Friday, October 13, 2006

So Exactly How Much Talent Does It Take To Knock Off Holy Cross In A Big Game?

I was watching the Sioux play the Badgers on CSTV tonight (Sioux won in OT 3-2) and one of the announcers was commenting on the "heart and soul" that Sioux teams tend to carry. This reminded me of last season's WCHA Final Five, when a TV commentator was talking about how Sioux teams carry themselves like champions. Others have tossed around words like "character" when it comes to the Sioux hockey program.

I bring this up in contrast to some college hockey programs, where all you hear about is "their talent." Such programs have yet to top UND in the number of national and WCHA championships won; but I trust I can hear their fans tell me about their talent this season over and over again. Which brings to mind last season: I was told repeatedly that the Gophers had the best freshman class in the country. They flashed a stat on CSTV tonight - Freshman points last season: Minnesota = 114, North Dakota = 196. Hmmmm, maybe it is like Alan Fine says: character counts.