Musings about the Sioux

I'm blogging from Minneapolis, where I'm at home visiting my family for Thanksgiving. I'll be heading back to Colorado tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving out there. It's always good to come home; but I miss girlfriend...

Anyway...I've been thinking about the Sioux. A lot. Where they are at and where they need to be. 4-7-1. It's tough to swallow. Losses to Anchorage, Duluth, and Wisconsin. The Sioux are in a familiar position; yet for some reason it's not exactly feeling like a position they can crawl out of. Every casual Sioux fan I've talked to says not to worry about it, they are a 2nd half team, etc. While I do agree that you don't want to peak too early, I'm looking at this from beyond the causal fan perspective, because I am not a casual fan. I am a fan who has played the game nearly my whole life.

I wouldn't call the goaltending situation a mess. Why? Because it's pretty clear to me who the starter is. Would I say our starting goaltender is not playing his best? For sure. Would I say that he's a better option than the alternative? Of course. I certainly think Eidsness is the answer, and that in the long run, he will be a fantastic goaltender. But people need to remember that he's a freshman. And that he will have growing pains. That being said, keep him as your starter, give him rest every now and then, but keep him as your starter. You need to build towards the future here.

Finley missing on defense is more devestating than I thought it would be. A true leader and grinder, he could certainly be useful right now. With no timetable on his return, the Sioux are left scratching their heads and in the meantime, playing with a rag-tag defense that is including a bunch of freshman.

The offense is in a drought. And they need to pick it up. VV, Duncan, these guys need to get it going. We need these guys both to step up and be leaders, especially now.

Mostly though, I am concerned with the coaching staff. I was chatting with the WCHA Writer on Sunday about the Sioux. She was explaining to me that Gwozdecky, the coach of the Pioneers, basically chewed his team out after a 5-2 defeat against Minnesota. He called out some guys without mentioning names, saying that people need to put their egos behind them and start playing as a team. Hakstol and Eades need to do the same thing. I don't know about the rest of you Sioux fans, but I am a little tired of hearing how "we are so close" or "the bounces aren't going our way". Good teams make the bounces go their way. Leadership comes into play and the team doesn't have to rely on "lucky bounces." If Hakstol was showing a sense of urgency, I would probably be less worried. But let's face it. The season is a 1/3 of the way over. And Hak is doing nothing to show he is concerned. Should he be? I'll leave that up to you, the fan.

On a lighter note, Thanksgiving is two days away. It's one of my favorite holidays and a time where I actually take note of what I am thankful for.

- My family who continues their support of me
- My friends who are always there for me (not you, Dirty :-p)
- The fact that I have a job in this rough economy
- My wonderful girlfriend who has helped me struggle throughout a pretty rough year for me and gives me unconditional love

Enjoy your holiday. The Sioux have Cornell coming up.