You
believe that is the real reason? Because I sure don't. I think this has more to do with Dave Hakstol and his minions looking at how ND has fared on Friday nights so far this season (all 5 of their losses PLUS a shootout loss to you know who) and concerns about showing up fresh, and, oh, just maybe being at least just a little bit concerned about who they are playing, where, in what environment, the Head Coach on the other bench, and, most important of all, the import of these games.
Yeah, I know North Dakota is tough as nails and used to playing good teams in front of big crowds. Well, we'll see if that is the case because that is what they are going to have to come here and do if they want to walk out of here in first place. It is one thing to have a large, intimidating, and full place to play every home game and quite another when you are you facing the same thing on enemy turf in a very meaningful series (how "full" the building here is going to be this weekend remains to be seen--rest assured these will be the largest crowds of the season, to-date) and you have to take a long and tiring bus ride to get there. I think these games will be played in an atmosphere like few others I can think of in the history of the UNO program. Maybe NO other. The fact that all these UNO fans have come out of the woodwork here this week, in this forum, all of a sudden, tells me something about that.
If they wanted to fly, they sure could have done this much cheaper, commercially (and that would have had to have been arranged quite some time ago). That they are willing to go to the expense of doing it by charter smacks loudly of it being a last minute decision. Hockey teams flying charter? I'd sure welcome some discourse from other teams fans about the prevalence of this (read: lack thereof) at their schools.
It is unusual enough that North Dakota papers all over the state are running this story.
"We're worried about the weather or about getting sick"
Yeah, right.

If THAT statement is really true then I am thinking of a word. And, that word is "soft".