Looking at the 2008-2009 schedule.

I have been a regular listener and critic of the INCH pod casts because of their blatant bias and love for the eastern and CCHA schools. On a recent pod cast Joe Gladziszewski Jeff Howe and Mike Eidelbes went so far as to say that the WCHA schools do not travel and they play all if not most of their non-conference games inside their own building because they throw big money at the visiting teams to show up and that is the reason the WCHA strength of schedule is so inflated.

In looking at the 2008-2009 Fighting Sioux non conference schedule it appears that claim is false and if UND does well during their nonconference schedule they will have a strong strength of schedule again.

Oct. 10-11 — Ice Breaker Invitational at Boston University. (BU, UMass, Michigan State)Boston, Mass
Nov. 28-29 — EZAC CORNELL, Grand Forks, ND
Dec. 5-6 — at EZAC Harvard (Cambridge Mass)
Dec. 26-27 — at Great Lakes Invitational (Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech)
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit Michigan
Jan. 2-3 — at Bemidji State/BEMIDJI STATE

Wow; out of 10 nonconferene game the Fighting Sioux will only play 3 of those games at home and they will make the trip to the Boston area twice.

2007 - 2008 Hockey Schedule (by Sioux 7)

Oct 7 Manitoba (exhibition)
Oct 13 Michigan St. (US Hall of Fame Game)
Oct 19 @ Boston College
Oct 20 @ Northeastern
Oct 26-27 @ MICHIGAN TECH

Nov 2-3 COLORADO COLLEGE
Nov 9-10 @ WISCONSIN
Nov 23-24 MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Nov 30 -1 @DENVER

Dec 7-8 MINNESOTA
Dec 28-29 New Hampshire

Jan 4-5 @ ST. CLOUD ST.
Jan 11-12 MICHIGAN TECH
Jan 18-19 @ MANKATO ST.
Jan 25-26 ALASKA-ANCHORAGE

Feb 1-2 @ MINNESOTA
Feb 15-16 DENVER
Feb 23-24 Bemidji St.

Mar 1-2 @ MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Mar 7-8 ST. CLOUD ST.

Mar 14-16 WCHA PLAYOFFS - First Round
Mar 20-22 WCHA FINAL FIVE (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Mar 28-30 NCAA Regionals
Apr 10-12 NCAA FROZEN FOUR (Denver, Colorado)

As you may notice the team has 3 breaks in the schedule. The first break is in mid-November. The second break in mid-December, with back-to-back weekends with no games just before Christmas. And the final third break in early February.

I think they have good schedule and terms of having time off, it is spread around in the middle of the season. We also have a good schedule in terms of home/away games, there are no big road stretches or no big home stands either. However, I think we have a tough schedule, playing UM, SCSU, DU and MTU four games each.

We only play the following WCHA teams in one series this upcoming season: Wisconsin, Colorado College, Alaska, and Mankato St.