OK, I'll bite back.

Unbelievably good?  Perhaps not, but pretty good nonetheless.  The Huskies
certainly deserve their #1 ranking, and should have gotten all the first place
votes this week.  But, while it's true that St Cloud took 3 of 4 points from
the Gophers, they also could have gotten swept.  Both games were close, and if
the outcomes were determined by goals scored off sticks rather than skates,
Minnesota would have taken 3 points.  St Cloud was the better team, but not by
a big margin.

I think we saw the best two teams in the nation last weekend, and I expect that
they will meet four more times:  twice more at the end of the season, in the
WCHA Final Five, and in the NC$$ playoffs.

As far as respect goes, I'm sure the Huskies will get it if they keep winning.
  While Minnesota is St Cloud's home state, St Paul isn't its home town.  ;-)

-- Erik


> The Huskies of St. Cloud State are unbelievably good. Despite a 2-2 tie
> against Minnesota, they had 47 shots. People in Maine got to see them,
> so hopefully any boostering is understood by them. On Sunday after
> taking 3 of 4 points from the Gophers, we took a youth hockey team to
> sell programs before the Wild game at the Excel Center. About half of
> the people who talked college hockey were impressed with the Huskies.
> The other half, according to the kids, would ask them where they were
> from (despite a big "St. Cloud" across their jersey), and after saying
> St. Cloud the people would say the Huskies were lucky and they were not
> going to support St. Cloud by buying a program. Somewhere in the bible
> it says prophets are respected less in their home towns than elsewhere,
> and at least for college hockey, St. Cloud is respected less in their
> home state than elsewhere. How in the world can two voters still vote
> Minnesota #1 after almost getting swept over the weekend? Where do you
> think these votes come from?
>
> So Tom, maybe this will kick your life cycle in the behind.
>
> Nathan Hampton