>  The reason that I brought this up was that the arena that was built for St.
>Cloud, due mostly to the efforts of former SCSU coach Herb Brooks, was built
>with money FROM THE STATE (and it's taxpayers!). It was seen as another outlet
>for hockey players in Minnesota who wanted to play Div. I hockey. Dahl has been
>severely criticized by the media and some coaches, for not going after more of
>the in-state talent.
 
I hate to say it...but that is their problem.  Dahl's job is not to appease
the media and coaches.  It is to build the best hockey team and program that
he can build at SCSU with the resources given him and the specific university
rules imposed on him.  If the school chooses to allow him to recruit from
outside the state and he does so, then it is silly to criticize him for taking
full advantage of the opportunities open to him.
 
I don't think that money coming from the state of Minnesota means SCSU must
therefore go after Minnesota players.  Not at all.  I don't recall hearing
about any restriction placed upon the school as a condition of accepting the
money for the arena.  Massachusetts appropriated quite a bit of money for
the new arena at UMass, but no one expects the hoop team to start taking
mostly Mass. kids, and when the hockey program starts, I am sure they are not
going to force the hockey team to just grab the kids who don't go to BC/BU/
etc.
 
If UMass did that, they'd be forever behind the other Hockey East schools
because it is virtually guaranteed that the best MA players, with a couple of
exceptions every year, will go to BC/BU/Harvard/etc.  SCSU has not carved
out a niche in the Minnesota market, not compared to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Maybe it will someday, but if SCSU cannot compete for the top Minnesota
players right now, it makes no sense to force them to take the 2nd tier of
players and be forever behind Minn/Wis.
 
A likely scenario is that SCSU builds a strong reputation and WCHA contender
with key players from outside the state, which starts to attract to the school
players who would have gone to Minnesota.  I see nothing wrong with that.
 
 
- mike