St. Paul, Minnesota. Most of you know that I have a very strong opinion about what is going on with the Fighting Sioux nickname, and what the NCAA is trying to pull. So, I thought this weekend’s result of the WCHA hockey tournament in the home of the Wild was a fitting story for a program that could have been devastated by the controversy that is surrounding it. But instead, it’s not about a logo, it was about a state, and a group of young men who have the heart of champions. By first sending the Huskies back to their doghouse on Thursday, and making the Gophers hibernate in their holes with a come from behind explosion and a 6-3 win on Friday. Then on Saturday, they Pioneered a shutout of Denver to send a message to Indianapolis. You can put us in a controversy, but we will rise above it and persevere, and laugh in your face. A nickname is just a name of a team, and it should be for the people of North Dakota to decide what happens to it, not some low down NCAA pansy in Indianapolis. There is more to be written to this storybook ending. UND might as well be spelled CHAMP in my book. I know they must earn it on the ice, but no matter what happens, the UND athletic program can hold itself in high esteem.
