Musings from last weekend

Aside from the Sioux sweeping Bemidji in the new arena this weekend, a few other things took place that are worth noting.

- Tech took 3 of 4 points from Mankato. Tech? Getting close to cracking the polls? Yes, it's true. Is Tech for real? I don't think so. But let's be honest. They are playing some good puck right now.

- Denver got swept by Boston College in Denver. Goon posted an article from the Denver Post about the officiating over the weekend. I'm not a Mike Chambers fan in the slightest; I find him arrogant and a douche. But this is not the first time that DU has been spotted a bunch of powerplays.

- Minnesota got swept at the Mooch by Nebraska-Omaha. While the sweep itself was significant for Nebraska-Omaha, who demonstrated that they belong in the WCHA, the sweep has to hurt Minnesota even more. This is a team who had a player call out the coaches for voting them so low in the preseason poll. A team who many of us (myself included) feel is right on the cusp of greatness. They were down 4-0 on Friday night, came back to tie it up, only to lose 5-4. On Saturday, from certain observers, they played a very lackluster effort, especially on the defensive side of the puck. We knew coming into the season that defense would be a struggle for Minnesota, but you would expect them to try a little bit harder. Makes you wonder if they just don't want to play for Hill, Lucia, Maturi, or a combination of all the above. Also, with the dismissal of football coach Tim Brewster, who coached football about as well as Ray Rhodes did in Green Bay, you have to wonder if a cleaning of the Gopher hockey coaching staff is imminent...time will tell.

- Duluth did what it was supposed to do, sweeping the horrible team from Rhode Island. Nothing special there.

- UAA suffered two losses, one to CC and one to UAA in the Gold Rush tournament. Still, good to see UAA putting some points on the board.

- CC was unable to beat Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday night, losing 2-1.

- Sconni swept independent team Alabama-Huntsville over the weekend.

- Miami of Ohio took 3 of 4 from St. Cloud State

In non-conference news, BU couldn't hold off UMass on Saturday night, earning a 2-2 tie. The team the Sioux face, Maine, only earned 1 point against a decent Michigan State team. Michigan and UNH tied 4-4 and 3-3.

The Sioux take on Maine in Orono this upcoming weekend. I expect this to be a hard fought, physical series. Maine is a team on the rise and the Sioux will certainly have their hands full.