed in what we're seeing. I'm sure they have the same feeling in the locker room.

Now, I'm not going to go Green Bay on you here and start yapping about "Titletown" and championships won before there was even a Super Bowl, but I will say that I'd rather be a Sioux fan having personally witnessed one NCAA title (1997) and watching another one on TV (2000) as opposed to being a fan of Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Northeastern, Ferris State, or any other school that hasn't gotten close to sniffing an NCAA championship trophy. I'm not ripping on those schools, it's just a matter of expectations. And our expectations of Fighting Sioux hockey are high. We know that, the players know that, and the coaches know that. I'm guessing no matter how this season winds up for the Sioux, they will be back with a vengeance next season.

[jk]

MafiaMan, I mostly agree with your sentiment, with a few reservations. I can accept a tough season, but it's easier to do when you can see it coming. For instance, I was fine with what occurred in 2001-2002. It wasn't fun, but you could imagine the beatings those kids took being repaid with interest a few years down the road. I think the problem many have with THIS tough season is that it was harder to see coming. Of course the early departers were key players, but I thought they were bringing enough back, and adding enough, to still be a Top 10 -type team. I was wrong.

The other reason it is tough to take is that I personally thought #8 was coming last year or this year. Last year was a near miss, and this year's looking pretty unlikely as well. Additionally, the next chance at #8 looks like it may be a few years away, as the odds of all the kids coming in next year and winning a lot don't seem good. A lot of lower teams in the league are getting better, and Wisconsin and MN look like they will be beasts next year. I don't imagine CC and Denver will slip much either. That's why this year seemed important to me.

[MafiaMan]

That's the problem, jk. Who sets expectations? The fans? The media? Check out any sport. Do you think Carolina set out to miss the playoffs this year after almost winning the Super Bowl last year? Who didn't think Tampa Bay would be a dynasty when they rumbled over the Raiders three years ago? I know I thought they'd win one or two more easily in the next couple of seasons. Now there's like 1 guy left over from that title team! How could the Yankees not win the World Series this past year? Down 3-0, Doug Minkeiwitz was whining in the clubhouse...now he's being fitted for his World Series ring. Who thought the Lakers would get spanked by the Pistons last spring? Did anyone hear guess that Tampa Bay would be hoisting the Stanley Cup and that the Red Wings would be bounced in the early rounds of the playoffs for the second straight year? When expectations are high, the disappointment is greater.

I felt this season that both UND and UMD would be better than they have been, but obviously losing key players has hurt more than most people thought possible. In UND's case, I think the coaching change has set things back as players must adjust to a new style, not to mention the fact that injuries have played a key part this season.

We'll see what happens in the next two weeks, but I think anything less than a Sioux sweep of the next four games will result in them sitting home watching the tournament. And don't give me any of this quality loss crap if they lose close games to Wisconsin and if someone else's power ranking drops. UND right now does not belong in the tournament. Period. If they win the next four games, maybe the computers will turn in their favor, but right now, this team can and deserves to be staying home.

[sprig]

The other reason it is tough to take is that I personally thought #8 was coming last year or this year.  Last year was a near miss, and this year's looking pretty unlikely as well.  Additionally, the next chance at #8 looks like it may be a few years away, as the odds of all the kids coming in next year and winning a lot don't seem good.  A lot of lower teams in the league are getting better, and Wisconsin and MN look like they will be beasts next year.  I don't imagine CC and Denver will slip much either.  That's why this year seemed important to me.

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Same for me, it seemed that number 8 had a good chance of happening last year or this year.

My question is, for those that have kept track, how many players have jumped ship early without winning a national championship? My memory is better during Gino's early years, where many players left after winning the NCAA. I had no expectation of either ZPar or Bo leaving after losing the Denver game, yet they did. Has it been common for Sioux players to leave early between the championship years of 1987 and 1997.

Feels like the NHL CBA may have worked in reverse, in that owners wanted to sign their top draft picks and get them experience in the AHL while it was full of NHL players. Probably good experience for players like Zach and Bo.

[jk]

I wasn't entirely clear, but I was trying to explain my own disappointment, which results from my own expectations. I set my own expectations. I frequently set 'em wrong. Thank goodness I was wrong in 2000, because I thought UND was going to suffer through a painful rebuilding year.