The Sioux and the Gophers

The Match Up
7>5

The Clock is Ticking

First off; I wish I were going to be at the game this weekend. Nothing beats some good smack talk between Sioux and Gopher fans at a hockey game, however, I have to work and there will be no trip south this season. Lucky for me I will however be able to see the game on the TV at work. My brother called last night to rub in the fact that he has two tickets to the game on Saturday night at the John. I sure he could probably get top dollar for those tickets too. I would love to see a sweep of the Gophers by the Fighting Sioux, however, I will settle for a split or a couple of ties. The Sioux need to get points to avoid a first round tilt in Madison Wisconsin against the Badgers, a team they do not match up well against because of the style of hockey they play.

No Prediction this Weekend

There will be no bold predictions for this weekend because I really can’t put a finger on this years Fighting Sioux team. I am carefully optimistic that the Sioux can pull one off this weekend. As of late the Sioux have played better but their level of competition hasn’t been that high. The Sioux currently are ranked 14th in the PWR rankings and a win would bolster their playoff chances and probably get them off of the NCAA bubble. The Sioux have 10 WCHA games left for the season and I believe the Fighting Sioux would have to go 7-3 or 6-4 and get to the Final Five to get off the NCAA bubble.



Tough Task Ahead: (per inch)
Inside college hockey breaks down the prospects for the Badgers over taking the Sioux in the standingsINCH Link. This is going to make every Fighting Sioux hockey important because of the poor play in the first half of the season. Each game that the fighting Sioux lose is going to have the ramifcaitions. Its going to make every game have the feel of a game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

If the WCHA playoffs began today, Wisconsin would have to go on the road, but despite their current standing in the lower half of the league standings, there's optimism for a strong finish among many Badger fans. Wisconsin has played two fewer league games than fifth-place North Dakota (which the Badgers currently trail by a point) and four fewer league games than Alaska Anchorage, with which it is tied for sixth place. Eight of Wisconsin's 12 remaining league games are against teams at or below the Badgers in the standings.