The Seawolves were scheduled to depart town early this morning for Grand Forks, N.D., and two more games with North Dakota -- and, to The Blog, a 6 a.m. flight isn't so much early morning as very late evening.

In any event, the Seawolves just played the Sioux last Friday at UAF's tournament in Fairbanks, and now they play them two more times to open the WCHA season. That's odd, but the Seawolves did the same thing with Nebraska-Omaha last season -- played the Mavericks on a Friday in Fairbanks, then traveled the next week to Omaha to open WCHA play.

Still, it's weird playing the same opponent three times in a span of four games.

It gets more odd for the Seawolves after this, though.

After North Dakota, the Seawolves have an idle weekend.

Then, Nov. 9-10, they entertain Minnesota in a WCHA series.

And then immediately have another idle weekend.

Hmm. Best-case scenario -- UAA does well in North Dakota to get momentum, then said momentum is immediately halted by the schedule. Worst-case scenario -- UAA doesn't do well in North Dakota, then has basically two weeks before it can get back on the horse.

Not saying the early schedule is good or bad -- really don't have a dog in that fight. Just saying the early schedule is odd.

Bit of a bummer for the UAA players, if any of them are hoops fans. Those two idle weekends are not Great Alaska Shootout weekends. That one comes after the Seawolves' second idle weekend, when they are at Bemidji State for a WCHA series.