March 24, 2011

Final Five notes and a preview of this weekend

It's been a week since the Final Five opened with the new format, two teams that no one expected to see, and no Minnesota or Wisconsin to bolster attendance. I think it's safe to say this Final Five was going to be different, exciting, and bring many opinions to the table.

After the dust has settled, I can safely say that DU/UND game was intense, exciting, and showcased two VERY good hockey teams.

Now, onto this upcoming weekend.

The Sioux are in an interesting position, IMO. They face an RPI team that has had 3 weeks off from any type of game situation. They have practiced from what I understand, but 3 weeks ago, most RPI fans had written their team off and were just waiting for the other teams that still were playing hockey to propel them into the NCAA tourney. Sure enough, RPI made it. Under normal circumstances, I would be really happy for them. I like RPI; they are a proud program that has very loyal fans. A couple of NCAA Championships decorate the trophy room. My friend Joe Yerdon is a huge RPI fan, as well as Tom Reale. But right now, I'm not an RPI fan. In the other game, Denver will face a Western Michigan team that has overachieved and quite frankly, has nothing to lose.

So the ultimate question is, can the Sioux beat RPI?

Sure.

No words on injuries yet. Hakstol is in lockdown mode on those according to Schloss. The team leaves for Green Bay today. I sure hope they got some rest after their two overtime game against DU.

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