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College Hockey:
Series records favor CCHA teams in Frozen Four semifinal matchups

USCHO Staff Report •

A pair of CCHA-WCHA matchups are in the works for the 2011 Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

And if history holds any weight, the CCHA teams have the advantage.

Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth will play in one national semifinal on Thursday, April 7, and Michigan and North Dakota will square off in the other.

The Irish and the Wolverines both hold the lead over their upcoming opponents in the series records.

Notre Dame is 18-10-4 against the Bulldogs, including a 3-1 victory in the teams’ most recent meeting on Jan. 3, 2009, at the Shillelagh Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

The teams first met on Feb. 12, 1971, a 5-5 tie in South Bend, Ind.

Michigan holds a 45-40-4 lead over North Dakota in a series that dates to Jan. 9, 1948, the year that Michigan claimed the inaugural NCAA tournament championship.

The Fighting Sioux won that first game between the teams, 6-5 in Ann Arbor, Mich., but the Wolverines took the next 10 meetings.

North Dakota won the most recent game, an 8-5 victory in an NCAA regional semifinal in Denver on March 24, 2007. The teams have split six games played on neutral ice.

Minnesota-Duluth was the first to claim a spot in the Frozen Four, beating Yale 5-3 in the East Regional final on Saturday.

Michigan made it two with a 2-1 victory over Colorado College in the West Regional later Saturday.

North Dakota rolled past Denver 6-1 and into a Frozen Four spot from the Midwest Regional on Sunday.

Notre Dame completed the group by ousting New Hampshire 2-1 on Sunday in the Northeast Regional.


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  • Dave

    Its gonna be North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth in the championship game, with the Sioux taking the cake. Oh, and Matt Frattin winning the Hobey Baker to complete the best season for the Sioux ever going 4 for 4 on the trophys! Go Sioux!

    • Jdorf40

      Man would that be Sioux-eet!! I hope you’re right Dave. I want nothing more than to see the Sioux win it all and for Frattin to win the Hobey, but an all WCHA final would be pretty tight as well.

    • Robviking70

      You are a nut

    • 5kops

      Frattin is not a Hobey baker person, getting hammered and throwing furniture all over the street is not about hobey baker. Frattin is a good hockey player, but a loser off the ice!

      • Boomer

        5Kops you are right on. The Holy Cross kid should win it. Oh and Fire LUCIA!

        • WildGopher

          I’m not ready to write off Lucia quite yet. He has won a couple of Nat’l Championships (I know, I know, what has he done for us lately!), and he has not been able to duplicate the success that NoDak has in the face of the NHL taking players, But his teams are still viable in the WCHA he’s 3-3-2 against North Dakota the last two years, but hasn’t been able to come up with any consistancy from week to week.

          • Jim

            3-4-2

          • WildGopher

            Whoops, forgot one L in last year’s WCHA playoffs. Thanks.

          • WildGopher

            Last thing, the Gophers were 8-6-2 against all of the playoff teams this year, and 3-1-1 agains the teams remaining in the final four. Lack of consistant play, not necessarily a bad team, or bad coaching. He has gone away from the all-Minnesotan rosters of Doug Woog, but still only has 4 players from outside MN and no Canadians. I love the all home state thing, but I think that the days of 02 and 03 are probably over, and he is going to have to open up his recruiting a bit more. (Duluth 7 Canadians and NoDak 14)

          • DG

            Why wouldn’t u want canadians if they help you win? A smart coach would recruit whoever makes your team better even if they’re not from the “state of hockey.” I don’t know how he let Polacek get away, he’s a great player.

          • WildGopher

            I agree with you to a point. John Mariuchi (“The Godfather of Minnesota Hockey”)had a dream of an All Minnesota hockey team, and for many decades it was nearly so. It came to fruition under Doug Woog, who unfortunately could get his teams to the top, but never OVER the top. The 2002 and 2003 National Championship teams were nearly entirely recruited by him, but Lucia got the credit (justifiably, don’t get me wrong!). The 02 team had only a couple of non-Minnesotans on it and 03 might have had three. There is such young hockey talent in MN that it isn’t really necessary to travel outside of the state much. The problem that occurs though, is that sometimes you need a left handed 6’2″ forward, and there just are none of them out there in-state. The alumni and fans like me are the real problem. We want to be able to root for a team that truly represents our state (and to be honest the Gopher Hockey team is about the only one in any sport College or Pro that can say that), but we also want a Final Four every year and a championship every other. This hasn’t been a problem traditionally, but the last three years have been a real dry spell for the Gophers. While North Dakota replaces the players that the NHL takes early, Minnesota generally tries to replace them with young men from Minnesota instead of finding the best player regardless of his home state/country. The Goph’s therefore, replace an elite player like Thomas Vanek (Austrian), Kyle Okposo, or Eric Johnson with a very good player, but not quite that same level. I think that the day will come soon when a full quarter to a third of the Gopher’s roster will be from out of the state. There is just too much pressure at the U of M to get back on top. We will tolerate mediocrity in our college football and basketball teams, but not in our hockey teams (men and women’s).

          • Orleanshomes

            Well said. And next year a total of ZERO seniors on the team. It IS time to change our ways.

      • Jdorf40

        So what you’re saying is that if Frattin doesn’t win it, whoever does will never be allowed to get into any kind of trouble, otherwise they’ll be forced to return the award correct? Get real. MOST college kids drink and use poor judgment at some point in their young lives. Not all of them get caught. And even fewer are the ones that have the ability to step back, evaluate which direction they want their life to go and proceed accordingly. Trust me, I get really frustrated with kids who have bright futures that they throw away. Matt Frattin has done the exact opposite. If you think there is somebody more deserving, that’s fine. But don’t base your argument on the fact that he got drunk and acted stupid well before this season even started because since he served his suspension, he’s done things by the book.

        • HockeyFan

          I’m not going to trash Frattin or anything because I’m sure he is a great kid.

          I think Miele is more deserving because: he’s had a hell of a season, is a great student, he is the most respected player in the CCHA (according to opposing coaches and players) and he is active in the school and community.

          • SiouxFanInMichigan

            Well those are definitely reasons for feeling that he should win it. And I can respect that. As many have said, it’s sort of a 2 man show at this point. I’m sort of worried that there will be people who won’t vote for Frattin because of his off ice issues that are now quite some time ago. Based on this season though, I don’t think there’s been a better hockey player in the country. Not from a leadership example, from a goal scoring example or from a clutch example. I really felt like it was up in the air and was anyones game until the WCHA tournament. He scored the game winner vs. CC with less than 5 minutest to play in the semi’s and then buried the winner vs. Denver in the championship during the second OT. They’re 2 completely different players, and though I admire Miele’s play, and the things he does for the school and community, this year Matt Frattin has been the best hockey player in the country in my opinion. And they’re still playing which unfortunately will hurt Miele. To get skunked and be a 1 and done as a #1 seed won’t help him at all. But I do think Miami got the short end having to travel and play UNH in their yard.

      • DU_Fan

        A real loser off ice. Got tired of the ESPNU announcers calling him a real role model for changing his life around. How about someone that never made the mistakes, note plural, in the first place. The only role model on the Sioux is Corban Knight.

        • guest

          it sounds like you know him pretty well calling him a loser off ice. i don’t quite understand how making a small drunken mistake makes you a bad person. in that case you should probably stay away from all college campuses because they’re packed with losers

          • Johnny

            It doesn’t make you a bad person. just not a hobey baker winner…get off your homer bandwagon and see the light…. oh and water that one tree in you god forsakin state.

          • Karl Largen

            I believe you meant mistakes. Plural.

      • Dave

        Really? You may or may not remember, as its been all over the college hockey news, but North Dakota did get rid of Frattin after those incidents. He went back home for a year, got his life back on track and opted to NOT go to the NHL as he was already a draft pick. He came back to ND WITHOUT a scholarship, paid his own way, and walked on the team and was guaranteed nothing. His comeback story is amazing and is ALL about having the qualities of Hobey Baker.

        • HockeyFan

          Miele never screwed up to begin with. How’s that for character?

          • DG

            Meile might have the edge in character, but Frattin’s the best hockey player. It’s a toss up

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KBVOP7JEIJTGTBGPEMTI67KVLU J

            you need to understand that this years hobey is about what happend this year and not in years past. so all the frattin haters statements are false.

          • Jdorf40

            You mean he never got caught.

        • Matt_DUI_Frattin

          You mean to tell me that the future millionaire paid the WHOLE Sixty-Eight hundred dollars?!?!?!?!?!?! Here’s my impressed face :0

          • LetsKeepThingsFair

            It’s weird how that worked out. Frattin was drafted and Miele wasn’t. Not a coincidence. It’s also not a coincidence that Miele was -2 in the game that really mattered and wasn’t on the score sheet. Imagine that, all the while…skating on a line with another Hobey Hopeful. That would suck…

          • Btcooke

            Does anybody remember Hobey voting in years past? Off ice character is equally as important as what you do on the ice. Remember in 2007 when TJ Hensick from Michigan led the league in points, yet somehow he ended up not even being in the final three, based on the fact that he wasn’t known for his good character. It’s not as simple as who the best player is. It’s about who they are.

          • Bullie

            The NHL has nothing to do with the Hobey, keep it fair.

        • Largs

          It’d be a more impressive story if he paid his way back to a school who charged more than 8 G to go to school there.

      • tstreit15

        So your saying that anybody who has ever screwed up in their life should never win an award, never get any appreciation, never be able to make a comeback no matter how good they are and how far they have come since their incident? People screw up, we make poor judgement calls (especially while drunk) but that does NOT make them a loser if they fix their mistakes.

        • Frattin4Dopey

          Correct. Especially when a requirement of the award is character on and OFF the ice, and there are people who have never screwed up bad enough to be removed from the team.

        • Johnny

          Dear tstreit15, Not a Humanitarian/Athlete Award called Hobey baker….Frattin is the WCHA player of the year…great for him….not person of the year. That would go to an American! God Bless American Hockey

  • Yale_Eli

    Can the WCHA forfeit now and just save the gas and hotel money?

    • Sundance

      The answer to the question you weren’t able to figure out is that, technically, they can.

    • Jdorf40

      By means of forfeit is about the only way that Yale would have stood a chance against any of the 5 WCHA teams that made the tournament this year. This despite being handed the #1 overall seed and home ice. Have fun rebuilding. Maybe we’ll see you again in 3-4 years.

      • RamboWildcat

        The bias here is sickening….it was one game, dude….get a life

        • Jdorf40

          Actually “dude” Yale went 1-3 vs. the last 4 tournament teams that they’ve played since January 1st. They lost to Union who got bounced by UMD before Yale did, they lost to RPI who got bounced 6-0 by the Sioux and they were able to eek out a victory in overtime vs. Air Force, who travelled across the country to play Yale in their back yard. Wow…that’s something to hang your hat on. Yale hasn’t had an impressive victory since last season when they beat the Sioux. 1 quality victory over the course of the year…is that what you were referring to when you said it was one game?

          • Columbo

            can’t you losers recognize that this post was started by a UND fan looking to stir trouble? Man you are dense!!!!!

          • B.D.

            How are you certain of his allegiances?

          • Jdorf40

            I don’t really care who started it. What I do know is that Yale got bounced by the first WCHA team they faced which is what anyone not on the East Coast knew was going to happen. And what does “you losers” mean? Last time I checked, the Sioux and the teams that played the #1 and #2 teams from the ECAC are still in it to win it. Maybe you guys will have a chance to prove us wrong after 3-4 years of rebuilding. Until then, you can find us on ESPN2 April 7th. Good day.

        • Stone

          What’s wrong with a little bias?? Fans love their teams. It’s what it’s all about. Sorry, Rambo. Yale wasn’t good enough this year and wouldn’t have been a top 5 team in any other conference…. And in the NCAA’s, one game is all it takes

          • Johnny

            Stoned, how’s the weed buddy? Ski North Dakota….it’s amazing

          • B.D.

            Do you have substantive comments to make? So far you have not shown it….

    • Slapshot106

      Talk’s cheap….it takes money to buy whiskey! No one will get past the mighty Susies….er, Flickertails…..I mean Sioux. The WCHA RULES!!!!!!

      • BC Fan!

        Hockey East won the last 3. WCHA is a Canadian league. All the kids, 25 yr old freshman, that could not cut the mustard in Canada (Juniors) go to the US for a free education. That is why the CCHA spin off of the WCHA.

        GO USA!

        • Kerola

          I just looked at Yale’s roster. 10 Canadians, thats almost half the roster? There are plenty of Canadians in Hockey East as well. The Soiux find hard working boys from up north and top of the rest of the team with Minnesota kids. Know wonder they are always good.

          • J_nd

            Dont forget the NORTH DAKOTA born boys!!

          • Dave

            Hell yea! SR’s Jake Marto and Mario Lamoureux right from Grand Forks!

          • Dave

            Whoops, Mario is a JR not a SR

          • WildGopher

            I’m a Gopher fan, but we couldn’t have won 2 championships without Grant Potulny from Grand Forks. There’s good hockey on the other side of the Red River of the North too!.

        • Gemartin

          Meet me in St. Louis again next year, should be fun if you make it that far.

        • Bradbsstt

          UMD has 15 players from the states, including 4 from Duluth. Mn,WI.,and Den. are loaded with american kids…..So BITE ME GO DULUTH!

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

          This right after the WCHA won 5 in a row and 7 of 11. Your point?

          There are plenty of foreign players in Hockey East. And not nearly as many Canadians in the WCHA as you like to fantasize, although I know it makes you feel better. UMD just reached the Frozen Four with all of 6 or 7 Canadians and about 18 Minnesotans. If Hockey East is the Massachusan (is that the right word? Sorry if not) league, the WCHA is the Minnesotan league. They vastly outnumber Canadians.

        • Scotty

          Ignorance is bliss, huh? I challenge you to find any 25-year old freshmen in the WCHA, or any 25-year old players period. For UND Genoway and Davidson are both 24, but Genoway is playing a fifth season because of a medical redshirt, and Davidson ended up spending a year longer in Canadian juniors. Otherwise no other player on the roster is older than 22. Sounds like normal-aged college kids to me. And these guys don’t cut it in Canadian Juniors? Right, that’s why a majority of them have successful college careers and then move on to the NHL.

          The Canadian argument is getting really, really tiring. It’s a collegiate team, so who cares where your players were born?

        • hockeyfan2145

          you should probably check your facts, before you make stupid comments. actually you are right, j toews couldnt cut the mustard in canadian juniors im sure. Thats the probably the reason crosby went to shattuck in minnesota too. couldnt cut the mustard.

          • Joe C

            I seem to recall Crosby winning the Memorial Cup playing for Rimouski of the QMJHL. I have a picture of him getting stoned by Jaroslav Halak of the Lewiston Maineiacs at my desk. For the record, I have the picture because is is Halak making the save against Crosby, just like in last year’s playoffs.

          • http://twitter.com/SportsDoc63 Ron Seeley

            First: Crosby played his 15 year old season at Shattuck. Second: Rimouski played in the Memorial Cup with Crosby, but did not win it. Third: Toews came to UND as a 17 year old and left as an 18 year old. Fourth: Most players, regardless of country, play a year or two of Juniors before enrolling in a US college program, so most (80%?) Freshman hockey players are 20-21.

            Which teams players are these? Team “A”: Soph avg age 20.1. Jr avg age 21.7. Sr avg age 22.7. Team “B”: Soph avg age 20.5. Jr avg age 21.8. Sr avg age 22.8.

            Hint: One is a top notch HE school and one is a top notch WCHA school. Could not do Freshmen because USCHO does not have birthdays for the Freshman class.

            Not much disparity there.

      • Gemartin

        Stuff it Gopher boy.

  • SrSiouxFan

    This is a USCHO staff report; It’s nonsense. How about some meaningful analysis?

    • Stone

      I’m sure it’s comin buddy… still 9 days still puck drop… Give em a chance lol

      • JOHNNY

        hey it’s stoned again, how’s the weed?

  • Anonymous

    History means nothing in this case. Things that do mean something: Both UND and UMD are peaking. St. Paul is practically a home venue for both UND and UMD. UND wins it all because 1) They have the hot goalie in Dell 2) With Gregoire back in the lineup and Kristo back and playing on fire they have three legitimate scoring lines vs one for UMD and 3) They have more defensive depth.

    Hobey Baker: Frattin deserves it but I predict it will go to Miele. The character issue cuts both ways and Frattin will lose some votes because he got himself in the mess in the first place.

    • Dendrochronology

      The Dogs have more than one scoring line. Brown (15-19–34), Oleksuk (13-18–31), and Schmidt (9-11–20) make up a pretty solid second unit. True we don’t have quite the same scoring depth as UND, but the Dogs aren’t a true “one line team”. Our checking lines did pretty darn well shutting down Yale and Union’s big guns as well. Oh and speaking of hot goalies, Reiter hasn’t given up and even strength goal since the third period against Bemidji at the final five. If the Dogs and Sioux do meet it will be a barn burner!

      • Anonymous

        Believe me I’m not taking UMD for granted should both teams make it to the final. I just like our chances a little better. I do think you have a bit easier path to the final with Notre Dame rather than Michigan.

    • Enron

      I agree on UND and UMD peaking. UND has been scoring Goals in bunches and UMD has gotten pretty hot on the goalie as well (Reiter named Most Outstanding Player for East Regioinals) UMD has 2 legetimate scoring lines – even the the Connelly Connely Fontaine line gets a lot of credit. UMD defensively can hang with UND defensmen I feel any day of the week.

      On the Hobey – Agree on Frattin has an uphill climb because of his past. Let’s not forget UMD’s Jack Connelly has a solid chance at the Hobey. Great off ice record and also 50+ points on the season.

      I would love a UND/UMD showdown. I think right now of teams remaining, UMD has the best chance of taking down UND.

      Go Bulldogs!

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  • Boone Lives

    Who will ESPN gush over at the FF with no one east of Ann Arbor left in the tourney? Fine predictions as usual by the lads from Bristol who no longer even seem to recognize hockey as a sport except for a couple weekends a year.

    Well, having attended the Midwest in Green Bay as a Denver and WMU fan, congrats to a very deserving Sioux team and an enthusiastic following of fans from the Prairie and I hope you guys take it to the finish line. North Dakota was one of three teams that seemed to peak perfectly down the stretch, but the other two, Notre Dame East (Boston Campus, not the main one) and Miami, both faltered quickly in the tourney. (And thanks, CC, for putting the East Beast to bed early & resoundingly!)

    I think attrition from the 2 OT game played a role in the final margin of Sioux victory over DU yesterday, but the Sioux had the better team on any given day. Denver has speed and skill, but ND has those with the add-on of more veteran mature leadership and big kids who can play more physically and keep coming at you. This year’s team is the master stroke of 2-3 solid consecutive years of recruiting and jelling by Hakstol and the coaching staff…props! I would have predicted a ND win of maybe 3-1 or 3-2 if both teams would have had similarly challenging Saturdays, but DU got pushed by an excellent team and ND had a walk in the park and really only had to play with intensity for 25-30 minutes against an RPI team that looked closer to the 2010-11 Michigan Tech team than an NCAA contender. (Props to their goaltender, who was the busiest guy in the building in Green Bay this weekend.)

    Good luck to all 4 in Minneapolis. I’d be happy with any outcome except a win by the South Benders. What’s left in the FF says a lot about how good the 2 western leagues were from top to bottom this season. Every weekend was a war, and there was only one arguable cupcake weekend available in each league. The gauntlets in the WCHA (particularly) and CCHA prepared the four finalists well for the postseason.

    • Dtjsearay2

      Excellent comments Mr. Boone. Its nice to see level headed comments not team bashing on this site.

      I too attended the Green Bay Regional and UND showed how potent they really are vs. DU. A dominate team when all cylinders are running. If you didn’t catch Michigan vs. CC you missed another dominate game. Michigan has speed and talent galore. If they play good defense it will be a tough outing for UND.

      As a Denver fan perhaps you can shed some light on why Denver fans don’t travel well. I know GB is a loing way from Denver but man you can count on one hand the DU fans. Same with the WCHA in St. Paul.

      • Boone Lives

        My thoughts are from the perspective of a DU fan who is one because I lived in Denver for nearly 20 years and was a season ticket holder, but have no other ties to the school. It’s a small, private school with very high-end academics and a relatively small alumni base. Minimal coverage is given to DU hockey by the local Denver press, especially these days with the Avs capturing most of the hockey press. WIthout knowing this for certain, I would guess that not too many DU alums end up making a living in the part of the country where hockey remains a big passion (upper Midwest, Northeast). I was there because I’ve lived in Upper Michigan for the last 15 years and had a rooting interest for both DU and WMU (where I have family ties to the program and must say I’m proud of what Jeff Blashill accomplished this year…hopefully WMU can keep him, he’s going to be a hot coaching commodity!). Add to all of this the fact that the magnitude of youth hockey in Colorado, which had a nice, enthusiastic, but small core when I lived there a couple decades ago, is only now really growing with the Avs’ success and a lot of new rinks and growing programs. (Look at the DU roster–it would have been unimaginable to have so many Colorado players on a DU or CC roster even a decade ago!) There is neither the region-wide passion for hockey one sees in Minnesota or Michigan, nor is there the situation that North Dakota has where it is the one team sport of prominence where the school can and does compete nationally and engages the fan base of a whole state.

        That’s my dime. Nope, DU doesn’t travel well. Hopefully, we make up for it in enthusiasm and passion per capita in a smaller base. George and Mr. Ritchie rescued this tradition-rich program from possible extinction during the Backstrom years when the team was mediocre or worse and had insufficient venue and resources to attract quality players. It’s a different story now, and I think DU will stay at or near the top of the D-1 hockey world as long as they keep Gwozdecky.

        • Gs

          I would guess that hockey is also king at Denver University. I’m a Sioux fan and I actually feel bad for the Denver players. It was hard to even find a parent of one of those kids at either the Final Five or the Midwest Regional much less a regular fan.

          • Annabutt

            hockey isn’t king. pretty much all the students there are just ski bums or something of the like. remember, there isn’t really a winter in denver, and there isn’t any high school hockey in the state. there’s youth hockey, but it may as well be curling cuz its only a select few. i went to school there. the hockey games were packed with students, but they have no idea what is going on. its just a social opportunity, and you can get literally any kind of drink you want at the game (which is pretty sweet though, no jack cloudy at the ralph ;p )

            so yeah. its not surprising they don’t travel well. UND travels well cuz its in the culture. hockey is barely a blip in colorado culture.

      • DU_Fan

        I have been a DU season ticket holder since 1996 and been disappointed on more than a few occasions at the lack of crowds at Magness. For me and my wife, this hockey is as good as it gets for the dollar. The real shame is we had an excellent season, overachieving all expections by the WCHA coaches and writers. In the past DU has made the mistake of scheduling “big” rivalry games while the students are on break. This year they corrected that by putting the Wells Fargo Cup during this period, no WCHA impact for the Cup. This is not meant in any way as a slight or excuse, but there are a few “reasons” people use for not showing up to the games. A lot of people have tickets to the Avalanche and Mammoth games, in addition to the DU ones. DU season ticket sales soared during the NHL lockout but many have gone back to the Avs too. Some also have Nuggets tickets, another poor reason for not going to a DU game. I always travel to CC and Air Force games, as to quite a few DU fans, and attended the Regionals at the World Arena and of course the Regionals and Frozen Four at the Pepsi Center. I was one of the few able to get tickets at the Ralph at the end of October and saw both DU games. One of the reasons the Sioux fill the house almost every game it there is little competition for the sports dollar in Grand Forks. As I stated, this is not meant in any way to be a slight but it is a fact. NOBODY in this country travels better than the Sioux!! That is another fact. Lastly, I hope that we can get the Final Five at the Pepsi Center when Minnesota bails to the Big Ten. That is the one event that will be supported by Denver and CC fans. For now, I hope the Sioux is crowned National Champions in 2 weeks, they deserve it.

        • Nutmeg

          Good rant, full of class and very sensible….

        • Casey Johnson

          Got news for you DU-FAN…….NOBODY TRAVELS BETTER THAM MICHIGAN! WE HAVE THE MOST ALUMNI THAN ANY OTHER UNIVERSITY IN THE U.S., AND WE GO ANYWHERE TO SEE OUR TEAMS, I PROMISE YOU!

          OH, WORD TO THE WISE…….DON’T COUNT US OUT, WE WILL BE A LOAD FOR ANYONE TO DEAL WITH!

          SEE YOU IN ST.PAUL GO BLUE!

          • tstreit15

            im looking forward to seeing the ratio of UND fans compared to michigan fans at the xcel center. I’m pretty sure your terribly mistaken.

          • Stealthgecko

            As a UMD fan and traveler(One of 200), I would find it hard to believe anybody travels as well as the “Sea of Green” that appears anywhere there is a game of Sioux hockey. I guess we will have to see on Thursday, but it would be a great feat to beat the loyalty of UND

          • sioux_rube

            Well it’s not going to happen, no one out travels UND. On a lighter note I can’t wait to cheer tUMD on next Thursday right before we take over the eXcel.

          • Cmp2240

            The main reason that UND travels well is because they really don’t have anything else to root for. No professional teams and when they have a chance to leave ND they do. What else are they spending their dime on…nothing.

          • B.D.

            You’ve obvously not grown up there….

          • GoDawgs!!

            of course the “Sue” travel well…you would too if you lived in Grand Forks…just kidding…kinda

          • B.D.

            Concur.

          • DU_Fan

            No way there will be more ScUM fans than Sioux. It will be a sea of green, no doubt. Anyone that has to use CAPS to make their point, proves they are clueless.

          • 21 and Counting

            This coming from someone who resorts to childish insults like “ScUM” to make theirs. Keep hating from the sidelines, tough guy!

          • Fred23

            A sea of Green Snot!

          • Jdorf40

            Ha Ha Ha. I accept your challenge and raise you. If there are 1/3 as many Michigan fans in St. Paul as there are Sioux fans, I’ll come back and find this post and send you a case of your favorite adult beverage (provided you’re of legal age of course). I was at the Regional in Ft. Wayne last year which is only a few hours from Ann Arbor. I’ve been to the CCHA championship at the Joe. I can’t believe how few fans there are at those games. A heavy majority of North Dakota alumni end up in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I won’t make any guarantees as far as the actual game goes, but I can guarantee you that I won’t be owing you any adult beverages! I just wish I could see the look on your face at the end of the anthem!

          • Johnny

            Dear Casey, wakeup North Dakota will kick the crap out of Michigan. 5 to 1…the wolverines may also lose a few teeth to the hooligans.

        • the truth

          There is not school spirit at DU that why no students show up to even the home games, and the few that do no absolutely nothing about hockey. I am a DU student from minnesota and kids here are hockey retarded. Aside from that the school is way small and the students and hockey players do not get along at all. Thats the real reason you done see DU fans traveling to out of state games frankly no one really care about the hockey team. It suck there a good team but this school has no student fan base.

    • Jdorf40

      Solid post. Totally agree. As a Sioux fan I was puckering up at the thought of playing Denver again. It’s not often that either of these teams can go 3-1 on the season vs. the other. It’s often a couple of splits. The two advantages that the Sioux had were pointed out in your post, the energy exerted in the Saturday game vs. Western (who really surprised me) and the lack of veterans on DU’s squad. If those guys all stick around, that core of freshman will be crazy good starting as early as next fall. It’s unfortunate DU and the Sioux had to be in the same bracket.

      • Big Blue

        Denver is the Most OVERRATED/UNDERACHIEVING Team in the NATION!—- And Damn, do I HATE their “coach”!….. What an IDIOT!—-

    • WMUBronco86

      Being from Michigan, I’d like to see UofM take it all (plus that way I can say my Broncos beat them just a few weeks before they won it all!) But North Dakota is, as you said, peaking at the right time, and are probably the scariest team left. I honestly feel that the winner of the UND/UofM game will take it all. I wouldn’t mind seeing UMD win it all either, to show that the WCHA would still have solid Minnesota representation if/when the Gophers leave for the Big 10 conference.
      Good luck to all the teams left. No matter who wins, I just want to see tight, exciting hockey to close out the season.
      Look out for the Brown and Gold next year! Go Broncos!

      • Stone

        UND isn’t just peaking at the right time, they are continuing a peak that has come over the entire season. This team has lost 8 games all season…. I agree they are playing their best hockey, but it’s not like in year’s past when they got hot en route to a Frozen Four, this team has been the best team, from top to bottom, in college hockey for the entire year. It will show next weekend

    • Big Blue!

      EXCELLENT Analysis, Boone!—–Right On on ALL of yer Points!…..

  • Jon

    This tournament has and always will be a random number generator. That’s what makes it enjoyable. To try and find some meaning for someone’s conference in this tournament is like trying to find meaning in lottery numbers.

  • undsiouxfan

    Considering that Michigan had to struggle against Nebraska Omaha and was still alive only after a very questionable call went in its favor and that the Sioux crushed Notre Dame 8-0 in their fist meeting last Thanksgiving weekend, I don’t see how you can think that the CCHA has any kind of advantage in this Frozen Four. If you quit looking at the past years and just review this past season, you may find that you want to change your headline.

    • 21 years and counting

      And considering CC blew out defending champ BC, your point is? Different teams match up differently. In ’97, U-M was a machine, not unlike ’11 UND, with the Hobey winner (Morrison). And they got neutralized by BU in the semi. As a homer Sioux fan, you’ll probably remember this year well.

      Don’t count your eggs before they hatch. This is why they play the game.

      As for struggling against UNO, thanks for acknowledging that U-M was without their #2 scorer (collarbone) and #1/2 defenseman (strep). Don’t let the facts get in the way of your argument or anything.

      And what is it with you WCHA whiners and the OT goal? While the officials MAY have made the right call for the wrong reasons, they clearly made the right call. How can you, in good conscience, say, sure, the puck was in the goal and U-M won the game, but the officials didn’t see that angle so they should’ve called it off? That’s asinine.

      Having said all that, this article is silly. Records dating back 50-whatever years mean squat. UND looks mean right now. U-M isn’t exactly tearing things up. But please, try to keep your WCHA homerism is check, will you?

      • Jdorf40

        I “liked” your comment and I’m even a Sioux fan! Anything can happen in the Frozen Four. The Sioux have been there before as favorites and have lost to the team that nobody’s picking more than once.

      • Brett

        Ha. Talk about irony. Flaming WCHA fans about homerism while saying it’s okay for referees to blatantly ignore the very clear definition of the OT goal ruling, because it went in your team’s favor. Something tells me you wouldn’t feel the same way if you were on the other side. For me, I think it was *probably* a goal. That doesn’t mean I’m going to completely disregard the fact that there needs to be clear visual proof to overturn the call on the ice, which wasn’t there. It was a tough call, but the hedging of the NCAA spokesman when asked several times about the call, the definition of the rule, and the replays we saw ourselves should be clear enough to anyone that it wasn’t a good call. If the rule book isn’t right and isn’t spelled out in the ‘spirit of the rule’, then change it – but follow it this year. It ended the Maverick’s season, and career for some of their players – really too bad. And no, I’m not a Mav’s fan and would feel the same way if the call went against Mich.

        • yosterizer

          GOAL.

      • undsiouxfan

        you seem to define whining in this post. How about some cheese with all your whine……

      • Big Blue

        Michigan is “Not tearing things up”???….. Really???!…..
        I guess Winning 11 of last 12, (with lone loss to W Michigan!) and 20 of 25, heading to Frozen Four doesnt Qualify, Eh???….. OK!

    • DG

      They tied the sioux the next night, they are a good team if they show up

  • hockey_lEast

    Yale, Boston College, Merrimack, Union, New Hampshire. Who says eastern hockey teams are overrated? Don’t worry though, there are a few things eastern hockey representatives are good at even if their hockey stinks. Eastern announcers on ESPNU can make excuses and alibis for everything. Eastern writers on web sites and newspapers are great at totally biased reporting, apparently eaten teams never lose fair and square. Eastern teams can really act, every time they get hit they flop to the ice like they were shot by a cannon. And last, but not least, they grow referees to call every single time a player takes a hockey hit. I would imagine they will get told about this before the Frozen Four, though. Since all the teams in the finals are in men’s leagues, WCHA and CCHA, they will not want every little contact to be called.

    • 18secondsbeforesunrise

      Classy rant.

    • some kid

      Hockey east has won the past 3 national championships, just saying

      • hockey_lEast

        You won’t be able to say that in 2 weeks…

      • 18secondsbeforesunrise

        Which means nothing this year.

        PS) As I write this from my kitchen in Orono, Maine.

      • Some Kid In The West

        And the CCHA or WCHA has won 47 of 63 (that’s just shy of 75%). I’m also just sayin…

        • WMUBronco86

          Does that include this year? because it’s going to be WCAH or CCHA this year too.

      • WMUBronco86

        Yeah, and Michigan Tech was a powerhouse in the 1960′s…what does that have to do with this year?

    • easterner

      a good, clean, open-ice hit significantly changed the course of the Yale-UND game for the benefit of the Bulldogs from the west. Ref Brian Hill is a CCHA ref., ref. Brian Aaron is CCHA. I am not crying foul play one bit, the ref called it at full speed (they need instant replay for these situations where “intent” and “targeting the head” is an issue – how can you determine intent when you don’t know what is going to happen?) It was just a bad call. A WCHA team was the major benefactor of a bad call on a clean hit. The call was made by a CCHA ref. Irony?

      • hockey_lEast

        First off, it is UMD not UND. Second, you are crying foul or you wouldn’t have mentioned it. I guess any call that goes against an eastern team needs to be reviewed. You are just bitter that an over ranked Yale team got beat. Kind of hard for refs to call eastern hockey games with all the acting. I guess when the UNH goalie went down like he got hit by a grenade from a relatively minor hit, in yesterday’s game against ND, the ND player should have gotten a 5 and game misconduct. Kind of hard crying wolf all the time and expecting a different result. At least now you can watch some decent teams in the Frozen Four, if the eastern refs will let them play.

        • easterner

          wrong. I am not calling foul play at all. the ref made a split second call on an open-ice hit. anyone who doesn’t think it was the wrong call doesn’t know a thing about hockey and is not worth listening to. the call changed the course of the game. a 2 goal game at the mid-way point was blown open. Again, anyone who doesn’t think that there is a significant difference between a 3-1 the irony that you believe eastern teams and refs can’t take hitting, yet western refs were the over-zealous ones on a clean hit.

          I thought UMD deserved to win. They outplayed Yale. Yale did not look good and came unwound.

          p.s. i apologize, UMD, not UND.

          • Karl Largen

            Easterner, did you see O’Neill’s elbow? He should have been booted before the head contact penalty.

      • nopaula

        Correct me if I’m wrong but Yale was already down 3-1 at that point.

      • http://twitter.com/topherbaron Topher Baron

        MAJOR BENEFACTOR? It was already 3-0 when that happened!!! I admit, it wasn’t a great call, but it happens. It’s hockey, and referees are only human.

        Yale could’ve scored when they had their PP opportunities in the 1st period, but they didn’t. Yale could’ve had a better penalty kill, but they didn’t. Yale and their coach could’ve acted more professionally, but they didn’t.

        • Dogsin2011

          It wasn’t a clean hit. The UMD player didn’t have the puck and the Yale player came from halfway across the ice…

          • Guest 1

            Wimp

      • TechFan

        it was already 3-1.

        The Yale kid had to get a half dozen stitches in his forehead for that hit that “wasn’t” head to head.

      • Orleanshomes

        We already went thru this crap on another site. I say good call, you say bad. You can say melt down, lack of disipline, whatever. Maybe you should blame it on the player that hurt his team.

    • Keemah

      It appeared to me that the refs had to protect UMD from a much more physical Yale team … there were no refs giving Yale any advantages Saturday night

      • Jdorf40

        Are you serious? Do you think that Yale is any more physical than 1/2 of the teams that UMD played this year? Get over yourselves already. I didn’t agree that the O’Neill hit warranted an ejection, but face it…they had the target on their back, weren’t living up to the expectations (that was only set by the ECAC and East Coast Media) and clearly had a meltdown. Look at the pattern over the course of the season. They’re a heavily penalized team. The difference with this game was that Yale wasn’t superior to UMD and UMD made them pay for acting like boneheads. Just like most teams who control the puck and have a decent power play will do. Union had the best power play in the nation and how did they fair against UMD? 0-9. RPI on the PP vs. UND? 0-8. Joke.

  • Anonymous

    It will be a great hockey atmosphere at the X that much is a given. Michigan and UND – the place will be madhouse. Great for college hockey!!!! Can’t wait.

    • http://twitter.com/topherbaron Topher Baron

      I’ve bought my tickets for the FF every year since 2004…When I ordered them last May, who would’ve thought it was going to be this exciting!?!? Everyone out East, feel free to watch from your living room and see what real hockey crowds are all about!

  • Where Eagles Dare

    rumor has it, that UND paid UNH to dog it the last week of the season, so they’d get the 4 seed in Manchester, and BC would be sent packing to the WORST regional site possible. Thus, in the end, UND doesn’t have to play BC, who has owned the Timid Sue for the past decade.

    sadly, it worked. UNH didn’t have to play BC, and neither did UND…

    • Gemartin

      That’s the dumbest comment I have ever heard.

    • BC Fan!

      Dude – wow, what a “Conspiracy Theory”

    • Nyqi

      How about you just go away until next season. You lost to a team that we beat 2 out of 3 with two games on their ice and the third at a neutral site. Don’t think for one second that anyone from UND was afraid to play BC.

    • Skatefor8

      That is the dumbest comment ever! Thanks for coming out and better luck next year to your Daring Eagles!

    • Sioux backer

      Unfortunately for BC, they couldn’t beat the 6th-best team (CC) in the WCHA. NCAA playoff hockey is all about playing well at the right time, because as so many teams have found out, you don’t win games on paper. The way the Sioux are playing, BC should be happy they didn’t have to play them…

      • Wildcatalum

        Unfortunately for the Sioux they couldn’t beat the 5th place H.E. team (Maine) and even lost to them twice this year, 7-3 & 4-2. So, please, this ‘they couldn’t beat the 6th best team (CC) in the WCHA’ crap also would apply to the Sioux…

        • GeauxSioux

          This is your argument? Are you sure you want to stick with it?

        • Anonymous

          LOL if you have ever watched a great team (UND) you know that we are a 2nd half team and look who is the favorite for the title…. everyone has to lose some games… hope your team enjoys their celebration on the year…. oh wait.

          • Wildcatalum

            The Sioux lost to Maine twice because they are a ‘great team’. That’s a good one…

    • Wildcatalum

      Yeah, this is stupid stuff. UNH wanted to play their first game against Miami, one of the hottest teams going into the NCAA tournament??? I thought it was difficult to get into B.C.?

    • Joe C

      Seriously, I have no idea what your post is supposed to mean. There is a secret cabal plotting to sabotage the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament! They were able to manipulate an entire season’s worth of games to have the matchups favor the rule stating that regional hosts must play at their site. Multiple coaches and hundreds of players were involved in a weird scheme to have a defending champion lose to a team that loses in the next round.

      Try this: The best team in Hockey East, Boston College, had a game in St. Louis after a great regular season and post-season, where only Merrimack had any consistent success aganst the Eagles. They played poorly for two periods and struggled to make a game of it, bringing the score as close as 7-4 before finally losing.

      I have a ton of respect for Boston College and Jerry York. Posts like the ones I am replying to should not be associated with Boston College or the fans I like to heckle and be heckled by in return.

  • fluidguy

    Great un-biased posts above but the tools showed up late. Congrats to all that made it…UM vs UND is going to be a hell of a game!

    GO BLUE!!!

  • Dcsmith9

    Seriously – using all-time records to predict the winner of the 2011 Frozen Four? Is the author a high school junior that played video games too late last night but still needed to finish the uscho.com cover story?

    Great weekend by the Sioux – let’s proudly wear our logo and send the greatest nickname in the NCAA out with a bang. Go Sioux!!!

  • MThockeyguy

    More & more these posts sound like nothing more than ignorant midwestern rednecks battling pompous east coasters… We all know YOUR team and YOUR conference is the best, so please get over yourselves and lets can into some meaningful analysis of the games to be played!

  • Mich#2

    after watching the midwest regional this past weekend in Green Bay, North Dakota is the team to beat. They are big, fast, and execute puck control better than any team I have watched this year. They’re weakest spot (and some may disagree) is their goalie Dell, who wasn’t exactly tested this weekend. UND has the toughest draw in the frozen four, as I think if anyone can beat the sioux, it’s going to be Michigan and a hot Hunwick in net. Should be an awsome frozwen four. cant wait !

    • Nyqi

      I certainly don’t agree with the Dell comment. He is the top rated goalie in the nation in goals against and he basically had one somewhat lucky somewhat bad goal in two games. And it isn’t like Denver is short on scoring this year they had a lot of fire power. I will say they got tired in this game but still to say that Dell who has been outstanding all year for the Sioux is a weak spot is tough to imagine. I think that UND has skilled players at each and every spot. I only say Mich play part of both games this weekend but they look strong so I expect it to be a very tough game for both teams.

      • SiouxHockey12

        Speaking of the lottery, I thank GOD there was a Wisco fan kind enough to sell his 4th row tickets to us at face value. No way could a broke college student afford $500 seats! (A Mich. fan tried to buy the tickets from him, he responded that he wouldn’t slow down if he saw Mich. fans standing in the middle of the road)

        • Jdorf40

          That is classic! I think it’d be great if all of the WCHA fans holding tickets to the Frozen Four only sold their tickets to either UND or UMD fans. Might as well use every advantage available. I know that there are people coming from all over the state of NoDak for the weekend. It’s going to be a zoo. I cannot wait!

        • Big Blue!

          What else is New???!—- Everyone Hates Michigan!….. Jealousy, Resentment, and Bitterness….. and Kicking-Ass EVERY Year!!!!—- GO BLUE!!!!!

    • undsiouxfan

      You obviously did not watch the championship game of the Final Five or else you would not be making those comments about Dell. Dell made some outstanding saves during that game, especially in both overtimes. He is as good as any other goalie in college hockey and is definitely not a weak spot.

  • Kurtman518

    The fans of the WCHA and CCHA must be extremely insecure that they nust constantly compare their conferences to those in the East

    • guest

      insecure in our nearly 75% of all national championships im sure…. add another one this year for the WCHA/CCHA.

    • Johnny

      No, not WCHA fans. North Dakota fans. They are sooo insecure. They sat and chanted (hammered) about where’s the Gophers and where’s the Badgers all weekend at the Final 5. They must really miss those BIG TEN schools. How about something positive for once UND Fans…..Go UND Fighting Canadians!! (New nickname) I like it!

      • B.D.

        We are pretty positive we are gonna win. Positive enough for you?

        • Suture1

          That is funny as he!!….lol…:) Nice one BD…..lmao…..

  • Gs

    Can’t wait for the Frozen Four! I suspect series records will have nothing to do with the results of this year’s tournament. I am picking North Dakota and Duluth in the final and the Sioux to win it all!

  • DU_Fan

    No excuses, ND is the best team by far. DU played them even for 30 minutes but the better team executed for the full 60. Dell doesn’t have to be that good for the Sioux to win, he only needs to make the first save as defense takes care of the rebounds. Michigan fortunate to win first game on terrible “overrule”, and beating CC 2-1 was not exactly a rout. I would really like to see CCHA or WCHA refs do the Frozen Four, even though that is impossible dream. Maybe we can get a couple of eastern refs that will let them play.

    • Josh

      ND may very well be the best team. That being said, Michigan, ND, or Duluth may also be the best team. Until April 9th at around 10pm (Eastern time, unless its OT which would be awesome), neither you nor anyone else knows squat about who the best team is. If the best team was decided by the regular season and the first 2 rounds of the tournament, why even have a Frozen Four? Michigan hasn’t played UND in 4 years, so who knows how well those two teams match up? I’ll be honest, I’m a Michigan student and season ticket holder, so I’m as biased as you and everyone else on here, but please don’t write off anyone before the game is played. We played a solid UNO team for 3.1 periods, a team that hadn’t been in the tourney in recent memory and was probably more hungry for a win than anyone else. Yes, I wish it had ended differently but nobody can argue anymore that the puck was not in the net. Maybe the officials didn’t follow the rulebook to the letter but the right call was made regardless. And maybe we didn’t “rout” CC but if you watched any of that game at all you’d know we dominated them in all aspects of the game but one (goaltending, kudos to the CC goalie for standing on his head for 60 min) right up until they scored with something like 3 minutes left and made a late-game desperation surge we barely managed to stave off. I’ve been to every Michigan home game this year and one at the Joe so believe me when I say we have a knack for coming through in the clutch, minus the CCHA semifinal against WMU (see – Hagelin scores GTG with 30 secs left, then again with 3 secs left in OT in the home season finale).

      Point: Don’t write off anyone yet or start printing National Champion t-shirts in Grand Forks. Right now I’m giving each team exactly a 25% chance of winning this thing (screw the oddsmakers). Regardless, we can all look forward to 3 games of incredible (and well-matched) hockey.

      May the “best” team win and GO BLUE!!!

      • Johnny

        WOW Josh you must lose in Vegas a lot………Notre Dame a 25% chance…get real, Michigan, UMD…25% ? no chance. 90% chance of UND winning it all. 8% Michigan 1% UMD and Notre Dame. Those are the odds my boy.

        • Josh

          Haha alright Johnny, we’ll see how that plays out. So you’re saying that if the winner of the UM-UND game plays the winner of the ND-UMD game 100 times, UM/UND wins 98 of them? Yeah, you’ve obviously watched a lot of college hockey/hockey in general/sports tournaments in general. You missed my entire point friend. In the late rounds of ANY tournament like this, regular season records and results matter less and less. At this point, it usually comes down to who wants it more/who’s willing to leave everything on the ice and hold nothing back. UND is very likely to be that team. At the same time, so are the other three teams. I’m sticking with 25% each, but its not like it matters anyway. I’m just glad they leave it up to the players to decide these things rather than biased fans and media.

          Just out of curiosity, what exactly did your odds look like before the tournament started? I’m guessing you gave BC a 90% chance against CC as well? Did you look into a crystal ball and foresee Western coming within a hair of beating Denver? Because I sure as hell didn’t, but isn’t that the point?

  • Where Eagles Dare

    Canadiens on BC??? ummm, maybe a total of 5 in the past 50 years.

    Listen up…BC believes in USA hockey. Everyone else fills their roster with multiple Canadiens, most who have no idea what a classroom is. That’s fine…whatever you want to do to win.

    I’m happy with our success, being an American institution, and not having to rely on foreigners to breed success.

    • fluidguy

      Wow, now you are the epitome of an ignorant American. I’m American but live in Canada and hail from Michigan originally. To asert that somehow Boston is some “high and mighty” sub culture who espouses Americanism more that any other is utterly moronic. To call Canadians “foreigners” is also more ignorant than I’m sure you’re capable of comprehending.

      • Boomer

        Canaidian hockey for the most part Sucks. Kill em, take the puck away and try to score. Kind of reminds me of some team in green and Black. Only J. Toews has my respect. he is a hockey player.

        • B.D.

          What a curious statement.
          Perhaps it belies a lack of knowledge of the game?

        • Q1

          Sounds like you were a kid who probably couldn’t take a check, huh, Boomer?

      • Where Eagles Dare

        any country, which requires my passport to enter, is a foreign country. Canada, though a great neighbor, is a foreign country, last I checked.

        as far as the idiots on here, who think BC doesn’t have any competition in recruiting, you better go find your Rand McNally…there are nine Div. 1 hockey programs within 70 miles of BC.

        in any regard, I ask this board which team has used more Americans to win National titles (National, as in USA college hockey championships) than Boston College.

        Thanks in advance !

        ps don’t get BC hockey confused with BU. VERY different to say the least…

        • fluidguy

          The US requires your passport to enter….you don’t need one to enter Canada if you’re American and have a driver’s license and a birth certificate. How do I know this? I travel back and forth frequently. Next…..

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

          To answer your question, W.E.D., Minnesota.

        • hockeyfan2145

          What you are sayings is that there is more merit to winning championships if you have more americans? classy. I take it as a compliment when highly talented canadians choose the ncaa over the chl. prime example-jonathan toews playing for north dakota. players like that in the ncaa is good for college hockey.

          • Johnny

            hockeyfan2145, you are obviously from the flat state of North dakota……you have no athletes, wait you had Roger maris …good…but lately nothing…..go to Canada and get your hockey players, keep hating NDSU and the Gophers and deal with it. oh and change the UND nickname to Canadians….PERFECT!

          • Stone

            Hahaha oh my god… What a stupid post. BTW…. just a couple N.D. names for you. J.P. Lamoureux, who was a hobey finalist and a regional MVP… next, Ryan and Grant Potulney, both from Grand Forks but played from UM… as well as current Sioux players Jake Marto and Mario Lamoureux…. oh yeah, I’m forgetting brother Jacques Lamoureux who is also a former Hobey finalist for AF…. Yes, ND is small, but the talent here is pretty damn good. To not recruit Canada would just simply be stupid. Hockey is a huge game to our neighbors to the north. Tell me what is wrong with recruiting to win? Nothing… You’re stupid

          • Johnny

            Good comeback Stoned! They are all amazing athletes. Move to Canada if you love it so much!

          • B.D.

            Curious post.
            Total lack of logic.
            Interesting……

    • Nyqi

      A number of the canadiens on the UND team this year all have GPA’s high enough to merit making the WCHA all academic team so I wouldn’t really say that you have much of a case with your post. Too bad your team lost, I would have liked to see UND play BC but obviously it wasn’t your year.

      • East Coast

        Lol, I was looking at the UND Hockey home page, and it seems the most popular major on the team is “Recreation and Tourism Studies.”

        So I would hope those UND smarties’ GPAs aren’t suffering too much…

        • mbuck7

          A guy reading another teams homepage to see what there majoring in = GET A LIFE LOSER.

        • hockeyfan2145

          Seeing as they’ll be makin bank in the show., i dont think they are too worried about pushing pencils in an office somewhere. they’re hockey players, and they plan on making a career out of it.

        • GeauxSioux

          I was looking on the BC hockey home page and it says that BC got run over by CC and is done playing for the year.

    • Boomer

      Where Eagles dare, don’t forget Minnesota. They have had 2 Canadians in the past 30 years and Duluth has 17 Minnesotans on this years roster. Go bulldogs

      • bdk

        Boomer….get back to work lol!

        • Boomer

          Now that was funny. LOL (seriously I am laughing)

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

      Dude, there have been at least 5 in the last half decade. Get your facts straight before bringing your jingoism. And how many kids on BU and BC come straight from high school programs these days? Plenty of 1987 and ’88 birthdays on those rosters right now. What’s the difference between a kid from Winnipeg and a kid from Lowell who both tried a season in the minors before heading to college? There are currently 7 Canadians on BU’s roster – that’s more than UMD has. Minnesota hasn’t had a Canadian on the roster in decades. Feel free to take comfort in your sense of superiority, but you don’t get your own set of facts. And please enlighten us as to your source for the claim that Canadian players “have no idea what a classroom is.”

      You might also note for yourself the correct spelling of “Canadian.” Ironic that in a post boasting of educational superiority, you can’t spell it correctly – citizens of the country don’t all play on Montreal’s NHL team.

      • Where Eagles Dare

        sorry Mal intent…I like spelling Canadien with an “e”, just like I spell checks “cheques”…STOP talking about BU…BC is better, and very different. BU’s coach is a raging alcoholic…Jerry York is the class act of college hockey.

        Nuff said!

        • Anonymous

          Jerry York looks like a D-bag

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

          Do you think Jerry York would approve of your description of Jack Parker?

          You can’t limit your side of the equation to simply BC and use it to indict the entire WCHA. So, sorry, BU and Maine and the rest become part of the ledger. As someone showed with some actual numbers up above (novel idea), the league in which your team plays has just about as many non-Americans as the league in which mine plays. Within the WCHA, Minnesota has even less of the dreaded Canadian influence than your beloved Eagles.

          Whatever. Should be a good Frozen Four – I’m picking Michigan, for no real reason other than I think two weeks off might hurt North Dakota given how hot they look at the moment.

          • GeauxSioux

            That worries me as well, Mal.

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

            As an ex-pat Minnesotan, it doesn’t particularly worry me! :^) I’ll be pulling for the Bulldogs, but in truth, out of regional loyalty, I’d probably take NoDak second.

          • B.D.

            Likewise I am for UND, but would appreciate it if UMD were to beat Michigan in the finals if UND somehow were to fall.

          • Big Blue!

            He’s Right On!—- Jack Parker is one of the Arrogant Ass#$%@s of College Hockey of ALL TIME!—- That guy Sucks!

        • Jim

          “Canadiens on BC???” . . . “not having to rely on foreigners to breed success.”

          Like when Canadian-born Krys Kolanos scored the overtime, game winning, national championship goal for BC in 2001?

        • Orleanshomes

          To bad CC chequed you right out of the tourney.

        • Big Blue!

          Ummmm….. I sure could make a case for The “Red Baron” at Michigan for the “Class of College Hockey”, Bro’!—-

    • Noah Helgerson

      I dont think thats a fair comment at all teams in the WCHA have to compete for the top recruits, Minnesota, Duluth, Wisconsin, Mankato, St. Cloud, Bemidji State, and North Dakota all within a 600 mile span all compete for recruits while BC has who to compete with?????

      • 18secondsbeforesunrise

        BU, Maine, Massachusetts, Massachusetts-Lowell, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence, Vermont, ….., Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence, Union, Yale…….. :)

        • Joe C

          @ 18seconds – Good list. Also, Bentley, UConn, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, Niagra. Finally, do not forget that the QMJHL is only 200-500 miles away pulling kids in the other direction.

          Also, people neglect the fact that BU 2 miles, Northeastern 3 miles, Harvard 4 miles. There are two major recruiting events every year played in the TD Garden which can affect where recruits go.

          Plenty of New England and Northeast players end up in the NHL. They have varying degrees of success, from captains of Stanley Cup winners to marginal role-players.

          All leagues (except the Ivy league members of ECAC) have recruiting challenges. The new Big Ten Hockey Conference will add to this, as many Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Maryland recruits will have another choice in Penn State.

        • hockeyfan2145

          with the exception of boston, maine, unh and yale, all the teams you named suck, so i wouldnt really consider them competition for boston. thats like saying michigan tech, mankato and bemidji compete with the gophers for recruits. ever heard the “gopher rejects” chant at a mankato/duluth/bsu/st cloud game?

        • Dogs

          dislike. you can reduce that list to just BU and Maine

        • B.D.

          Apparently not….

    • Christopher Burns

      Oh Right because that is why most of the NoDak players are in the WCHA Academic team, including some posting 4.0′s and no a lot of them are taking harder majors like ENTR, Marketing, and other business. Finally a break down of the leagues.

      WCHA: 26% (85) canadians, 70% (222) Americans, 4% (12) other
      Hockey East: 23% (62) Canadians, 75% (204) Americans, 2% (5) other
      ECAC: 43% (141) Canadians, 55% (179) Americans, 2% (7) other
      CCHA: 30% (86) Canadians, 69% (196) Americans, 1% (4) other
      Atlantic Hockey: 26% (75) Canadians, 73% (211) Americans, 1% (4) other

      Teams tied for the fewest amount of Canadians this year: Air Force, Army, Vermont, Minnesota all with 0

      Teams tied for the most Canadians this year: Union, Alaska, Alaska-Anchorage, Lake Superior all with 17.

      While I know you are saying BC its clear your comment seems to be directed mostly at the WCHA regarding this post.

      Really Hockey east isn’t much different then anyone else, except ECAC which have by argument the most prestigious American universities in them have the most candians by a long shot.

      • B.D.

        I think you will find the West Point roster even skews the result for that league. I think the academy allows only one Canadian for one year at a time in what I believe is a swap.

    • Teeder Wynne

      Or you can recruit the best talent globally like every other major college sport does. Why limit yourself to “just Americans?” If there is a top notch player out there that is from Sweden, Russia, Finland, Canada or the U.S. and he/she wants to play college hockey– why not go for them? It’s called smart and tenacious recruiting. In the end, no one cares who your national allegiance is; it’s whether you bleed your school colors on the ice. This is as dumb as Minnesota Goph fans crying about how they recruit only in their own state. I say, if you want to do that, do it at your own peril. Others will continue to be successful recruiting the best players from around the country and world — just like they do in NCAA D-1 football, basketball, track and field, swimming, etc., etc., etc. Why should hockey be any different?

      • B.D.

        When I was a kid it was said that Minnesota coaches would recruit in East Grand Forks, but would never deign to cross the river into Grand Forks North Dakota to see a player play.

        Then they used to dog UND about using kids from Winnipeg which was closer to Grand Forks than Minneapolis.

        • undsiouxfan

          I hear you on that. I got so sick and tired of Doug Woog (when he was coaching) making snarky comments about all of the Canadians on UND’s team and his bragging about how U of MN had only Minnesota players. Completely out of line, especially considering MN has far more people than ND does and that the entire state of ND could fit into just the Twin Cities and not match it for population.

          • Jdorf40

            Don’t you miss Woog though. That guy was always good for a few laughs!

          • heading to st paul

            last time i checked a north dakota born kid score the goal that won the gophers the 2002 nat championship

          • Johnny

            finally a good comeback. Hats off to you!

      • DG

        Teeder Wynne #11. My first hockey memories were going to the old Ralph watching you and the Hoogstien brothers tear it up. Thanks for turning me into a die hard Sioux fan

        • Teeder Wynne

          I only wish I could live the life of the real Frederick “Teeder” Wynne. What a class person who was/is hilarious to boot. I’ve loved Sioux hockey since I was 5 or 6 growing up in western N.D., but watching Teeder play in the mid 90s really solidified my love for UND hockey and all it stands for. So, no, I am not the man, the legend that is Teeder Wynne, but he had a similar influence on me as he did on you. Go Sioux!

    • Jim

      “Canadiens on BC???” . . . “not having to rely on foreigners to breed success.”

      Like when Canadian-born Krys Kolanos scored the overtime, game winning, national championship goal for BC in 2001?

    • Gosioux0919

      Get over yourself. I seem to remember in 2001 when BC beat UND in the championship that the Eagles were led by 2 Canadians: Chuck Kobasew & Krys Kolanos.

      Your arrogance has blinded you. Jerry York will recruit who he feels the best players are. BC happens to be on the opposite end of the country compared to the better Canadian junior leagues, thus making recruiting in that region more difficult.

    • Interested Observer

      Am I to understand that you believe Canadians don’t care about learning?

    • undsiouxfan

      you certainly reinforced the Boston snob reputation with that remark.

    • Suture1

      OMG, grow up! You sound like one of those liberal college professors I had to listen to for 4 years….yuck! I suppose you are a Teddy Kennedy fan…..”BC believes in the USA”…blah, blah, blah…..OMG this is such a pathetic post….lol…you are such a tool my little liberal friend….lol

    • Where Eagles Die

      And not being able to win a regional game more than 100 miles from home.

  • AKHOCKEY25

    I am a UAA and UND fan being from Anchorage and going to school in Grand Forks. If you are a true hockey fan you can appreciate a good hockey game no matter who is playing. Most of these posts are partisan garbage. Show some class and cheer for your team without bashing others! Most of the teams in the tourny this weekend deserved to be there; congrats to those moving on!

    It is pointless to speculate who is the best at this point; this is playoff hockey and records up to this point mean nothing! The title will go to the team that can outplay their competitors and put together 2 solid games.

    Good luck to all and GO SIOUX!

  • Sioux to the South

    As a Sioux fan I was not at all upset about the attention Yale got this year. It was good for college hockey and bring attention to the game to new fans who probably won’t have noticed before. College hockey needs all of the positive exposure it can get. Those who were upset with Yale’s number one overall seed should be talking about the flaws in the Pairwise system instead. Using the TUC system (Teams Under Consideration) as part of the pairwise doesn’t accurately track a teams progress over the course of a year. Looking at the Krach at years end would have only switched out Michigan and Miami as 1 seeds but wouldn’t have changed much else other then allow at least one more WCHA team into the tourney. I can understand the idea of trying to diversify the field of 16 and keeping it from becoming dominated by the three power conferences. It comes down to diversifying the tournament to foster excitement about the game in all the leagues. I enjoy college hockey and I want to see the game flourish. I can handle some praise going elsewhere. In the end you have to win on the ice and rankings can’t help you there.

    • 18secondsbeforesunrise

      Excellent post!

    • Joe C

      The four teams on the outside looking in (by PW) were Dartmouth, BU, Maine and Minnesota. I cannot speak to Minnesota’s season at all. I can speak just a little bit about Dartmouth, a team that came in third and played poorly in the tournament, losing to the worst team in the league.

      For the Hockey East teams BU and Maine, classic up-and-down seasons, with lots of annoying ties after furious comebacks, terrible losses to struggling teams and first-round HE playoff flameouts.

      The bottom line for all four of these teams is this:
      Win two more games and you get an invite to the adult table. Personally I was frustrated with BU’s play this year, especially against Northeastern and the disgusting loss to Harvard in the Beanpot consolation. But all four teams made their own luck and sealed their own fate with losses.
      Minnesota 16-14-6, no NCAA
      Maine 17-12-7, no NCAA
      Boston University 19-12-8, no NCAA
      Dartmouth 19-12-3, no NCAA

      When you have a season like this, does it really matter if you might be marginally better than Western Michigan in one rating system?

      • Sioux to the South

        Great points all. I agree with everything you said. As for Minnesota, their late season play was warranting them a bid in the tournament. They had gone 5-0-2 at the end of the season against varied competition (Denver, BSU, MT). Good enough to get the first round of the playoffs at home. They then got swept by Alaska Anchorage and sealed their fate. I was not making the case for certain teams to be in or out. Western Michigan proved they belonged with a good showing. I just think that the Krach is a better tool for ranking teams. I thought all along that there were at least three or four teams better then Yale this year. But again in the end what does it matter. The field was fair. Most teams got ranked where they deserved (for the most part). I do take issue with how the teams were divided up in a big way. The west region was too stacked and UND and Denver should not have been in the same bracket. Bottom line it was a great opening round. Entertaining games and some crazy results. Can’t wait for the Frozen Four. Go Sioux!!!!!!!

  • Allard Brandon

    As a WCHA fan,I think these posts have been a bit disrespectful to the East teams. They have performed well in recent NCAA tournaments. Agree ECAC is over-rated by pairwise, but they have had some great teams too in recent (past decade) years(Cornel,Yale Harvard). Yale was a top 10 team this year by any objective system. I like KRACH which put them at 6 which seems about right.
    BC was a scary (scary good) team that simply had a bad game against CC.
    This year’s tournament has been a circular firing squad of sorts: HE did fine against CCHA early with UNH, Michigan has dispatched the WCHA (thus far), WCHA killing ECAC.

    • Butchew

      Agreed, there have been some disrespectful comments on both sides. I’m WCHA and a WI fan. I would have liked to have seen BC and UND. Good teams find a way to win and do so when it counts. Of course I was happy to see what happened to BC by CC as a WCHA fan. WI sucked at the end of the year and didn’t belong in the tourney no excuses. Yes BC you soundly beat WI last year for the championship and it stung. You deserved the win. Congrats to you get over it. Can’t score and and keep the puck out of the net when it counts you lose. Simple as that. CC beat WI at home to end the year to earn a better seat in the WCHA tourney. WI lost in CC in the best of 3 tourney. Done. BC didn’t show up for CC. Why? BC didn’t deserve the game did they? The Canadian comments are crap!!!! I’m not from Canada, but come on. Where would hockey be without Canada? Absurd! Big bad bullies from Canada flooding the WCHA and CCHA. Really? Sure they are on the rosters but they are on the rosters out east too as others pointed out at Yale etc… Stupid! As if WCHA and the CCHA is cheating by recruiting from our brethern from the north. Wow, get a clue. Don’t know what a class room is? The only classy Canadian is Toews? What? Suggesting that the Canadian players are all former flunks from the juniors. I appreciate good talented hockey period. If you were given an opportunity to continue to play and earn an education wouldn’t you? Not everyone can afford to go to an east coast school just because they choose to do so. Perhaps this is why you feel you are so much better than all of the heathens to the west of you….glad you are out east and I am out here with down to earth people. The elitist arrogant attitude raises the hair on the back of my neck.

      • Guest

        BC threw up all over themselves, no question. Would have like to see CC bring the same intensity the next night. Strange first two rounds. Nebraska Omaha was jobbed, if you cannot actually see the puck in the net how can it be a goal? Poor Merrimack to lose on a fluke. This isn’t about talent from above the border or even about conferences. Four teams survived, North Dakota dominated and looks like there is no stopping them, and live on to play because they showed up on their respective nights. So perhaps we can dispense with the East vs. West nonsense and just enjoy some good hockey?

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  • CG

    I think the FF should be a great weekend. The games are putting tow great teams against each other. Line up and play. Winner take all. There isnt an easy game once the tournament starts, except maybe the 2-0 shocker that Duluth put on Union. Michigan, Notre Dame, UMD and UND all played the best to earn a spot to at the big dance. Now is when they need to be at their best to get a shot at the title. Either way its gonna be fun to watch. Oh yeah GO SIOUX….

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  • Where Eagles Dare

    If UND is all that, why no NC’s in the past 10 years??

    Also, HOCKEY EAST has sent a team into the final for 17 out of the past 20 years. What other conf. can claim this?

    in any regard, why are we even talking to fans of teams who haven’t won sh*t in the past 10 years? Minnesota, Denver, Wisconsin, Mich. St. and BU, are the only teams with the right to talk smack about who’s been doing damage in the NCAA’s…IF, and only IF, the Timid Sue actually bring home the trophy, then you can be considered relevant!

    • SiouxFanInIowa

      That’s just plain silly. You’re a BC fan, right? You saw this weekend that they got eliminated immediately in spite of a great season. That doesn’t make them irrelevant. It takes a lot to have a strong showing year after year, to do well in your conference, to be ranked high nationally most of the season.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

      I’m sure you kept your mouth shut for the entire 52 years BC went between its first and second titles, then?

      What other conference can claim 2/3 of the sport’s titles?

    • GeauxSioux

      To claim that the Sioux have not been relevant in the past 20 years is beyond absurd, my friend. Pure and simple. I think you know this.

    • Joe C

      Rooting for leagues is pointless, as is arguing about which league is the best. The beauty of college hockey is that we have three exceptionally strong leagues, one decent league with tremendous history and one scrappy new league that causes headaches to the strong leagues in the tournament. After next year, two of the exceptionally strong leagues will lose members to a new decent league with four historically strong members, plus two programs that should help develop talent in two large states previously underserved in hockey.

      Rooting for leagues means that you would root for your local rivals against your national rivals. As a BU alum, should I be rooting for BC at any point? Not happening. For your Hockey East statistics, how many of those Frozen Fours belong to BU? Maine? NH? While I appreciate the other schools and hope their fans enjoy their teams (even BC), this does not by extension mean Hockey East (or any other league) is the best league.

      I root for BU, anyone playing BC and good hockey when BU is not playing. North Dakota looks like the best team and is the favorite. Do not discount the ability of the crowd to help UMD or the possibility of any one of the four goaltenders robbing the rest of the field. This Frozen Four has two of the winningest tournament teams along with two very hungry programs. All of them are halfway to a national title. All of them have earned their Frozen Four.

      Finally, I personally give lots of props to BC for their recent title run. Even with BU’s tremendous comeback in 2009, Hockey East is no better or no worse than WCHA or CCHA. Three great leagues where you cannot take a night off.

      • Sara

        North Dakota will have the “home crowd” advantage. Bank it.

        • heading to St Paul

          Just look at the Xcel last weekend at the final five the place was solid green, it is just a short drive down I-94 to St. Paul for us
          P.S. don’t forget saturday night BLACKS

          • Big Blue!

            Top Seed, Bro’!—- UND has to wear White!…..

    • Anonymous

      say that to Michigan’s 9 and North Dakota’s 7 national titles… very good chance one will be adding another… and i pray it is the SIOUX!!!!

      • Bullie

        All Canada has is Hockey and Tourism. All North Dakota has is college hockey (granted the players aren’t from ND). But this is what it is. North Dakota has nothing else. Good Luck.

        • B.D.

          Is that all you got? To attempt to belittle us for lack of “glitter”?
          So sad….

          • B.D.

            Oh, and I forgot to mention “Jobs.”
            North Dakotans work.

    • tstreit15

      you cannot compare this years to to our past, compare the sioux to 4-10 years ago? our roster is 100% different. Compare our roster to two years ago, we dont have Dell, the goalie who beat the record for single season win’s as well as missing many of our good sophmores and freshmen. Stop downplaying a school (not just UND) because of their past.

    • DG

      Ya why ARE YOU talking on this site. Is BC in the frozen four? It’s 2011 now. Go have a circle jerk with minnesota, denver, wisconsin, MSU and BU and think about how good your teams used to be, while i’m at the frozen four watching UND double up on your number of Natl titles.

    • Orleanshomes

      WCHA can quote all kinds of facts much superior to that. Just saying Wcjeans.

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  • SiouxFanInIowa

    As a die-hard Sioux fan, I am often surprised that they don’t get more positive coverage at this site, especially in years when they are doing so well. I do however understand some of the reasons that opposing fans like to berate them. That makes it even more impressive when the good sports here congratulate them anyway. It was such an awesome weekend of hockey for us Fighting Sioux fans, a terrific season so far with the excitement of the frozen four still coming!

  • jack

    UND vs, MICH two great hockey programs. I think UND has the best team top to bottom in the frozen four ,but hope to see a good game .Should not overlook MICH they have made it twenty four times for a reason. UMD blondies v.s. ND .Lots of grit and awesome character . Hats off to having fun. There are some great post on this site but to many B.S. bashings. There will continue to be questionable calls ( Yale,s ) great open ice hit. game changer ! MICH goal . NCAA hockey is one of the most entertaining sports out there. Congrats To WMU for a great run and hope to see RPI get a goal next year. Good luck Gentleman with your teams

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JDGZXFDMDYK6NNRD2QK3DAGXVQ Jason Stanko

      again Michigan’s goal was not a questionable call. Ref made call based on a conclusive cross ice view.

      The television coverage of every subsequent playoff telecast that day only showed the overhead view with a spot shadow that was not conclusive. Not hard to reason why WCHA fans are crying foul but they did lose on a bad bounce.

      • DU_Fan

        Michigan’s goal WAS questionable, you need to read the rule book on what it takes to overrule the call on the ice. ESPNU showed every conceivable view, including the “shadow puck” that the refs didn’t have, and none were “overwhelming” enough to overrule. The refs ended up “assuming” the puck was under the goalies pads across the goal line. If they originally ruled a good goal this could be understandable but it was simply wrong to overrule on such flimsy evidence. I am certainly not a UNO fan but Coach Blais handled it like the gentleman he is. I wonder what kind of uproar there would have been if the roles were reversed and this decisive call went against Michigan.

        • yosterizer

          Wrong. The opposite end view clearly showed the goal. See my post above with the image.

          • Big Blue!

            EXACTLY!!!!!—- THANK YOU!!!!…..

      • Jdorf40

        Did you happen to notice that CC should have had 1:51 on the PP after they scored their goal against Michigan? I’m actually pretty surprised that nobody’s really talked about that one.

        Do I think the puck was in the net against UNO? Probably, but I’m definitely not certain. And with the referee standing right behind the net signifying ‘no goal’ there was absolutely no way that based on the video footage that they were provided could they say that there was conclusive evidence that the puck had gone in. If you tell yourself otherwise, you’re not very honest with yourself. If that had gone the other way, there’s no way they give UNO that goal. And rightfully so as the call on the ice was no goal.

  • Sbarnes

    Nobody can overlook anybody. Michigan return’s it’s top defensemen for the Frozen Four and dominated CC in the regional final, only to have a goalie play unbelievable to keep CC in the game. ND does look good, but I think Michigan is playing with the underdog mentality. I love that nobody gives Michigan a chance in that game. Reminds me of Michigan vs Notre Dame when Porter was leading our team and they beat us in a huge upset. Many times, these games come down to breaks anyway. Some more than others, but all it takes is a random deflection to send your team home.

    • Brandtson42

      North Dakota looks good??? uhhhhhhhh…. they haven’t lost in how many games now?? They dominated the last two games and Michigan barely squeaked by their first two opponents. North Dakota was picked #1 by all polls at the start of the year and here they are. Still #1. It takes a really special team to win when they are expected to win and not only are they doing it but they are doing it in convincing fashion. So I suppose you are a Michigan fan which is great and I could care less but don’t downplay UND and to say that they look good is completely underrated. But at least you don’t hate UND. Michigan will lose this game.

      • kt

        Is there an “overconfidence comes before the fall” button here?

      • Gary

        Yeah, who does he think he is going on the internet and calling your team “good.” So disrepectful!

  • Trapper

    All the prognostications mean very little at this moment. There are four teams in the tourney, each of which, despite their record to this point, can steal a game from the any of the other three. I like good hockey and hope to see just that in St. Paul. Now, if I had my wish, I’d like to see something like this at the end of the first round:

    http://bentrapnell.com/-/bentrapnell/gallery.asp?LID=&photoID=2030016&cat=30699

    Shades of 2006 – Go Sioux!

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  • wishIwuz2

    Love the anti-Canadian drivel. Aren’t there something like 3.5 million Canadian students at U.S. colleges and universities? Isn’t all this whining an acknowledgement that Canadian students make damn good college hockey players? So for those of you ‘boasting’ of how few Canadian students you sign, aren’t you really admitting that you choose to produce less-skilled teams?

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  • Where Eagles Dare

    I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this…GO IRISH!

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  • Wcjeans

    I am from the East and don’t buy any of the talk that the West teams are better than the East and vice versa. Any thing can happen in a single elimination tournament. However, I will say this. Since 1991, a team from Hockey East has been in the championship game with the exception of 1992, 1996, 2005 and 2011. As you people say…just saying…

  • Bobejohnson1

    CCHA may have a historical advantage however I believe it will be an all WCHA final this year with ND edging out UMD. Nothing is going to stop the green machine this year and looking forward to what they’ll do to UM. Would rather see UMD over ND but it won’t happen this year.

    • http://twitter.com/topherbaron Topher Baron

      but that’s why the game will be played!!!! You just never know!

      Congrats to all the teams that made it, but let’s GO DOGS!

      Can’t wait to see Sioux fans back down in St. Paul…St. Paddy’s Day weekend for the Final Five was a SH*T SHOW and this will probably top it. I can’t wait to sell some of my extras for ridiculous prices…Man, it’s gonna be a good time

    • bluetell

      so it will be an all WCHA final…but Notre Dame will be there? ok

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UAZX3GQJKB6Y6D5QUSW2BPYKVI Mal

        Consensus from y’all on here: in college hockey (at least outside the CCHA), does “ND” = North Dakota or Notre Dame for you? My feeling is that it’s the former, contrary to any other sport. Notre Dame hockey’s just historically not nearly as relevant as North Dakota.

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  • Grammarian

    For the maniacs who are wrapped up in this nonsense. Canadians with three a’s. Not Canadiens with an E. There are the Montreal Canadiens and it’s probably the Quebecois version of Canadian.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=501157411 Joey Loeffler Jr

      I don’t get that. If you are going to say The Montreal (English), you should have to say Canadians. Now if you want to go with the French . . . Le/s Canadiens more power to you.

      I like The Habs the best though . . . which works for English (the habitants)
      Le/s Habs sounds funny but works

      So if you think it should be Les Canadiens de Montreal (with a mark over the e), The Montreal Canadians, The Habs, or Les Habs BUT NEVER The Montreal Canadiens please like this comment.

      Also, if you are amused that Maple Leafs isn’t spelled with a ‘ve’ like this comment. “We’re named after the symbol of a leaf, not the leaf, so the symbol is proper” Whatever, it’s still amusing

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  • bluetell

    I think this is about as good as we could get with the last 4 teams standing. I’m a Michigan fan so I’m a bit biased, but you have 2 traditional powers in Michigan and North Dakota. UMD (who I’ve only seen in the tourney) plays really exciting hockey from what I can tell. Notre Dame is also rock solid. Also, it terms of exposure for college hockey, it can’t get much better. Michigan and Notre Dame have 2 of the largest overall fanbases in sports. North Dakota is way up there in terms of college hockey fanbases and you have UMD, which I’m sure has a good following of it’s own, but especially they are a Minnesota team playing in the frozen four in Minnesota. I expect the ratings and exposure for these games to be huge

    • GeauxSioux

      The amount of green and white in the Xcel will scare you.

  • “winning”!!!!

    I really just wanna see all the looks on the facces of the nc$$aa big shots when the forever living SIOUX name and logo crowd around that little wooden trophy at center ice and they hear the chant that they almost got rid of… LET’S GO SIOUX….. over and over and over again… gonna be one heck of a ff either way down at the REA (south)

    • Orleanshomes

      Almost makes me want to vote for the SIOUX instead of the DOGS. Not quite. Wasn’t NoDak a university long before these jackwagon, crybaby feelgooders came along? A couple more trophys and you could shove one up each of their @$$es. Better yet, we could take all the WCHA trophys and give em each 2.

  • Jojordan23

    It wouldn’t just be an all WCHA final if the Sioux and UMD are in it. It would be 2 former Sioux players/2 former Sioux assistant coaches/now Head Coaches putting their respective teams against each other. Papa Blais will be so proud!!!

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  • RITjoe

    With the Sioux having sixteen draft picks on their roster, I think North Dakota has do it now. They are definitely the favorite to do so.

    If they don’t, they may not get another bite at the delicious apple pie cooling on the window sill for a couple of seasons.

  • ddddangles

    Everyone knows, the more you reference past statistics, bash opposing teams and conferences, and whine about this and that, the better your team will do come tournament time. Keep it up guys!

    Take off your diapers and comment like adults. This sounds more like 3rd grade recess than a college hockey post. It’s embarrassing.

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  • Central Scrutinizer

    There are more Sioux fans in Minnesota than there are PEOPLE in North Dakota….and yes there are trees in Dakota… It’s just that they hang a wire from one to the next.

    • Rodents

      That’s because even people from Minnesota won’t cheer for the Gophers!

  • Big Blue!

    Bottom Line—-
    Michigan: 9 N Titles; 24 F Fours; 21 Straight trips to the NCAA’s; 1st OR 2nd in CCHA for 19 of past 21 Years, (3rd once; and 7th Last year…. while STILL Winning CCHA Tourney!)—–
    BEST Team in NCAA HISTORY!!!!!….. (PERIOD!)

  • Lakota Warrior

    Congratulations Sioux! To the victors go the spoils. Thus, off to the Down Under where a gallon of vodka awaits each player. Next up, two soft opponents: Michigan and Duluth. Then we’ll really party boys!!

    • B.D.

      He’s back…..

  • CPA

    Go Sioux! Can’t wait for the FF!

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