Well since Carol proded me, I will give a couple comments about this past week-
end, now that I am back in the land of snow which is Ithaca (28 inches is a LOT
of snow).  The new Arena for the Gophers is going to be a really nice place to
watch hockey.  The ice surface is large, which may change the way teams play,
as it will favor more wide-open hockey.  The sight lines for fans are excellant
no posts or pillars anywhere.  And with 9000ish fans in the place, it is not
going to be a fun place for the Badgers or anyone else who ventures in (like
the RED next year).  Although it may take a bit to top the character (or maybe
ecentricities(sp?)) of the old building with the sloped roof.  One differene
that Carol did not mention was the location of the sin bin.  Rather than being
next to the Gopher's bench, it will be opposite both benches, thereby removing
a home ice advantage.  Overall, the new rink should be a nice place to visit,
and Carol, thanks for arranging the tour.
 
As for the game on Saturday, the Gopher's were lucky they did not have to play
Sunday.  UND, despite its poor record, matched up very well with Minnesota.
They seemed to keep the Gophers off stride, and almost pulled the game out.
From Lisa and my seats, near the Gopher net in the 1st,3rd and OT, UND almost
won twice in OT, but since they did not, it is a moot point.  Not so moot, is
the Gophers attempt to sit on a one goal lead for 7 minutes. They did not pull
it off on Saturday, and they won't pull it off for the rest of the season if
they try it.  From watching the Red try it over many years, it is a bad habit
to get into.  Coach Woog had better make sure that his team plays 60 minutes if
 they want to play more than this weekend.
 
Finally, a comment about the officials.  This being the first time I had seen a
game with WCHA refs at which I was primarily impartial, I thought the officials
did a fair and a good job.  After the game I asked Eric if this was a typical
game, and when he said yes, I would say that there is less difference between
the east and west then people seem to think.  Like any game, the refs missed a
couple calls, but they made some good ones as well, despite the booing from
some fans who need to check the rules before they complain so loudly.
 
Just my proded thoughts,
 
William Sangrey
Cornell '87&'93?
Let's Go RED!!!!